Ep 525: The Best Money Advice of All Time (According to the Experts)

Summary

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HerMoney with Jean Chatzky — Episode 525

"The Best Money Advice of All Time (According to the Experts)"

Guest: Diane Harris, Deputy Editor at Kiplinger Personal Finance
Release date: April 29, 2026

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Episode Overview

This rich and inspiring episode brings together decades of experience from two leading voices in financial literacy: host Jean Chatzky and guest Diane Harris. The focus: the most enduring, actionable, and heartfelt financial advice as curated from a panel of 35 prominent experts for a cover package in Kiplinger's April issue. From practical saving tactics and emotional intelligence to deeply personal lessons learned from parents, Jean and Diane cut through the noise of information overload to spotlight advice that truly matters—especially for women navigating unique financial opportunities and challenges.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Financial Advice for Women is Different

• Diane Harris discusses her historic role at Money magazine (04:49):
  • The presence and representation of women in finance leads to broader, more inclusive stories (like managing caregiving, paying for mental health).
  • "We don’t give ourselves enough credit for the perspective and the reason and the common sense that we bring to managing money. We just have to believe more in ourselves and our ability than we do." — Diane Harris [06:54]
• Jean emphasizes the emotional context of women’s financial decisions (07:39):
  • Women's approach often combines practical needs and emotional realities, caring for others and seeking independence.

2. The Evolution (and Importance) of Values-Based Advice

• Jean references Bruce Filer:
  • "Every conversation about money is a conversation about values." — [03:58]
• Diane’s own financial journey (08:15):
  • Learning from top minds like Christine Benz and Carolyn McClanahan—“putting humanity first” and balancing saving with enjoying life.
  • Concept of “giving yourself some grace” in money matters, a sentiment heard mostly from women [09:54]: “Give yourself some grace.”

3. The Kiplinger Project: Finding the Best Money Advice (13:01)

• How the project came together:
  • 35 diverse experts, curated for both prominence and perspective—a “tapestry of wisdom.”
  • Some advice was practical, others moving, or even funny. ("Occasionally they were all three of those things at the same time." — Diane [14:21])
• Sections of advice:
  • Managing money, saving, investing, retirement, family finance, and “Best Advice from Mom or Dad.”

4. Memorable & Notable Advice from the Project

a. Jean’s Mom’s Wisdom (16:36–19:31)

• "When you have an important conversation with your kids, you should do it in the car."
  • The captive audience, no distractions, less direct confrontation—applies to money, sex, drugs, any tough topic.
  • "You don’t have them to yourself, away from screens, away from other things where you can actually unpack something important." — Jean Chatzky [17:48]
  • The advice resonated deeply with Kiplinger’s staff: “That’s how you know it's really good advice...” — Diane Harris [19:32]

b. Super-Practical: Time-Based Portfolio Check-Ins (20:11–21:25)

• Teresa Ghilarducci’s tip:
  • Pick a random day (like February 18th), and only rebalance your portfolio then—prevents making emotional financial decisions during market moves.
  • "And you know that February 18th is when you do it and no other days do you do it. And you just set that rule for yourself.” — Diane Harris [21:00]
• Jean’s twist: Do it on your birthday, for a personal, memorable date. [21:25]

c. Emotional vs. Mathematical Decision-Making (22:13)

• Christine Benz’s advice:
  • “Paying off your mortgage might not pencil out by the numbers, but the psychological benefit can be enormous.”
  • Focus on what helps you sleep at night, not the ‘right number.’
• Diane’s critique of numbers-driven advice:
  • “I hate that. Don’t pay attention to that number. People make things work.” [24:37]
  • Emphasis on flexibility, individuality, and not setting yourself up to feel like a failure.
  • “The math is not the end goal, that’s not the end game. It’s about what kind of life you want to lead...what gives you purpose.” [24:58]
• Michael Finke’s theme: “Invest in your happiness”—community and purpose are as important as dollars in retirement. [25:20]

d. Investing and Simplicity (26:20–27:13)

• Peter Lynch’s classic wisdom:
  • “We’ll spend hours finding the cheapest airline ticket but barely research a stock before we buy it.” [25:47]
  • “You should be able to tell a 10-year-old why you own a stock in 30 seconds. If you can’t, then you shouldn’t own that stock.”
  • Simplicity is key—avoid intimidation.

e. Automation and Working with Human Nature (27:46–28:53)

• Megan McCoy’s automation advice:
  • Automate savings so good choices happen by default.
  • “So many pieces of advice rely on motivation—they make people feel like they failed if they can’t do it… It should just be a default thing…make it easy for yourself to do the right thing and you’ll feel good about yourself.” — Diane Harris [28:29]

5. Diane’s Personal & Family Lessons (29:20–32:20)

• Diane’s top tip: “Always have a plan B.”
  • Life will throw curveballs—be mentally prepared, not only with an emergency fund but with contingency plans.
  • “It sounds like it’d be really depressing, but it’s actually not because…when something hits you, you feel like, okay, I can do this.” [29:58]
• Advice from her mom: Always carry cash and tissues.
• A cautionary tale:
  • After her parents’ divorce, her mother’s reliance on alimony became precarious when her father died suddenly:
    • “By example, my advice to my daughter…is do not rely on another person for money. You have to be able to make your own way and to take care of yourself… You are the person you should be relying on.” — Diane Harris [31:37]
  • The classic: “A man is not a plan.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Every conversation about money is a conversation about values.” — Jean Chatzky quoting Bruce Filer [03:58]
• “Give yourself some grace.” — Diane Harris [09:54]
• “When you have an important conversation with your kids, you should do it in the car.” — Jean Chatzky (attributed to her mother) [17:48]
• “The math is not the end goal… it’s about what kind of life you want to lead.” — Diane Harris [24:58]
• “Do not rely on another person for money. You have to be able to make your own way and to take care of yourself.” — Diane Harris [31:37]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:05 — Diane’s foundational advice: Plan B for life’s curveballs
• 04:49 — The impact of being Money mag’s first female editor & women’s financial perspective
• 09:54 — “Give yourself some grace”: The emotional side of money for women
• 13:01 — Genesis & process of Kiplinger’s “best advice” project
• 16:36 — Best advice from Jean’s mom (“talk in the car”)
• 20:11 — Portfolio rebalancing: Pick one day a year
• 22:13 — The emotional side vs. math side of money
• 25:20 — Michael Finke: Investing in happiness and community in retirement
• 26:20 — Investing research: Peter Lynch’s 30-second rule
• 27:46 — Automation as a behavioral finance tool
• 29:20 — Diane’s essential tip: Always have a plan B
• 31:37 — The crucial lesson: A man is not a plan

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Episode Takeaways

• Financial advice “that holds up” is about more than numbers: it’s about values, emotions, planning for the unexpected, and building the life you want.
• Women bring unique strengths to financial management that deserve recognizing and trusting.
• Automate, simplify, and personalize your approach—don’t get hung up on what works for others or what pundits say your “number” is.
• Prepare, don’t panic: Have a plan for the curveballs, but don’t let fear drive your choices.
• Family wisdom endures: Some of the best financial lessons come from personal or parental experience.

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Where to Find More

• The complete “Best Money Advice” package: kiplinger.com
• HerMoney newsletter and additional resources: HerMoney.com
• Diane’s writing and editorial work: Kiplinger, Money magazine archives

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This episode is a must-listen for anyone wanting to distill decades of financial wisdom into actionable, relatable, and achievable steps—especially women seeking community and guidance in their financial journey.

Transcript

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[Diane Harris]

The top advice that I gave was just to always have a plan B. Life is going to do a number on you at some point, probably at several points, even if you do everything with your money the right way, right? So you're going to be thrown something, you're going to be laid off, someone is going to be ill, an adult child will need your help when you're on the verge of retirement. And so you always want to think about what could happen and have a plan. It's not about just an emergency fund. An emergency fund is good, but it's really thinking about what could happen and having a mental plan for it.

[Indeed Sponsored Jobs Announcer]

Hey everyone.

[Jean Chatzky]

Welcome to Her Money. I'm Jean Chatky and I have a question for you. Out of all the financial advice that's out there, and there is so much of it, what actually holds up? We live in this age of information overload. You can get a money tip from TikTok, from substack from a podcast. Yes, that's us. From your 401k provider or your Aunt Phyllis at Thanksgiving. And your Aunt Phyllis might actually be who you trust the most because a recent Gallup survey found that Americans are still still most likely to turn to friends and family for financial guidance, surpassing even financial advisors. Which tells me something. We are all still searching for someone or something we trust to cut through the noise and tell us what really matters. Well, my guest today went out and found 35 of the most trusted voices in personal finance and asked them just that. We're talking Suzy Peter Lynch, Melody Hobson, Ramit Sethi, Tiffany Alice and me. I'm honored I could go on. And what came back was this incredible tapestry of wisdom, some of it practical, some of it surprising, all of it genuinely moving. Diane Harris is deputy editor of Kiplinger Personal Finance. Before that, editor of Money magazine, where she made history, by the way, as the first and only woman to ever hold that role. And she put together this sweeping cover package, the best money advice of all time, for Kiplinger's April issue. I'm so excited to have her here today. She is an old friend and a good one. And, Diane, welcome to her money.

[Diane Harris]

Oh, Jean, I'm so delighted to be here. I appreciate the opportunity to talk about this package, and I'm so delighted that you were a part of it. Your advice was terrific, and it was just. It was a pleasure.

[Jean Chatzky]

Thank you so much. A couple months back, a writer named Bruce Filer, who writes books, said to me, every conversation about money is a conversation about values. And that just really resonated with me. I keep coming back to that. As I mentioned, at the top of the show, you became the editor, the top editor at Money magazine, the first and only woman to ever hold that role. That was really. I mean, I think there were so many of us who had been through those halls just cheering you on. But I wonder. No, I wonder what it meant to you personally. And when you look back on it, how do you think that the conversation around money, especially for women, has evolved over your career?

[Diane Harris]

Well, first of all, I didn't think about being the first and only woman when I got the job. And what was amazing to me about that experience was just what you're describing. It was the reaction of other women and how much it seemed to mean to women I cared about at Money magazine and in our profession. The response that I got, and I was so incredibly moved by that, and it really made me stop and think about that and the role and what I wanted to bring to it. And I think that I did bring a. A different perspective. We all, you know, the men who had come before me and all the men and women who worked at the magazine, we all had great knowledge of the personal finance space. So we all had the tools and the information and the knowledge. It's about how you apply that expertise and the kinds of things that matter to us and that, I think, infuse the way women manage money, the way we look at it, that sets us apart. Is that where men either do or want to pretend they do. Sorry, gross generalization, guys. But, you know, think you need to take the emotion out of money. It's part of everything that we do. It's what drives us. The desire to do well by our families, to have choices, to be independent to all the things that we care about, the people we love. Money matters and how we do that, and keeping your eye on that with the goal is why you're doing this, why you need to manage your money wisely. Even the example that we set for our daughters and how they move in the world for all of those reasons. So I brought, I think, that kind of perspective to the kinds of stories that we did. We did packages like, you know, things about caring for your aging parents or paying for mental health treatment. Because if you have anyone in your life who suffers from anxiety and depression, you know that not only is that a health challenge, but it's a financial challenge and how you pay for that. And it's that kind of thinking. And I think that's what women bring to the table. When we think about managing money and that it is a great thing. We don't give ourselves enough credit for the perspective and the reason and the common sense that. That we bring to managing money. We just have to believe more in ourselves and our ability than we do.

[Jean Chatzky]

I learned that every time we have. I run this investing club online every other Monday night. And the perspectives that our members bring as they tee up, different ideas and the questions they ask are. They always get me because they're things that maybe I hadn't thought of, and they're so smart and so broad in their thinking. After all of these years of living and breathing this stuff, editing it and assigning it and publishing it, has it changed the way that you manage money yourself?

[Diane Harris]

Oh, absolutely. Absolutely, it has. First of all, I take that lesson that I've just said to heart, where I try to have that infuse everything that I do as well. And in the past several years, you know, I've gone back and forth between editing and writing my whole career, and I love that, you know, they're both great opportunities, and I think each one informs the other. But particularly in the past few years, I've had the chance when I'm in writing mode, to talk to these great, wonderful people who I saw other writers talking to, but I didn't have the opportunity. Many of whom you've had on your show who are, you know, great favorites of mine, Christine Benz and Carolyn McClanahan, you know, two people who I really admire. And they always put humanity first and think about what the purpose is and who they're do you know, all of that. And I think that is foremost in my mind when I think about managing my own money now. Lessons about you want to save and prepare for retirement, but you don't know what life can throw your way. So make sure you're also making room to enjoy it, to be spending on the things that matter most, think about what matters most. So it's not mindless spending. I hear Carolyn McClanahan in my head when I say things like that. So I feel like I've learned so much and embraced the. I don't know if emotional is the right word for it, but it's the human side of things that every thing we do with money has to be. That has to be part of it. And I try to do that in my own life and also to give myself some grace. You know, that's a phrase, and I do think it's a phrase that only women who I've interviewed have used. I don't think I've ever heard a man. Not that there aren't plenty of great men that I have interviewed and great thinkers, because there are, and many of them are in this package. But several women in different contexts have said to me, give yourself some grace. And I think that's particularly true, again, for women. We think we're making a mistake. We're worried about making a mistake. We think we don't know as much as we do. Give yourself some grace.

[Jean Chatzky]

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[Diane Harris]

This is an idea that I've had for years and years and years because there is, as you mentioned, at the top, there is information overload, especially when it comes to money these days. You can get it everywhere. And I think that people get paralyzed by information overload. You don't know what's the best. And I've thought about that. Like, if you could only give one piece of advice, what would it be if you were forced to think about what's the most meaningful or most impactful thing that you can say? And then I thought, I would love to put that question to lots of people. So we had three wonderful writers on this project. You know, I want to make it clear. I was the editor, I was not the writer. Chris Taylor, Carrie Anne Renzulli, Ellen Chang, terrific writers and reporters. And I just thought about a combination of people who were very big names. Now I wanted a cross section. I wanted a truly diverse group of thinkers, most importantly, how they think. Like that kind of diversity. I wish we had room for more than 35. I don't think readers can take more than 35. But I've already started making a list of like, round two if anybody wants us to do this again, because there are lots of wonderful people who weren't in the package. But I'm thrilled with the people we had. I really am. And I was surprised by how delighted I was at the answers that we got. They were so, you know, they were just so important. They were, as you said, they were filled with humanity and understanding about the way people actually behave in the world. It was not about the numbers. It was not about making more money. It was not even although there were themes and advice that was common, the way people put it, the way they structured it in the context of people's real lives and what would and what might trip them up was great. And some pieces of advice were practical and some were moving and occasionally they were funny and occasionally they were all three of those things at the same time. And I'm actually thinking of one of your pieces of advice was the most talked about in our office.

[Jean Chatzky]

Really? It was the one that came from my mother, wasn't it?

[Diane Harris]

It was the one that came from your mother, I have to say. So we have 35 experts. There were 91 pie of advice. We divided them into sections about managing your money, saving, investing, retirement, family finance. And then my favorite, my personal favorite section was we asked people to say, what's the best advice you got from your mom or dad?

[Jean Chatzky]

I said, we're going to take a quick break, but when we come back, Diane and I are going to get into the advice and I will tell you what my mother said. Back in a sec. Lately I've been thinking more about what I actually reach for in my closet. The pieces I wear on repeat versus the ones that just hang there. Spring always makes me want to simplify. And that's exactly why I've been loving Quince. The quality feels genuinely elevated, the fits are flattering and nothing is overpriced. My producer, Emily just stopped me the other day to ask about my cotton cashmere rib tank in heather oatmeal. It's this beautiful warm neutral that's just distinctive enough for people to notice. Refresh your every day with luxury you'll actually use. Head to quince.comhermoney for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's quince.comhermoney for Free Shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.comhermoney you know that feeling when you've tried everything. The diets, the early morning workouts, telling yourself this time will be different and the scale still won't budge. Or worse, you lose the weight and then watch it slowly creep back. It is so frustrating. And honestly, it's not a willpower problem for a lot of people. It's biology. Which is why I want to tell you about weight loss by hers. Hers now offers access to an affordable range of FDA approved GLP1 medications. Ready to reach your goals? Visit for hers HerMoney to get personalized affordable care that gets you. That's F O r h e r-s.com hermoney forhers.com hermoney Weight loss by hers is not available in all 50 states. WeGovy is the registered trademark of Novo Nordisk. As to get started and learn more, including important safety information, WeGovy clinical study information and restrictions, visit forhers.com we are back with Diane Harris of Kiplinger. So, yeah, my mother, I don't even remember exactly when she first gave me this advice. I think she gave it often, several times at least. And it was when you have an important conversation with your kids, you should do it in the car. And her thinking, and it was pretty brilliant, was that you can be driving so you don't have to look at your kids, but you know, you've got this captive audience. And so that's where I talked with my kids when they were teens, especially about difficult things like drugs and drinking and sex and money. And it is, I just, I think it's really, really good advice because you don't, you don't have them to yourself, away from screens, away from other things where you know that you can actually unpack something important.

[Diane Harris]

Yes, I completely agree. It is something that I did with my kids too. Definitely. I definitely remember a couple of sex conversations with my kids in the car where that was very useful. Applying it to money when you just. Anytime you're gonna have a challenging conversation. We certainly have lots of challenging conversations about money. And not. It doesn't even mean like challenging where you're calling somebody on something. It's just like you're talking about some important things and the fact that you don't have to look at one another and nobody can get away, nobody can get up and say, look, I've had

[Jean Chatzky]

it, I'm outta here.

[Diane Harris]

Right? It was in fact, brilliant advice. So hats off to your mom and to you for sharing it. But there was something about it, and this is how you know when it's really good advice, that people in my office just talked about that when they cited something as they were reading the copy, there was like. And there was that advice from Jean Chatsky's mom, you know, about the car, like, that's super useful. And I thought that that was true of the package as well, that sometimes people gave advice that was highly practical, like oddly practical. I'll give you an example. And this is by no means like the biggest piece of advice, but it was just oddly specific. So Teresa Ghillarducci, the labor economist, who had lots of great advice, but she said instead of responding to, we framed it as protect yourself from yourself and it's for example, the last couple of weeks and what the wild stock market gyrations from the Iran war. And it looks like we'll have another one as we're taping the huge ups and downs. And it makes people want to do something. And of course it's exactly the wrong moment to do anything. And so Theresa's advice was how you protect yourself from doing something that will ultimately really hurt you in the long run. Because nobody can time the market. And the history of the the market is that the moves come in short, sharp bursts that you can't predict is pick one day of the year, usually a boring day like February 18th. And you say that on that day every year, I will rebalance my portfolio and revisit if I have to make any changes. And you know that February 18th is when you do it and no other days do you do it. And you just set that rule for yourself.

[Jean Chatzky]

I love that sometimes I tell people to do it on their birthday. Right. Because birthdays are so random. Right. And likely not to be an important day except to you. Right. And memorable. So much of the advice, it does touch, as you said, on the emotional side of money, even when it argues with the math. Christine Benz makes the point that paying off your mortgage early might not pencil out by the numbers, but the psychological benefit can be enormous. I totally agree with her. To me, it makes sense because it makes it easier to sleep at night. Do you think that our industry has done a good job of honoring the emotional dimension, or have we just been too focused on the numbers?

[Diane Harris]

You know, I think we are too focused on the numbers. I wish people just talked to the people that we talk to, because these people, I mean, it was a running theme in this project. I had actually written it down as I was trying to think about what are the themes that emerge and don't focus on the numbers. It's not about the math is something that various people talked about in a number of ways, Christine being one of them. I loved that piece of advice. I 1000% agree with it, and I think that. But I think that what we read about every day and what we hear about every day is numbers driven remains numbers driven. The best advisors will not do that. They will talk about your life and they will talk about what helps you sleep at night. And whether you do it yourself or you work with a professional, I really would encourage people to take that mindset to it. It's what makes you comfortable. You want to make sure that your basics are covered, but you should not be Losing sleep about this. Money should be a tool. It's definitely not about hitting certain number. I have to say that just within the last week of this taping, a big financial services company came out with their annual like this is the number people think they should hit in retirement. I hate that. Don't pay attention to that number. People make things work. You make adjustments, you figure out your life. But it's not about hitting a particular number. And it's particularly not about hitting a particular number if you won't hit it. And so you feel like you fail. I think people are set up to feel that they've failed. And that again, just on a podcast called Her Money, I wanna make it clear that I think we women do that too much to ourselves. So yes, it should not be about the math. There is some math. You are figuring out how much to save and your cash flow and how to cover your needs. But the math is not the end goal, that's not the end game. It's about what kind of life you want to lead and the trade offs you would be willing to make to get there. And not trade offs necessarily just with your spending, but with your career. How much do you want to work and do you want to be able to work part time and you know, just all of these things that give you a rich life. That is another theme throughout this. You know, what gives you purpose. And Michael Finke, who's a great retirement researcher, one of his pieces advice in the package was about investing in your happiness. Now here's a retirement researcher who has spent his entire career thinking about the numbers that you have to hit. But his greatest advice is about investing in your happiness. Because ultimately what is going to give your life, throughout your life purpose, but especially in retirement, is community. The people who you interact with and your sense of purpose and finding those things that bring you real joy.

[Jean Chatzky]

No, it isn't. And he definitely walks the talk. I've gotten to know him over the past few years working on a project and as I was doing the research for my upcoming book, he and his partner Tamako Toland. Cause I needed to learn a lot about annuities actually in a very short period of time. They said come to Santa Fe, you can stay in our guest house. I definitely got a very, very deep dive into annuities. But we also went hiking and out for pizza with very spicy peppers and shrimp on it, which turns out to be a very good combination. But yeah, no, I think that's amazing advice on the investing side. I liked that Peter lynch pointed out that we will spend hours finding the cheapest airline ticket but barely research a stock before we buy it. That's so true. Why do you think that is?

[Diane Harris]

Because I think it's not as intimidating to people. I think that people understand a refrigerator perhaps more than they understand a stock. Even though again, like, you don't have to get too overly sophisticated or get into all of the numbers, but you have to understand if you're going to invest in an individual stock, which I'm not a great fan of for the great majority of people. But if you're going to do that, understanding the business and the prospects is something important. The other piece of advice from Peter lynch, and in case people don't know Peter lynch, because the younger people on our staff had no idea who he was. So Peter lynch, one of the great investors on the same sort of scale as Warren Buffett, he ran Fidelity Magellan, a mutual fund for a couple of decades, I think, and had an astonishing something like 29% average annual return. Just extraordinary. Again, those are numbers. But he did it with a very common sense approach to investing. But the other piece of advice that I loved in this package was you should be able to tell a 10 year old why you own a stock in 30 seconds. And if you can't do that, then you shouldn't own that stock. That's brilliant. I just think everything that we do with money can be simplified. It seems like such an incredibly intimidating, overwhelming prospect to a lot of people. And most of what you need can really be boiled down to very simple principles. There was a great piece of advice from Megan McCoy, who is a financial therapist who works at the University of Kansas. She's a terrific person and she gave the advice lots of people give it about automating everything in your life so you can set up so that your paycheck is sent to not just your 401k but to a portion of it automatically goes every month to building an emergency fund or paying off bills. So you can can automate everything so that you're by default doing the right thing. But what I loved about her framing of that advice was she said that so many pieces of advice rely on motivation so they make people feel like they failed if they can't do it, that it's some sort of personal failure instead of it should just be a default thing. And you set it up because it's human nature. Inertia takes over and we do whatever is easiest. So make it easy for yourself to do the right thing and you'll Feel good about yourself. And I apply that to my own life. Really, the only way I've been able to save for a variety of things is by automating it. I set it up, and then I don't think about it.

[Jean Chatzky]

Is that the best money advice that you've ever been given or received? Or if not, if you were adding another tip to this package, what would it be?

[Diane Harris]

So that's an interesting question. Our editor in chief actually asked everyone on staff after this project to give our best pieces of advice. And it was a fun exercise. And I did that and gave a bunch of, you know, things that I thought about. I'll give one of those, but I'll give one I thought about afterwards. So the top advice that I gave was just to always have a plan B. Like, life is gonna do a number on you at some point, probably at several points, even if you do everything with your money the right. So you're gonna be thrown something. You're gonna be laid off, someone is gonna be ill. An adult child will need your help when you're on the verge of retirement. And so you always wanna think about what could happen and have a plan. It's not about just an emergency fund. An emergency fund is good, but it's really thinking about what could happen and having a mental plan for it. And it sounds like it'd be really depressing, downer exercise, but it's actually not because it makes you feel like you. They may not all be great options, but so that when something hits you, you feel like, okay, I can do this. This is gonna be challenging, but I will get through it. And then I did the mom and dad one. And I thought about how my mother always told me to, you know, carry cash and tissues. Both came in very handy. You know, always have like a 10 or a 20 on you and a pack of tissues.

[Jean Chatzky]

I love it.

[Diane Harris]

And I have used both of those things very well. But I thought about it after the fact. And many people in the mom and dad section either gave advice as you did, that their parent actually told them, or they gave advice that they learned by observation, for better or worse. And my mother, who was just an extraordinary mother, unconditional love and warm and wonderful. But she and my father divorced when she was in her 30s. She was dependent on him for alimony. She came up in an era where she wasn't working and she was a homemaker, and she continued to rely on him for alimony. And my father, who was a healthy guy, died unexpectedly, very suddenly at 58.

[Jean Chatzky]

Wow.

[Diane Harris]

And as a result, I supported my mother for the rest of her life. And so so by example, my advice to my daughter and to everyone really is do not rely on another person for money. You have to be able to make your own way and to take care of yourself. You know, it's a variation of the cheesy a man is not a plan advice, but it's really about that. Just as you are your own best advocate and you need to be in money, as in life, you are the person you should be relying on. So that's my advice.

[Jean Chatzky]

Amen to that. I'm sorry that you lost your dad so young.

[Diane Harris]

Thank you.

[Jean Chatzky]

This has been a treat for me and I'm sure for all of our listeners as well. If they want to find the full package, where can they find it?

[Diane Harris]

Well, I hope they will go to kiplinger.com where they will see the whole package online. They can also get the issue in print. Love that we have a print edition and that you can get it there. There's something so wonderful about still being able to see something tangible and hold on to it. But I will tell you that there are many more tips in the online version where I had more room for what I left on the cutting room floor. So I would go to kiplinger.com and you'll see the whole five part series.

[Jean Chatzky]

Fantastic. Thank you so much Diane. Great to see you.

[Diane Harris]

Great to see you too.

[Jean Chatzky]

And before we if you loved today's episode, please take a moment to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcast. Your feedback means the world to me, but it also helps other women find the show. And if you're ready to grow your investing skills and make smarter decisions with your money, come join Investing Fix, our twice monthly Women only investing club. Expert stock pickers bring ideas to the table and together, together we help build a portfolio. Since launching four years ago, we've built a strong track record and more importantly, a community of women who are learning and winning together. Tap the link in the show notes to check out Investing Fix today. Your first two classes are always free. Her money is produced by Hayley Pascalides and our music is provided by Video Helper. Thanks for listening and we'll talk soon.