Ep 526: This Mother's Day, Pass It On: Slow and Steady Still Wins

Summary

HerMoney with Jean Chatzky — Ep 526: "Slow and Steady Still Wins: The Money Advice That Holds Up From Generation to Generation" (May 6, 2026)

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Episode Overview

This episode features a candid and compassionate conversation between host Jean Chatzky and personal finance journalist Beth Kobliner, celebrating the newly released fifth edition of Kobliner’s classic book, "Get a Financial Life." Together, they unpack how financial advice for women (and their families) endures, adapts, and empowers across generations — from Gen X parents eyeing retirement to Gen Z and Gen Alpha navigating new economic hurdles like high housing costs, student debt, fintech, and social media “finfluencers.” The core theme: tried-and-true financial basics still work, even as our environments and technologies change.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Women Need Specific Financial Advice (00:57–04:13)

• Jean emphasizes women's unique financial realities as caretakers, breadwinners, or both, and the value in speaking frankly and compassionately to this lived experience.
• Both women reflect on generational changes and pressures — parents helping children with rent, grad school, wedding bills, while still aiming for secure retirement.
• Jean: “You are the financial backbones of your families … all while wondering if you’re doing enough to set yourself up for a comfortable retirement.” (03:50)

2. Origins of “Get a Financial Life” & Its Impact (04:16–06:19)

• Beth shares her journey: starting as a young journalist at Money Magazine, facing skepticism about whether "slackers" of her generation cared about money, and feeling the need to fill a void in financial education for 20- and 30-somethings.
  • Quote (Beth, 04:57): “Publishers said, ‘We’re not going to do a book for this group because they don’t care about money.’ … But what we’ve seen is young people need to care.”
• Both recall being early advocates for financial literacy before it was mainstream.

3. What’s Changed & What Hasn’t: Financial Fundamentals (06:19–08:15)

• The basics remain true: contribute as much as you can to retirement plans, invest in index funds, reduce expenses, and avoid high-interest debt.
• Beth: “Going with the basics, sticking with the fundamentals, has worked and will continue to work … index funds and index ETFs … will continue to be the place to be over long periods of time.” (06:52)

4. Catch-Up Advice for Generation X/Aging Millennials (08:15–09:44)

• More options now: catch-up contributions to 401(k)s and IRAs, “backdoor” Roth IRAs for higher earners.
• Top tip: prioritize paying off high-interest credit card debt for guaranteed returns.
  • Quote (Beth, 09:20): “Paying off a credit card debt that charges you a rate of 22% is the equivalent of earning 22% guaranteed after tax.”

5. Prioritizing Yourself as a Parent (12:10–13:36)

• Common guilt: parents want to help adult children with big purchases (like homes), but must put their own retirement first.
• Quote (Beth, 12:53): “Taking care of your own finances will help you and ultimately won’t be a burden on your kids … you have to put yourself first because ultimately that will help your kids.”

6. New Edition — What’s Changed for Young Adults Today? (14:01–14:56)

• Housing: average home prices have skyrocketed; first-time buyers are now 40 (vs. late 20s previously).
  • Quote (Beth, 14:05): “Back when we were in our 20s, a typical home would cost $200,000. Now it costs $400,000, after adjusting for inflation.”
• Credit card debt is higher, but there are also signs of hope — this generation saves more.

7. The Surprising Positives: Gen Z’s Money Habits (17:59–19:40)

• Sharp rise in young people with 401(k)s and stock ownership; more financial engagement overall.
  • Quote (Beth, 18:03): “The number of young people with retirement accounts has increased by 36% … the number of 25-year-olds who own stocks and bonds is up almost six-fold.”

8. Behavioral Finance’s Role & Risks of “Bubble-Wrapped” Investors (19:02–21:15)

• Auto-enrollment and auto-escalation in retirement plans are helping, but concern remains about “leakage” (early withdrawals) and lack of deep financial understanding.
• Most young adults now get financial advice from social media — an unreliable and risk-laden source.
• Beth: “They get that these are influencers who are probably paid to promote these issues. … They still say, ‘I’m going to give it a whirl.’” (20:42)

9. Social Media, Finfluencers, and the New Addiction: Gambling (21:15–25:42)

• Growing concern over young people (especially men) using gambling and crypto in the hope of quick financial wins.
• Host and guest cite alarming stats: 96% of online gamblers lose money overall (24:19); gambling disorder carries the highest suicide rate among addictions (23:50).
• Quote (Beth, 24:22): “If you invested in the S&P 500 every 15-year period since the 1920s, you would have made money 99% of the time. … If you want to gamble, look at the odds.”
• Advice for parents: be proactive, get educated, and don’t be afraid to directly address possible gambling problems.

10. Home Ownership: Tips for Today’s Young Adults (26:21–28:17)

• Consider geographic flexibility: remote work makes moving to lower-cost areas possible.
• Use low down payment options (FHA, VA) but avoid “zero down” mortgages.
• Don’t overlook the financial power of living at home temporarily; now, half of 18–29-year-olds do.
• Young adults have much higher health insurance coverage due to the Affordable Care Act — a crucial financial safety net.

11. Personal Money Mistakes & Final Advice (28:41–30:25)

• Both Jean and Beth reflect on mistakes: not investing sooner, procrastinating on automatic savings.
  • Beth: “That kind of procrastination, I think, is something that I regret and I look back on.” (29:13)
• Beth’s greatest joy: meeting people years later who built wealth incrementally based on her advice.
• Quote (Beth, 30:15): “Slow and steady may not sound sexy but it does win the long-term financial race.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You are the financial backbones of your families.” — Jean Chatzky, (03:50)
• "Going with the basics, sticking with the fundamentals, has worked and will continue to work." — Beth Kobliner, (06:52)
• “Taking care of your own finances will help you and ultimately won’t be a burden on your kids.” — Beth Kobliner, (12:53)
• “The number of young people with retirement accounts has increased by 36% … the number of 25-year-olds who own stocks and bonds is up almost six-fold.” — Beth Kobliner, (18:03)
• “If you invested in the S&P 500 every 15-year period since the 1920s, you would have made money 99% of the time.” — Beth Kobliner, (24:22)
• “Slow and steady may not sound sexy but it does win the long-term financial race.” — Beth Kobliner, (30:15)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:57–04:13] — Why women need financial advice tailored for them
• [04:16–06:19] — Beth’s origin story and the inspiration behind "Get a Financial Life"
• [06:19–08:15] — How financial fundamentals hold up over time
• [08:15–09:44] — Advice for those late to saving for retirement
• [12:10–13:36] — Why parents must prioritize their own retirement and finances
• [14:01–14:56] — What’s changed for 20- and 30-somethings today
• [17:59–19:40] — Gen Z’s surprising money strengths
• [19:02–21:15] — Auto-enrollment/“bubble-wrapped” investors; the problem with finfluencers
• [21:15–25:42] — The social media effect, gambling, and dangers for young savers
• [26:21–28:17] — Getting started with housing despite daunting odds
• [28:41–30:25] — Money mistakes, things they wish they’d done sooner, and closing inspiration

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Tone and Language

Chatzky and Kobliner’s dynamic is honest, relatable, and warmly humorous, balancing hard truths about current economic headwinds with clear-headed optimism rooted in decades of evidence. Their advice demystifies continuity and change in personal finance — always with compassion for women’s evolving roles and a focus on practical, nonjudgmental guidance.

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This summary captures the episode’s essential themes and provides a timestamped map of where to find the most valuable and inspiring moments — so listeners (and non-listeners!) can understand what money advice endures and how to make it work, no matter the generation.

Transcript

[A]

This podcast episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy. Just drop in some details about yourself and see if you're eligible to save money when you bundle your home and auto policies. The process only takes minutes and it could mean hundreds more in your pocket. Visit progressive.com after this episode to see if you could save Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states. It's the Paradise Podcast.

[B]

I am your host, Ryan Michelle Bathe with my husband Sterling.

[C]

What's up?

[B]

Join us here on Hulu and Hulu on Disney, where we'll discuss each episode with the cast and crew of Paradise. I'll be getting all the secrets from Dan Fogelman, James Marsden, Shailene Woodley, Julianne Nicholson and Sterling Kelby Brown. Paradise. The official podcast is now streaming and

[C]

streaming paradise on Hulu and Hulu on Disney. There's a sense that we want our kids to have a life we had, and often we say we want them to have a better life than we had. But today we're seeing economically our kids are not going to be able to afford the homes they grew up in in many cases. And there's a guilt that comes with that. And I think that it's so important for mothers and fathers, but I think especially mothers, to say, you know what? I would love to help my child with that home. But you have to say I'm going to put myself first because taking care of your own finances will help you and ultimately won't be a burden on your kids.

[D]

Hey everyone. Welcome to Her Money. I'm Jean Chatky, and as many of you know, I have been doing this for a long time. I've been doing it long enough to remember when a certain book came out that changed the way that a whole generation thought about Money. It was 1996. A young journalist named Beth Kobleiner published a book called Get a Financial Life. It was a title that I wished I had thought of. And if you were in your 20s, then there was a pretty good chance that it was on your bookshelf. Maybe it still is. And here's what's wild. The people who bought that book for the first time, they're now in their 50s and early 60s. They have lived through the dot com crash, the financial crisis, a global pandemic, a period of inflation that none of us saw coming. And now their Gen Z and millennial kids are navigating student loan debt, a brutal housing market, a Job market shaken up by AI and a corner of the Internet influencers telling them to buy crypto or bet it all on polymarket. It has been a complicated 30 years for all generations of women, which is one of the reasons that I'm so excited to talk to Beth today. She is back with a completely updated 5th edition of Get a Financial Life. And it could not come at a better time. Beth and I have both spent our careers writing and talking about personal finance. And when you have watched that many people, that many generations navigate their money through many different types of ups and downs, you learn a thing or two. And so we know where you are, because in many ways, we are you. You are the financial backbones of your families. You are helping your kids with rent, with grad school, with wedding bills, all while wondering if you're doing enough to set yourself up for a comfortable retirement. Today, we're gonna dig into all of it. And if you're listening and you're thinking, no, I'm doing all of these things myself. I am not my mother, that's okay, too. We've got answers for you as well. Beth, it's great to see you. Welcome to Her Money.

[C]

So great to see you, Jean. Thank you for having me.

[D]

Of course, of course. Always happy to have you. Let's start with you and this book. Cause I do think that your story is as interesting as the advice itself. Why did decide to write Get a Financial Life? In your 20s, you were at Money magazine. You had a job as a staff writer. You didn't even have to fact check. You had a job as an actual writer, which made you the envy of many people like me. But what made you think that a young journalist could write the Money Bible for a generation? And what did writing it change for you personally?

[C]

Right. I think, honestly. And back then, I remember, Eugene, you were amazing. You were always on all the TV shows, and you were so great at it. And I envied you. You were at Smart Money and I was at Money. And I was starting to get questions from my friends saying, wait, what are you talking about? Why do you keep talking about retirement plans or index funds? And you were an English major. Beth, what's going on? And I think having that job at Money magazine. And before that, I used to write for Sylvia Porter, who was the first person to write about personal finance. So it was kind of a quick education and realizing, wow, there's nothing that's targeted at our generation. People in their 20s and 30s at the time. And I think also we were known as the slacker generation. And even though you and I were not slackers, that's for sure, I think that a lot of our generation had that reputation. So publishers, many publishers said, you know what, we're not going to do a book for this group because they don't care about money. They're having too much fun, they're too young, they're, you know, enjoying life. And I think what we've seen is that through ups and downs and bubbles and booms that young people need to care about money. And this generation, Gen Z, really knows that they need to care about money. No one would ever say, oh, they're having too much fun.

[D]

The people who bought this book, as I said in the introduction, they're now our age. They're now staring down retirement. How have the fundamentals changed when we talk about saving, investing, dealing with debt, how does it look different today than it did when you first wrote this book?

[C]

Right. Well, in many ways I can safely say that I'm a one trick pony because a lot of the fundamentals are very similar. But the idea of maxing out of your retirement plans, putting the most you can in 401ks IRAs, making sure to be well invested in the market index funds, reducing your expenses, all of those things that might sound, oh, tried and true and boring are what have worked over the last 30 years. And most experts believe they will continue to be the thing that works. And I think we've seen so many trends, like you said, the dot com bubble, then it burst. We saw day trading, really popular at some points. Now we see crypto and gambling is taking off. And I think, although it's sometimes hard for people to accept going with the basics, sticking with the fundamentals has worked and will continue to work. Even though there's this concern like, no, no, no, this time it's worse, this time it's worse. But certainly over many, many decades, index funds, index ETFs have been the place to be and I think will continue to be the place to be over long periods of time.

[D]

I'm going to come to your younger new generation of readers in just a second. But for that first generation, the ones who are now 10 years out from retirement, if they're feeling as if they've got some ground to make up, what would you tell them to do?

[C]

Well, I mean, there is actually a lot you can do and more you can do now than there was 30 years ago, 20 years ago. Because there are catch up type plans, there's catch up contributions you can make for 401k. So if you have not put as much Money in your 401k as you feel you want to have by the time you retire, force yourself. If it's $1,000 more, you could put an additional $1,100 into an IRA and it's basically that will require, you know, reshifting priority somewhat and figuring out how can I put my cash into my IRA, my 401k, possibly even open one of the backdoor IRAs that if you make too much income to qualify for a Roth IRA or a fully deductible ira, you open a non deductible IRA and then you can convert it into a Roth. And I think the other big thing, just back to the fundamentals, if you have a credit card debt, paying off a credit card debt that charges you a rate of 22% is the equivalent of earning 22% guaranteed after tax on your money. You can't get that kind of guarantee anywhere. So it's trying to prioritize yourself and your savings because I think this is such a common issue that you talk to women about so smartly, it's critical to prioritize themselves.

[D]

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[C]

Right. I agree. You know, as a mother, I'm a mother, you're a mother. We know we put our kids first. You know, historically, many parents, there's a sense that we want our kids to have a life we had. And often we say we want them to have a better life than we had. But today we're seeing economically our kids are not going to be able to afford the homes that they grew up in in many cases. And there's a guilt that comes with that. And I think that it's so important for mothers and fathers, but I think especially mothers to say, you know what, I would love to help my child with that, you know, home. And many parents do, a lot of home down payments are made by getting loans from their parents and gifts from their parents. But you have to say I'm going to put myself first because taking care of your own finances will help you and ultimately won't be a burden on your kids. And I think that's really a key. And I didn't, I mean, I've always said that, but now as I'm getting older and as our parents are older and I have so many friends now who have older parents and they're trying to figure out that sandwich generation. You have to prioritize yourself before trying to make your kid's life even better than, you know, you gave them a lot as a parent. But you have to put yourself first because ultimately that will help your kids.

[D]

It's hard, especially when you've got older parents on the other side. It is a tough position to be in.

[C]

Yes.

[D]

Okay.

[C]

Yes.

[D]

The book you say that not everything has changed, but certainly enough has changed to make you want to come out

[E]

with a new addition. So what's different for this generation in their attempt to get a financial life.

[C]

Well, the big difficulty for this generation is that they are seeing housing prices that are higher than they've ever been in history. Back when we were in our 20s, a typical home would cost $200,000. Now it costs $400,000. That's after adjusting for inflation. So in our day, you bought a first home in your 20s, 28, 27. Now, the first time, home buyers are 40 years old. So I think that really sets the bar for a lot of other things. And I think they also have more credit card debt. Now, just statistically speaking, young people are carrying about $500 more in credit card debt than we were carrying at that age. But I do also see some positives about this generation that surprised me, frankly, when I looking into the numbers, they save more.

[D]

Why don't we put a pin in the positives? Because we're going to take a very quick break. But when we come back, I want to dig into the positives about their habits, about their behaviors, and also solutions for those members of Gen Z and Gen Alpha who do want to save, do want to buy houses, and do want to get ahead for the future. Back in a sec. Summer's almost here and I don't know about you, but I want to be thinking about where I'm going on vacation, not lying awake wondering if I can actually afford it. That's the difference between having a financial plan and just hoping for the best. And Monarch is what makes that possible. Monarch is the personal finance app that tracks everything, accounts, investments, saving goals and spending. Get your first year of Monarch for half off, just $50 with promo code her her money. What I love is that Monarch doesn't just show you what you've already spent. It helps you plan ahead. My producer, Hailey uses it every single day. And once you have that kind of clarity on your finances, you really can't go back. Use code [e-mail] to get your first year half off. At just $50. That's 50% off your first year. @monarch.com with Codehermoney. 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 forhers Hermoney to get personalized affordable care that gets you that's f o r h e r s.comhermoney 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. I am back with Beth Kobleiner. She's the author of Get a Financial Life. You've described Gen Z as almost like a depression era generation hit by a pandemic, crippling inflation, massive student debt, now they've got AI threatening your careers. But also you said, and you pointed to saving before the break, that there are some genuinely surprising ways that they are doing better than we did at their age. Let's talk about them as great savers.

[E]

What's different?

[C]

Well, they have 401 s and the number of young people with retirement accounts has increased by 36% since when we were young. And the number of 25 year olds who own stocks and bonds is up almost six fold. So they really, really are much more invested in their futures and literally invested in the market, which is impressive because again, they are coming at it from a very difficult time. And I do believe it goes back to this idea of if you start off saving, putting the maximum you can into your 401k, and especially if your company is matching, that goes a long way. If you do that for many, many years. And I think this generation, like the Depression generation, gets that. They're going to need to be smart about money now because they have a lot of obstacles in their way.

[D]

When we look at those 401ks and the money that is rolling into them, they're two different things that are going on, at least as far as I can tell. Number one is that we've got the

[E]

behavioral finance advances that have come along over the past couple of decades to really help savers get out of their own way. Companies are now automatically enrolling employees into these plans. They're automatically escalating contributions, meaning they're increasing them by a percent or two every year till you get to the point of maxing out. And whereas when you and I first had 401ks, the default was a money market account, now the default is a target date account, which means it gets them into the market. All of which is amazing.

[D]

But I also worry just a little bit, in part because we're seeing A lot of leakage from these plans. We're seeing more borrowing and more withdrawals from these plans than we've seen before. But also my friend Michael Finca, who is a retirement researcher, has described this as a bubble wrapped generation of investors, meaning we've taken such good care of them that they don't actually know what they're doing correctly. Do you sense that is an issue or will be an issue for this generation and how do we get beyond it?

[C]

Right. I agree that a lot of the automatic savings that have been put into place, the technology to get people to save definitely has been advantageous for young people. And maybe you can argue they're not thinking about it, it's actually happening for them. But I think that where we really see the issue that I'm worried about is that they're getting 70 to 80% of their advice from social media that they are looking to when it comes to, gee, oh, this sounds like a great idea, I'm going to follow this influencer. And even though they're smart and that because I've talked to a lot of young people, they get that these are influencers who are probably paid to promote these issues. They still say, you know what, I'm going to give it a whirl, I'm going to give it a shot. I'm going to try my luck at this cryptocurrency or this gambling site. And I think that's something that is

[D]

definitely concerning our friend Kyla Scanlon, who was on this show pretty recently. She just wrote a fascinating newsletter piece about what she's calling the ozempification of the economy. And it's this idea, and I think the influencer culture gets into it a little bit, that just like people are looking for a quick fix for their bodies, they're looking for a quick fix for their finances. That fear is driving them to perhaps make decisions that they should not be making. So if they live online, which I know my children do, how do you suggest they get a better education?

[C]

Well, reading books, listening to podcasts that sort of really are about teaching them the basics. I think that a lot of high schools, now there finally is a trend for high schools to finally introduce financial literacy. In New York State, schools have to start offering financial literacy beginning in the fall. And I've worked on a curriculum on that which has been really wonderful to see how kids really do take to the correct information when they're taught it. But one economist that I spoke to talked about the fact that since housing is so out of their Purview. It just seems so impossible to own a home. They're like, well, maybe I'll take a flyer on this or that, you know, maybe that'll be my thing. But that's not gonna be your thing because statistically speaking, you know, 96% of people who gamble lose money. So I also see a mismatch between what they know in terms of basics. Like, oh, I would never trust a bank. But then I say, well, if you have your money in a bank, that might not be the best place to keep all your money, but it will be insured with fdic. Whereas they're not thinking about the different levels of risk versus reward that people would think about had they gotten the proper information. So I really do think it's about proper information and sticking with the basics. That will be the thing that helps this generation. And, and my hope is that they'll start realizing that social media is not the way to get all your information when it comes to money.

[D]

You mentioned gambling, and I wanna spend a little more time on it because we know that roughly half of all

[E]

American men at this point under the age of 50 now have an active sportsbook account.

[C]

Wow.

[E]

Gambling disorder.

[D]

Also, it has the highest suicide rate of any addiction.

[E]

And we know that these apps are specific, specifically designed to prey on young men who are economically anxious, who are isolated. So I wanted to ask you, when you are writing about the dangers of crypto and finfluencers, do you feel like gambling is part of this same conversation?

[D]

And what do you say to parents

[E]

who suspect that their child might have a problem but don't know how to bring it up?

[C]

Right, right. Well, I think you're pointing to such an important issue. I think again, going back to this study of 700,000 people who are online gamblers, and they found that 96% of them lose money overall. So when it comes to addiction, somebody's beyond hearing that. And there are places people can go and you really have to address that. But, you know, another study found that people who bet on sports gambling online lose $1,100 a year on average, versus, if you compare it to something like this is the logical comparison to the S&P 500. There was a, a study that I found that showed that if you invested in the S&P 500 every 15 year period since the 1920s, you would have made money 99% of the time. So it's like just, if you want to gamble, look at the odds. The odds are you're going to do much better by Putting your money into something that historically has shown it's a safe place to be, whereas betting against yourself. And I really worry especially about young people in these gambling sites because the ages are murky. Some say, well, you can't gamble till you're 21. Oh, but if it's, it's this kind of site, you can gamble at 18, which is really right away. Signing up young people, young men. And I talked to some young women too, signing them up for really a disastrous start to their financial lives.

[D]

Yeah, absolutely. We, I think we all have heard horror stories about teens, young adults who have gotten way out over their skis. Housing has come up a number of times already in this conversation. What's the best way for a young person who actually does want to buy something these days to just get a foothold? Is it to look at a less expensive place to live? Is it to look at something smaller? Is it to. How do you think about just getting started?

[C]

Well, with remote work, which still many companies do that and it's still part of the hiring environment out there. Some people are saying, well, I might work in New York, but I'm going to live in St. Louis or I'm going to find a place where I can be able to actually buy something. In my book, I go through the, you know, from Freddie and Fannie to the VA to the fha, all the different places that do offer low down payment loans. We know that we don't want to do zero down payment loans because that's what led to the housing crisis. But there are ways that you can get into a home. If you're saving regularly in a high yield savings account, save up for that down payment, putting a little bit in. If that's your goal, then that is something that you can probably get into a home with a 3 to 5% down payment. I also think though, sort of this is something young people never like to hear, but it's true and it was true for our generation. Living at home with your parents after you graduate from college is never fun, but it is such a way to save up money. And you know, in our day about a third of young people lived with their parents. Now half of young people, 18 to 29 year olds, live at home with their parents. And that could be a few years where you really just figure out what's my goal? Is it to buy a home? Is it to move out of my parents home? What are my long term prospects? Do I want to start a business? I do think that as much as possible you can retrench the other good news for this generation is they have health insurance twice as much than when our generation, when we were in our 20s, they have health insurance thanks to the Affordable Care Act. Very few young people these days are uninsured. And that does give you the security to know that financial ruin won't happen to you if you have an accident or get sick.

[D]

Yeah. So important. I recently had the opportunity to spend some time on this show with my friend David Bach. He's living abroad these days. Lucky him. But we were both reflecting on the money moves that we wished we had made earlier in our lives. And for me, I'm just classic.

[E]

I should have started investing much sooner. I left too much money in cash for way too long and missed out on a lot of growth because of it.

[D]

What was the thing for you, if there was anything, and for the young

[E]

women in the audience, what is the mistake that you want them to steer clear of?

[C]

I think one of the biggest mistakes was not sort of signing up for everything automatic. When we were younger, they started to say, you can pay your bills online automatically. That was just beginning to happen. Or you can save automatically. And I would go around saying, take 10% out of your paycheck and put it right into your savings account. And it took me a really long time before I actually signed up for it. So that kind of procrastination, I think is something that I regret and I look back on. But I think that there are, like you said earlier on, there are tools in place. So I think signing up for that 401k sounds like a broken record. But signing up for that, you know, tax deferred savings, how we see at the other end of it. I mean, my most joy comes from when I meet someone in their 50s or 60s and like you said, they say, I have your book and I was young and I didn't know what to do. I couldn't afford it. But I forced myself to put in $100 a month and now I have $400,000 and I feel so glad. And it really hammers home the point that, yes, slow and steady may not sound sexy, but it does win the long term financial race. And I think that it's important. It's very difficult in tough times to keep reminding yourself with that.

[D]

Amen to all of that. Beth Kobleiner, the fifth edition of Get a Financial Life is out now. Thank you so much for doing this with us.

[C]

Thanks, Jean. It's just been such a pleasure watching you all these years and learning so

[D]

much from you right back at you. And before we go, if you love 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 we help build a portfolio. Since launching four years ago, we built a structure, 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 Hailey Pascalides and our music is provided by Video Helper. Thanks for listening and we'll talk soon.