So Money with Farnoosh Torabi

Guest Simone Stolzoff, journalist and author of the new book, How to Not Know: The Value of Uncertainty in a World that Demands Answers, says we are living through what the World Health Organization calls a “polycrisis” — overlapping economic, political, technological, and personal disruptions that are leaving many of us feeling anxious, untethered, and desperate for answers.

But what if the goal isn’t to eliminate uncertainty?
What if the real skill is learning how to live with it?

Simone argues that our obsession with certainty — whether in our careers, relationships, finances, or identities — may actually be making us more anxious, less adaptable, and less fulfilled.

In this conversation, we talk about:
Why uncertainty tolerance is declining
The surprising psychology behind layoffs and career anxiety
Why savings can create emotional flexibility, not just financial security
How to stop tying your self-worth to your job title
The dangers of chasing a “dream job”
Why curiosity may be one of the most important skills in the AI era
And how becoming a parent forced Simone to practice what he preaches

Learn more about Farnoosh's upcoming literary workshop Book to Brand. Early bird registration is now open!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Farnoosh shares Mother’s Day plans, and reacts to news including the April jobs report and an Apple class-action settlement that could pay eligible iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max and iPhone 16 buyers up to $95 per device. She also cautions against Fannie Mae’s move toward crypto-backed mortgages, arguing that borrowing against volatile crypto to fund a down payment adds risk and doesn’t address the real housing crisis.

Mailbag topics include: how to prepare for or respond to a layoff (unemployment, COBRA, cutting expenses, bridge income, networking, and rolling over retirement accounts), how to save on rising summer utility bills, and whether 0% balance transfer credit cards are a good tool for managing high-interest credit card debt. Check out the full list of recommended balance transfer cards on Nerdwallet.com.

Learn more about Farnoosh's upcoming literary workshop Book to Brand. Early bird registration is now open!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it actually mean to be “rich” today?

Because if you’re waiting for the old playbook to work—go to school, get a stable job, buy a house, retire comfortably—you may be waiting a long time.
The truth is, that version of wealth? It’s outdated. And for a lot of younger earners especially, it feels completely out of reach.
So what are the new rules?

Today’s guest has built a massive following by calling out the broken advice we’ve inherited—and replacing it with something far more realistic, and frankly, more empowering. Haley Sacks, also known as Mrs. Dow Jones, is back on So Money with her new book, Future Rich Person.
And this is not your typical money book.

Haley is speaking directly to what she calls the “zillennial” generation—but really, anyone who feels like they’re doing all the right things and still not getting ahead. In our conversation, we talk about why the traditional path to wealth is due for a rewrite, how to actually start building what she calls “action money,” and why your income, your skills, and even your relationship to work need to evolve in an AI-driven economy.

We also get into some of the cultural forces shaping how we think about money right now—from the rise of “trad wife” content to the very real temptation to opt out of the financial game altogether.
Learn more about Farnoosh's upcoming literary workshop Book to Brand. Early bird registration is now open!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We all say the same thing: I don’t have enough time.
Not enough time to work, to parent, to rest, to exercise, to finally do the thing we’ve been putting off for years.
But what if that story… isn’t actually true?

What if the problem isn’t time itself—but how we think about it, measure it, and ultimately choose to spend it?

Today’s guest wants us to completely rethink our relationship with time. Laura Vanderkam has built her career challenging the idea of time scarcity, and in her new book, Big Time, she makes a compelling case that many of us have far more time than we think—we’re just not seeing it clearly.

In our conversation, we get into the real data behind how we spend our days, why tracking your time can be a game changer, and how small mindset shifts—especially around your evenings—can unlock what she calls “time abundance.”

We also talk about the very real challenges of balancing work, family, and everything in between—and how to negotiate time more effectively, whether that’s with your partner, your boss, or even yourself.
Learn more about Farnoosh's upcoming literary workshop Book to Brand. Early bird registration is now open!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 1 is College Acceptance Day and as many families grapple with the soaring cost of college, Farnoosh shares thoughts on how to decide whether a college education is worth its price tag. Would you spend $100k a year?

Plus: Establishing credit for the first time and how to allocate your investments in your 30s. And a crazy story about how one woman’s investments disappeared from her bank’s website. What happened?
Learn more about Farnoosh's upcoming literary workshop Book to Brand. Early bird registration is now open!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.