This is the second episode in a two-part mini series on money in our relationships, today exploring money and family (most especially parents), AND it’s the last full episode of season 4. Before we dive in to talk about family, we’re talking about the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) and the stock markets crashing, because they’re way too important not to discuss, including steps to take with … Continue reading #40 – Exploring Financial Relationships, Part 2: Money and Family

This is the first episode in a two-parter about how money impacts our relationships, and how we talk about money within those relationships. Within friendships, it’s a big social taboo to discuss money, right up there with politics and religion, but there are massive benefits that can come from breaking that taboo, from getting to know your friends on a deeper level, to feeling seen … Continue reading #39 – Exploring Financial Relationships, Part 1: Money and Friends

This is the second in a two-part series on the evolving nature of careers, especially as it pertains to women and people of color, today focusing on the myriad ways our current work world doesn’t work for women. We’ve talked before about the economic disadvantages that mothers face in the workplace and across their entire careers, as well as the costs of beauty double standards, … Continue reading #38 – Evolving Careers, Part 2: How Careers Aren’t Working for Women

  This is the first in a two-part series on the evolving nature of careers, especially as it pertains to women and people of color, today focusing on creating your own path when there is no road map, whether that’s because you’re trying to break into a legacy industry without connections, or because you’re literally heading out into uncharted territory. Our guests are Jada Gomez, … Continue reading #37 – Evolving Careers, Part 1: When There Is No Road Map

This is the second part in a two-part series on women speaking, focusing today on our actual voices and how they are heard (or not heard) by our bias-filled culture. There is a ton of research showing that women and men are perceived differently when we speak, and that’s both socially wired and generational. Like in so many parts of the economy, women are held … Continue reading #36 – Women’s Voices, Part 2: Our Actual Voices

This is the first part in a two-part series that is years in the making, and a topic close to our hearts. The fact is that when women and people from marginalized groups speak, it’s heard differently than it is when men speak. So we’re digging into that, today starting with the more figurative meaning of women’s voices, as in women daring to speak up … Continue reading #35 – Women’s Voices, Part 1: Speaking Up

Today we’re completing the two-part series on the economic implications of reproducing, talking about the costs – often mysterious — of giving birth for women and others who can get pregnant, especially in the U.S. In this episode, Kara talks to Carol Sakala from the National Partnership for Women & Families about the actual costs of delivering a baby, and shares an audio essay on … Continue reading #34 – The Economics of Reproduction, Part 2: All the Costs of Giving Birth

Today’s show is the first in a two-part series all about the economic implications of reproducing — or not reproducing. On the next episode, we’ll talk about the wide range of financial implications of giving birth for women and others who can get pregnant, but today we’re talking about the massive financial impacts of not being forced to have children you don’t want to have … Continue reading #33 – The Economics of Reproduction, Part 1: The Choice Not to Give Birth

This week, we conclude our two-part series on wellness by focusing on diet and weight loss, the real centerpiece of the entire wellness industry. Just how big a business it is, the lengths the industry goes to to hide itself, and how it hurts us as women in particular. Feminist dietician Rachael Hartley talks to us about how we’ve focused too much on diet and … Continue reading #32 – The Economics of Wellness, Part 2: A Diet By Any Other Name

This week’s show is part 1 of a 2-part series on the wellness industrial complex, and all the ways it manipulates women and makes us poorer. First up, we’re tackling yoga culture in particular, because of how ubiquitous it has become in western society, and just how problematic that is. We talk with Tejal Patel and Jesal Parikh of the Yoga Is Dead podcast about … Continue reading #31 – The Economics of Wellness, Part 1: Women & Yoga Culture

Today we’re closing season 3 with the ultimate topic of personal finance: is your success in life ultimately a product of the amount of personal responsibility you exercise or the systemic barriers that surround you? To answer this question, we talk to two experts: Diana Elliott, a sociologist and researcher at Urban Institute who studies systemic barriers, and Charlotte Cowles, a journalist who writes about … Continue reading #30 – Personal Responsibility Vs. Systemic Realities

Though we usually focus on bigger picture topics like systemic issues within our economy that disproportionately affect women, this week we’re getting tactical, and sharing actionable tips that can improve your finances today, with a little help from some friends of the podcast. Be sure to check out the links here in the shownotes to find all of the awesome financial pros and content creators … Continue reading #29 – Actionable Financial Tips from Friends of The Fairer Cents

In the era of the #MeToo movement, Black Lives Matter and a torrent of books on the subject, it’s a time when women’s anger at the inequality built into our financial, economic and social systems is finally being heard. Or at least some women’s anger is. In this week’s episode, we’re talking with emotional labor expert and author Gemma Hartley, and comedian and author Sarah … Continue reading #28 – Microaggressions, Invisible Labor & Women’s Anger, with Gemma Hartley and Sarah Cooper

Today we’re finally tackling the topic that we suspect some of you initially came to The Fairer Cents expecting to hear about: early retirement, financial independence and the FIRE movement or community. But because it’s us, we’re not just going to say “here’s how to retire early, now go buy some Vanguard funds and off you go.” Instead, we’re talking about how to broaden the … Continue reading #27 – Broadening the FIRE (“financial independence, retire early”) Conversation, with Vicki Robin

Today’s show is the second of two parts focusing on how we can be the best possible financial allies to those around us. In part 2, we’re talking about how white women can do better about being allies to women of color, in particular by not being “white feminists TM.” Our guests are Kiona of How Not to Travel Like a Basic Bitch and Marivette … Continue reading #26 – Being an Ally, Part 2: How White Women Can Advocate for Women of Color

Today we’re celebrating something HUGE in The Fairer Cents family: the publication of Tanja’s book, Work Optional: Retire Early the Non-Penny-Pinching Way! But we’re not just talking about that today. Instead we’re talking about everything that goes into women achieving creative dreams, from the glory of the finished product to the misery and messiness that can go into getting there, and even what creativity is … Continue reading #25 – Achieving Creative Dreams

Today’s show is the first of two parts focusing on how we can be the best possible financial allies to those around us, whether that’s online or offline. In part 1, we’re talking about male allies: why we need them, and how men can be them. Our guests are Cord Jefferson, TV writer and outspoken feminist extraordinaire, and personal finance bloggers Matt Lane of Optimize … Continue reading #24 – Being an Ally, Part 1: How Men Can Advocate for Women

This week we’re doing something we’ve never done before on the podcast: recording live! This episode was recorded live at the first Cents Positive retreat for women interested in financial independence (so you’ll notice that we talk about financial independence and early retirement a little more than usual), and included wide-ranging conversations on the origins of the podcast, why women need safe spaces, how money … Continue reading #23 – Live from Cents Positive: Women, Financial Independence and Changing the Conversation

The economic and social system we live in affects so much about our financial lives as women. So how do we change that? A big part of it is advocating for other women (and ourselves), and so today we’re talking to two incredible women from different generations who do exactly that, but in very different ways: Mary Beth Cahill, former executive director of Emily’s List, … Continue reading #22- Women & Financial Advocacy, with Gaby Dunn and Mary Beth Cahill

It’s 2019, and women are still being judged for jobs on whether we’re likable enough, whether we’re strong enough (but not too strong), and all the same old patriarchal bullshit. That’s why we’re kicking off the new year and the new podcast season with one of the strongest women we know of: personal finance author, TV personality and all-around unapologetic woman Suze Orman. She’s got … Continue reading #21 – What It Means to Be a Strong Woman, with Suze Orman

Society puts a lot of pressure on all of us to couple up, but what about those women going it alone, either temporarily or long-term? Or going it alone with a child? That’s right. Today we’re discussing all the single ladies and their financial landscape. (And no discussion of single ladies is complete without some Beyonce references, though she’s done some more progressive, feminist work … Continue reading #20 – All the Single Ladies

Some people face more challenges than others when it comes to earning money and navigating the work world, many for reasons that are apparent to all of us. And then there are those of us who look completely “normal” in the eyes of the world, but face struggles that others can’t see that limit our ability to do even the most basic tasks. We’re talking … Continue reading #19 – Invisible Disability & Our Money

We’re picking up where we left off last week in our two-part series, talking about women breaking into fields that have historically been male-dominated. T oday we’re talking to two women scientists from across the pond – Dr. Jess Wade, a physicist in the U.K. who’s on a mission to tell the stories of women scientists in history by authoring Wikipedia pages about them, and … Continue reading #18 – Breaking Into the Boys’ Club, Part 2

Women have achieved gender parity in a large number of professions. (Whether they have parity in leadership is a whole other question, but let’s not even get into that today.) But there are still plenty of them, from tech, to science to the outdoors industry, where the boys are still in charge for the most part. Today’s show is part 1 of a two-part series … Continue reading #17 – Breaking Into the Boys’ Club, Part 1

Sometimes we take for granted on The Fairer Cents that everyone shares the same understanding of the term “feminism,” but of course that’s not true. So today we’re digging into the term a little bit – what it is, and what it most certainly is not. And then we go a step farther, coining a term that you can expect to hear a lot more … Continue reading #16 – Financial Feminism

Warning: the language in this week’s episode is extra salty. But it’s worth it! This is one of our favorite episodes ever. How traditional and binary gender roles harm women – and men! Especially when it comes to our money. Featuring Sam Donovan, a two-time “reality show loser” (Project Runway!), and Kitty and Piggy from one of our favorite blogs, Bitches Get Riches, we’re not … Continue reading #15 – Toxic Masculinity

Today we’re taking on the first topic in which neither of us has a direct stake: motherhood! But recognizing that most women are not child-free by choice, as we both are, we wanted to take on this critically important issue that affects women and our money. We’re talking to Jamila Souffrant, creator of the Journey to Launch financial independence podcast and website, and Corina Frankie, … Continue reading #14 – The Economics of Motherhood

The question we get more than any other is: “Do you two agree on everything?” Because when we talk about money and feminism, we share views on a lot of things. But turns out, we don’t agree on everything! And today we’re getting into just a few of the things we disagree about, some light and fluffy, and some big and heavy. From white feminism … Continue reading Bonus – Things We Disagree On

We often go deeeeep into the societal forces that make it just a little harder for women to get ahead financially, and we know that can feel depressing. So today we’re getting granular on what we can all do about it! Guest Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, founder of Moms Rising, a speaker at the Women’s March in Washington, D.C., and author of the new book Keep Marching, … Continue reading #13 – Taking Action to Create Change

We’re going deep into the girliest of topics: beauty. And we’re tackling it all: makeup, clothes, hair, weight, class, and the different standards for people of color. But most of all, how all those things affect our money, both our ability to earn it, and how much we can actually earn in the end. With our guests Sanetra, a model and owner of Unravel Co, … Continue reading #12 – The Financial Impact of Beauty Double Standards

The Fairer Cents is back for Season 2! (Only 25 seasons to go until the patriarchy is officially smashed.) And we’re here to talk about women, money and our fight to break even. Because we give a shit, and so should you. To kick things off, we’re getting super practical, talking about the money things we wish we’d learned at a younger age, and some … Continue reading #11 – Money Things Women Aren’t Taught

It’s International Women’s Day! This year as we all #PressForProgress, we’re taking a little time to celebrate some of the great women from history, and who are making things happen now, who’ve changed things for the better for women and our money. We’ve got shoutouts to ladies you’ve definitely heard of, and to plenty you might not have. Make sure you’re subscribed so you’ll automatically … Continue reading Bonus – International Women’s Day

The Fairer Cents origin story, reflections on what we’ve learned, and why we continue to think it’s so important to have a space where we can talk about women and money We made it to the end of season 1 of The Fairer Cents! Today we’re reflecting on what inspired us to start this podcast, on the notes we’ve received from listeners and friends, and … Continue reading Bonus – Season 1 Wrap-Up

This episode’s heavier than usual, so if hearing about depression, anxiety and mental health is a trigger for you, please skip this one. Today we’re sharing some super personal stuff: our own stories of mental health challenges and how we’ve handled them, specifically how our mental health has been impacted by money and how we’ve let money dictate how we take care of our mental … Continue reading #10 – Investing in Mental Health

Today, we’re hearing from the guys. Our partners Mark and T-Bone, specifically. And today they’re talking among themselves, not to us. Why? Because while it’s crazy important for women to talk money together, if we want to change the way things are, men have to be a part of that. And we wanted to get some insight into how they think about stuff like money … Continue reading #9 – When Men Talk About Women and Money

Tis the season for setting goals. Tanja and Kara are talking about how we set goals as individuals and as a society. While this podcast is all about supporting ambitious people, what happens when we lose ourself in a goal? Or when we don’t reach a goal we set? Plus, is the narrative around resolutions inherently messed up? And when it comes to self-care, there’s … Continue reading #8 – Goals, Resolutions and Self Care

We all feel the urge to compare ourselves to others. (No, it’s not just you), including the absolutely most successful among us. But is that actually good for us? And are the images we’re comparing ourselves against even true? Kara and Tanja talk about comparison, competition, and what it’s like to accidentally be the one others are comparing themselves to (and what to do about … Continue reading #7 – The Urge to Compare

We’re working on a full episode for next week, but this week, while Tanja is working her very last full week of work ever (!! #earlyretirement), we’ve got a bonus episode for you with lots of our favorite things. We’re talking podcasts, books and a few physical things that we love and think you might love, too. And if you have recommendations for us, send … Continue reading Bonus – TFC’s Favorite Things

Let’s talk success! Specifically success for women, which definitely comes loaded with career connotations and the dreaded “having it all.” What is success, who defines it, and how does that definition change over time? Plus where does the pressure to succeed come from, and how much of that is socialized into us as women vs. completely self-imposed? Is it the same for hetero women vs. … Continue reading #6 – Changing the Definition of Success

Let’s de-escalate the privilege discussion, shall we? It’s so important to talk about privilege, but not to wield it as a weapon. On this episode, Kara and Tanja dig into privilege – what it is, why it’s so important to talk about, and how we can talk about it without picking fights. Our guests are Liz Thames, writer of the Frugalwoods blog and the forthcoming … Continue reading #5 – De-Weaponizing Privilege

On this episode Kara and Tanja dive deep into the concept of “emotional labor,” Kara’s soul ascends her body, and we have a special guest! This idea that has recently gotten more attention thanks to a kickass piece in Harper’s Bazaar by Gemma Hartley entitled, “Women aren’t nags — we’re just fed up.” Tanja interviews Gemma about emotional labor, talking to a male partner about … Continue reading #4 – Emotional Labor

Is ambition a bad word if you’re a woman? What does it mean to be an ambitious woman to individual women? Kara talks with finance blogger Michelle Jackson of Michelle is Money Hungry about ambition for ladies, ambition for black ladies, and how annoying it is when people think women are not competent. Plus, what ambition looks like when you’re your own boss! Kara and … Continue reading #3 – Women and Ambition

On this episode, we invite our partners onto the show to talk about how we each do money in our relationships. Money is not a fixed thing, and our personal relationship to it isn’t fixed as well. Our relationship with money change depending on where we are in life, in our careers, and who we’re partnering with. Tanja is retiring at 38, but once carried … Continue reading #2 – When There’s Someone Else in Your Money

Who are the ladies behind the Fairer Cents? Why are they making this podcast? Are women welcome in money conversations? All that answered in this inaugural episode of The Fairer Cents! We decided to start this here podcast because we wanted to hear from more women in our finance world. We wanted to share more stories, hear more personal experiences, and branch out from the … Continue reading #1 – Why Don’t Women Feel Welcome in Money Conversations?