She's Talkin' Money

You can have $100,000 sitting in savings and be terrified to invest it. You can make $200,000 a year and still feel trapped by your paycheck. And you can have $1 million saved for retirement and wonder whether you really need to keep saving so much.

In this episode of She’s Talkin’ Money, we’re doing something a little different: a full episode of Make It Make Cents, where I answer the real money questions women are asking when they’re doing well financially but still aren’t sure what to do next.

First, we’re talking about what to do when you have a large amount of cash sitting in savings but you’re scared to invest it. We’ll look at the risk of investing versus the risk of staying in cash, why your time horizon matters, and whether gradually investing the money could help you finally get started.

Then we’re tackling a question I hear from successful women all the time: “I make really good money, so why do I still feel financially trapped?” One listener is considering taking an $80,000 pay cut for a job she thinks she’d actually enjoy. We’ll talk about how to figure out whether you can afford a lower salary, what financial freedom actually means, and how to build a plan to leave a high-paying job instead of feeling stuck indefinitely.

Finally, we’re talking about what happens when you’ve spent years being a great saver and start wondering whether you can finally enjoy more of your money. If you’ve already accumulated significant retirement savings, do you really need to keep saving at the same aggressive pace forever? Or could some of that money start funding the life you want right now?

Because doing well financially doesn’t automatically mean you know what to do next.

The goal isn’t simply to accumulate the biggest account balance possible. It’s to understand what your money can actually do for you — and make decisions that support the life you want.

Have a money question you want me to answer on a future Make It Make Cents episode? Send me a DM on Instagram @shestalkinmoney. Your question can be anonymous, and you don’t need to include any identifying financial details. https://www.instagram.com/shestalkinmoney/

If you’re ready for personalized, judgment-free financial guidance, learn more about working with Shari. Shari Rash is the founder of GWA Wealth, a virtual advisory firm helping women make confident, values-aligned decisions with their money. Visit https://www.gwawealth.com/

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If you died tomorrow without a will, who would actually inherit your money?

You might be surprised to learn that having a will isn't always what determines who receives your assets. In fact, the beneficiary designations you completed years ago could matter more than you realize.

In this episode of She’s Talkin’ Money, Shari Rash explains what happens to your money when you die without a will, how beneficiary designations work, and why the way your accounts are set up can make a significant difference for the people you leave behind.

Using the example of a single woman with $590,000 across retirement accounts, brokerage investments, and savings, Shari breaks down which assets can pass directly to beneficiaries, which may go through probate, and how transfer-on-death (TOD) and payable-on-death (POD) designations can simplify the process.

She also explores a common issue she sees when working with single women: parents who were named as beneficiaries decades ago are still listed today, even when financial circumstances and personal priorities have changed.

You'll also learn why having someone you trust to handle your affairs matters, when a will may still be important, and why planning for incapacity is different from deciding who inherits your money.

The takeaway: You don't necessarily need an elaborate estate plan to make sure your money goes where you want. But you do need to know who is listed on your accounts, how your assets will transfer, and whether those arrangements still reflect your wishes.

If you're ready to make sure all the pieces of your financial life work together, learn more about financial planning with Shari at www.GWAwealth.com

And if you know someone who hasn't reviewed their beneficiaries in years, share this episode with them.

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Keep the conversation going on Instagram @shestalkinmoney https://www.instagram.com/shestalkinmoney/

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Could a Roth Conversion Actually Cost You More Money?

Roth conversions are often presented as an obvious tax-saving strategy. Pay taxes now, move money into a Roth IRA, and potentially enjoy tax-free withdrawals in retirement. Sounds like a pretty good deal, right? But what if converting your money actually leaves you worse off financially?

In this episode of She's Talkin' Money, financial planner Shari Rash breaks down the real cost of a Roth conversion and why the money you use to pay the tax bill matters just as much as the conversion itself. You'll learn what happens when you use money from your IRA to pay conversion taxes, why you could face an additional 10% early distribution tax if you're under 59½, and why paying the bill with cash isn't automatically the better answer.

We'll talk about how Roth conversions affect your emergency savings, investments, bonuses, and monthly cash flow, plus how to decide how much to convert based on your income, tax bracket, and long-term goals. You'll also learn when waiting until retirement might make more sense, how Roth IRA withdrawal rules work, and why becoming work-optional before traditional retirement age can change the equation.

Because the real question isn't just whether you can afford the taxes today. It's what you're giving up to pay them.

Roth conversions can be a valuable financial planning strategy, but a smart tax decision isn't always a smart financial decision.

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Learn more about financial planning with GWA Wealth

Connect with Shari

Thank you for being part of the She's Talkin' Money community! I'm glad you're here.

Wondering whether a Roth conversion makes sense for your financial situation? Learn about working with Shari at GWA Wealth.

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Shari Rash is a financial planner and Investment Adviser Representative of GWA Wealth, a Registered Investment Adviser. This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not personalized investment, tax, or legal advice. Nothing discussed should be considered a recommendation, and listening does not create an advisory relationship. Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. Please consult your own financial, tax, or legal professional before making decisions based on your individual circumstances.

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If you’re single, your insurance needs look different than someone whose household has two incomes.

And if you’re the only person bringing in a paycheck, protecting that income may matter a whole lot more than you realize.

In this episode of She’s Talkin’ Money, I’m walking through the insurance benefits you probably selected during open enrollment years ago — and helping you figure out what you actually have, what you may need more of, and what you might be paying for without really understanding why.

We start with disability insurance, because for many single women, their ability to earn an income for the next 20 or 30 years may be one of their biggest financial assets. I’ll explain how short-term and long-term disability coverage works, what percentage of your income may actually be replaced, why benefit caps matter for higher earners, and why the definition of “disabled” inside your policy can completely change whether you receive benefits.

We’ll also get into how to read the insurance deductions on your paycheck, when employer-provided coverage may not be enough, why relying entirely on insurance tied to your job can create problems if you leave or start a business, and whether a single woman actually needs life insurance.

I’ll also explain when life insurance does make sense even if you don’t have children, why supplemental life, accident, critical illness, and other add-on policies deserve a second look, and why your beneficiary designations may matter more than what your will says.

If open enrollment is coming up, don’t automatically click “same as last year.”

Take a few minutes to understand what you’re actually paying for — and whether the coverage would really protect you if your paycheck suddenly stopped.

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Keep the conversation going on Instagram @shestalkinmoney

Shari Rash is a financial planner and Investment Adviser Representative of GWA Wealth, a Registered Investment Adviser. The information provided in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as personalized investment, tax, or legal advice. Listening to this podcast does not create an advisory relationship with Shari Rash or GWA Wealth. All investments involve risk, including the potential loss of principal. Any references to specific investments, strategies, or securities are for illustrative purposes only and are not recommendations. You should consult your own financial advisor, tax professional, or attorney regarding your individual situation before making any financial decisions.
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Is $1 million enough to retire?

It’s the kind of question everyone wants a simple answer to. Hit $1 million and you’re good. Fall short and you’re behind.

Except retirement does not work that way.

In this episode of She’s Talkin’ Money, I’m breaking down the factors that actually determine whether $1 million is enough for you — including when you want to retire, how much you expect to spend, where your money is invested, what other income you’ll have, and what “retirement” even means in your life.

Because retiring at 55 with $1 million is a very different financial plan than retiring at 67. And $1 million in Roth accounts is not the same as $1 million sitting entirely in pre-tax retirement accounts.

We’ll also talk about why your spending may be one of the biggest factors in determining how much you need, how Social Security, pensions, part-time work, consulting and other income can reduce the pressure on your portfolio, and why retiring before age 59½ requires a little more planning around how and when you can access your money.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

why retirement age changes how long your investments need to support you

why where your $1 million is saved matters

how your current lifestyle can help estimate retirement spending

what the 4% rule can — and cannot — tell you

why retirement does not necessarily mean never earning another paycheck

how other income sources can reduce the amount you need from investments

why carrying less debt into retirement can help

when $1 million may actually be enough

and when $1 million probably is not enough

Instead of starting with an arbitrary retirement number, start with the life you actually want.

When do you want to retire? What will it cost? What income will you have? Where will that income come from?

Then work backward.

That is how you figure out what you actually need for retirement.

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