Financial Feminist
Financial Feminist
Her First $100K
272. What to Do If You’re 35+ and Feel Financially Behind with Jean Chatzky
50 minutes Posted Jan 27, 2026 at 10:00 am.
Intro: Never too late to save
What "owning your money" means
Jean's story: Starting over at 40
What to prepare for & do differently
Biggest mistake: Too much cash, not enough invested
Why Gen X women feel behind
Financial boundaries with aging parents & adult children
HSAs as investing vehicles
Why "feeling behind" is universal
Quick-fire Q&A
Advice for women feeling paralyzed
Where to find Jean
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Show notes
If you’re over 35 and constantly feeling like you’re behind financially, you’re not alone. In today’s episode, I’m joined by Jean Chatzky––longtime financial journalist, bestselling author, and founder of HerMoney––whose work has shaped generations of women’s financial literacy, including my own. Jean opens up about starting over at 40 after divorce, job loss, and losing a parent. She shares exactly what she learned about saving, investing, and rebuilding confidence when time feels limited. We talk about why so many women feel behind no matter their age, the biggest money mistakes women 35+ make, how to course-correct without panic, and how to use tools like retirement accounts, HSAs, and investing strategies to build a future that still works, even if you didn’t start early.
Jean’s links:
Website: https://hermoney.com/ 
HerMoney Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hermoney-with-jean-chatzky/id1098802558
How She Does It Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-she-does-it/id1691787429 
Visit ⁠https://herfirst100k.com/ffpod⁠ to stay up to date and find any resources mentioned on our show!
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