So Money with Farnoosh Torabi

It’s spring break, and while I’m taking a little time offline with family, I didn’t want to leave you hanging. In this episode of Ask Farnoosh, we’re revisiting some listener questions from earlier this year—straight from the January mailbag—but don’t worry, these topics are just as timely and relevant today.

We’re covering:

How to navigate student loans—especially when family is involved
What to do with extra cash once you’ve paid off debt
How to approach investing when the market (and headlines) feel uncertain

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Guest Sahirenys Pierce is a financial educator, speaker, and the creator of The High Five Banking Method—a simple but powerful framework that helps people organize their money with purpose, reduce financial stress, and actually follow through on their goals.

In this episode, we talk about:

How financial trauma shapes our decisions (often without us realizing it)
Why traditional budgeting fails so many people
The five-account system that can simplify your entire financial life
And how to create stability—even when the economy feels anything but stable

We also get into her personal story—from losing her childhood home… to becoming the financial voice she wished her family had back then.

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What if the biggest threat to your career… isn’t losing your job—but becoming irrelevant before you even get one?

Right now, we’re watching something seismic unfold in the workforce. College grads are struggling to land entry-level roles. Companies are hiring more cautiously—or not at all. And quietly, in the background, AI is beginning to reshape not just which jobs exist… but whether entire career paths survive.

In fact, a recent survey of 5,000 unemployed Americans found that only 15% would choose a four-year college again knowing what they know now.
That’s not just a statistic. That’s a warning.

Today, we’re bringing on someone who is not just observing this shift—but actively building solutions inside it. Chieh Huang, serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Pelgo, is working at the front lines of what he calls the “intersection” of AI and the job market—helping workers reskill, reposition, and stay in the game.

In this conversation, we unpack:

Why entry-level jobs are quietly disappearing
The surprising roles AI is actually creating
What employers are really thinking right now about hiring
Why your ability to learn quickly may matter more than your degree
And how to use AI—not avoid it—to stay competitive

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In this Ask Farnoosh Friday, we’re tackling one of the biggest questions right now: how do you stay financially steady when everything feels uncertain?

Joining me is returning guest and trusted voice in personal finance, Georgia Lee Hussey, CFP and founder of Modernist Financial. [Grab her free financial toolkit] Together, we unpack the emotional and practical realities of this moment—from market volatility and recession fears to tax season surprises and the rapidly evolving role of AI in our careers.

We start with the money anxiety so many of you are feeling right now. What’s really driving the fear around the markets? And how do you respond without sabotaging your long-term plan? Georgia shares how she coaches clients through uncertainty—and why downturns may actually be opportunities, especially if you’re still in your earning years.

Then, we dig into tax refunds. If yours is bigger this year, Georgia explains why it may not be the “win” it seems—and how to think more intentionally about what to do with that money.

We also explore the future of work in an AI-driven world—including why skills rooted in the humanities, creativity, and critical thinking may become even more valuable, not less.

And finally, we zoom out to what matters most: how to stay grounded, make thoughtful decisions, and build financial resilience in a world that can feel anything but stable.
In this episode, we discuss:

How to manage market anxiety and avoid emotional investing
Why downturns can benefit long-term investors
What your tax refund is really telling you
The hidden costs behind recent tax policy changes
How AI is reshaping jobs—and where new opportunities lie
Why creativity, writing, and empathy are becoming power skills
Smart ways to prepare financially for uncertainty

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Brooke Taylor is a former Google executive turned researcher and coach who has spent years studying a phenomenon called the success wound —interviewing more than 5,000 women to understand why so many accomplished, capable people still feel like it’s never enough.

Her new book, Healing the Success Wound: Align Your Ambition, Find Lasting Career Fulfillment, and End the Cycle of Never Enough, puts language—and solutions—to something I think so many of us have felt but couldn’t quite articulate.

In our conversation, we unpack

What the “success wound” really is…
Why achievement can become a stand-in for self-worth…
The five archetypes of high achievers who struggle with fulfillment…
And how all of this shows up not just in our careers, but in our finances, our relationships, and even how we parent.

We also talk about Brooke’s own turning point—what she calls her “spiritual awakening breakdown”—and how it led her to rethink everything she thought she knew about work, ambition, and identity.

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