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On today's episode: Where do you stand on budgeting? Hate it? Feel defeated by it? You’re not alone—and you’re going to love today’s episode.

We’re joined by Priya Malani, the dynamic founder of Stash Wealth and host of the new podcast The F. Word, who’s making personal finance simpler, smarter, and honestly, more livable—especially for high earners in their 30s who feel like they’re still behind.

In this conversation, we dive into:

• Why budgeting is broken and how to reverse it with one powerful number
• The myth of homeownership as the best investment
• How to avoid the trap of lifestyle inflation—even on a six-figure salary
• And why investing isn’t hard, but the emotional baggage around money absolutely is

We also explore the emotional side of financial planning—where therapy meets strategy—and the mindset shifts Priya helps her clients make to stop living paycheck to paycheck and start building real wealth.

This week Georgia Lee Hussey of Modernist Financial joins to break down the challenges and solutions for affording elder care, especially as it may fall on adult children to pay for their parents' expenses. Read more about this topic in The New York Times.

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Where do you think you are on the wealth ladder? Just starting out and struggling to save? Sitting on six figures and wondering what’s next? Or maybe you’ve hit a financial milestone—but it doesn’t feel as life-changing as you expected.

Today’s episode is all about understanding what changes—and what should change—as you move up the financial ladder.

My guest is Nick Maggiulli, author of The Wealth Ladder, a new book that introduces a six-level framework for wealth building and financial strategy. We dive into the key questions we all face on the journey to financial independence:

• How do you break out of Level 1 when you’re living paycheck to paycheck?
• Is a side hustle actually worth your time—or just another distraction?
• And how should your mindset and money strategy evolve as your net worth grows?

Plus, we explore his 0.01% spending rule and 1% earning rule—two powerful benchmarks to help you spend smarter and pursue income opportunities that truly move the needle.

More about Nick: He is the Chief Operating Officer and a data scientist at Ritholtz Wealth Management. He's also the author of the blog Of Dollars and Data and the books Just Keep Buying and The Wealth Ladder.