It was said from that day on, Midas never rushed a meal but rather savored every single bite. Thakor: Oh, gosh, I really, really hope so, Christine, because the more I talk about it, I cannot tell you there's not a single time that I bring it up where somebody doesn't express having had some kind of interaction with a mental health issue. I have a Harvard MBA, a CFA and a CFP. Im using the word retirement because Im saying goodbye to the corporate world. Okay. You won't need that many hours when you're young, because you don't have that many problems. My mom was a professor, so, I mean this in the most loving of ways that professors oftentimes, especially those with tenure, can feel a little bit more conservative than an entrepreneur, yet they can take on more risk. On My Own Two Feet: A Modern Girl's Guide to Personal Finance. And so, what I'm hoping is that employers will be open to more out-of-the box solutions to help women, and men, deal with elder-care issues. Dimensional Fund Advisors is doing some wonderful work around women in wealth. So my career got started in finance in a room at Goldman Sachs. I was like, Oh my gosh. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. And, of course, with technology, and again, going back to the beginning, thanks to the pandemic, now many of us are so comfortable having an advisor somewhere else where we wouldn't have been in in the past. The point at which your vocational freedom analysis indicates that you can stop working if you want. All rights reserved. And Im viewing this stage of my life. Starting in 2018 or even a little bit before that, we had all kinds of Reddit subgroups and now there are conferences devoted to the FIRE movement. a) understanding that the world is on your plate. In case . Our guest on the podcast today is author and financial educator, Manisha Thakor. Known for making the complex simple, Manisha provides clear. And long story short, I didnt die. And I want to say it's not a one-and-done conversation either, and that's why I think it can really ruin marriages. And that path being your career in finance? Brighton Jones is the financial wellbeing firm that helps you align your wealth, your passions, and your purpose. Get Financially Naked: How to Talk Money With Your Honey, by Manisha Thakor and Sharon Kedar. And it was the high point of my weekend, just getting lost in books and learning. d) lethargic, phlegmy, and tendency to gain weight. That's a complicated problem. And, luckily, I'm far enough along in my career that I have complete flexibility and I can move. All Your Worth: The Ultimate Lifetime Money Plan, by Elizabeth Warren and Amelia Warren Tyagi. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. And, again, turbocharged by the rising salaries, in nominal terms, relative to the debt payments. And so I encourage people, when you think there's something serious going on that could lead to you moving in together, or possibly heading toward marriage, that is the time where you need to start opening up the financial kimono. And thus, when we spend our money, we are spending our time, and the purpose of thinking about your money or your life is making sure that you are optimizing your life's energy when you spend your money. Get ready to reset your spending with Certified Financial Planner Manisha Thakor! Our authors can publish views that we may or may not agree with, but they show their work, distinguish facts from opinions, and make sure their analysis is clear and in no way misleading or deceptive. Manisha is the co-authorwith Sharon Kedarof two critically-acclaimed personal finance books aimed at women in their 20s and 30s (, Manisha Thakor: That Adult Summer Camp Feeling, Brigid Schulte: Overwhelmed Crafting a Better Life for All, Sharon Epperson: Brain Aneurysm A CNBC Correspondents Life and Death Experience, Gretchen Rubin: Simplify, Simplify, Simplify Outer Order, Inner Calm. And so that was another piece of the mix that got me to be on this path. Regular listeners of the show know that the feeling Manisha is allocating here is a common motif among our guests. I myself have entered what I would prefer to call vocational freedom rather than retire early. When I'm saying investor, what I mean is somebody who is actively acting as a buy-side analyst or acting as what I'll call an old-school portfolio manager, and really getting into the nitty gritty of either fundamental analysis or quantitative analysis. So in 2009, a year after leaving the institutional world, I established what these days wed call a side gig MoneyZen, LLC. Manisha is founder of MoneyZen, a financial education consultancy. I also began working with my coach, Tissa Richards, to help remove my self-limiting blinders. I suspect you'd have to earn 20% to 30% more than those jobs actually pay. But what I've noticed is when you are in a group of all women, there is a certain kind of dialogue that happens. And I'll come back to the investment piece of how you invest that money. Some peoples needs are going to have to go up to 60% or more because of those debt obligations from student loans. That show takes place in a town that is exceptionally humid. Benz: Well, you referenced the pandemic Manisha. And thats how I got started. A 25-year veteran of the financial services industry, she earned her MBA from Harvard Business School and her BA from Wellesley College. And that leaves you with 30% wants--and all of us have a pie that is 100. If you are a Concierge member, login to RSVP. And then it appears from antibody tests that Ive had mono several times. And it's much worse if we parse that by ethnicity and other demographics. Manisha Thakor: At business school we talk about like, "What's your number?" And your number and Brighton Jones speak is your BFA. Other couples will say, what we come into it is yours and mine and what is ours is only the moves that we make going forward. Otherwise, you may upgrade your membership or contact us to learn more. Manisha Thakor has 75 books on Goodreads, and is currently reading Simply Keto: A Practical Approach to Health & Weight Loss, with 100+ Easy Low-Carb Rec. And for many people that stays in them for quite some time. Manisha Thakor, Self: $avvy. And I feel like if that's 5% of your investments, great, but 95% of that hard-earned money that you are living within your means, which is no easy thing to do, particularly on either coast, really should be invested in a manner that I would argue is more tried and true. But that's the kind of the early-20s set that I was feeling that from. In addition to providing financial planning and investment management for client portfolios ranging from $1 to $10+ million, I am the co-author of two personal finance books: ON MY OWN TWO FEET and GET FINANCIALLY NAKED. According to Manisha Thakor, having money: If a client is interested in highly specific nutrition details, which of the following responses might provide the most insight? In classic finance fashion, I didnt know what I had powered through. Thakor: Very, very carefully. So we shall see where that interest in philosophy goes. In fact, I wish I could think of the study, but somewhere I read--and again, not fact-checked--that in the early stages of courting there is something intoxicating about financial otherness. For instance, neither of us spends more than $100 without checking with the other, but at the same time, each of us has $50 a month, if you're just getting started, that you can spend no questions asked. One of the things that you see when women leave the workforce voluntarily or are forced to because of family obligations or their own personal health issues is that when they return, they return to typically lower salaries and lower positions than they had before, if it's an extended time away. Yet every woman who works in her law office, from the senior partners down to the paralegals down to the executive assistants, have completely frizz-free hair. How do we minimize taxes using tax-loss harvesting or other charitable giving techniques? And I think for me, had I not experienced two sets of illnesses, the dengue fever and the acute Epstein-BARR. How much can I spend in retirement? All investments are subject to investment risk, including possible loss of principal. Deborah Beauvais Archives; Celebrating . The question is, how much is enough from a standpoint of happiness? Helping young people get off to a healthy start financially is another issue that you focused on in your career. And on top of that, what I believe to the tips of my toes is the single best client experience out there. But what is the steadiness of their cash flow? Known for making the complex simple, I share clear and concise financial advice to support your life goals. She sits on the advisory board of Savvy Ladies, a nonprofit focused on financially empowering women in need through educational seminars and access to pro-bono Certified Financial Planner (CFP) practitioners. He was like, All right. He moved onto the next question. Poor Midas was nowhere close to happiness. But when that motivation comes solely from a place of money or collecting some benefit simply for yourself, I think that created with the energy of physically whats happening to your body when youre stressed and youre constantly taxing your adrenal system, can be very dangerous. When I got divorced at age 45, I decided to gift myself a blank slate and moved to Portland, Oregon without knowing a soul. I see this particularly with higher-net-worth individuals where the risk you took to get where you are, you no longer need in order to maintain the standard of living that you want, not oftentimes just for your own lives, but in a legacy standpoint. And I literally can't remember the last time I spoke to a group of all men prior to five years ago, where a man asked me about ESG, socially responsible investing, MRI, pick your name. Manisha is a chartered financial analyst and a certified financial planner. And at the peak, I was able to stay awake about five hours a day. And it was so funny. And I just remember thinking how sad that Im This is my moment of reckoning and realization that its not a platitude, just eerily is real. Which of Geneen Roth's guiding principles is she exploring? Ptak: And @Syouth1, which is, S-Y-O-U-T-H and the number 1. Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship With Money and Achieving Financial Independence, by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez. But if you stir together the dengue fever I had and the damage it did on some of my organs, and then you stir in a 25 year career full of manic energy, literally and figuratively around work. Brighton Jones LLC (Brighton Jones) is an SEC-registered investment adviser located in Seattle, Washington. Until next time, thanks for joining us. As part of her MoneyZen series, women and money expert Manisha Thakor discusses ways to apply the concept of radical financial simplicity to retirement planning at any income or asset level. As part of her MoneyZen series, female financial advisor Manisha Thakor talks about the tricky relationship between self-worth and net worth in modern society. Do you think it's a healthy trend with staying power or more of a bull market phenomenon, given that investment balances are so high right now? And oftentimes through their first child they can, and then the lack of support from employers, I've noticed, tends with--depending on your level--child two or three, just push you over the edge. Manisha Thakor: Christine, thank you so much for having me. So, being investor large is often about creating the product or the investment vehicle. And I can remember I was part of the inaugural group, and we came to the headquarters in Austin, and it was amazing. And it all stirred up to make me realize that it was time for me to go out and figure out what my richer life is meant to look like as I turn 50. The pandemic-related economic downturn has been called a she-cession because of its disproportionate impact on women. And then the final overlay I would have, that I would point out, is that I have observed qualitatively--I've not seen any quantitative data on this--that women are much more interested in cash flow, which is incredibly logical. Thakor: I think it's oversimplified. Thakor earned her MBA from the Harvard Business School and her BA from Wellesley College. And that's the message that I'd like to get across to younger folks, is that in an ideal world, for all of this to work, no more than 50% of your take-home pay can go to needs, if you're going to set aside 20% of your income to invest for the future. And this can be one area where financial professionals can be of great help, which is this notion that owning your own home is the American dream. We were on fire. Another completely reasonable option is decide that you want to be home for those vital early years and study after study shows how important early childhood education and nurturing is on long-term health and well-being for all of us humans. All rights reserved. FLAUNT! It just feels like The Biggest Loser, in terms of like a TV show and a race and not something that is part of a larger, more mindful, conscious discussion. But the problem is CFPs only have so many hours in the week. According to Geneen Roth, why do people struggle with the concept of "enough" as it relates to eating? After that, I started investigating. She led a world-class non-profit whose board of directors was like a Whos Who of F100 company CEOs. Accelerators provide targeted, one-on-one support to help you get there. And, of course, social media doesn't make it any better. But I think for many people, it is financial. Vice President, Financial WellbeingBrighton Jones. And as long as we treat people like they have three noses coming out of their face when they talk about this topic, they're not going to go seek help. I'm Christine Benz, director of personal finance for Morningstar. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get pricing information and check availability for Manisha Thakor or any other celebrity of your choice. She's also the coauthor of two books with Sharon Kedar: On My Own Two Feet, published in 2007 and updated in 2013, and Get Financially Naked, which came out in 2009. But the thing that I'm missing from the current execution of the movement is A) it feels like it's become really competitive; B) it feels like it's not honoring the original principles of connection to something bigger than ourselves, which is what Vicki and Joe intended it to be. And on the chemical side, one of the problems is you can't just take a blood test. Do I even know how to connect with people anymore? Prior to founding MoneyZen, Manisha was vice president of financial well-being at Brighton Jones. All Rights Reserved. And when I look back at that period, and I think what made me happy, I have this memory of on weekends in Houston and theres a coffee house I used to go called Brazil on Saturday mornings. Write the vocabulary word that best completes the sentence. And even something as basic as do I know how to have fun? Which of the following is the best tool for identifying a client's motivations and fears when closing the deal? Alas, this individual came back to me and essentially said, Well this is pretty much a non-starter. I eagerly attended as many educational Salons as possible. We have some amazing guests lined up so far. Vice President, Financial Wellbeing. According to Manisha Thakor, your "number" refers to: a) the number you are aiming for in terms of retirement savings. But what I do know is true is that these days, many people are currently living in retirement longer than they worked. What I've noticed is as women spend more time in the workforce, and just in life in general, they start often to find that when they are around the industry as a whole, there's a lot of testosterone-esque language: we're crushing the competitors, we're going to beat the market, we're going to dominate returns. We talk about the need for emergency funds, and so forth. At business school we talk about like, Whats your number? And your number and Brighton Jones speak is your BFA. We also sell both admissions and sponsorship packages for our investment conferences and advertising on our websites and newsletters. And I said, telling them to invest in the stock of a company they know about. My work has been featured in many media outlets including CNN, CNBC, NPR and The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, Nasdaq, and Morningstar Index (Market Barometer) quotes are real-time. It does not store any personal data. I eventually started my own wealth management practice, which grew to $50M in assets in just over 2 years. And when you stir all of that up, maybe you need to rent a little bit longer. Prior to joining the Buckingham team, Thakor spent more than 20 years working in financial services. Thakor: For the longest time, we've cited three reasons. Where should someone look and what business models would tend to be most appropriate? And, if so, how can these firms best serve their female clients? I spent a year abroad when I was in college at Oxford, and ever since then, I'm an Anglophile. And I remember this clear as day. One of the things as I reflect back on my career thats so ironic is I land at Brighton Jones, which has been the happiest chapter for me has Ive just never been in an environment that is so aware socially, emotionally, physically, and financially. My guest on today's podcast is Manisha Thakor. Jeff Ptak: And I am Jeff Ptak, chief ratings officer for Morningstar Research Services. First let me back up and say, I read the book in '92, '93. Manisha Thakor is the Founder and CEO of MoneyZen Wealth Management, a boutique financial advisory firm serving women and families. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Thanks again. In this interview, we learn more about Manishas executive journey, her tips for rising women executives, and how her Athena membership helped round out her career as she finds balance in her third act. And I attribute that to the leadership of John Jones and Charles Brighton who really have created the most unique firm culture Ive ever experienced. Not high; lumpy, therefore their business is risky, so perhaps their investments should not be. But I think it's compounded by the fact that what we're comparing it to is quite literally unpriceable. And on top of that, I had a mental illness that I was unaware of that was taking the natural propensity to work a lot, that you had just from being in the environment of institutional financial services, and leveraging that up to an unbelievable level in my manic periods, which would go on for quite some time, I would just be working literally around the clock, which ultimately caught up with me physically. You can follow us on Twitter @Christine_Benz. Most importantly, I learned that while I may not have the traditional background sought for F500 companies, my skill set was a perfect match for mutual fund director boards. Benz: Wanted to spend a little bit of time on financial planning for couples. Vocational freedom is a technical term we use at Brighton Jones to define the point at which individuals are able to pursue whatever type of work paid or unpaid, simply because they want to, that their financial needs have been appropriately covered for the future. Find some stanzas that strike you as particularly quotable. And I wanted a seat at the table to make a difference going forward, and in order to do that, I knew I needed to have a sound financial foundation. Do you think we're finally ready to discuss and destigmatize the mental health challenges that many among us are dealing with? According to Manisha Thakor, what is the ideal formula for distributing your income after taxes? To position myself to move to the next level in investment management, I earned my MBA from Harvard Business School graduating in 1997. Manisha Thakor, a Personal Finance expert for women, and Founder of MoneyZen Wealth Management, shares advice and knowledge to improve your financial literacy.