NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast
How To Have a Better Relationship With Money and Maximize Every Dollar
14 Apr 2025
Learn how to explore your money beliefs and take real steps toward saving and investing, even on a tight income. What’s really behind your money habits? How can you build savings and invest if you’re not earning much? Hosts Sean Pyles and Elizabeth Ayoola discuss how your relationship with money shapes your financial behaviors and what you can do to change that narrative. Joined by Shannah Game, host of Everyone’s Talkin’ Money and author of Unraveling Your Relationship with Money, they begin with a discussion of how money beliefs form in childhood, how your body gives clues about financial stress, and how weekly “money dates” can help shift your mindset, spending, and long-term financial outcomes. Then, Katie, a listener navigating a career change and major life transition, joins Sean and Elizabeth to discuss budgeting on a lower income and how to make progress on both emergency savings and retirement. They discuss how to build an emergency fund with irregular income, when and how to roll over 403(b) accounts into an IRA, and how to invest small amounts without feeling discouraged. The conversation also covers tools like the 50/30/20 budget and NerdWallet’s retirement calculator to help Katie — and listeners like her — build a path forward, even if they feel like they're starting late. Are you on track to save enough for retirement? Use NerdWallet’s free retirement calculator to check your progress, see how much retirement income you'll have and estimate how much more you should save: https://www.nerdwallet.com/calculator/retirement-calculator NerdWallet’s roundup of the best IRA accounts: https://www.nerdwallet.com/best/investing/ira-accounts In their conversation, the Nerds discuss: how to fix your relationship with money, money beliefs, financial trauma, budgeting on low income, how to start saving money, emotional spending, how to invest with little money, financial self-awareness, weekly money date, how much to save for emergencies, what is a 403b, 403b rollover to IRA, Roth IRA vs traditional IRA, how to track spending, how to set money goals, compound interest explained, how to save for retirement in your 30s, moving in with a partner finances, financial independence, personal finance for late starters, how to handle a career pivot financially, how to build an emergency fund, aligning spending with goals, how to start investing in your 30s, best IRAs for beginners, saving vs investing priorities, high-yield savings account, budgeting tools for beginners, financial planning on hourly wages, financial literacy basics, how to track expenses, how to make money habits stick, celebrating financial wins, how childhood affects money habits, somatic responses to money, financial therapy, how to stop money anxiety, 50/30/20 budget rule, NerdWallet retirement calculator. To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email [email protected]. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Full Episode
Knowing why you do what you do with money isn't always easy. Looking back on some of my early financial decisions, I'm sometimes left wondering what I was thinking or if I was thinking at all.
For the longest time, I was too ashamed to explore why I was spending money like it was printable, but I'm glad I finally did.
Well, this episode will help you get better acquainted with your financial self. Welcome to NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast, where you send us your money questions and we answer them with the help of our genius nerds. I'm Sean Piles.
And I'm Elizabeth Ayola. This episode, we talk with a listener about how to make progress on savings and investing goals, even when money is tight.
But first, we're going deep into your relationship with money. Elizabeth, if you could use one word to describe your relationship with money, what would that be?
I would say it varies depending on the month and what I have going on. So in December, it would have been toxic. But today it is partnership. We are working as a team to get me closer to my dream life. And you know what? That is progress, Elizabeth.
For many people, I'm guessing that word might be tense or maybe even unhealthy, but exploring your relationship with money is an important investment, one that can pay all sorts of dividends in big and small ways.
And to help us explore our relationships with money, we are joined by Shauna Game, host of the podcast, Everyone's Talking Money, and author of the new book, Unraveling Your Relationship With Money, Ditch Your Money Trauma So You Can Live an Abundant Life. Shauna, welcome back to Smart Money.
Hey, thanks so much for having me. So Shauna, your book is called Unraveling Your Relationship with Money. Tell me, why do you think people need to dissect their money relationship and what is the goal?
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