Four Women Get Brutally Honest About Retirement Planning, Financial Peace, and the Money We Leave Behind

Do you have enough? And how do you even know? In the third and final episode of HerMoney's series with AARP, From First Paycheck to Forever Paycheck, Jean Chatzky and her roundtable tackle the biggest question in personal finance — what does financial security actually feel like, and how do you build something that doesn't just sustain you, but actually gives you peace? Hannah Williams sold her business and walked away with a life-changing payout, and has never been more stressed.  Viviana Vazquez recently hit $100,000 in investments and says she already feels like she has enough.  Ashley Parker thinks about what would happen if she suddenly had to make it on her own, and making sure she always could.  And Carly Roszkowski shares the AARP data that keeps her up at night: 65% of women 50 and older don't feel confident about retirement, and nearly half of those still working have less than $50,000 saved. Jean also introduces a concept that changes everything: decumulation.  This is the third and final episode of From First Paycheck to Forever Paycheck, a three-part series in collaboration with AARP exploring women's financial lives across generations, from your first job to retirement and the legacy you leave behind. If you haven't listened to episodes one and two yet, go back and start there; this conversation builds on everything we've covered. Jean Chatzky's new book, The Forever Paycheck: The New Retirement Strategy to Spend More, Worry Less, and Never Run Out of Money, is available for pre-order now and publishes September 8, 2026. Whether you're looking to save money, manage debt, or prepare for retirement, AARP has resources and tools to help you prepare for your financial future to reach your goals. Get started at www.aarp.org/retirementreadiness. Want to calculate your FIRE number? We recommend this calculator from our friends at NerdWallet.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices