Ep 74 | Your 401(k) Explained: Max vs Match

Ep 74 | Your 401(k) Explained: Max vs Match

In this episode, Priya strips the 401k back to first principles - what it actually is, how the employer match works, and when maxing it out might be the wrong call. The catalyst: a smart, well-educated client who went years without contributing because nobody ever explained what "match" meant. Priya fixes that, then goes further - covering the traditional vs. Roth decision, why flexibility beats tax optimization, and the one rule that is genuinely non-negotiable no matter what else is going on in your financial life.   Takeaways: * A 401k is not an investment - it is a tax-advantaged container. The investments you put inside it are an entirely separate decision. * Your employer match is the only guaranteed 100% return available to anyone. * If you are in your 30s building toward near-term goals - a home, a career change, a sabbatical - maxing your 401k might actually mean over-allocating to retirement at the expense of everything else. * Most people who try to perfectly optimize the traditional vs. Roth decision end up with regrets about optionality.  Follow Priya Malani: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/priyamalani] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/itspriyamalani] | Stash Wealth [https://www.stashwealth.com] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/StashWealth] The Stuff Our Lawyers Want Us to Say: Stash Wealth is a Registered Investment Advisor. Content presented is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended to make an offer or solicitation for any specific securities product, service, or strategy. Consult with a qualified investment adviser (that's us) before implementing any strategy. Investing involves risk, including the loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results. There…we said it.

Ep 73 | When Can You Actually Call Yourself Rich?

In this episode, Priya asks the question most high earners don’t realize they are avoiding: are you actually wealthy, or have you built a very convincing appearance of it? Drawing on the timeless learnings in The Millionaire Next Door, she breaks down two types of high earners - prodigious accumulators of wealth and under-wealth accumulators - then runs the real math on what a completely normal lifestyle on $320K in New York City actually leaves behind to build with.  Takeaways: * There is a version of success that looks like wealth, feels like wealth, and costs like wealth, but never actually becomes it. * On a $320K salary in New York City, a normal lifestyle leaves roughly $25K a year to build with. * Under-wealth accumulators don't feel broke - they just happen to be winning the wrong game.  Follow Priya Malani: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/priyamalani] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/itspriyamalani] | Stash Wealth [https://www.stashwealth.com] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/StashWealth] The Stuff Our Lawyers Want Us to Say: Stash Wealth is a Registered Investment Advisor. Content presented is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended to make an offer or solicitation for any specific securities product, service, or strategy. Consult with a qualified investment adviser (that's us) before implementing any strategy. Investing involves risk, including the loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results. There…we said it.

Ep 72 | Solid Income and Still Stressed About Money?

In this episode, Priya names what she calls the "HENRY version of money silence" - the isolating experience of earning a high income and still feeling anxious, behind, or quietly out of control. Drawing from almost 12 years of client conversations, she breaks down the three specific ways silence shows up at high incomes. This episode is a permission slip to stop pretending - and a roadmap for what to do instead.   Takeaways: * There's an unspoken rule that at mid-six-figure incomes, you're not allowed to feel stressed about money.  * 40% of Americans in relationships can't accurately tell you their partner's income.  * Clients earning $350-400K often have no clear picture of what their household spends each month - not because they're irresponsible, but because looking felt scarier than not looking.  Follow Priya Malani: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/priyamalani] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/itspriyamalani] | Stash Wealth [https://www.stashwealth.com] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/StashWealth] The Stuff Our Lawyers Want Us to Say: Stash Wealth is a Registered Investment Advisor. Content presented is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended to make an offer or solicitation for any specific securities product, service, or strategy. Consult with a qualified investment adviser (that's us) before implementing any strategy. Investing involves risk, including the loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results. There…we said it.

Ep 71 | First Gen was Taught to Save. Not to Build Wealth.

In this episode, Priya sits down with Gigi Gonzalez, financial educator and author of Cultura and Cash, to unpack why traditional money advice consistently misses the mark for first-generation professionals. The real issue is that first-gen wealth building comes loaded with inherited scarcity mindsets, cultural expectations around communal money, and family guilt that no mainstream personal finance book addresses. Listeners walk away with a concrete framework for building their own financial foundation without abandoning the people they love.   Takeaways: * Traditional financial advice was designed for people with an existing safety net, not people building one from scratch. * Scarcity mindset is inherited, not fixed. Recognizing where it came from is the first step to building past it. * Sharing a promotion with family often means absorbing the financial consequences of their decisions. * Building your own financial floor is not a betrayal of your culture. It's what makes sustainable generosity possible. Follow Priya Malani: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/priyamalani] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/itspriyamalani] | Stash Wealth [https://www.stashwealth.com] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/StashWealth] Guest Bio: Giovanna "Gigi" Gonzalez is a Financial Educator, Influencer, and a 3x award-winning author. She teaches personal finance to First Gen professionals at various organizations. In 2025, she was honored as the Best Personal Finance Influencer for Racial Equity by Bankrate. Her book, Cultura & Cash, was also selected as a “must-read money book for women’s financial growth in 2026” by Forbes. She has been featured on dozens of publications including Nasdaq, CNBC Make It, and The Wall Street Journal. She is originally from California but currently resides in Spain. Guest Links: Instagram: @gigithefirstgenmentor https://www.instagram.com/gigithefirstgenmentor/ [https://www.instagram.com/gigithefirstgenmentor/] TikTok: @thefirstgenmentor https://www.tiktok.com/@thefirstgenmentor [https://www.tiktok.com/@thefirstgenmentor] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giovannagonzalez/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/giovannagonzalez/] The Stuff Our Lawyers Want Us to Say: Stash Wealth is a Registered Investment Advisor. Content presented is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended to make an offer or solicitation for any specific securities product, service, or strategy. Consult with a qualified investment adviser (that's us) before implementing any strategy. Investing involves risk, including the loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results. There…we said it.

Ep 70 | A Smarter Way To Approach AI For Your Finances

In this episode, Priya Malani unpacks why more access to AI-powered financial advice hasn't translated into more financial confidence. She breaks down the two core problems: AI that hallucinates regulations with total confidence, and AI that gives population-level answers to questions that are deeply personal. The real issue isn't that AI is wrong, it's that most people don't know the right follow-up question to ask. You walk out of the episode with a four-variable framework that pressure-tests AI financial advice so you can feel confident trusting it.  Takeaways: * More access to financial advice hasn't produced more financial confidence, because most people take the first AI answer at face value without knowing what's missing. * AI gives population-level answers to individual-level problems, and without the right follow-up, the advice could be technically accurate and completely wrong for your situation. * The four variables that most often change the right answer are time horizon, tax situation, liquidity needs, and income stability. * AI is a research assistant, not a financial advisor. An advisor knows your life. AI responds to what you put in front of it.  Follow Priya Malani: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/priyamalani] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/itspriyamalani] | Stash Wealth [https://www.stashwealth.com] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/StashWealth] The Stuff Our Lawyers Want Us to Say: Stash Wealth is a Registered Investment Advisor. Content presented is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended to make an offer or solicitation for any specific securities product, service, or strategy. Consult with a qualified investment adviser (that's us) before implementing any strategy. Investing involves risk, including the loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results. There…we said it.