For The Hayters

Every time someone mentions a Roth IRA, do you nod along and then immediately Google it the second they walk away? Same. In this episode, Becky admits she still isn't totally sure what she has or doesn't have when it comes to retirement accounts, and Alex breaks it all down without making anyone feel behind.
The Solution
What a Roth IRA actually is and why Alex is obsessed with it (hint: the government doesn't get a cut)
The difference between a Roth and a traditional account, explained in a way that finally makes sense
Why just opening the account isn't enough and the one step most beginners skip
HSAs: the triple tax advantage account that most people scroll past during open enrollment
FSA vs. HSA, because yes, they are very different and one of them disappears if you don't use it
The income limits, contribution limits, and the deadline most people don't know exists

This week's homework: Check your emergency fund, peek at your retirement accounts, and spend ten minutes learning one financial concept you've been avoiding. That's it. That's the whole assignment.
Want to ask Alex your specific 401(k) questions live? Join us May 14th at 6pm in our Wallet Therapy Live session on Patreon → patreon.com/beckyhater
Try Fidelity: https://fidelity.app.link/e/zN0pCpYeUZb
Try Monarch: Get 50% off your first year → https://monarch.com/referral/ey3kkk8c7e
Connect with us:
Join the Live Therapy: Support the show and join our monthly live Q&As at patreon.com/beckyhayter.
Share your story: Email us at [email protected] to have your financial scenario featured on the show!
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

TW: Infertility, pregnancy loss references, birth trauma, body image, postpartum hemorrhage, medical trauma.
One in six people will experience infertility and most of them will do it in silence. Gel did two rounds of IVF through a global pandemic, went to every appointment alone, gave birth with her husband waiting outside the building, and spent two and a half years not recognizing her own body. She's finally talking about it.

Don’t forget to subscribe, like, and share to help us continue bringing these stories to light.
🔹 New episodes drop every Monday!
🔹 Join our community! patreon.com/beckyhayter
🔹 Follow us on Instagram: @forthehayters
🔹 Submit your story: [email protected]
🔹 Grab some merch! beckyhayter.com
🔹 A KILLR Network podcast! killrentertainment.com

If you or someone you know needs support, please visit:
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 988lifeline.org | Call or text 988
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

TW: heart failure, near-death/flatline, suicide loss, domestic abuse, depression.
At three months old, Bree was given six months to live. She's 49 now — the only one left from a group of kids born with the same heart condition. We talk about being a "miracle baby" with the weight of that title, grieving the version of yourself you used to be, and the difference between existing and actually living.
Don’t forget to subscribe, like, and share to help us continue bringing these stories to light.
🔹 New episodes drop every Monday!
🔹 Join our community! patreon.com/beckyhayter
🔹 Follow us on Instagram: @forthehayters
🔹 Submit your story: [email protected]
🔹 Grab some merch! beckyhayter.com
🔹 A KILLR Network podcast! killrentertainment.com

If you or someone you know needs support, please visit:
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 988lifeline.org | Call or text 988
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You make decent money. You're contributing something to your 401(k). You think you're good. But what if I told you there's free money sitting on the table — money your employer literally wants to give you — and most people have no idea they're walking away from it?
This week on Wallet Therapy, Becky admits she spent years contributing 2% to her 401(k) and missing out on her full employer match (oof), and Alex breaks down the part of your paycheck you might not even know you're leaving behind.
We get into:
What an employer match actually IS (explained like you're five)
Why this is step five on your money journey — and when it's okay to skip ahead
The "paycheck illusion" and why contributing $100 doesn't actually take $100 out of your check
Roth vs. Traditional 401(k) — and why Alex has strong feelings about it
Real numbers: what starting at 20 vs. 30 vs. 40 vs. 50 actually looks like at retirement
Why it's NEVER too late to start (and the math to prove it)

Your homework: Log into your 401(k) right now. Check your contribution percentage. Is it hitting your full employer match? If not, increase it today. That's it. That's the assignment.

🎟️ Want to ask Alex your specific 401(k) questions live? Join us May 14th at 6pm in our Wallet Therapy Live session on Patreon → patreon.com/beckyhater

Try Monarch: Get 50% off your first year → https://monarch.com/referral/ey3kkk8c7e
Connect with us:
Join the Live Therapy: Support the show and join our monthly live Q&As at patreon.com/beckyhayter.
Share your story: Email us at [email protected] to have your financial scenario featured on the show!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

TW: parental death, grief, generational trauma, brain surgery, mentions of medical events.
Laura and Este grew up in the same massive Italian family — same Christmases, same wedding tables, same kitchen — and barely spoke for the first 20 years of their lives. Then Laura's dad died. This conversation is about grief, immigrant parents, generational patterns, and the cousin who became her person inside a family she'd known her whole life.
Don’t forget to subscribe, like, and share to help us continue bringing these stories to light.
🔹 New episodes drop every Monday!
🔹 Join our community! patreon.com/beckyhayter
🔹 Follow us on Instagram: @forthehayters
🔹 Submit your story: [email protected]
🔹 Grab some merch! beckyhayter.com
🔹 A KILLR Network podcast! killrentertainment.com

If you or someone you know needs support, please visit:
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 988lifeline.org | Call or text 988

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.