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| This Week At InvestingFixx |
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Meanwhile, over at InvestingFixx, HerMoney’s investing club for women, we’re still building a portfolio that’s beating the market (we were early on Micron — that helped).
This week’s session recapped Q2 2026 (major U.S. stock indexes closed out their best quarter since 2020). And as always, we dug into a personal finance topic – this week, a look at milestones marking the financial rise of women over the past 250 years. One of them? Our growing footprint in investing. Today, roughly 60% of women now invest – with one survey of self-reporters putting the percentage even higher, at 70%.
If you’re not one of them yet, here’s the blunt truth: you’re leaving your best wealth-building tool in the toolbox. The fix (yes, pun intended) is easy – join InvestingFixx. No experience required. We’ll get you up to speed, and your first month’s free. |
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| This Week In Your Wallet |
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Moving back in with mom and dad isn’t the failure-to-launch story it used to be – these days, it can actually be a sign of financial savviness. Last year, 49% of adults under 30 lived with a parent, up 12 percentage points from 2019, driven largely by the cost of living and a housing market that’s locked many young adults out entirely. As The Wall Street Journal puts it, "So many parents and adult children are living together now that it is beginning to transform aspects of American society—from when members of the younger generation start a family to the way builders think about designing homes."
Trump Accounts have officially launched. A quick refresher – they’re available to children under 18, with pre-tax contributions allowed from parents, employers, family and charitable organizations. Those contributions are capped at $5,000 annually and are invested automatically in a long-term index fund. Opening one is free, and children born from 2025-2028 get a $1,000 federal kickstart. Kids born 2016-2024 in zip codes with median income under $150K could see an additional $250, courtesy of Michael and Susan Dell's pledge. Some employers are chipping in for their workers' kids, too. Head here to learn more about how Trump accounts stack up against another popular way to save for your child’s future, the 529 account.
Could taking up a trade be the key to changing your financial life? AI may be coming for some industries, but skilled trades – plumbing, electrical and beyond – are still hurting for workers. Long male-dominated, the fields are seeing more women find their way in. The Cut profiled three, including Deborah, who struggled to find the right career path before eventually pivoting to plumbing in her 30s. "I try to help other women see that the trades are a perfectly good option," she shares. "I’ll never tell anyone not to go to college, but most leave college with a massive amount of debt. If you go to trade school, you come out with zero debt and a career." Taking her benefits into account, Deborah estimates she makes $200 an hour. Not too shabby. |
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| Things That Make You Money |
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| Your Midlife Crisis Might Be The Best Thing That’s Happened To You |
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| "I try to count to ten before I say yes to things," Sari Botton, Oldster Magazine |
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| Say "midlife crisis," and it conjures up images of the sports car, the dramatic career pivot, or the person who blows up their entire life overnight. But there’s another kind of midlife crisis that’s far less dramatic, and in many ways, far more costly. It’s the reckoning that hits when you look up one day and realize you’ve been living someone else’s version of your life. |
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Sari Botton is the editor and writer behind Oldster Magazine. She joined Jean on the HerMoney Podcast to talk about the financial cost of people-pleasing, making peace with your financial past, and why a midlife crisis might actually be the beginning of something better.
Botton’s own career is proof. Ghostwriting, gossip columns, copywriting, naming pantyhose colors for New York & Company, writing injury profiles at a law firm – there were a lot of paychecks, but not a lot of passion. "I’ve had to juggle my entire career," she shared. "I put myself through college and often was working three part-time jobs on the side."
The turning point, she says, came from learning to pause. "I try to count to 10 before I say yes to things because I have a knee-jerk tendency to just say, ‘Oh, do you want me to do a good thing for you that will make you like me? Oh yes, sign me up.’" Sometimes, she adds, she gives herself a full 24 hours before responding to an opportunity, just enough time to figure out if it’s actually right for her. |
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| Ask Jean |
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| Q: |
Today’s question comes from Jonie. She writes: "When I was in college in the 80s, I opened an American Express Green Card. I've had it for almost 40 years. I no longer use it, and the annual fee is now $150! It doesn’t have any real benefits, like those I get with my other cards. Should I cancel it, or will it negatively impact my credit? I also feel a bit sentimental over it because it was my very first credit card." |
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Sentimental over late-night dorm hangs? Yes. Sentimental about a college crush? Sure. Sentimental over a college credit card that’s charging you a $150 fee with no benefits to speak of? You have my permission to let that one go.
Normally I’d tell you to downgrade to a no-annual-fee card, which would preserve your credit history and credit limit, both of which are key to your score. But Green is already the entry-level tier in this family of Amex cards (behind Platinum and Gold), so that’s off the table. If you wanted to stay with Amex and have a fee-free card, the only option would be to close your current account and apply for a new no-fee card, such as the Blue Cash Everyday card.
So, that leaves a couple of other paths. The first – call and ask if they’ll waive the fee. You’ve been a customer for four decades, and that’s leverage. It might also buy you time to dig in and see if the card’s perks have improved enough to justify the cost (for example, I’m seeing it currently offers a CLEAR+ credit worth $219).
Second option – cancel it. Yes, your score will take a temporary hit. That’s because closing your oldest account can lower your average account age once it falls off your report. That said, it’s a hit you’ll recover from, especially if you’ve got other long-held cards keeping your average age up. More on that here. |
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| Submit your questions to Jean here. |
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