2001: Ask Farnoosh: Reflections on 2000 Money Conversations, My Advice for 2026 High School Grads

**Farnoosh Torabi** (0:00)
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**SPEAKER_2** (0:35)
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**Farnoosh Torabi** (1:01)
Welcome to So Money, everybody. It's Friday, June 26th, 2026 I'm your host, Farnoosh Torabi. It's Ask Farnoosh Friday. And in case you missed it from the very beginning of this show when I said episode 2001, yeah, here we are, everybody. Over 2,000 episodes logged on the So Money podcast, 45 million downloads-ish, 11 years and counting. And I want to open the show today with obviously some reflections, right? What have I learned talking to at this point hundreds and hundreds of experts across all realms of life? Obviously, financial experts, career experts, but also therapists and teachers and scientists and entrepreneurs, everyone in between, what have I learned about money, about building wealth, about life? Here it is. In summary, I learned that money solves money problems. It's a tool to solve money problems. It doesn't solve for pretty much everything else, right? It doesn't solve loneliness. It doesn't fix broken relationships. It doesn't tell you who you are, really. And it certainly doesn't guarantee happiness. We know this. Of course, it does help to afford the basics in life, which make people happy. But really, like the true joy that we feel in life is not afforded by what we have in the bank account. But it does afford us something really valuable. And I've been going back to this theme. I would say, like, this is the theme that probably comes up the most on this show, right? And I apologize. My voice is raspy. You'll understand why in a second. I was up very late last night. And I'll get to that story. But money does buy us something really valuable. And it's options. You've heard me say this word so many times, I'm sure, on the podcast. But I love me an option. I love options. When it's you want to leave a toxic job and you need some options. You have to care for a parent suddenly in your life and you need options. You want an option to spend more time with your kids to start over from whatever it is. A marriage, a job, a business, a friendship, the option to just sleep better at night. And yes, of course, the option to go out and spend freely and not have to worry about ordering an appetizer or how much your kids' sneakers will cost. I've interviewed people that are worth millions, even billions, and people who are just starting out, talking about high school students. And almost everyone worries that they're not doing enough or that they're a little bit behind, which tells me that wealth is not just a number, it is a mindset. And I have to talk to you about fear, because this has come up so much. It garnered a book. A Healthy State of Panic was born out of about eight years of doing this podcast and realizing that the emotional underpinning, the number one emotional underpinning for a lot of us when it comes to money is fear. But here's the thing, fear gets an unfair reputation. The guests who have inspired me the most were not fearless. They were simply willing to move before they had certainty. They started that business. They asked for the raise. They left the relationship. They proposed. They made the investment. Not because they knew for sure 100% it would work, but because they knew that staying still carried its own risk. And maybe the biggest surprise after 2000 episodes, the people who build the richest lives are not always the ones with the highest incomes. They're the people who know what enough looks like. They are very intentional. They spend intentionally. They invest intentionally. They nurture relationships as carefully as they nurture their portfolios. They like what we might say a slower life. It's not about accumulation. It's about appreciation. And finally, you've probably heard me say this before. Money, it doesn't change who you are. It doesn't make you someone you're not. I think it amplifies who you already are. It's a tool, right? So if you're somebody who is already curious, already generous, already courageous, already knows their values, well, money is a tool that can amplify all of that. So if there's anything that I want, that I wish you, my audience, would take away from these last 2000 episodes, which are all available online, if you're just starting, you can go back to episode one. It's this. Build wealth, absolutely. Negotiate, invest, protect yourself, plan for the future, but don't confuse the balance in your bank account with the richness in your life, because in the end, the best investment you'll ever make is not in the market. It's in becoming the kind of person who knows exactly what they're building wealth for, right? So here's to the next chapter, everybody. And speaking of next chapters, last night, I had the great honor to give a commencement speech at our local high school here in Montclair, New Jersey. And I have to say, it was maybe one of the best phone calls all year. It was a quick turnaround. I learned about this this week. I believe I was filling in for someone who couldn't make it. Doesn't matter. I'll take it. I accept. Doesn't matter whether they told me two hours before or two years before. Opportunities like these, you just don't pass up, right? And what a gift to have, to be in the same amphitheater outdoors with all of the graduates and their families, the teachers, the superintendent, the staff. This is why my voice was pretty raspy, is pretty raspy. I did not get to bed until midnight. I gave this speech and then in our town, like in many towns across the country, there's what's called Project Graduation. It's actually a national event where the high school after graduation buses the kids, the seniors to an undisclosed location to just have fun and be with each other and have one last night of celebrating on the school's budget. And so as the buses are leaving town, they do a parade through town, a lot of fanfare. And so I went for that as well. And that was late. That was like 10 p.m. So here I am. You know, as a parent to two kids who are not in high school yet, I keep hearing it goes so fast and I know it will. I thought a lot about what I wanted to say to the graduates. I actually went on to Instagram and asked all of you who follow me on Instagram, what should I say to the 18 year olds, 19 year olds in the audience and great advice. People wanted me to talk about the importance of trying new things and fear, of course, not being afraid, the thesis of a healthy state of panic. A lot of you said, please talk about financial literacy and the importance of saving and budgeting. Yes, I wish that I had a whole seminar in the high school around this and maybe someday I will. But for the time I had with the group, I remembered one thing that my English teacher once told me. She said, whenever you're struggling to write, in this case I kind of was because I had about 36 hours on top of everything else that was going on in my life. Mrs. Perchuk would always say, and may she rest in peace, she would say to us, write what you know. Don't try to be someone you're not. Don't try to pretend you know about something you don't or have to go research it. Speak from the heart. And so this speech really did that and then some because it really took exactly what happened to me 36 hours prior to giving this speech that it informed and inspired the speech. So without further ado, here's the commencement speech to the class of 2026 Good evening, everybody. I want to thank the members of the Board of Education for being here, members of our town council, Superintendent Turner, of course, and Principal Freeman for the invitation. To the teachers and staff, seriously, thank you so much. You have taken care of our children. You have mentored them. You have guided them. You have given them unconditional support.