Pod Insights Financial Tea with Mrs. Dow Jones The Birthday Episode: 10 Lessons at 35 About this episode This week, Haley gets personal about turning 35 and the most important lessons she's learned so far. There's tactical advice, personal reflection, and the much needed MDJ reframe.
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2:30 Haley Sacks? This is Financial Tea.
2:34 Haley Sacks? What's up, sippers? Welcome back to Financial Tea, the podcast where I teach you how to build wealth with a side of market drama, money scandals, and of course, financial pop culture. So the rumors are true. I am turning 35. I don't think that I'm being dramatic when I say like, this is a very big age. It's a scary age and it feels like if you are not married with three kids and a billion dollar company, society does not let you turn 35 quietly without judging yourself. There is a charge to this birthday. There's pressure and I've been feeling it before I could even name it. So today I just wanted to talk about how I am approaching this milestone. Like I was originally going to do 35 things I learned turning 35, but you know, that is a
3:19 Haley Sacks? lot of things. So let's just do 10. Time is money. 10 is my lucky number anyways. I was born on July 10th, so it just feels right. But before I get into lists, I just want to say something about taking stock, which is not about like taking stock in a company, although we love that too. But I feel like that phrase can be a little toxic. Like when you hit a big birthday, there's this instinct to like audit your life. Am I married? Am I a mother? Am I where I want to be financially? But here's the thing, some of those goalposts you genuinely cannot rush. And like, if you take stock and you're not where you pictured, that can feel like a verdict on you, like you're behind. But I really don't think it's a verdict. I think it's more like an arrow. That's what I'm telling myself. It's just pointing me towards what I actually want, not telling me
4:01 Haley Sacks? that I failed to get there yet. So I hope that you'll take that to heart too. And don't rush the milestones just because you feel behind, just like you shouldn't rush to invest just because you're getting older. If you don't haven't built your emergency fund and haven't paid down your debt, like the timing has to be right for things. And just because you have a birthday doesn't mean that everything's going to line up. But I do think understanding which way you're trending and what you actually want more of, like that part is really good and powerful and is worth noting. And that's why birthdays are great. And one more thing I've been thinking about a lot before I get into the list is the issue with lists, like the 30 under 30 list, all these lists that like make you feel like you have To be a successful ingenue like we just live in this culture that absolutely worships
4:44 Haley Sacks? youth. You have to be a breakout overnight sensation. And I just want to say like, that is not the reality for 99% of people. It is so much more common to find your footing and yourself in your 30s and 40s and 50s. And that is not too late. Like Taylor Swift has been famous for two decades. And I would say arguably she's peaking right now in her mid 30s. Also think about Sex and the City, obviously constantly all the time. Those women were all in their mid 30s, 40s, living full, complicated lives. We need more of those stories because I feel like youth culture has sold us this really false timeline of what success is supposed to look like. And nothing is too late. So let's get into it. But first, let's get into the MDJ market report.
5:29 Haley Sacks? Okay, our first story today is about Paul Rudd because yes, the man is a national treasure. He never ages. But also randomly, you guys, he did invest in pop up bagels. People aren't talking about that enough. And when you invest in pop up bagels, you're basically investing and making sure every street in America looks the same. Like every downtown is going to have a blank street, a sweet green, a Van Leeuwen, a pop up, a cava. And if you've noticed this too, it's not your imagination. Yes, all these businesses have different products, but they all have the same financial playbook where they are really easy to scale. And so they're everywhere. And it's not because they're not scaling because they make better coffees or salads or bagels or ice cream,
6:10 Haley Sacks? although I do really like pop up bagels. It's mostly just because their businesses are so copy pasteable. And that is what Paul is investing in. And honestly, he got in really early. And the company recently sold a stake to investors at a roughly $300 million valuation, which blew my mind. So I was like $300 million for a bagel company? That's insane. But they already have franchise agreements signed for roughly 300 more locations. And that 300 more locations doesn't have anything to do with America suddenly wanting to eat 10 times more bagels. It just has everything to do with investors basically betting that they can stamp out the exact same Shop 300 times over, which I feel like is really easy to pop up because they don't have that many SKUs.
6:55 Haley Sacks? They have really small storefronts. It's great. And that is sort of the whole private equity Wall Street playbook. Like they're not paying for what a business is today. They're basically paying for how big they can make it and how fast that they can then sell it for more than they paid. And so to do that, they look for businesses like Papa, like Kava, like Sweet Green, like Van Leeuwen, that can be replicated with as little friction as possible. They have simple menus. They've got standardized operations. They've got centralized production. They don't have that many employees. They've got low operating costs. And they can give you the same customer experience whether you're in New York or Denver or Nashville. Because that consistency definitely scales. Just think about McDonald's. You know what I mean? They were so consistent.
7:40 Haley Sacks? But the issue is, is that craft doesn't scale. Like I grew up in New York. I have the place on my corner with like the 30 year old bagel recipes. And the guys who are hand rolling every single one. And they've got 20 different homemade cream cheeses and lox. And it's like a little bit dirty, but you can get a customized bagel that's like so creative. And that's what makes a neighborhood spot special, especially when you're hungover. And it's also exactly what makes it so impossible to scale. So to be clear, I'm not saying that private equity is evil. I'm not saying Paul Rudd is evil. I'm not saying Papa Bagels is bad. I love Papa Bagels. They arrive hot. They're so good at delivery.
8:20 Haley Sacks? And I also, you know, with the private equity thing, you know, these investors are funding real jobs, real growth, 300 locations franchise. That's amazing for like American business. But I just think that it's important to note that every financial system has a trade off. And this is ours. Like when we reward these businesses that are scaling the fastest, we then stop rewarding the businesses that make a place really feel like a place, which I feel like is like the best part of living in a neighborhood. And you're not going to notice it until your favorite cafe closes or until like the 40 year old deli becomes location number 47. Or until you land in a new city and realize that you've already eaten at like half of the restaurants there back home. Really good opportunity to just vote with your dollars. Like if you don't want every downtown in America to feel interchangeable,
9:05 Haley Sacks? try the Weir Coffee Shop, buy your bagels from the families that's been making them for 40 years. Because every dollar that you spend is really casting a vote for the kind of neighborhood that you want to live in. And you know, Wall Street is just going to keep investing in these businesses that can be copied forever. But the rest of us consumers get to decide if we want to live somewhere that's more one of a kind. And the truth is like Paul Rudd can stay ageless, but I would rather my neighborhood stay original. Okay, for my second story in the market report, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelsey apparently have a new addition to the family. I was shocked at this, you guys. They have gotten a dog, a fluffy white Samoyed.
9:43 Haley Sacks? They're like those Alaskan dogs. It honestly feels very on brand, although I am shocked that America's most famous cat lady has a puppy. And that she's in her dog mom era. And I just want to know, like, I hope he doesn't chew up her journals. We need those journals. But because I am Mrs. Dow Jones, I do have one piece of unsolicited advice for Taylor, Travis, and literally everyone with a pet, including myself. Be careful where you take your animals for healthcare. Because one of the craziest things I learned this week that made so much sense, considering the medical journey I've been on with mystery. Wall Street takeovers have been taking over the veterinary system. And you probably have never heard about this, but you're going to hear about it now because it is costing all of us.
10:25 Haley Sacks? This is insane data, but over the last decade, veterinary prices have risen more than twice as fast as overall inflation. And most people are just assuming like, oh, our medicine is so expensive, you know, supply chains are a mess. But guys, that is only part of the story. And the real story here is private mother freaking equity. They did a roll up. Your neighborhood vet used to be exactly that, your neighborhood vet. I mean, when I grew up, we had a country house in Bedford and I literally worked at the vet. It was so mom, pop. It was usually owned by the doctor whose name was on the building. They knew your dog's personality. They remembered your family. Like if money was tight, they'd often work with you because they owned the practice. But then Wall Street noticed something that Swifties
11:09 Haley Sacks? have sort of known forever, which is like, people will do absolutely anything for something they love, be it buy $1,000 era's tour tickets, or for their animals, they will skip vacations, they will eat ramen for a week, they will put thousands of dollars on a credit card, all this before we ever tell our dog, like, sorry, we can't afford that medical treatment. So to investors, even though that's so nefarious, it is an incredible business. So private equity firms and giant corporations started to buy veterinary clinics across America. So like, just think about this, in 2011, corporations owned only about 8% of veterinary practices, but today, they control roughly half of all clinics and more than 75% of specialty
11:53 Haley Sacks? and emergency animal hospitals. So that is a huge jump. And the craziest thing, and this is why nobody really realizes it, is that they usually don't change the name. So like, the sign might still say, like, Main Street Animal Hospital, and it will look really local, and like, the receptionists may have worked there for years. But behind the scenes, their pricing software, their financial targets, their profits are all flowing back to corporate owners and investment funds. And this is the exact same financial playbook that we've watched happen with Papa Bagels that we were just talking about, and Sweetgreen, and Van Leeuwen. But the problem with this, and I really am so upset about it, because I can tell you guys another time about all the shit they've gone through in mysteries health, and like, a lot of it has come down to bad vets, is that medicine is not supposed to run like a merch line, like,
12:38 Haley Sacks? private equity firms typically want to sell these businesses within three to five years. So that means that every clinic has pressure to grow revenue. So that means tighter appointment schedules, like, you're not going to really get that much time with the vet. It means production goals for veterinarians. It means more expensive diagnostic testing becoming the default, like, they're going to upsell you every chance you get, and like, obviously, we're emotionally connected to the animals, so we're going to say yes. But it also changes something much more emotional, which is that there used to be a spectrum of care. Like, your vet used to say, here's the gold standard treatment, but financially, I also have this lower cost option that still has a really good chance of working. So you as the pet parent could decide and do what worked in your budget.
13:23 Haley Sacks? But now more clinics are encouraged to offer one standardized protocol. So like, if you can't afford it, you're suddenly having these heartbreaking conversations that have as much to do with money as medicine. Like you either do that or you have to put your dog down. So if you're not into that, I'm definitely not into that. Here's what I'm doing instead. First, if you can, find an independently owned veterinarian. An organization that I've been using a lot is the Independent Veterinary Practitioners Association. And this will help you identify clinics that still answer to doctors instead of shareholders. So that's major. Make sure that you're not going to one of these private equity owned clinics. Stay away from Bonvett, they suck. Second, start a pet emergency fund.
14:06 Haley Sacks? Throw fifty or a hundred dollars a month into a high-yield savings account. Automate it. I have this for mystery. It's so, so helpful. This is for vaccines, for ear infections, for dental cleanings. Like those predictable expenses will then stop feeling like financial emergencies and will just make your life easier. And then I love pet insurance, but I have had a unique experience with it because my dog had cancer really young. So I like got the best experience with my pet insurance because I actually was able to really milk it. You could also just consider catastrophic pet insurance, which has a high deductible and a low premium and will protect you against the truly devastating bills like meter surgery or cancer treatment or emergency hospitalization. These can easily run you into the thousands.
14:51 Haley Sacks? And so I definitely would recommend just having some sort of, you know, guard up between you and that expense. Insurance is important. So I'm happy that now you have tools to avoid this. And yes, stay away from those private equity vet clinics. They are so freaking evil. And then, yeah, this is my 35th birthday episode. So the vibes today have to be absolutely immaculate in the market report. And I'm sorry that I kicked things off with like a deep dive into private equity, by the way. I just like really love bagels and my dog. And I just wanted to make sure that you guys understand how the world is like actually working right now. Cause we can avoid it. But yeah, before we wrap, I just want to throw a hail Mary pass into a topic I get flooded with questions about. Aside from wedding etiquette, I would say the number one social phenomenon that causes financial anxiety is the dreaded birthday dinner split.
15:36 Haley Sacks? So I'm having a birthday dinner tomorrow. I want to break it down. I want to say I feel incredibly fortunate that this year I am in the position to handle the bill. So I'm taking like 10 of my closest friends to Mr. Chow in Tribeca, which is an absolute institution, one of my favorite restaurants. We're going to sit on the patio. We're going to have lychee martinis. We're going to have squab and lettuce wraps. It's going to be a night. And we're doing the prefix menu. It's a hundred and twenty dollars a head. So then everyone's going to get cocktails and tax and tip. It's probably going to be around like $2,000, which is a lot. But I am treating this entire cost as like a birthday gift to myself because I love investing in experiences and I love my friends.
16:16 Haley Sacks? But also I will say, don't compare your spending to mine. The golden rule of money is that like we all make different amounts and everything is relative. So like, maybe I make more than you. Maybe I make less and that sounds crazy to spend $2,000 on the dinner. But like my spending plan is different than yours and it's all relative to how much I'm actually investing and saving. So anyways, this dinner has been planned for. It's been saved for, fits comfortably into my budget. It's a gift to myself. But I've just been thinking about how much money we spend celebrating certain milestones. And like 35 is this really weird birthday where, I don't know, it's like one of those big numbers. And by the way, I'm single, like I don't own a house. I haven't hit any of the traditional American dream milestones. So, but over the last decade, I've happily flown to weddings. I bought bridesmaid dresses. I paid for hotel rooms.
17:00 Haley Sacks? I've gone to bridal showers, baby showers, engagement parties. I bought registry gifts, like you name it. I've been shelling out money on my friends hitting those American dream milestones. And I wouldn't change a thing. Don't get me wrong, because I definitely love celebrating the people that I love. But it did make me realize something, like we have built an entire economy celebrating marriage and babies. Like we have the registries, we have the showers, we have the parties and we have all these amazing traditions that say like this milestone matters. But where are the rituals for becoming financially mother freaking independent? Like where is the party for paying off your student loans? I once went to a party for a girl who Paid off her credit card debt. It was so fun. Like, I thought that was freaking genius.
17:43 Haley Sacks? Where's the registry for maxing out your 401k for 10 years? Where's the celebration for building a business, or writing a book, or just creating a life that gives you freedom? One of the things that behavioral psychologists talk about is that celebrating progress will really reinforce behavior. Like, we celebrate what we value. And I actually think that we would have more financially confident people if we celebrated wealth building a little more too. So, that's what this dinner is for. It's actually not for my birthday. It's a celebration of wealth building. It's a celebration of every year I kept investing in myself and in my finances when it wasn't exciting. Every year I bet on myself. Every year I built my business instead of chasing someone else's definition of success. Like, I'm really proud of where I am at 35 and not be like where my mom was.
18:28 Haley Sacks? She had three kids at this age. She was out of the workforce. But every year that I chose long-term freedom over short-term flexing or pressures, I think that's really worth celebrating. And I'm not saying that those milestones are more important than getting married or having kids. I just think that our lives deserve more than one script, and especially as women. Like, we're really the first generation of women that belong to ourselves. Like, couldn't have our own credit cards till 1974. We couldn't open our own businesses till the 80s. Like, we need to celebrate making our own decisions and being able to have our independence. Don't wait for society to tell you that your life is important enough to throw a party. Throw the party for yourself. It doesn't have to be a Mr. Chow. But, you know, you deserve to wear a crown and to do things that make you feel really special.
19:13 Haley Sacks? And that also, by the way, it's a good use of money because one of the greatest returns that your money can buy is really just creating moments that remind you how far you've come. And that's what this birthday is all about. And I also just really want to thank you guys because when I think about my 35th birthday and where I'm at, something that grounds me and makes me feel so excited for the future is just that I get to do this work and that we are together and that we are going through this life and we are becoming financially independent and wealthy. And I just love you guys and I hope that you are staying rich and that you have a great weekend and that you enjoy this episode. So, yeah, see you next week when I'm 30, mother freaking five.
19:54 Haley Sacks? Here are the 10 things I've learned heading into lucky number 35. So number one is have a board of directors. You guys, this is something that no one tells you about life and it's such a good hack, but you can actually make your own board of directors from whoever you want. And as you get older, you actually need more mentors, not less. But they don't have to be alive. They don't have to actually know who you are. They don't have to know that you exist, but you just keep them in your back pocket as like little voices in your head. A few years ago, I started to build my personal board of directors. I've got Sarah Blakely on there, Helen Gurley Brown, who started Cosmopolitan, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Kiki Palmer, Ina Garten, all wildly different women, different decades, different, you know, industries, different ways of being a woman in public.
20:37 Haley Sacks? But when I'm stuck on a money decision, on a career decision, on a how do I want to carry myself decision, I just ask what one of them would do. Or like even what do I want to make for dinner? I just ask Ina Garten in my head. I'd say Sarah Blakely is definitely the president of my board of directors though, because obviously she built Spanx into a billion dollar company. She's the first female billionaire in America, but it's not what she did. It's how she lives that really makes me be obsessed with her. Like she's always on like a solo trip just to think and be alone with her thoughts and her journals and her books, or like taking all of her friends from middle school on a trip on a private plane, or like giving money away, enormous sums. I feel like she has a family, she has a husband, she has a business. But what's actually the coolest part of her is Sarah, which is something that anyone
21:22 Haley Sacks? can nurture about themselves. And she just has like a really deep connection to herself and like, I don't know, I feel like she's just vibes. And so that to me is the blueprint where you like build the thing, you take care of yourself inside of it, you give generously, and then you don't let your success cost you your people. So I would say, yeah, definitely make sure that you have people in your head who you can talk to, even if they are borrowed. Number two, the flip side of lifestyle creep. So obviously I talk about lifestyle creep on this show all the time. Like you get a raise, your spending creeps up to meet it, you end up having no money to actually invest, so your net worth stays the same and you're on the sedonic treadmill. But I feel like nobody talks about the flip side of lifestyle creep. Which is like the costs that just sort of appear as you age that you've never really
22:06 Haley Sacks? had to budget for before. Cause as you get older, things just get so expensive. Like first of all, I just want to say your wardrobe is not an investment. I tried to do the math on this. I want to say that clearly. Pinterest will tell you otherwise. Instagram influencers will tell you otherwise. It's really not, but you know what is? When you take stock of the things that are accruing quietly in the background of your life right now, like the ones that didn't exist five years ago. So like skincare, therapy, a nicer mattress, because now you're 35 and your back hurts more. Like, you know, flights home more often to see your family because your parents are aging. Like this is the real lifestyle creep of your 30s. And I feel like it deserves a line item, not a guilt trip. And it's okay, just as long as you have money to actually invest.
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23:51 Haley Sacks? 89% of dog parents consider their dog their best friend. And 31% would even let their dog eat off their own fork. Safe to say, people are obsessed with their pets. And I just want to shout out my perfect poodle, Mistry. Mistry, you're the, you're the man. Love you. If anyone gets being dog obsessed, it's me, but it's also Ollie. They deliver fresh. Human-grade food in five drool-worthy flavors, so Mystery can live his best life, too. From the moment you start your subscription, everything is tailored to your pup. The meals are perfectly portioned, and you get a pup tainer and scoop for easy storing and serving. Since switching to Ollie, Mystery just has like a new pup in his step. Get ready for both you and your pup to be obsessed.
24:35 Haley Sacks? Head to Ollie.com/teach, tell them all about your dog, and use code T to get 70% off your welcome kit when you subscribe today. Plus, it's risk-free with their obsession guarantee. That's O-L-L-I-E.com/teach and enter code T to get 70% off your first box. Ollie, feed the obsession. Number three, start where you are. This one means a lot to me because I've spent basically my whole life single. Like, obviously, I've dated, but no one who I actually liked. Don't tell them I said that. But there's this idea that like, your financial life starts when you have a partner, and like, that's when you are allowed to start making financial decisions and moves.
25:17 Haley Sacks? And so, there's so many women who I feel like are single and doing well financially, and they have the desire to like, use their money towards things. But they feel like they should wait because they haven't met the person yet, and they don't know like, what life will actually become. And I just want you to start wherever you are with exactly what you have, not some future date, start now. And this could mean investing, this could mean buying a house, this could mean, you know, going on that trip or living abroad. But every year that you wait is a year that you don't get back. And I formally believe you're gonna have everything that you want in life, but it just might not be in the order that you expect. So, don't sit around waiting for anything.
26:00 Haley Sacks? Build the life that you want now, and then I promise the rest is gonna come. Number four, health is wealth. Which, by the way, is a really cool saying that I just made up. No one has ever said that before. This one's gonna be really short because it doesn't need to be complicated, but please prioritize preventative healthcare. Like, get your freaking manograms, get the blood work. I'm paying out of pocket for so much freaking blood work these days. Go to the doctor, I'd be at the dentist. You guys like I used to think of healthcare as something that you use to deal with when something's wrong, but now I really look at it as a financial strategy because catching something earlier is cheaper in money, in time, in years of your life. And I just feel like as you get older, you really do need to start like not treating yourself like such a trash bin. And I don't know,
26:42 Haley Sacks? lifting a weight, going on a walk, like all these things that sort of suck, but you have to do. The blood work especially, I feel like is really important. I've been getting a lot of blood work. Do I like needles? No. Do I know what any of the things that they're testing for actually are? Also, no, I've been using chat GPT for that. I'm sure it's horrible that it knows so much about my health and that, you know, Sam Altman is doing something nefarious with the data, but nevertheless, now I know more about my money and now I know which vitamins to take, which is awesome. Okay, number five is caretaking upwards. This is the one I want to slow down on a little bit because I think it's maybe the most important thing on the list and the thing that women end up talking about the least because somewhere in your 30s, I think that the caretaking
27:25 Haley Sacks? starts to flow upward, like your parents start needing things, logistical help, medical advocacy, sometimes money, instead of you needing things from them. And there's no clean timeline for this. It could happen in your 40s, could happen in your 20s, and no one tells you when it starts, but it just sort of creeps in. But when you're also thinking about having kids and you're staring down this barrel of what they call basically the sandwich generation, which is when you're caught between the generation above you and the generation below you. It's really hard because you're expected to give to both ends at once. So I just want to acknowledge this and say that caretaking is such a massive wealth killer for women, you guys. Like statistically, we are the ones who step back from work, we downshift our careers, we leave the workforce entirely to take
28:09 Haley Sacks? care of aging parents. And like, it doesn't just cost us a paycheck, it completely devastates your timeline, your earning trajectory, your compound interest curve in ways that are basically impossible to claw back later, as well as it degrades your sense of self, because I think that we all get so much identity from our careers. And I love my parents so much. So this is not to say that like I'm going to kick them to the curb, but I just think that Put a boundary up now before you're too exhausted to think clearly. Like you can offer your logistical support, time, presence, but protect your capital. And that's not unloving. That's the thing that's actually going to let you keep showing up for the next 30 years instead of burning out in five. Number six, don't rush the milestones.
28:51 Haley Sacks? Okay, so I was single for a long time, like genuinely for most of my life so far. And I've recently gone to a relationship. And I just want to tell you about the strange sort of specific beauty of finding love later, because I don't think that we talk about it enough, and also about staying single for a long time, because there's also a beauty in that too. So I just think that like if I had met my partner in my twenties, and yeah, I'm calling him my partner. I think I would have just bent myself completely around him, like compromised my career, sacrificed my goals, like sort of just let my life start orbiting his a little. And I don't say that with regret. Like I think it's just what happens when you're young and you're sort of figuring out where you end and someone else begins.
29:34 Haley Sacks? And it's easy to just be like two halves make one versus like two people make two. So I just think like meeting him now, we're two fully formed adults. We have our own money. We have our own independence. We have our own lives that we were already like into and want to keep before we found each other. Like we're not clinging to anything out of the fear of being alone. We're choosing each other. And I'm not going to pretend there's not biology present here. Like if you want biological children, there's of course a timeline. I'm not going to soften that. And if you haven't listened to our episode on the economics of freezing your eggs, definitely go listen to that one next. But outside of that one biological reality, like you do not have to rush.
30:14 Haley Sacks? Don't rush the house. Don't rush the marriage. Don't rush the kid. Like 35 is an arbitrary number that society decided to be scared of. So let it be arbitrary. Do what's right for you on your timeline, not the one you inherited. And you're going to end up in a much better place. And also, like I said, there's such a beauty in being single. I think having the opportunity to really grow yourself, especially as you get older, you have more resources, you know yourself more is so cool. And you're going to get into a relationship one day if that's what you want, and you're going to be nostalgic for those times because they were really good times.
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32:31 Haley Sacks? So if you're starting a business or running one that deserves better tools, Square helps you sell, manage, and grow without slowing down. Right now, you can get up to $200 off Square hardware at square.com/go/t. That's S-Q-U-A-R-E.com/go/t. Run your business smarter with Square. Get started today. Number seven, aesthetics. Yes, we're going to talk about needles, girls. I want to say the thing that nobody wants to say out loud. Keeping yourself looking good isn't just vanity, it's actually economics. Like economists have a name for it. It's called the beauty premium. People who are perceived as polished and well put together and young tend to earn meaningfully more than their average presenting peers.
33:15 Haley Sacks? I know this sounds shallow because it definitely kind of is, but like in corporate and entrepreneurial spaces, looking rested and high maintenance gets unfairly read as competence. So like at 35, I have started to think about investing in how I present myself, not as vanity, but really as like career and life maintenance. Like, I'm not going to go out without a fight. And here's how I actually think about the math. Cost per wear, like a $2,000 designer bag sits in your closet most of the week, but like your face you're wearing every single second of every day. Like if a $600 Botox treatment, even though it doesn't work for me, every four months makes you feel rested and powerful and every Zoom call, the cost per wear is honestly pennies.
33:58 Haley Sacks? But this part matters. Don't put it on a credit card. Don't buy now, pay later it. You need to treat your aesthetic enhancements as you get older as a fixed expense, like as a subscription, the same way that you would treat like car insurance. Like if it's $600 for Botox every four months, then that's $150 a month. So automate that deposit into a high-yield savings account. I call mine the glow up fund. And if the cash isn't there, then don't book the appointment. Pick your poison. If you want the higher impact treatments, maybe that means skipping the $150 a month manicure for press-ons and like reallocating that money instead. I've done a lot of this myself and I think like, yeah, you just have to figure out what's worth it, but it has to be funded, honestly,
34:42 Haley Sacks? not borrowed against your future, but like no shame in the game, you know? We're 35, girls. Maybe we're older. We gotta make sure we stay tight. Okay, number eight, confidence follows action. I think about this all the time because I think that people think that their financial lives are going to change. Like one day they're going to wake up and they're going to want to change it, but you're never going to feel ready or confident before you do the hard thing. You just have to. Do it anyway. So like send the pitch, ask for the raise, record the episode, post the video. Cause confidence isn't a precondition, it's a byproduct. So like take action first scared and unsure. And then the confidence will show up afterwards, built from the evidence that you can actually do the thing. So like waiting to wait, I think is just a very convincing form of procrastination. So just remember that confidence follows action and not the other way around.
35:26 Haley Sacks? Number nine, be selfish. I am putting this in capital letters because I mean it. You need to be selfish. This doesn't mean that you have to like, forget your relationships and things like this. It just means like as you get older, you're going to have more on your plate and make sure that you actually take the time to nurture yourself and to take time for yourself. Like, you know, do the things that actually help you get to know yourself and stay in a good place with yourself versus like getting swallowed by all of your responsibilities. This isn't about disappearing on the people you love. It's really a practice. This is going to be the theme of my 35th year, just prioritizing myself on purpose. Like just the way that I did when I was single, the way that I did when I was younger. Cause I think that otherwise resentment builds and you sort of lose yourself.
36:11 Haley Sacks? And you know, it's a hard thing to do. It's much harder than we talk about, but I think that you get so much out of it. And number 10 is have a birthday money date. You know, usually your money dates are just like going through your credit card statements and things like that, but make sure that you go through your net worth, track it annually, make a goal for next year. This isn't to judge yourself, but I just think it's like, you need to hold yourself accountable. You want to see the line move. And this is just like a good moment. This is also a great moment to like cancel subscriptions, to figure out what you value, to make a plan. Do I want to move this year? What trips do I want to take? Like think about your next year in a bigger way and how you actually want to spend your money. And remember like 35 is not a deadline. It's a really just a good place to pause
36:55 Haley Sacks? and to take the arrow's direction and just keep going. So if you're also at a turning point with your age, I, you know, happy birthday and I hope that it's your best year yet. And remember to just like not take it too seriously. And that's my 35. Those are. The 10 things, but I will really say that one thing underneath all of them is just stop waiting for permission to take yourself seriously, like your money, your time, your face, your boundaries, your love story, like all that gets to happen on your timeline, not the one that you were handed. I just want to thank you so much for being here for this, for being a sipper. I know this is a little bit more vulnerable than our usual episodes, but it just felt right for this birthday. And as always, stay rich.
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Previous Using AI to Master Your Finances (w/ Allie K. Miller) Next She Refused To Be a Bridesmaid. Then She Went Viral (w/ Ruhama Wolle) Page updated October 29, 2026 · transcript and summary are machine-generated