We found out the hard way that waiting to save for retirement cost over a million dollars, and this week Juliet and I are unpacking that along with a $770 prescription that dropped to $25, a car dealership story involving my mom in 1993, and the real hourly pay behind a DoorDash shift once you factor in gas and taxes.

https://www.becomingfinanciallyconfident.com/retirement-regrets

This is our weekly highlights recap, pulling the best moments from this week's episodes of Becoming Financially Confident, Monday through Friday, August 31 through September 4.

We're Ralph Estep Jr., a licensed public accountant, and Juliet Chuang. Catch us live every weekday at 11:30 AM Eastern.

This week we:

• Answered a listener letter from John, who's turning 50 and just starting to build savings, and told him why it's not too late
• Shared how a pharmacist tip cut a prescription cost from $770 a month down to $25
• Told the story of Ralph's mom getting talked into a $412 car payment after being quoted $300, and how 12-year-old Ralph stepped in
• Walked through why rolling negative equity into a new car loan can cost you $17,000 the day you drive off the lot
• Explained exactly how to freeze and unfreeze your credit report so you're protected but not locked out when you actually need a loan
• Did the real math on a five-hour DoorDash shift, and found the driver was making $6.17 an hour after mileage and self-employment tax
• Shared Ralph's confession that he didn't save a dollar for retirement until he was 47, and what that delay actually cost him: over a million dollars
• Walked through a Zelle scam attempt Juliet dealt with on Facebook Marketplace
• Explained why a HELOC refinance can wipe out years of mortgage paydown

Watch or listen live weekdays at becomingfinanciallyconfident.com/live

Got a money question for us? Send it our way, we answer these on the show.