Annie Belanger spent her career inside Wall Street, hedge funds, and Blackstone. Now she teaches women what she wishes she'd known sooner — and in this episode, Tasia walks through the real playbook for angel investing, due diligence, and private markets.

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Annie's first angel investment came at 38, after decades inside institutional finance — and she still made the classic mistake of investing too much in a single early-stage company. She uses that story to break down the single most important rule of angel investing: what she and Tasia call "pizza money." Only invest what you can afford to lose entirely. She walks through why married-cofounder teams carry unique risk, what the cap table tells you about a founder's long-term skin in the game, and why transparency under questioning separates serious founders from the ones who will go quiet when things get hard.

Tasia shares her own portfolio structure — 10 percent of investible assets in private investing, split between direct angel deals and fund-LP positions — and the two of them dig into why funds (with their audited financials and professional due diligence) offer a different risk profile than single-company bets. Annie introduces SPVs (special purpose vehicles) as the on-ramp for smaller investors, and discusses how platforms like Play Money allow women to enter private deals at $500 to $2,000 minimums while still getting K-1 tax documents and real deal flow.

The middle of the episode turns to the questions every woman should ask a financial advisor: Are you a fiduciary one hundred percent of the time? How are you compensated? Is your investment platform agnostic, or are you steering me into your firm's own products? Annie explains why "agnostic" matters — it means your advisor can select the best manager in every asset class rather than defaulting to in-house funds where the fee structure benefits the firm.

Tasia and Annie close on the emotional reality behind all of this. The World Economic Forum figure Annie cites — women married to men the same age outlive them by an average of eight years — is the quiet reason these conversations matter. Annie's frame: become a co-pilot, not a passenger. Tasia's frame: you don't have to ask permission. Both are saying the same thing in different words. These are your assets. Learning is never too late. Abundance for women is abundance for all.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 - Intro

1:17 - Why Annie started teaching women about investing

2:10 - Annie's first angel investment at 38

8:35 - What "pizza money" really means

11:01 - Red flags in private deals: cofounders, cap tables, transparency

14:42 - SPVs and getting into private markets at lower minimums

17:05 - What investor updates should look like (Womaness case study)

20:50 - Inside The Abundance Collective

34:27 - How to talk to your partner about money

39:12 - The questions every woman should ask a financial advisor

46:50 - The 8-year life expectancy gap and why learning is never too late

DISCLAIMER

The content shared on this channel is for educational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered financial, legal, or investment advice. Always consult with a qualified financial professional before making investment decisions. The host is not a licensed financial advisor. All investments carry risk, including the potential loss of principal.

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#GracefulInvestor #WomenInvesting #AngelInvesting #PrivateEquity #WealthBuilding

Divorce attorney Drew Soshnick has helped thousands of women protect their wealth through high-net-worth divorce cases. Subscribe for more on investing and financial independence.

Tasia sits down with Drew Soshnick, a matrimonial law attorney with 38 years of experience across four states, to break down what every woman needs to know about protecting her finances during and after divorce. Drew reveals the hidden assets most women never think to look for, explains how business valuations actually work, and shares the financial mistakes that cost women the most in settlement negotiations.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

-- The hidden assets your spouse may have that don't show up on bank statements (crypto wallets, private equity, retained business earnings, gambling accounts, Venmo balances)

-- How business valuations work in divorce and why 'pillow talk' numbers are almost never accurate

-- What a prenuptial agreement actually protects and three ways a business can still factor into your settlement even with a prenup

-- Why child support and alimony are now tax-free, but lenders still will not count them as income for credit cards or mortgages

-- Drew's three non-negotiables for choosing a financial advisor during divorce and why you should trust your gut about leaving the family advisor

-- How to build a realistic post-divorce budget and why the advice 'go slow' on big financial decisions could save your future

-- What percentage of your portfolio should go toward private investing after divorce (Drew recommends 0-10%)

Drew Soshnick is a partner at Faegre Drinker specializing in high-net-worth matrimonial law. He is licensed in Indiana, Colorado, New York, and Minnesota and has nearly four decades of experience representing women through complex divorce cases involving business valuations, private investments, prenuptial agreements, and asset division.

In this episode, Drew and Tasia discuss how the legal discovery process works, including interrogatories and document requests that compel full financial disclosure under oath. Drew explains the three approaches to business valuation: market approach, income approach, and asset approach, and why hiring a qualified business valuation analyst is critical. They also cover how separate property laws and commingling rules vary by state, how retained earnings can be used to calculate child support, and why women who go through divorce are often targeted by predatory investment pitches.

Tasia shares her three-pillar framework for women rebuilding financially: get your financial house in order first, then build a stock market portfolio that generates annual income, and only then explore private investing as a third and final step.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 - The Truth About Business Value in Divorce

0:55 - Meet Drew: Inside High-Net-Worth Divorce Cases

2:04 - Why Money Feels Overwhelming During Divorce

3:46 - What Women Actually Know About Their Finances

6:31 - Confidence Is the Real Gap

7:39 - Rebuilding Financial Confidence Step by Step

9:43 - The Assets Most Women Don’t Know Exist

13:22 - How Wealth Has Changed and Why It Matters

16:28 - How You Actually Find Hidden Assets

18:37 - How Businesses Are Really Valued

21:55 - Why “Pillow Talk” Numbers Are Wrong

25:21 - Prenups, Commingling, and What Still Counts

29:38 - Income You Might Be Missing

32:27 - What Life Looks Like After Divorce

36:34 - Choosing a Financial Advisor You Trust

41:29 - Protecting Your Money During Divorce

44:11 - Building a Realistic Post-Divorce Budget

50:00 - Why You Should Slow Down Big Decisions

52:28 - How Much Risk to Take With Investments

55:07 - The 3 Pillars of Post-Divorce Wealth

DISCLAIMER

The content shared on this channel is for educational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered financial, legal, or investment advice. Always consult with a qualified financial professional before making investment decisions. The host is not a licensed financial advisor. All investments carry risk, including the potential loss of principal.

FIND TASIA HERE:

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@gracefulinvestor

#GracefulInvestor #WomenInvesting #DivorceFinance #WealthBuilding #PrivateInvesting

You've heard about private investing, but nobody's walked you through how it actually works — until now. Dana Auslander spent a decade at Blackstone, turned her first $10,000 private investment into a 10x return, and now runs Luxus, a luxury-focused wealth management and alternative asset platform. She's breaking down every step so you can invest with confidence. Subscribe for weekly conversations about building wealth on your terms.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

✔ The difference between fund investing and direct private deals — and which is right for your first allocation

✔ What a SAFE is, how priced rounds work, and why the terms of your investment matter more than the amount

✔ QSBS: the tax advantage most women have never heard of that could mean zero capital gains on your private investment

✔ The three-tier filter Dana uses before putting money into any deal — passion, market timing, and founder quality

✔ Red flags to watch for: advisor kickbacks, missing governance, and founders who won't invest alongside you

Dana Auslander is the CEO of Luxus, a luxury-focused wealth manager and alternative asset platform backed by Christie's Ventures. Before founding Luxus, Dana spent a decade at Blackstone — the world's largest alternative asset manager — and began her career in hedge fund law at Schulte Roth & Zabel. She has been investing in private markets for nearly 30 years.

In this episode of Graceful Investor, Dana sits down with Tasia to demystify private investing for women who are ready to go beyond the stock market. Dana explains the full lifecycle of a private company — from pre-seed friends-and-family rounds to Series A institutional funding — and breaks down concepts like cap tables, dilution, bridge rounds, and the LP/GP relationship in plain language. She shares why she requires founders to invest at least 10% of their own capital, how AI is reducing burn rates for startups and what that means for your returns, and why the best deals often come from trusted peer networks rather than financial advisors. Whether you're exploring your first private allocation or evaluating your next one, this conversation gives you the vocabulary and the confidence to ask the right questions.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 - Why founders should invest their own money (10% rule)

0:49 - Introduction and Dana Auslander's background

3:06 - Her first private investment (10x return story)

5:08 - Fund investing vs direct private deals

7:03 - How to evaluate a private investment (3-part framework)

9:04 - How long your money is locked up (5–10 year reality)

9:44 - How much of your portfolio should be private

10:14 - Why founder “skin in the game” matters

12:08 - QSBS explained: how investors pay $0 in capital gains

16:48 - SAFE agreements and early-stage investing basics

18:40 - Pre-seed, seed, and venture rounds explained

22:56 - The lifecycle of a startup investment

25:46 - Dilution explained (what happens after you invest)

29:07 - What Carta is and why it matters for investors

30:12 - Governance: boards, advisors, and control

32:37 - The 4 types of private funds (VC, PE, real estate, hedge funds)

35:09 - Lessons from 30 years in investing

39:53 - How AI is changing private companies and returns

41:20 - Biggest mistake: no one looks out for your money

44:21 - Red flags to watch for in private deals

47:00 - “No is a full sentence” in investing

48:08 - How to find deals without a financial advisor

DISCLAIMER

The content shared on this channel is for educational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered financial, legal, or investment advice. Always consult with a qualified financial professional before making investment decisions. The host is not a licensed financial advisor. All investments carry risk, including the potential loss of principal.

CONNECT WITH GRACEFUL INVESTOR

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https://www.instagram.com/gracefulinvestor/

#GracefulInvestor #WomenInvesting #PrivateInvesting #WealthBuilding #AlternativeAssets

Impact investing for women starts with knowing what to look for before you write a check. Subscribe for weekly investing insights.

In this episode of Graceful Investor, host Tasia sits down with Bo Parfet — Managing Principal & Head of Growth at DLP Capital, Everest climber, and co-founder of Denali Venture Philanthropy — to break down how high-net-worth women can confidently evaluate private investment deals, build impact portfolios alongside their partners, and avoid the costly mistakes that trip up even experienced investors.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

✓ Bo's 3-point screening checklist every investor should run before committing capital (top 10 auditor, 3-year track record, assets under management)

✓ How to decode "2 and 20" fund structures — management fees, preferred returns, and carried interest explained in plain language

✓ Why IRR can be misleading and the one metric (MOIC) that tells you what you'll actually get back

✓ How Bo and his wife Meredith built a values-aligned impact portfolio together — and how to start yours

✓ The difference between investing in a fund versus a single deal, and why funds are safer for first-time private investors

Bo Parfet has spent decades navigating both physical mountains and financial ones. As a former JP Morgan investment banker turned impact investor, he brings a rare combination of institutional rigor and heart-centered purpose to private investing. In this conversation, Bo shares the exact framework he uses to evaluate every deal that crosses his desk — starting with three simple questions that can immediately filter out 90% of bad investments.

He and Tasia walk through real-dollar examples of how fund economics actually work, demystifying terms like management fees, preferred returns, carried interest, IRR, and MOIC. Bo also shares how he and his wife Meredith created Denali Venture Philanthropy by first discovering each other's lifelong dreams and top 10 values — a powerful exercise for any couple looking to align their wealth with their purpose.

For women just starting their private investing journey, Bo offers practical steps: diversify across multiple investments over time, leverage the due diligence of established investors, explore platforms like Impact Assets for vetted opportunities, and always create a separate entity (LLC or trust) for asset protection. He closes with an inspiring story about how his Everest expedition helped restore eyesight to 50,000 people — proof that your investment success can become someone else's miracle.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 - Meet Bo Parfet: Investor, Climber, Family Man

0:02:06 - Building an Impact Portfolio With Your Partner

0:05:37 - What Is Impact Investing? Two Requirements

0:07:17 - Personal Portfolio: 50% Private, 50% Public

0:08:04 - How Long Should Your Money Be Locked Up?

0:11:11 - Bo's 3-Point Deal Screening Checklist

0:13:07 - Why 90% of Businesses Fail in 3 Years

0:14:21 - Assets Under Management: The $500M Threshold

0:17:16 - "2 and 20" Explained: Fees, Prefs & Carry

0:23:51 - IRR vs. MOIC: The Metric That Actually Matters

0:27:32 - First-Time Investor Advice for Women

0:31:13 - Asset Protection: Why You Need an LLC or Trust

0:32:08 - Climbing Everest to Restore 50,000 People's Sight

CONNECT WITH BO PARFET

→ DLP Capital: https://dlpcapital.com/about/team/bo-parfet

→ Denali Venture Philanthropy: https://www.denaliventurephilanthropy.com/

→ Impact Assets: https://impactassets.org

CONNECT WITH GRACEFUL INVESTOR

→ Website: https://gracefulinvestor.com/

→ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gracefulinvestor/

DISCLAIMER: The content in this episode is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not financial, legal, or investment advice. Tasia is not a licensed financial advisor. All investments carry risk, including the potential loss of principal. Please consult a qualified financial professional before making any investment decisions.

#GracefulInvestor #ImpactInvesting #PrivateInvesting

How do you set up a trust account for your kids? Subscribe for weekly wealth-building strategies.

In this episode of Graceful Investor, Tasia breaks down exactly how to create an irrevocable trust for your children using the annual gift tax exclusion — and how $217,000 in contributions can grow to $1.9 million by the time your child turns 40.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

✓ How the annual gift tax exclusion works in 2026 ($19,000 per recipient) and how to use it strategically

✓ Why an irrevocable trust gives your children more flexibility than a 529 plan for major life milestones

✓ The real math — two compounding scenarios that show why starting early matters

✓ How to choose the right trustee and why a prenuptial clause protects your gift’s original intention

✓ Tax implications you need to discuss with your estate attorney before you set anything up

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

If you are a woman thinking about generational wealth, estate planning, or how to financially set up the next generation, this episode is for you. Tasia walks through her personal approach to what she calls a "kiddo trust" — an irrevocable trust funded through the IRS annual gift tax exclusion — and shares the exact steps to get started.

You will learn how the $19,000 annual gift exclusion works in 2026, why an irrevocable trust offers more flexibility than a 529 for things like a home down payment, starting a business, or paying for a wedding, and how to handle the tax side so there are no surprises. Tasia also explains the difference between having the grantor pay annual trust taxes versus turning off grantor status and letting the trust pay its own taxes directly — a critical decision that affects your personal finances for decades.

She covers choosing the right trustee — whether that is a professional trust company or someone close to you who understands your values — and shares a smart addition most people overlook: requiring a prenuptial agreement before any distributions are made. The episode closes with two powerful compounding scenarios that show exactly how much more your children could receive by starting when they are young versus waiting. If estate planning and trust accounts for children feel overwhelming, this episode makes it approachable.

DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Please consult a qualified professional before making any financial decisions. All investments carry risk.

🏠 Watch more Graceful Investor episodes → https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmEXjdDxnIPiYhtdZymnWdftODP6V9dTP

📩 Connect with Tasia → https://www.instagram.com/gracefulinvestor/

#GracefulInvestor #EstatePlanning #GenerationalWealth #TrustForKids

Could you wear every single sweater you own before buying anything new? 🧣 Subscribe for weekly money conversations for women.

The average American woman buys 68 garments a year — that’s 5-6 new items every month. In this episode of Graceful Investor, Tasia breaks down exactly how her 2025 Sweater Challenge changed her spending habits, rewired her dopamine response to shopping, and helped her finish the year at just 80% of an already-lowered budget.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

✓ How much the average woman spends on clothing at every income level — and why the numbers might shock you

✓ The simple photo album and sticker system Tasia used to track every sweater she wore

✓ How to replace the dopamine hit of buying new clothes with the satisfaction of using what you already own

✓ Why community accountability makes low-buy challenges stick

✓ Real results: how Tasia came in under budget for the first time ever

EPISODE SUMMARY

Women and shopping — it’s a topic that gets laughed off, but the numbers tell a different story. Research shows the average American woman purchases between 53 and 68 garments per year, with apparel spending averaging 2.3% of total household income. That means if you’re bringing home $100K, you’re spending roughly $2,300 a year on clothes. At $250K, it’s $5,750. At $500K, it’s $11,500.

Tasia decided to challenge those numbers head-on with her 2025 Sweater Challenge — a commitment to wear every sweater in her closet before purchasing a single new one. What started as a low-buy experiment became a complete mindset shift. She created a tracking system using phone photos and closet stickers, and discovered something unexpected: the dopamine hit she used to get from shopping was replaced by the satisfaction of checking off each sweater and watching her savings grow.

By year’s end, Tasia had purchased only four new sweaters, identified pieces to donate, and spent just 80% of her annual clothing budget — a goal she’d already reduced from the prior year. The challenge also sparked community connection, with friends tracking her progress and joining in their own low-buy journeys. If you’re looking for a practical, achievable approach to mindful spending, this episode delivers a framework you can start today.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 — Why women and shopping deserves a real conversation

0:26 — Introducing the 2025 Sweater Challenge

1:00 — How many garments women actually buy per year

1:30 — Apparel spending by income level ($100K–$500K)

2:23 — The mindset shift: retraining your dopamine response

2:54 — The photo album and sticker tracking system

3:39 — Results: 4 sweaters, under budget, 80% of goal

4:19 — Community accountability and the invitation to join

If this episode inspired you to try your own low-buy challenge, tell us in the comments — what category of spending would you tackle first?

CONNECT WITH GRACEFUL INVESTOR

📱 Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gracefulinvestor/

🌐 Website: https://gracefulinvestor.com/

#GracefulInvestor #LowBuyYear #WomenAndMoney