Markets feel jittery, interest rates are in flux, and many listeners are wondering how to plan for 2026 with confidence. In this Ask Farnoosh episode, Farnoosh Torabi breaks down the biggest financial headlines of the week and tackles real listener questions about investing, saving, and navigating major life decisions during uncertain economic times.

Farnoosh starts with a clear, no-nonsense explanation of the Federal Reserve’s latest rate cut and what the split decision inside the Fed signals about inflation, the labor market, and the likelihood of future cuts. She explains why mortgage rates may not move much in the near term, what the Fed’s return to buying Treasury securities really means, and why now is not the time to make big financial moves based solely on headlines.

Next, Farnoosh walks through important 401(k) changes coming in 2026, including higher contribution limits, expanded catch-up contributions for older workers, and increased employer contribution caps. She outlines who benefits most from these changes and shares practical steps listeners can take now to maximize retirement savings and avoid leaving money on the table.

In the mailbag, Farnoosh answers listener questions on:

• Whether gold makes sense as a “safe haven” investment, how to buy it, and how much is too much
• When high-yield online savings accounts are a smart place to park money, especially after receiving an inheritance
• What to do with an old employer’s 401(k) and when rolling it over is the better move
• And one of the toughest questions many first-time buyers face today: whether it’s ever worth tapping a 401(k) to buy a home

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What happens to a society when people decide to have fewer children—or none at all? And what does that mean for our economy, our housing market, the workforce, and even our financial futures?

Today we’re looking at one of the most consequential demographic shifts of our time: the global decline in birth rates. And we’re doing it with someone who has spent the last year leading an extraordinary international reporting project on exactly this.

My guest is Sarah McCammon, National Political Correspondent at NPR and co-lead reporter of the series Population Shift: How Smaller Families Are Changing the World. You may have seen the headlines, but Sarah’s work goes far deeper—across Finland, Greece, and the United States—to understand why people are having fewer kids, and what the downstream effects look like on everything from the labor market to aging, immigration, childcare, housing, and the future of economic growth.

We talk candidly about the financial pressures families face, why even countries with generous social safety nets aren’t reversing the trend, how shifting relationship patterns and cultural expectations factor in, and what all of this means for you whether you’re raising kids now, hope to someday, or are simply planning for your financial future in a world that may look very different in the decades ahead.

Sarah also opens up about her own experience becoming a parent in her twenties without paid leave, what she might do differently today, and what economists and policymakers are still struggling to understand.

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What if the real threat to your financial future isn’t the next market crash… but the AI-fueled bubble we may already be living through? Today’s So Money is part liberation, part investing reality check, and part clapback at the financial pressure women face to “get it perfect” when the system itself is unpredictable.

I’m joined by Amanda Holden, author of How to Be a Rich Old Lady, who breaks down how to build real, long-term wealth even as tech stocks dominate headlines, valuations drift from reality, and everyone seems to be bracing for a correction. Together, we unpack the psychology of risk, what true diversification looks like in an AI-obsessed market, and why slow, intentional investing still works — especially now.

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