Transcript
Speaker: Hello beautiful souls and welcome back to another installment of the Growing with podcast for weeks where we explore the moments and stories that shape who we're becoming. I'm Marisol and this is where I love to have real conversations about growth, and self-discovery, and learning to put yourself first.
Speaker: Whether we're diving into books that change our perspective or unpacking personal experiences that teach us something new, this podcast is for women who are done playing small and are ready to embrace their own journey.
Speaker: Whether you've struggled to put everybody else first or battled self-doubt, you are in the right place. This isn't about perfection. It's about the messy, beautiful process of growing into yourself.
Speaker: So come grow with me. Guys, ladies, gents, I... I have finally done it. I have finally, i have finally read How to Be a Rich Old Lady by Amanda Holden. I've been talking about this book for like maybe three episodes already. I've mentioned it one where I like really talked about it.
Speaker: And then like another one where we came up again. so if you've been listening for the past like two months, it's come up. Okay, it's come up. But Libby, the library gods, finally deemed i was worthy to read the book.
Speaker: And my hold became available. And it it took me basically the the two weeks to listen to the whole book that I had it. But...
Speaker: I finally did it. And I want to talk to you about it. And I want to talk to you about my thoughts, my experience, and what I will be doing next now that I've read the book. So let's go ahead and get into it.
Speaker: We're coming back at you with a pretty much standard book review. How to Be a Rich Old Lady by Amanda Holden. This book, if you are not familiar with it, is essentially an investing book.
Speaker: Again, it's in the title, How to Be a Rich Old Lady. I would love love to be a ritual lady one day okay i would love to be rich right now but that's not that that that's not happening that's a work in progress okay a work in progress but given the state of things at least in the united states on' about y'all i don't know where you are where that's happening what's going on in your neck of the woods but if you are in the united states if you're a millennial Or younger. Sorry.
Speaker: Things are looking a little grim. Things are looking a little grim, especially when it comes to retirement. So... That whole notion of people saying you need to save for retirement is really, in a reality, what they mean to say is you need to invest for retirement.
Speaker: you need to have your four ah one k your Roth IRA, your because there are so many types of retirement accounts, y'all. It's It's crazy. There are so many types.
Speaker: Any way, you need to have your retirement account. You need to be putting money into that retirement And you need to make sure that that money is going to actual investments and not just sitting in inside account, not accruing any type of value or interest.
Speaker: And if all of that sounded chaotic, if all of that sounded like, why are you speaking a foreign language to me? Well, that's the point of this book, How to Be a Ritual Lady by Amanda Holden. It goes into all of that. And it does it in such a way that it is digestible.
Speaker: It does it in such a way that it is understandable. And like, you know what? Okay, I remember... I remember listening to it and her making like analogies and like similes and giving examples of things.
Speaker: And it just making so much sense to me. Like she was making analogies with like food I think she was like one analogy or like simile she did about like maybe makeup or something. I don't remember.
Speaker: Or like she definitely talked about the beauty industry. So there were like different things like that that she brought up in talking about investing and with the different terminologies and like things. like all the facets of investing and explaining what they were and like giving examples and giving again analogies similes what have you metaphors so that we better understand what these investing terms are and it just it I remember listening to it and thinking this is like this is I don't know how to explain it because it's not like i feel like when I'm thinking about it, I'm going to say it's going to be a little problematic, but I don't mean it in a problematic way.
Speaker: But like it's like the exact opposite of like that boys club that you get sometimes, especially in like certain industries. Again, i my work background has been a nonprofit and education, which is fascinating.
Speaker: female dominant so i don't have that experience with but I've seen in movies but you know how like in certain work environments especially like can you see especially in movies where like men are talking about stuff and then they like throw out all these like sports related examples and terminology and things you're just like what like I don't do sports this This is what that felt like. But for women, because it was she was giving examples that just made sense to my brain. Okay. Made sense to my lived experience.
Speaker: And I feel like Yeah, I feel like that was just awesome. And then on top of the fact that like it was very conversational. And I again conversational in the sense that like I listened to the book. I want to talk about that, too, since I listened to it.
Speaker: And Amanda Holden, the author, did the audio recording of it. So and she has like a strong social media presence. She's done a lot of like workshops and talks and things like that.
Speaker: So she is very much a speaker presenter as well as now an author. So I think those skills really lent themselves to reading the audiobook.
Speaker: She really brought like her personality. She made it lively. She made it feel like I was like talking to a friend sometimes. Like she was she threw in jokes. Like not every joke landed for me personally, but like a lot of them did.
Speaker: And it made it entertaining. Now, I'm talking about learning about investing, guys. I want to be ru with you want to remind you. We're talking about investing. We're talking about 401ks.
Speaker: We're talking about Roth IRAs. And I just said it felt like talking to a friend and it was entertaining. If anything, take that from what I'm saying in this podcast, in this review.
Speaker: If you want ah conversational and entertaining book and learn something, this is the book. Okay. And it's going to benefit you in the future, maybe even immediately.
Speaker: So yeah, definitely well worth my listening to it. And it was a well worth the wait because I had to wait like maybe like two months for my holds to finally be available. So it was definitely worth the wait, definitely worth my time in listening to it.
Speaker: And there were, if you are brand new, say to personal finances and learning about it, The bulk of this book might be a little bit too advanced in the journey.
Speaker: But I would say like the first quarter of the book, she does review lightly some basic personal finance stuff like budgets, like savings accounts, emergency funds, sinking funds.
Speaker: sort of like your standard, you know, know your ins and outs and all that stuff. She goes over it briefly for like the first maybe like quarter up of the book. So I will say when I first started listening to it and I was i was in that part, I was a little nervous that like,
Speaker: What did I get myself into? Good thing I didn't pay for this. Like, ugh. But once you get past that part, and she starts actually going into detail and explaining investment accounts and the different types of investment accounts, so what is beneficial about each investment account, which stocks as well.
Speaker: Like, It's fantastic. it's It's one of those books that you will also revisit. And it even comes with a like workbook type of thing.
Speaker: Not like a physical workbook, but like a PDF that you can download to help you work through what she's teaching you and also in real time. Full disclosure, i did not download the PDF. I started listening to this book when I was like traveling.
Speaker: So I was in an airplane. I was in the airport. Like I was not going to download a PDF and like try to like do my finances like sitting at the terminal. So I just figured, let me just listen to the book through and through.
Speaker: and then if I feel like it's worth it to me, i will get the ebook and then do that whole process, like physically writing things down and stuff. So I have not done that part yet, but I wanted to know let you know that it does come with like additional resources than just the book itself that you are able to further dig into your own finances and fully cement your new knowledge that you're obtaining through this book when it comes to investments and financing your old age, essentially.
Speaker: There are also aspects to the book that may not apply to everyone, especially towards the end of it. She does go into like, you know, if you're a parent and people talk about, okay like what about like investing for my kids? What does that look like? Is that something I should do?
Speaker: How do I plan for that? And there are certain parts kind of like that. And there are other parts that also might not. There's one about like real estate that maybe it doesn't apply to you. And she eat very much even in the audio book is just like, hey, this is what I'm going to talk about here in this chapter. If this doesn't apply to you, you can skip to the next chapter to listen to or like to read about blah, blah, blah.
Speaker: And that's awesome. Like, that's really amazing that she's just straight up like, hey, this might not apply to you. Skip ahead. And if you're an avid reader like me, you don't want to skip anything when a good book, okay?
Speaker: You want to read the whole thing. That doesn't really work with nonfiction. That works more with, like, fiction and, like, poetry and stuff. But... Because I knew that I wanted to talk about this book with all of you, i was like, I'm going to just listen to the whole thing just to like, you know, just like have the knowledge, have the information, experience it so that I can better talk to the entirety of the book instead of just picking and choosing what I listen to.
Speaker: i do not have any kids, so that part does not pertain to me. i will not be investing in real estate anytime soon, so when that part doesn't apply to me, but I listen to it anyway. But just so you know, especially if you are wanting to be as efficient as possible in your learning, you have that option with this book and she's straight up about it. Like, don't have to listen to this it's part of your life.
Speaker: But ultimately, fantastic book. I highly recommend it, especially if you have been like me where you're like, what does this mean? i go into my retirement account. I see the things.
Speaker: Am I doing this right? Like, it's like I bought some stocks and and bonds and things. And it's like, is this enough? like how How many do I need to own? mine Those questions, you know, like when you start, you're just like, how many how many stocks and bonds are enough? How many ETFs are enough?
Speaker: What should I do crypto? Like, is that worth it? Like she goes into all of that. And honestly, if I talk about what I got out of the book is peace of mind.
Speaker: And for me, that's but if you i want to pay, let's come here. If you are like me and you are very hard on yourself and you expect almost unrealistic goals of yourself in a short amount of time.
Speaker: This book will give you peace of mind if you've already started to invest and you feel like maybe you're doing it wrong and you don't know what it's supposed to look like when you do this.
Speaker: Because that's how I felt about investing. That's how i felt about my retirement account. It's like I throw money in there. I purchased some ETFs. I purchased some other stuff. Is this correct? Is this wrong? Do I need to buy more? Do I need to like go into like these like other markets? Like what what what do I need to do?
Speaker: How do I need to own five? Do I need to own 20? Like, you know?
Speaker: This book calmed all of that worry and overthinking and and fluster essentially in my mind. The book not only gave me knowledge of a lot of things, but it gave me peace of mind in what I am already doing.
Speaker: So if you're like me and you expect too much of yourself too soon,
Speaker: Can I even say more? can I even say more? Like, that's so huge. Like, obviously, I want the number in my retirement account to be bigger.
Speaker: But in time, that is what will happen. But for now, if you have ETFs, if you have certain other things that are applicable to your life, your circumstance, you're going to be okay.
Speaker: Like, it's going to be fine. And that's what this book brought to me, along with just a deeper understanding about certain things. Now, on top of that, I am a visual learner, okay?
Speaker: I learn best by seeing. I listened to the audiobook, which was a lovely experience. But in order for me to truly sit with this information,
Speaker: for me to truly absorb and a be one in order for me to truly be one with the information i need to see it I need to read it I need to write it so Not now.
Speaker: You know, i've i do have a book budget that I need to stick to in my life. And I recently purchased both of the ACOTAR books.
Speaker: So I got ACOTAR 6, finally just finished it. And then I also pre-ordered ACOTAR 7. So I spent some money on books already this month. So I need to stick to that. But within the next two months, I will be getting the e-book to...
Speaker: How to Become a Ritual Lady, How to Be a Ritual Lady by Amanda Holden. I will get the ebook. I will download the PDF. And I will like physically go through the exercises that she has throughout the book and also on that PDF. Now, when I say exercises, I don't want to like scare you off to be like, oh, my God, this is going to be so time intensive. And like the like, because I've done nonfiction books where they have exercises at the end of every chapter.
Speaker: And now you're spending like an extra hour of your day just doing these exercises. This is not that. This is not that. OK, this this is. this is It was honestly, it was perfect. And maybe it was perfect because I have been spending so much time throughout my adult life thinking and learning and crunching through my personal finances that I was able to do a good amount of these. Like she even says like 10 minute like reflection.
Speaker: I was able to be like, oh, that one's easy. This is my number. Or like, oh, that one's easy. I already have X, y and Z done. Or like maybe I need to reevaluate or reprioritize certain things in my personal finances. But like those exercises were super easy for me to do.
Speaker: i would assume that they would probably be really easy for free you to do as well. Again, they are like 10 minute reflection. So they're not meant to be super intensive. They're meant to be efficient.
Speaker: And to help you and guide you to what's going to be best for you. I don't know about the PDF. She does reference the PDF throughout the book. But i'm I appreciate that there is something else that we can download physically right on as well.
Speaker: But all in all, if you have not read this book, if you have not read How to Be a Ritual Lady by Amanda Holden, I highly recommend it. If you have been curious about investing and what that looks like, if you felt like investing was just this like thing that was so just opaque and that you couldn't couldn't really understand and, you know, couldn't get your bearings straight when it came to investment and what it means and what it is and all the terminology that also goes along with it. Because that's the other thing as well. Like you go into your retirement account, you're looking at all these different things, you listen to the personal finance stuff on investing.
Speaker: And it's just like there's all this jargon around it. I feel you. This is the book for you. This is the one that I highly, highly recommend.
Speaker: Try the audiobook first. If you know you're like me, you're like, I can't read nonfiction. It's just so boring, and blah, blah, blah. Get the audiobook. Start with that and get familiar with it. Again, Amanda Holden was fantastic in the audiobook. Very conversational.
Speaker: Very much like I don't know. It was just, it was it was a really nice experience. Again, it felt like you were talking to a friend. So get the audiobook first if that's more amenable, if that's more welcoming, I suppose.
Speaker: And then kind of go from there. See if you want the the physical book, the ebook. If you're so nervous about it, like I was initially, do what I did, get it from your library first. And then if you feel like it's worth your money afterwards,
Speaker: Buy it. That's what I'm doing. I will be buying this book so that I have it so that I have the ebook that I can highlight, reference, do my little like search function in the ebook because I will be going back and referencing this book a lot, probably within the next like three to six months as i work a little bit more diligently towards certain high financial goals.
Speaker: If you have read this book, let me know your thoughts in the comments down below. i would love to know what you think. Do you feel the same way about it that that I do? Because i this was like a breath of fresh air, like honestly, when it came to personal finances and learning about investing specifically.
Speaker: So if you feel the same, if you don't feel the same, let me know. I would love to hear. if you're thinking about getting the book, also let me know. And i will be including a link to it in the show notes as well. So you can just click away and and get it if you are interested.
Speaker: And of course, if you stayed this far, I truly appreciate you. Thank you for being here. If you were on YouTube, hey, leave a little heart in the comments so that I know you're here. And of course, if this resonated with you, don't forget to give it a like and subscribe so that you can always come back for the next episode.
Speaker: As always, i am accepting clients as well. I am a certified life coach. So if you would like to work with me on your own personal journey of growth, self-discovery, and healing, definitely schedule that discovery call the link in the show notes.
Speaker: And as always, keep growing.
