Jean Chatzky
Financial Journalist, Author
Jean Chatzky is a financial journalist and author who has been providing insights into personal finance for over 25 years.
Credit & Personal Finance
Should You Ever Relocate Your Entire Life for a Financial Opportunity — or Is That the Kind of Math That Only Works on a Spreadsheet?A job offer arrives with a salary bump significant enough to make you seriously consider uprooting your entire life — but does the math actually hold up once you factor in everything a spreadsheet can't capture? Suze Orman, David Bach, and Jean Chatzky debate whether relocating for a financial opportunity is a smart investment in your future or a calculation that only works on paper.
Credit & Personal Finance
Is Chasing a High Credit Score Optimizing Your Financial Life — or Just Making You Better at Playing a Game You Didn't Design?Nearly 70% of Americans say their credit score is vital to their financial health — but is obsessing over that number actually building wealth, or just making you better at a game the financial system designed for its own benefit? Sallie Krawcheck, Robert Kiyosaki, and Jean Chatzky debate what a high credit score is actually worth.
Credit & Personal Finance
Should You Ever Take Money Out of Your Retirement Account Early — or Is the Penalty Always Smaller Than the Regret?Rising costs, unexpected emergencies, and a retirement account sitting there with years of savings — the temptation to tap it early is real. Suze Orman, Jean Chatzky, and Dave Ramsey debate whether early withdrawal is ever the right call, or whether the long-term cost always makes the short-term relief a regret.
Global Business / Economy
Should Financial Education Be Mandatory in Schools — or Would It Just Teach Kids the Rules of a System That Doesn't Work for Everyone?73% of Americans think financial literacy should be taught in schools — but critics ask whether teaching kids to navigate a broken system just makes them better at surviving inequality rather than challenging it. Jean Chatzky, Suze Orman, and Robert Kiyosaki debate whether mandatory financial education empowers students or just hands them a map to a game not everyone gets to play equally.
Global Business / Economy
Is Contactless Payment Making You Spend More Without Realizing It — or Is That Just a Convenient Excuse for Poor Financial Discipline?Contactless payments now account for 40% of all card transactions — and some researchers say the tap-and-go ease is quietly making people spend more without noticing. Jean Chatzky, Ryan Sutton, and Barbara Weltman debate whether contactless payment is eroding financial awareness or whether blaming the method is just an excuse for poor discipline.
Credit & Personal Finance
Is Cutting Out Small Daily Expenses Actually Building Wealth — or Just Making You Obsess Over the Wrong Numbers?Skip the daily latte and you'll retire a millionaire — or so the advice goes. Ramit Sethi, Jean Chatzky, and David Bach debate whether cutting small everyday expenses genuinely builds wealth, or whether it's a distraction from the bigger financial moves that actually matter.
Credit & Personal Finance
Is Being Debt-Free the Ultimate Financial Goal — or Just a Feeling That Sometimes Costs You Real Opportunity?Zero debt sounds like the obvious financial win — but is chasing it sometimes costing people real wealth-building opportunities? Dave Ramsey, Robert Kiyosaki, and Jean Chatzky debate whether debt-free living is the ultimate goal or just one strategy among several, with real trade-offs attached.
Credit & Personal Finance
Should You Pay Off Your Student Loans Aggressively — or Is That Money Better Spent Building Your Career Instead?Student loan debt in the U.S. has topped $1.7 trillion — so when extra cash comes in, should it go toward crushing that debt or building career skills that could pay off even more? Sallie Krawcheck, Farnoosh Torabi, and Jean Chatzky debate where young earners get the best return on their money.
Global Business / Economy
Should You Pay for a Financial Plan Upfront — or Is a Free Consultation All You Really Need?Only 30% of Americans feel confident in their financial decisions — so when you sit down with an advisor, should you pay for a full plan or start with a free consultation? Sallie Krawcheck, Michael Kitces, and Jean Chatzky weigh in.
Investments / Wealth Building
Should You Put Your Retirement Savings in a Roth IRA or a Traditional IRA — and Does Your Age Change the Answer?Roth or Traditional — the IRA debate has a clear answer for most people. The problem is that answer changes as you age, earn more, and get closer to retirement. Suze Orman, Robert Kiyosaki, and Jean Chatzky disagree on which account wins — and when. One verdict.