The HENRY to Wealthy Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Roth accounts are one of the most powerful tools in a high earner's financial arsenal — but there's more than one way to get money into them, and the right strategy depends entirely on your situation. In this episode, Carla breaks down four Roth strategies from the ground up: the backdoor Roth IRA, Roth 401(k) contributions, the mega backdoor Roth, and plain old Roth con...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s episode, I’m breaking down the world of alternative investments — including rental real estate, crypto, gold, hedge funds, private equity, and liquid alternatives — and explaining why I’m generally not a fan for most investors. If you spend enough time online, it can start to feel like everyone is getting rich through some “alternative” strategy and that simple stock-an...

Send us Fan Mail If you’re a high earner, one of the most important—and most overlooked—questions is:   How much of your income should you actually be saving? In this episode, we break down the real difference between earning a high income and building wealth —and why those two things are not the same. Using a simple (but eye-opening) example of a $1 million income year, Carla walks through how ta...

Send us Fan Mail In Part 2 of this series, we shift from awareness → action. In the first episode, we talked about why earning more money doesn’t automatically fix your mindset. In this episode, we dig into the harder question: how do you actually change your behavior around money? I’m joined again by therapist Ginger Houghton, and we break down:  Why change feels so hard—even when you know what t...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I’m joined by therapist Ginger Houghton to dive into something that doesn’t get talked about enough: the psychology of money—especially for high earners. Because here’s the truth…  Making great money doesn’t automatically mean you feel confident, secure, or at peace with your finances. We talk about:  How your money story growing up shapes your financial behavior...

Send us Fan Mail Bonds are often labeled as the “safe” part of a portfolio — but that’s not always the full story. In this episode, I break down how bonds actually work in a way that’s simple and practical. We’ll cover what a bond really is (at its core, a loan), how interest rates and credit quality impact returns, and why not all bonds carry the same level of risk. I also walk through what happe...

Send us Fan Mail Asset allocation — your big-picture mix of stocks and bonds — is the single biggest driver of risk and return in your portfolio. Not the specific fund. Not the stock picks. Not the headlines. In this episode, I break down why your stock-to-bond allocation matters more than almost anything else when it comes to long-term results — and why misunderstanding that can lead to major fru...

Send us Fan Mail If you’re working with a financial advisor — or thinking about hiring one — this episode is for you. In this conversation, I sit down with Kelly Palmer, CFA, CFP®, Founder of The Wealthy Parent, to break down the often confusing world of financial advisors: how they charge, what services they provide, and how to evaluate whether you’re truly getting value for what you’re paying. W...

Send us Fan Mail Your paycheck is your biggest wealth-building asset—are you protecting it? In this episode, we continue our deep dive into protecting your income stream by unpacking something most high earners overlook until it’s too late: employment contracts . I’m joined by attorney Emily Catania , who breaks down what you actually need to understand before signing a job offer—and what to revis...

Send us Fan Mail You can be a high earner, maxing out every tax-advantaged account, and still be financially vulnerable.  In this episode, I explain why many HENRYs feel like they’re living paycheck to paycheck — and why that’s often normal, but not always safe . We’ll unpack the risks of having too much of your money locked up in retirement accounts and home equity, especially in a job market whe...

Send us Fan Mail If you’re a high earner who’s ever been shocked by a tax bill—or confused about why your bonus was taxed the way it was—this episode is for you. In this conversation, Carla sits down with Claire Gallant, CPA, CFP and Logan Holman, CPA, co-founders of Vivify (www.usevivify.com) , to break down the most common tax misconceptions they see among high-income professionals. Together, th...

Send us Fan Mail Are you maxing out your 401(k) but still not getting the results you expected? In this episode, we walk through the 10 hidden 401(k) traps that even high earners fall into — the small oversights that silently cost thousands in taxes, missed employer money, and long-term returns.  By the end, you’ll know exactly how to audit your own 401(k) and make sure every dollar you contribute...

Send us Fan Mail Are you managing your own investments—or thinking about it—but not sure if you’re doing it right? In this episode, Carla breaks down the three most common mistakes she sees high-earning DIY investors make that quietly sabotage long-term wealth growth. Whether you love managing your portfolio yourself or you just ended up doing it by default, this episode will help you identify whe...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the very first episode of The HENRY to Wealthy Podcast ! Today, we’re kicking things off by defining exactly what a HENRY is and why this podcast exists. HENRY stands for High Earner, Not Rich Yet —people earning around $250K+ per year in household income , who may look successful on paper, but haven’t yet built meaningful wealth. Because the truth is: a high income doe...