1908: Ask Farnoosh: HELOCs, FSAs, Early 401(k) Withdrawals & Helping Aging Parents

So Money with Farnoosh Torabi

Farnoosh Torabi

Business, Entrepreneurship

4.7 • 2K Ratings

🗓️ 22 November 2025

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week’s Ask Farnoosh pulls together some of the most revealing financial stories of the week, grom pandemic-era homebuyers now feeling “locked in” by their ultra-low mortgage rates, to Gen Z putting marriage, kids, and career plans on hold until they can afford a home. Farnoosh also breaks down an under-the-radar proposal from the CFPB that could weaken anti-discrimination protections in lending, a shift that could impact mortgages, auto loans, credit cards, and small-business financing.

Then, she heads to the mailbag to answer listener questions:

Should you borrow more on a home-equity loan to protect your savings during a renovation?
How can a self-employed spouse take full advantage of a healthcare FSA?
What exactly is the IRS “contract” that lets you withdraw from retirement accounts early? (Hint: SEPP/72(t) and the Rule of 55.)
And if you’ve bought a home for your parents, are you putting your own retirement at risk?

Learn more about Farnoosh's upcoming literary workshop Book to Brand. Early bird registration is now open!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	So Money episode 1908. Ask Farnoosh.
0:04.4	You're listening to So Money with award-winning money guru Farnoosh Karabi.
0:09.3	Each day, get a 30-minute dose of financial inspiration from the world's top business minds,
0:14.6	authors, influencers, and from Farnoose yourself.
0:18.8	Looking for ways to save on gas or double your double coupons?
0:22.3	Sorry.
0:23.2	You're in the wrong place.
0:24.6	Seeking profound ways to live a richer, happier life.
0:27.8	Welcome to So Money.
0:31.0	Welcome back to Ask Farnoche, everybody.
0:33.7	It is Friday, November 21st.
0:36.8	Farnoche to Robbie here, in case you were wondering who I was.
0:40.5	It is the So Money podcast and we are going to be talking about some of the big headlines
0:45.6	that have gotten my attention this week, as well as, of course, what has come in through the
0:50.0	mailbag. Our audience members want to know, should we actually borrow more on a home equity loan
0:55.6	to protect our savings? How do we maximize an FSA? Because if we don't use it, we lose it. And it's
1:02.0	getting towards the end of the year. What's that IRS break that lets you tap retirement funds
1:07.2	early without penalty? And is buying a home for for your parents putting your own retirement at risk.
1:13.7	But first, let's start with the story that I think is one of the most revealing reads of the year.
1:18.6	It takes us back in time to 2020 when the world shut down. And we were, remember, we were
1:24.5	wiping down groceries and putting on masks and I was cutting up old
1:30.0	sheets, bed sheets and turning them into masks. And I was probably pulling up a lot of sourdough
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Farnoosh Torabi, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Farnoosh Torabi and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.