Private Equity in Your 401k? Slow Your Roll with CNBC’s Sharon Epperson [BA QA]

Brown Ambition

iHeartPodcasts

Careers, Education, Self-improvement, Investing, Business

4.9 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 15 August 2025

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

BA Fam, this week’s BAQA is personal, I brought in my friend and financial powerhouse, Sharon Epperson, CNBC’s Senior Personal Finance Correspondent, to unpack a buzzy headline that had my eyebrow raised: the president’s executive order that could open the door for private equity (and other alternative investments) in your 401k.

We break down what this actually means, why you probably won’t be adding a private equity fund to your plan tomorrow, and why you need to know exactly what’s in your portfolio before chasing shiny new investment options. Sharon drops gems on:

The $12.2 trillion “nest egg” private firms have their eyes on — and what’s at stake.
How to “stay on your mat” financially and focus on your own goals before getting distracted by market hype.
The real risks of alternative investments: higher fees, less transparency, and lower liquidity.
Why even she had an “oops” moment with her own 401k rollover (and how to avoid it).
When it’s worth hiring a financial advisor — and how to find one that fits your needs and budget.

Whether you’re just starting your 401k journey or sitting on years of contributions, this convo is your reminder to slow down, check your allocations, and make sure your money is truly working toward your goals — not just Wall Street’s.

Resources & Links Mentioned:

Subscribe to Sharon’s free CNBC Money 101 newsletter: CNBC.com/money101
Follow Sharon on Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok for more money tips.

Let’s Connect:
IG: @brownambitionpodcast | @mandimoney
Email: [email protected]

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is an IHeart podcast.
0:04.0	At what point do you think it makes sense for an everyday investor or someone who's working
0:09.2	for a while and has a lot of assets for the first time to look at getting a more seasoned pro
0:15.6	to help, even if it costs that little bit of extra?
0:17.9	It's so important to me to have someone who is our accountability
0:22.0	partner. I actually don't think there's a time where it's too early necessarily to start
0:26.6	talking to someone, especially because the way that financial advisors work today and even doing
0:31.9	something with an online, a hybrid advisor or something like that, you can do it on a fee-only based.
0:38.3	You can do it based on one task you want to help accomplish.
0:43.0	You don't have to have someone that has paid a percentage of your assets necessarily to get advice.
0:53.1	Hey, hey, VA fam. Welcome to the BAQA, where we take your questions and we give you some answers. We give you some answers with a side of salt because I'm not your financial advisor. I'm not your financial planner. My beautiful illustrious guest on today's VAQA is your personal financial advisor neither nor
1:13.7	neither whatever you know what I'm trying to say don't sue us please and thank you but we are so
1:19.7	excited to welcome Sharon Epperson to the Brown Ambition podcast today I'm so happy to be here
1:27.1	awesome welcome Sharon Sharon's an OG,
1:30.5	B-A fam, BA guest. I think you, your first episode, you came on the show maybe in like 2017,
1:36.4	2018, and you're just an icon, but for those who do not know, Sharon is the senior personal
1:42.0	finance correspondent for CNBC. So you probably have seen her
1:46.1	on your TV screens. You probably read her articles covering the latest financial news in the U.S.
1:53.8	And I am lucky enough to call her a friend. Yes. Thanks for being here, Sharon. Great to be here. Great to
2:00.1	be here. So what's it been like being
2:01.8	a personal finance correspondent at a time like this lately? You know, I really just stay in my lane.
2:08.9	My lane is to help people manage, grow, and protect their money, no matter what's happening
	...

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