Hi, my name is Shang. I am a work optional, frugal millionaire who wants you to learn how mental health and financial wealth are tied together.
When I was young, admittedly, I just wanted to make a lot of money and get rich! I went to Harvard with the support of my parents. I met my husband while attending the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, we were both on scholarships. Both of us had been frugal since our first paychecks.
Upon marrying, we made the decision to live off the lower of two incomes in the heart of Manhattan. The original goal was to free ourselves from the two income trap, and to provide for flexibility if we had kids.
Inadvertently, that high savings rate we had meant we achieved the ability to work optional (FIRE – financial independence, retire early) by the time I was 31. While this sounded simple, during the year that pared back my impulse spending, I learned that no matter how smart you are, if your mental health is not fully addressed, it is hard to achieve financial health. Furthermore, after having children, I went through three bouts of PPD/PPA, which gave me even more insight into the impact of mental health illness on day to day life.
That is what brings me here today. My mission is to change your financial life, one cent at a time, with a focus on mental health.
My Impact
-Over 160,000 Instagram Followers
-Named by TIME/Nextadvisor as one of The 25 Most Influential New Voices of Money
– Expert Reviewer and Contributor for CNET Money
-TIME/Nextadvisor, CNBC/Grow, Fox Business, Yahoo Finance, Forbes, USA Today, and more TV/news appearances
–Coached over 200 households out of debt and into a dignified retirement
– Over 7,000 individuals taught through workshops, webinars, and courses
News:
- Forbes – How A Full-Time Consultant Used Her Passions To Turn A Side-Profit
- Fox Business – Extreme saver wants to skip retirement so she can give her money away, also on Yahoo! finance
- New York Post – my take and the original article
- Fox Business – Is financial independence possible during coronavirus?
- Kiplinger – Fresh Voices in Personal Finance
- Bankrate: A personal finance influencer shares 5 tips for building up your emergency fund during a pandemic
- USA Today: What to know about buying a house while you have student loan debt
- Bankrate: These 7 personal finance influencers share their biggest financial regrets
- Time/NextAdvisor: 10 Moms you should follow on social media for great financial advice
- Time/NextAdvisor: This financial expert canceled her Amazon Prime account. Here’s how she shops instead
- Yahoo Finance: Tips for putting an end to your impulse purchasing
- Time/NextAdvisor: How to negotiate any bill, according to 3 people who did it
- Time/NextAdvisor: 5 Big Money Decisions You Can Make With the Toss of a Coin, According to FInancial Experts
- Time/NextAdvisor: As a Chinese-American, Becoming a Millionaire Meant Unlearning My Parents’ Money Lessons
- Real Simple: AAPI Personal Finance Trendsetters to Follow
- CNBC / Grow: I saved 30%-50% of my income and became a millionaire in my 30s: Here’s my best advice [link outdated]
- Yahoo! Finance: How to achieve the net worth of your dreams
- GoBankingRates: 11 ways to make budgeting fun
- Mother.ly: My professional priorities have shifted since becoming a parent–but not how I expected them to
- Time/NextAdvisor: Now is the time to start taking advantage of the next bull market (whenever it happens)
- CNET: They accepted thousands of dollars to move to a new town. Was it worth it?
- HuffPost: How to decide if you should have another child
- Time/NextAdvisor: Where 8 money experts keep their emergency fund
- Time/NextAdvisor: How rising mortgage rates are changing the housing market, and what homebuyers can do about it
- HuffPost: Should you charge your adult child rent
- Mother.ly: 19 time-saving tips to help increase your productivity
- Nasdaq: AAPI Entrepreneurs and Leaders to Watch This Month and Beyond
- HuffPost: 7 Ways To Save On Your Kid’s College Costs
- Bankrate: The best and worst states to retire in 2023, ranked
- BlogHer: Women Leaders Share: The Money Advice That Has Made All the Difference in Their Personal and Business Finances
- CNBC Select: What is the FIRE movement?
- Nasdaq: Saving Cents, Transforming Lives: Shang Saavedra’s Entrepreneurial Journey
- Huffpost: The 1 Thing Financial Experts Say You Should Teach Your Kids Early
- CNet: NAR Real Estate Settlement Won’t Change the Housing Market Like You Think It Will
- CNET: 6 Female Finance Influencers Changing the Way We Think About Money
- NerdWallet: 6 AAPI Financial Influencers to Follow in 2024
- The Guardian: Does More Money Make You Happier?
- Fox 2 Detroit – How to save money in COVID-19 times
- Living in the Heart of Virginia
- Wealthy Voice – How I Achieved FIRE And Became A Millionaire In My 30s
Podcast:
- Journey to Launch
- A Sunny Side Up
- Becoming the Lender – podcast no longer available
- Winning with Annalee
- Captain FI
- Leadership Defined episode 12
- MissBeHelpful – Call Her a Cheapskate, But She Could Retire at 31MissBeHelpful –
- Inspire to FIRE
- NerdsguidetoFI episode 9
- Why You No Doctor
- Burntout to Badass episode 2
- The Weekly Juice
- Geobreeze Travel Podcast – Ep 40, how to save $20K on a luxury trip to Japan
- Damn Good Day – ep 121
- The First Quarter Club – ep 32
- Farm to Future – ep 33
- My Worst Investment Ever – Ep 494
- Baddie B Club
- If Your Wallet Could Talk
- Money Confidential – Is renting really throwing away money?
- Investor Mama – ep 42
- The Money Bare Podcast – Work Optional in Her 30s?!
- Yo Quiero Dinero Episode 193, How To Become Financially Independent As A Family Ft. Shang Saavedra | Save My Cents
- The Retirement Risk Show – Your Mental Wellbeing is Impacting your spending and budgeting for retirement
- Give Her Dollars – episode 2
- Walk to Wealth
- Love Unleashed – ep 2
- After IV – episode 144 – “Wealth Is a Mindset”
- Geobreeze Travel – ep 206 – “Stop Ruining Your Financial Future”
- Asian American History 101 “A Conversation with Shang Saavedra“
- The Angel Next Door ep 165
- Elevate Your Brand
- Voices of your village ep 342 – “Navigating the emotional roots of money stress”
- Faith to Freedom
- Curiosity Invited episode 100
- Human Element Series ep 316
- How to handle anything: MONEY
- Compounding Project: How investing can make you rich (millionaire mindset)
- Uncomfy: The power of saving and suffering a little
- The Clever Girls Know: Ep 358 Breaking emotional spending cycles and redefining your money story
- Clear Intentions ep 20
- Marriage, Kids, and Money
- Her Money ep 459: how to retire early without hating your life
- The Hey Nadz Podcast
In person / corporate speaking events:
- Dreamers and Doers panel with Sallie Krawcheck of Ellevest
- She Will Rise Q&A
- The Network of Women
- Murray Hill Institute
- Philosophy in Manhattan
- NextAdvisor Moms and Money
- Rakuten Women’s Network
- Dreamers and Doers
- L.E.K. Consulting Women’s Network
- SoCal Gas RISE (an employee resource group focused on women)
- Zillow Group
- University of Southern California
Get in touch with me by email to info [at] savemycents [dot] com