Nicole is 56, single, and living in Raleigh, North Carolina, and she has a spreadsheet for everything. After her divorce left her saddled with debt, she spent two decades building a budget system so airtight she hasn't carried a credit card balance since. Now she's earning over $100k a year, paying off every card in full, and chipping away at a student loan she could settle tomorrow if she wanted to.

But when Nicole spent a week tracking every dollar for A Week in Her Wallet, she made a surprising discovery: she has far more money left over each month than she ever realized, and she’s ready to put it to work.

In this episode, Jean and Nicole cover:

The medical billing maze that's costing Nicole more than it should

The three-debit-card system Nicole built 

Why a diagnosis changed how she thinks about spending on her own wellbeing

The student loan she's been carrying strategically 

What Nicole's retirement dream actually looks like

Pre-order Jean's new book, The Forever Paycheck — your guide to building a secure, steady income stream for the retirement you've worked so hard for. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices