Wealthy Nurse Podcast: Money, FI, Investing for Nurses

Hosted by Ellaine Maala

Business Investing Entrepreneurship

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Jun 2026

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June 14, 202614 min

#78: What does RETIREMENT really mean? (Why you should not think of it as an age)

What Retirement Really Means for Nurses (Retire Early Without Quitting Nursing)   Elaine, a nurse of 15+ years behind Nurse Who Invests and Nursing Flowsheet, films from a Baltimore hotel during a conference to redefine what “retirement” means for nurses pursuing financial independence.      00:00 The Big Retirement Question 01:15 Intro 03:01 Why Traditional Retirement Fails Nurses 06:07 Retirement Is Choice 08:49 Mini Retirements And Staged Freedom 09:22 Design Your Own Nursing Life 11:31 Coast FI And Five FI Types 12:47 Free Workshop And Final Reflection     Coast FI Calculator: https://nursingflowsheet.com/coast-fi-calculator-financial-freedom-for-nurses/ TRY MONARCH MONEY use codeMONARCHVIP to get 50% off: https://monarchmoney.sjv.io/VxYNjk ➤ Free Investment CHEAT SHEET: https://www.nursewhoinvests.com/starter ➤ Free Investing Class: https://www.nursewhoinvests.com/class Connect with me: Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/nursewhoinvests Website: https://nursingflowsheet.com/ ➤ Subscribe for more videos on nursing, career growth, and financial freedom!

June 8, 202620 min

#77: How much you should be investing as a nurse (BY AGE) + Mega BackDoor Roth IRA

How Much Should Nurses Invest for Retirement? (By Age)   I talked about how much your should be investing at every age. 00:00 Nurse Investing Wakeup 01:18 Why Nurses Need More 03:15 Four Numbers Framework  05:33 Foundation Years 25-30 07:55 Acceleration Years 30-35  09:08 Double Plans 403b 457 10:10 Peak Earnings 35-40 11:39 Mega Backdoor Roth 15:27 Catch Up Years 40-45 16:51 Benchmarks Are Guides 17:53 Three Actions This Week 19:40 Free Class And Wrap Up Coast FI Calculator: https://nursingflowsheet.com/coast-fi...  TRY MONARCH MONEY use codeMONARCHVIP to get 50% off: https://monarchmoney.sjv.io/VxYNjk  ➤ Free Investment CHEAT SHEET: https://www.nursewhoinvests.com/starter ➤ Free Investing Class: https://www.nursewhoinvests.com/class  Connect with me: Instagram:    / nursewhoinvests    Website: https://nursingflowsheet.com/    ➤ Subscribe for more videos on nursing, career growth, and financial freedom!

May 25, 202617 min

#76: Why investing "late" in your 30s or 40s is the PERFECT time to invest as a nurse

  Too Late to Start Investing as a Nurse? Why Your 30s & 40s Are the BEST Time I’m Ellaine, a nurse practitioner and financial educator behind Nurse Who Invests, and I’m sharing why starting to invest in your 30s or 40s isn’t a financial disaster. I explain how I didn’t invest until I was almost 30, after spending my 20s traveling, leasing an expensive car, and accumulating about $10,000 in debt, and how online “start at 22” investing charts left me feeling guilty. 00:00 Too Late To Invest  00:44 Intro  01:44 My 20s Money Story 04:33 Guilt And The Plot Twist 05:42 The Lie About Wealth 07:10 Reason One 08:55 Reason Two 09:47 Reason Three  10:35 Late Start Math Proof 12:24 Three Steps This Week 15:16 Start Now Not Perfect 16:55 Wrap Up And Resources Connect with me: Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/nursewhoinvests Website: https://nursingflowsheet.com/ ➤ Subscribe for more videos on nursing, career growth, and financial freedom!   Coast FI Calculator: https://nursingflowsheet.com/coast-fi-calculator-financial-freedom-for-nurses/ TRY MONARCH MONEY use codeMONARCHVIP to get 50% off: https://monarchmoney.sjv.io/VxYNjk ➤ Free Investment CHEAT SHEET: https://www.nursewhoinvests.com/starter ➤ Free Investing Class: https://www.nursewhoinvests.com/class

May 17, 202615 min

#75: Why some nurses still feel broke even if they make "good" money + HOW TO BE RICH

    I talk about why many nurses can earn $80k–six figures and still feel stuck living paycheck to paycheck, and I explain that it’s not a personal failure but a system and strategy problem. I share my experience as a nurse of 15+ years and break down three main issues:    explain how learning my Coast FI number changed my relationship with overtime and risk-taking, and I emphasize that identity—deciding “I am a nurse who invests”—is what makes tactics stick. I encourage starting by calculating your Coast FI number and building a system around it. 00:00 Nurses Who Feel Broke  00:33 Why Paychecks Vanish 01:42 Reason #1  03:08 What you can do 04:20 Reason #2 06:32 What you can do 07:52 Reason #3 10:47 the ritual that got me to six figures 12:41 Your Identity Drives Money  13:30 Your Next Steps 14:24 Free Calculator And Wrap      Connect with me:  Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/nursewhoinvests    Website: https://nursingflowsheet.com/    ➤ Subscribe for more videos on nursing, career growth, and financial freedom!   Coast FI Calculator: https://nursingflowsheet.com/coast-fi-calculator-financial-freedom-for-nurses/  ➤ Free Investment CHEAT SHEET: https://www.nursewhoinvests.com/starter  ➤ Nurse Money Starter Kit with 40% off for youtube + podcast listeners: https://www.nursewhoinvests.com/offers/ty7TNPpx?coupon_code=IG40  ➤ Free Investing Class: https://www.nursewhoinvests.com/class

May 10, 202623 min

#74: Accelerate Your CoastFI Timeline: 5 Strategies for Nurses to Retire Early

  In this video, I explained that your Coast FI number and timeline aren’t fixed and shares five nurse-specific strategies to accelerate Coast FI by pulling three levers: 00:00 Coast FI Isn’t Fixed 01:03 How Coast FI Works  02:17 Tip 1 04:36 Tip 2 07:38 Tip 3 10:44 Tip 4 16:14 Tip 5 20:08 Stack Strategies and Recalculate 21:42 Next Steps and Wrap Up Connect with me: Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/nursewhoinvests Website: https://nursingflowsheet.com/ ➤ Subscribe for more videos on nursing, career growth, and financial freedom!   Coast FI Calculator: https://nursingflowsheet.com/coast-fi-calculator-financial-freedom-for-nurses/ ➤ Free Investment CHEAT SHEET: https://www.nursewhoinvests.com/starter ➤ Nurse Money Starter Kit with 40% off for youtube viewers: https://www.nursewhoinvests.com/offers/ty7TNPpx?coupon_code=IG40  Free Investing Class: https://www.nursewhoinvests.com/class

May 4, 202614 min

#73: Coast FI for Nurses: The Number that You Need So You Can stop Grinding

Coast FI Calculator: https://nursingflowsheet.com/coast-fi-calculator-financial-freedom-for-nurses/ ➤ Free Investment CHEAT SHEET: https://www.nursewhoinvests.com/starter ➤ Nurse Money Starter Kit with 40% off for youtube viewers: https://www.nursewhoinvests.com/offers/ty7TNPpx?coupon_code=IG40  Free Investing Class: https://www.nursewhoinvests.com/class   I explain Coast FI for nurses—the point where you’ve invested enough that, even if you stop contributing to retirement accounts today, compound interest can still grow your portfolio to a full retirement by age 65—so you’re done “over-saving” and only need to cover current expenses. I share how hitting my Coast FI number in 2023 changed my relationship with work, helped me leave bedside, reduce hours, and pursue a part-time side hustle. I walk through my free Coast FI calculator built for nurses (no opt-ins), including the inputs (age, retirement age, annual retirement spending, invested assets, contributions, expected return, and safe withdrawal rate) and how it shows your Coast FI progress and target. I also describe how knowing your number makes decisions easier, lowers anxiety, and improves money habits, and I invite you to run your numbers and comment your results. 00:00 Millionaire Without Contributing 00:54 Coast FI Explained Simply 01:51 Why Nurses Need Coast FI 05:24 Nurses Are Closer Than They Think  05:53 Free Coast FI Calculator  06:45 Calculator Inputs Walkthrough 10:09 Reading Your Results 11:29 Coast FI Changes Everything 13:44 Run Your Numbers Now Connect with me: Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/nursewhoinvests Website: https://nursingflowsheet.com/ ➤ Subscribe for more videos on nursing, career growth, and financial freedom!

April 20, 202620 min

#72: How I Built a Six-Figure Side Hustle as a Full-Time Nurse Practitioner (Without Quitting Nursing)

A full-time nurse practitioner shares the real, non-glamorous story of building Nursing Flowsheet, an educational platform helping nurses build wealth, while working 4–5 days a week and raising a family. She explains how feeling capped by trading time for money led her to start creating finance content in 2020 and later launch paid digital products, including her signature program “ Employ your Money,” which she presold to 18 people at over $700 each. Her biggest early mistake was trying to do everything at once with no systems, leading to burnout; the turning point was focusing on one priority in 90-day periods, resulting in a six-figure year in 2023. Key lessons include leveraging existing expertise, building an audience before an offer, keeping clinical income for stability, starting before it’s perfect, and treating time off as a protected business asset. 00:00 Nurse to Builde r 00:57 Hitting the Income Ceiling 02:07 Why Nursing Flow Sheet 0 3:16 Early Content Journey 04:02 Burnout From Doing All 06:00 The 90 Day Focus 08:07 Five Moves That Worked 09:42 Build Audience First 11:52 Keep the Day Job 13:18 Imperfect Action Wins 14:24 Protect Your Off Time 16:23 Final Takeaways 18:59 Call to Action and Wrap   Connect with me: Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/nursewhoinvests Website: https://nursingflowsheet.com/ Download MONARCH MONEY: https://monarchmoney.sjv.io/VxYNjk (affiliate link) Budgeting for Beginners: https://nursingflowsheet.com/budgeting-for-beginners/ ➤ Nurse Money Starter Kit:  https://www.nursewhoinvests.com/offers/ty7TNPpx/checkout?coupon_code=IG40  ➤ FREE INVESTING CLASS FOR NURSES https://www.nursewhoinvests.com/class ➤ Subscribe for more videos about nursing, career growth, and financial freedom!

March 29, 202614 min

#71: How taxes work for W2 Nurses & what to do to lower taxable income

Nurse Taxes 101 (2026): How W2 Nurses Can Keep More of Their Paycheck   Ellaine, a nurse practitioner and financial educator behind Nursing Flow Sheet, explains why many W2 nurses feel paycheck-to-paycheck and breaks down U.S. taxes in a simple 2026 update. She clarifies the progressive tax system, emphasizing that being in a higher bracket doesn’t mean all income is taxed at that rate, so earning more still increases take-home pay. She encourages nurses to review their paystubs, use employer benefits and matches, think long term, and seek an accountant if finances are complex   00:00 Why Nurses Feel Broke 00:40 Meet Ellaine and Taxes Matter 01:38 Tax Brackets Explained 03:15 W2 Paycheck Breakdown 05:24 W2 Tax Levers Overview 06:57 Pre Tax Accounts 07:53 Standard Deduction Basics 09:33 Withholding vs Taxes 10:29 Simple Nurse Tax Strategy  11:33 Bigger Picture and Enough 12:23 When to Hire Help 12:56 Action Steps and Wrap Up     Connect with me: Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/nursewhoinvests Website: https://nursingflowsheet.com/ Download MONARCH MONEY: https://monarchmoney.sjv.io/VxYNjk (affiliate link) Budgeting for Beginners: https://nursingflowsheet.com/budgeting-for-beginners/ ➤ Stock Market Investing for Nurses MASTERCLASS (use code:INVESTREADY) REGISTER HERE: https://www.nursewhoinvests.com/investing101 ➤ FREE INVESTING CLASS FOR NURSES https://www.nursewhoinvests.com/class ➤ Subscribe for more videos about nursing, career growth, and financial freedom!

March 16, 20268 min

Why Systems Work when Willpower and Motivation Falls

I Missed Weeks of Posting… Here’s Why Money Systems Matter More Than Willpower   Elaine, a nurse practitioner and certified financial educator, shares an honest update on why she paused the Nurse Money Project after planning to post weekly: work and family got busy while she adjusted to being a solo income earner in the Bay Area. She explains that despite the break, her money system kept working—bills were paid, savings grew, and automated investing continued even as the stock market turned red and her limit orders went through. The episode’s key lesson is that financial progress comes from systems, automation, clear priorities, and consistent direction—not perfection, motivation, or hustle—because life naturally moves through seasons of focus, rest, and recalibration. She confirms the 12-week series will continue and encourages nurses to be intentional rather than perfect as they pursue financial freedom. 00:00 Project Update 00:43 Meet Elaine 01:33 Why Posting Paused 02:22 Money Runs Automatically 03:27 Systems Over Willpower 05:21 Let Go of Perfection 06:20 Direction Beats Hustle 07:00 Series Continues 07:51 Final Encouragement

January 26, 202614 min

#70: Is FIRE Movement possible for Nurses? Can Nurses RETIRE EARLY?

Is Financial Independence Possible for Nurses?   Ellaine, a nurse practitioner and financial educator, discusses the possibility of financial independence for nurses through the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement. She addresses common misconceptions about the need for extreme frugality and quitting work entirely. Instead, Ellaine emphasizes that financial independence grants more options and flexibility in life, not necessarily an early retirement. She outlines key elements such as math, behavior, and time as crucial for achieving financial goals and highlights the unique challenges nurses face.   Ellaine also shares her personal journey and offers practical advice for fellow nurses seeking financial stability . 00:00 Introduction: Is Financial Independence Possible for Nurses? 00:27 Understanding the FIRE Movement 01:18 Misconceptions About FIRE 03:13 Challenges for Nurses in the FIRE Movement 07:00 The Formula for Financial Independence 12:37 Real-Life Applications of FIRE for Nurses 13:54 Conclusion and Next Steps   Connect with me: Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/nursewhoinvests Website: https://nursingflowsheet.com/ Download MONARCH MONEY: https://monarchmoney.sjv.io/VxYNjk (affiliate link) Budgeting for Beginners: https://nursingflowsheet.com/budgeting-for-beginners/ ➤ Stock Market Investing for Nurses MASTERCLASS (use code:INVESTREADY) REGISTER HERE: https://www.nursewhoinvests.com/investing101 ➤ FREE INVESTING CLASS FOR NURSES https://www.nursewhoinvests.com/class ➤ Subscribe for more videos about nursing, career growth, and financial freedom!