The median side hustle pays only about $200/month and on average $800/month according to this bank rate study.

But decision inside your 401(k) — like increasing your contribution by 1–2% — feel small, can add six figures to your net worth over time.

So I partnered with The Assist and hosted a full workshop breaking down how to optimize this account for growth.

The core training is about 40 minutes (or ~30 minutes if you watch on 1.5x speed) followed by Q&A.

In this workshop we cover questions most people never get answered. If you’ve ever wondered:

• How much should I contribute to my 401(k)?

• What am I invested in and should I change it?

• What should I do with old 401(k)s from previous jobs?

• What does vesting even mean?

We walk through all of it step-by-step. Here’s a quick preview of what’s inside the workshop:

0:00 — Why your 401(k) is one of the most powerful wealth tools you have
6:30 — The huge difference between saving and investing
12:15 — The contribution mistake that can cost six figures
18:40 — Roth vs Traditional: how to think about taxes
24:00 — Stocks, bonds, and simple portfolio basics
29:30 — Index funds explained in plain English
34:00 — Hidden 401(k) fees most people never check
38:00 — What to do with old 401(k)s from previous jobs
40:00+ — Live Q&A

This workshop is part of the training library I’m building out for subscribers.

The goal is to create a place where you can learn the fundamentals of money and investing without the jargon, sales tactics, or overwhelm.

📚 Inside the library right now you’ll also find:

• A full training on how to calculate your Financial Independence Number

• My free investing guide with beginner walkthroughs and screenshots

More workshops and tutorials will be added regularly.

If you watch the workshop, reply and tell me: what’s one thing you’re going to change in your 401(k)?

I read every response, and it helps me decide what trainings to create next.

P.S. If you know someone who has a 401(k) and has no idea what to do with it, forward them this workshop.

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This is the same training companies pay thousands for, and I’m sharing it free so more people can understand how their retirement actually works.

P.S. The Assist is one of my favorite newsletters. It’s free and read by 201K+ women professionals, written by women execs. You’ll get leadership tips, AI productivity hacks, and confidence boosts so you can carveyour own path. Learn more here.

That’s exactly why I built this.

Inside this library you’ll find workshops, tutorials, and resources designed to help you build wealth in a simple, practical way.

One of the first resources I want you to have is my Wealth Builder Starter Pack, which walks through the fundamentals of saving, investing, and building long-term financial security.

Read the Guide Here

What’s inside the guide

The guide is designed to give you a clear starting point, even if you’re brand new to personal finance.

Inside you’ll learn:

• How to calculate your financial independence number
• When to save vs invest vs pay off debt
• The basics of stock market investing (without the jargon)
• How investing accounts actually work (401k, Roth IRA, brokerage)
• Simple ways to build a diversified portfolio with index funds
• How to stay calm when the market is volatile
• A yearly money checklist to keep your finances organized

The goal isn’t to overwhelm you with information. It’s to help you identify your next step.

How to use this guide

You don’t need to read it cover to cover.

Instead:

1. Skim it first — everything is intentionally short.

2. Jump to what you need — every section stands on its own.

3. Take one step at a time.

Wealth building isn’t about being perfect, it’s about comes from consistent small decisions over time.

What to explore next in the library

Once you’ve looked through the guide, you might want to check out some of the trainings in this library, including:

• How to calculate your Financial Independence Number

• How to optimize your 401(k)

I’ll continue adding workshops and resources here over time.

My goal is to create a place where you can learn how money actually works without gatekeeping.

If you’re new here, welcome.

And if you’re starting your investing journey, remember:

You don’t need to know everything.

You just need to start.

Share Wealth with Tess

They either avoid the question entirely or pick a random number and hope it works out.

I recently hosted a private workshop on calculating your financial independence number and now I’m sharing it with you.

In this session, I walk you through:

• how to calculate your financial independence number (not a generic headline number)

• why income matters far less than spending

• the difference between full financial independence and Coast FI (one of the most freeing concepts I know)

• how to sanity-check your plan using real data instead of vibes

• and the common investing mistakes that quietly cost people hundreds of thousands of dollars over time

One thing I say early in the workshop still feels important to repeat here:
you don’t need to have this figured out already to be “good with money.”
Most people don’t. And that’s exactly why learning this stuff matters.

I’m sharing this workshop for free right now as I start building out a library of practical, no-gatekeeping money education — the kind of resources I wish existed earlier in my life.

If you’ve ever wondered:

• “Am I behind?”

• “How much is actually enough?”

• or “What am I even aiming for?”

This is a really good place to start.

More coming soon. I can’t wait to keep adding to this library and making these conversations easier, clearer, and way less intimidating.

— Tess

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LINKS:

• https://www.investor.gov/financial-tools-calculators/calculators/compound-interest-calculator

• https://www.empower.com/tools/retirement-planner