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Hi {{First Name|Sheconomist Insider}} 👋 It’s Thamina, Founder of The Sheconomist. This is your bi-weekly dose of celebrating the female economy where I help ambitious, purpose-driven women like yourself flip the script on money, career & wellbeing conventions so you can live life on your own terms.
TLDR:
💼 What does freedom actually mean?
💰 What does investing in Broadway look like?
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🧪 Freedom Formulas
Have you ever had a day that completely knocked the wind out of you?
Earlier this week, I had one.
I traveled to Philadelphia for work.
Something heartbreaking happened with one of our clients that came completely unexpected.
I took the train home deflated.
At 6pm I laid down on my couch and napped for almost an hour.
When I woke up, there was a text from one of my best friends, Adriana:
"I know you’re prob exhausted but I’m heading to the coworking area for a last sprint.”
I said no.
I put on Netflix.
I heated up dinner.
I told myself I had earned a night off.
And maybe I had.
But a little while later, I was walking downstairs to the coworking space in our building anyway.
I stayed for more than 3 hours.
I wrote 6 new video scripts.
I went to bed close to midnight (way past my usual bedtime of ~10pm).
And somewhere during that “last sprint”, I remembered how I got here.
Because almost every big thing in my life started with someone telling me it wouldn't happen.
Too many people told me it was a long shot.
Too many people told me to wait until I was more senior.
Too many people told me it was "next to impossible."
Impossible. Impossible. Impossible.
Here is what actually happened:
✅ Accepted to study abroad at Harvard, Columbia, Cornell and Duke
✅ Moved to Durham, North Carolina, alone, at 20
✅ Won a highly competitive merit scholarship funded by the EU and the German government
✅ Got into LinkedIn
✅ Transferred internally at a level everyone said was too junior
✅ Moved to New York City
✅ Self-petitioned for an exceptional ability green card and bet about $20,000 on myself to do it
Done. Done. Done.
None of it happened on an average effort day.
Most of it happened on nights like that one, when I was tired and the easy choice was the couch.
Later that night, Adri posted a photo of us from the coworking space with this caption:
"Achieving above-average results and opportunities requires above-average effort and discipline. Surround yourself with people who make you feel that your ambitions are the norm. To the nonconformists."
I read it three times (after translating it from Spanish to English because while I did get the gist, my Spanish is not good enough to confidently translate every single word)
Because the second sentence is the part we skip.
We talk about effort and discipline all the time.
We rarely talk about who is in the room when our effort runs out.
I did not go downstairs because I was disciplined that night.
I went because Adri asked.
So here’s this week's official freedom formula:
Above-average results = above-average effort × above-average discipline × people who make your ambition feel normal
It's multiplication, not addition.
If the last number is close to zero, the first two have to work twice as hard.
And the $20,000 I spent on my green card petition taught me the money version of this lesson too.
The best investment I ever made was a bet on myself.
The second best was the people who told me to make it.
So I challenge you to ask yourself these 3 questions to do a mini audit:
Who in your life texts you "final sprint?" on a hard day?
Whose ambitions make yours feel small, and whose make yours feel normal
When was the last time you were someone's Adri?
Hit reply and tell me who your Adri is.
Or forward this to them.
To the nonconformists. 🥂
❣️ Thamina’s Top Picks
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✨ This week’s Moodboard
Post credits go to Marum Haal, Hanna, Mae, PurelyHer️
🤫 You can save this image for inspiration and/or share it on social media. Pls tag me @thaminastoll
💸 Cooking up Wealth
Q1 starts TODAY so I wanted to share 27 money moves every ambitious woman in a 9-5 should make so she can walk into 2027 richer than she walked into 2026.
I created an entire checklist/guide, which you can download for free below (it’ll be delivered to your inbox). Here a sneak peak of what some of those money moves are:
Check your 401(k) plan for “after-tax contributions” and “in-plan Roth conversion.” If both exist, you have the mega backdoor Roth and can put up to $72,000 in your 401(k) in 2026 (incl. your match).
Ask if your employer matches student loan payments into your 401(k). SECURE 2.0 allows it.
Earn over $184,500? Your paycheck jumps once Social Security tax stops. Invest the bump before you get used to it.
Changed jobs and earned over $184,500 total? You likely overpaid Social Security tax. Claim it back on your tax return.
Side income? Open a solo 401(k). The employee limit is shared with your 9-5 plan, but the employer contribution (about 20% of net side income) is separate.
Lower-income year from parental leave, a sabbatical or a job gap? Consider a Roth conversion before December 31.
Live in NYC or another high-tax city? Keep your emergency fund in a Treasury money market fund or T-bills. The interest is state and city tax-free.
Planning a job move in Q4? Map your bonus payout, next RSU vest and 401(k) match first. Resigning a week early can cost you all three.
RSUs vesting? They’re usually withheld at 22%. In the 32%+ bracket, you’ll owe the difference in April.
Exercising ISOs? Model the AMT impact with a CPA before December.
Ask HR if a tender offer or secondary sale is planned. These are often announced quietly.
Ask finance if your shares could qualify for QSBS. For options, the clock starts at exercise.
Leaving? Ask about an extended exercise window. ISOs become NSOs after 90 days, which changes how they’re taxed.
The remaining 14 recommendations you can access via the checklist.
Depending on where you live and what type of company you work at (public vs. private), some of these will be more relevant than others.
But I firmly believe that it’s wise to understand both, for example RSUs AND stock options so you can make more educated decisions about what type of company would be a better fit depending on available benefits and total compensation package.
And even if you’re not based in the US, there are often equivalents in your country (e.g. RSU and stock option taxation) that just have different names.
If any of these tips end up saving you even just a little bit of money, please please please let me know either by replying to this email or messaging me on Instagram.
I literally keep a folder on my phone titled “Keep going!!! This is why you’re doing this!!” where I keep screenshots of all the kind messages I’ve received over the years.
Nothing is more rewarding.
In abundance,
Please note that I may receive commissions for some but not all my recommendations. I will never recommend something I don’t actually genuinely believe in or haven’t used myself.
