The Simple Way to Invest as an International Grad Student or Postdoc
Release Date: 08/25/2025
Financially Thriving as an International Scientist in the US
Personal Finance for PhDs
In this episode, Emily interviews Dr. Sonali Majumdar, the assistant dean for professional development in the graduate school at Princeton University. Sonali is the author of the recently published book Thriving as an International Scientist: Professional Development for Global STEM Citizens. Sonali and Emily discuss the various financial challenges that international graduate students, postdocs, and researchers face when coming to the US, including the start-up expenses and relative financial dependence on their advisor's grants. They also touch on the learning curve that international...
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This PhD Minimized Student Loan Debt While on an Unstable Career Path
Personal Finance for PhDs
In this episode, Emily interviews Dr. Hannah Percival, an instructor at Houston City College who holds a PhD in music theory. Hannah shares how she financially made it through graduate school on a small stipend, including how she minimized student loan debt, side hustled, and kept her expenses low. She also tells the stories of landing her first and—more importantly—second post-PhD jobs and gives great advice for job seekers.
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Money Is a Good Enough Reason to Leave Academia
Personal Finance for PhDs
In this episode, Emily interviews Dr. Gabrielle Filip-Crawford, the founder of the peer support network Recovering Academics. Gabrielle left her tenure-track position after discovering she was vastly underpaid with almost no room for salary growth even after promotion. Gabrielle shares the common financial questions and mindsets that she sees within the Recovering Academics community, such as not understanding what different careers pay and feeling guilty for needing to earn more money. Gabrielle and Emily discuss how graduate students and postdocs can improve their money mindsets prior to...
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The Importance of Financial Student Services to Graduate Students on Stipends
Personal Finance for PhDs
In this episode, Emily interviews Dr. Zach Taylor, a repeat podcast guest with extensive expertise in financial wellness in higher education. Zach explains why financial peer mentoring programs have become so popular at colleges and universities and why peers are not always the appropriate people to provide this service. Zach and Emily discuss why colleges and universities provide financial wellness support and how it's beneficial to both students and institutions. Finally, Zach shares how grad/prof students, and particularly those who are non-traditional and/or experiencing financial...
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Increasing Income and Giving Back as an International Grad Student
Personal Finance for PhDs
In this episode, Emily interviews Snehanjana Chatterjee, a 3rd-year international graduate student at Texas Tech. Snehanjana recounts her financial journey over the past few years, from how she funded her start-up expenses upon moving to the US to how she's gained scholarships and awards to increase her income. Snehanjana volunteers to help international students acclimate to the US, and she shares some of their concerns and questions. Finally, Snehanjana asks Emily about banking and investing as an international student not planning to stay in the US.
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How to Negotiate Your Salary Post-PhD
Personal Finance for PhDs
In this episode, Emily interviews Dr. Kate Sleeth, the founder of EduKatedSTEM, on salary negotiation for PhDs. They discuss why everyone should negotiate salary and why Kate regrets not negotiating in her first position in academia. Kate teaches how someone should calculate their minimum salary number before going into a negotiation, including the free tools to use. They wrap up with Kate's best single tip regarding the negotiation process and her best financial advice, both of which are straightforward to implement.
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The Simple Way to Invest as an International Grad Student or Postdoc
Personal Finance for PhDs
In this episode, Emily interviews Hui-Chin Chen, a Certified Financial Planner specializing in advising globally mobile professionals. Hui-Chin is a managing partner and financial advisor with Jade & Cowry, and she is a repeat podcast guest. Her first interview from 2019 is required listening for international graduate students and postdocs prior to starting this episode. Hui-Chin gives us a bird's-eye view of a simple investing strategy for nonresidents in the US if using a tax-advantaged retirement account proves too complex. Hui-Chin and Emily review the IRA eligibility criteria for...
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Campus Resources to Improve Your Finances
Personal Finance for PhDs
In this episode, Emily shares the microinterviews she recorded at three conferences this year. The conference attendees, all of whom either work at universities or have PhDs themselves, responded to this prompt: “What resource on your campus could graduate students and postdocs access to benefit their finances?” You’ll hear the responses in order from the attendees of the National Postdoctoral Association Annual Conference, the Graduate Career Consortium Annual Meeting, and the Higher Education Financial Wellness Summit. You should be able to detect the transitions among the conferences...
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How to Financially Manage Lump Sum Fellowship Income
Personal Finance for PhDs
In this mostly solo episode, Emily shares how to manage lump sum fellowship income with respect to your budget, cash flow, and bank account structure. Grad students and postdocs struggle to manage their money when they are paid less frequently than monthly, such as once per term or once per year. This lump sum income occurs for some fellowship recipients, though it’s not a common set-up. In the first half of this episode, Emily presents her suggested system for managing this type of income with respect to your bank account structure, budget, and cash flow. In the second half of this episode,...
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Which Postdocs Get Health Insurance and Retirement Accounts?
Personal Finance for PhDs
In this episode, I share what I’ve learned recently about the landscape of postdoc benefits in the US, specifically with respect to health insurance and workplace-based retirement accounts. This discussion of employees and non-employees or fellows may be familiar territory to some of you, but I also know I’m reaching people who have never heard it before. I hope that this episode helps more postdocs access more benefits, but I will not present a single universal solution that can be immediately adopted. Please take what you learn today back to your peers at your institution to converse...
info_outlineIn this episode, Emily interviews Hui-Chin Chen, a Certified Financial Planner specializing in advising globally mobile professionals. Hui-Chin is a managing partner and financial advisor with Jade & Cowry, and she is a repeat podcast guest. Her first interview from 2019 is required listening for international graduate students and postdocs prior to starting this episode. Hui-Chin gives us a bird's-eye view of a simple investing strategy for nonresidents in the US if using a tax-advantaged retirement account proves too complex. Hui-Chin and Emily review the IRA eligibility criteria for nonresidents with respect to fellowship income and married filing separately. They discuss whether and when someone moving out of the US should engage a tax advisor. Finally, Hui-Chin answers one investing and one tax question submitted by subscribers to the Personal Finance for PhDs mailing list.