AT 25, TORI DUNLAP saved her first $100,000.
By 27, she had the financial cushion needed to leave her corporate job and build Her First $100K, the money platform that has helped millions of women take control of their finances.
Through her bestselling book, Financial Feminist, hit podcast, and practical online resources, Dunlap has become a trusted voice in personal finance for women, combining tactical advice with a clear-eyed look at the barriers we face when building wealth. Her mission is simple but powerful: to make financial education accessible so women can build lives defined by choice, not obligation.
Read more about Tori Dunlap’s journey in the C&C 100 interview below.
Growing up, what were some of the earliest lessons you were taught about money? Was money something that was openly discussed at home?
My parents talked about money openly and practically. I watched my dad routinely call the cable company to negotiate our bill. My mom balanced the checkbook on the thirteenth and twenty-first of every month. They taught me how to be a smart saver, how to use a credit card responsibly, and how to use money as a tool to build a life you love. My very first money memory is saving coins in an Altoids tin at four years old so I could see a local production of Annie. The ticket cost more than I'd saved, but that wasn't really the point. The lesson was about saving for something you wanted, and it stuck.2. 3. What I didn't fully understand until I got older is how rare that upbringing was. A financial education is a privilege – once I realized that, I felt a responsibility to share what I'd been given.
You’ve built your career as a financial expert—what initially drew you to this space, and what has kept you in it?
I will be honest: this was not the plan. I majored in theater and organizational communication. A career in personal finance was not exactly in the script. But I grew up with parents who were intentional about money, and that education stuck. When I got into the workforce and started talking to friends, I realized how many people had never received what I had. Friends would come to me with questions about credit cards, student loans, saving for the future, and I kept thinking, wait, nobody taught you this? It became clear pretty quickly that a financial education is a privilege, not a given, and I had been lucky enough to receive one.
So I started sharing what I knew, first informally, then through Her First $100K. I neverset out to become a financial expert. I set out to make sure the women around me knew the necessary skills of money management so they could choose the life they wanted.
What keeps me here is the community. Every five minutes, we get a message from a woman somewhere in the world sharing a money win: "I negotiated a $20,000 raise!" "I paid off my student loans!" "I opened my Roth IRA!" That is why I do this work.
“Are you willing to lose $1 million just to avoid a few uncomfortable conversations?”
What pep talk would you give a friend who’s struggling to negotiate confidently—whether it’s a job offer or raising capital for a business?
First: every single company expects you to negotiate. If you don't, you are subsidizing someone else who did. Women who don't negotiate their salaries miss out on more than $1 million over their lifetimes compared to women who do. Are you willing to lose $1 million just to avoid a few uncomfortable conversations?
Second, reframe what negotiation actually is. It's not a confrontation — it's a collaboration. You and the person across the table are not on opposing teams. You're both trying to solve a problem: how do we make sure this person is compensated fairly? 4. 5.
Third, a successful negotiation is not defined by whether you got what you asked for. It means you prepared thoughtfully, advocated for yourself firmly and politely, and were brave enough to try. That is a win, full stop. And if a company gets weird or defensive when you ask for your worth? They're showing you exactly who they are. Believe them.
What’s something you wish more people understood about building wealth over time?
Time matters more than the amount of money. People wait to start investing because they feel like they don't have enough. But investing $100 a month for 30 years can grow to over $185,000. The stock market has returned money to investors in every single 20-year period in American history, including through the Great Recession. Long-term, patient, consistent investing does not lose. It never has. I also wish people understood that the biggest obstacle to building wealth isn't math —it's emotion. The shame, fear, and avoidance we've been conditioned to feel around money keeps us from taking the actions that would actually change our lives. Once you understand that the system was built to keep certain people playing financially small, the shame turns to anger, and anger is fuel.
How should women think about money in their 20s vs. their 40s?
In your 20s, your most powerful asset is time. Build your emergency fund, and startinvesting for retirement as soon as humanly possible — even if it's $50 a month. The compounding that starts in your 20s is irreplaceable; you literally cannot get those years back. Your 20s are also when you should be negotiating aggressively. The salary you accept at a new job is likely the highest negotiating power you'll ever have at tha company. By your 40s, you hopefully have a financial foundation under you, so the focus shifts to optimizing and accelerating. Are you maxing out your retirement accounts? Are you saving for the Big Life Stuff while also living a life you actually enjoy right now? The goal is never deprivation. It's building something that gives you choices.
What’s the most important financial or career lesson you’ve learned the hard way so other women won’t have to?
Trust your gut, and make sure your bank account gives you the freedom to act on it. When I took that second job out of college, something in my gut told me it was wrong. I ignored it. Within a week, my boss was telling me to my face she regretted hiring me. The only reason I could leave with my dignity intact was because I had savings. I also learned that loyalty to a company is a trap. A company has zero loyalty to you. It will lay you off, cut your benefits, break a contract — with barely a pause. Advocate for yourself at every stage. Nobody is going to do it for you.
What does financial freedom look like to you these days?
At 27, my job became optional because I hit financial independence. I want every woman to have this feeling – to know that this is possible and worth building toward. For me, financial freedom means my work is a choice, not a requirement. It means unexpected expenses— a flat tire, a last-minute flight — are inconveniences, not crises. It means I can donate to causes I believe in, create jobs for people I care about, and change women's lives every day.
How has your relationship with money evolved as you’ve advanced in your career?
When I was in my toxic job in 2017, crying almost every day and terrified of being fired, my emergency fund was what set me free. I had been diligently saving, and when I checked my bank account, I realized I didn't have to stay. That was the first time I truly understood what money actually buys: options.
As my business grew, I hit something I wasn't expecting — feeling ashamed for doing well. When my company reached six figures, then seven, I felt guilty. Working through that was its own journey. Now my relationship with money is about freedom and joy. I recently wrote part of my book at an Airbnb in France on a two-month writing retreat while my business ran in the background. That is what money can buy — not stuff, but stability, options, and a life you love.
If someone wanted to start building wealth today but felt overwhelmed or intimidated, what’s the first mindset shift you’d encourage?
Stop blaming yourself. Being good with money is not something you're born knowing, just like you didn't come out of the womb speaking Italian or playing the tuba. It is a skill. You learn it, you practice it, and you get better at it over time. Nobody breaks their leg and thinks, "Why can't I set my own bone?" So why do we expect ourselves to just know how a 401(k) works? The system was not built for you. Women couldn't have a credit card in their own name without a male co-signer until 1974. The fact that you weren't taught this stuff is not a personal failure. It is a systemic one. Let go of the shame, get curious, and start asking questions. Then pick one thing. Not all the things — one. Open a high-yield savings account. Look at your credit card statement. Financial health is built through consistent small actions over time, not one dramatic overhaul.
Rapid fire POP QUIZ:
The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is:
Sit in front of my red light with my phone
My current obsession is…
anything food – I love cooking, eating great meals, and talking about Food!!!
A song that describes the era I’m in right now is…
Good Days by SZA
If I had one more hour in the day, I would…
Read more (I read about 40 books a year.)
Three words to describe the legacy I want to leave behind…
women’s financial rights.