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April 15, 2025 68 mins

I am joined this week by the fearless and powerful Sherry Finkel Murphy. As the CEO and founder of Madina Molly, Sherry helps people navigate financial education and planning, empowering women to gain confidence in their financial decisions and build secure futures.

Today, we dive deep into Sherry's journey from her beginnings as a latchkey kid in suburban New York to becoming a trailblazer in wealth management. You'll hear about Sherry's early exposure to strong work ethics, watching her father work six days a week at his hardware store while her mother pursued her own business career after graduating from NYU.

Sherry shares her first entrepreneurial experiences, starting with a 4:30 AM shift at a bagel bakery, and how her early money mindset shaped her approach to financial independence. She reveals her mother's pivotal advice that led her to purchase her first condo at just 24 years old, and how an unexpected bet with a college friend redirected her career toward the emerging field of computing.

Listen as Sherry discusses breaking glass ceilings in technology sales, developing her concept of a "forget you fund" that enabled career pivots, and her transition into financial services. Sherry's story illustrates the power of financial independence and how she's using her experience to help women build parallel infrastructures in a system that wasn't designed for them.

This conversation is filled with wisdom on retirement planning for 100-year lives, building legacies through philanthropy, and creating financial confidence that allows women to sleep at night. Sherry's journey reminds us that financial education isn't just about money—it's about freedom, empowerment, and creating the life you want on your own terms.

Key Topics:

  1. Growing up as a latchkey kid in suburban New York and how that shaped Sherry's work ethic and perception around money

  2. Early financial independence with her first property purchase at age 24 following her mother's empowering advice

  3. How a college bet led to an unexpected career pioneering in the early days of computing

  4. Breaking glass ceilings in male-dominated technology sales and the importance of self-advocacy

  5. The concept of a "forget you fund" and how it enabled career pivots and mid-career sabbaticals

  6. Transitioning from technology executive to financial planner and launching Madina Molly

  7. Building parallel financial infrastructures for women and creating an endowment to support caregiving across generations

Connect with Sherry online:

LinkedIn: Sherry Finkel Murphy 

Join the Madrina Molly Community: A space to ask financial planning and longevity planning questions without anyone trying to sell financial products

 

Find more from Syama Bunten:

Instagram: @syama.co, @gettingrichpod

Website: https://syamabunten.com/

Download Syama's Guide to Getting Rich: www.syamabunten.com

Women & Wealth Catalyst Summit: .css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}


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