As early Microsoft employees, Jennifer and her future-husband, David Risher, made millions of dollars from their stock options in the quickly growing company. When David joined an online book-seller called Amazon, those “millions” became “tens of millions,” and Jen found herself nervously navigating the world of affluence. In her new book, We Need to Talk: A Memoir About Wealth, she explores the mind-bending experience of earning way more than she needed or ever imagined. While acknowledging their very good fortune, she nevertheless found herself dealing with guilt, awkward social situations, imposter syndrome, and the loss of identity that comes when you stop working.
There are over 18 million millionaires in the United States. Most of them did not grow up with a lot of money, so they had to learn how to handle it. Yet, talking about having money is considered extremely rude. A recent Money Matters study found that 68% of people would rather talk about their weight than money. And more people are more comfortable talking about sex than talking about money. So how the hell are you supposed to figure it out?
In her book, Jen shares her thought-provoking, personal story, including the voices of others in her demographic to help us explore the hidden impact of wealth on our brains, relationships, and sense of place in the world. Jennifer Risher was born in Seattle, Washington, grew up in Oregon, and graduated from Connecticut College. She joined Microsoft in 1991 where she worked as a recruiter and then as a product manager. She and her husband, David, have two daughters and live in San Francisco, where David is CEO of Worldreader, a nonprofit he cofounded with a mission to create a world where everyone is a reader.
Learn more about Jennifer and the book on her website.
Produced and edited by Mike Carano.
