
On the Embassy Wealth Podcast we interview members of the foreign affairs community to see how they’re building wealth both personally and financially, no matter where they’re posted. The views expressed on this podcast are only those of the individuals featured on the show and do not in any way reflect the official policy of the United States government.
Episodes

Thursday May 18, 2023
Passive Income and Financial Freedom with Rachel Richards
Thursday May 18, 2023
Thursday May 18, 2023
Rachel Richards is a former financial advisor turned real estate investor and bestselling author of two books! Her passion for financial literacy stems not only from her experience as a financial advisor, but also as a witness to the lifestyle that comes with financial freedom. Rachel has sustained her incredible success as an investor by diversifying her income streams and sticking to the goal-oriented mindset she established from the very beginning of her journey. Her most recent book, Passive Income, Aggressive Retirement, details her secret to freedom, flexibility, and financial independence!
Hear Rachel discuss:
- How she achieved financial freedom at the age of 27!
- Her early experiences buying rental properties both in and out-of-state
- How her first book came to fruition and the positive impact it has continued to provide
- The many lessons she learned as an independent investor and property manager
- Passive income opportunities that can be leveraged by anyone in today’s economy
…and so much more!
You can learn more about Rachel and her work on her website: https://moneyhoneyrachel.com/.
If you are interested in reading any of her books, you can find them online here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B072M1ZD4X.
Make sure to follow Rachel on social media as well (@moneyhoneyrachel) to keep up with her latest content!
Music: “Higher Up” by Shane Ivers

Thursday Apr 27, 2023
An Author’s Lifestyle Abroad with Greg Buford
Thursday Apr 27, 2023
Thursday Apr 27, 2023
Greg Buford is a traveled author whose work reflects his experience living in unique cultures across the world. Building an engaging lifestyle around foreign service and his own career as an author are among the incredible achievements he and his family have accomplished throughout their lives. His memoir, Kept: An American Househusband in India, won the PNWA Zola Award, and his novel, Making Ghosts Dance, was both a Montaigne Medal and Eric Hoffer Award finalist. Beyond his professional success, Greg is a model of what can be built through perseverance and an unrelenting pursuit of passion!
Hear Greg discuss:
- His experience parenting and writing in a variety of cultures worldwide
- His full creative process of writing and publishing different types of books
- How he built a balanced lifestyle around foreign service with his wife and children
- How he leveraged his unique position abroad to write each of his books
- The strategies he used to create authentic and compelling literary works
…and so much more!
You can learn more about Greg and his work on his website: https://www.gregorybuford.com/. If you are interested in reading any of his books, you can find them online here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0759Y3WHC.
Music: “Higher Up” by Shane Ivers

Thursday Apr 06, 2023
Exploring the World of Short-Term Rentals with Nick Durr
Thursday Apr 06, 2023
Thursday Apr 06, 2023
Nick Durr is a prime example of what can be achieved by leveraging your unique resources, especially those afforded to members of the foreign affairs community! Beyond his experience in foreign security and the United States Marine Corps, Nick is a proud father of two whose resourceful nature allows him to succeed in many facets of life - notably his recent success purchasing and remotely managing multiple rental properties while living abroad.
Hear Nick discuss:
- The unique challenges associated with short-term rental properties
- How he leveraged the expertise of others to create personal success in real estate
- His many tours and assignments abroad (currently serving in Uganda)
- Alternate options for financing out-of-country investment properties
- His experience managing both short and long-term rental properties
…and so much more!
Music: “Higher Up” by Shane Ivers

Thursday Feb 09, 2023
Rewiring Your Money Mindset for Success with Stephanie Genkin
Thursday Feb 09, 2023
Thursday Feb 09, 2023
CNN producer Stephanie Genkin found herself on the frontlines of the financial crisis in 2007-2008 and witnessed the financial world crumble. As people lost their jobs, homes, and businesses, she kept thinking, “what if that was me?” This deep question became the springboard for Stephanie’s mid-life career leap from veteran journalist to financial planner. Since then, her holistic financial practice has flourished, with a unique focus on not just the math, but also the human side of the money equation.
Hear Stephanie discuss:
- How people outside of your immediate circle of friends and family can provide unique insights and perspectives into your strengths
- why we don’t see more women and minorities in finance
- Should you mix emotion and money? Is it even possible to separate them?
- Why banks are like cocaine dealers
- The “thousands of voices” influencing your money decisions
- How invisible money scripts may influence us without our knowledge and how to recognize and change deeply ingrained money behaviors
…and so much more!
Stephanie Genkin, CFP® is the founder of My Financial Planner, LLC, a New York State Registered Investment Advisor. A veteran journalist, Stephanie is the financial planner behind the Yahoo! Finance digital makeover series Fix My Finances and teaches investing fundamentals at New York University. Before training to becoming a financial advisor, Stephanie was an editorial producer at CNN for 15 years and worked with the network's Chief Business Correspondent. She holds a B.A. with honors in Journalism and Hebrew Literature from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and received masters degrees in Modern Jewish History and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Oxford, St. Antony's College in the U.K. She was a Fulbright scholar in Amman, Jordan.
www.stephaniegenkin.com
Music: “Higher Up” by Shane Ivers

Thursday Jan 26, 2023
Is Your Relationship with Money Holding You Back? with Sherrette Garate-Estes
Thursday Jan 26, 2023
Thursday Jan 26, 2023
The Embassy Wealth Podcast is kicking off the new 2023 season with our favorite topic: money! On this episode, certified Trauma of Money coach and financial wellness practitioner, Sherrette Garate-Estes challenges us to dig deep for an introspective look at our relationship with money.
Do you overspend when you shouldn’t? Hoard money? Avoid looking at bills? Overwork because you feel stressed there won’t be enough money? Or maybe you are overly conservative and feel you should invest but have never taken any steps to study investments because you feel blocked or intimidated?
Join us for this fascinating discussion into the field of money trauma and how money events, especially negative ones experienced early in life, can continue to impact how we manage our finances even years after the event has passed. Learn how you can identify and remove these hidden mental and psychological obstacles to clear your path to financial wellness and success.
Hear Sherrette discuss:
- What is financial trauma and how it shows up in our lives
- The three money disorders that hold people back
- What is a healthy relationship with money?
- How examining your money story and relationship with money can clear your path to greater financial wellness and success
- How cultural and family programming plays a large role in how we perceive money and our relationship to it
…and so much more!
Sherrette is a certified Trauma of Money coach, financial wellness practitioner, host of the Disability Adjacent podcast, Sign Language Interpreter, and Child of Deaf Parents. Her current work is focused on people who are adjacent to a person with a disability and how to heal the financial trauma that often comes with those experiences.
Music: “Higher Up” by Shane Ivers

Thursday Dec 22, 2022
How to Have an Amazing 2023! with Acquania Escarne
Thursday Dec 22, 2022
Thursday Dec 22, 2022
Financial coach and planner extraordinaire Acquania Escarne returns to the podcast to explain how listeners can begin organizing and planning to reach their goals in 2023! Having a clear picture about where you want to be starts with a solid plan: as we finish up 2022, it’s a great time to reflect on what you’ve accomplished this year, and think about what you’d like to achieve in 2023. Sitting down with a pen and paper to map out your goals takes time, but, as we learn from Acquania, breaking down the big picture to smaller steps you can scale will put you on the right track to making 2023 an amazing year!
Hear Acquania discuss:
- How to set “smart goals” that are measurable and obtainable
- Accomplishing long-term goals
- Why telling others about your goals holds you accountable to actually achieving them
- Modifying your goals so that they realistically fit your lifestyle (and budget!)
…and so much more!
Acquania Escarne began her diplomatic career in 2008. Today, she is also a financial coach, hotel owner, podcast host, and life insurance producer who is committed to helping people find financial freedom and build wealth. Learn more about how you can build generational wealth one dollar at a time with Acquania Escarne at https://thepurposeofmoney.com/
Music: “Higher Up” by Shane Ivers

Thursday Dec 08, 2022
“Retiring” from the Foreign Service at Age 50 with Nate Carter
Thursday Dec 08, 2022
Thursday Dec 08, 2022
Nate Carter returns to the Embassy Wealth podcast to discuss life one year after retiring from the Foreign Service at the young age of 50! While this might seem like an impossible feat, Nate successfully transitioned and has had an amazing first year post-FS: consulting for foreign governments, adding more investment properties to his portfolio, starting new business ventures, and - most importantly - finding more time to be with his family and enjoy all of his hobbies. Proper planning by cutting expenses and putting money aside can lead to a successful retirement that can go the distance, even if you exercise that option at 50!
Hear Nate discuss:
- Leaving the Foreign Service after being overseas for nearly 20 years
- Using your retirement as an open door for new opportunities
- Leveraging your Foreign Service network post-retirement
- What it feels like to not report to work every day or get a steady paycheck
- Tips for how you can begin planning for your own successful retirement
…and so much more!
Check out Nate’s book “Become Loaded for Life: Financial Independence, Retiring Early, Maximizing Happiness” here: https://tinyurl.com/43pnmspj
Music: “Higher Up” by Shane Ivers

Thursday Nov 24, 2022
Preparing For Retirement with Abraham Grungold
Thursday Nov 24, 2022
Thursday Nov 24, 2022
Preparing for retirement doesn’t need to be scary. After 36 years as a federal employee with multiple federal government agencies, Abraham Grungold retired with a hefty sum in his Thrift Savings Plan and a passion for helping other retiring federal employees. In this episode, Abe shares the key to a successful retirement and how one can continue their career while still receiving social security. Receiving a 20+ page retirement package to complete sounds daunting, but with the right advice and guidance, you can confidently make plans that will have a positive impact on your future retirement.
Hear Abraham discuss:
- The ideal time for a federal employee to retire to get the most out of retirement
- Working after retirement and how it can affect your social security (and some tips on how to make sure any income doesn’t negatively affect your retirement income)
- How you can retire happy - even if you aren’t a TSP multi-millionaire
…and so much more!
You can contact Abraham Grungold and read his blog posts here: https://grungold.com/
Music: “Higher Up” by Shane Ivers

Thursday Nov 10, 2022
Managing Your Home While Overseas with Stephanie Toler
Thursday Nov 10, 2022
Thursday Nov 10, 2022
Stephanie Toler is the CEO of Nest, a property management company servicing DC. With over 1,400 homes under management and 40+ employees, Nest handles all of the headaches that come with property management – from tenant placement to maintenance requests to organizing property upgrades and other make-ready services. Being a landlord isn’t easy anywhere, but D.C. can be especially complex due to its landlord-tenant laws and city regulations. Hear Stephanie’s advice for those who choose to self-manage in the city and how important it is to find the right property manager.
Hear Stephanie discuss:
- Maintaining single family homes versus condos
- Getting your home ready to rent prior to going overseas
- Tips for those self-managing their rentals
…and so much more!
Music: “Higher Up” by Shane Ivers

Thursday Oct 27, 2022
Writing & Publishing a Travel Guide with Tim Tranchilla
Thursday Oct 27, 2022
Thursday Oct 27, 2022
With a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Nonfiction Writing from The New School in New York City and an interest in travel, Tim Tranchilla’s three year assignment in Tel Aviv inspired him to write his guidebook, the Bucket! Guide to the Holy Land: A DIY Travel Planner to Create a Bucket List-Filled Dream Trip to Israel, Jordan, Palestine, and the Egyptian Sinai. Tim shares his journey of self-publishing and marketing his guidebook while living in a paperless, e-book world and the costs of being an independent author. With several five star reviews, the Bucket! series is just getting started.
Hear Tim discuss:
- How he made time to work on his guidebook while working full-time
- Whether you should self-publish or get a publisher
- Why publishing a physical travel guide was a bold choice in a sea of e-books
- The costs of publishing a book as an independent author
…and so much more!
You can purchase your copy of Bucket! Guide to the Holy Land here: https://tinyurl.com/2tz8dkms
Music: “Higher Up” by Shane Ivers