I am joined this week by the fearless and powerful Sherry Finkel Murphy. As the CEO and founder of Madrina 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.

