I’m Writing a Book (!!!)

Coming Fall 2026 from Penguin Random House

I’m going to make a big deal out of this because it is a big deal.

I’m writing a book.

It’s about money…but not just money. It’s about talking to your partner about buying a house without starting a fight. It’s about freelancing, investing, getting your taxes right, starting over, starting something new, and letting go of the shame many of us carry when it comes to our finances.

It’s about how we actually live, not how some app or spreadsheet says we should.

It’s called Creative Money: New Financial Rules for Artists, Innovators, and Misfits, and it’s being published by Penguin Random House’s Tarcher imprint in the fall of 2026.

This has been a dream of mine for a long time. In a past life, I worked in book publishing and was part of the creative class of New Yorkers with intellectually fulfilling day jobs and creative side hustles. I wrote freelance essays and articles, mostly about music and food.

But somewhere along the way, I took a sharp turn. I started learning about money, went back to school, built a financial planning firm from scratch, and worked with hundreds of clients. I got good at it—at markets, the tax code, and retirement plans. But the writing part of me went dormant.

Then in 2024, I stepped away from the business. I wandered for a while. Played a lot of golf. And eventually, I started writing again.

At first, it was slow going. Imposter syndrome was loud. There’s so much people don’t know about money, especially those who live outside the “two paychecks and a white picket fence” mold. I wanted to write something useful and honest, a book that could help rewire how we think about money. I just didn’t know if anyone would let me.

I sent a book proposal to a few agents. The feedback was consistent: “I love your writing, but your platform isn’t big enough.” The advice? Go viral on TikTok. Start a newsletter. Find a shtick.

I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want to become a finance caricature or add more noise to an already noisy space. So I buried my head in the sand.

Eventually, I came up for air, and started this newsletter in December. Four months later, I’ve written more than 50,000 words. And now, I’m writing a book.

Here’s the announcement from the industry publication Publisher’s Lunch:

This book is for anyone seeking financial freedom, which, let’s be honest, looks very different depending on how you live your life. One moment, you’re making more money than you ever thought possible. Next, an illness hits you, or you lose your job, or have to start from scratch. Life is twisty and turny like that. Financial freedom isn’t just about wealth; it’s about security. It’s about knowing your finances won’t collapse when life inevitably gets messy.

Our financial system is outdated and opaque. This book is a kind of truce: a way to live creatively and securely within that system, without letting it crush your spirit. We’ll talk about privilege, stagnant wages, the failing healthcare system, student loan debt, sexism, racism—all the stuff that shapes our financial lives. But we won’t get stuck there. The point is to understand the world we’re operating in, and then build something resilient anyway.

Creative Money throws out the rigid, outdated playbook of personal finance and writes one that actually makes sense for the way people live and work now. It’s a guide to navigating your financial life with intelligence, flexibility, and integrity, especially if you’ve been told you’re “bad with money” just because your life doesn’t follow the traditional script.

It’s built around two ideas: Save More and Make More. Because financial health really does boil down to this: spend less than you make, and you won’t run out of money. But how we do that is where it gets interesting.

Some chapters are tactical. Some are emotional. Some are spicy. All are rooted in real life. A few favorites:

• Between Poor and Rich Is: Happy – on the myth of scarcity and finding ‘enoughness.’

• The Great American Lie of Homeownership – because sometimes buying a house isn’t the dream; it’s a very expensive detour.

• Have You Ever Met a Poor Vampire? – a friendly guide to compound interest and why time, not timing, is everything.

This isn’t a “how to get rich” book. It’s a “how to live well” book.

If you’re here, reading this, you’re already part of the journey. Over the coming months, I’ll be sharing more behind-the-scenes writing, updates, and pieces that don’t make it into the book but might still be deeply useful to you.

If you want to support this project, the best way is simple: share this newsletter. Forward the posts you love to a friend, or encourage someone you care about to subscribe. That kind of word-of-mouth makes all the difference.

Thanks for being here. More soon.

—Ally Jane