Bigger Pockets' David Greene joins us to tackle a more efficient way to buy real estate, especially if you're interested in building a large portfolio of passive income-generating properties. It's called the BRRRR method, and we'll walk through each of those letters on today's show. specifically, we'll talk about how to buy, rehab, rent out, refinance, and repeat. Even if you don't plan on using BRRRR as your strategy, David will share lots of tips on putting your best real estate deals together, finding a great time to help you, and common problems with real estate investing and how to avoid them. And in our headlines segment, are you in a race to reach retirement? We'll discuss one MarketWatch piece that shares 5 hard-earned lessons from people who retired early. It turns out that early retirement (or any retirement at all, is more about psychology than you would think...but it's still about math. Later in the show we'll throw out the Haven Life line to Dave. His mother-in-law wants to invest in his children's college fund. What's the best way to go about that? A 529 plan? Something else? We'll all weigh in on a myriad of options. Then, in our letters segment, Aly's Capital One investment account has been sold to E-Trade. What are the alternatives that she should use? Of course, as always, we'll also make some room for some of Doug's fantastic pre-Memorial Day trivia. Thanks to Proper Cloth for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Get $20 off your first custom shirt at Propercloth.com/sb. How about $50 off your first job post? Head to Linkedin.com/sb Have you read this far? Write us this phrase: OG Stinks! to joe at stackingbenjamins.com to win a #Doug2020 tee-shirt. You can join the brigade of people for responsible leadership!   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We all know that subscription costs add up: Amazon, Hulu, Netflix, maybe a lawn service or wine-of-the-month club. But how do you make the decisions which to keep and which to heave-ho? Today our roundtable team, including author Frankie Calkins (author of the new book The Money Resolution, 101 Ways to Save Money, Make Money, and Get Out of Debt in One Year), OG, and Paula Pant (host of the Afford Anything podcast). Whether you're in subscription hell or can't remember the last time you said yes to a subscription service, we'll chat our way casually through all the relevant stuff you need to think about. We heard from you when popular app Debitize went bye-bye, and halfway through the show we'll talk to Thomas Smyth, CEO and founder of cost cutting app Trim. The company recently purchased Debitize, and we'll ask Thomas to give us the skinny on what the future looks like? Why did they decide to buy Debitize, how are they integrating it, and what does the future look like for the new combined company. Of course, we'll then dive into Doug's ah-mayz-ing trivia, but then we'll field a voicemail from the Magnify Money Line from Trent. Trent's been given the opportunity to be a professional athlete. He's currently 23, and has been talking to financial advisors. Their advice is largely the same except in one area: whole life insurance. What's our take on the issue? Looking for something deeper than what we give you on the show? Three days a week not enough? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: The Stacker. Thanks to AcreTrader for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Learn more at AcreTrader.com/sb. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We can learn a ton from the wealthiest among us, and Veronica Dagher from the Wall Street Journal, and host of the Secrets of Wealthy Women podcast, has a front row seat with some of the smartest and wealthiest people in the country. She'll share with us lessons from three women that easily apply to both women and men. You're going to pick up some great career, money, and life advice on today's show! In our headlines segment we're discussing two different pieces by MarketWatch and Financial Planning. Is it true that the stock market can't be beat? One MarketWatch article claims that what you think you know probably isn't the right answer. And in our second piece, is there a good reason why so many financial advisors are jumping ship? We'll give our take on why advisors are so eager to switch firms. Then in our Haven Life Line segment, we'll field a voicemail from Matt, who's looking to diversify his portfolio. What's our take on pot stocks? We'll also answer a letter from Craig, who writes in about how he is finally debt free and has a paid off home. He's now getting into some pretty aggressive investing and wants some advice on different strategies he has in place. Of course, we'll also make some room for some of Doug's trivia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Scott Rieckens felt something wasn't right in his life. While he lived in a beautiful corner of the world, and despite he and his wife having fantastic jobs, life just wasn't what he'd expected. So, he did something that few people do...he actually decided to change. The results? He's teamed with Emmy Award-winning director Travis Shakespeare and created a documentary called Playing With Fire, which not only chronicles he and his spouse Taylor's journey toward a better future, but it also explains the concepts behind a movement called FIRE (financial independence/retire early). We'll talk to the makers of the film about how they created the final product. We'll preview the concepts Scott and Travis explain in the movie, and finally, we'll share some details about how and when you may be able to see it yourself. And in our headlines segment Joe will talk to Meredith Ryan Reid about MetLife's new study showing that Gen Y women are behind other groups on both their finances and their confidence in the workplace. Meredith will give us some advice and strategies on what to do when you find yourself falling behind. Later in the show we'll throw out the Haven Lifeline to Katherine, who has some questions on calculating her net worth. Wouldn't paying off debt also lower the amount of cash available to you, in turn keeping your net worth the same? Then, in our letters segment, we'll field a question from Wendy about what she should be doing with her full service brokerage account. She's taken some time to learn about commissions and high annual fees. What's the best plan on moving everything over to a new, low fee account? Of course, we'll also make some room for some of Doug's leprechaun-themed trivia. Just how do leprechauns earn all that gold they hide away at the end of the rainbow? Thanks to AcreTrader for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Learn more at AcreTrader.com/sb. Looking for something deeper than what we give you on the show? Three days a week not enough? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: The Stacker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have you checked your credit lately? How does credit even work? Why do I have a low credit score? Today, Len Penzo, OG, and our special guest Gerri Detweiler tackle credit, credit cards, and hwo to best make your credit score your friend. Halfway through the show we'll take a break from our discussion while Joe talks to Carter Malloy from AcreTrader. When you think investments, does farmland come to mind? On today's fintech segment we'll talk to farmland a viable, attractive investment option. After Joe wraps things up with Carter, Doug will jump on the mic to deliver today's trivia question to our roundtable crew. Before the first transcontinental railroad was completed a coast to coast trip could easily cost $1000 or more. But how much did the trip cost after the railroad connected the two coastlines? Keep your answer in mind... but no cheating! Doug will give us the answer after the roundtable has a chance to get in their answers. After we declare a winner for our halftime gameshow, we'll answer a Magnify Money call from Andrew. Andrew and his family will be moving soon from their paid off condo into a townhome. Should the family use some of their emergency fund to pay down more cash on their townhome, or wait until their condo sells and use that money towards their new home? Looking for something deeper than what we give you on the show? Three days a week not enough? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: The Stacker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Erin Lowry from Broke Millennial learned early on about investing. As someone who's VERY conservative and not excited about losses, she didn't want much to do with investing. But, she'll tell us the story today about how she got started and about how you can make it easy. We'll talk about the types of funds to simplify your investment choices, how to add money, and what to do if the market isn't your friend (things start to fall apart). Plus, in our headlines segment, one man who called the last two market downturns says there's another on the way. Should we be preparing for choppy waters? Later on, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Larry, whose emergency fund has been drained after a few back-to-back expenses. Should Larry get his emergency fund back to capacity over time, or look towards his Roth IRA contributions to speed up the process? And in our letters segment, Brian has took a side gig delivering food for Uber Eats. After talking to some of his fellow drivers Brain is suspicious that they're defrauding the IRS by not paying any taxes on their earnings. Should Brian steer clear of their advice, or is he just missing out on easy money? As always, we'll still save some time for Doug's trivia...which today is exceptionally epic. Thanks to Ting for supporting Stacking Benjamins! Get $25 off your phone at sb.ting.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's show, we'll sit down with David Bach, the nine-time bestselling author. What's keeping you from achieving your financial goals? Is it a latte a day? While it doesn't necessarily have to be a latte, our discussion with David will shed some light on the simple things in your life that could be holding you back from reaching your destination. And in our headlines segment, we'll be joined by Ashley Boucher of Sallie Mae. Sallie Mae has released their Majoring in Money 2019 report, and among some of the more surprising discoveries is that some students hold FIVE credit cards. We'll discuss more of the big takeaways from the report during our call with Ashley, along with covering an article from InvestmentNews about Schwab's new portfolio management tool. Later in the show, we'll throw out the Haven Lifeline to Thomas, whose son has gotten all of his college paid for this past year, (with money to spare!) Thomas' son wants to put the extra $3000 into a Roth IRA. Are they allowed to do this, or are there some restrictions that are in place? Then, in our letters segment, Dano has some questions about how he should allocate his retirement funds. With Dano paying a percentage of his money to a pension, wouldn't that be considered his "safe" investment? When Dano is putting money into his Thrift Savings Plan account, couldn't he put all of the cash into the more aggressive funds? Of course, we'll also make some room for Doug's trivia, so don't you worry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To end our rewind week we present one of our favorite roundtable topics. How do you start saving, when you feel like you can't? I think most people are in this boat, based on statistics about how much money the average person squirrels away. So, here with good facts and humor, were Len Penzo, Hilary Hendershott, and Hannah Rounds. Plus, our friend Shannon McLay was just opening her wildly successful Financial Gym in New York (now she's expanding it all over the USA). We talk to her in this episode about her launch. Here are the show notes from the original episode: What was the best advice someone could have given you when you first started investing? If you're a new investor OR a seasoned pro, you're in luck because our roundtable team are all sharing their best tips today to help get the ball rolling. We're joined by two great guests today (along with the amazing Len Penzo)...host of Profit Boss Radio, CFP Hilary Hendershott AND one of our favorite writers, Hannah Rounds from Unplanned Finances. Not only will we talk about getting started early with your financial plan, but then we'll also tackle problems with brokers and sales incentives. How do you know you won't get burned? Finally, we'll answer a question originally asked of The Moneyologist at MarketWatch.com...what would you do if you found out your mother had taken out lots of credit using your name illegally? Would you turn her in? You'll be surprised by all of our answers. THEN in the FinTech segment, we're actually going to go anti-FinTech this week and talk to our friend Shannon McLay about her new concept coming to a city near you, the Financial Gym. What happens when you give your money a workout? How does it work? Maybe, even though we talk about great ways to use your phone for planning purposes, maybe face-to-face coaching has a place in your planning, too. Thanks to Magnify Money for sponsoring our podcast! Support the companies that support us and help yourself along the way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I'm personally excited for you to hear this episode. When this first aired I personally was going through some really dark stuff...and as always happens, I found a book that spoke to me and helped me through it. I needed to change. I needed a wake up call. Maybe you do, too. I was lucky that I found Cortney's book and wondered, "Would she come on the show and talk about this?" I'm grateful that she did. Of course, the rest of the episode is a lot of fun, as always. - Joe. Our original show notes: Where do you start when planning your money? Cortney McDermott, the author of one of this year's hottest self-help and business books, joins us in the basement to talk about starting out. If you don't know what you want, how do you know where to go? Yet, most of us don't ask ourselves the right questions to even begin the journey. Plus, we'll also share headlines from the world of financial planning, throw out the Haven Life line to a lucky listener, score with some of Doug's delightful trivia, and more. Huge thanks to Roofstock (check them out for real estate) and MagnifyMoney.com (when you're comparing financial tools like credit cards and savings accounts) for helping us with today's show. They're awesome companies and if you're not using them, I'm not sure you know what you're missing! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The "system" isn't fair. Names from Ray Dalio to Bill Gates talk about income inequality. Poverty is often swept under the rug by people who want to easily dismiss it as "not pulling yourself up," yet most know it isn't that easy. One man who knows very well how difficult inequality can be is John Hope Bryant. He came down to the basement to talk about "getting the memo" in 2017, and we've been talking about it ever since. To kick off rewind week (if you're new to the show, we play favorites for a week after eight weeks of new podcasts), we're excited to re-share this episode. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why aren't you rolling in the dough? Maybe it's because you aren't focusing on the right parts of your budget. Studies have consistently shown that ONE area of savings beats all others. What is it? Tori Dunlap from HerFirst100k joins Len Penzo and OG to talk about why you aren't saving more money. While you'll learn the top reason why you aren't saving more, you might also have fun doing it.... Halfway through the show we'll take a break from our discussion while Joe talks with Jarrod from the new Easy Profit game. If you've spent any amount of time listening to the show you know that we love the idea of the science of play. So when we heard about a new game that'll teach you how to understand financial statements we just had to talk to the guy behind it all. Then, when Joe's done talking to Jarrod, we'll take some time for Doug's trivia. After a little Disney inspired gameshow fun we'll answer a voicemail from Demetrious, who's been hard at work paying down his loans. While Demetrious wants to keep bringing an extra cash all the overtime at his manufacturing job has been wearing down on his body. Are there some side hustles that he could turn to? Thanks to MetPro for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Get a complimentary Metabolic Profiling assessment and a 30-minute consultation with a MetPro expert at metpro.co/sb. Thanks to Experian for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Boost your FICO score instantly for free. Boost is only available at Experian.com/sb.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Andrew Hawkins was an NFL football player with the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns. He also won two Grey Cups in the Canadian Football League, worked in the Detroit Lions front office, starred in a reality television show with Michael Irvin, and starred on Sportscenter on Snapchat...what's he doing now? He's coming down to the basement to talk about how to transition. In his new podcast series, Branching Out (par of the Kneeding Dough series of podcasts if you're searching iTunes), Andrew interviews professional athletes about how they made the transition from pro sports and also what savvy money moves they've made along the way. We'll talk about changing jobs, starting out, building your team, believing in yourself when nobody else does, and more. It's an inspiring interview with Hawk. Plus, in our headlines segment, investors are flocking to buy ZOOM stock... but there's a problem. That's not the company they really want. They're really after ZM stock (from the popular video conferencing company Zoom). Due diligence anyone? And in our second headline, we'll cover one woman's emotional story about creating a "what-if" plan to prepare for the loss of a significant other. Later on, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Drew, who is on a student loan repayment plan. He'll qualify for student loan forgiveness in 20 years, but he doesn't want to put all his faith in his loans being forgiven. Should he forgo investing and instead plug away at his student loans? As always, we'll still save some time for Doug's trivia...which today is exceptionally epic. Thanks to Experian for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Boost your FICO score instantly for free. Boost is only available at Experian.com/sb.com. Thanks to LinkedIn for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Go to LinkedIn.com/sb and get a $50 credit toward your first job post. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Doug Lynam grew up in a wealthy family but rejected looking wealthy at an early age and began hanging out with counter-culture kids while trying hard to find himself. From that lifestyle to the Marines and finally to becoming a monk, we'll talk about Doug's quest to find himself and ultimately to come to grips with the role of money and what it meant for him (and also for many of us). We'll talk through stories about his quest, how he began helping his fellow monks with their money, and ultimately how he became a money manager. He'll also share strategies to help you begin building your financial knowledge, to start questioning your own view of money, and to ultimately become a better steward of money. It's a wide-ranging, fun discussion, and we hope you're able to join us for it! In our headlines we'll talk to Paul Yakoboski, Senior Economist at TIAA Institute, about the results of the company's 2019 Personal Finance Index. He'll share how education and juggling your financial life are closely related. We'll talk about trends with the P-Fin index, the roll of education in your game plan, and more. He'll discuss how to gain knowledge about money and how to become better handling financial concerns. Plus, another company is planning an iPO. No, not an IPO (initial public offering), but a more made-up term called an iPO. We'll explain today. Later in the show, we'll throw out the Haven Lifeline to Alan, who has an awesome question for us about pensions. He has two choices: one where he can take the full amount himself or another where he gives up $400 per month but his spouse is also covered for her life. Which does he take? Then, in our letters segment, Dillion writes in asking about the best way to transition into the field of personal finance. He's currently an accountant, but Dillion's realized his passion is in helping people learn about and gain control of their finances. What's the approach to moving into the personal finance field? Of course, we'll also make some room for Doug's trivia, so don't you worry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What happens when a bride and her mom spend $70,000 on a wedding and everything goes wrong? Here's a bigger question: What happens when you spend more to get a bigger, better experience and it completely goes awry? Is it better to "super size" your spending to find more joy? We're all about the correlation between happiness and spending on today's episode. We're shaking things up with today's roundtable guest because joining us in today's discussion is Bobbi Rebell, host of the Financial Grownup podcast AND co-host of our very own Money in the Morning show. Plus, we'll call up Paula Pant of Afford Anything, and Len Penzo from LenPenzo.com. After a crazy Game of Thrones meets Len Penzo inspired trivia from Doug, we'll answer a voicemail during the Magnify Money call. Reed asks about an article he's read on retirement. According to the piece, there's a lot of "front-loaded" spending in retirement, which could drain cash savings a lot quicker than expected. We'll give our take on retirement, spending, and planning in our response to the piece. Thanks to Clear for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Get your first two months of Clear for free by going to clearme.com/sb2019 and using promo code sb2019. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today we're all about your letters. We'll start with a question about moving funds around to avoid some taxes, jump into helping a 25-year-old decide whether to max out his retirement accounts, answer a question about robo advisors, and then launch into helping kids with money, how to save for a house, and more. In our headlines segment we'll talk to Joe Jiminez from The Alternate Life podcast. Maybe you've had the urge to quit your day job and go on a journey, but few of us have actually followed through. Joe Jiminez dumped the job and spent his summer walking the Continental Divide Trail. We might not be able to take the summer off ourselves, but we'll at least ask Joe what it's like. Then later on, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Reggie, who's heard on the show that OG isn't particularly fond of Betterment or Wealthfront. Reggie has a bulk of his money in Wealthfront and Betterment, so he's wondering...what's the issue? As always, we'll still save some time for Doug's trivia...which today is exceptionally epic. Thanks to Proper Cloth for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Get $20 off your first custom shirt at Propercloth.com/sb. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Connie Albers joins us today to talk about communication. Specifically, we'll talk about communicating with teenagers, but if you've ever struggled to communicate with anyone, Connie will share great tips on how to build bridges. We'll talk about how to ask the tough questions and have difficult conversations. We'll discuss ways to better understand what's going on in the other person's life. Most of all, we'll discuss ways to be a good leader for your children or for the people around you. If you're still struggling to finish your taxes, Katherine Pomerantz of The Bookkeeping Artist swoops in to save the day. Katherine will share some great tips for ways to possibly save some money on your taxes and also provide some guidance for people not prepared to finish today. How do you file an extension? What if you can't pay the tax due? And in our second headline, the amount of money Americans are paying on credit card interest is only going up this year... by A LOT. And later on in the show we'll throw out the Haven Life line to some new parents. Sebastian and his wife had their baby last year, and they're trying to secure his college future. They have a few different plans in mind, but would like some help on choosing the best one. Then, in our letters segment, Tom has recently started using savings apps. This all sounds well and good, but he also has $13,000 in debt. Should Tom forgo the savings until he has in debt under control? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why is a couple making $500,000 a year feel like they're just getting by? Shouldn't they feel better off than most people? On today's roundtable we'll examine the budget of the couple who feel just "average" and discuss why lifestyle inflation can eat up more of our income than we expect. Joining us on today's show we welcome special guest Michael Anderson (from Maranantha.com), Paula Pant (from AffordAnything.com), and from our very own podcast, OG. Halfway through the show we'll take a break for our weekly Friday Fintech segment, this week featuring something really cool that can help your retirement plan. Joe sits down with Jason Parker from Sound Retirement Planning, who shares the work he's done to create a calculator that will more likely help you set up realistic scenarios that you can use for your planning. And during our Magnify Money Call, we'll answer a voicemail from Annie. Annie's on the track to be debt-free. She's already been investing into her retirement accounts, and she has a four month emergency fund saved up right now. Annie will complete her last goal after she pays off her car loan and ups her emergency fund to six months. What should be her next milestone? As always, of course, we'll still save some time for Doug's trivia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How do you keep going when every day seems like a repeat of the last? What do you do to stay focused when either you're always asked to jump higher or may even just perform the same tasks again and again? Why do we turn every great hobby into a marketing opportunity and kill it by calling it a new a "side hustle" idea? What's the value of gifting something? What tools do you use to build your dreams? Our guest today, Austin Kleon, helps us address all of these fundamental questions and more. As a New York Times Bestselling author and creator, Kleon brings the creative mind of an artist to the pragmatic business world and shares some truths that can help all of us attain more of the life we're fighting for. Great news! There's some exciting new legislation working its way through Congress that could offer better retirement options in the future. As always, we've invited an expert to help us make sense of it all. Chris Spence is senior director of federal government relations for TIAA, and has a front row seat to all of the changes. He'll share highlights, concerns, and the big wins for many of us on today's show. Also during our headlines segment, we'll discuss one recent news article suggesting that those staying out of the equity rally are really starting to feel its effects. In fact, people staying on the sidelines in cash just might make this year's rally last longer. Later on, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Harvey. Harvey and his wife are closing on their dream home soon (congratulations!) and are wondering what they should do with their condo. They know they can more than cover its expenses if they rent it out, but selling the property will save them a ton of cash on their new loan, along with PMI payments. What should the couple do? Plus, when we get to our letters segment, we'll tear open some mail from Kevin, who's wondering if you can "exchange" ETFs like you can mutual funds. As always, we'll still save some time for Doug's trivia...which today is exceptionally epic. Compare checking, savings, credit cards, and loans before switching. Magnify Money makes it super easy to compare, switch and save. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ever wonder about firing your advisor? One woman wrote to Joe about firing her advisor, and we realized that's a question that many people have. How does the process work? Do you tell them? How do you move your money somewhere else? In their haste to get rid of an advisor, some people make big mistakes that end up costing them lots of money. Today we're letting you be a fly on the wall. In place of our regularly featured interview, we'll let you listen in on the recorded conversation Joe had with an anonymous listener who's gotten fed up with her financial advisor. They'll discuss whether to sell assets, what records to keep, how to talk to the advisor, and what to look for in new/better help and brokerages. Plus, in our headlines segment (couldn't get rid of that, could we?), the nation's biggest bond investor has dismissed the possibility of a stock market downturn in the near future. BUT, many in the financial media think the signs all point to stock market doom and the downturn is at our doorstep. So, who should we believe? Should our financial plan change regardless of what happens? And later in the show, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Danielle. Her son, who has special needs, is getting his job. They are working toward him living independently and want to open an account for him at a brick-and-mortar bank where he'll have assistance if needed and easy access to his cash. Thoughts? Then, in our letters segment, we'll cover a (totally) hypothetical question from Matt. Would it make much sense to have his kid forgo the traditional college experience and instead put all the savings into an investment account? It's all about time in the market, right? Don't you worry, we'll cover it all and more (including Doug's trivia), on today's content-packed episode of Stacking Benjamins. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Do you think you could pass a quiz covering basic questions about retirement? While you MIGHT be confident that you know the basics, a recent TD Ameritrade survey suggests that most Americans would actually fail a simple retirement quiz. To help us make sense of whether the terms listed on this quiz are actually meaningful we're helped on Joe's Dad's shortwave by Paula Pant (Afford Anything), Andy Hill (Marriage Kids and Money), and special guest Daniel Angelone (Innovative Planning Partners.) Halfway through the show we'll take small break from the roundtable for our weekly Friday Fintech segment. Joe will talk to Brittany Joiner, creator of the social finance app, Penge. Different than many of our interviews, the Penge app isn't yet "a thing." How does a developer create the idea for a new app and bring it to life? Brittany is living that right now. We'll also tackle how she realized that being inclusive with your social circle about personal finance can change our attitudes towards money. We'll cover that and more during today's Fintech segment. And during our Magnify Money Call, we'll answer a voicemail from Calvin, who's still getting adjusted to the world of personal finance. From what he's learned so far ETFs and mutual funds are the best way to invest. Is there anything else he should be doing with his money to diversify? As always, of course, we'll still save some time for Doug's trivia. Thanks to Away for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Go to awaytravel.com/sb20 and use the promo code sb20 to get $20 off a suitcase! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ever wonder what it'd be like to square off against the sharks? Tanya VanCourt from Goalsetter.co just did that and we'll share the exciting story from start to finish on today's show. Whether you're a fan of Shark Tank, Goalsetter, FinTech, or just entrepreneurship in general, you're going to love our blow-by-blow telling of Tanya's Shark Tank adventure. She shares LOTS of strategic lessons for anyone hoping to be a business owner, networker, or strategist. Plus, in our headlines segment, we'll talk to Peter Polson (CEO of Tiller) about Apple's new credit card offering, which was announced just last week. While it's been getting a lot of hype from the media, is the card worth it? We'll break down the features of the new card, perceived benefits from it, and how this offering stacks up against others. Also, we'll dive into one piece from Barrons that could throw a big wrench in a few retirement plans. Are you counting on your primary residence to finance your retirement? We'll discuss why that may not be the best strategy for your golden years. The Barron's piece calls it a trap, but do we agree? Later on, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Les, who owes extra tax this year due to his 1099 income. Les also receives a W2 from his employer. Could he request extra withholding from his employer to cover his self employment taxes? We'll round out the show with a letter from Nathan, who's hopping jobs. Both of his employers have a 457 plan, but his new job won't have a company match. What should he do with his 457? Roll it over? Leave it alone? Roll it to a different plan? As always, we'll still save some time for Doug's trivia...which today is exceptionally epic. Thanks to MetPro for supporting Stacking Benjamins! Get your complimentary Metabolic Profiling assessment and a 30-minute consultation with a MetPro expert at metpro.co/sb. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We aren't foolin' around on April Fools Day, because bestselling author, TED speaker, and top researcher of successful people Laura Vanderkam joins us. Laura and Joe tackle time management and priorities. When you have more tasks to do than time to do them in, how do you decide what to do first? What do you ignore? She'll share some simple to implement ideas that will help you conquer your inbox and more importantly, help you increase your attention to what matters. If you need more money, more time, or more life, this is the episode for you. In our headlines segment we'll also talk to Mike Foy from JD Power and Associates about their annual survey on full service advisory firms. This year it appears clients may be ready to ditch their advisor unless they're able to add to the bottom line (especially in a couple crucial areas). What is your advisor doing/not doing? We'll address that on today's show. Also in our headlines segment, Securities America has been hit by an $18 million lawsuit. With the company's now fired broker facing up to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to running a Ponzi scheme, what lessons should we be taking from a family who's taken an $18 million hit loss since 2001? Of course, that's not all. We'll also throw out the Haven Life line to to Royale. With her financial plans on track and savings going well, is there anything Royale and her family are missing from their plan? Of course, we'll still take time to answer a listener letter. Today we'll field one from Michael, who wants to know if there's a good strategy for investments when the market starts to cool off. , and talk about a certain project Mom's Neighbor Doug may or may not be working on. All of that and more in another action-packed episode of the Stacking Benjamins Show! Thanks to Away for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Go to awaytravel.com/sb20 and use the promo code sb20 to get $20 off a suitcase! Thanks to MetPro for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Get a complimentary Metabolic Profiling assessment and a 30-minute consultation with a MetPro expert at metpro.co/sb. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's show, we'll cover all the (once) great financial strategies that have floated around the financial community. What outdated rules-of-thumb are you holding? We'll talk about which financial rules you should probably chuck out the window, and which ones still hold some water in today's world. Joining us on today's roundtable is Sophia Bera (Gen Y Planning), Paula Pant (Afford Anything), and from our very own podcast, OG. Halfway through the show we'll take small break for our Friday Fintech segment, which today we're renaming "Friday HealthTech." Joe and OG sit down with Angelo Poli, the founder of personal lifestyle and weight loss company, MetPro. How do you get yourself in shape? Buy health and sell bad habits. And during our Magnify Money Call, our contributors will take a walk down memory lane to answer Rob's question. Rob's a high school teacher with the opportunity to pass on good financial knowledge to his senior class. He'd like some advice on what knowledge we would've wanted before we started our life journey. As always, of course, we'll still save some time for Doug's trivia. Thanks to Skillshare for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Get TWO months of courses for free at Skillshare.com/SB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tony Bradshaw believes that we all can become millionaires. Growing up in a low income household, Tony learned the hard way how difficult it was to make and keep a dollar. But, using some of the strategies he talks about on today's show, he set a goal, made a plan, and then worked his plan to become a millionaire before he was forty years old. We'll talk about how you can make similar choices on today's podcast. Plus, in our headlines segment, we're NOT talking about Millennials, but instead, the newest study focused on... Gen Z. If we had to put a label or two on this generation's approach to the workplace it would read something like this: fast promotions and BIG raises. We'll dig behind the numbers and find some takeaways that are more than meets the eye, with the CEO of the company that studied the commission, Bill Bennett, from Inside Out Development. Later on we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to David, who has some "big" investor questions. What's the deal with being an accredited investor? The group has to be pulling in a nice income every year, or has a big net worth already behind them. Is there really a higher class of investor who have better investing options than everyone else? After we spend some time sorting out the answer for David we'll field a letter from Kyle, who wants needs some guidance on what to do with a bonus from work. Should Kyle lump sump into his 401k (which will max out his contributions for the year), or dollar cost average the cash into his account? As always, we'll still save some time for Doug's trivia. Thanks to LinkedIn for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Go to LinkedIn.com/sb and get a $50 credit toward your first job post. Thanks to Skillshare for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Get TWO months of courses for free at Skillshare.com/SB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What's your money story? What the heck IS a money story? Jean Chatzky from Her Money (and the Today Show money editor) joins us to talk about her money story, why it's important, and how to use it to avoid making mistakes in the future and capitalize on your strengths. We'll also talk about maximizing social security, why many women don't consider themselves to be "investors," and judgement-free financial discussions. Plus, in our headlines segment, we'll cover one new story that suggests there's a "alphabeticity bias" in 401k investing. What is alphabeticity bias? We'll not only define it, but probably make you groan when you hear how it's hurting people's performance in their retirement plans. Later on we'll field some of your questions. First we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Tim, who has a pension fund at work and an estimated monthly benefit. How does he calculate his net worth statement. Next, we'll open up a letter from Tyler, who has recently read that he shouldn't own small cap funds in a taxable brokerage account because of capital gains. Does he have a right to be concerned? As always, we'll still save some time for Doug's (completely epic) trivia. Thanks to LinkedIn for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Go to LinkedIn.com/sb and get a $50 credit toward your first job post. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In true Stacking Benjamins fashion today we're all about the Tooth Fairy. A new Delta Dental study shows that the Tooth Fairy is leaving less money for children's teeth. Does this mean the economy is weakening? Does it mean that the value of teeth are lower? Helping us out today we welcome special guest Susan Beacham from MoneySavvy.com. Also on today's motley crew, is Paula Pant from AffordAnything.com, and rounding out our gang is Len Penzo from the LenPenzo.com blog. Halfway through the show, we'll take a break from our discussion with Susan and the rest of the gang to cover a long running IRA problem. Have you been looking for a place to make investing in alternative investments easier inside of your IRA? During our Fintech segment Joe will talk to Eric Satz, CEO of IRA company Alto, about what his company is doing to help streamline the process. Then we'll answer a Magnify Money call for help from Lauren, who wants to save money for her kid's college fund, but is weary about the restrictions that come with using a traditional 529 plan. What other college savings vehicles are available for her? As always, of course, we'll still save some time for Doug's trivia. Thanks to Airbnb for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Go to Airbnb.com/SB to start hosting. You’ll receive a $100 Amazon Gift Card if you generate $500 in booking value by May 30. Terms and conditions apply. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're answering your letters today, but first, we'll tackle a headline about the case against rolling over your 401(k) plan to an IRA. Most of us have heard why you should roll it over. Let's now hear the flip side. With points such as the lack of a stable value fund, the fact that many IRA advisors are just salespeople, and 401(k) plans in general beat IRA performance, the author makes many points which, on the surface, sound like an open-and-shut case. But is that really ALL of the argument? We'll discuss it today! Plus, also in our headlines segment, one special interest group who loves fiduciary rules is arguing against one state that's trying to put them into place. Do they have a good argument? What does that mean for advisors helping you with your planning in general? We'll also tackle that big topic. But then, we'll spend most of the show on your letters, which today include a TON of Roth IRA questions, among others. How should you set up your Roth? What about the 5 year rule? How should you invest your money inside of your Roth? We'll answer those, plus throw out the Haven Life Line, fire up Doug's trivia question, and more. Today's episode is a great way to celebrate the first day of spring! Thanks to the Murder Book Podcast for supporting StackingBenjamins. Check out Michael Connelly's new Murder Book podcast wherever you get your podcasts, or at MurderBookPodcast.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Finding the right person to help you make your best financial moves is a giant exercise in trust. How do you know an advisor is perfect for you? On that note, how do you know the advisor is right for anyone? What questions can you ask to avoid the wrong relationship? There are a thousand questions you could ask... but the bottom line is this: How do you hire the right person to help you manage your financial decisions? Coming onto the show today is the man with many answers, the author of How to Find the Perfect Advisor, Nicholas Stuller. By the end of the conversation, you'll know what you should watch out for and have the confidence to make the right decision when it comes to hiring a great advisor. Plus, in our headlines segment, we'll take a look at marijuana stocks. These types of stocks continue to see a huge inflow of cash, but could investing in a marijuana stock create some big unintended consequences? We'll cover one piece that details the repercussions you could face by throwing even a few dollars of fun money into the wrong investment. Later on we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to JB, who's looking for the pros and cons of choosing one method of retirement investing over another. What should investors be looking at when deciding on how to invest their retirement funds? We'll also answer a letter from Mark, who's looking for advice on if he should convert his traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. As always, we'll still save some time for Doug's (completely epic) trivia. Thanks to Airbnb for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Go to Airbnb.com/SB and start hosting. You’ll receive a $100 Amazon Gift Card if you generate $500 in booking value by May 30. Terms and conditions apply. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What do rich people do with all their Benjamins? Yachts? Helicopters? Trips to the Alps? Helping us through one MarketWatch piece that seems to have the answer to our burning questions about wealth, is the founder of Reisup, Tara Falcone. Plus, we welcome Len Penzo from LenPenzo.com and OG from our very own SB podcast. Halfway through the show, we'll take a break from our discussion to talk about the future of FinTech. On our special Friday segment to talk about where your next savings opportunity might come from, we welcoming the co-founder of start-up incubator Financial Ventures Studio, Ryan Falvey. Then we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Tim, who has a question about where he and his wife should sock away their retirement funds. Right now most of their money is in traditional accounts, but would it make more sense to have it a Roth account instead? As always, of course, we'll still save some time for Doug's (completely epic) trivia. Thanks to Grammarly for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Get 20% off a Grammarly premium account, go to Grammarly.com/SB. Thanks to Skillshare for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Get TWO months of courses for free at Skillshare.com/SB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Does it feel like it'll be an eternity until you've finally finished off your student loans? Maybe you're one of the nearly two-thirds of Americans who wonder how they'll ever pay off their loans. Student loans can be a burden for years after you've walked across the stage for a diploma, and it's one expense no one would miss from their monthly budget. And while money and enough time will eventually take care of your student loans, we expect you don't want to wait to be anchored down for a good portion of your working life. So to help you pay down your loans more quickly, today, we welcome special guest David Carlson. David has been in the all-too-known position of having to pay down lots of student loan debt... but he figured out a solution to pay it off. Now he's teaching his process to us. Plus, in our headlines segment, one FinTech company that you've probably heard of is rolling out fee-free exchange-traded funds. Surely it's time to jump ship and invest in them, right? In our second piece, we're looking at one MarketWatch publication about how a manager earns his profits: from other investors' mistakes. Later on we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Matt, who is relocating from Texas to Louisiana. Texas does not have a tax on income, while Louisiana does. Can Matt hold off on his retirement contributions so that he can reduce his earned income in Louisiana? And in our letter's segment, Duncan wants to know if he should take out a small loan to max out his Roth IRA for the year. He's only 30, so he has plenty of time left to minimize risk. As always, we'll still save some time for Doug's (completely epic) trivia. Thanks to Molekule for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Get $75 off your first order at Molekule.com with our promo code: SB. Thanks to Skillshare for supporting Stacking Benjamins. For 2 months of Skillshare FREE, visiting Skillshare.com/SB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are you aggressively striving for your financial goals? Putting in the time to make your dreams come true? Are you sure you're NOT going to let anything stand in your way when it comes to securing a nice retirement and a fantastic nest egg? Here's a question: when are you working TOO hard toward your goal? How do you know when you've gotten TOO caught up in the rat race? On today's show, we sit with entrepreneur David Hauser, who's built and sold two successful businesses, but who also has been overworked, unhappy, and unhealthy. Early on, David was used to a 100+ hour week, a lifestyle of unhealthy eating, and not a lot of physical activity. After a 10 year journey of self improvement, David has found a work-life balance that not only satisfies his financial needs but his personal ones as well. As you'll hear in the interview, being all about the Benjamins doesn't necessarily mean you need to sacrifice the other important parts of your life. Plus, in our headlines segment, how much do you spend on subscriptions? Today Joe talks to Andy Kerns from Digital Third Coast. Partnering with Waterstone to conduct the study, Andy's team looked into the relationship that America has with subscription services. Is it destroying your bottom line? We'll also dive into a piece on how the new crop of financial planners are trained... should more financial firms be looking at a residency program? Later on we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Roxanna, who's only partially vested in a 401k at her old workplace. Could she have problems getting her cash down the road? On the letter's side of things, Tearar wants to get some ETFs in her workplace's SIMPLE IRA, but is getting pushback. What's the deal? As always, we'll still save some time for Doug's (completely epic) trivia. Thanks to Molekule for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Get $75 off your first order at Molekule.com with our promo code: SB. Thanks to Grammarly for supporting Stacking Benjamins. For 20% off a Grammarly premium account, go to Grammarly.com/sb. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

401k? Roth? Dollar cost averaging? Market timing? Target-date funds? Choosing to take responsibility for your financial well-being is often a difficult choice, and it's not made any easier by the long list of jargon that comes attached to being money savvy. That's why on today's show we're breaking down all the words and definitions that'll have you scratching your head as you try to get your budget and retirement plan on the right track. Joining our awesome panel of contributors today (alongside our very own OG, and Paula Pant from Afford Anything) is Nate Abercrombie, from the Investing with the Buyside podcast. Halfway through the show, we'll take a small break from our discussion for our Friday Fintech segment. On today's segment, Joe sits down for a call with Parker Graham from the Destiny App. Do you want to pay off your debt faster (of course you do!), but also get the small wins from the debt snowball method? We'll explore how the Destiny App is setting out to give you the best of both worlds on today's Fintech. Plus, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Kristen. Kristen and her husband are high-income earners but are putting two kids through college. They're also carrying a mortgage and a car loan... with no retirement savings. Where should Kristen and her spouse put their focus as they realign their priorities? As always, we'll still save some time for Doug's (completely epic) trivia. Go to Airbnb.com/SB and start hosting. You’ll receive a $100 Amazon Gift Card if you generate $500 in booking value by May 30. Terms and conditions apply. Thanks to the Murder Book Podcast for Supporting Stacking Benjamins. Go to MurderBookPodcast.com to listen in. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Should you take on debt to buy real estate? Does the stock market really return as much as we're told it after a life of saving and investing? And on the topic of stocks... how should a portfolio be split up between small, large and foreign stocks? That's just a sneak peak of the broad range of question and answers we're discussing on today's jam-packed letters episode. During our headlines segment, OG is sharing his thoughts on Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway letter to investors. Plus, we're calling 1(800)Accountant CEO Mike Savage. What's the deal with this year's tax refunds... or lack thereof? After some unusually fantastic trivia by Doug, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Luke, who is getting his master's degree this fall. With his tuition covered, plus a stipend of $1400 a month, should he try to max out his Roth IRA before school starts, or should he save the amount of $6000? As always, we'll still save some time for Doug's (completely epic) trivia. Thanks to the Murder Book Podcast for supporting StackingBenjamins. Check out Michael Connelly's new Murder Book podcast wherever you get your podcasts, or at MurderBookPodcast.com. Go to Airbnb.com/sb and start hosting you’ll receive a $100 Amazon Gift Card if you generate $500 in booking value by May 30. Terms and conditions apply. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Whether you've never purchased a home before or just don't know much about the process, we've got a treat for you today. We're going to dive into everything mortgages 101 today, like PMI, the negotiability of fees, and the lie that everyone quoting rates is telling (those rates "might not be what you think they'd be.") On today's show we welcome the guy who's teaching us everything millennials need to know about mortgages, Jeff VanNote. During our headlines segment, we'll start with one piece detailing how Americans would spend a life-changing sum of money. Do you know how you would spend yours? In our second headline, we talk to head of retirement research from Carson Wealth, professor Jamie Hopkins. Could you be on the hook for your parents' long term care? Plus, in a special third headline, one Florida man received a $980,000 tax refund. Before you start asking how you can cash in as he did, you'll want to find out the rest of that story. Later on, we'll field a Haven Life Line call from Michael, who has $5,000 in savings. He's put in about $500 into Acorns so far to start investing, but should he be doing more? And in our letter segment, Allen tells us how he's been socking away $100 per month since his daughter has been born. She's going off to college in a couple of years, and Allen wants to keep socking away $100 for her in a Roth IRA once she graduates. Where's the best place to start the account? As always, we'll still save some time for Doug's (completely epic) trivia. Thanks to MagnifyMoney.com for sponsoring Stacking Benjamins. MagnifyMoney.com saves users on average $450 when they compare, ditch, switch and save on credit cards, student loan refinancing, checking, savings and more. Check out MagnifyMoney.com for your savings. Thanks to LinkedIn for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Go to LinkedIn.com/sb and get a $50 credit toward your first job post. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What should be the number one priority on your retirement planning list? That answer is going to be different for everyone, and on this roundtable episode our contributors gave their take on one list's "most' urgent items. You can find the original show notes from 2016 below:  What are the most important moves to make in retirement? Harlan Landes (Adulting.tv, Plutus Foundation) joins Paula (AffordAnything) and Len (LenPenzodotcom) to tackle a recent Wisebread piece that claims to give us the MOST urgent items on your retirement planning list. Does our panel agree? You'll find out on today's show. Also, we mull over real estate home improvements (where do you get the most bang for your hard-earned dollar?) AND dream about what we'd do if we could get unlimited points/miles. Heck, even ChiChi's gets a mention on today's show. You know it's going to be a wild one when we're talking ChiChi's. In our FinTech segment we talk to Jamie Wise from Buzz Indexes(BUZ) about their index and ETF. Hedge fund managers have been following the wisdom of social media crowds...now Jamie and his firm are bringing the same technology to the average investor. Thanks to MagnifyMoneyand SoFi for sponsoring our podcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When's the last time you gave you financial life a good inspection? It's been a bit since we talked about having a good look at our financial processes and routines, so the Fintern decided to spin up Joe's interview with Today Show Money Editor Jean Chatzky.  Back in 2017 Joe talked to Jean about why people should get a financial "check up." We still think that's a great idea in 2019. Here are the original show notes from 2017:  If anyone knows the heartbeat of personal finance, it's Today Show Money Editor Jean Chatzky. On today's podcast, Jean joins us in the basement to talk about your financial engine. How well is it running? She's teamed up with Dr. Michael Roizen to talk about how to age-proof your life. We'll have LOTS of tips and resources today. In our headline segment, we talk annuities. Our arch-enemy Meg forwarded us a nefarious piece about annuities that clearly displays what some annuity salespeople are thinking--they just want your cash. Plus, we throw out the Haven Life line and also save time for Doug's trivia. Special thanks to SoFi and Magnify Money for sponsoring our show! We couldn't do any of this without the support of these awesome companies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We haven't talked about market timing at all on the show lately, so the Fintern thought it was about time to reach back in the archives and find an old episode on the topic. This eshow is from a Wednesday back before we changed our format. OG sounds like he's in a tin can, to a degree, but if you can get through that, the show itself is a really great collection of letters from you. Here's the original show notes from 2015: Today the star of the show is YOU! You ask us about market timing, diversification and risk…and we deliver the goods. Plus PK is back in the basement to argue with Joe about emergency funds. When is it the right time to save into your emergency fund? Is it best to save BEFORE you pay down debt or AFTER? PK says AFTER and Joe says BEFORE….you’ll hear the epic debate on today’s show! As if that weren’t enough, today’s headline is about China’s recent move to regulate their stock market volatility. Is that good or bad for investors? We also review the film Focus with Will Smith and Margo Robbie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's easy to find financial advice on the internet. But finding GOOD financial advice? You'll find that's a bit more difficult. With so many money "gurus" pushing their sage wisdom, how do you sort through all the noise and find the truth? We'll discuss where the "truth" lies today, with some help from our contributors: Chelsea Brannon from Smart Money Mamas, Len Penzo from LenPenzo.com, and OG from this podcast. Today we're tackling money, (bad) advice, and lies! Halfway through the show we'll take a break to talk to Eric Redline, creator of kid-focused money management app, NuMoola. Next we'll answer a Magnify Money call from Scott, who wants to buy a home sooner rather than later. The catch? He doesn't have 20% to put down as a downpayment. Should he charge forward anyway? And don't you worry, we'll save some time for Doug's trivia. Thanks to Grammarly for supporting Stacking Benjamins. For 20% off a Grammarly premium account, go to Grammarly.com/sb. Thanks Audible! Get Power Moves by Adam Grant for free when you sign up for a free Audible trial at Audible.com/sbpower or text sbpower to 500 500. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today we'll throw out our regular playbook to focus on what's really important: your burning financial questions! From Ginny, who wants to become interested in finance (plus a husband who has a BIG man-crush on OG), to Craig and his wife who just inherited a big sum of money....and to Chris wants to know if he should use his savings to pay off his car note before his wedding, we made you and your questions our BIGGEST focus today. BUT, that's not all... we still managed to tackle two big headlines. Making ripples across the financial sector, one ex financial adviser has been sent to prison for seven years after stealing $300,000 from a 97 year old. How do you avoid that mess? We'll show you where this situation went off the rails. Plus, in our second headline, a series of mistakes has the Omaha Public School' pension fund scrambling after a $771 million shortfall. Headlines like these don't exactly inspire trust in the financial industry, so we'll share our big ideas on saving for retirement without walking into a mess like this. A letters episode doesn't mean we're skipping out on the Haven Life Line! Jared is at a critical point with his financial advisor, who hasn't had the best returns in the past couple of years. Is it time for Jared to give his advisor the boot? We can't make the decision for him... but we can tell him our thoughts. As always, we'll still save some time for Doug's (completely epic) trivia. Thanks to LinkedIn for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Go to LinkedIn.com/sb and get a $50 credit toward your first job post. Thanks to Grammarly for supporting Stacking Benjamins. For 20% off a Grammarly premium account, go to Grammarly.com/sb. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nearly everyone has had a "great" business idea. However, as mom says, "the devil is in the details," and great businesses aren't built on ideas, they're built on successful implementation and follow through. To help you set up either your next side gig or start your next big venture, we're excited to talk to Maria Aspan, Editor at Large for Inc. Magazine. She'll discuss where to look for financing, the importance of a business plan (is it really important?), how to ask family for money, when to include venture capitalists, and more. She'll also share some fantastic success stories from people who've already accomplished what many of our listeners want to learn. Plus in our headlines segment millennial money expert Stephanie O'Connell stops by the basement to discuss the new layaway alternative, Afterpay. Here's how it works: pick out what you want today and pay for it later. Does that sound somewhat like a credit card? Stephanie breaks it all down during our interview. And in our second headline, Cardi B is speaking out against people who are taking jabs at her spending habits. She says she's spending over $300,000 per month and can't lower her bills any more. What's her reasoning? We'll jump into her personal financial issues and talk about responsibilities during our second headline. And in our Haven Life Line, Dustin has his investments for his son's college in the market. With college quickly approaching, where should Dustin be moving his money? Then we'll take a letter from Chris, who wants more information on the rule of thumb many of us have heard, of having a certain threshold of money saved by different ages. As always, we'll still save some time for Doug's (completely epic) trivia. Thanks to MagnifyMoney.com for sponsoring Stacking Benjamins. MagnifyMoney.com saves users on average $450 when they compare, ditch, switch and save on credit cards, student loan refinancing, checking, savings and more. Check out MagnifyMoney.com for your savings. Thanks to LinkedIn for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Go to LinkedIn.com/sb and get a $50 credit toward your first job post. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Whether it's big check time from the IRS or not, it's always important to know ahead of time what to do with a large sum of money. Do you have a plan for your tax refund cash? Today, whether you have the beginnings of a plan or no clue, this show is for you. Today we're joined by host of the Seven Figures podcast, Sandy Waters, Paula Pant from Afford Anything, and our very own OG. About halfway through the show we'll take a break and talk to Mark Elliot from TIAA about your career. Looking for a more meaningful vocation? Mark will describe CareerPurpose.com, a partnership they've formed with LinkedIn to help people like you improve their work life. And after some deep-sea inspired trivia from Doug, we'll cross the finish line by taking out the magnifying glass and helping listener Austin. He could finish paying off his loans this year, but that would mean taking a year off from investing. What should he do? Thanks to OnDeck for sponsoring the show. For a free consultation with one of their US-based loan specialists, go to OnDeck.com/SB. Thanks to Grammarly for supporting Stacking Benjamins. For 20% off a Grammarly premium account, go to Grammarly.com/sb. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're celebrating Valentine's Day in true money podcast fashion, talking all things romantic, like wine, spreadsheets, money dates, and open communication about money. We know...total romance. Joining us to discuss all of these things and more are a father-daughter financial planning team of Walter Wisniewski and Allison Vanaski. We'll also talk about non-verbal money cues (what is your significant other NOT telling you about money, but is showing you?), why we're afraid of money chats, and how to discuss financial topics with aging parents and non-family members. We're talking all things communication on today's show! Plus, in our headlines segment, do credit scores factor in to how we look at love? Does good and bad credit matter in the dating world? We'll talk statistics and love with Jonathan Walker from The Center For The New Middle Class. Plus, Joe and OG will discuss one piece that covers 5 mistakes you could be making with your money. Later on, we throw out the Haven Life Line to Zac and his wife. They've recently discovered the FIRE movement and now want to retire by 50. With conventional logic suggesting to invest into accounts that won't be available under after 50, where should Zac and his wife be looking to invest with Fire in mind? Plus, we're also answering a letter from Any Mouse, who wants to know if he has enough assets to cover his son in the event that something happened to him. And don't worry... we'll still take some time for Doug's trivia. Thanks to the Murder Book Podcast for supporting StackingBenjamins. Check out Michael Connelly's new Murder Book podcast wherever you get your podcasts, or at MurderBookPodcast.com. Thanks to Grammarly for supporting Stacking Benjamins. For 20% off a Grammarly premium account, go to Grammarly.com/sb. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tanja Hester realized at a young age that even though she loved her career, she was still helping an organization chase THEIR goals instead of her own, and that's when her plan to make work optional was hatched. On today's show she'll talk about not only her story, but also about how she and her husband tracked their progress (dual spreadsheets!), discussed the timing of leaving, and downsizing her lifestyle. She also shares potential struggles she sees down the line, like rising health care costs. Whether you wish to retire early, or just retire someday, this is an interview for you. Plus, attorney Leslie Tayne will help us answer the Haven Life line call for help from Vince, who is worried that his mother is going to be on the hook for some loans she's co-signed. How does she remove herself if the main signer is nowhere to be found? In our headlines segment, we'll discuss 401(k) jargon. What terms do you must struggle with? We'll also share some advice for the upcoming Valentine's day holiday. And don't worry... we'll still have time for Doug's trivia. Thanks to MagnifyMoney.com for sponsoring Stacking Benjamins. MagnifyMoney.com saves users on average $450 when they compare, ditch, switch and save on credit cards, student loan refinancing, checking, savings and more. Check out MagnifyMoney.com for your savings. Thanks to OnDeck for sponsoring the show. For a free consultation with one of their US-based loan specialists, go to OnDeck.com/SB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ever ask yourself why you never seem to have enough money? Maybe the answer is that you need to make more at work, or maybe you just eat out a little bit too much during the week? On today's roundtable, we're joined by Marcus Garrett of the Paychecks and Balances podcast, Len Penzo (from LenPenzo.com) and our very own OG. We're tackling 7 questions that, if you're honest with yourself, will give you the answers to why you never seem to have enough money. Halfway through the roundtable, we'll take a break for the FinTech segment. Joe talks to Ksenia Yudina, founder of college savings platform U-Nest. Ksenia is a mom of three and wanted an easier way to save for college... so she went out and created one. We're also fielding a MagnifyMoney.com question from Matthew and his fiancée. They're thinking about getting into real estate but aren't big on the idea of getting back into debt. Should they keep their focus on investing in the market, or take the plunge? And of course, we'll still have time for Doug's trivia. Thanks to the Murder Book Podcast for supporting StackingBenjamins. Check out Michael Connelly's new Murder Book podcast wherever you get your podcasts, or at MurderBookPodcast.com. Thanks to Away for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Go to AwayTravel.com/sb and use the promo code sb to get $20 off a suitcase! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you're hoping for financial freedom, Grant Sabatier is maybe the perfect man to hear speak. At one point he was down to less than ten dollars in his accounts, and within a short time went from broke to a millionaire. How did he do it? He'll share his story (which includes how he made money), but also share how to drastically cut your expenses so that you can build your own fortune. In our headline segment, we'll talk to JJ Kinahan about financial independence. TD Ameritrade recently commissioned a study about the Financial Independence Retire Early movement. It turns out that many people chasing financial freedom have different ideas about "FIRE" than you may have heard in the past. We're also throwing out the Haven Life Line to Kody, who doesn't fully trust in the public service loan forgiveness program. He's going to be investing money into a taxable account so he'll be able to pay off the loan if needed. What do we think of him investing the amount instead of sticking it into a savings account? Plus, we'll be throwing out a letter to And don't worry... we'll still take some time for Doug's trivia. Thanks to Omax Health for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Visit Tryomax.com/sb for your free box of Omax3 Ultra-Pure with your first purchase. Thanks Audible! Get Power Moves by Adam Grant for free when you sign up for a free Audible trial at Audible.com/sbpower or text sbpower to 500 500.           Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

THE Jill Schlesinger returns to the basement to talk about three horrible investments people buy: gold, reverse mortgages, and hedge funds. We'll also discuss annuities, permanent life insurance, and other frequent offenders. If you're using any of these products, don't panic! These can all be used successfully in your plan, and Jill will talk about the horrible ways people are tricked into using these products so that you don't make the same mistakes. Then, in our headlines, we'll cover a piece about industry "sheriff" FINRA cracking down on companies offering expensive 529 plans. Companies will have until April to report themselves and avoid potentially big fines. We'll break down the big picture and what it means to you before we field a call from Trim CEO Thomas Smyth. Mastercard is unrolling a new plan to add consumer protections against those tricky "free" trials that we've all fallen pray to at one point or another. We'll dive in with Thomas to figure out what's all going on with the world of subscriptions and hidden fees. We're also throwing out the Haven Life Line to Xandra, who's fully invested in the total stock market index fund. With her 401k, HSA, and IRA taken care of, should she be branching out into emerging markets and small cap growth funds to diversify? We'll field a letter from Huy, who's being doing well with their 401k, but wants to open a Roth IRA. So... what exactly is an IRA? How do you open one? We'll break it down for Huy during out letters segment. And don't worry... we'll still have time for Doug's trivia. Thanks to Omax Health for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Visit Tryomax.com/sb for your free box of Omax3 Ultra-Pure with your first purchase. Thanks to Away for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Go to AwayTravel.com/sb and use the promo code sb to get $20 off a suitcase! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is the weekend we'll nearly all see (whether we're a fan of sports or not) people at the "top of their game" showing off their ability to excel at their craft. Here's our question: how do you excel with your money? That's why today we're discussing how YOU can maximize you financial Big Game with some good thought-out planning. Plus, we're not bringing you just one special guest today... but TWO. Joining us is Jace Mattinson and Clark Sheffield from the Millionaires Unveiled podcast. And we're keeping the party going with two contributors you know and love: Paula Pant from AffordAnything.com, and Len Penzo from LenPenzo.com. Halfway through the roundtable, we'll take a little break for our Friday Fintech segment. Joe's having a discussion with Justin Bailey, co-founder of saving and investing platform VimVest. Have plenty of savings goals but not exactly sure how to prioritize? You'll want to listen in to this interview. We'll also answer a MagnifyMoney.com question from Rob, who is a high school teacher. What's some great financial knowledge Rob should be gifting to his students before they graduate? And of course, we'll still have time for Doug's trivia. Thanks to the Murder Book Podcast for supporting StackingBenjamins. Check out Michael Connelly's new Murder Book podcast wherever you get your podcasts, or at MurderBookPodcast.com.             Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are you horrible with money? Turns out you're not alone (big surprise)! While most of us have been bad with money at some point in our lives, we don't usually write a book about it. Today we're joined by Gaby Dunn, who today will dive into her early years, and the money scripts she learned from school, parents, and friends. It's a quick look into her new book :Bad With Money. Plus, during our headlines segment, a Barron's piece proves again just how many people don't understand the FIREmovement. And in our second headline, investors are looking for "safer" investments as the economy continues to fluctuate. It's a sad reality that no matter how much we talk about not sabotaging your financial plan, people seem to consistently find a way to shoot themselves in the foot with their financial behavior. Later in the show, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Kathy, who is looking to retire in the next decade. She should be shifting more of her portfolio over to bonds? What's the right balance between bonds and equities as one gets closer to retirement? We'll also take time to answer a letter from Braden, who's fresh out of college and has his first full-time job. What are some resources he can use to start investing? And don't worry... we'll still have time for Doug's trivia. Thanks to Grammarly for supporting Stacking Benjamins. For 20% off a Grammarly premium account, go to Grammarly.com/sb. Thanks to LinkedIn for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Go to LinkedIn.com/sb and get a $50 credit toward your first job post.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices