Couple Money Podcast

Around 82% of Americans said their finances were affected by the pandemic and the fallout according to a recent Fidelity survey. If you're planning on retiring in a few years, that can be a really scary thing. Today I want to share a resource that can help you get back on track with your retirement plan! The 5 Years Before You Retire: Retirement Planning When You Need It the Most How comfortable do you feel about your retirement? You're not alone if you're worried about it. 36% of Americans are more concerned now than at the start of the pandemic on their ability to maintain a nest egg in retirement. The good news for most of us is that there is time to get back on track. Today's bonus episode is focused on helping you reset things and worry less about retirement. Thrilled to have Emily Guy Birken on. She is a former educator, lifelong money nerd, and a Plutus Award-winning freelance writer who specializes in the scientific research behind irrational money behaviors. She's also the author of several wonderful books including End Financial Stress Now and The Five Years Before You Retire, which has been updated and released today. I got an advanced copy and really enjoyed it. I actually ordered a copy for my mom. Emily covers everything you need to do in the next five years to maximize your current savings and create a realistic plan for your future. During our chat, we get into: The two biggest mistakes people make when it comes to retirement planning How to assess where you are with your finances now Understanding social security Hope you enjoy! Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union! If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today. Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and found it helpful, here are some ways to support it. Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and helps gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Our theme song is from Staircases. Additional music by various artists from Audiio.

Many families are looking for a getaway this year, but also want to stay on budget. We'll go over some great family vacation ideas and ways to plan a wonderful trip! Planning a Family Vacation in 2021 How do you plan for a year where you don't know exactly what to expect? I think that's been the unofficial theme this season. We've been talking about how to create a budget that's flexible enough? How do you figure out your schedule? Now I'm hoping maybe a little cautiously optimistic, how do we plan some family fun, maybe a few family trips sprinkled throughout the year if possible? Summer is coming up, people are getting vaccinated and while we're not out of the woods just yet, I'm looking to travel more. It seems I'm not the only one. A recent VRBO survey found that 65% of Americans plan on traveling more in 2021 than they did pre COVID. We rolled over a chunk of our vacation money into this year. I'm looking forward to going to the beach, whitewater rafting, taking a trip with just the two of us, and maybe going for a longer trip. At the same time, I want to be reasonable and keep some flexibility in case things change. This is why I'm so happy Karen Cordaway is here. She's the author of The Everyday Bucket List. In this episode we're going to look at: How you can build and cross off your bucket list Creating a flexible plan for travel this year Affordable vacation ideas Let's get started! Resources to Save on Your Next Family Vacation If you're looking to start planning and saving for your next family trip, here are a few handy resources to check out! Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money The Everyday Bucket List Book by Karen Cordaway How to Have a Safer Summer Family Getaway How to Vacation with Kids For Free: Travel Hacking 101 Free Travel Hacking Tracker from Our Rich Journey Everyday Bucket List Podcast: Raleigh Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union! If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today. Key Takeaways on Making the Most of Your Family Vacation I really enjoyed chatting with Karen and hearing all her creative ideas to have some memorable and affordable family fun. Here are a few key takeaways I got while preparing this episode: Bake Vacations Into Your Budget I'm a big fan of including what matters to you into your budget. Trips for us are not just about escaping, but connecting. Having the budget is really handy for a few reasons. You can move quickly on any great deals you find. You're doing this debt-free so when the trip is over you're not worried about paying off the card. If we don't happen to use that money – like what happened last year – we can roll that into the next year or use it for some other goal. Go Green Add parks- whether's national, state, local – to your rotation of destinations this year. These can be memorable and affordable trips for your family while still staying relatively safe. This could be an opportunity for your family to try something new. Be Flexible Last year really hammered in that there were things outside of our control. I'm cautiously optimistic that things will move forward, but I don't know. There may be smaller lockdowns or increased restrictions on the future in certain areas based on the numbers. To cope with that, we're taking Karen's advice and have some backup trips. As I'm making travel plans, I'm also being a bit flexible with dates to get some great deals. And I'm also checking reservations to make sure they have reasonable cancellation policies. Maybe because we've been staying more local that I'm really excited about this, but I'm so ready to travel more. If you'd like to chat more, please join us in our free and private Facebook group, Thriving Families. We're all about helping and encouraging one another with our family and financial goals. We swap stories, ideas, and tips. Just head over there now. We'd love to see you there! Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and found it helpful, here are some ways to support it. Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and helps gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Our theme song is from Staircases. Additional music by various artists from Audiio.

Need a boost with your income? Learn how to find the best paying side hustles for you! Finding the Best Side Hustles That Pay Well Sometimes to hit your goal faster, you just have to earn extra mone. Of course that's not the only thing you're doing. If you've taken my Free 5 Days to $5K course, then you know we look at three pillars when it comes to 'finding' money. First we optimize your budget, evaluating expenses to see if they are necessary or they bring you joy. Second, we uncover ways to save when you have to spend. But finally we also look at the other side of the coin – earning more money. Now the easy advice to give is to get a second job, but that's usually not the best solution, especially if you have kids or other limitations with time or location. This is where side hustles can help. You can earn more with a bit more flexibility. However it can be tricky because the ones usually advertised are not that well paying. You have to be strategic when finding a side hustle that allows you to earn more without burning you out. Which is why I'm so glad Jen Smith is on today. Jen has done it all. Seriously. From T-shirts to writing to Airbnb, she's tried out different avenues to earning more. On her site Modern Frugality and Frugal Friends Podcast, she's all about helping others to pay down their debt through better money habits and building their income. In this episode we'll get into: The differences between side hustles vs side jobs Explore options to earn more Building your income sustainably Are you ready? Let's get started! Resources to Build Up Your Income If you're looking to boost your income, here are some helpful resources to earn more money and manage it better! Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint TurboTax Free 401(k) Analysis: blooom Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Finding the Best Side Hustle as a Married Entrepreneur How to Build Income Streams to Knock Out Your Money Goals Faster Learn How to Pay Off Your Student Loans Faster with Side Hustles! How to Build a Profitable Side Hustle How to Create and Launch a Profitable Side Hustle in 27 Days! Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union! If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today. Key Takeaways We covered a lot of info today, so before we wrap up, I want to focus on a few key takeaways from preparing this episode. Have a clear goal for your side hustle. Be honest about your schedule and requirements. Your health > Money If you'd like to chat more, please join us in our free and private Facebook group, Thriving Families. We're all about helping and encouraging one another with our family and financial goals. We swap stories, ideas, and tips. Just head over there now. We'd love to see you there! Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and found it helpful, here are some ways to support it. Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Our theme song is from Staircases. Additional music by various artists from Audiio.

Getting ready to start house hunting? Get tips on how you find and buy a house you love that is still affordable! Are You Ready to Buy a House? Right now with the national median listing price in December was $340,000, chances are buying a house – it's typically the biggest purchase a family makes. Depending on where you live it can be a hot seller's market, making it even more difficult to find a place that you love. That's why it's so important to go in prepared not financially, but with an understanding of what home ownership truly looks like. Certified Financial Planner and Accredited Financial Counselor® Adam Hagerman is here to help sort through things including the whole rent vs buy debate. Before you start house hunting, you want to make sure this is the best move for you and your family. In this episode, we'll get into: How the buying process work – qualifying for a mortgage, finding an agent, house hunting, and closing Bad advice and myths people hear about buying a house What you truly need to focus on when you're buying so you'll be happy and not house poor Let's get started! Resources on Buying a House If you're looking to buy, here are some resources to help you find an affordable place you love! Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Buying a Home How to Snag a Great Deal When Buying a House What You Need to Know About Mortgages Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union! If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today. See how Coastal can help you with your mortgage needs! Key Takeaways on Snagging a Great Deal When Buying a House We covered a lot of information today so before we wrap up, I want to focus on a few key takeaways from preparing this episode. The first one is please run your own numbers. I want you to own a home and for it to feel like a blessing and not a burden. Finding an affordable place means that you're able to be a homeowner and still hit your other financial and family goals. The second is focus on what matters to you. I don't know how it happens, but when you announced that you're buying a house, There's a lot of advice that's thrown at you. Some of it is well-intentioned and good, but sometimes there are myths that keep getting passed on as a fact. So you want to make sure that you've defined. What kind of house that you want, why you want this house and also again, that the numbers line up for you. Don't feel pressured to buy a house simply because you're supposed to be doing it or it's that time in your life that everyone else is buying a house and said make sure this is a milestone that you want to hit. Finally, as you probably picked up based on what we've talked about, the more work that you put into it, the better the results. A lot of this is preparation, getting the pieces in play. And then the house hunt becomes a lot easier and a lot less stressful. Spending the time upfront, getting your finances in place. Defining your must haves and having your wishlist and knowing which neighborhoods you would love to get a house can make this home buying process a lot more fun. There is so much to talk about when it comes to house hunting, so if you want to chat more, please join us in our free and private Facebook group, thriving families. We're all about helping and encouraging one another with our family and financial goals. We love to swap stories, ideas, and tips. We can tell you what worked for us, what didn't, and you can usually find someone in the vicinity or area you're in which can be great for recommendations for things like real estate agents. Please head over to simplify and enjoy.com/fb. We'd love to see you there! Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and found it helpful, here are some ways to support it. Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Our theme song is from Staircases. Additional music by various artists from Audiio.

Thinking of selling your house? Today we'll go over how to prepare your place so you can get the best price for it! What You Need to Know to Sell Your House for More Selling a house, especially when it is your first place, can be overwhelming. Even in a seller's market like we have here in Raleigh, you have work to do. You have to fix up your space, stage your house, and have it ready for showings. Let's not forget this added layer of social distancing and safety we need to practice while we deal with the coronavirus. However, selling your house at the best price can also be a huge boost to your finances and bring you closer to your goals. The difficult part can be getting to that point Which is why I'm glad Mariella Guillama is here today. She's an award -winning Real Estate Broker at Daymark Realty. We used Daymark when we sold our first home and for buying our current place. We're super happy with the experience. In this episode, we'll get into: finding the best price to list it what mistakes to avoid so you're not wasting time or money how to prepare your place so it wows potential buyers and you get top dollar offers We have a lot to cover, so let's get started! Resources to Get Top Dollar When Selling Your House Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank Quick and Essential Guide to Sell Your House for More Money Real Estate Agent, Broker, Realtor: What's the Difference? Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal Credit Union! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! We've been members for years and love their service and competitive rates on checking and savings accounts! Key Takeaways for Selling your House I know we only scratched the surface. There's so much to talk about and I'd love to chat some more about this. So if you want, please join us in our free and private Facebook group, thriving families. We're all about helping and encouraging one another. With our family and financial goals. We love to swap stories, ideas, and tips. Just head over to simplify and enjoy.com/fb. We'd love to see you there. Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and found it helpful, here are some ways to support it. Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Our theme song is from Staircases. Additional music by various artists from Audiio.

Who doesn't love a good DIY home project? But how do you take what you see online or on television and translate that into your home, especially when you are not naturally handy? Today, we'll look at what you need to know to get started and build up your DIY skills! Getting Started with DIY home Projects Last week we were talking about being a frugal foodie, home brewing, and having a garden at your place. These are some of my favorite topics. I enjoy talking about how to save money and put it towards goals that matter to you but I also love learning new things. As I mentioned last week, I wasn't a natural gardener. My first attempts are pretty bad keeping plants alive. I ended up going with cacti and fake plants inside the house for a few years. By starting off small with a little front patio garden. I began to get some practice and to learn some skills. And I would not call myself a garden expert. Now I'm really proud that we have a space out back where we can grow the vegetables that we enjoy and love. I feel the same way about DIY. Neither one of us are naturally handy people, but when we became homeowners, we out of necessity had to learn some skills. Not only so that we can save some money, but turn our house into our home. If you're thinking of taking on some home projects, but you don't know where to start, then this is your episode. Whitney Hansen, who's the creator and host of The Money Nerds podcast is here today. Besides her financial skills, she also has some serious DIY talents. She loves to jump into projects whether it's painting her house, building a fireplace, or flipping furniture. In this episode, we'll get into: why and how she got started with her home projects how to save money when you're doing DIY, and where she finds resources to learn new skills. Are you ready? Let's get started! Hope you enjoy! Resources to Make Your Home Projects less stressful and on budget If you're planning on doing a home DIY project and you want to keep it stylish and affordable, here are some resources to check out! Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Designer Kitchen on an IKEA Budget? Renovate, Remodel…Relax! Save Money, Gain Skills with DIY Home Repairs Weekend Home Organization Projects DIY vs. professional renovation: What to tackle yourself and what to leave to the pros Home DIY 101: Tools Every Couple Needs Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal Credit Union! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! We've been members for years and love their service and competitive rates on checking and savings accounts! Key Takeaways with DIY Home Projects Here are a few key takeaways from today's episode! Start where you can. With Whitney, flooring was one of her first projects. You may be more along the lines of us, where our project was painting. It may not sound like much but you can always build up. Fixing up furniture you find at yard sales or thrift stores. repairs around the house, including your gadgets are ways to practice and develop skills. Run the numbers and outline the project. Whitney mentioned she kind of wings it, but she also mentioned breaking the projects down. Even if you hire a contractor, it is really beneficial to be familiar with the overall process so you can make sure you're getting a good deal and paying them fairly. Safety first. An additional benefit of breaking down and understanding the process is knowing your limits. It's not worth saving money for your safety in jeopardy. Whitney is comfortable with some electrical work in part because she had an electrician show her the ropes. For us, we'll do some plumbing, but will call for electrical work. There's so much we can chat about, so come join in our Facebook group Thriving Families. We're there to support one another with our family and financial goals. I'd love to share any tips I can and I know there are others too. We'd love to see you there! Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and found it helpful, here are some ways to support it. Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Our theme song is from Staircases. Additional music by various artists from Audiio.

Just because we're at home doesn't mean we can't still be frugal foodies. Today, we'll look at how you can jumpstart a garden and start making craft brews at home! Frugal Foodie at Home Frugal foodie is back! If you're new to this series, it's where we explore ways you can eat well without breaking the budget. For some though, when you hear frugal. It means cheap. I get it. Maybe, you know, someone who brags about getting the absolute lowest price on everything. Whether it's good or bad. While you can save money being frugal, the real focus is getting the best value. When it comes to food and really life, he don't want to settle for less just because it's the cheapest. You want to get the most out of what you have. With this series, we look at ways that you can make your dollar go further. We've talked about getting great deals on food, whether it's grocery hacks, meal planning, or even going out to eat. Today, we're going to look at another way you can enjoy fantastic meals and still keep things affordable. We're talking about gardening and home brewing. What was interesting was how incredibly relaxing these hobbies, where especially last year. Many of us had more time at home in the usual options weren't always available. Family trips, checking out the museums or festivals were all off the table. We had to find ways to keep ourselves busy and have some creative outlets. For us that included making home brews and being out in the garden. We had home brewed years ago, but when we had two toddlers at home, it became more of a hassle so we took a hiatus. Thankfully, we still had the equipment in our basement so when we felt like starting that back up last year, it was fairly simple. The other hobby gardening is something we've been working on year after year, especially with this house. We have our main space Outback, where we grow hot peppers, tomatoes, different green strawberries and more. 2020 was still. You know, 20, 20, but it was good to have a project to work on. While, I don't think all of our Happy's have to be productive or optimize, I do feel like there are some great benefits. With making and growing your own food. If you're really looking to make meals at home, more enjoyable and special, it's hard to beat something that you grew or made yourself. Today, we're going to look at what it takes to get started so the two of you can level up and become frugal foodies. In this episode, we'll go over: how you can set up an easy to maintain a garden in or outside your house Explore the fun of home brewing craft beers look at the numbers and see how they come out. Are you ready? Let's get started! Resources to Become a Frugal Foodie If you'd like to try out your handy with gardening or homebrewing, here are some handy resources to help you get started! Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint TurboTax Free 401(k) Analysis: blooom Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Gardening Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co Parents Should Grow Coronavirus Victory Gardens With Their Kids The Best Plants for Kids Who Garden Home Brewing American Brewmaster Does Homebrewing beer Save Money? How To Brew Your First Homemade Beer Homebrewing as a Couple Homebrewed Gifts for Your Friends Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal Credit Union! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! We've been members for years and love their service and competitive rates on checking and savings accounts! Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and found it helpful, here are some ways to support it. Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Our theme song is from Staircases. Additional music by various artists from Audiio.

Tax season is here. How prepared are you? Today we'll go over how to make filing your taxes easier and less stressful! How to Make Taxes Less Stressful Between the paperwork you need to track, tax terms that are dry, and the eye-opening nature of going through your finances for the year, taxes can understandably make you anxious. If you're looking to optimize your finances, you have to get your taxes done right. Today, I want to give you a quick and easy guide on preparing for your taxes. In this episode: We take a step back to look at essentials of taxes We examine the tax deductions and credits parents should know Examine ways you can plan and set yourselves up for big wins on next year's taxes Are you ready? Let's get started! Resources to Tackle Your Taxes Looking to make taxes less stressful? Here are some of my favorite resources! Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint TurboTax Free 401(k) Analysis: blooom Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Mastering Your Taxes This Year How to Tackle Your Taxes Like a Pro and Maximize Your Refund Income Tax Brackets for 2020 Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal Credit Union! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! We've been members for years and love their service and competitive rates on checking and savings accounts! Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and found it helpful, here are some ways to support it. Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Our theme song is from Staircases. Additional music by various artists from Audiio.

How can you plan and budget for a year when there are so many things up in the air? Today we'll go over how the two of you can create a plan and budget so you can hit your goals while being flexible enough to switch gears if needed! How to Hit Your Money Goals During a Uncertain Year This first month of 2021 is just about wrapped up and already it's been an eventful year! A huge challenge we faced in 2020 and it looks like for a good part of this year, it's going to be creating plans when there's no firm idea of what to expect. Heard from many of you, the frustration and the stress of having plans started at the beginning of the year, and then getting hit with the pandemic or the financial fallout from it and it throwing everything off. It's understandable if you are not looking to repeat that in 2021. While we can't prepare for every single situation and emergency, there are steps we can take to shore up our finances and give us more options. Our goals and our budgets need to have flexibility built in so that we can pivot for whatever comes up. But how do you do that? How do you plan in budget when you don't know what to expect? That's going to be our focus for today. We're going to look at the big picture and talk about how to approach your goals for this year and your budget. Then We're going to drill down with a goal that many couples have- paying off their student loans - and coming up with a plan when there's still certain decisions that haven't been made yet. There was an announcement last week with federal student loans, but are we going to have anything forgiven? Certified student loan professional Meagan Landress from Student Loan Planner is here to talk about your options and what the two of you need to discuss to come up with a plan that fits your needs. We got a lot to cover, so let's get started! Resources to Stay on Top of Your Money If you're looking to build up your finances, here are some handy resources we mentioned in the episode plus more! Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal Credit Union! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! We've been members for years and love their service and competitive rates on checking and savings accounts! Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and found it helpful, here are some ways to support it. Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Our theme song is from Staircases. Additional music by various artists from Audiio.

For many families, 2020 threw us for a loop. Today we'll look at how you can revamp and build your budget so you can hit your financial goals faster! Revamping Your Budget I think it's fair to say that last year did not go as any of us planned. I'm not going to recap the year – we were all there- but honestly, we had a lot curve balls thrown at us. Because we had to make so many changes with how we worked, did school, and more, our day to day routines changed and our budgets did as well. While I'm happy that there are vaccines being produced now, there's still much ahead of us. It's going to be a while before things get back to a more normal routine. Which means more than ever, we create a plan for our finances. One of the best ways you can pivot your finances is by creating a roadmap for your money. For most families, that means creating a better budget. Some challenges that couples face can include: sinking up on what goals you want to tackle this year Building a budget that is flexible enough to deal with adjustments Finding ways to both save for your goals and for some fun So we're going to dig into this today one by one. Rob Bertman is on the podcast. He's a certified financial planner and the creator of Family Budget Expert. He's worked with families on reconfiguring their budgets so that it reflects them and their specific goals. We have a lot to cover, so let's get started! Resources to Build a Better Budget Together Looking to create a budget? Here are some helpful resources: Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Family Budget Transformation System Is the 50/20/30 Budget Right for You? The 50/50 Rule to Avoid Lifestyle Inflation! How to Successfully Budget as a Couple If you'd like to chat more about your money system, please join us in our private and free Facebook group – Thriving Families. We're families looking to support and help one another out. Hope to see you there! Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal Credit Union! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! We've been members for years and love their service and competitive rates on checking and savings accounts! Key Takeaways on Creating a Budget That Fits Your Family and Goals Now that we're two weeks into our monthly money challenge. Which is simply tracking your money. You're probably getting a clearer picture of your family's cashflow. Get Your Free Money Toolkit Learn how you can quickly & easily set your money up to dump your debt faster! Join our community to get the free toolkit and newsletter! Get Instant Access We never share your information with third parties and will protect it in accordance with our Privacy Policy BirdSend Email Marketing Tool With those numbers in front of you, the two of you can start building a budget together that makes sense for you and your goals for the year. Here are a few things to look out for and discuss. Which areas of your budgets, are you spending more or less than you had anticipated? Since many families stayed home more in 2020. It's natural that your budget's shifted. In certain areas may have seen an increase while others. Had a decrease. Now that the new year has started, things may have shifted again. If, so which areas of your budget are staying on target? In which ones are unexpectedly higher or lower? Of course, if you're going over budget, you immediately need to make changes. But this may be a case of where you need to adjust your budget, to be more realistic for your current and future circumstances. Perhaps you've discovered that yes, you're spending more with food, but you're eating at home more eating healthier. And the quality of the food that you're picking out is much better. So in that case, you may decide going forward that you want to keep the food expenses in that range and cut somewhere else. The second thing to discuss. And it is related to the first is how much did you enjoy with your spending? I know sometimes in the personal finance space. Spending is seen as a negative, but that's not necessarily the case. Again, when we're looking at budget, we're talking about what we prioritize and what we value. I know for us, we've made some purchases during the pandemic, since we were going to spend more time at home and we do not regret those purchases. We put some more money into our family garden and got items for the yard, such as a hammock and a telescope and we really enjoyed those purchases. What about you? What new spending did you have because of the pandemic. Perhaps it was buying games for family game night. You may be looking at that spending and you're happy with it. And you might decide that going forward, you want to keep it in your budget. Then make sure that you put it as a new line item in your budget going forward. Creating a budget.

Dealing with debt can be a grind, especially if you have a ton of debt or if it is high interest. Today we're going to see how the debt lasso method can speed things up with credit card debts and we'll get tips on how to pay off over six figures of debt without sacrificing fun! Creating a Plan to Pay Off Your Debts One of the most popular goals families make when it comes to money is paying off their debts and with good reason. Even before the pandemic, debts were a considerable chunk of an average American family's budget. The median household consumer debt was $67,000 according to data in New York Fed's quarterly Household Debt and Credit Survey. Getting rid of that debt is not always so easy. You need something that is realistic so you can stick with it as well as a way to speed things up if you're deep in debt. We're going to look at how you can create a debt free plan that fits your family and budget. Today's financial experts are John and David Auten-Schneider and Toni Husbands. In this episode we get into: Deciding which plan would work best Getting your spouse on board finding that balance between hitting your financial goals still enjoying your life Let's get started! Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Android, or on your favorite podcast platform. Resources to Dump Your Debt Faster If you're looking to create a debt free plan that fits your family, budget, and timeline here are some helpful resources to review. Money Apps for Families: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Debt Lasso Debt Free Guys The Great Debt Dump Debt Free Divas If you'd like to chat more about your money system, please join us in our private and free Facebook group – Thriving Families. We're families looking to support and help one another out. Hope to see you there! Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal Credit Union! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! We've been members for years and love their service and competitive rates on checking and savings accounts! Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and found it helpful, here are some ways to support it. Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Our theme song is from Staircases. Additional music by various artists from Audiio.

Most parents have their hands full and too many times our finances, health, and homes don't get the attention they should. We go over how you can reset your habits so you simplify your finances, home, and lives to enjoy some big wins this year! Reworking Your Habits For multiple reasons, 2020 was a challenging year. Even if you weren't directly affected by the pandemic or managed to avoid the financial fallout of it, chances are you were impacted by what was happening. If you're a parent, you had this gargantuan task of working from home, staying productive, while corralling your kids with their remote learning. But we made it here. Understandably, you're probably looking forward to resetting a few things, including your finances. Peter Polson, the founder of Tiller, is joining me in this episode to discuss how to shift your financial habits and more. It may seem these are too small to matter or make a difference, but from our personal experience and learning from others, habits are really the building blocks to pivoting towards your goals, whether it's with money, at home, or our health. In this episode, we're looking at: Why Habits Are Better Than Relying on Just Willpower Essential Daily Habits to Add Into Your Routine How to Design Your Schedule and Finances Around Who and What Matters Most to You Ready? Let's get started! Key Resources to Help You Change Your Habits Looking to reset a few things to get some family and financial wins this year? Here are some fantastic resources to help you! Money Apps for Families: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint Tiller's 30 Days of Financial Wins. Tiny Changes with Big Results Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! We've been members for years and love their service and competitive rates on checking and savings accounts! Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and found it helpful, here are some ways to support it. Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Music in this episode was provided by artists from Audiio.

Get a peek into how we did with our goals for this year and see how you can do your year review and set yourself up for an incredible 2021! Year-End Review and Planning for 2021 What a year, what a year! We still have another month, but most people I know are kind of winding down. As we wrap up this 10th season, I thought I'd share a bit of our year-end review. We started 2020 with three big goals. The first two happened at the same time – no the original plan- but we worked with it. Hopefully, it'll give you some ideas with your own year-end review and how to best prepare for the next steps. Speaking of next steps, I have some exciting news about the podcast that I want to share. Love to get your take on it. You ready? Let's get started! Resources to Make Money Less Stressful If you're overwhelmed and looking to smooth out your money system so you can focus on the big wins, here are some helpful resources to check out! Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Why You Should Design Your Life Before Reaching Financial Independence How Much is Enough Money? The Levels of Financial Autonomy Designer Kitchen on an IKEA Budget? Buying a Car: What You Need to Know to Get the Best Deal! Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional Music from Artists at Audiio.

How well is your money working for you? Today we're looking at how personal finance can be more holistic and reflective of what most to you through financial wellness! Financial Wellness: A Holistic Approach to Money How did this year go for you? I have not met one person yet who has had it go as they expected. Even if you were financially prepared – emergency fund, debts are paid off are in the process of being knocked out, things shifted. As I talked about in the last episode, we had expenses like transportation, travel, and eating out drop to pretty much zero or drastically cut while others like family entertainment and charitable increased. A big reason why is that our finances – to a degree – reflect what's going on in our lives and our priorities. This is not exclusive to 2020. However, I've been hearing from so many people here in the community and in my personal circle about how they took a step back and reviewed their finances. They looked beyond the numbers and had some conversations about where they really want their money to go. They're looking at the next year when hopefully things will shift back at some pace to 'more normal. I was just discussing with a friend how having to stay at home more and in a sense slow down from her regular routine with the family gave her a chance to weed out unnecessary things. That, in turn, is fueling her plans for 2021 and beyond. Maybe you're at the point too. That's why I'm looking forward to today's show. We're wrapping up this year with how you can set up your finances more holistically and make it more reflective of your family. Jason Vitug is here to help me out. He is the founder of Phroogal and financial wellness expert empowering a generation to live their dream life through financial knowledge. Jason's also the author of the best selling book, You Only Live Once. In this episode, we'll get into: Why tracking your numbers is so powerful Why financial wellness matters How to start planning for a richer life beyond the numbers Ready? Let's get started! Resources to Make Money Less Stressful If you're overwhelmed and looking to smooth out your money system so you can focus on the big wins, here are some helpful resources to check out! Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Phroogal You Only Live Once Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! Key Takeaways Before we wrap up, I want to focus on a few key takeaways I got from preparing this episode. The real power of tracking your money is not in the amounts, but the awareness. A rich life includes financial wellness. Budgets should reflect YOUR priorities and values. I know switching can seem to be a bit tricky. If you have any questions or are stuck, please come chat with us and our Thriving Families Facebook group. Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional Music from Artists at Audiio.

We've brought back the reader mailbag. Today we're answering your questions about marriage and money! Reader Mailbag One of my favorite parts of Couple Money is the community. Having you be a part of this has definitely made the work more enjoyable. Whenever I hear from you about what you're working on, questions you have, or ideas you think will be helpful, I'm happy. When I started Couple Money 11 years ago, it was basically a journal of us and our journey of paying off debt. Then you came in and other couples sharing your stories and it's really been a blast. So today's episode will be a bit of fun, I'm answering the most popular questions I've received this year along with one covering a new topic I haven't really got into before. In this episode, we're answering your questions such as: How our spending has shifted this year with everything going on Quick way to figure out how much you need to retire How defined benefit plans work Ready? Let's get started! Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! Resources to Get the Most Out of Your Money Here are some resources to make managing your money much easier! Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Saber Pension & Actuarial Services Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional Music from Artists at Audiio.

Learn how you can move your money and switch to a new bank or credit union! Ready to Switch to a New Bank? A bad bank or credit union can not only be a headache, but it can also slow you down as you try to build your finances. Between the excessive/hidden fees, bad customer service, and low-interest rates on savings, it's understandable if you're frustrated. You may be wondering, what's the point of keeping your money there? That's basically how we felt when we dealing with our old banks. When my husband and I first got married in 2006 we decided to open joint checking and savings accounts and keep most of our money there. We both had free checking with two of the big banks (Bank of America and Wachovia at the time) that we opened when were in college. Since they were student checking accounts they had no maintenance fees which was a plus. However, they didn't offer much else so neither account stood out. Because I would be taking care of the day to day budget and bills, we opened our joint accounts with Bank of America. I never had a problem with them so I figured it would be alright to use them. I was wrong. Within 6 months of opening the joint accounts, we were having problems with them. Besides getting hit up with bank fees (now we had a monthly minimum to keep), wrong accounts being debited (bills came out of my account instead of the joint), and rude customer service (don't even want to talk about that). We had a decision to make – keep dealing with this nonsense or move our money. Guess which one we picked? Looking back, I'm so glad we switched. Our money is actually earning something – even in this low-interest environment. Fees have dropped significantly, money is coming out of the right accounts, and if a mistake comes up – no one is perfect – it's quickly resolved. Actually resolved by a person and not someone reading from a script or switching us from department to department. I wish we had done it sooner, but like most people, we hesitated because of the hassle. Making sure paychecks were moved over, having bills come out of the new account, avoiding fees while switching – these were all things we wanted to avoid. Maybe you're in this boat – you're not happy with where you're banking, but you don't want to deal with the hassle. So today, I'll take you through how you can seamlessly switch to a new bank or credit union. In this episode, we'll discuss: How Much Bad Banking Really Costs You How to find a better banking option for your money How to seamlessly switch your deposits, bills, and more Are you ready? Let's get started! Resources to Get the Most Out of Your Bank Accounts Are you two ready to master your joint accounts? Do you want to create a system that fits your priorities and styles? Here are some resources to check out. Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Optimize Your Bank or Credit Union Accounts Coastal Federal Credit Union Want a Happier Marriage? Combine Bank Accounts Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union! If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today. Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional Music from Artists at Audiio.

If you think talking about money with each other is hard, try talking to your parents. Today we're getting into one of the money sensitive situations when it comes to marriage and money – making sure your parents are in a good spot during their golden years. Taking Care of Parents Family and finances can be stressful. But typically makes it so difficult is how easily our emotions get involved. Talking with your parents about money. Is red at the top of the list. It can definitely be awkward, but it's not something you want to put off. If anything, this year especially has been a clear reminder that we need to be prepared. Stuff happens. While we can't anticipate everything. Having these conversations and making sure our money's in a good spot can make stressful things a little more bearable Last year, Cameron Huddleson shared a story from her book Mom and Dad: We Need to Talk: As uncomfortable as it seems to have these conversations, in a way, it"s the loving thing. You're looking out for your parents. Let's be honest, there are a lot of moving parts. There's the two of you and then your parents and theirs, siblings, so it can sometimes be tricky communicating with everyone. On top of that, you have to deal with your own finances and schedules and those factors will affect what you're able to contribute. So to make things easier, we're going to break things down into some key steps you can take and some conversation starters to get the ball rolling. In this episode we'll get into: Opening up the conversations with your parents to see where they're at How to discuss together what you're able to do for your parents Drafting a plan so your parents are in a better spot for retirement and beyond and your finances are in a good spot Ready? Let's get started! Resources for Parents and Retirement Here are some fantastic resources to help you two get more comfortable talking about retirement and more with your parents. Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint Automatic Saving: Qapital Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Mom and Dad: We Need to Talk Rock Retirement – Roger has written an incredible book that breaks down how you can plan and save not just for retirement, but a life you love now! Free 401(k) Analysis: blooom Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union! If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today. If you want to be better prepared financially, please consider Coastal's Retirement Planning Program! Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional Music from Artists at Audiio.

One of the biggest game-changers with our finances was shifting things so we could live on one income. However, that's not always an easy thing to do. Today I'll break down strategies and tactics that we and other couples have used to make it easier! Living on One Income I'm serious; if we had to identify the one habit that changed the trajectory of our finances, it's moving finances in such a way that we could live with just one income. Here's the thing – when we started it was out of practicality. When we were first married, our income was much tighter. My husband had his first post-graduation and I was wrapping up my final year in college. I was attending full time and I had a paying part-time internship. Because of the nature of the internship, we didn't know if it would be extended beyond the semester or not. We sat down and decided we needed to keep our essential expenses under his income. My income would be used for building our financial cushion, paying off the debts we had, and yes, some fun money. At that time it didn't seem like a big deal, but that mindset and system was a tremendous help. We were able to goals like paying off debts. We were able to move to Raleigh when I got a job offer and having our expenses covered by it meant Rob could hunt for a job he was happy with. When I began working for myself we had less stress because I could reinvest what income I was making back into the business. We were able to build up our down payment faster. When we became parents I had some flexibility in adjusting my work and yes, I took time off too. We're grateful for those opportunities and realize how fortunate we are to have made that decision early in marriage. But even in those circumstances, it wasn't easy. There were limits we had to place on our finances in certain areas. Looking back though, we're happy we did. You may be in a situation where making this transition would be a real benefit for you. Like us, it could be out of necessity or because of circumstances. You may have seen a reduction of income either because your hours have been cut or you've been laid off. It could also be a voluntary thing. When I asked in our Thriving Facebook group the main motivation for moving to a single income. The biggest reason was more time with kids. I've seen families on the path to financial independence shift their finances so that they use one income to take care of the general living expenses and use the second to save and invest for goals. So many couples and families can benefit from this mindset. I'd like to offer some help with getting started. I can't cover every single situation. For the purpose of this episode, I'm going to be focused on your single income stream being able your essentials, some savings, and enjoy a bit. In this episode, we'll go over: the process to scale back your expenses to fit under one income common challenges that can come up Benefits of living on one income Ready? Let's get started! Resources to Shift to Living on One Income Here are some resources to make managing your money much easier! Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint Free 401(k) Analysis: blooom Open Up Your Brokerage Account: Vanguard, M1 Finance, Fidelity Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Before You Drop The Mic On Work, Here's How To Decide If You Can Afford Living On One Income Why We Started Living Off of One Income The Completely Achievable Path to Becoming a One-Income Family Live on One Income, Have Fun with the Second Living Wage Calculator How to Get Cheap Rent: The Minimum Viable Apartment Use These Strategies to Seriously Save Money on Your Rent Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! Key Takeaways Before we wrap up, I want to focus on a few key takeaways I got from preparing this episode. Be clear on your motivation and goal. The better you define these, the easier it is to make the transition. You'll be in a better position to know which expenses to cut back first. Or even eliminate. And you can find ways to shore up your savings before you make this leap. Take it bit by bit. I know that they're going to be circumstances with some families where you have to make the transition as soon as possible because there is a ready reduction in income. But if you're doing this voluntarily, You don't have to rush this. Approaching it bit by bit allows your family to adjust. To the new finances. And hopefully, it makes it easier to stick with a plan. Have a plan for that second income. Even if you don't need it to survive. You do want to use that money wisely? For example, you can pay down your debts. Build up some savings for a specific goal, or if you want to save and invest it. For long-term goals, then you know, that money is right there for you. This is definitely a topic th

Have you paid off your debts and are looking to grow your money beyond savings? Learn how to create a strategy and plan so you can open and invest in your brokerage account! Ready to Open and Invest in a Brokerage Account? If you would've met us when we were first married and told me that we'd get to a point where we were investing besides for retirement, I probably would've laughed at you. Considering at that time we were start off with over $30,000 of debt living in our tiny apartment right by the beach, it would've seemed unbelievable. We were just trying to find our footing and create a budget that worked for both of us. Fast forward to paying off our debts except for the mortgage and that's where we found ourselves. Funny thing (maybe just to us) was that we hesitated a bit before opening that brokerage account. We had become super savers and have been putting money into our retirement accounts, but somehow that next step was a bit scary. What helped us was taking some time to step back and discuss our why behind this account. What was our hope or plan for this money? For us, being on the path to financial independence meant freeing up options, whether it's to spend more time with the kids, explore career pivots, or volunteer more. Having money invested in this account would be helpful. With that in mind, we then worked out an investing plan we felt comfortable with. While I wouldn't say it's been a smooth ride – especially this year – having those pieces in place has made investing easier. You might be at this stage. You've paid off debts, saving, and now you're looking to diversify your income and investing is one of those options on the table. How do you create a plan together for that money? Today we're going to be covering that and Kevin L. Matthews is here to discuss the essentials you need to know before you start investing. He's a number one bestselling author and former financial advisor who has helped hundreds of individuals plan for their retirement in addition to managing more than $140 million in assets during his advisory career. Now he's focused on teaching millennials about investing, making it more simple and helping them craft their own plans. In this episode we'll get into: When you should open a brokerage account how to approach research with before you invest in stocks how to create a financial and investing system that works for both of you Let's get started! Resources to Stay on Top of Your Money Here are some resources to make managing your money much easier! Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint Free 401(k) Analysis: blooom Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! Besides offering competitive rates on check and savings accounts, Costal has a wealth management team ready to work with you to create a financial plan that fits your specific needs! Meet Kevin L. Matthews Kevin L. Matthews II is a number one bestselling author and former financial advisor. He has helped hundreds of individuals plan for their retirement in addition to managing more than $140 million in assets during his advisory career. By 2017, he was named one of the Top 100 Most Influential Financial Advisors by Investopedia. Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional Music from Artists at Audiio.

'All Investment Mistakes Are Investor Mistakes' Is that really true? Today we'll dig in and see how to avoid making the most common mistakes with your investments! Avoiding Big Mistakes with Investments 'All Investment Mistakes Are Investor Mistakes' I saw that headline in an older article in The NY Times. Based on personal experience when I first started out, speaking with others on the podcast, and hearing from the community, there's some truth to that. I've gotten emails and heard from others about what they should do with their portfolios. It's one thing to have a plan on paper on what you're going to do; it's another to watch the volatility on the news or follow along on your phone and actually stick with the plan. Whether you're investing for retirement or another goal, I'm guessing you're looking to get some good returns. Today we're looking for how you can become wiser, less stressed out investors. In this episode, we'll discuss: The biggest mistakes couples make when starting to invest Traps that can derail your investments Creating a system that works for you as a team Let's get started! Resources to Stay on Top of Your Money Here are some resources to make managing your money much easier! Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint Free 401(k) Analysis: blooom Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money A Smarter Way to Think About Financial Decisions 401(k) Basics: Everything You Need to Know Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union! If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today. If you want to be better prepared financially for retirement, please check out Coastal's 401(k) Planning Calculator. Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional Music from Artists at Audiio.

Want to maximize your 401(k) this year? The first step to doing that is figuring out how much to contribute. Today we discuss how much you need to put in to retire! Getting the Most Out of Your 401(k) We're wrapping our open enrollment series. The past couple of episodes we've discussed what you need to know with your benefits so you can make the right choices for you and your family. Health insurance is a huge one, but the other big one is your 401(k). Last week Matt Miner, a certified financial planner talked a bit about how to walk through and review your benefits including your 401(k)s so if you haven't already, please listen to that. You can check -in with your 401(k) throughout the year, but for many, this is a popular time to check and review their portfolio. Since it's an important part of your finances, today we're answering the biggest questions couples and families have with their 401(k), specifically how much should we contribute? In this episode we're discussing: How 401(k)s work and benefits of having one Whether or not you should contribute when you're in debt Figuring out how much you need to contribute Let's get started! Resources to Stay on Top of Your 401(k) Here are some resources to make managing your money much easier! Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint Free 401(k) Analysis: blooom Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money A Smarter Way to Think About Financial Decisions Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union! If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today. If you want to be better prepared financially for retirement, please check out Coastal's 401(k) Planning Calculator. Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional music by Lee Rosevere.

Are you two dealing with a ton of debt? Hear how Brian and his wife have managed to pay off $100,000 in debt while raising their three kids! How to Pay Off a Ton of Debt Together After all the prep, sweat, and tears, the first episode of the Couple Money Podcast is up! For the premiere show, it's all about debt, specifically getting out of debt faster and getting rid of massive amounts of debt. The guest on today's episode is Brian from Debt Discipline. He and his wife have managed to pay off $100,000 in debt while raising their three kids. In this episode, we get into: how they accumulated their debt what immediate steps they needed to take to free up money in their budget how they worked as a team to pay it all off Hope you enjoy! Resources to Become Debt Free Together Tired of being in debt? Here are some resources to help you dump it. Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Trim: With Trim, you can cancel subscriptions and negotiate your bills. Billshark: They contact your service providers and negotiate the best price on your behalf. Paribus: Bought something and a week later the price drops? Paribus can get you back the difference. Total Money Makeover Free Debt Snowball Template Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and found it helpful, here are some ways to support it. Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together!

Learn how you can navigate open enrollment season and maximize your benefits to their fullest potential! Making the Most of Your Benefits When we began our series about open enrollment last week, we got into some key things to consider when weighing the pros and cons of different health insurance options. While health insurance is typically the biggest decision couples and families make during open enrollment, it's not the only one. There are so many benefits that can save you some serious money, protect your family's finances, and give you some significant tax benefits. I don't want you leaving money on the table which is why I'm glad Matt Miner is here today on the show. He's a fee-only, fiduciary advisor with PLC Wealth Management, LLC who specializes in helping families to make sure their finances align with their goals, priorities, and values. In this episode we're discussing: the biggest mistakes couples make with their benefits How to protect yourself with disability insurance what to look out for with your 401(k) Let's get started! Resources to Save serious Money Are you looking for more help with maximizing your benefits and saving more money? Here are some resources: Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Zeta, HoneyFi, and Mint Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank Free 401(k) Analysis: blooom Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union! If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today. Did you know that Coastal offers a Health Savings Account? If you have a high deductible health plan, you need to take advantage of an HSA. Find out more about what Coastal offers here! Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and found it helpful, here are some ways to support it. Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional music by Lee Rosevere.

Feel like your premiums are too expensive? Learn how you can significantly save money and find an affordable health insurance plan for your family! Choosing an Affordable Health Insurance Plan Like many families, we want affordable health insurance. Unfortunately, it's not always easy. In 2019, the average annual premium for a family was over $20,000! That's quite a bit of money so it's absolutely crucial that you're 1) getting the most out of it and 2) if there is a more affordable option, you can make that transition easier. The good news is with open enrollment, you can have some big wins with your benefits for next year. I want to make sure that when you two sit down, I want you to feel comfortable and confident about tackling your benefits. Of course, every couple is different, I'm grateful Andy Hill, the creator of Marriage, Kids, and Money and the co-founder of Thriving Families Facebook Group is here to chat with me about his and Nicole's process with choosing a health plan. We're going to compare how each of us approached finding the best health insurance plan for our families. In this episode we'll get into: The differences between the most common options given What to consider when deciding if a high deductible plan is right for you Maximizing your available health care benefits Let's get started! Resources to Save Money on Healthcare Are you looking for more help with keeping health care within your budget? Here are some resources: Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank Free 401(k) Analysis: blooom Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Simplify and Enjoy: Financial Freedom for Families 5 Days to $5K Course How to Save Money on Your Health Insurance and Expenses Hack the Affordable Care Act Guide Why We're Switching to a High Deductible Health Plan How to Spend Less on Insurance Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union! If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today. They have competitive rates on checking and savings accounts! Key Takeaways on Finding an Affordable Option for Healthcare Before we wrap up, I want to focus on a few key takeaways I got from speaking with Andy and preparing this episode. Invest time in choosing your healthcare plan. Health care can be expensive, but simply going with the cheapest option can hurt you in several ways. High deductible health plans aren't for everyone. We have an HDHP and so far love it and so do many in the FI space, but that doesn't mean it's the best option for you. Use tax-advantaged accounts to maximize your money. If you want to discuss this more, please come chat with us on Facebook in the Thriving Families Group. We're supportive. We'd love to see you there! Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and found it helpful, here are some ways to support it. Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional music by Lee Rosevere and Logan from Music for Makers in this episode.

Today we'll go over how the two of you can boost your savings rate while still enjoying some fun now! Why Your Savings Rate Matters Last week we talked about three key numbers to track and master your money and one of them was your savings rate. How much you save on your income can have an incredible impact on how fast you reach your big financial goals. Here's the thing, though, unless you have a stash of cash under in house or an inheritance coming up soon, that money is probably coming out of your budget. So how do you become a super saver without deprivation? Can you boost your savings rate and still have some fun? I believe you can find that balance, but you need a plan and a system to set things up. This is why I'm glad Joe Mecca from Coastal Credit Union is back. He's the quintessential saver and today he's sharing how he's grown his savings while still having some fun. In this episode, we'll dig into: Finding out your current savings rate Tax-advantaged ways to save more to give you a double win path to notching up your savings Let's get started! Handy Tools to Increase Your Savings Rate If you're looking to get ahead with your finances as a family, here are key resources to check out! Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint, Zeta Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank Manage Your 401(k) Easily: blooom Automatic Saving: Qapital Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Simplify and Enjoy: Financial Freedom for Families 5 Days to $5K Course How to Achieve Financial Independence Through Big Wins Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union! If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today. They have competitive rates on checking and savings accounts! Key Takeaways on Growing Your Savings Rate Before we wrap up, I want to focus on a few key takeaways I got from preparing this episode. Start as early as possible. Don't worry about being about to sock away 20, 30, 40% of your income. Joe said it was closer to 3-5%, which is about where we began. Pay yourself first. Automating those transfers makes it easier on you and you're more likely to stay on target. Minimize lifestyle inflation. Take any raises, bonuses, windfalls, or tax refunds and set aside a portion of that to go towards savings. You can still enjoy some fun now and save more, without missing that money. If you want to discuss this more, please come chat with us on Facebook in the Thriving Families Group. We're supportive. We'd love to see you there! Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional music by Lee Rosevere

If tracking your money is so important, what are the key numbers couples need to know? We'll get into the three to keep an eye on, and the real deal about credit scores! Why Tracking Your Money is Key to Mastering It You hear these stories of couples who got out of debt, became financially independent, travel the world, started a business..basically enjoying life. They all have different paths they take to get there – debt snowball, avalanche to become debt free. They're saving 20, 30, or even half their income. Maybe they're going all in with FIRE with their dual income and are investing 70% of their income. One of the things I love about personal finance when hearing from others is how varied it can be. Each couple has their own advantages and struggles on their journey. However, having written about personal finances and interviewed others for the podcast I do notice that there are certain crucial things they did to create a system that worked for them. I wrote about it in detail in my book Jumpstart your Marriage and Your Money, but I want to hone in on one component today – they became aware of their money. And how they did it was by tracking it. Once they had that down, they began shifting it towards what mattered most to them. Money stopped being a source of stress and instead became a tool they could use together. The best part is that you don't have to track a ton of numbers or worry about every penny. It can be something you check in on once a month. In this episode, we'll get into: Which three numbers matters most for gauging your financial health The real deal on credit scores Creating an easy system to track your numbers Let's get started! Resources to Easily Stay on Top of Your Money Here are some resources we mentioned in the episode as well as some other handy articles to check out: Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money 5 Days to $5K Course Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional music by Lee Rosevere

Debt can be a huge weight on any couple's budget. We cover three major ways you can start paying it off faster. We also get into how to open up if you're carrying debt and haven't told your spouse! Getting Back To Dumping Debt As if the pandemic isn't enough stress, millions of families have to deal with the financial fallout. And If you've had to deal with job loss, reduced hours at work, or uncertainty at your job about its stability, these past few months you're hyper aware of your cash flow. And because of that, any debt that you carry (maybe with the exception of federal student loans) feels like it has a bigger impact than normal. During our mini-series about financially dealing with the coronavirus, we discussed that building up that financial cushion is key. And hopefully, things have stabilized somewhat and you have those savings available should you need it. However you may be wondering is there a way to get some breathing room and knock out some debt before the year wraps up. I think you'll enjoy today's show then! In this episode we'll get into: A system to pay your debt off ways to you can start paying it off faster how to open up if you're carrying debt and haven't told your spouse Let's get started! Resources to Dump Your Debt Together If you two are ready to pay off your debt, here are some handy resources to check out: Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint, Zeta Free 5 Days to $5K Course Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Trim: With Trim, you can cancel subscriptions and negotiate your bills. Billshark: They contact your service providers and negotiate the best price on your behalf. Paribus: Bought something and a week later the price drops? Paribus can get you back the difference. Total Money Makeover Free Debt Snowball Template How to Diffuse Money Fights What's Your One Page Financial Plan? How to Build Income Streams to Knock Out Your Money Goals Faster Yours, Mine, and Ours: Dealing with Debt and Marriage Thank You to Our Partner Coastal Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union! Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and found it helpful, here are some ways to support it. Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together!

If 2020 has proved anything, it's that we need to have a budget that actually works. Today we'll dive in to see how you two can build a budget that fits you and your goals! Build a Better Budget Together I think a lot of people can appreciate why budgets matter because now more than ever, we're seeing like our finances are reflecting our lives. For those of us who've been hit hard by the pandemic, either directly or indirectly, the budget has had to be completely redone. But even if things are relatively stable job-wise, we're still reflecting on how we could do better. A budget is not going to fix all of our problems, but a good budget – the one we actually enjoy and can stick with – that can be a huge help and stress relief. But how do you make a budget that fits your family's circumstances and goals? How do you make one that still allows some room for fun? While I enjoy helping couples figure out their budget, I brought in someone who understands and enjoys budgeting. Get Your Free Money Toolkit Learn how you can quickly & easily set your money up to dump your debt faster! Join our community to get the free toolkit and newsletter! Get Instant Access We never share your information with third parties and will protect it in accordance with our Privacy Policy BirdSend Email Marketing Tool Peter Polson the founder of Tiller, a fantastic and customizable budgeting tool, he's also a husband who understands firsthand that it takes effort to find a budget that fits your goals. But it's so worth it. In this episode we discuss: Defining your budget's priorities The two biggest obstacles couples face with budgets How to build a better budget together Let's get started! Resources to Easily Stay on Top of Your Money Here are some resources we mentioned in the episode as well as some other handy articles to check out: Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional music by Lee Rosevere

Here are some key takeaways to help you get through and start building some financial stability! Pivoting Your Finances Through New Habits I hope you are doing well, are safe, and healthy. We're just starting June but I think Jason Vitug pointed out on Twitter, "This is indeed the longest shortest year ever." I started this mini-series after the pandemic created a hard stop on so many things. Things are starting open up, but many couples in our community are still dealing with the financial fallout. Depending on where we were on our financial journey, our experiences can seem tremendously different. With the mini-series, I wanted to address a few of those different scenarios. The first episode was geared for those who had seen their income drop due to fewer hours or loss of a job. The next episode was those of us who are treading water to speak – still have their jobs, but no safety net if that changed. This episode I want to talk about what you can do if you were further ahead in your finances. How can you use this experience and turn this into something positive? How can we pivot our finances? And bigger picture – can we use these lessons learned not just help us, but in a position to help others too? Certified Educator in Personal Finance (CEPF®) Bob Lotich is on today to share what habits he and his wife Linda changed on his and eventually their journey together towards becoming debt-free. Joe Mecca from Coastal is back on to share some takeaways on shifting our finances and coming up with a plan during these tumultuous times. In this episode we'll get into: Crucial steps you can take to shift habits and your money We'll also dive into how to get your spouse on board Lessons we can take from this crisis to use to better prepare ourselves and help others Let's get started! Resources to Easily Stay on Top of Your Money Here are some resources we mentioned in the episode as well as some other handy articles to check out: Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint, Honeyfi Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Your Money: A Hub for Help During the Coronavirus Crisis via The NY Times COVID-19 Financial Relief Info for Those Impacted via @ I Heart Budgets Why we began giving our age as a percentage How to Anonymously Give Someone Money (5 Great Ways) Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! We've been Coastal members for a few years have been happy with their services. If you're a member and you've been financially affected by the coronavirus, Coastal has a member assistance program to ease the burden. Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional music by Lee Rosevere and Audiio.

We know we need an emergency fund, but how can we do that in the middle of the coronavirus crisis? Today we'll share the strategies you can use now to get a jumpstart on saving! How to Save Money Right now many states are opening up, but we're still encouraged to stay home as much as possible. And that's most likely affected you on several levels, including your finances. Last episode, we discussed steps you can take to shore up your budget and handle the bills when you're dealing with a job loss or significantly reduced hours. This week, we're switching gears and digging into one of the fundamental things you need to have – savings. We've heard it so many times, we need to have an emergency fund. Now it's really both a necessity with routines, work schedules, and budgets being in flux for at least the next few months. But can you save and build up your financial cushion during a time like this? How can you create a plan when you've been thrown into the middle of all this? On the podcast, I have Jeff Anzalone from Debt Free Doc here to share how he and his wife got to that point. As you just heard in the teaser, when he first started things, they looked like a mess. The job he had planned on taking fell through. So here he was dealing with a massive amount of debt, no job, and a wife and baby to take care of. So in this interview, we'll get into how they came up with a plan quickly. We'll also get into not just the process he used to get out of debt, but what changes they had to make with their budget and more to start building savings and more. We also have Joe Mecca from Coastal back on the podcast. He's a natural saver so he is sharing tips on how to make the process easier and less stressful. In this episode we'll get into: Why and how much you need to save Creating a plan on the fly Ways you can build up that financial cushion ASAP Let's get started! Resources to Easily Stay on Top of Your Money Here are some resources we mentioned in the episode as well as some other handy articles to check out: Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint, Honeyfi Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Your Money: A Hub for Help During the Coronavirus Crisis via The NY Times COVID-19 Financial Relief Info for Those Impacted via @ I Heart Budgets Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! We've been Coastal members for a few years have been happy with their services. If you're a member and you've been financially affected by the coronavirus, Coastal has a member assistance program to ease the burden. Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional music by Lee Rosevere and Audiio.

Many families are dealing with the financial fallout from the coronavirus, including losing their income and jobs. See how you can adjust your budget and get the resources you need to ride out these tough times! How to Cope with Job Loss As of right now, around 30 million Americans have filed for unemployment in the past six weeks. Besides the health risk of coronavirus – which should NOT be ignored or downplayed – a huge concern of this crisis is the financial fallout. How do we keep going through these tough times? Which is why I wanted to do this mini-series. Part of the challenge – at least to me as I'm putting this together – is reading, hearing, and seeing how different things play out depending on many factors. Yes, we're in this together, but for a couple who's lost one or both incomes, or one that's seen their retirement savings seemingly crash, those are completely different ball games than a couple who's trying to balance taking care of their kids at home while working remotely for example. Each has its own challenges and so what I decided to do is break up the mini-series episodes based on different situations families may find themselves in. There are key takeaways, I think all of us can learn from and pick up, but I did want to highlight some scenarios so this mini-series can be helpful and relevant as possible. And they are based on what you've sent in about what you're dealing with right now. So thank you, I'm grateful to have your input on this. Today I want to talk about one of the biggest ways many couples are being financially affected by this – loss of income. Whether it's being furloughed, seeing your hours drastically cut, or losing it altogether – it can be a heavy weight on you. Ani is sharing her story about how she's dealing with it. We also have some fantastic experts like personal finance author Toni Husbands, Coastal Credit Union's Joe Mecca, and small business consultant Sylvia Inks. They're offering tips and resources to help make ends meet and steps you can take to shore up your finances not just now but in the long run. In this episode, we're discussing: Dealing with losing your job and what you can do get some income coming in Adapting your finances Smart ways you can spend your stimulus check Let's get started! Resources to Easily Stay on Top of Your Money Here are some resources we mentioned in the episode as well as some other handy articles to check out: Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint, Honeyfi Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Your Money: A Hub for Help During the Coronavirus Crisis via The NY Times COVID-19 Financial Relief Info for Those Impacted via @ I Heart Budgets Stitch Brush Designs Debt Free Divas SMI Financial Coaching with Sylvia Inks Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! We've been Coastal members for a few years have been happy with their services. If you're a member and you've been financially affected by the coronavirus, Coastal has a member assistance program to ease the burden. Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional music by Lee Rosevere and Audiio.

Today we're going to jump in on ways you can adjust your finances during the coronavirus crisis to get through these tough times! Getting Your Finances Stabilized During the Coronavirus Crisis Even though it's been less than a month since schools closed here in Raleigh, it feels like a lifetime ago. And chances are things can feel that way to you. Right now it's estimated that over 300 million here in America are under stay at home orders. I truly hope that you're doing well and that you're able to work remotely or at least have some steady income coming in. However, I know from emails that some have seen their hours drastically reduced, they've been furloughed, or they've been laid off. It's tough to figure out the next steps when we're in the middle of things, but there are ways we can prepare and pivot to get through these financially tough times. Joe Mecca, VP of Communication at Coastal Credit Union has been out there letting those in the community know what resources out there. Today he's on the show to discuss things you can do now and over the next few months. In this episode, we'll get into: Figuring out how to reprioritize your budget How much of a financial cushion should you have with these certain times Where to look for relief programs (more than just the CARE Act) Let's get started! Resources to Easily Stay on Top of Your Money Here are some resources we mentioned in the episode as well as some other handy articles to check out: Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint, Honeyfi Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Your Money: A Hub for Help During the Coronavirus Crisis via The NY Times Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! We've been Coastal members for a few years have been happy with their services. If you're a member and you've been financially affected by the coronavirus, Coastal has a member assistance program to ease the burden. How to Reprioritize Your Budget Let's jump right in to the big issue that is stressing out many families – how are we going to pay our bills? We're grateful to still be able to work remotely, but that isn't the case for all. Some industries like restaurants, hospitality, and service have seen been hit hard, with many losing their main source of income. I was reading that in the week that ended March 28, over 6.6 million people filed for unemployment. So if you're in that situation where you are looking at struggling to budget, how do you prioritize what bills get paid? When things were closing down and the Cares Act hadn't passed, Any Hill from Marriage Kids and Money and I shared our thought process in a video on the Thriving Families group. It was about focusing on two goals for the month – pay your essentials (roof over your head, food, utilities) and building up your emergency fund if you didn't have at least 3 months stashed away already. And I do believe that they should be your priorities, but with some relief options being offered by lenders, protections from states and the Cares Act, Joe points out a path you can use in your budget. Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional music by Lee Rosevere

For many couples, getting their house to sell for top dollar can help them hit crucial financial goals. Today we'll go over what you need to know to get a great price when selling your home! Selling Your House for Top Dollar Before we begin, I want to give a disclaimer that this episode's topic and interview were done before the volatile landscape we find ourselves with the stay at home order in NC due to the coronavirus. I'm releasing it now for a few reasons: At some point in the future, these restrictions will be lifted and so now could be a time to start taking steps around your place to get it ready for sale I just saw a house in the neighborhood put a for sale up this week (dozens of listings new – or within the last 24 hours)- so people are trying to move on as best they can With things shifting including jobs, many couples in the relatively near future may have to move So while there may be an immediate pause on house tours, with this time many of us have at home, I thought it would be practical to get into ways to prepare so if you do sell when it's time, you have what you need to get it done. I'm very grateful to have one of my favorite real estate experts back. Louis Guillama is the Vice President of Real Estate Operations over at Coastal Credit Union. In this episode we get into: The biggest mistakes couples make when selling How to Stage Your House to Sell How to decide if you should fix and update your place to able to sell it for more Let's get started! Handy Money Resources for Selling Your House (and More!) Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint, Zeta Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank Automatic Saving: Qapital Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money When is the Best Time to Sell Your House? For Sale by Owner (FSBO) vs. Real Estate Agent Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union! If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today. If you need an agent, Daymark Realty has a fantastic team ready to help find the perfect house for you in the Triangle area! Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional music by Lee Rosevere.

No one likes to think about it, but preparing for the unexpected can give you some peace of mind now and protect your loved ones later! This is the essential guide to will s and estate planning for busy parents! Creating or Updating Your Will So heads- this episode's topic and interview was planned and done before things changed these last few weeks due to co-vid 19. I say this because I'm not trying to add to the anxiety. I actually believe that if you are staying home and you're healthy, now would be a good time to take care of certain matters that maybe have been on the back burner because you haven't had much time. And taking care of your wills, picking legal guardians, and making life insurance is up to date – these are important. So I decided to stick with the schedule on this episode. There are so many we can't control, it can be empowering in a way to focus energy on the things we can. But when you making or updating your will, it may seem that's too big of an issue to tackle. Today I want to break it down into manageable chunks so you can make some progress on that. Alison Kade from Fabric is here on the show today to decode and explain the essentials of how wills work. In this episode we'll discuss: Why you need to plan now Basic terminology every couple should know How parents can prepare for the unexpected Let's get started! Resources on Estate Planning If you want more information about setting things up for your loved ones and mage your money now, here are some resources to check out: Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint, Honeyfi Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank Automatic Saving: Qapital Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Fabric: Fabric makes term life insurance simple for busy parents. Apply in 10 minutes, and find a policy to help protect your family! Do it Yourself Will: Pros and Cons Estate Planning for Young Families Wills, Guardianship, and Estate Planning Five Essential Items for Your Estate Plan Choosing Legal Guardians for Our Baby Estate Planning Lessons We Can Learn From Cinderella Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! We've been Coastal members for a few years have been happy with their services. Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional music by Lee Rosevere.

While things are really fluid right now and some big decisions are still up in the air, it's important to review and if necessary reprioritize things with your finances. Today I'm sharing 4 tips to help you prepare your finances to weather out the tough times! Resources to Manage Your Money Easier Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint, Honeyfi Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank Automatic Saving: Qapital Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money How to Financially Prepare Your Family for Tough Times 5 Days to $5K Course Her Dinero Matters Her Dinero Matters is a bilingual podcast for women who want to become reinas of their money and love their money more. Join Jen Hemphill, a former extreme frugalist turned reina of your money advocate each week for your dose of money confidence. You will hear down-to-earth interviews and panel discussions from Latina community as well as solo episodes sharing simple actionable tips and strategies which you can implement right away. The best part is, Jen also offers some premium perks, such as special access to a community of like-minded women for a deeper discussion on latest episodes, monthly bonus mini-episodes, as well as a monthly PDF worksheet for that month's money challenge, available exclusively through the Himalaya app. The best part is, if you sign up now, you can use promo code DINERO at checkout for your first 30 days, free! So head over to the Himalaya app and check out Her Dinero Matters now. Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! We've been Coastal members for a few years have been happy with their services. Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional music by Lee Rosevere.

One of the stickiest situations with couples is dealing with lending money to family. Find out different ways you can help without putting your own finances in jeopardy! Should We Loan Money to Family and Friends? Lending money to friends and family can be a tough situation. No matter how objective you think you are or want to be, emotions can run high. As you just heard with Jen, she and her husband weren't seeing eye to eye on how they could help their loved ones. I totally get it – we've been there ourselves. Maybe you've gone through that situation too. Or with how things are going with Covid-19 and families being affected by these closings, some of your family and close friends will need some help soon, including financial. Now for most of us, we want to help. And if we have the means, we do. However, there are times when things are a bit more…messier. What if you want to help, but you're just finding your financial footing yourself? What if you have a relative who keeps on having problems with their finances, where you are constantly bailing them out? Those are the types of situations where we tend to stress over and sometimes get into arguments. Family and money can put a strain on a marriage; which is why I'm happy Jen Hemphill is here on the show. She's an accredited financial counselor, author, and the host of Her Dinero Matters podcast. In this episode we'll get into: how to decide whether lending loved ones is really helping them or enabling ways you can assist them without loaning money how you can work out a loan with less stress Hope this episode helps! Resources to Deal with Family and Finances If you two want to make managing your money easier, here are some helpful tools, books, and apps available. Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint, Honeyfi Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank Automatic Saving: Qapital Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! We've been Coastal members for a few years have been happy with their services. Meet Jen Hemphill of Her Dinero Matters Her Dinero Matters is a bilingual podcast for women who want to become reinas of their money and love their dinero more. You will hear down-to-earth interviews and panel discussions from la comunidad Latina as well as solo episodes sharing simple actionable tips and strategies which you can implement right away! Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional music by Lee Rosevere and Audiio.

Learn how you can stay on top of your money with some of the best apps while also protecting your finances, privacy, and data! Finding the Best Money Apps for Couples Chances are if you're listening to this podcast you do a lot of your banking and finances digitally. In a survey by Federal Reserve Bank, they found that 71% of bank customers regularly use online banking and 43% use mobile. For us, the convenience is hard to beat. I can do pretty much everything I need from home or my phone, including depositing checks, scheduling payments, and transfers. I believe the last time I had to step into a branch was for the notary a few years ago. The other side of living in a world with digital banking is that we have to be savvy about securing our finances and data. Data breaches, phishing, and more sophisticated scammers happen and are out there, so how do you take advantage of the new apps and options out there? There's a lot to cover so today I'm happy to have two experts on. We have David Jamshid, Vice President Of Software Development at Coastal Credit Union. We also have Sam Shutz co-founder of Honeyfi on. In this episode we'll get into: Key ways you can secure your accounts so you can guard your data and finances The pros and cons of free and paid apps Top apps out there for couples to manage their money as a team Hope you enjoy! Resources to Bank Digitally Here are some resources we mentioned in the episode as well as some other handy articles to check out: Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint, Honeyfi Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank Automatic Saving: Qapital Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money LastPass CardNav App: Android |Apple IdentityTheft.gov Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft FBI Futurist Shares His Top 5 Tips For Protecting Your Identity Online Annual Credit Report: Free way to review each of your credit reports Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! We've been Coastal members for a few years have been happy with their services. They also have competitive rates on their business checking and savings accounts! Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional music by Lee Rosevere.

Carla Titus shares the realities of running a profitable business from home and how she and her husband created a system that fits their goals and family life! The Realities of Starting a Side Hustle from Home Nowadays it's become more common for couples and families to diversify their income. Whether it's because they looking to knock out some debt, save up for a house or another goal, or they want to pivot their career, couples are looking at side hustles. We've had several episodes about the essentials of starting a side business, but one of the biggest struggles many have is sustaining it. Whether it's working around your family or day job, the reality is you only have so much time. How do you make it work? How can you start and build a business? Carla Titus is on the show today to share her expertise and her story. She is the CEO of Wealth and Worth where she uses her over ten years of corporate financial planning, analysis, strategy, and startup CFO experience to help entrepreneurs take control of their finances and level up their business. In this episode we'll get into: Finding not that balance, but the flow between family and your side hustle When to outsource how to get the pricing right – many entrepreneurs struggle with this Hope you enjoy! Resources for Launching a Side Hustle Here are some fantastic resources to check out: Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank Automatic Saving: Qapital Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! We've been Coastal members for a few years have been happy with their services. They also have competitive rates on their business checking and savings accounts! Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional music by Lee Rosevere.

Most couples marry their financial opposite, which can be a blessing or a recipe for disaster. Learn how you two can become a team and create a budget and money system you both love! Marrying Your Financial Opposite Did you know that 75% of divorced couples cite money as the cause of their marital issues? With something causing that big of any issue, you'd think we'd try to become more proactive with making sure that finances But for many couples, the conversations don't happen. There's a tendency in a lot of marriages to not talk about money until something goes wrong. The budget is broken or you're struggling to hit a goal you made for the year. One reason couples don't talk about money is that they're trying to avoid a fight. Maybe they've had a blow-up in the past about certain spending and they rather not hash that out again. Perhaps they couldn't come to an agreement on something that should be simple like the budget. This can especially be the case when you're financial opposites. However just because you're financial opposites don't mean you can't work as a team with your money. In fact, for some couples, their differences became an advantage as they tackle goals like dumping debt, saving up for a house or investing in their future. How do you get there though? How do you mesh those differences into strengths? Scott and Bethany Palmer, The Money Couple are on the podcast today to chat about how to get started with talking about and working through your financial issues and goals. They were financial advisors and noticed how their married clients were struggling with money. They've been focused since on helping spouses work with their different approaches to finances and become a team. In this episode we'll get into: how money differences show up in our daily lives understanding and respecting one another's different perspectives how to approach money talks so that they're productive Hope you enjoy! Resources to Help You Merge Your Finances If you're looking to get better with your finances together, here are some helpful posts to check out: Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint together Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money How to Talk About Money Without Starting a Fight How to Diffuse Money Fights Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! We've been Coastal members for a few years have been happy with their services. They also have competitive rates on their checking and savings accounts! Meet Scott and Bethany Palmer With 50 years of combined experience as financial advisors, Scott & Bethany Palmer (aka "The Money Couple") have witnessed these conflicts firsthand. After watching so many couples struggle over money, Scott & Bethany set out to find out why. After a decade of research with a Stanford scientist, they cracked the code to stop the money issues that so often lead to divorce. They discovered that money "issues" aren't really about dollars and cents — the real problem is a couple's struggle to communicate about and agree on money. They developed The 5 Money Personalities to help couples understand their own unique perspectives and behaviors when it comes to money, learn more about their partner's money personalities, and better communicate in a way that builds rich relationships Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional music by Lee Rosevere.

It's not uncommon for a spouse to have a secret credit card or have more debt than they've told. Financial infidelity can ruin a marriage. Learn how you can set up a financial system that allows you to be open and honest with your finances and work together with money! Financial Infidelity in Your Marriage In this episode we'll get into: Red flags or signs that financial infidelity might be an issue Working to regain trust after financial infidelity Creating an open and transparent system for your money together Resources to Help You Merge Your Finances If you're looking to get better with your finances together, here are some helpful posts to check out: Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint together Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money How to Talk About Money Without Starting a Fight How to Diffuse Money Fights Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! We've been Coastal members for a few years have been happy with their services. They also have competitive rates on their checking and savings accounts! Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional music by Lee Rosevere.

Merging finances is more than combining bank accounts. It's working together with the good, bad, and awkward, including dealing with debt. Today we're discussing the legalities of who's responsible for what, credit scores, and how to dump debt together! Marriage and Debt Marriage is about two lives coming together. It can be a wonderful feeling to know you have someone to watch your back through thick and thin. Part of coming together is dealing with your finances together and for many couples debt is a chunk of it. Between credits cards, car and student loans, and maybe a mortgage, the two of you could be starting your marriage in the negative. As a couple you know paying down is the way to go, but you have other concerns on your mind. If one or both of you come in with debt, who's legally responsible? What about the debt you take on after you're married? What if you two have drastically different credit scores? How will that affect plans that you have – perhaps buying a house down the line? Which is why I'm happy Leslie Tayne is here today. Leslie is an attorney who specializes in debt resolution. With almost twenty years of experience, she helps clients get debt relief and resolution. She's sharing her expertise on how debt can affect your finances and marriage. In this episode we'll get into: Who's responsible for what legally when it comes to debt Dealing with common situations that can come up when one spouse has a higher credit score than the other Ways to talk about debt and work as a team to get rid of it. Let's get started! Resources to Dump Your Debt Together If you two are ready to pay off your debt, here are some handy resources to check out: Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint, Zeta Free 5 Days to $5K Course Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Total Money Makeover Free Debt Snowball Template What's Your One Page Financial Plan? Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! We've been Coastal members for a few years have been happy with their services. They want to help you achieve your biggest goals faster and as a team! Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional music by Lee Rosevere.

Getting on the same page with finances can be tricky. Learn how you can communicate better with your spouse about money and more! Why We Fight About Money No one wants to have money be this source of stress in their lives, not in a strictly financial sense where you're worried about the bills and definitely not in your marriage. And yet, it is usually listed as one of the top reasons spouses have fights. And if you have debt? It's even more of an issue. In one study, with couples who carried debt, they found that 48% of those with over $50,000 of debt listed money as stress point compared to 23% of those with less than $10,000. It makes sense, right – if you have the more debt you have, the more your current income is tied up to pay it. So then couples usually want to come up with some plan to pay off their debt, but they hit a wall when it comes to making and executing that plan. There's too much tension and blame to get things rolling. But if you've listened to this for a while, you've heard stories of couples who have overcome some huge issues like massive amounts of debt, being hit with financial infidelity, or being on the brink of bankruptcy yet they managed to come out stronger paying off massive amounts of debt. How do you get there though? Through better conversations about money and more. It's not easy to get started so today Traci Philips is going to share how we can better communicate. As a Leadership & Performance Strategist, Traci assists her clients in identifying core challenges with her unique strengths in translating both verbal and non-verbal language. Into this episode, we get into: Better Understanding Where Our Spouse is Coming from with Money Common mistakes couples make when talking about money How to work through disagreements to diffuse a potential money fight Let's get started! Resources on Marriage Fights & Finances Want to learn more and become more productive with your money dates? Here are some resources to check out: 10 Agreements BEFORE You Get Into An Argument With Your Partner Use The Power Of Community To Improve Your Marriage Three Toxic Habits to Stop When Talking About Money Love, Money, and Secrets: How to Be Open with Your Marriage and Finances Common Pitfalls Couples Make with Money Chats Admitting to Your Spouse That You're in Debt Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! We've been Coastal members for a few years have been happy with their services. They also have competitive rates on their checking and savings accounts! Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional music by Lee Rosevere.

Tax season is here and with it the stress of getting your taxes done right. We'll look at some ways you can simplify, organize, and maximize your tax deductions and credits this year and set yourselves up for big wins next! Tax Tips for Making Filing Easier Now before we jump into this episode I want to be clear about one thing. I'm not a tax expert. Not a CPA. Not an EA (that's an enrolled agent). But even if I was, I cannot give tax advice to you on this podcast because every family is different. And that means so are your taxes. However, there are several key areas where many of us -especially busy couples, couples who are juggling so many things like kids, work, finances, side projects, and more -should be paying attention to because they have a huge impact on how things go for us when it comes to taxes. And I got some good news - I'm keeping this episode on the shorter side. Why? If you're a regular person like me, taxes are not the most exciting thing. However we have seen how important getting our tax done has been for our finances -both with planning throughout the year as well as using our refunds to reach our financial goals faster. And I want you to see taxes in a better, maybe less stressful light. In this episode we're looking at: Decoding key tax items (like tax credits versus deductions) so you can be better prepared when filing How to make sure your paycheck is working you - you may be leaving money on the table Accounts to Maximize Your Finances Now and Later I want to make things less stressful for you so you can knock out your taxes. Sound good? Let's get started! Resources to Tackle Your Taxes Looking to make taxes less stressful? Here are some of my favorite resources! Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint TurboTax Free 401(k) Analysis: blooom Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money And if you want to discuss this more – ask questions, swap ideas, and maybe get a debt-free strategy set up – don't forget to join us in the Thriving Families group on Facebook. Our goal is to help one another out. Hope to see you there! Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! We've been Coastal members for a few years have been happy with their services. They want to help you achieve your biggest goals faster and as a team! Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional music by Lee Rosevere.

How can you structure your finances so you can have more options and flexibility? One path that's helped many families is working towards financial independence. For many families, though, it seems like an unrealistic goal. They assume that if they're not making six-figures or if they have kids, they're unable to achieve it. What you might not be aware of is how practical the principles behind FI can be for you. By applying the mindset, habits, and strategies you can not only improve your finances but give yourselves more opportunities to build your life around who and what matters to you. That's why I'm excited that today we have Brad Barrett, co-founder of ChooseFI. Brad Barrett went from being a full-time CPA to retiring with complete financial independence by the age of 35. Now, through ChooseFI, he's empowering others to live more intentionally and get on the path towards financial independence! In this episode we're looking at: How to save on the three biggest expenses How to persuade your spouse to try to FI How to get to FI while still enjoying your journey Let's get started! Resources to Get on the Path to Financial Independence Are you two serious about becoming financially independent? Here are handy resources mentioned in the episode along with extra tools to help you optimize your money together! Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank Automatic Saving: Qapital Free 401(k) Analysis: blooom Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money The Secret Sauce to Financial Independence & Early Retirement Retire Early By Rethinking Your Priorities How One Couple Saved $85,000 in a Year! Getting Rich: from Zero to Hero in One Blog Post Seven Characteristics of The Millionaire Next Door How Can We Buy a House (and Still Pursue Financial Independence)? Frugal Foodie: Eating Well on a Budget And if you want to discuss this more – ask questions, swap ideas, and maybe get a debt-free strategy set up – don't forget to join us in the Thriving Families group on Facebook. Our goal is to help one another out. Hope to see you there! Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! We've been Coastal members for a few years have been happy with their services. They want to help you achieve your biggest goals faster and as a team! Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional music by Lee Rosevere.

Are you looking to speed things up with your money goals? We'll look at how you can earn extra money on the side so you can build your net worth! Earning Money from Side Hustles is Only One Path Many couples want to pay off debt faster, save for a house or start investing and the problem is cashflow is currently tight. Real tight. One of the things I suggest is looking at your budget, but sometimes the issue is that there isn't enough income coming in. Whether it's through a one time occasional deal like selling your stuff, running a side hustle, or starting a possible career change, it's going to take work. So before you make the leap, I thought it would be helpful to get an idea of the different ways you can earn more this year. My hope is that you'll get a better idea of what would best for your situation and goals. Today's guest Joseph Hogue is a personal finance author and creator of Let's Talk Money who has built several income streams into businesses. I also have Louis Guillama, Vice President of Real Estate Operations at Coastal Credit Union sharing his take about the pros and cons of getting into real estate. In this episode we'll go over: Finding opportunities to earn income when your schedule is tight Breaking into the gig and side hustle economy Thinking long term and get more involved with your income streams by looking at real estate investing Let's get started! Resources to Start Earning More Money on the Side If you're looking to earn more so you can knock out your big money goal, here are some resources to check out. Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint 5 Days to $5K: It's my free weeklong course to show you how to find, save, and make extra money so you can save your goals faster! Free 401(k) Analysis: blooom Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! We've been Coastal members for a few years have been happy with their services. They have wonderful services and accounts to make saving easier including their competitive money market accounts! Support the Podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and found it helpful, here are some ways to support it. Spread the word. If you have friends who could boost their savings, please share this episode with them on social media or just email the link! Leave a review. Every review helps! Please share your honest feedback on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. Visit our Couple Money Toolkit for more info on available apps, tools, and services to master your money together. Become a Patron. Special Thanks! Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. I also want to thank Lee Rosevere for music in this episode.

Whether you're saving for emergencies, a vacation, or a house, you have to have some way to stash away that money. We'll look at some popular savings hacks and how to find the best savings option for you! Are you saving up for something big this year? If you are, you have plenty of company. Fidelity released its 2020 New Year Financial Resolutions Study and found that 53% of those surveyed who were planning on working these finances had saving more as their goal. That's great news considering on average, we're not really saving enough. According to GoBankingRates when they asked more than 5,000 adults their savings balance, 58% had less than $1000 saved and 32% admitted to not having anything at all in their savings. That is a really vulnerable position to be in. So if you want to turn things around and really ramp up your savings, I think you'll enjoy today's episode. I'm sharing the best tips and stories from one of the super savers and favorite guests I've had on this podcast. Financial educator and Journey to Launch creator Jamila Souffrant and her husband saved over $80k one year while living in NYC! More interestingly is how she was able to get him on board. Great ideas on how to approach not just the process, but enjoy the journey together. Joe Mecca from Coastal Credit Union and another super saver is also back on to break down his goals for this year and how he's saving for them. In this episode we're looking at: why your savings rate matters Where and how to get started with savings in your budget how to set things up so you're automatically saving more while still enjoying life Let's get started! Want to start boosting your savings rate? Here are some resources to check out: Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint Automatic Saving: Qapital Free 401(k) Analysis: blooom 5 Days to $5K: It's my free weeklong course to show you how to find, save, and make extra money so you can dump debt and save more! 17 Money Saving Strategies We Used to Triple Our Savings Rate Support the Podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and found it helpful, here are some ways to support it. Spread the word. If you have friends who could boost their savings, please share this episode with them on social media or just email the link! Leave a review. Every review helps! Please share your honest feedback on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. Visit our Couple Money Toolkit for more info on available apps, tools, and services to master your money together. Become a Patron. Special Thanks! Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. I also want to thank Lee Rosevere for music in this episode.

One of the top three financial goals people have is getting out of debt, but few actually knock it out. Today we're diving into key money systems couples have used to become debt-free! Best Strategies for Couples to Dump Debt Faster How are you doing?! I hope you're having a wonderful week. We're back. New Year, a new season of the podcast. I want to start off by saying thank you. Your support has been incredible and because of it, we're here for season 10! When I started the site Couple Money and even the podcast a few years, my goal was pretty simple. Help couples not only get their finances in a good spot but find a way for money to be a way to work together instead of being a source of stress. Whether you're paying down debt, saving for a dream, or going down the path of financial independence, the main focus is doing it as a team. We'll definitely be covering that this season again, but there's another issue I've been seeing that has added a layer of unnecessary stress when it comes to finances. As I look at my newsfeed on my phone or catch some stories that get picked up, I just see this trend of HUGE stories. Debt-free stories where the couples have paid massive amounts of debt – six-figures- in a crazy short amount of time. Couples who have saved 60%, 70% of their income in a year. These are incredible stories and I've found them at times to be motivating and challenging us to look at how we spend money. I've even had a few of them on the podcast. However, when these are the stories that get picked up again, and again, you kind of get a bit fatigued and when the headlines only tell part of the story – like the fact they were making incredible amounts of money, then you can feel discouraged. Add on that many of these stories don't talk about that key step – aligning your goals and getting on the same page. If you're not there, then you almost can feel like throwing up your arms and just giving up. I don't want to give up. I would love for you to tackle those big goals, but more importantly, I want you two to feel comfortable and excited about the plan you two carved out for yourselves. How? By acknowledging while there are certain financial principles that are incredibly helpful, we all have different approaches to how we tackle our goals. Today we're going to do that with one of the most common goals families have with their finances – paying off their debts. Today I want to share some guests we've had on the show who have become debt-free, but had different amounts and time tables. In this episode we're looking at: The step by step process of how to set up a system to pay off your debt faster Some of the most common hangups couples have with becoming debt-free Tools and apps to make it easier Let's get started! If you're looking for some more inspiration, tactics, and encouragement about becoming debt-free together, please check out my interview with Chris Browning. Resources to Pay Off a Mountain of Debt If you two are ready to pay off your debt, here are some handy resources to check out: Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint, Zeta Free 5 Days to $5K Course Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Total Money Makeover Free Debt Snowball Template What's Your One Page Financial Plan? Debt Discipline Debt Free Divas Well Kept Wallet Trim: You can free up money in your budget by having Trim cancel your unnecessary subscriptions and negotiate your bills. How to Sync Up with Money Dates Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal! Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you're living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today! We've been Coastal members for a few years have been happy with their services. They want to help you achieve your biggest goals faster and as a team! Your Debt-Free Plan And if you want to discuss this more – ask questions, swap ideas, and maybe get a debt-free strategy set up – don't forget to join us in the Thriving Families group on Facebook. Our goal is to help one another out. Hope to see you there! Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional music by Lee Rosevere.

Money can be a huge source of stress, but it doesn't have to be. Today I'm going to share 5 ways you can simplify your finances so you two can enjoy your marriage and money! Simplify and Reboot Your Money How do you feel about the progress you've made this year with your finances? If you're not quite happy with where you are right now, don't panic. There's still plenty of time to reset and reboot things with your money. Since my Dump Debt Together session aired last Monday as part of the Mamas Talk Money Summit, I have been keeping busy answering some of your questions about changing things up for the better. I've noticed that the biggest concern is getting the ball rolling. You're more than welcome to dig around the site and podcast. With over 1,000 articles and 300+ episodes, we cover a lot here on Couple Money. But I know that approach can make you feel overwhelmed so today I want to wrap up this special series on the podcast with how you can get started. In this episode we'll look at: habits to develop that will make your finances much easier to handle key numbers to track (and which to pass on) An easy way to reboot your money Hope you enjoy! Resources to Hit Your Money Goals If you two are looking to improve how you talk and work together with your finances (and lives), please check out these resources. Reboot Your Money Course: Get it half off (only $10!) by using discount code PODCAST Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint, Zeta, and Honeyfi Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank Automatic Saving: Qapital Free 401(k) Analysis: blooom Why Most People Fail with Their Goals (And How You Can Win!) If you want to discuss talking with your spouse about money, ask questions, or share your own tips please join us over at Thriving Families on Facebook. 5 Ways to Simplify Your Finances Whether you're the spreadsheet king or queen or more the big-picture person, I think we can all agree that we want to streamline our finances so you can focus on the people and things that matter to us. You can really dive into the weeds with finances and debate the minute, but if you're looking for big wins not only with your money but your marriage, here are 5 things you need to focus on. #1: Go on Regular Money Dates Why do I talk about money dates so much? It's because they work! Pretty much every couple whose paid down debt, saved a significant amount, or is on the path to financial freedom does this. They may call it something else (like Andy and Nicole with their budget parties 🙂 ), but the idea is the same. Having a regular time where you're in a relaxing and low key environment to get together to discuss your dreams and your money It can be a night out at one of your favorite restaurants or you're just in the backyard relaxing with a glass of wine by the firepit. Wherever and however you have your money date, you want to make sure you look at the goals you've created together (your WHY) and then review your numbers. Knowing your budget, your monthly cash flow, and net worth is smart. If you're not sure how to start or even begin the conversation about finances, pick up my Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. I take you step by step through money dates, with conversation starters and ice breaks. I also share a 4-week plan to get you two on the same page with money. #2 Switch to a 50/30/20 Budget If the idea of making a budget makes you break out in hives, then you have to switch things up. Typically when someone is complaining about a budget, there are a few key reasons. The root of it for many is that there's no room in the budget for what matters to you. It's so strict, you can't any fun with things. And while that might look like a good idea on paper – you think you're going to get out of debt faster or hit your goal sooner – it's usually an exercise in frustration. Sustainable is the way to go and for most couples, it's a process and one of the best budgets to get you started on that path is the 50/30/20. As you probably figured out, your money (net income in this case) goes into one of three 'buckets' of expenses. 50% Essentials: This covers your 'needs' like rent/mortgage, food, utilities, and necessary transportation. 20% Financial Priorities: This money is allocated for your future such as investing for retirement and taking care of important money goals now like having an emergency fund and paying off your debt. 30% Wants: These are your lifestyle choices. What do you two enjoy? #3: Automate Your Budget A simple trick that's helped us is scheduling the bills to come out 48 hours after the deposits gone in. You can use track your progress with apps and options such as: Personal Capital – If you have a ton of accounts between you, this makes it easy to sort them out. Tiller – Love how easily you can customize it based on your unique budget. Zeta – Created for couples, by couples, Zeta is designed around how you two want to share your

Today we're into how you can shift into your debt-free journey with one question! Dump Debt Together It's on! All this week the Mamas Talk Money Summit is hosting sessions about family finances, investing, career, and kids. My session was out Monday night – Dump Debt Together (When You Can't Agree How). I had a fantastic time! While the session was on, I was live in the chat speaking and answering questions about how to get your spouse on board with knocking out this debt. People had some wonderful questions and were kind enough to share their biggest money challenges. We got into creating a budget when one spouse has irregular income, secrete debts, and conversation starters for those initial chats about money. But I'm not the speaker in this event. There are about 40 amazing mama speakers that are a part of the summit and their sessions cover not only the 'essential' goals like paying off debt, saving, and investing but also topics they may not have as much exposure or have accessible resources. Brynne Conroy is one of the speakers. She's going to be this Friday as part of the kids and money sessions. I've had her on the podcast when she released her book, The Feminist Financial Handbook. She's also the creator of Personal Finance By Women. Her session is Managing Your Finances With a Special Needs Child. In this episode we'll look at: Why Brynne's session is needed One activity you can do to get your spouse on board with becoming debt-free Hope you enjoy! Resources to Hit Your Money Goals If you two are looking to improve how you talk and work together with your finances (and lives), please check out these resources. Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint, Zeta Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank Automatic Saving: Qapital Free 401(k) Analysis: blooom Why Most People Fail with Their Goals (And How You Can Win!) If you want to discuss talking with your spouse about money, ask questions, or share your own tips please join us over at Thriving Families on Facebook. Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional music by Lee Rosevere

Can't agree on how to tackle your finances? Learn how you work together on some of your biggest money issues! Working Through Money Issues Together Last month, in the newsletter I mentioned that for October I was going to be focused on the theme of r resetting and rebooting your finances so you can hit your goals before 2019 ends. I'm doing a special mini-series this month on the podcast, but that's not the only project I'm doing. I'm also a part of a big event happening next week that follows this idea of pushing through on your financial goals – The Mama Talk Money Summit. The event is happening next week – October 21st through 25th. All week during the summit, there will be sessions from over 40 incredibly financially savvy mamas and speakers. We're talking all about: Family Finance Investing, Retirement & Estate Planning Career & Business Teaching Kids About Money And much, MUCH more! So whether you're trying to knock that credit debt, get some savings stashed away, or are looking to invest for long term goals, this summit will have at least a few sessions that can help you make it happen. And 2019 Mamas Talk Money Summit is a FREE conference that's 100% online! This was an important point for me because I know we're all at different points in our financial journey, so having it be free to register was one of the reasons I wanted to join in. The reason I'm bringing this summit up is 1) I think it's an incredible event and resource and 2) my session is going to be about a specific hurdle that we as couples can sometimes have when we're trying to improve our finances, such as paying off debt. In fact, my session is called Dump Debt Together (When You Can't Agree How). So you're all ready to knock debt out, but your spouse….not so much. I'll be sharing some ways you can dig into the real reason they're hesitating and some ways you can use that to come up with a debt-free plan they'd want to join in on. So if you'd like to grab your free pass, catch that session and more, please just head over here. So the session will be a deep dive on the topic, but I want to touch on today this idea of trying to get on the same page. Adam Kol is joining me today. He's a former Tax Attorney and a Certified Mediator who is now focusing on helping couples working through some of their issues. Today we're going to take a situation and question from someone in the community. In this episode we'll look at: Questions to ask to get your spouse to open up How to use what-if scenarios to work through issues Working to keep things open and honest so that you're making the progress you want together Hope you enjoy! Resources to Hit Your Money Goals If you two are looking to improve how you talk and work together with your finances (and lives), please check out these resources. Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint, Zeta Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank Automatic Saving: Qapital Free 401(k) Analysis: blooom Why Most People Fail with Their Goals (And How You Can Win!) If you want to discuss talking with your spouse about money, ask questions, or share your own tips please join us over at Thriving Families on Facebook. Adam Kol: Couples Financial Counselor He's a former Tax Attorney and a Certified Mediator who is now focusing on helping couples working through some of their issues as a couples financial counselor. Adam is providing individually-crafted, fundamentally-sound Couples Financial Counseling and training. Support the Podcast! Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share. Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher. Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together! Music Credit Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional music by Lee Rosevere