How to Money

Time for a Friday Flight- our sampling of the week’s financial news and what it means for your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we boil them down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to get ahead with your money. In this episode we explain some relevant and helpful stories like: prepared for Prime Day, student loans (un)forgiven, details of the SAVE plan, FTC targeting fake reviews, shamed spenders, debt counseling, geographic arbitrage, charitable giving on the decline, and optimizing your giving with Daffy. Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money. Have an awesome weekend! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are you ‘credit card FI’ or are you ‘sabbatical FI?’ But maybe we’re getting ahead of ourselves… First, does anyone else remember the home run obsession back in 1998? In an attempt to beat the single-season record, home runs became the only metric that anyone watching baseball seemed to care about. But what’s interesting is that most MLB games aren’t won by someone sending a 450 foot bomb to center field. It’s an all-or-nothing approach that most often leads to a strikeout and taking a seat back in the dugout. And when it comes to seeking financial freedom, one of the problems with that go big or go home approach is that it can make financial independence seem unattainable, that FI is just out of reach of the typical American and you might as well give up. And others might see it as a false dichotomy- you’re either working 80 hour weeks in order to achieve FI, or you’re sipping pina coladas on the beaches of Tahiti. But we’re here to explain how financial independence exists on a spectrum, the different levels of FI, and how you can practically begin to put your financial freedom to use. Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed a Hayburner IPA by Big Ditch Brewing- thanks to Liz and Tyler for sending this one our way! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Purchasing an insurance policy is one of those seemingly boring tasks that accompanies entering adulthood. Whether it was your parents making you chip in on the higher costs of car insurance because they were now insuring a teenage driver, or seeing the health insurance deduction come out of your paycheck every two weeks. Or maybe it’s realizing that you now have folks who are dependent on your income so it’s finally time to purchase a life insurance policy. Regardless, it’s often thought of as a dull task but our guest, Amy Finkelstein, is here today to explain why insurance is more fascinating than we realize! Amy is a distinguished professor of economics at MIT, she’s a co-director at the National Bureau of Economic Research, she’s won the MacArthur Genius Grant, and now she’s written a book, “Risky Business: Why Insurance Markets Fail and What to Do About It.” In our conversation today we talk about the imperfect insurance market, the purpose of waiting periods, the types of insurance policies we should think long and hard about, and much more! Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed a Kon Tiki Triple IPA by LA Ale Works. And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time for a Friday Flight- our sampling of the week’s financial news and what it means for your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we boil them down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to get ahead with your money. In this episode we explain some relevant and helpful stories like: student loan clarity with the Chipper app, bad consumer sentiment vibes, resisting rising property taxes, YES in my backyard, Airbnb feeling the squeeze, how do I lose thee? (crypto) let me count the ways, Amazon ‘dark patterns’, forgotten 401k accounts, & Costco’s crackdown. Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money. Have an awesome weekend! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever renovated a home? If so, then you remember all of the decisions that you had to make that initially were a lot of fun. Paint colors, light fixtures, tile, even the kind of toilet you wanted… but eventually it gets old and you just want it done. If you can’t relate, even picking up a loaf of bread at the grocery store can be overwhelming- “Should I get honey wheat, 100% whole wheat, 13 grain, the stuff with flax?!” While it can be nice to have options, complicating things doesn’t always make them better. And when it comes to investing, the opposite is actually true. Decision fatigue is what we’re talking about and there can be so many distractions that keep us from reaching our financial goals. Lump sum vs dollar cost averaging, international stocks, ESG investing, real estate, hiring a financial advisor- these are just a few of the potential distractions that we discuss in today’s episode. Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed a Symptom of Progeny by Burial! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re kicking off the week by answering listener questions! And if you have a question that you’d like for us to answer on the show, we’d love for you to submit your own via HowToMoney.com/ask , send us your voice memo. Regardless of how random or bizarre you might think it is, we want to hear it! 1 - With the payment pause ending, how do I approach paying off my student loans while maintaining my credit score? 2 - Why do I need to save medical receipts for my HSA? And another: Should I tap my brokerage account for a home down payment? 3 - My car insurance rates have skyrocketed! What can I do to keep those premiums in check? 4 - We’re expecting… some big medical bills- how can we be financially prepared for having a baby? 5 - Can I DIY tax loss harvesting or is that something worth paying a financial advisor for? Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed a A Generous Characterization of Those You Remember Otherwise by Burial! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marshall Allen is a journalist who investigates why we pay so much for healthcare here in America, while simultaneously we receive so little in return. He is the author of “Never Pay the First Bill: And Other Ways to Fight the Health Care System and Win” and he is also the founder of Allen Health Academy, which produces a curriculum of short on-demand videos to equip and empower employees to navigate the healthcare system. Marshall has been investigating the healthcare industry for 15 years, including over a decade at ProPublica. He also teaches investigative reporting at the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York. We highly recommend that you listen to this episode if you’re looking for practical ways to reduce how much you’re spending on medical costs! Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed a Fade Away by Cruz Blanca Brewery - thanks to Dennis and our friends at the brewery for donating this one to the podcast! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The last thing you want to do when hydroplaning on a flooded road is to overcorrect, potentially sending your car veering into the opposite direction, leading to a crash. Going from one extreme to another can often lead to more harm, or at the very least it can be frustrating and that’s where the ‘laptop class’ has found itself over the past 3 years since the pandemic. We went from typical pre-pan office life when we were all none the wiser, to ‘the death of the office’ where many were working from home, and now there’s a widespread movement to finally get employees back into the office. We’re calling it workplace whiplash because we think both extremes leave something to be desired- there are certainly benefits to be had from going into the office like increased productivity and even higher levels of social health. But there are also major drawbacks to office life in the form of losses in time, health, and money. So, what should you do if your boss says it’s time to come back to the office? We discuss all that and more in today's episode! Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed A Quite Ostentatious Testimony of Nonsequiteur by Burial. And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re joined today by Yanely Espinal, who is also known as MissBeHelpful in the online world of personal finance. Yanely was born in Brooklyn, she is a first generation daughter of immigrants, and even though she went to Brown University it didn’t take long for her to rack up over $20,000 in credit card debt. Academic performance doesn’t automatically mean that you know how to handle your money, and Yanely knew that she needed to make some changes! Before long she was sharing her experience online in order to help others and she parlayed her teaching career into serving as the Director of Educational Outreach at Next Gen Personal Finance. And now she’s recently published her first book: Mind Your Money. She is also currently on a political roller coaster ride across the country in order to convince lawmakers to make personal finance a high school graduation requirement. Listen as we talk about all of this and more today! Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed a Codebreaker West Coast IPA by Trademark Brewing. And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time for a Friday Flight- our sampling of the week’s financial news and what it means for your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we boil them down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to get ahead with your money. In this episode we explain some relevant and helpful stories like: how the CFPB is following our lead, teens making bank, electricians making a SHOCKING amount (yep), Uber Carsharing paying out, car insurance continues to climb, crypto policing, the bull is back, rents are receding, leasing an EV could make sense, EV tax credits, & some legit free cell service. Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money. Have an awesome weekend! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When was the last time you were delighted by something or someone?! For Joel, it was when the tree removal company came back out to his house to re-tarp his roof AND they refunded him for it. That’s some Aldi twice-as-nice-guarantee action right there. Not only did they correct the mistake but they went above and beyond to make sure he was happy. And I think that ‘unexpectedness’ is what makes something truly delightful- when it’s a surprise. And similarly when it comes to credit cards we all know of the basic bonuses and cashback, but when you’re able to score a benefit that you weren’t expecting- that’s when the delight kicks in. And that’s what we’re discussing today- some of the lesser known but truly fun and beneficial perks to using credit cards. Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed a Jammiest Bits of Jam by Sour Cellars! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re kicking off the week by answering listener questions! And if you have a question that you’d like for us to answer on the show, we’d love for you to submit your own via HowToMoney.com/ask , send us your voice memo. Regardless of how random or bizarre you might think it is, we want to hear it! 1 - How should I respond to a girlfriend who is diagnosing my insecurities around money? 2 - Wages aren’t keeping up with rising home values- what should first time home buyers do? 3 - I’m investing some, I don’t have any savings, and I have some debt- what should I do with my money? 4 - Can I take advantage of a 1031 exchange in order to cut capital gains tax on some real estate? 5 - Should I sell my car in order to finally pay off some lingering credit card debt? Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed a Pyrotechnic Pleasantries by Sour Cellars! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time for a Friday Flight- our sampling of the week’s financial news and what it means for your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we boil them down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to get ahead with your money. In this episode we explain some relevant and helpful stories like: $3 movies, T Swift Tourism, the Messi Effect, Apple breaking the bank, instant ACH transfers, DoorDashOffWithYourMoney, Costco meat indicator, $1,000,000,000,000 in credit card debt, Prime Perks, haggling for discounts, 1% mortgage down payments, & WTD with that home equity. Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money. Have an awesome weekend! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever eaten so much dessert that you thought you might puke? Or maybe you find yourself at the end of a shopping spree with too many clothes in your closet than you could ever possibly wear? In both cases we’re talking about the diminishing marginal utility that we receive from each additional item we consume- the first cup of water after a run is wonderful, but the fifteenth... less so! Diminishing returns is a common way to describe this phenomenon, and we want you to know that this applies to frugality as well. There’s a certain subset of folks who think that the best way to handle their money is to be frugal to the max. And while we would even call ourselves a couple of frugal fellas, it’s important to point out that it’s not a financial tool that fixes everything. So while we’ll be the first to point out how frugality can make you wealthier due to how quickly you can implement it and it’s long-term implications, we’re also not shy about highlighting its downsides: how it can be the result of a fear driven mindset, how focusing on expenses can distract you from thinking about income, how it can lead to a miserly existence. There’s a way you can develop a healthy embrace of frugality and that’s what we’re discussing today! Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed The Void of Perspective That Became You and Me by Burial. And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Used cars have APPRECIATED in value! This has never happened before and is a result of the upended car market that we’ve experienced over the past few years. And with this volatility comes a set of new challenges to navigate if you’re looking to buy or even sell a car. But fortunately for us we’re joined by our first anonymous guest on the podcast: Car Dealership Guy, who has blown up on Twitter thanks to his insider knowledge and consumer friendly advice on automobiles. CDG has been in the industry for years- starting out selling cars out on the lot to owning his own dealership and he’s now the go-to car market expert to help consumers understand whats going on. He has a podcast and he sends out car market insights to over 45,000 folks via his newsletter. We discuss how the car market got to where it is today, car manufacturers that are struggling the most, buying from a private seller vs online vs dealerships, how a trade-in might actually make sense, and much more today with the Car Dealership Guy. Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed a Hop Reach IPA by Allagash. And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time for a Friday Flight- our sampling of the week’s financial news and what it means for your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we boil it down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to get ahead with your money. In this episode we explain some relevant and helpful stories like: medical tourism frugal or cheap, student loan payments UNpaused, all the ways to budget, the rise of CD laddering, (not so) tiny homes, caseless crazies, all you can watch buffet, index funds vs Nvidia, and everything about cars is more expensive. Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money. Have an awesome weekend! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You’ve gotta wait 30 minutes to get back in the pool if you’ve eaten! Don’t pee in the pool- it’ll turn red! There are a lot of things we learned in childhood that we’ve likely discarded as false or at least irrelevant at this point. But there are probably some things we still believe because they were ingrained in our brain at an impressionable age. Similarly, there are a lot of folks clinging to the ‘American Dream’ that they should have that house surrounded by that white picket fence, why? Well in large part because it’s the financially smart thing to do. “You’re throwing away money if you're still renting!” It’s a “money fact” lodged somewhere in the recesses of our brain that we can’t shake. We think that recency bias is leading a lot of folks astray in their quest for home ownership. And of course higher mortgage rates play a role as well. On top of that, it turns out that it’s MUCH more affordable to rent in most major metros today, but how much could you save every month? But at the end of the day, if you still want to purchase a home we have a few prerequisites that you should have checked off your financial to-do list, before you start making offers. Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed a It Was A Time To Believe In Anything by Burial Brewing! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re kicking off the week by answering listener questions! And if you have a question that you’d like for us to answer on the show, we’d love for you to submit your own via HowToMoney.com/ask , send us your voice memo. Regardless of how random or bizarre you might think it is, we want to hear it! 1 - After draining my savings to buy a home, what high yield accounts or software do you recommend to help replenish my emergency fund? 2 - More pay or more passion: how do you choose when considering a new job? 3 - Should I try a TikTok mortgage hack that puts my interest on pause? 4 - What steps should I take with my 18 year old to ensure he’s on the path to financial success? 5 - Does it make sense to get an indexed universal life insurance policy in order to boost my ability to invest? Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed a Delusional Deformities by Burial Brewing! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time for a Friday Flight- our sampling of the week’s financial news and what it means for your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we boil it down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to get ahead with your money. In this episode we explain some relevant and helpful stories like: new HSA contribution limits, inertia bias leading to wasted premiums, free tax filing on the horizon, DM to save, customer centric companies, the death of ownership, DIY repairs that can kill, password panic, more affordable vacations, & the worst time to travel. Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money. Have an awesome weekend! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you seen the meme of the guy on a bike who puts a stick in his spokes and then crashes? There are literally hundreds of different versions based on this goofy comic. For instance the first frame on one says “15 holes of good golf,” then followed by “my brain realizing I’m playing well,” as he puts the stick in the front wheel before writhing in pain on the ground. The truth is, it’s not all that hard for us to become our own worst enemy. And that reality is what makes those memes so hilarious and poignant at the exact same time. We understand the truth, we know how it is that math works, and what it is that we should do… but then we go and do the exact opposite thing. And that’s particularly true when we’re talking about money. Simply knowing how to invest won’t make you wealthy and having good intentions won’t get the job done. So today we want to talk about some of the common ways we’re conspiring against ourselves and offer an antidote to help us make the progress we’re looking to achieve. As Carl Jung said, “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” It’s time to dig in! Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed an End of Plagues by Burial Brewing! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We had the pleasure of sitting down with our friend Brandon Ganch, who is The Mad Fientist, while we were recently traveling in Scotland! Brandon started his career as a computer programmer but then quickly added blogger, podcaster, musician, and producer to his expanding list of pursuits and interests. This is a more casual conversation but listen as you’ll learn a lot about Brandon- life events that may have shaped his view of money, how he discovered and then became a leading voice in the Financial Independence Retire Early movement, working with his wife towards financial freedom, possible regrets from pursuing FIRE, and how having a kid and growing older has changed how he now spends his money. We were especially thankful for the Ganch’s hospitality considering they had just moved into their lovely home, with a new baby, just a week before us tourists arrived on the scene! Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed a delicious triple IPA that was graciously provided by Brandon: Puttty by Verdant Brewing based in the UK. And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time for a Friday Flight- our sampling of the week’s financial news and what it means for your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we boil it down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to get ahead with your money. In this episode we explain some relevant and helpful stories like: (non-existent) household debt ceiling, breakfast back on the menu, freemium services getting the squeeze, a free 55” Telly, valuable VHSs, “make an offer” to save, returning rags, a coffee conundrum, bikes at a bargain, dreams of down payments, & extreme ways to lower your utilities. Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money. Have an awesome weekend! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Getting your driver’s license was a liberating milestone worth celebrating because it meant you no longer needed your parents to drop you off at work, or it meant that your friends didn’t need to pick you up to hang out- you had some freedom to do what you wanted! It was a period of life that was likely accompanied by significant change that we can only truly appreciate in hindsight. And as fun as it was to drive on your own for the first time, graduating high school or college is an even more momentous occasion that comes with the ability to change your trajectory in life. Or to even chart a new course that’s completely different from the one you’ve been on- in a way it’s a fresh start. And this extends to money as well because if you follow the right advice at this critical juncture, you have the ability to drastically change how your personal finances are going to look just 5 or 10 years from now. You could end up loaded with debt or you could be well along the path towards financial independence. But one of the problems is that we often don’t have a plan when it comes to our finances. So that’s what we’re discussing today: the relationship between time and money especially when you’re younger, using your money to minimize regrets, upgrading your life on purpose, and the most time-tested ways to invest your money. Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed The Taken by Casa Agria x There Does Not Exist! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re kicking off the week by answering listener questions! And if you have a question that you’d like for us to answer on the show, we’d love for you to submit your own via HowToMoney.com/ask , send us your voice memo. Regardless of how random or bizarre you might think it is, we want to hear it! 1 - We’re converting our primary residence into our first rental property: should we hire a property manager? 2 - Should I put all of our living expenses on a 0% credit card and invest the money instead? 3 - How do I know when it’s time to switch from investing to spending my nest egg? 4 - I have a beloved Mini Cooper Countryman: should I sell it in order to achieve financial stability? 5 - Does it ever make sense to sell my house via an all-cash offer? Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed a Spring Thrills by Pizza Port Brewing- thanks to our buddy Joel for donating this one to the pod! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time for a Friday Flight- our sampling of the week’s financial news and what it means for your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we boil it down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to get ahead with your money. In this episode we explain some relevant and helpful stories like: highlights from our Scotland trip, tyrannical tipping, day (and night) trading, degree requirements getting dropped, white collar apprenticeships, transfer student transgressions, stressing over your money’s safety, hiring and pay freezes, car insurance increases, fewer folks with life insurance, & medical debt dropping from credit reports. Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money. Have an awesome weekend! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whether you saw some crazies doing it on TikTok or read about it in a fitness magazine, it seems like a lot of folks are giving ice baths a try. Evidently it’s supposed to be good for your health, but regardless, there are hordes of people who are intentionally soaking in ice cold water around the 55 degree range. Of course this goes completely counter to what ‘normal’ people subject themselves to. Most folks like their showers warm or even hot, and in the rare instance when you run out of hot water, it can be incredibly frustrating. But just think if you had the perspective of those folks doing cold water therapy. Cold water wouldn’t be an inconvenience but rather something that you would embrace! Your outlook can impact a host of different aspects of life: your happiness, your health, and of course it can impact your money. And especially in our country, it seems that a malaise of pessimism is keeping folks from taking the most basic money moves that could benefit their future. So during today’s episode we present evidence of increased levels of pessimism, how it affects your ability to earn/save/invest your money, and some practical tips to becoming a more optimistic person which ultimately leads to more wealth. Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed a Stress Dissolver Blackberry by Common Space- thanks to our buddy Joel for donating this one to the pod! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Work will always be work. Some people work doing what they love. Other people work so that they can do what they love when they’re not working. Neither is more noble.” This is a quote from Simone Stolzoff’s new book The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life From Work, that’s set to publish in a couple weeks. And regardless of where you fall on that spectrum, whether you live to work, or work to live, Simone makes the argument that there are too many of us who are looking to our jobs to provide fulfillment in ways that are unhealthy. For some our careers have replaced religion, for others it’s a deep meaningful passion they’re looking for, and yet others have replaced their social circle with their office, and friends with their co-workers. We’re asking our work to wear too many hats! So today we have a great conversation with Simone Stolzoff about diversifying our identities, steps that both employers and employees can take in order to help define the ‘good enough job’, and some practical steps we can take in order to create boundaries in our pursuit of work-life balance. Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed a Scrappalicious by Los Angeles Ale Works! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since we’re taking a little vacation over in Scotland, we thought it would be a good time to re-release this episode on how you can travel for little to no money. Brian Kelly, The Points Guy himself, is joining us today on the podcast! If you’ve ever attempted some research on airline miles or credit card reward points, then there’s a good chance you’ve read an article or two over at ThePointsGuy.com. Bryan has an entire staff of writers who are all travel experts- from offices in Austin, to NY, all the way over to London. Which of course frees Bryan up to be able to spend even more of his time participating in his favorite activity- traveling. Listen as Brian shares why he’s willing to pay annual fees on 25 credit cards, what you should do if you have existing airline points, what he thinks about cashback credit cards, how to maximize the number of points you can earn, his favorite perks and benefits of travel cards, and finally his thoughts on traveling with a new baby! Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Find a thriving community of fellow money nerds by joining the HTM Facebook group! Maximize your rewards by getting the best credit card for how you spend. Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. Don’t be cheap and forego getting a life insurance policy. Compare rates with Policygenius. During this episode we enjoyed an Elephants on Parade by Bosque Brewing- a big thanks to Bob in New Mexico for donating this one to the show! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Prepare the child for the road, don’t prepare the road for the child”. This is an old adage that you may, or may not agree with- but regardless, all parents understand that there is a vanishingly small window of time that they have to equip their children for the hardships they’re going to encounter in life. We don’t know exactly what kinds of crazy stuff our kids are going to encounter in the world, but we want them to be prepared for it! And the same thing is true when someone loses a job. It’s hard to know when or even if a layoff is coming, but we still have the ability to prepare ahead of time. The truth is that layoffs are happening, Fed rate hikes continue to restrain the economy, and a recession might be on the horizon. Even if the economy as a whole doesn’t tank anytime soon, there’s always the possibility that your specific company, or even your department, could be looking to cut back. So we offer our thoughts on what moves you should be making with your career, what you should be doing with your personal finances, and ultimately how to make yourself not layoff-proof, but layoff-resistant. Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed an Absolute Brightness by Ology Brewing in Tampa- thanks Jaimie for donating this one to the pod! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re kicking off the week by answering listener questions! And if you have a question that you’d like for us to answer on the show, we’d love for you to submit your own via HowToMoney.com/ask , send us your voice memo. Regardless of how random or bizarre you might think it is, we want to hear it! 1 - Should I freeze my 1 year old’s credit, and if so, how do I do that? 2 - I’m thinking about hanging onto a car loan and putting my cash in high yield savings- is this a smart move? 3 - In the HTM Money Mission Statement, why do y’all ask about small purchases that bring joy as opposed to larger purchases? 4 - What should I do with an old HSA that I’m no longer contributing to? 5 - Our FSA reimbursement dollars will be hitting our account soon- what should we do with that money? Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed a Rainbow Colored Glasses by Ology Brewing in Tampa- thanks Jaimie for donating this one to the pod! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time for a Friday Flight- our sampling of the week’s financial news and what it means for your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we boil it down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to get ahead with your money. In this episode we explain some relevant and helpful stories like: getting paid to move, credit contradictions, more affordable mortgages, avoiding green loans, affordable used cars, RIP Bolt, small business 401k offerings getting big, poor stock picker performance, fortune tellers or financial advisors, free fixes for your broken stuff, gadgets to gift cards, blowing your budget on surplus food, Matt’s beef with Frankie, and lasagna on layaway. Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money. Have an awesome weekend! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sherlock Holmes is a literary character we’re all familiar with who has the uncanny ability to solve any mystery he comes across. And one of the things that sets the British detective apart from others is his use of inductive reasoning to solve his cases. He begins with observations which then propel him in his search for the truth. Deductive reasoning, on the other hand, begins with a hypothesis and then uses the facts in order to confirm a theory. And so as we’re trying to figure out how wealthy we need to be, we think that taking the Holmsian approach is most helpful. Rather than picking a nice round number out of thin air like $1 million, we’re doing some observing and we’re asking some questions! Because regardless of how much money you already have set aside for retirement, you could be missing the mark if you’re only reading the headline numbers reported by the ‘experts’. Today’s episode should help you to realize you probably don’t need as much money as you think, you’ll gain a healthier view of work vs retirement, and we’ll go over some practical calculations to help you decide how much money you’ll *literally* need. Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed a Double Clutch Nitro Oatmeal Stout by Gruner Brothers- thanks for donating this one to the show Katie! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What do Michelle Obama and Novak Djokovic have in common? Well at the very least they’ve both enjoyed meals by today’s guest, Frankie Celenza. And if you think about it, whether you’ve lived in the White House, or you’re the number one tennis player in the world, or if you’re just scraping by on a meager income, there is nothing more elemental than our need to eat food. We’re all united by the fact that we get hungry! And while some folks might like to splurge when it comes to meals, the rest of us are looking for ways to cut those costs so we can reach other financial goals. Frankie is a Daytime Emmy award winning culinary host and his show, Struggle Meals, is all about getting the most bang for your buck in the kitchen, both for your wallet and time savings. He is truly a professional in the kitchen and today we talk about buying seasonally, how to be more efficient while we cook, canned vs frozen veggies, redefining what it means to ‘cook’, and of course some of his favorite meals that are affordable and easy to prepare. Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed a Fluffy Cow Hazy IPA by Gruner Brothers- thanks for donating this one to the show Katie! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time for a Friday Flight- our sampling of the week’s financial news and what it means for your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we boil it down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to get ahead with your money. In this episode we explain some relevant and helpful stories like: Amazon crappy item alert, $1 for returns, credit card rewards bonanza, the new Apple iBank, I bonds are losing their luster, generational disparagement, the myth of the broke millennial, culinary culprits, affordable EVs, & receding rents. Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money. Have an awesome weekend! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who remembers fire and tornado drills back when they were in school?! Even though in the moment they seemed like a complete waste of time, looking back as adults it’s easy to see how important it is to run a drill of what you would do in the event of a fire. And if you were in the scary scenario where you DID have a fire at your school, you were probably glad to have gone through the motions and rehearsed exactly what you should do. Insurance is kind of like a fire drill- most of the time it feels completely unnecessary, but in the rare instances where you actually need to put it to use, you’re more than happy to know you have that policy in place. And while virtually everyone is required to have car insurance, fewer folks have had the misfortune of being in an accident. So one of the problems we’re addressing today is what you should do after you’ve been involved in a car accident- it’s a surreal experience that can catch you off guard. We discuss things like diminished value and notifying your insurance company, but we also discuss how you can be financially prepared for accidents and the steps you can take to reduce the cost of insurance. Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed an A OK Marzen by Gruner Brothers- thanks for donating this one to the show Katie! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re kicking off the week by answering listener questions! And if you have a question that you’d like for us to answer on the show, we’d love for you to submit your own via HowToMoney.com/ask , send us your voice memo. Regardless of how random or bizarre you might think it is, we want to hear it! 1 - Should I buy my parent’s house?! 2 - What account should I move my old 401k dollars over to? 3 - I’m afraid I haven’t saved enough money for my kids- what singular account should I sock away funds into? 4 - Does it make sense to handle my personal finances like businesses do, and wait to pay my bills until just before they’re due? 5 - Are my invested dollars safe if my brokerage firm goes belly up? Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed a Supplication by Russian River! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time for a Friday Flight- our sampling of the week’s financial news and what it means for your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we boil it down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to get ahead with your money. In this episode we explain some relevant and helpful stories like: state representative passport assistance, AI tax help, scoring a 0% capital gains rate, lawless local libraries, paying extra to join distant libraries, costly kids meals, $10 Sam’s Club memberships, investing in risky alternative assets, Google flight price guarantee, mortgaged forevermore, worthless car warranties, & EV battery dependability. Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money. Have an awesome weekend! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Folks will do some crazy things for money! There was an article in The Free Press about human lab rats and the lengths they go in order to make a buck. They’re getting injections, taking pills, oftentimes they can’t leave the building, they’re subject to large amounts of blood being drawn, and this can happen for weeks at a time! But the bottom line is that incentives matter and you might be surprised at what you’d do if there was enough money on the line. Well, making sure that your home is more efficient has never been a bad idea like taking experimental drugs, but now it might be a much better one thanks to increased federal tax credits. We know that making our homes more energy efficient will save us money every month- but how much money could we actually save? And how much money will we be able to get in federal tax credits? Today we discuss how the incentives have gotten sweeter, what the annual credits are for the different upgrades you can make, how to decide if you should make them at all, and then what form you’ll need to fill out to claim the credits. Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed a Bibo by Creature Comforts! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the last 20 years, college tuition and fees have exploded- increasing by nearly 180% to the chagrin of many parents and high school seniors. But it turns out that you don’t have to pay that overinflated sticker price of a higher education. That’s what we discuss during today’s conversation with Ann Garcia, who is also known as The College Financial Lady. That’s the name of her site, where she also has a masterclass, and her book: “How to Pay for College” covers all the strategies you need to deploy in order to get your kid through college without wrecking your retirement. We discuss some of the surprising benefits of higher education, negotiating the costs of attending college, how to compare award letters from multiple schools, the proper way to view non-institutional scholarships, ways to start college-adjacent conversations with your kids, and more! Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed a Spontanale by Mikkeller Brewing! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time for a Friday Flight- our sampling of the week’s financial news and what it means for your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we boil it down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to get ahead with your money. In this episode we explain some relevant and helpful stories like: tax extension season, housing prices are dropping, ADUs on the rise, whether you should renovate or move, choosing money over passion, 401k cashouts, click to cancel, rotten Apple Pay Later, taking advantage of dynamic pricing, and the value of money. Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money. Have an awesome weekend! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over 1,000 years ago, somehow, the Vikings were able to sail from Norway to Greenland. Without relying on any special instruments or any rudimentary technology, they were even able to reach as far as North America! Evidently they relied on the polarization of the sky, whales or birds they came into contact with, and the color of the ocean- quite remarkable. It seems unlikely that any sailors would be able to pull that off today with modern day technology. But that’s often what it feels like as you’re trying to get your financial ship pointed in the right direction. The vastness of options that lie before you feel overwhelming and the obstacles that we face are daunting, but we’re here today to help you to: a) geolocate your financial situation, and b) determine what your next steps should be. It’s important to know where you are, and where you are going. Following our Money Gears will not only allow you to reach your financial goals sooner, but it’ll be the most emotionally satisfying way to achieve that success as well. Listen as we discuss the Money Gears and how you should properly order your financial decisions. Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed a Vinology: Semillon by Monday Night Brewing! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re kicking off the week by answering listener questions! And if you have a question that you’d like for us to answer on the show, we’d love for you to submit your own via HowToMoney.com/ask , send us your voice memo. Regardless of how random or bizarre you might think it is, we want to hear it! 1 - Considering that my mom is a multimillionaire, should I listen to her personal finance and real estate advice even if I disagree? 2 - Do you have any books or recommendations for a teenager who is moving out on her own? 3 - What is the best platform to easily collect rent payments? 4 - Can I carry over any out-of-pocket medical expenses to a new health insurance plan? 5 - Are there any downsides to the Upside App- is it legit or too good to be true? Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed a So Happens It’s Tuesday by The Bruery! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time for a Friday Flight- our sampling of the week’s financial news and what it means for your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we boil it down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to get ahead with your money. In this episode we explain some relevant and helpful stories like: that new Aldi drip, credit bureau complaints, credit score impacting mortgage payments, costly car insurance, exploitive title loans, crypto cons, the quest to burnish Bitcoin, investment scams targeting the youths, earning more on medium term savings, and CDs yes please! Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money. Have an awesome weekend! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Clark Kent has a nerdy newspaper job, he’s got thick glasses- he’s definitely not cool in the city of Metropolis. But when he pulls back the white button up, he’s a beast and becomes Superman! He has superhuman strength, heat vision, freeze breath, and all sorts of special powers that allow him to kick butt and save the world. But Clark Kent doesn’t need everyone to know what he’s capable of- his power is understated and somewhat disconnected from his everyday life. And when it comes to our finances, there’s massive power that we hold as individuals when we don’t feel the need to signal to others what we’re capable of. We gain a degree of financial freedom, a life with less stress, and ultimately a sense of happiness and contentment that doesn’t come from the approval of others. Listen as we discuss how you can practice stealth wealth and achieve it as a goal in your life. Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed a Copper by The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery- a big thanks to Greg for donating this one to the podcast! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s conversation is all about getting that raise that you deserve! We’re joined by Alex Carter who is a Clinical Professor of Law and the Director of the Mediation Clinic at Columbia Law School. She is also a leading trainer on negotiation and mediation for many from the private and public sectors, including the United Nations, U.S. courts and federal agencies, and private corporations such as Bloomberg, Amazon, and Microsoft. So that means Alex is more than qualified to have written the book, Ask for More: Ten Questions to Negotiate Anything. Listen and learn why negotiating isn’t adversarial in nature, overcoming fear and anxiety when discussing pay, why asking questions is better than arguing, tangible and intangible benefits you can fight for, the best time to negotiate a severance package, and so much more during this invaluable conversation with Alex! Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed a Didjits by Burnt Hickory- a big thanks to Kara for donating this one to the podcast! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time for a Friday Flight- our sampling of the week’s financial news and what it means for your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we boil it down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to get ahead with your money. In this episode we explain some relevant and helpful stories like: your craft beer equivalent, J Powell sticks to his guns, banking fees on the decline, toxic Ticketmaster, needing more competition in free markets, water waste, postponed passports, stalled social security, costly cellular service, & the acquisition of Mint Mobile. Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money. Have an awesome weekend! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is homeschooling the best move for your family? Maybe!? That depends on so many factors like your family values, the goals for your career, what resources are available to you, and even what school your kids are currently attending. We’re both products of basic public schooling, but it’s a topical question as the percentage of children who are homeschooled has basically doubled in the past few years- but, homeschooling isn’t a slam dunk decision. And the same is true on the real estate investing front. We love that path for some people and it’s a strategy that has worked out well for us. You’ve heard of real estate moguls who’ve made millions ‘in real estate’ and maybe the algorithm is even feeding you social media influencers who are claiming that it’s so easy. Well today we have a nuanced conversation to help you to determine if it’s right for you or not. We discuss how the real estate market has evolved over the past decade, some of the cons in addition to pros of becoming a landlord, some alternative ways to invest in real estate that are essentially passive, as well as some lower risk ways to wade into the waters of investing in real estate. Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed an US Alive by Mikkeller Brewing! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re kicking off the week by answering listener questions! And if you have a question that you’d like for us to answer on the show, we’d love for you to submit your own via HowToMoney.com/ask , send us your voice memo. Regardless of how random or bizarre you might think it is, we want to hear it! 1 - Reaching my different savings goals is taking too long- how can I speed things up?! 2 - Should I use a 529 account rollover to increase how much I can sock away into my Roth IRA? 3 - What’s the best account that I can set up for my one year old daughter before she has earned income? 4 - Are the free tax prep software companies and websites legit? 5 - When is it too late to invest in the stock market? Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. During this episode we enjoyed an Infrared Eclipse by Rhinegeist Brewing! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time for a Friday Flight- our sampling of the week’s financial news and what it means for your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we boil it down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to get ahead with your money. In this episode we explain some relevant and helpful stories like: Costco refunds, asking for a discount, bank blow-ups, whether your money is safe, how to score more FDIC coverage, where rates might be headed, AI financial advice, plastered purchases, in-app purchases cost you more, and a big thanks to Argentina M for telling others about the HTM Newsletter that we publish every Tuesday morning- it’s fun, free, practical, and we think it’ll help you to get ahead with your money! Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money. Have an awesome weekend! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What one thing do we all do before we put our clothes on in the morning? We all check the weather! Because which clothes we opt to wear is largely dependent on what the sun is doing- whether it’s out and burning our skin, or if it’s hidden away behind some ominous rain clouds. And in fact, the changing seasons and fickle nature of the weather impact us in a variety of ways. They change our behavior and determine what sports we get to play, or what flowers and vegetables we plant in the garden. And simply put, the Federal Reserve interest rate is the financial sun that ultimately impacts all of our financial lives. Whether or not rates are rising or falling impact everything from the payments we make on our credit cards, to the interest we receive in our high yield savings accounts. And so during today’s episode we’re equipping you with the knowledge and practical steps so that you can minimize the downsides, while maximizing the upsides of rising rates. Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. Don’t be cheap and forego getting a life insurance policy. Compare rates with Policygenius. During this episode we enjoyed a Cloudscape IPA by New Park Brewing- thanks for donating this one to the pod Matthieu! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money! Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.