How to Money

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.

Everybody has heard of a consumer advocate before- someone who helps to make sure that individuals are getting the best deal possible. Or to make sure that the quality of the products is up to snuff. For instance think of Consumer Reports and the countless reporting and tests they perform on the different items we use as consumers. But you likely haven’t heard of a ‘non-consumer advocate’ before and that’s who we’re talking with today; our friend Katy Wolk-Stanley! Katy’s site is TheNonConsumerAdvocate.com and she helps people learn to live on less, and to do so in a way that lessens their environmental impact. She’s an uber-frugalite who hardly ever buys anything new, and she uses that superpower to help others to live on as little income as possible. In this episode we discuss some of the different tactics that anyone can deploy: prioritizing lower tech solutions that last, how Katy easily fixes her broken household items, how minimalism and frugalism compliment each other, selling items on eBay, getting tax breaks for donating to Goodwill, 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. 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.

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: entrepreneurship everywhere all at once, student loan drama, more paid apprenticeships, degrees overseas, soft skills supreme, proliferating perks of credit cards, gift cards galore, revenge spending, as well as rapidly rising car debt and delinquencies. 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 is the greatest actor of all time? You might have an opinion- maybe it’s Meryl Streep or Daniel Day-Lewis, but this would likely lead to a pretty fierce debate. And the same could be said about athletes- who is the greatest? Is it Michael Jordan or Michael Phelps? Well it depends on who you’re asking because it’s in the eye of the beholder to a certain extent. We all want to know what sets the greatest in their given field apart from the ones who were just really good. Luckily the greatest investor conversation isn’t nearly as fraught. Warren Buffett is the GOAT in our eyes and we’re certainly not alone in that assumption. And it’s not only due to the returns he’s garnered- his longevity, consistency, and humility are admirable as well. So today we’re going to talk about the GOAT investor and what financial, and life lessons we can learn from him. How you should approach your investments, how long you should be holding them, and what you should be investing in are just a few questions we’ll answer 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. Don’t be cheap and forego getting a life insurance policy. Compare rates with Policygenius. During this episode we enjoyed a Blender Black-Ras 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.

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 - My family vacations are getting too expensive and I’m not sure I can attend- what should I do? 2 - As an 11 year old, how should I save or spend $2,000 that I have in my bank account? 3 - What is the most optimal way to make extra payments and pay off my mortgage early? 4 - Am I paying off my credit card too soon in order to receive the points and rewards? 5 - How much money do I need to have invested in order to retire? 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 Double Coud 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.

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: Google Lens to snag a deal, junking fees, reduced monthly insurance costs for FHA backed mortgages, costly casas due to low inventory, HGTVification of the housing market, renting on standby, the death of customer service, our favorite wireless provider takes home gold, the rise of 4-day workweeks, breaking the fever of workism, investing procrastination penalties, & screaming tooth fairy payouts. 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. 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.

Cinderella is such an absurd story! Seriously, when you stop and think- it’s pretty messed up: a prince dances with a girl he’s never met before for one night, and then he sends his goons around town to find her so they can get married. There’s a reason you go on dates for at least a few weeks before proposing. You’ve gotta kick the tires and perform some due diligence! Similarly, you might be completely obsessed with the idea of early retirement upon first hearing about it. And articles out there on the web sure do make it sound enticing. And it might be the right move for some folks, but not before thinking it through on a bunch of fronts. So we’re going to offer our thoughts on how to decide if retiring sooner than your peers is a good goal. We’re going to tackle a number of questions both financial in nature (like sequence of returns risk and ‘one more year syndrome’) but also some personal questions as well (like hobbies and how you’ll spend your days), that’ll help you decide if early retirement is a goal worth pursuing. 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 Ferrous 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.

Virtually all conventional wisdom points folks in the direction of paying off their debt. “Debt is dumb” is a line you’ll hear after listening to most personal finance podcasts for about 30 seconds. It's the mantra and driving force behind many money experts out there. But our guest today wants money savvy folks to take another look, and to reconsider debt. Tom Anderson is the author of the NYT best seller “The Value of Debt” and he has actually written multiple books on the different ways that we can utilize debt to build wealth. While most financial planning experts are only looking at debt as something to be eliminated, Tom advocates for the strategic use of debt. Listen as we discuss optimal debt ratios, the importance of liquidity, the psychological reality of debt, and plenty more on 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. Don’t be cheap and forego getting a life insurance policy. Compare rates with Policygenius. During this episode we enjoyed a Helles Lager by New Park Brewing- thanks, 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.

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: a helpful Apple Card feature, apprenticeships that pay, prepping for student loans, Rivian bikes, e-bike rebates, expensive babysitters, end of life plans for your electronics, scammy high interest savings, erupting equity, & disappearing flexible spending dollars. 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. 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.

Do you know something that we’re all currently doing? Breathing. It’s something we rarely actively think about, but it turns out that there are ways to improve our technique- by breathing through our nose instead of our mouths, or by taking deeper slower breaths. Well we’re talking about another basic subject today: buying groceries. This elementary practice seems simple on the surface, but just like breathing there are tactics that you can implement in order to save more money at the supermarket. The cost of food has always been a big deal as it’s typically our third largest expense. But it’s a bigger deal than ever with grocery prices up nearly 12% in December compared to a year ago. Inflation is making it more expensive to eat! Listen for how much you should be spending every month, our take on meal delivery services, and many other money saving tips that you can implement in order to butcher your grocery bill 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. Don’t be cheap and forego getting a life insurance policy. Compare rates with Policygenius. During this episode we enjoyed a Darken by Upland 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 - I took out personal loans to start a BTC mining business: should I use Roth contributions to pay them off? 2 - Should I pursue travel nursing in order to double my salary? 3 - As a teacher, can I afford to invest more aggressively since I have a pension? 4 - Investing via Acorns: smart move or should I consider other providers? 5 - What are some benefits or tax write-offs as we’ve started a new business? 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 Lindemans Framboise! 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: newsletter referral program rewards and shoutouts, tax-free state relief payments, free money for home improvements, how to appeal your property tax assessment, the worst way to invest, using or losing your points, cheating charities, starving to save, sketchy retailer tactics, & the myth of the informed consumer. 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. 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.

Cults are fascinating. The amount of gaslighting and denial of reality that takes place in order to perpetuate the movement is simply mind boggling. And one of the most interesting parts is to see interviews with the folks who finally got out. For years they couldn’t see clearly as they were essentially brainwashed, but now they look back on everything they experienced in a completely different light. When you’re in the midst of something so enveloping and all-consuming it can be difficult to know your right from your left, to know the difference between truth and lies. And similarly it can be difficult to discern the magnitude and scope of the impact of something like a global pandemic on our lives until some time has passed. But now that we had a few years between us and lockdowns, we wanted to discuss the specific ways in which Covid 19 has jolted personal finance and how we should respond to those changes. 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 Mango Funk Yoself by Meddlesome Brewing- thanks Ben & Rachael 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.

There’s more to successfully handling your money than just figuring out the financial nuts and bolts. Money has emotional and psychological components to it as well, which is at the core of what our guest today focuses on. We’re happy to be joined by Lindsay Bryan-Podvin, who happens to be the first financial therapist in the state of Michigan. She is a social worker-turned-financial therapist. She’s also the author of the book, The Financial Anxiety Solution, which is a workbook to help folks stop stressing about money by applying therapy techniques to their relationship with money. We’re excited to talk about how having more knowledge may not be the solution to your financial woes, how procrastination and perfectionism are tied at the hip, the value of understanding your financial archetype, how to have productive money conversations with a partner, & much 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. Don’t be cheap and forego getting a life insurance policy. Compare rates with Policygenius. During this episode we enjoyed a Mexican Lager by High Cotton Brewing- thanks Ben & Rachael 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: newsletter referral program rewards and shoutouts, Netflix crackdown, movie theater priority seating, investing through a bear market, 401k raiders, ESG funds falling short, avoiding the officejet shakedown, big game gambling, Valentine’s Day outlay, financial infidelity, & reduced tax refunds. 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. 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.

"He was a wise man who invented beer." - Plato If you’ve been listening for any length of time you know that we like craft beer. But booze can be a polarizing subject. We’ve had emails from folks who say they like our show, but just can’t continue to listen because of our stance on alcohol. At least in some circles, beer can be polarizing and the same thing is true when it comes to the use of credit cards. There isn’t much logical, nuanced, or balanced conversation when it comes to credit cards- they’re either the greatest thing since sliced bread or they’ll ruin you overnight. But the reality is a bit more nuanced. Yes, there are certainly a number of downsides to using credit cards like paying interest and how they might encourage overspending which we’ll discuss today. We’ll also cover if we think using credit cards is ethical. But simultaneously you can’t deny the many benefits that come with responsible credit card use: the ability to help establish a solid credit score, the additional consumer protections they offer, the bountiful rewards, and much more. Plus we’ll explain a basic three card optimization strategy that will work for most folks- have a listen! 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 The Judge by Memphis Made Brewing- thanks Ben & Rachael 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.

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 do I get my reluctant spouse on board with a plan to budget? 2 - What should I do with an old 529 Plan that I was planning on transferring to my kids? 3 - Am I being frugal or cheap by blending my beers myself at a local brewery in order to save? 4 - Should I max out my Roth IRA or my 403b if both are available options? 5 - Is it a good idea to be a landlord while living abroad? 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 Thyyk Hydra by Mortalis 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 our Friday Flight! These episodes are a sampling of the week’s financial news and the impact on your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we distill 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: where to find your missing money, Super Bowl investing indicators, frugal NFL’ers, celebrity crypto accountability, Madonna v. Munger, rich renters, spring housing market rebound, living paycheck to paycheck with 6 figures, avoiding pointless bank fees, poor credit = expensive insurance, & the empty promises of passive income. 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. 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.

We love nerdy board games! And one of the things that makes them fun, besides getting to play them with friends and family, is the competition for scarce resources. For instance with the Settlers of Catan, it takes a few rounds of play to get the resources you need to build the settlements, cities, and development cards that help you rack up victory points in Catan. It’s a classic that still holds up, and like most games it's all about tradeoffs. Should you focus on building a road or upgrading to a city? You can’t do it all and you can’t get everything you want all at once. And it turns out that our financial lives are kind of like a game of Catan as we’re always making tradeoffs as well- in particular when it comes to our expenses. We’re torn between the decision of spending big money on an item that we know is going to last, versus an inferior item that will get the job done- at least for a little while, before inevitably breaking. Today we talk about the pros and cons of planned obsolescence, the culture of disposability, the buy it for life movement, as well as changing the way we think to ensure that we’re allocating our dollars to maximize satisfaction! 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 Song of Winter by Hill Farmstead- a big thanks to Michael and Emily 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.

Everyone loves to travel! Who doesn’t enjoy exploring a new country, tasting new and interesting foods, diving into the history and culture of a new city? Or if you’re less adventurous, at the very least kicking back and living like a local might sound appealing to you. But the problem is that it’s too expensive to travel!... Or so you think. This is why we’re excited to have Elaine Glusac, who is also known as The Frugal Traveler over at the NYT, joining us on the podcast today. We’re going to discuss the tricks to book the most affordable flights, if it’s frugal or cheap to go with the discount airlines, Elaine’s favorite under the radar destinations, her advice for traveling with kids, and plenty 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. Don’t be cheap and forego getting a life insurance policy. Compare rates with Policygenius. During this episode we enjoyed a Society & Solitude #6 by Hill Farmstead- a big thanks to Michael and Emily 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.

Time for our Friday Flight! These episodes are a sampling of the week’s financial news and the impact on your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we distill 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: saving $200 a month on car insurance, negotiating down major appliances, Prime prescriptions, financial planner predicaments, gold digging dinner dates, stellar customer service, living in a scamsters paradise, 72 minute daily commutes, & remote jobs on the decline. 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. 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.

Focusing only on cutting your expenses in order to invest more money, is just like only focusing on cutting out sweets in order to lose weight. It’s a great start, but there’s more to it than that! Because not only do you need to adjust how many calories you’re consuming everyday, but you’ll also need to address how many calories you’re burning- yes indeed, we’re talking about exercise! It takes a two pronged approach to see the most impactful change on your weight and overall health. And similarly it takes addressing both your expenses and your income in order to see the biggest changes when it comes to your personal finances. So during this episode we focus on why 2023 is the perfect time to boost your income, how to determine if you’re underpaid, the single factor that will lead to higher pay, assessing more than just your annual salary, and many more ways to maximize your income this year! 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 Painting Dreams Citra by Fidens Brewing- a big thanks to Michael and Emily 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.

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 my fiancé and I go about combining our bank accounts, credit cards, and investments? 2 - Should I stop contributing to my Roth IRA until I’m able to fully replenish my six month emergency fund? 3 - Are REITs inferior to investing in actual real estate? 4 - When should I consider opening a specific business checking account? 5 - Daycare and other kid expenses are quite large- what are some ways to cut those bills? 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 Jasper with Peacharine by Fidens Brewing- a big thanks to Michael and Emily 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.

Time for our Friday Flight! These episodes are a sampling of the week’s financial news and the impact on your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we distill 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: the cheapest hot dog combo, tax season is upon us and where to file for free, tax loopholes or deductions, the total cost of being a ‘pet parent’, budgeting to maintain your home, smaller down payments on the rise, traffic is costing you real money, the solution to city congestion, shopper revolts, savers’ paradise, & boosting your income with higher wages. 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. 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.

Sitting on your butt is killing you! According to the Heart Foundation, folks who sit the most are 90% more susceptible to dying from cardiovascular events like heart attacks and strokes. And while taking a load off and having a seat isn’t going to immediately harm you, the accumulation of years and decades of a more sedentary lifestyle could lead to an earlier death! And we feel similarly when it comes to consumer debt. Paying a little interest this month isn’t going to completely wreck your financial future, but it’s a real problem if it becomes a permanent fixture in your life. Not to mention the fact that credit card interest rates are rising and millions of Americans made their holiday purchases with money they don’t have. Listen as we discuss the straightforward steps to create a foolproof plan, where we land on the debt snowball vs debt avalanche approach, as well as some additional helpful tips that will allow you to ditch debt for good. 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 Perpetual Composition by Southern Grist 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 going all-in today on budgeting with our special guest- Jesse Mecham! There are a number of folks listening who might recognize his name, but I’m guessing even more folks are familiar with the company he started in 2003 while he was still in college- You Need A Budget, or YNAB as it’s commonly known. Millions of individuals have used YNAB to get on a budget which has allowed them to achieve their life-changing financial goals- whether that’s simply paying off debt or the complicated endeavor of getting on the same page as their partner. Jesse has likely thought more about budgeting over the past 20 years than anyone else out there, so we’re excited to talk with him about all the things that he’s learned over the years. Listen as we discuss why you need a budget in the first place, Jesse’s 4 rules of budgeting, how often you should spend on your budget every month, as well as his approach to credit cards and 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. Don’t be cheap and forego getting a life insurance policy. Compare rates with Policygenius. During this episode we enjoyed an Igneous IPA by Hutton & Smith! 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 our Friday Flight! These episodes are a sampling of the week’s financial news and the impact on your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we distill 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: more potential student loan forgiveness on the horizon, egg fights in the aisles, cutting food waste, the high risk of single stock investing, doubling down on a down market, Disney in real life, & non-competes might be on the road to defeat. 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. 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.

Would you eat boiled buffalo testicles like they did on the old show Fear Factor? Or walk between two high-rises on a cable? Or allow tarantulas to be dumped on your face while strapped to a table? I’m guessing you’re not interested in doing this for funsies, but you might be singing a different tune iif a million bucks is on the line. And that’s because incentives change everything. When the rules of the game have changed, we need to adjust our behavior accordingly. And at the end of last year the SECURE Act 2.0 was signed into law which effectively changed the rules on a lot of the different retirement accounts that we have access to. There are many provisions in this Act that changed the incentives for how, when, and where we invest for the future. Roth, 529, and self employed retirement accounts were all impacted and so today we discuss many of the changes, and talk about what you should do during 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. Don’t be cheap and forego getting a life insurance policy. Compare rates with Policygenius. During this episode we enjoyed an Imperial Strawberry White Ale by Cascade Moon! 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 - I want to switch to an online bank but how do you go about depositing and withdrawing cash? 2 - Should I own my first investment property as an individual or as a business operating as an LLC? 3 - How important is the revenue credit that I receive from my target date fund in my 401k? 4 - Are I bonds still a good place to park money for my one-year-old? 5 - Do I have to pay taxes on income generated by a hobby? 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 St. Bernardus Wit! 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 our Friday Flight! These episodes are a sampling of the week’s financial news and the impact on your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we distill 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: setting financial goals, new 1099K forms delayed for a year, return windows for holiday gifts, WTD with unused gift cards, backbreaking car payments, minimal EV maintenance costs, popular sources for investing advice, stranded by Southwest, the temporary relief of mortgage rate buydowns, & home seller concessions on the rise. 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. 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.

Close your eyes and think back to high school. No matter if those were the best years of your life or if you were more of a wallflower, you were likely told that you needed to get good grades- but why? Was it because you knew that you needed a particular GPA in order to get into a specific school? Maybe, but a lot of high schoolers just know that it’s generally a good idea to get high marks because it’s going to give you more options down the road (not to mention personal development, growth, yada yada). And in the same way that not all students know exactly what college they’re going to attend, not everyone has figured out what their big financial goals are going to be this year. But it’s about moving in the right direction with your finances, getting that momentum started even if the end goal is subject to change. And developing the right financial habits will help you start moving in the right direction, even if you don’t know what your ultimate destination will be. That’s what we’re talking about today- the essential habits for financial success! 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 Liquid Hop Magma by Mutation Brewing- a big thanks to Jack and our friends there at the brewery! 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 talking all about how we can make positive money changes in 2023! And we can think of no better guest to have on the show than Katy Milkman, author of How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be. Katy is a professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where she explores ways that insights from economics and psychology can be harnessed to change consequential behaviors for good, such as exercise and vaccination, but also behaviors like saving more money which is a topic we’re very interested in. She’s advised organizations ranging from the White House to 24 Hr Fitness, her op-eds appear in publications like the New York Times and the Economist, & we’re excited to be discussing making money changes that stick 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. Don’t be cheap and forego getting a life insurance policy. Compare rates with Policygenius. During this episode we enjoyed a Hefeweiz Guy by Mutation 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.