Marriage Kids and Money: Personal Finance for Families

Keith Robinson shares his journey to becoming mortgage-free and offers tips for anyone who wants to pay off their mortgage early. We also discuss how complete debt freedom gives his family security during a financial crisis. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a featured speaker at Ally Invest's FOMO Free Financial Future Conference, I had the chance to speak about our family's pursuit of financial Independence and my thoughts about the FIRE Movement. Read the full blog post: https://MarriageKidsandMoney.com/fire-movement-pros-cons-financial-independence RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you want your child to understand money better or become a teen entrepreneur? Rob Phelan of The Simple Startup shares his tips to make that happen. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Lacy and his wife had $61,000 at the start of their marriage. After failing to get his wife on board with paying off the debt, Michael opened up to his wife and shared why it was so important. Here's how they partnered to pay it off in 16 months. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After sitting on the sidelines of the real estate investing conversation for a few years, I'm ready to become an investor. But it's going to be the minimalist way. Here are 3 real estate investment options that honor minimalism and keep things simple. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There may not be a single right way to achieve financial freedom, but supersizing your savings is certainly a powerful strategy. But what does supersizing your savings mean? More importantly, how does someone go about doing that? I sat down with Kelly Smith from Freedom in a Budget to learn more about how she and her husband are crushing their goals and enjoying their lives while living on 50% of their income. In our chat, Kelly proves that budgets aren’t constricting. They’re a pathway to freedom. She shares details on making the decision to take the 50/50 path, milestones they’ve already crossed, and where they are headed. Plus, she offers actionable steps for people who want to make more money and want to make saving 50% of your income a reality. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imagine being able to take your side hustle to the next level and quit your full-time job? That’s exactly what Kelan and Brittany Kline managed to do after working on their blog for over a year. They were able to leave the shackles of their day job and go full-time with their passion project: The Savvy Couple, a blog and community that helps families organize their lives, simplify their finances and unlock the freedom to do more of the things they love. We chat about how they get into blogging as a side hustle, how they first started making money and their future plans for their business and family. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the most important decisions anyone can make is who you choose to spend your life with. Marriage impacts us emotionally, socially, legally, financially, and in so many other ways. While the divorce rate in America is dropping, so is the marriage rate. That means married couples understand marriage is important, we might not know exactly where to turn for good advice. Today, I sat down with Kimberly Holmes, the CEO of Marriage Helper, to learn more about the reasons why marriages end and what couples can do to save them. Kimberly explores three broad categories of marriage trouble, details some of the warning signs, and outlines steps that we can take today to be better partners tomorrow. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adam from Tampa is skeptical about working with a financial advisor and wants to know how to invest on his own. Andy, For most of my life, I have been told what to do with my money. I had a family member work for Morgan Stanley and he invested for us for years. Last year, we had some issues within the family and decided to part ways. My wife and I quickly decided to go with another guy who does good but the last email was life insurance focused. The main question is I want to handle all of this on my own. I feel like I can’t teach my kids what is best without knowing. Any advice? Thanks for reaching out Adam! That is a tough situation you’re in and it sounds very familiar to me. I wanted to invest for the future, but I didn’t know much about investing. I got hooked up with an investment broker that ended up having very high fees and I felt didn’t have our best interest at heart. Based on that experience, I wanted to learn as much as possible about investing so I wouldn’t get burned again. That’s part of the reason I started this podcast ... to learn, grow and help my family get to the next level. Regarding your situation, I’m going to share with you 7 thoughts I have. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In May 2010, I married my dream girl. She was funny, beautiful and chock-full of 90's TV trivia. Our first couple of dates consisted of a lot of Saved by the Bell and Seinfeld jokes. Outside of knowing the Soup Nazi episode verbatim, Nicole and I both came into the marriage knowing the general basics of personal finance. You know, advice like: "Don't carry a credit card balance" "Always have some savings for a rainy day" "Good debt is okay to have" In the years before our marriage, we did rack up a hefty amount of "good" debt. Car payments and student loans were a few of the good debt offenders we carried into our marriage. Hey, you NEED a car to get around, right?! And how else are you going to pay for college?! After some research and personal soul-searching, there really was no good debt or bad debt in our eyes. It was just debt to us. This was all just money we owed someone. It wouldn’t go away until we decided to clean it up. We decided that being in debt was not something we wanted for our new family. We vowed to become debt-free (outside of our mortgage) before our first child was born. In September of 2010, we owed $20,908 on my wife’s car and $27,124 on my student loans for a grand total of $48,032 of good/bad/indifferent debt. During the next 12 months, we took that $48,032 of debt and clobbered it! By September 2011, we owed $0. Zilch. Nada. Bye-bye debt. Here are the 5 steps we took to rid debt from our family forever. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Being neck-deep in debt can make you feel like all the odds are stacked against you, especially when you reach almost the seven figures! Today, Andy talks to Wendy Mays on how her family is climbing out of nearly $1,000,000 of student loans, home mortgages, car loans, and other consumer debt. Wendy is the host of the House of FI podcast, a part-time work-from-home lawyer and a mother to six children. We talk about how she and her husband accumulated their debt, the turning point that led them to fix their situation and their progress on their journey to financial independence so far. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Multi-level marketing (MLM) is a $36 billion industry, but according to AARP, 73% of people who participate in MLMs make no money or lose money. So what’s the appeal? Why do people keep coming back with such a high failure rate? Today, Andy talks to Melissa Blevins from the Perfection Hangover about the two MLMs she took part in to make some extra money while staying at home with the kids and how she ended up losing money. We talk about what MLMs are all about, Melissa’s personal experiences and her current side hustle (that has become more profitable for her). RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our question of the month comes in from Mike: Andy, I saw the Business Insider article about you paying off your mortgage early. We’re in a similar situation. With $228,000 left on our mortgage, our plan is to pay it off in 6 years. We’re looking for advice and shortcuts! That’s awesome to hear you want to pay off your mortgage early, Mike! You’re looking for steps, shortcuts, and advice on how to pay off your $228,000 mortgage in 6 years … Let’s do this! RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One fall night in 2010, my wife Nicole and I were watching the Suze Orman Show. (Yes, I used to DVR it). There was this fun segment where someone would call in and Suze would analyze that person's financial health and give them a grade. It was called How Am I Doing? One term that we kept seeing over and over again on this segment was “Net Worth”. Since we were personal finance newbies, we had no idea what this meant. Nicole and I were making a combined annual income of $130,000 so we figured our net worth must be HUGE. After the show was over, we decided to see how rich we really were. There was no doubt in our mind that we’d be better off than most of the jokers that call in to the show and get an “F” grade from Suze! We walked upstairs and started to write down all of our numbers on a big whiteboard. By separating our “assets” (what we owned) and our liabilities (what we owed) into two big columns, we started to discover that we weren’t rich. We were kinda broke. Although we were making a solid income together, our liabilities were much higher than our assets. Here is a snapshot of what our numbers looked like back in 2010 (rounded educated guesstimates based on me losing some of our data along the way): There’s no way were going to get an “A” grade on Suze’s show with a -$50,000 net worth! This epiphany moment was just the jolt of reality we needed to start making progress on our finances. Our short-term goal was to get this net worth number in positive territory ASAP! It was time for us to make a change. Here's what we did to increase our net worth by $800,000 in 8 years. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Okeoma Moronu recently paid off over $300,000 of student loans. She and her husband worked for over 6 years to become debt-free and now they are making some big life changes with $4,000 extra per month. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sam Dogen from Financial Samurai quit his job in 2012 and is now a stay-at-home Dad. He shares how he makes $200,000 per year in passive income from home. OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE Family Wealth and Happiness: 10 Steps to a Better Tomorrow (Today) How We Paid Off Our 15 Year Mortgage in 5 Years 50% to 10%: Why We're Happy Saving Less in FIRE Journey MKM RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors MKM Coaching: Request a free 15-minute consultation today YouTube: Subscribe for free to watch videos of these episodes and interviews Instagram: Follow our IG channel Voicemail: Leave your question or comments here Merch Store: Check out our t-shirts, hoodies, and coffee mugs! DISCLAIMER This show may contain affiliate links or links from our advertisers where we earn a commission, direct payment or products. Opinions are the creators alone. Information shared on this podcast is for entertainment purposes only and should not be considered as professional advice. Marriage Kids and Money (www.marriagekidsandmoney.com) is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Certified Financial Planner Liz Frazier shares how parents can teach their young kids about money. She reviews practical tips for Moms and Dads to help their children learn about needs vs. wants, the importance of an allowance system and how to develop a daily gratitude practice. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tomorrow, I plan to leave my 6-figure job to become a full-time entrepreneur. Here are the 10 steps I took to prepare for this entrepreneurial leap. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jon Vroman, Host of the Front Row Dads Podcast, shares the moment he realized he wasn't being the best husband and father he could be. We discuss what he did to change into the family man his wife and kids needed. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jacob Wade recently quit his job and took a year off to travel the country with his wife Michelle and their 3 kids in an RV. They like it so much that they are working on making it a permanent thing. But will they be able to afford it? RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christie recently paid off her mortgage and reached Dave Ramsey's Baby Step 7. She owns a paid-for rental property but is considering selling it and investing in the stock market instead. I share my investment options after you pay off your mortgage. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lisa Harrison discovered the FIRE Movement and started adopting the early retirement lifestyle. She then had a change of heart. Here's why! RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Damian Dunn, CFP and co-host of the Pete the Planner Show, shares how we can save and invest for our kid's future. We review the benefits of a 529 college savings plan, Roth IRA for Kids and much more. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After finding our dream home, we became worried about paying a big mortgage for decades. So we decided to pay off our 15-year mortgage in 5 years instead. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facebook and Instagram Ads Strategist Monica Louie shares how she grew her online business to multi-six-figures in revenue in just a few years. We also discuss how her home-based business allows her to be a more happy and present parent. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wes is paying off $100,000 of debt. He wants a side hustle that pays $30 per hour or more that he can do from home. As a young father, he's looking for flexibility to be with family and make more money. I share 14 side hustle ideas he can consider. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jim Sheils, Author of the Family Board Meeting, shares why one-on-one time with our kids and our spouse is crucial a happy homelife. After coaching hundreds of entrepreneurs, Jim feels one-on-one time with family is the best investment we can make. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is a lot of debate around whether or not you should pay your mortgage off early. After my wife and I paid off our $200,000 mortgage off in less than 5 years, we know it was the right decision for us. Here are 10 compelling reasons to consider paying off your mortgage early. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jill Sirianni shares why she and her husband decided to live in a 170-square-foot tiny home. We discuss the pros and cons of tiny home living and how embracing minimalism can help you eliminate debt and stress from your life. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Julie is living paycheck to paycheck. She and her husband live near a major city and make around $100,000 per year, but they have nothing to show for it. Julie is frustrated and wants to know how she can do better. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Real estate investor Rich Carey shares how he bought 20 rental properties in cash while serving in the military abroad. He shares how real estate made him a millionaire and how you can buy your first buy-and-hold rental unit in cash too. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When my daughter was born, I instantly thought about how I could best protect my new family's future. Financial Independence rose to the top of the list. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chelsea Brennan shares how parents can navigate their finances before and after pregnancy. As a former Wall Street working Mom, she has a lot of experience with this important moment in a mother's life. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Patrick wants to know if he should pay off his 30-year mortgage early or invest the money in the stock market. We provide 5 different options for him to consider with this big financial decision. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stephanie O'Connell Rodriguez just had the wedding of her dreams. She paid $40,000 for her big day without taking on any debt. Here's how she did it. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan and Regan Whitlock partnered together and paid off $40,000 of debt in less than 8 months. They did this through communication, compromise and boosting their income. As parents-to-be, they've now set themselves up for future family financial success. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Future college costs are insane. I'm sharing 5 strategies we're using to help our kids graduate student debt free. Also, I interview Julien and Kiersten Saunders, from the award-winning blog Rich & Regular, on how they paid off their mortgage in 3 years. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Angela Rozmyn from Tread Lightly, Retire Early shares how she and her husband are pursuing financial independence but not at the expense of enjoying their lives today. Angela outlines what brings her joy, what doesn't and how she aligns her spending to fit with those priorities. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nicole Hill discussed how minimalism is allowing her to more easily enjoy her home, kids, and money. She also shares practical tips for others looking to bring organization and simplification to their home life. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thinking of having THE money talk with your parents but not sure where to start? Cameron Huddleston shows us how to navigate these difficult financial conversations and we review the importance of estate planning documents. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tracking your spending is one of the best ways to eliminate your debt and build wealth for your family. Here's how to make the budget process with your spouse fun ... introducing the Budget Party. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Chris Browning got married, he and his wife accumulated $27,000 of credit card debt. Working together for 2.5 years, they were able to pay it all off and then some. Here's how they did it. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Daniel has paid off $90,000 of debt, but still has $100,000 more to go. He and his wife are having difficulty staying motivated and are looking for advice to keep going. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Logan Allec shares how we can help our kids become future millionaires by investing in a Roth IRA early in their lives. There are certain rules he reviews to ensure we're helping our children become rich correctly. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott Rieckens and his wife Taylor are pursuing financial independence. They are working on finding the right savings rate for their family. And it's not that easy. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In order to achieve financial independence, our family needs to decrease our annual expenses. But at the same time, we don't want to eliminate all of the fun in our lives. I outline how we've done both over the past 4 years. We decreased our expenses while increasing our fun. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ken Coleman, Best Selling Author of the Proximity Principle, shares how we can all find a career we love. He talks about the importance of surrounding yourself with good people, developing strong habits and moving toward your passion with purpose. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our family is considering buying our first rental property this year. Before we purchase the home, I asked 14 current and former real estate investors pros and cons to get a balanced view. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Money and Career Coach Tori Dunlap has a goal of saving $100,000 by age 25. She shares advice on how others can hit their first $100,000 salary, make $100,000 in small business revenue and hit the $100,000 net worth milestone. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Increasing your salary at work feels great! Here are the 7 steps I've used to increase my salary from 5-figures in my 20's to 6-figures in my 30's. RESOURCES **Sponsor + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices