Money Tree Investing

When property taxes aren't paid, tax liens can be levied against the property. The liens are then sold to investors. If the liens are not paid within a certain amount of time, the investor can push to have foreclosure initiated, thus collecting at least the interest and principal of the original investment. Our guest, Melanie Finnegan of Tax Lien Wealth Solutions, explains there is a difference between a tax lien and a tax deed, and that there are two types of markets: Primary and secondary markets. To learn more, listen to the interview and stick around for the panel discussion where we learn how tax liens fit into an investment portfolio. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/232

The mailbag is full again, so we spent time answering your questions! Justin asks: Is GM justified with cutting it's workforce when spending more than $10M buying back shares? Tyler read that buying small cap funds in a taxable brokerage account isn't wise because of capital gains. He has been buying small cap ETFs in a regular brokerage account when earning overtime. Should he be concerned? CJ has heard that HSAs are the holy grail of retirement investing. They already have great insurance through his wife's government job. Does it make sense to open a high-deductible plan just for the benefit of being able to max out an HSA for retirement purposes? Antonio understands the benefits of holding investments for the long term but wants to know how to determine the right time to sell. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/231

Joseph Hogue and Kirk Chisholm join us again this week as we discuss P2P Lending. P2P lending, more specifically defined as Peer-to-Peer lending, replaces the position of a traditional bank when it comes to taking out a loan. P2P sites like Lending Tree and Kiva also matches borrowers to individuals who want to lend out money and earn interest. Is P2P Lending right for you? What alternatives are there for individuals who want to put their money to work but mitigate some of the risk? Find out in today's episode. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/230

Would you invest in someone else's home? Using blockchain technology, you could own a portion of someone's home. Or as a home owner, you could sell some of your equity to get some much needed cash without having to pay interest. Matthew Sullivan from QuantmRE explains how this works and what it can do to diversify your portfolio in a new way. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/229

Bitcoin, Etherium, Litecoin, Monero…there are dozens of cryptocurrencies. Barbara Longue says thousands are still to come. Are cryptocurrencies truly an investable asset? Miranda and Doug get to the bottom of this in today's episode. What you'll learn today: Why is blockchain technology important What is cryptocurrency What's the difference between Altcoin and Bitcoin For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/228

You wrote in, and we answered. Here are some of the topics covered in today's Listener Questions episode: Beating the DOW strategy, also known as "The Dogs of the Dow". Taking money out of retirement savings to pay off debt. Would it have been better to invest rather than pay off the student loan debt after college? And a question about how to handle a $70,000 inheritance. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/227

Taylor and his wife are pursuing Financial Independence by saving 40 percent of their income every year. As they got raises and increased their take-home pay, they kept expenses low so they could increase their savings to 70 percent. Learn some of the frugal habits they continue to use and about picking individual stocks. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/frugal-your-way-to-financial-independence-with-taylor-the-fi-guy

Deacon and his wife combined finances shortly after marriage – only to find $52,000 in consumer debt was weighing them down. They made the choice – and a plan – to pay down that debt in 18 month. Moving past debt freedom, Deacon began focusing on complete financial independence. In his book, "You Can Retire Early!: Everything You Need to Achieve Financial Independence When You Want It" he describes the three ways to financial independence: Real estate Stock market Entrepreneurship Listen in as Deacon shares each way and how it can help you achieve financial independence. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/3-paths-financial-independence-deacon-hayes

Raw land. Is it the undiscovered country of the investing world? Mark Podolsky shares his experience buying, selling, and leasing raw land as an investment. Unlike buying traditional real estate, purchasing raw land doesn't require a lot of money. Mark outlines a process of looking for lots with unpaid property taxes, purchasing the lots, and then offering them to people who live along the plot line. The key to a successful raw land purchase is to do the research and due-diligence needed to make sure you have a clear title or other obstructions to a hassle-free transaction. After Mark's interview, the panel discusses other thoughts behind investing in raw land - and the pitfalls you need to be aware of. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/224

Shannon Compton Game went through a divorce. Today she shares things she learned that helped get through the process of separating finances in a way that doesn't drain the bank. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/223

Investing in equities can help you build wealth, but creating a business and finding other streams of income can help accelerate building your net worth. Johnny Gabriele knows this all too well. He thought it would be fun to find a cat-shaped cake mold for his girlfriend. After looking everywhere and finding nothing, he took the opportunity to create his own and started selling them online. A new small business was born. Johnny shares the steps to creating a business, and emphasizes that they should be followed in a precise order. Listen to the steps and our panel discuss how they built their businesses. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/222

Why is knowing about intellectual property important for normal investors? A patent gives you a specific right in a given country. It give the right of exclusivity to sell the item or device, build the device, or import it into the country. A great name, they offer something exclusive, or a company that works hard and offers an excellent product or service. A patent can be placed on any one of these things to bring something unique to an investor. Dr. Daniel Goldstein also explains the complications of patents in other countries, how somebody gets a patent, and the difference between trade secret and patent rights. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/221

CFP Rick Rodgers described the three legs of a tax-efficient retirement strategy: Pre-tax After-tax Tax-free Then the panel comes on to discuss Social Security, municipal bonds, and year-end tax strategies that can help you can avoid being taxed on capital gains when expecting a loss in the market. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/220

Kip Meadows joins us to talk about how ETFs are constructed. He explains that an ETF is a type of mutual fund that trades like a stock. While mutual funds aren't technically traded until the end of the day, ETF transactions can be conducted during intraday trading. "They're organized in a structure that allows buying shares in an underlying portfolio. That's why you go through an exchange because you have to to go through a broker dealer in order to purchase an ETF. The broker-dealer will purchase the shares in the underlying ETF and the broker-dealer is who keeps up with how many shares you own. The broker-dealer then handles the accounting to show you how many shares you own - which is different than an open-end fund where the transfer agent for the open end fund directly carries your shares at the fund. They're created the same way as any sort of registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission - you have to file the registration to become effective, and once it's effective then you can purchase those shares through the broker-dealer." Then our panel gets into a discussion about alternative medicinal ETFs and who's getting into marijuana stocks. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/219

Insider Trading may not be what you think it is. But it is clear that there are rules to follow when certain knowledge is obtained when it comes to buying or selling stocks. When you see people get shares inside their own company and they immediately sell. This is not illegal, and could be used as an indicator in your decision to buy or sell. We also talk about stock buybacks, following the Consumer Confidence index, and how you can read various indicators. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/218

What's going on in the market? Can you predict the next market downturn from how well the economy is chugging along and the confidence of consumers? For almost a decade, people have been predicting the next bear market. With the recent volatility in the DOW and S&P 500 index, you would think their prediction is coming true. But is it? Doug Goldstein, Linda P. Jones and Miranda Marquit discuss indicators we can examine to determine how the market is doing today and what that means for the future. It should be noted that nobody can predict the future, and past performance is no indication of future returns. This podcast is for informational purposes only. Before making any decision or taking any action, you should consult a competent professional. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/217

Kevin Quigg describes the differences between ETFs, mutual funds, and the type of person who would benefit from hedge funds. Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) is traded during the day, just as a single stock would be. Mutual funds are typically bought directly through the mutual fund manager. The price is determined by the net asset value of the securities held within the fund at the end of the trading day. Kevin Quigg describes hedge funds as different from ETFs and mutual funds as "sharp tools rather than dull instruments". He goes on to explain that hedge funds are only available to qualified investors…those who have met certain requirements and proven themselves to be able to truly understand the amount of risk they are taking. There are also numerous restrictions with hedge funds. Listen to Miranda's interview with Kevin Quigg and then the discussion our roundtable has immediately following. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/216

What happens when you win BIG in the lottery? This is the topic Miranda has been pondering when the Mega Millions jackpot reached $1.5 billion. Linda talks about how mortgage rates over 5 percent can impact the market and what it means to you while Doug shares a story of siblings inheriting property from their parents. What could go wrong? For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/215

Can you take advantage of any loopholes in ROTH IRA contributions to withdraw earnings tax and penalty free? That's our first question from Jason who wants to pull from his investment in an early retirement scenario. We also hear from Sweetcase on Facebook who asks, "How do you decide which investing product to use?" Katrine asks if it makes sense to trade binary options. Can she make it work for her? Got a question? Send it to us here: http://moneytreepodcast.com/contact

ADD, Apps, and Asset Allocation: It's all covered in today's episode. Listeners Alicia, Sally, Katie, Jillian and Shanna sent in questions for this episode. If you'd like to have your question addressed, contact us here: http://moneytreepodcast.com/contact

Chris Hogan speaks to people all over the nation about how to make better moves with their money. As one of Ramsey Solution's speakers, he has the opportunity to address thousands of people who are looking for knowledge, solutions, and answers to their money problems. It's not about numbers, it's about stories One of the ways he gets his message across is by telling stories. Stories, as Joe Saul-Sehy says, is what's missing in today's financial media. Chris Hogan agrees that personal testimonies can open the door to learning about money and making changes for our own good. "A lot of us come to deal with money based on our own preconceived notions, our own failures, and our own knowledge. Much of this was based on how you were raised - how was money talked about and how do you view it. It doesn't matter where I came from or what I knew…it became a matter of what I'm learning and what am I doing as I move forward." Lightbulb moment Chris says his lightbulb moment was after he went "looking" at an SUV and came home with a $600 vehicle payment. He ran the numbers on how much the money could have become if he'd invested it rather than driving it and it became his wake-up moment. Becoming an Everyday Millionaire Chris Hogan and Ramsey Solutions are working with a research firm to study the habits and behaviors of over 10,000 millionaires. What they are finding is that people of all walks of life can become millionaires, and the book offers stories from some of the people in the study. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/212

Anand Talwar from Ally Bank explains how banks make their money. The primary way is through loans. Consumer loans, such as Ally's leading auto finance business, need to charge more in interest rates than they are paying out in savings account interest. This ensures the entity earns more than it spends on overhead and other expenses. Anand points out that brick-and-mortar banks have different expenses than online banks, as they need to cover facilities costs and on-site employees. This makes it easier for online banks to offer more competitive rates for their customers. Mobile banking has become much easier and convenient for the average customer. Smartphone apps allow you to deposit checks, transfer money, and even . If you are looking for cash, the apps can help locate an ATM within your network in close proximity to you. Banking apps, such as Ally's, can also allow you to trade stocks and ETFs, and customer service representatives are available 24 hours a day to help you open an IRA. The convenient services allow banks to provide you more services and products with less friction, making it much easier to do business with a bank. Ally estimates there are more than $3 trillion dollars of consumer's deposits are sitting at banks making almost nothing. That translates to $50 billion dollars of interest consumers are missing out on, but can be improved just by switching your bank. Ally will be facilitating "National Online Banking Day", so be sure to visit Ally.com to see what they are offering. For more information, go to http://moneytreepodcast.com/211

Would you move to an overseas city if it only cost $40k a year to live? CNBC wrote an article about five overseas cities where you could have a comfortable retirement for $37,000 a year. Miranda, Joe and Linda talk about the things one would have to leave behind but also the benefits of moving to a different location that don't only have to do with money. Pros and cons to moving overseas: The internet makes it easy to connect with anyone almost anywhere in the world In some locations the internet isn't always accessible or reliable Many overseas locations have better weather conditions Some countries have areas with greater concerns for security The cost of living can be much cheaper You need to be concerned with the availability and cost of healthcare We also go over the things you need to consider having in place before moving. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/210

Recently JP Morgan announced the release of their new investing app, which leave many saying "Welcome to the club". Fintech is changing the way we do money - and it's here to stay. Budgeting, spending, investing, and even trading are all influenced by fintech. Fintech products are helping people become influence marketers, and our guest Joe Saul-Sehy says apps help create community. One more thing that is coming out of the fintech movement is the ability to get people interested in money. Joe loves using how fintech is bringing various financial knowledge to the average person, and some even gamify the learning process. Listen to Linda P. Jones and Joe Saul-Sehy talk about using fintech to make better money decisions. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/209

75% of people who receive inheritances go through all the money within 5 years. Aretha Franklin passed away intestate (without having made a will). Doug Goldstein knows a thing or two about inheritances and released a book with helpful advice about how to handle a windfall - and how to properly leave an inheritance to your loved ones. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/208

Dr. Daniel Crosby shares the fundamental methods for investing success based on his studies of human behavior and finance. The 4 C's to behavioral investing: Consistency Clarity Courageousness Conviction and some of The Ten Commandments of Investment Behavior. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/207

If you believe we are due for a correction in the market, would you plan to borrow money on your house to invest during the downturn? That's what one listener, Sigmund from Norway, plans to do. He's debt free and has a paid-for cabin, which he plans to mortgage during the next recession. What does the panel think? Charles's daughter has $1,000 worth of EE Savings Bonds that were given to her over the years by her step-grandmother. They already have enough saved for her to go to college, so what should he do about the savings bonds? We dive deep into these topics with our varying experiences and opinions. Listen closely. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/206

Linda P. Jones feels the financial industry hasn't done a good job getting women interested in investing like it has for men. But what's the real harm? Linda shares reasons why it's important for women to become a "Wealth Heiress" so they don't outlive their savings and she gives clear direction with helpful tips in her new book "You're Already a Wealth Heiress! Now Think and Act Like One: 6 Practical Steps to Make It a Reality Now". For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/205

Do you take into account the social mission or the social impact of the investments you buy? Eddie Lorin from ImpactHousing.com shares ways to invest well while doing good. Eddie helps people invest in ways that help people through the investments they purchase, such as REITs that invest in multi-family properties. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/204

Real estate investors Jake and Gino bought their first rental property, then learned it was a "crack den". But they didn't quit, and they own more than 900 multifamily units. They speak with Linda P. Jones about what it's like to own multifamily units - and what to look out for. "You make money on the buy", says Gino. Our panel agrees, and discusses more on the topic of multi-unit rental real estate: Is rental real estate the place to go if you don't have confidence in the stock market? Will financing become more difficult for real estate investors in a rising interest rate environment? What is the real estate market like in Israel compared to the United States? Listen to find out more about multifamily rental real estate. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/203

Mark Byelich and Paul Murray say the best and most advantageous bucket is the tax-free bucket. A tax-free bucket includes things like Roth IRAs, Roth 401(k)s and the cash value of life insurance policies. Mark and Paul, from share their thoughts with Joe Saul-Sehy, which led to an interesting discussion with the panel about: Can you live a lifestyle and pay no tax? Is permanent life insurance a good tax savings vehicle? What tax strategy is most commonly overlooked or underutilized? For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/202

We are starting the next 200 episodes with another Listener Questions episode: Michael is 35 years old, has no debt, and $30,000 in his checking account. He contributes 3 percent of his earnings to his company's 401(k) to gets the match. Michael wants to get more aggressive with his investments. Should he contribute more or just change out of a target date fund? John wants to understand the difference between an exchange traded note and an exchange traded fund. Also, inverse index ETFs like DXD or XQQQ, which are leveraged shorting of the NASDAQ and DOW respectively, is it not true that over time the value must degrade towards zero as markets invariably rise over long periods of time and the ETF price is designed to increase only when the index falls? Why invest in inverse ETFs? Semone feels like she can stand the volatility of the market, but wonders if it is time to increase her position with bonds in her portfolio. Jerry and his wife received a small windfall. His wife wants to pay off the car and mortgage, but Jerry thinks it's time to invest because they have nothing saved other than a little money in a 401(k). Devin Carroll from Social Security Intelligence and the Big Picture Retirement podcast joins us to answer these questions. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/201

Celebrating our 200th episode with stories of our biggest successes and financial mistakes. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/200

It's not the technical stuff that keeps people from failing in retirement, life events keep people from making it through their golden years. Greg Sullivan says personal, emotional and relational things that happen in life that can throw your retirement. He says making portfolios based on 8 years of cash needs, and some incremental changes along the way to retirement, helps weather the storm of any market cycle. He also talks with Joe about Long Term Care Insurance and a chapter called "The Nest that Won't Empty". For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/199

The secret to success doesn't come from a pill. Julia Carlson shares tips she sees her rich clients use to create wealth. Surprisingly, most of her tips don't involve being the best at investing: • Couples do finances together • Investing while living on less then you make • Making purchases based on experiences and not stuff She also shares information about her clients paying off the mortgage and what it does for the overall health of their finances. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/198

Tracy Worthington didn't want to go to college, so she got a cosmetology license. She began by selling candles and soaps to friends but ended up creating an entire line of 100 items. Today she runs a very successful business in Palm Springs called Just Blow Drys. This prompted Linda to inquire, "Will entrepreneurship be the key for the next generation to create their wealth?" The panel also gets into this look into the future where malls become a huge collection of restaurants and delivery services bring us more than just pizza on Friday night. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/197

Whether using an investment manager or robo-advisor, setting a goal is one of the most important steps in financial planning. Rick Frisbie from RobustWealth.com speaks to this point and the importance of having an investment strategy that will take you to where you want to be down the road. Investing doesn't have to be just for retirement savings. It can be for travel, a new house, anything you can dream up that requires long-term planning. For more information about this episode, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/196

When shopping for long term care insurance, what are the pros and cons to take into consideration? This is the first in a line of questions we answer from you - the listener. Cheryl asks about the pros and cons of long term care insurance. Dan is familiar with a Child IRA and wants the panel to talk about a Ricky Trust. They take it a bit further by discussing the benefits of investing at a young age. David asks if there is any sense in timing the markets to take advantage of a probably drop. Or should he pay off his mortgage early rather than invest? Danielle wants to know what we think about consumer staple funds or ETFs. Alex wants to know about Roth 401k versus traditional 401ks. Would it make sense to begin investing into the Roth 401k if they have been maxing out their traditional accounts at work? Listen to the entire episode, and thanks to our sponsor: BUZZ Indexes For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/195

Why does the market drop when financial news is good? This is just one listener question we answer in today's Listener Questions episode. Justin saw the job's US jobs report described more job and better pay, but S&P fall more than 2 percent that day and 4 percent the following Monday. Harry wants to know if he should move out of his Target Date Fund into a lower cost index fund. He also wants to know if he should have a Roth IRA, invest more into his ETFs, do more investing into his ETFs with the extra cash he has each month. Max is ready to retire. He wants to sell his rental property and travel. Max has a pension that will cover his monthly expenses. Should he invest the proceeds from his rental property sale into something that pays dividends to fund his travel? For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/194

Taylor is on the way to FI (financial independence). He also likes the idea of retiring early, which completes the acronym FIRE. So he and his wife are putting away more than 70 percent of their income. Before his journey, Taylor liked saving money. Then met a woman who brought more frugal habits into their relationship - and more income. He also read The Richest Man in Babylon, which furthered his desire to spend wisely and invest a ton of money for the future. Listen to his story - and to the panel discussion following the interview to hear what they think about investing in individual stocks. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/193

Miranda sits down with Lorraine Ell, CEO and Senior Financial Advisor at Better Money Decisions, about ways to find and identify the right financial advisor for you. Are there clear signs for when you need to seek the advice of a financial advisor? You want to find an advisor that does comprehensive planning, not just one who looks at your retirement savings. Does your financial advisor help you to understand the investing options and financial decisions placed in front of you? Lorainne Ell says an advisor should be one who explains and educates. Lorraine released a book to show the common investing financial planning pitfalls, and how to avoid them in "Bozos, Monsters, and Whiz-Bangs: Bad Advice From Financial Advisors and How To Avoid It". For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/192

Jake focuses on dividends. Should he invest in a single REIT and reinvest dividends until retirement? This is just one of the questions we tackle from our listeners on today's Money Tree Investing Podcast. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/191

Student Loans have become the single most concerning financial issue with young people and the millennial generation. Whether you signed the dotted line with full knowledge of what happens when you take on student loans or you unknowingly signed your life away for a college degree, the debt must be satisfied in some way. Robert Farrington of TheCollegeInvestor.com led the charge last month with the Student Loan Movement. The goal was to bring awareness to the problem of student debt and challenge people to focus on paying down their debt in the month of March 2018, and the total debt eliminated as of the date of this release is over $1.4 million! For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/190

Raoul Davis Jr from AscendantStrategy.net talks with Linda about what an entrepreneur is and how important they are to our future. The internet has made entrepreneurship much more achievable for the average person: social media makes it easier to connect with people, email allows entrepreneurs to make direct sales to individuals, and LinkedIn helps entrepreneurs find industry professional they need to help grow the business. You can be branded or you can get labeled. Being branded is more like a fist, it has more force and impact where getting labeled is like having 5 loose fingers. Does entrepreneurship play an important part in wealth creation in the future? The panel gets together to discuss this and more on today's show. For more, visit http://moneytreepodcast.com/189

Eric Ervin created an ETF of blockchain technologies. He knows the power behind the technology, and can see larger companies using blockchains in a variety of ways. Not only can blockchains develop cryptocurrencies, but they can also work to record legal contracts and be a record of documentation. Then the panel discusses the question, "Can blockchain be a viable asset class"? For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/188

Our guest today is Karen Chan, a Personal Financial Educator working with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago to promote Money Smart Week. Karen shares financial basics for those just getting started and the "easiest way to build up savings." For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/187

Eric Brotman from Brotman Financial Group explains the benefits - and the differences - between various tax-advantaged savings accounts. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/186

We form self-limiting beliefs based on negative things we've seen, or perceive to be negative, that subconsciously prevent us from being or doing the same thing. Belinda believes we should stop and ponder these behaviors to see if they are based on factual data and not the remnants of past emotional strains. She gives an example of Justin, who believed it wasn't safe to have money in the bank, nor could he trust women with money. When Justin was 7 years old, the money he earned from a paper route was taken from his piggy bank. He told his mom, "We've been robbed". His self-limiting belief was formed that moment when hearing her response, "Oh, I needed the money." Do you have money beliefs that are holding you back? Or do have money beliefs that help you excel? The panel jumps in to discuss this. You don't want to miss it. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/185

We love getting your questions. Today we tackle questions from Kai, Matt, Gary, Justin, Nora and Don. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/184

While many real estate investors seek capital appreciation, cash flow investors like Kevin Bupp look for recurring revenue they can use to spend, invest, or save up to purchase another rental property. Kevin shares insights on what it means to be a cash flow investor and how you can begin to invest in real estate with very little money. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneytreepodcast.com/183