The Stacking Benjamins Show

Want to make more money? Communicate better. Period. So, what distinguishes money-making effective communicators from your buddy's last rotten email? One major difference is word choice. Carmine Gallo joins us today to make you a top-notch communicator. He studied Jeff Bezos' communication style at Amazon and shares the leader's transformation over the years. Years ago, Jeff was writing memos at a college level, but now he writes at an 8th grade level. And guess what? His writing and overall communication is lightyears better today at the 8th grade level than it was when he wrote at a college level. Carmine dives into why that works and shares tips for all of us to be better communicators. Are you house hunting? Did you about fall over when you saw that interest rates are hovering right around 7% currently? In our headline segment today we talk about why. Even if you aren't house hunting, you'll want to hear this. We dive into the Fed, how mortgage rates are set, and what you should be doing with your money during this time of high inflation and high interest rates. We'll also answer James' question about buying vs. building a new home. And of course, Doug will share his trivia. You'll find show notes for this episode at stackingbenjamins.com/carmine-gallo-1277. Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are on our newsletter, The 201, available at StackingBenjamins.com/201. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stop wasting all of your free time on buying yourself another job. Sure, all the cool kids are talking about "side hustles" these days. If you're reading this and DON'T have a side hustle, there's a nearly one-hundred percent chance that you've thought about starting one yourself. Before all of that pain, you'll want to hear from today's guest who says that not all side hustles are created equal. Brian Page has built an empire built on an entirely different premise. Will it take work? Yes. Is it more sustainable than a second job? Absolutely, and that's why we wanted to chat with Brian. He not only shares ideas, he'll tell you how he did it. We've heard a lot about investment funds in hot water over high fees but now some are getting in trouble for fees being too....low? In our headline piece, we'll discuss the hot topic of fees from this completely different angle.We'll dive in and guide you in the right direction to picking your own investments. Then we'll answer Rachel's question about investing in today's market, and as always, Doug will share his trivia. You'll find show notes for this episode at stackingbenjamins.com/brian-page-1276. Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are on our newsletter, The 201, available at StackingBenjamins.com/201. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are you missing out on benefits that might be available to you? Billions of dollars in government benefits go unused each year. On this Veteran's Day, we're bringing you back to a Veteran's Day episode we aired a few years ago with Ellie Kay. There's tons of benefits and programs available to our veterans and she shares about a few of them. This show originally aired in 2019 so ignore any mention of current events. Check out the original show notes here. You'll find show notes for this episode at stackingbenjamins.com/ellie-kay-rewind-1275. Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are on our newsletter, The 201, available at StackingBenjamins.com/201. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Does small talk at holiday parties make your skin crawl with anxiety? Company parties are even worse. It's SO uncomfortable trying to come up with what to say to people you barely know. That's why we are bringing back our interview with Nick Shelton today. He understands the introvert struggle of mingling at holiday parties. He shares tips and tricks to help get you through AND enjoy the party. This show originally aired in 2021 so ignore any mention of current events. Check out the original show notes here. You'll find show notes for this episode at stackingbenjamins.com/nick-shelton-rewind-1274. Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are on our newsletter, The 201, available at StackingBenjamins.com/201. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have you started thinking about the holidays and all the parties that come with it? We sure have! That's why we are starting our rewind week strong with the best party planning tips and tricks. David Tutera is a party planning expert and shared his best tips to throw the best party without blowing your budget. This show originally aired in 2019 so ignore any mention of current events. Check out the original show notes here. You'll find show notes for this episode at stackingbenjamins.com/david-tutera-rewind-1273. Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are on our newsletter, The 201, available at StackingBenjamins.com/201. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How does today's down market compare to the past? Can we learn from the pain others endured during historical downturns? While it always makes sense to avoid mistakes in the past, our roundtable team also today throws the caution flag: beware reading too much into current events that don't necessarily correlate wth the past. CFP Eric Brotman from the Don't Retire, Graduate! podcast joins Doc G from Earn & Invest and Paulette Perhach to talk all things markets and recessions. They talk about the current financial markets, how it feels different than past recessions, lessons learned, and what YOU should be doing and thinking about with your own portfolio. This chat is inspired by a piece recently posted at the amazing blogger Donna Freedman's website, Surviving and Thriving...which gave the team lots of facets of this discussion to chew on. Of course, we can't leave out Mom's Neighbor Doug! He will share his trivia to continue our year-long trivia competition, which only tightens as we near the finish line. Will things heat up even more? You'll find show notes for this episode at stackingbenjamins.com/roundtable-1272. Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are on our newsletter, The 201, available at StackingBenjamins.com/201. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When opportunity knocks, will you answer? Having a dream is one thing but making it a reality is another, especially when money is involved. Sometimes that opportunity comes in the form of coaching, and we're joined by one today! Patrice Washington is one of three financial coaches on a new PBS series, Opportunity Knock$, that helps struggling families find resources and reach their financial dreams. Patrice joins us today to share the story of one woman she helped coach throughout the show. PBS also put together an entire resource guide to help find local help near you. In our headline segment, we share news about the increases to retirement plan contribution limits for 2023. What does it mean for your budget and how can you save more? We'll give some ideas. We also share clips from an interview we did with Sean Mullaney about retirement savings and plan options for those of you that are self-employed. He shares tips and advice for getting the most out of your savings. We'll also answer Malcolm's question about collective investment trusts within his employer sponsored retirement plan and Doug will share his trivia. You'll find show notes for this episode at stackingbenjamins.com/patrice-washington-1271. Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are on our newsletter, The 201, available at StackingBenjamins.com/201. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What spooky money stories keep you awake at night? There are the ghosts of bad banking, the goblins of budget nightmares, the witches haunting your net worth statement...and even some scary stories about retirement. Jaspreet Singh joins us today to share some of his personal financial lessons. He's now a successful entrepreneur money coach, running the Minority Mindset YouTube channel and market briefs newsletter, but his success didn't happen overnight. His family expected him to become a doctor, but he had his own plans. He talks about real estate mistakes, business mistakes, and why more money doesn't always solve problems. Then we're continuing the Halloween fun with Chuck Jaffe's epic Halloween game. The host of the popular Money Life podcast is back this year to share how he's teaching kids AND celebrating with the neighborhood, and hopefully gives you some ideas too. We'll also answer Lisa's question about whether to keep her qualified annuity or roll it over to an IRA. And Doug will share his horror trivia. You'll find show notes for this episode at www.stackingbenjamins.com/jaspreet-singh-1270. Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are on our newsletter, The 201, available at StackingBenjamins.com/201. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What's that item that makes you beg, "TAKE MY WALLET ALREADY!" We all have them. Maybe it's books, travel, ice cream, or board games. Whatever. Today we face off against our personal money-sucking demons and the question, "How do we plug these leaks," and "Do we need to plug them?" Joining us for this fun look into how we spend money is the co-host of the amazing Frugal Friends podcast, Jen Smith. She joins OG and Len Penzo (LenPenzo.com) to a lively discussion about our weaknesses, our wallets, and setting up systems to better spend money. Of course, that's not all. Our year-long trivia contest between our contributors is heating up! We'll listen to them battle it out. You'll find show notes for this episode at www.stackingbenjamins.com/roundtable-1269. Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are on our newsletter, The 201, available at StackingBenjamins.com/201. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When it's time to invest, how do you choose between all of the choices out there? We dive into a topic that YOU chose (if you're a member of our Facebook group), and we also augment it with a fantastic headlines discussion with Rachel Aguirre from iShares about exchange-traded funds. What are "ETFs" as they're called, and how are they different than other investment types, like mutual funds? We dive deep into investing nerdery on today's show. But of course, that's not all. We'll talk margin accounts on the Haven Life line. Can you get rich quicker using money you borrow from your broker? We'll have opinions. The biggest news? During the vote on today's topic, you also thought we needed to chat about "Doug, the Untold Story." We bring you portions of the documentary on the topic as well as Doug's World Famous Trivia segment, just to keep things lively. You'll find show notes for this episode at www.stackingbenjamins.com/listener-questions-1268. Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are on our newsletter, The 201, available at StackingBenjamins.com/201. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Doug Nordman isn't your typical dad. While other fathers were out working, Doug was busy surfing, because he'd focused on financial independence from an early age. Today, he and his adult daughter Carol Pittner join us to discuss how Doug and his wife created a financial modeling system for their daughter and how that daughter (Carol) is now creating her own system at home. We talk about the value of making mistakes, the similarities between good parenting and poker, strategies for creating teachable moments, and more. In our headline segment, social security is in the news. The US government just released the cost-of-living adjustment number for 2022, so we take this opportunity to discuss many ways to maximize your social security payout amount. Plus, in our TikTok minute we feature a song about a hot topic for travelers AND midway through the show, Doug shares his amazing trivia question. You'll find show notes for this episode at www.stackingbenjamins.com/doug-nordman-and-carol-pittner-1267. Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are on our newsletter, The 201, available at StackingBenjamins.com/201. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How do you know if you are on the right path? There's a million and one decisions you can make that could take you in a different direction. It's the same with your finances. If your finances aren't on the path you hoped for right now, it's never too late to make a change. Paulette Perhahch, Len Penzo and OG join our roundtable this week to discuss a piece about ways to know if you are on the right path. They share their own experiences and talk about checking in with yourself, having fun, surrounding yourself with the right people, and more. And of course, Doug will continue our year-long trivia contest with our contributors. You'll find show notes for this episode at www.stackingbenjamins.com/roundtable-1266. Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are on our newsletter, The 201, available at StackingBenjamins.com/201. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How can combining your entrepreneurial spirit and a love for your community launch a business to overwhelming success? Gina Schaefer moved to the Logan Circle neighborhood of Washington DC when it still had boarded-up homes and no public services. After being laid off from several tech startups, she decided she needed a change. What better change to make than to step up and improve your own community? She opened a hardware store down the street next to an addiction recovery group that became a safe haven for people. Her business has succeeded and she now owns multiple stores in the area. She joins us today to tell the amazing story of how she got that first location and what she's learned from her many employees over the years. October is National Fire Prevention Month. Our friend Steve Kerber from the Fire Safety Research Institute joined us again this year to share the latest fire stats and ways to protect your family and your home in our headline segment. Then we answer Jason's question about saving for a college education in a 529. He isn't sold on the idea and we offer our thoughts. And Doug will share his trivia. You'll find show notes for this episode at www.stackingbenjamins.com/Gina-Schaefer-1265. Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are on our newsletter, The 201, available at StackingBenjamins.com/201. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"Uncertainty" is the new black. Between the stock market, inflation, and a recession, uncertainty leads the media to bigger ratings, but to the average person it leads to fear. The best way to reduce that fear? Knowledge. Phil and Danielle Town join us today to talk all about uncertainty and how to take back control of your finances. They believe that knowledge and education, especially in an area you enjoy, can reduce anxiety and fear around your money. They share their investing approach and offer tips to help you with yours. Before that, we share a shocking headline piece claiming that many young people shouldn't save for retirement. Say what? We dive into it and share our thoughts. We also answer Tom's question about wash sales. He wants to know what triggers one and how to know if two positions are substantially similar. And then Doug will share his trivia. You'll find show notes for this episode at www.stackingbenjamins.com/phil-and-danielle-town-1264. Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are on our newsletter, The 201, available at StackingBenjamins.com/201. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Do you consider yourself generous? There are tons of ways to be generous. It can with with, time, money, or skills. Today our roundtable is discussing generosity in your life and finances. Paulette Perhach, Doc G, and OG join us to share their thoughts. Donating money to charity isn't the only way to show generosity. You can also donate your time or skills. Our contributors talk about ways they've donated and helped others and how it relates to their finances and happiness in life. You'll find show notes for this episode at www.stackingbenjamins.com/roundtable-1263. Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are on our newsletter, The 201, available at StackingBenjamins.com/201. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ever think about quitting your job and just hitting the road? Krista Edwards (Ready to Roth podcast) did exactly that, taking off for several months during prime earning years to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. She shares some of the story and the intense planning she did before and during the trip, and hopefully inspires you to take that leap toward doing what you want, when you want, on your terms. But before that, loans, credit, and co-signing are all featured in today's headline story. Have you ever cosigned a loan for a family member? We talk about the good, bad, and ugly (but mostly the bad and ugly) when it comes to helping someone with a loan. What should you watch out for and is it ever a good idea? We'll share! We also answer Nina's question about reading a fund prospectus and Doug shares his trivia. You'll find show notes for this episode at www.stackingbenjamins.com/krista-edwards-1262. Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are on our newsletter, The 201, available at StackingBenjamins.com/201. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How do I make my best financial moves before year end? We'll help you begin the final quarter of the year on a high note, with great advice from two titans: Barbara Corcoran and Ed Slott. Ed will kick things off by helping us all rethink tax planning, then Barbara Corcoran will help you launch or reboot your business. Even if you aren't worried about tax planning yet OR thinking about starting a business, listening to these two experts who've nailed the art of succeeding in what you do will be a great use of time so that you're ready for these moves in the future. But that's not all...then we'll answer Debi's question about saving for a down payment on a home and whether she should save to her traditional or Roth 401k. And of course, Doug will share his trivia. You'll find show notes for this episode at www.stackingbenjamins.com/barbara-corcoran-1261. Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are on our newsletter, The 201, available at StackingBenjamins.com/201. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Let's make finance easy and fun! What if your BIGGEST tasks only took 20 minutes? You'd do all of them, right? Well, the BIGGEST tasks may take longer, but the good news is this: if you have 20 minutes, you can accomplish a LOT! Today, you're in for a treat because we're talking about 20-minute tasks that will help boost your finances. Kyle Hedman and Dan Leeson (2 Bulls in a China Shop podcast), Paulette Perhach (Powerhouse Writers), and Len Penzo (len penzo dot com) join our roundtable to share their thoughts. They talk about setting up emergency funds, reviewing retirement contributions, listing out your debt, and more. And Doug will continue our year-long trivia challenge for our contributors. You'll find show notes for this episode at www.stackingbenjamins.com/roundtable-1260. Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are on our newsletter, The 201, available at StackingBenjamins.com/201. Enjoy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Change is so, so, hard. But...why? We know that there is one constant: change. So how do we flip how we deal with it? As anything, we change our mindset. Today, Entrepreneur magazine Editor-in-Chief Jason Feifer is here to share some of the best lessons from early in his new book Build For Tomorrow on the topic of change. It's a robust conversation you won't want to miss. But that's not all. OG and Joe mix it up about saving money on insurance during our headline segment. Should we follow the advice of the awesome Veronica Dagher and look for discounts, or after the recent hurricane, should we hunt for MORE? We'll weigh the options. Of course, that isn't all. We'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Anonymous (they sound very scary!), plus deliver Doug's life-altering trivia question. You'll find show notes for this episode at www.stackingbenjamins.com/jason-feifer-1259. Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are on our newsletter, The 201, available at StackingBenjamins.com/201. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What would you do if Netflix asked you to be featured in one of their documentaries? Our good friend Paula Pant from Afford Anything was just featured in one! So we stuck out a couple of microphones and asked her to share. So on today's show, she shares with us some of the best advice she gave on the new Netflix special. Hurricane Ian caused horrific damage across parts of Florida last week. Before the next natural disaster, we're talking about what to do if the next disaster hits close to your area. How do you prepare? What should you focus on? Plus, we'll dive into "better" insurance. Everyone looks at price, but it's during times like that that we wonder, "Am I truly covered? We'll share some ideas. We also answer TD's question about health insurance for entrepreneurs and business owners and Doug will share his trivia. You'll find show notes for this episode at www.stackingbenjamins.com/paula-pant-1258. Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are on our newsletter, The 201, available at StackingBenjamins.com/201. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What are your biggest dreams? Sometimes dreams feel far, far away, but thinking big is an important piece of life and your finances. Today we dive into a piece that explains three buckets when it comes to your financial plan: growth, security and dreams. How can you use the growth and security buckets to help reach your dreams? Our roundtable is here to share their thoughts. Jen Hemphill from Her Dinero Matters joins regulars Paulette Perhach and Len Penzo, who all share their thoughts. They talk about their own career paths, how they've built their plans around their dreams, and how you can do the same. You'll find show notes for this episode at www.stackingbenjamins.com/roundtable-jen-hemphill-1257. Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are on our newsletter, The 201, available at StackingBenjamins.com/201. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The overwhelming thought around higher education used to be that if you wanted a good paying job, a college degree was necessary. That thought process may be changing. Professor Scott Galloway joins us today to share not only his thoughts on education but how our country came to be and the ideologies we share. His new book takes a fascinating look at the U.S. and explains how we got where we are today, the achievements we've made, our failures, and our socioeconomic systems, all explained in charts. He shares some of his findings with us. Then we'll tackle interest rates in our headline segment. The Fed announced it raised interest rates by .75% again this month with no sign of slowing down. What does it mean for your wallet and the economy as a whole? We'll explain. We also answer John's question about investing in CDs vs. US Treasury bonds, and Doug will share his trivia. You'll find show notes for this episode at www.stackingbenjamins.com/scott-galloway-1256. Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are on our newsletter, The 201, available at StackingBenjamins.com/201. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's show, TikTok maven and behavioral money guru Dr. Bradley Klontz joins us to dive into your money habits. How bad do you suck with money? Probably not as bad as other people, based on some recent studies. But who cares about them? Let's try and do better! Today we'll dive into habits you can form to be better with your cash. Plus, during our headlines segment, OG tackles the current optimism around bonds. If bonds are poised to go up, and OG believes it, why wouldn't he recommend investing in the gold rush? We'll explain. Of course, we'll also share Doug's amazing trivia and much, much more. You'll find show notes for this episode at www.stackingbenjamins.com/brad-klontz-1255. Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are on our newsletter, The 201, available at StackingBenjamins.com/201. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How many times have you said the words, “You should sell these?” to someone after experiencing their creativity? We all have. Let’s admit it. We’re built to think about selling things that we’re good at. From our handiwork to our speaking skills, whenever you’re good at something, the highest compliment seems to be, “You’re good enough to sell this! Start a business!” But should we? Today we talk to THREE business owners about this very topic. Our special guest, Caleb Guilliams, runs the successful Better Wealth YouTube channel and podcast. OG runs a successful financial advisory firm, and our newest roundtable regular, Paulette Perhach, operates a successful writing/coaching operation. Does it make sense to mix your passion with your business? What are the surprises you encounter if you even try? We’ll cover all of that PLUS continue our yearlong trivia contest between our contributors on today’s show. You’ll find show notes for this episode at www.stackingbenjamins.com/caleb-guilliams-roundtable-1254. Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are on our newsletter, The 201, available at StackingBenjamins.com/201. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What if your time management system was actually holding you back? Richie Norton learned the hard way that most time management systems help you complete more tasks but do nothing to help you improve your life. He created the anti-time management system out of necessity. After losing a child and a brother-in-law, he needed to focus on living more rather than just "doing" more. Today he'll teach us key ideas to help you live a fuller, richer life. But that's not all! In our headline segment we dive into a new product on Wall Street...the single stock exchange-traded fund. Do you need to add this to your portfolio? How does it work and who is it for? We'll answer all of those questions...along with a question from a man from Australia (or not), who wonders about what to do with 529 funds AFTER his children have finished college. Can he just take the money out and spend it? Of course, we'll also share Doug's amazing trivia, and so much more. You'll find show notes for this episode at www.stackingbenjamins.com/richie-norton-1253. Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are on our newsletter, The 201, available at StackingBenjamins.com/201. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices