The Stacking Benjamins Show

If the FIRE movement is so inspirational, why is it constantly under attack? More heat was lobbed at the early retirement movement last week by a couple of industry insiders on Twitter. To help us, we welcome the FIRE-y woman behind the Fiery Millennials blog, Gwen Merz, Len Penzo from Len Penzo dot com, and the wonderful Doc G from the What's Up Next podcast! These intelligent, retirement-focused people will be discussing the tweet that started quite the firestorm. If you or anyone you know has student loans, you'll want to listen to our Friday FinTech guest, Michael Block. He's the CEO and Founder of Pillar which is an app to help you pay back your student loans and save money. Early users have reported some huge wins, so we had to get the details from Michael about how it works. And finally, during our MagnifyMoney call in segment we will answer a question from an anonymous woman on how she will be affected by inheriting a ROTH IRA. As always, we'll quiz our contributors with an epic game show question about National Beer Can Appreciation Day from our neighbor, Doug. We'll have all that and more on today's show! We hope you can join the fun! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Let's get back to the basics. Everyone talks about retirement tools, projections, timelines, and tax strategies...what about answering, "How do I begin?" If that's you, we've got you covered on today's show because we're talking to CPA Michele Cagan about Retirement 101. We'll start off with how you fare against other savers (or non-savers), and then discuss how you should frame retirement. Is it one long process? Should you begin with picking investments? We'll cover all of that and more on today's show. Student loan borrowers everywhere cheered recently when a Navy vet had his loans discharged in court (something people said couldn't be done). In our headline segment we'll talk to attorney Leslie Tayne about how that happened, and maybe spill a little bad news (spoiler) about you and your student loans. But don't worry--all hope isn't lost. Leslie will also share some good advice for student loan borrowers. Of course, that's not all. We'll also throw out the Haven Life line to a lucky listener AND save time for some of Doug's cat vs. dog trivia. It's another fun day down in the basement. Hope you can join us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is debt crushing your dreams? Are your relationships affected by students loans or credit card problems? You NEED to hear today's guest, Reshawn Lee, talk about her situation. Reshawn and her husband Rob had horrible credit card debt, student loans, and couldn't ever seem to begin saving...until they took some drastic actions and everything turned out (spoiler!) not just great, but with a trip around the world! Today we'll talk about the work they do on their Learn Hustle Grow blog and YouTube channel, and learn about how they overcame their issues and began their path to financial independence. Are you hearing (like we are) the buzzword "AI" all over the financial arena lately? We'll discuss one headline about how much of the artificial intelligence out there is more artificial than intelligent. Later we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Christina, who can no longer contribute to an employee sponsored retirement plan after a job change. How should she continue saving for retirement? Of course we'll also share some of Doug's trivia AND much, much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Happy Birthday to our namesake Benjamin Franklin!! Today we'll celebrate by talking about one of our favorite topics, leaving your 9-5 job early. To help us, we welcome the woman behind the new EconoMe Conference, Diania Merriam, Len Penzo from Len Penzo dot com, and the wonderful OG from our very own podcast! This piece, written by Jessica Garbarino for her Every Single Dollar blog, is titled Why I Walked Away from a Six-Figure Job, and goes over some very good reasons to leave a "good" job AND many of the strategies she used to ensure she wouldn't have to return. (Big thanks to Mindy Jensen from BiggerPockets Money for reading it today as well!) Frustrated with your money management skills? Don't feel like you have enough of a handle on your monthly expenses? At the halfway mark of today's episode, we'll hear from Belinda Rosenblum and Joe, as they unveil the exciting new course offered by the Stacking Benjamins team, Making Money Easy. We'll walk through all of the details today. It's been a long time since we've had a Stacking Benjamins course, so we're thrilled to tell you about it today. And finally, during our MagnifyMoney segment we will answer a question from Reddit.com on whether or not a man is in the wrong for not wanting "free" childcare from his mother-in-law. Where do you stand? Is he on the right side of this argument? As always, of course we'll quiz our contributors with an epic gameshow question about Ben Franklin from our neighbor, Doug. We'll have all that and more on today's show! Hope you can join the fun! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Your retirement options just became more robust. A new law called The SECURE Act passed late last year and today we're sharing ALL of the information you need to know to change your plan to take advantage of this new, exciting legislation. If this is new to you, don't worry, we've got you covered. We'll begin the show with Joe & OG bringing you up to speed on the details. But if you're wondering how to use it well, we have something even better. Joining us on today's show we'll have Aimee Kwain from Fidelity Investments, Dan Keady from TIAA, and the Retirement Answer Man himself, Roger Whitney to walk us through their thoughts about the new law. Our goal today is to help you to understand how the SECURE Act impacts you, and we're excited about all you're about to learn. Of course, this is a Stacking Benjamins episode, so that isn't all....later we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Leo, who is wondering what he should do with his money while he's saving up for a downpayment on a house. Should he invest, or keep the money safe in a high-yield savings account? Hoping for more? We've gotcha covererd. We'll also save some time for Doug's amazing weight loss trivia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are you frustrated that your average day doesn't start out chasing your goals but instead reacting to everything else going on? Between kids, spouse or friends, and co-workers, how are you supposed to get ahead on YOUR agenda? Good news, today we chat with Romi Neustadt, the bestselling author of You Can Have It All...just not at the same damned time! We'll have an amazing conversation focusing on how to REALLY set goals that stick (hint: you don't start with goal setting), how to keep your priorities in line, and the key to focus like a laser on the things that are most important if you want to get everything possible out of life. Plus, during our headlines, we'll examine some financial horror stories that very well could happen to you. Have you had some big changes in your life and haven't gotten around to updating your beneficiaries? While this may seem like something you can wait on, we're fairly certain today's ugly stories of people who put it off will make you jump on it sooner rather than later. Then, in our second piece, we're taking a broader view on "rules of thumb." Everyone considers the 10,000 steps a day mantra as a hard fact, but experts say there's a better goal you should have in mind. Being the savvy people we are (no eye-rolls please), we'll make some parallels to when people go wrong with financial rules of thumb. During our Have Life Line segment we'll answer a question from Richard, who can't get happy hour off his mind. With plenty of birthdays he feels obligated to attend in the next couple of months, how should Richard balance out budgeting and social obligations? And of course, we'll always save some time for Doug's trivia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What money moves are you planning for 2019? From creating an emergency fund and increasing your 401k contributions, to downsizing and starting a side hustle, there are plenty of smart financial steps you can take to make this year your best one yet. Joining our roundtable discussion about your best money moves today, we welcome Paula Pant from Afford Anything and OG from our very own podcast. Halfway through the roundtable we'll take a break for our Friday Fintech segment and talk to David Chang from Gradifi. Gradifi is setting out to give employers an easy system to help employees pay down student loans and fund 529 plans. We'll also answer a MagnifyMoney.com question from Zach, who's interested in the FIRE movement. Should he be following the advice of the FIRE movement and forgo his Roth account in favor of using a traditional? And of course, we'll still have time for Doug's trivia. Thanks to Skillshare for sponsoring the show. Start your two months of unlimited access to Skillshare by visiting SkillShare.com/SB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For many of us, "charity begins at home" is our constant refrain. But you have to admit, it feels good to give and to be a part of a community. Not only are you helping those around you, but you're also working together with your family or friends on a higher purpose. That's why we're thrilled today to talk with our friends, Scott Maderer from Inspired Stewardship, our good friend Paula Pant from the Afford Anything podcast, and the wonderful OG from our very own podcast about how they give! We'll share a piece from Marriage, Kids, and Money's Andy Hill about how he teaches his kids to give and get LOTS of great ideas from the team. Plus, at the halfway mark of today's episode we'll hear from Saul Cohen from Round during our Friday FinTech segment. Round helps investors find exclusive investment opportunities so they can invest actively like the 1%. How does it work? Saul will walk us through Round's mission and how they work with investors. And during our Magnify Money call we'll hear from our good friend Mollie, who wonders about gifts to nephews and nieces. How does she solve the giving problem? As always, of course we'll quiz our contributors with an epic gameshow question by our neighbor, Doug. All that and more on today's show! Hope you can join the fun! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What goals do you want to achieve? It's easier to reach any destination with the right people around you. To help YOU find your best route toward your goals, today we welcome Tim Rhode, author of Tribe of Millionaires, and founder of nonprofit 1 Life Fully Lived, to talk about building your network to reach your ultimate potential. Plus, during our headlines, we'll cover a piece from Bloomberg about how credit card debt has hit an 10-year high, and what that means to you. Spend too much money this last year? Maybe it's time to go back and listen to Monday's debt cleanse episode.... PLUS, how about fees that drive you crazy? We'll highlight a BIZARRE fee that a hotel in West Virginia charged. So random... Later we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Anthony, who calls in to give the those of us in the basement some helpful advice about TSPs (Thrift Savings Plans) that you may have been unaware of. Thanks, Anthony! Of course, we'll save some time for Doug's possum-heavy trivia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wake up January 1 with a hangover? Even if you didn't "over-imbibe" on alcohol, there's another hangover people suffer from: excess spending. Let's make January a reset month if you overspent last year. As many financial gurus say, "Tomorrow is a new day" and you can decide that you want to grab the reins and control not just your debt but your money in general. Today we sit down with Brian Karimzad, CEO of Magnify Money, on all of the things you can do to make your debt cleanse a success. During our headlines portion of the show, we'll take a look at how the average 401k fared in 2019. Good, bad... great? If you didn't do well with your retirement plan last year, how do you make a change to improve in 2020? We'll share some ideas. Plus, during our second piece, we'll examine the reason popular financial company Vanguard just eliminated even MORE trading fees. That's not all, though! We'll throw out the Haven Life Line as well, and answer a voicemail from James who asks for investment advice. What do we think about James choosing top funds from different sectors to invest in? Is it a good strategy? Also, when he leaves the USA, what does he do with his retirement funds? And of course, we'll always save some time for Doug's trivia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Where is the market going to go in 2020? Who will win the election? What did we learn from the Magic 8 Ball predictions of 2019? We'll start by looking at ALL of our last year's predictions and discuss LOTS of financial planning themes. Between emerging markets, individual stocks, playing the lottery, and more, we'll cover a wide range of money topics that you (gasp) might learn from. Calling in today to help out is our good friend, Paula Pant from the Afford Anything podcast, plus Len Penzo from LenPenzo.com...and OG from our very own podcast! We'll take a break halfway through this monster podcast episode to talk to Ryan Falvey from Financial Venture Studio. What does the future hold for FinTech? Ryan has a front row seat for some of the hot new ideas coming out of this sector and will share some of the important themes you'll see coming to your phone, your computer, and your portfolio in the future. As always, we'll also help a listener Magnify their Money...but today we're joined by special guest Brian Karimzad. Because Carter has a question that's specific to MagnifyMoney, it's fantastic that Brian dropped by just in time to help us answer! It's a great, two-hour episode of Stacking Benjamins. Hope you can join the fun! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

While everyone else fights over whether this year or next is the beginning of a new decade, we'll help you focus your attention on the REAL issue: how awesome you'll plan to be in 2020 and beyond. Bestselling author and TED speaker Neil Pasricha joins us today to tell us stories about his amazing mother's search for awesome, his own lessons from past failures, and best of all, the history of the ellipses. They're hopefully the inspiration you'll need to kick off the Roaring 20's with a bang. What are your New Year's Resolutions? We'll share some that were recently featured in a top publication during our first headline, plus some ideas from our team about how you can make them actionable (the most important part of any plan). Of course we'll save time to throw out the Haven Life Line AND save some time for Doug's incredible Roaring 20's trivia. We all hope you're as excited about a great New Year as we are here in the basement! Mom sends her love! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're ending 2019 with a fantastic look back at our interview with James Clear, author of Atomic Habits. One of the best thing you can do for yourself this next decade is building great habits and STICKING to them. Whether it's in your career, finances, relationships, or otherwise personal life, you'll find that developing great habits will be the best present you can give yourself moving forward. It's been a blast this past week, we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. Happy New Year! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jill Schlesinger gave us her top money lessons at the end of 2018, and we still think they're pretty great lessons to keep in mind a year later. We'll start the episode with a special open, and then dive into our show with Jill. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jean Chatzky gave us some fantastic lessons that we should've learned in 2017. Those financial lessons are still applicable two years later. We'll give the show a special open featuring Joe and OG, and then take a listen to our show with Jean. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Back in 2016 we sat down with NYT Bestselling author David Bach to ask, "What should we have learned in 2016?" He had some great answers that still apply here at the end of 2019. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

CBS Business Analyst and host of the wildly popular Jill On Money Show, Jill Schlesinger joins us in the basement to recap 2015. What should we have learned? She'll have five lessons from events of the past twelve months. Joe & OG share headlines and take your letters, including one asking about "too big to fail" and another asking about multi-level marketing schemes. Should our listener take a "free" plan from an MLM company rep? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to day 2 of our look back at the lessons we've learned from the past decade. This year we took a special look at credit and family finances, take a look at our original show description below: There are TONS of takeaways from 2014, and Rod Griffin from Experian joins us in the basement to tackle his top five that had to do with your credit and family finances. You'll be surprised how easily Rod takes current events and shows you what impact they have on your financial picture. Fidelity may be creating their own robo-advisory arm? Joe & OG share that headline plus others. PK gives some of the BEST advice you've heard during 2014 during his segment. Doug gives the gift of trivia, and much, much more. Thank you to MagnifyMoney.com for sponsoring our podcast. Have a careful and safe New Year everyone! Thanks for being part of the SB family in 2014! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With the end of the decade quickly approaching, we decided to mix things up a bit. Leading up to our first brand new show of the year on January 1st, we'll be releasing each of our special "what should we have learned" episodes. It's not only a look at how our financial focus has changed since 2013, but also how much our show has changed! You can read the original show notes below: Top advisor Scott Tiras (Barrons top 100 independent advisor list) joins us with five lessons we should have learned from 2013. What are some ideas we can glean to avoid mistakes next year? PK goes contrarian in this episode. Doug sneaks downstairs to borrow mustard. Len, Paula and Greg ask the magic 8 ball important questions about 2014....and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We've got the best linens out and mom's favorite table settings because Liz Weston is FINALLY headed down to the basement today to help us put a cap on all of the lessons we should have been learning this year. We'll say a HUGE welcome to our last Monday show of the year, as we wrap up another year of podcasting. We'd like to thank you for joining us in what we consider our biggest year yet. We've made some big changes to how we put this show together, and we'll continue to do so as we continue to grow and improve, which is only possible because of your continued support. We recognize that we live in a fast-paced world with a thousand distractions, so we remain humbled that you CHOOSE to listen to us time and time again. Thank you. On today's show, we're taking a look back at 2019 to ask the big question: what should we have learned this year? While there is timeless investment advice, each year also brings some unique lessons for the future. Sitting down with us today to distill the big financial lessons of 2019 is Liz Weston, award-winning personal finance columnist and certified financial planner. During our headlines we'll talk to Harlan Landes from the Plutus Foundation about what's going on in financial literacy. December is prime giving-season, and Harlan has plenty of advice on what you can do to support financial literacy in your own local area. During our second piece, we'll tackle one financial planning quandary: why in the world is it so difficult to follow your own rules for asset allocation? When a piece of your portfolio becomes overweight, it makes sense to sell it... right? On the other hand, why would you sell a "winner"? We'll talk about emotions and investing during our second headline. Of course, we'll save some time for Doug's trivia too! Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What have you learned from the past 10 years? We'll do a deeper dive on today's show with our roundtable gang...who (not surprisingly) have some takeaways from the last ten years that we can all learn from. On today's show we welcome special guest Doc G from the What's Up Next podcast, Paula Pant from the Afford Anything podcast, plus from Len Penzo from LenPenzo.com! Plus, at the halfway mark of today's episode we'll talk about a FinTech company who's figured out a more cost-effective and quicker way to put non-traditional investments in your self-directed IRA or solo 401(k) plan. We'll all get an introduction to Rocket Dollar, as we talk with Dan Kryzanowski from the company in today's Friday FinTech segment. And during our Magnify Money call we'll hear from our new friend Tyler who wonders how to maximize his savings. As always, of course we'll quiz our contributors with an epic gameshow finale question by our neighbor, Doug. All that and more on today's show! Hope you can join the fun! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What were your favorite moments of 2019? Today we'll lay our cards on the table and show you ours, plus what we learned from each of these stellar guests. From composers to chefs, and from iconic investors to artists, today we're going to actually learn something...and from LOTS of different types of personalities. We're very proud of the wide range of topics we covered in 2019, and today we'll take a glimpse of just a few of them with you. That's not all...of course, we'll leave time for Doug's trivia! Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Money used to be easy. Go to the bank, make a deposit. Maybe you had a pension. Nearly everyone in America had Social Security. How did money become dangerous? We'll sit down with Chris Varelas, the man responsible for brokering some of the biggest mergers and acquisitions in finance. Between working as the head of Citi's technology, media, and communications, and co-founding a private equity firm in Silicon Valley, Chris has acquired a special insight into just how the money game has changed, and his role in some of the biggest financial moments of the last 30 years. What problems will you encounter on your journey toward financial independence? We'll cover many of those during our headlines. While financial headwinds like expenses, loss, and taxes are roadblocks to a bigger portfolio, we'll key into the main problem nearly everyone will face: YOU standing in the way of your own success. Plus, in our second piece, we'll examine how one rogue broker singlehandedly took down his whole firm. Now THAT is dangerous. Later we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Colton, who calls in with a question about paying off some debt with his pension. Colton recently bought a new house and is having a cash-flow crunch. He has $5000 in his pension that he could use to pay off some short-term bills. Should he use the pension, which has a lower interest rate than the bills, to pay off his debts? His pension would grow to be about $15,000 in retirement. Of course, we'll save some time for Doug's trivia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How do you not only survive the holiday season but thrive during it? Today our roundtable team rolls out their very best holiday survival ideas. We'll talk shopping to family to mindset and fun...plus maybe sprinkle in a laugh or two. Calling in today is Paula Pant from the Afford Anything podcast, plus Len Penzo from LenPenzo.com, and who can forget OG from our very own show! Plus, at the halfway mark of today's episode we'll talk about flexible spending accounts. What do YOU need to know before the year is up? Maybe a lot. Hopefully we save a few people a LOT of money because they listened to today's podcast! Helping us by calling dad's shortwave from all the way over in Europe, we'll welcome back Suzanne Lucas, aka the Evil HR Lady from evilhrlady.org. And during our Magnify Money call we'll hear from our good friend Santa and he gives us his tip for not getting so tipsy this time around the world on his sleigh. As always, of course we'll quiz our contributors with an epic gameshow question by our neighbor, Doug. All that and more on today's show! Hope you can join the fun! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's the time of year when you're talking to more people AND making more impressions than any other time of year. How do you put your best foot forward and make your best impression? How do you tell that story that makes everyone laugh and wish they were you? How do you endure the party if you're an introvert? We'll cover ALL of those scenarios and more with master communicator Carmine Gallo on today's podcast. Plus, what if you could lower your fees by HALF? we'll discuss why that might not be the offer you think it is AND deliver some better financial advice...plus we'll throw out the Haven Life line and save time for Doug's amazing trivia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Whether for holidays, office events, or social get-togethers, December feels like the official month of parties. If you've ever thought about hosting your own event, whether this month or any other, you can feel the need to break the bank so that your guests feel special. But what if you could host a better event without emptying your wallet? That's why today we're thrilled to help you create your best event with the help of an extra special guest: celebrity party planner David Tutera. We'll talk invitations, decorations, food, activities and games, plus parting gifts and LOTS more. You'll feel better prepared to be a great host after today's show! Plus, during our headlines, Fidelity Investments is out with their look at 2020. What are savers hoping for in the New Year? We'll help you jump start your New Year's Resolutions with the help of Maura Cassidy, Vice President of Retirement & Small Business at Fidelity Investments about the takeaways. You may be surprised by some of this year's findings AND some of the takeaways. Also, we'll cover a piece from Barron's about the impending stock market downturn. Should you begin making adjustments for the big drop that might be just around the corner? Later we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Mark, who only keeps one month of his emergency savings liquid. The other five months of savings are in a 15 month CD with his bank. Is he making a mistake if a "real" emergency were to come up? Of course, we'll save some time for Doug's trivia, too! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is there advice you wish you'd had when you started investing? Wish you could go back in time and tell yourself to do something differently? With the end of the year almost upon us, we thought this would be the perfect time to reflect on lessons learned... and hopefully help out some new investors so they won't make the same mistakes we did. Experienced investor or not, we'll share some great advice during today's roundtable discussion among seasoned investors. Calling in today for our roundtable is our good basement friend, Ryan Inman of the Financial Residency podcast, plus Paula Pant from the Afford Anything podcast, and OG from our very own show! Plus, at the halfway mark, we'll take a break to learn about Titan, an online app and website that helps people invest like a hedge fund. We'll learn all about it from co-founder Clayton Gardner. Looking for some good investment help? We'll explore what Clayton and Titan are doing to help investors get a bigger bang for their dollar. During our Magnify Money call we'll answer a voicemail from Tyler, who will be graduating from college debt-free. How should Tyler capitalize on his opportunity? Tyler knows about investing through work and having a proper emergency fund, but what else should he do? Is he missing out on something? As always, we'll quiz our contributors with a post-FinTech gameshow question by Doug. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What lessons can you learn from an entrepreneur in technology who was hired just after the turn of the century to lead one of the biggest exchanges on earth? A ton, it turns out. We talk to Former NASDAQ CEO Robert Greifeld about making tough choices, developing leaders, listening, debating, and more. He'll also share stories about his interactions with CEOs like Bill Gates, Howard Schultz, and Jeff Bezos, and his view of the 2007-2008 financial crisis from his front row seat. You'll learn a ton from today's show whether you lead a company, department, club, or your family. Plus, during our headline segment, wealth advisors give clients high marks for understanding some tax rules and for saving money. However, there are some glaring weaknesses they see among clients. Do you have the same weaknesses? We'll explain what worries financial advisors and how to correct course. In our second headline we'll wave the warning flag on an IRS rule that many people violate, and regret later. We'll show you HOW to avoid getting hit with penalties and help you smooth the road for your retirement at the same time. Later we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Mark, who not only tries to avoid giving us his tee-shirt size on air (and nearly fails), but also wonders if it's a good idea to lock much of his emergency fund in a high-interest paying but long-term CD. ...and of course, we'll save some time for Doug's trivia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Visit any online forum and you'll find someone complaining about their health insurance costs. While lots of people complain, our guest today says that the answer may have nothing to do with all of the political rhetoric around the topic. Scott Heiser visits the basement to teach you how to become a better "health" consumer. Changing the healthcare system is one thing, but making proper, well-informed choices about your personal health is another (and one that we can all handle--and also use to bring down the cost of your care). We'll discuss everything from comparison shopping your professionals, insurance options, medical tourism, HSAs, and lots, lots more. Plus, during our headline segment, there's huge news in the financial brokerage space. Charles Schwab is buying TD Ameritrade! With Schwab acquiring another 12 million client accounts, and over a trillion dollars in assets, what's this mean for the bigger financial landscape? Could more mergers be on the horizon? We'll tackle the big questions before we scale it back down during our second headline. One gamer spent over a million dollars on a video game character only to have a friend sell it for $643. Sounds crazy? We thought so too. Later we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to John, who's looking for some pointers on how much he should be contributing at work. Of course, we'll save some time for Doug's trivia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wondering if there are any good games you can play about money or economics? Long time Stacking Benjamins fans know we have one non-financial event that gets us just as excited (if not more) than any other event all year: our annual board game episode! Today we'll fly with Joe to Dallas, Texas, and the BoardGameGeek.con convention, where he catches up with the star of the YouTube show Game Night!, Lincoln Damhurst. They'll not only talk about a whole host of cool games about money and company-building, but they'll also dive into some light, fun games that you can play with the family over the holidays. Before you waste money on a game that nobody will like, check out this episode and make a better buying decision. Plus, replacing our usual Fintech segment (is it boardtech now?), we're talking to co-creator of a new site called FindYourMeeple.com. Jeremiah Cole-Kelly will walk us through how this new tool can help you find a cheap evening's entertainment (and even a weekend's worth, when it comes to game conventions). Looking for people in your area who love to play board games just as much as you do? Jermiah's site just may be the solution to your problems. Of course, financial show or not, we'll always save some time for Doug's trivia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What are the hottest deals in tech this holiday season? What should you avoid? Back for her annual visit to the basement, Bridget Carey from CNET shares the highs and the lows this year. There are LOTS of deals you'll want to avoid, and she'll name names. But don't worry, if you're thinking about televisions, computers, game consoles, kitchen gadgets, audio equipment, or security, we've got you covered! Worried about the financial tasks you need to accomplish before year-end? Maybe you should be. Today we'll also share a laundry list of important items you'll want to check off your list before the new decade begins in just over a month. Plus, we'll also share some advice about gift giving. Since we're diving into shopping season, how do you give a gift that won't be returned? After a little dose of Doug's trivia, we'll wind up the show by throwing out the Haven Life line, as always. It's just another fantastic, money-saving episode of Stacking Benjamins on tap! Enjoy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plus, if you're an investor, the game just might be changing. In our headline segment, we'll share news about three big firms who just received the green light to hide holdings inside their ETFs. What does that mean? We'll share why that may be a big win for active managers, and maybe also for you. Plus we'll cover a second piece from MarketWatch about shopping for yourself. People already spend surprising amounts of cash on themselves each holiday season, but by doing it the right way, you'll be further ahead by maybe partaking in a little selfish gift-giving yourself. Later, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Julien, who has been reading about income taxes going on. He'd like to know if there's any truth to that claim, and if so, how should he be balancing contributions between his Roth and Traditional 401ks? Of course, we'll save some time for Doug's trivia. It's the start of our Thanksgiving week extravaganza of shows, and we can't wait for you to hear it, so jump in! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Think you're underpaid? You aren't alone. Are you even sure how much you should be earning in your position? On today's roundtable we'll discuss one piece examining all the ways you can mess up the driver of all of your financial activity: your salary. Whether you work for "the man" or for yourself, we'll have something for you. Helping us out today is special guest and Stacking Benjamins friend Katie Brewer, from Your Richest Life, Len Penzo from LenPenzo.com, and OG from our very own podcast. Plus, halfway through the show, we'll take a break from our discussion while Joe sits down for another chat with Angelo Poli from Metpro. It's not exactly Fintech, but keeping a mind on health tech will keep you healthy through the holidays... which keeps money in your pocket. During our Magnify Money segment we'll answer a voicemail from Jordan. Jordan and his wife are doing great in their savings and investments, and would like some advice on the best way to tackle asset allocation. As always, we'll carve out some time for a little gameshow with Doug's trivia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ever wonder HOW you can finally get ahead? While some people moan that they just can't seem to make ends meet, Craig Curelop worked from the opposite strategy: he realized that EVERYTHING is for sale. Today we'll talk to the 24 year-old who's hacked his house, his car, and more to get ahead. He's biked to work, slept on his couch...and his old boss said he'd even rent you his underwear. Craig shows us all how we can get ahead if we're willing to go the extra mile. Plus, what funds have had the worst returns in 2019? We'll share the list, which is interesting (to say the least). Not only that, but we'll also watch OG maybe throw up in his mouth as we tackle target-date funds. New information shows that maybe the big brokerages know these tools are broken...or at the least, suboptimal for many people. That's not all. Of course, we'll also finish out the show with some of Doug's absolutely amazing trivia! It's gonna be fantastic! Hit play already! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

While everyone else panics about student loans, what if YOU were able to reach your dream of a great education and ZERO debt? Wouldn't that be awesome? You're going to love our featured interview with Anthony ONeal, author of Debt-Free Degree and Dave Ramsey personality. Between fantastic advice on choosing the right school, lowering your tuition amount, and earning scholarships... Anthony has a plethora of actionable steps you (or anyone else you know) can take to graduate with a degree, but WITHOUT being shackled to loans. Buying a car? In our headlines segment we'll talk about the HUGE number of people who are "underwater" on their auto loans. Maybe that's the new epidemic. We'll talk about how to handle auto loans much more effectively, plus, we'll also talk about one new piece pushing the claim millennials should be happy that they're stuck renting their house. We'll do a dive into today's pieces and naturally give our two cents as well. Later we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Kathy, who has some questions on the differences between two savings accounts at her bank. Kathy thought she should be earning more on her savings, but it turns out her bank actually has two different versions of their savings accounts, and she's been putting her cash into a lower-earning account. What's the deal with that? As always, we'll save some time for Doug's trivia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We've all had those days. Nothing went right at work and on the way home you KNOW you'd feel better if you just stopped at the (insert favorite store) and bought...that expensive (or inexpensive thing). On Instagram, that's often called self-care. But is it destructive? In a recent viral YouTube video, Chelsea Fagan of The Financial Diet lays out her thoughts. We'll play a clip and then jump into a fascinating discussion on the topic with Jacob Wade, from IHeartBudgets.net, and basement regular Len Penzo, of the LenPenzo.com blog. Whether you own a business or are thinking about starting a side hustle, one problem we KNOW you'll have is handling your books. How come current bookkeeping and business management software programs don't work together? A company working at solving that puzzle is called Roger.ia, and halfway through the show, we'll take a break from our discussion to talk to Catherine Anderson, the cofounder of Roger. Catherine will walk us through how Roger does everything from fraud detection to team management, bill pay, and how it even helps out with possible audits. During our Magnify Money segment, we'll answer a voicemail from William, who will be retiring soon. William and his wife are still paying on the mortgage, but they have some savings they could tap into. Here's the question: Should William use their extra savings towards the mortgage, or keep the cash liquid as an emergency fund? We'll answer Will's question and still save some time for Doug's trivia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ever wonder why you don't reach any of your goals? Tom and Ariana Sylvester were there. Over $70k in debt, newly married...they needed a plan. BUT more than that, they needed a way to STICK TO their plan. Today they join us in the basement to share the method they've used to achieve some amazing goals. In our headlines segment, we'll discuss a possible merger between two big companies. What happens when you own shares of a company and it's swallowed by another? What happens if the company whose shares you own devours another? We'll use this current news to discuss how mergers work from the viewpoint of a shareholder. Then, after a little dose of Doug's trivia, we'll wind up the show by throwing out the Haven Life line to a lucky listener, as always. Today's question? Is Social Security going to go extinct faster if younger people join the FIRE movement? Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Raising financial literacy rates in the country is not only important for the population at large but especially for military service members. That's why we're honoring service members this Veteran's Day with some HUGE advice from Ellie Kay, founder of the Heroes at Home program. The program provides military members and their families financial education on how to get out of debt, save more, and how to make their dollar go further. Today she'll share resources for veterans and current military members alike, plus there are LOTS of takeaways for those of you who aren't military-related. During our headlines segment, we'll take a look at another brokerage firm slashing fees and the reactions of two other CEOs in the industry. Are you missing out by not chasing lower fees? We'll give our thoughts, plus, cover a second piece about the wife of a convicted Ponzi scheme fraudster. She recently pleaded guilty to trying to cash in on $26,000 in credit card points - points earned from the Ponzi scheme of course. Later in the show, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Peter, who has recently become an uncle. Peter wants to set up his niece with some investments to help her later in life, but he's not sure what to do. He doesn't want to lock up the money in education funds, but he doesn't want it freely available either. Options? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're finishing out our rewind week with one very interesting topic: should you marry for money? Tune back in next week for another 8 weeks of brand new shows! We'll kick the week off with featured guest Ellie Kay. You can read our original show notes below: While people say that marrying for money is a horrible reason to wed...are there positives? We ask Len Penzo and special guest Jessica Moorhouse from the Mo' Money podcast, that question...and as usual, the answer isn't what you'd expect. Plus, we talk about guaranteed income streams. It seems everyone wants one...but is the cost of a guarantee worth it? Finally, we'll tackle the video everyone's been talking about...the professor on the BBC who's interrupted by family. What are some workplace gaffes that WE'VE had happen? You'll laugh with us (and probably at us). During our FinTech segment we talk to Jon Ziglar from Parkmobile about some much-needed technology. How about an app that helps you find and pay for parking without all of the hassle? We'll ask him how it works on today's podcast. Thanks to MagnifyMoney.com for sponsoring our show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're taking a look back to an episode originally aired in 2016 about a crazy story that left our guest traumatized. She went on to use that fear to change her life for the better. Here is our original show description: A horrifying event changed Leisa Peterson’s life…for the better. What happened? That’s what we’ll discuss with her on this show, along with a great discussion on fear. Plus, we’ll talk about crazy things people buy with student loan money AND answer questions from Amy about when to hire a financial advisor and from Michael about when to diversify his investments. There’s ALL of that and more on today’s show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How about a kick in the pants financially? Deacon Hayes got one...and today, you're going to get one too, especially if you want to be motivated to pay off debt. Let's get that debt paid! Today we bring you one of our FAVORITE episodes. If you're new here, every eight weeks we take a week off to organize and plan our next two months' shows. The good news for you? This whole week we're going to feature some of our favorite episodes from the past! While markets may change from week to week, great financial advice doesn't. Here's the original show notes from two years ago: Thinking about retiring early but you're stuck in neutral with your debt? Maybe it's time to change your money habits. Deacon Hayes (recent winner of the Plutus' Blog Of The Year award), joins us to tell his personal "getting his money act together" story, that YOU can also use to get out of debt and start on your road to early retirement. Then we talk about retiring early, the topic of his new book. From investing in stocks to real estate and business, we cover MANY avenues you can use to work like Deacon, who's on a path to financial independence in his early 40's. In our headline segment today we'll tackle a story about an icon who just sold nine figures worth of stock. What does this have to do with your portfolio and investments? It has a LOT to do with you, if you're accumulating stock in a single company. We'll also detail a recent shopping trend. How much has online shopping overtaken the Black Friday experience? What does this mean for your holiday shopping this year? We'll discuss it on today's show. We'll also throw out the Haven Life Line, answer a listener letter, and also try to answer a tough trivia question from Doug. That's just the beginning of the fun we're having on today's Stacking Benjamins podcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You have your financial plan, you've cut back on the lattes and the subscriptions, you've downsized your home, you know how much debt you need to pay off each month, and you've socked away LOTS of cash... right? In the race to financial freedom, is that it? Maybe not. On today's roundtable discussion the gang will tackle a recent blog post that says, "Maybe there's something ELSE you should be paying attention to, first." Diving in today, we're excited to feature our long time regulars: Paula Pant of the Afford Anything podcast, Len Penzo of LenPenzo.com, and from our very own podcast: OG. We'll take a break halfway through the show while Joe sits down with Michael Bovee from Resolve. Resolve is a company that's setting out to be your personal guide out of financial stress, and Michael will share just how the company intends to do that. During the Magnify Money segment we'll answer a question one of our listeners posted in the Stacking Benjamins facebook group. When you know you'll be needing to sell and buy a home and the next 5-10 years, how would you prioritize saving? Our roundtable will weigh in with their two cents, and we'll still save some time for Doug's trivia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Since October is almost Oct-over it's time to turn down the lights and look over your shoulder because today someone might be playing a spook-tacular Halloween episode for you! We'll share some simply horrifying stories about being an adult from Amanda Holden (AKA the Dumpster Doggy). We'll also offer you a nice treat from Chuck Jaffe (The Money Life podcast) who will share how he tricks the treaters. But it's not all partying with fantastic friends, on this celebration of financial horror. In our headlines segment, we'll show you a super easy way to save some money...and it's one that's probably sitting in your house right now. Like a few extra Benjamins a year? We do! After a little dose of Doug's trivia, we'll wind up the show by throwing out the Haven Life line, as always. It's a fantastic, horrible, money-saving episode of Stacking Benjamins on tap! Enjoy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Do you understand investments? If not, today's show is for you...and if you DO, today's show probably still is for you, because our guest is all about focusing on what you DON'T yet know about your money. David Stein will help us learn more about how your investments work so the whole process is less of a gamble. He's the host behind the hit financial podcast, Money For The Rest Of Us, and brings to the basement a wealth of knowledge about the questions you need to ask before putting your hard-earned money into any investment. Picking a popular stock is easy, but truly understanding the thing you put your cash behind? That's more difficult, and David will break down why. October is fire prevention month, so during our headlines segment we'll ring up Steve Kerber, the Director of the UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute. He'll share fantastic advice on not only how to keep your family safe, but your home too. Plus, could there be a magic number to emergency savings? One recent study suggests that if you hoard too much money it might not be worth it, and the savings could be better put elsewhere. Later we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Stacy, who describes herself as a digital nomad. How should she budget and do her taxes? A big thanks to Masterworks for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Start investing in art AND skip the 17,000 person waitlist by visiting Masterworks.io and letting them know Stacking Benjamins sent you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You're ready to jump into the waters of entrepreneurship...or maybe you aren't, but you ARE curious. What questions should you ask yourself BEFORE you lay down your hard earned money to invest in inventory, systems, and people? Happy Friday! Today we ditch our usual Friday format and instead offer up a super special game show edition of SB! On today's show we'll quiz Chief Side Hustler and the host of the Side Hustle Show, Nick Loper, plus regular contributors Paula Pant (Afford Anything) and OG on THE questions an entrepreneur should ask before creating a start-up. Think you have what it takes to create your own business? Play along with our cast and find out! After we have our fun with the game show, Joe will ring up Justin Pogue, the author behind Rental Secrets. We'll talk to Justin on how to get more value out of your dollar by using insider knowledge to lower your rent and earn yourself more leverage. Plus, with Nic Loper on the roundtable, we'll answer a specially-themed entrepreneurial question from Reddit. The user writes that they'll very possibly be fired from their day job soon, but that they're starting up their own business and things are beginning to go well. What should they do? A big thanks to Quickbooks for supporting Stacking Benjamins. You can save an average of $600 annually by paying your employees with Intuit QuickBooks Payroll. Check it out today at Intuit.me/sb. Another big thanks to Native for supporting our podcast as well. Get 20% off your first purchase by visiting nativedeodorant.com and entering promo code SB during checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What if the difference between today's mediocrity and tomorrow's succes were all steps you've heard before? Things you can do TODAY to get where you want to go tomorrow? Today we'll tackle just that, learning how to ignite success in 52 easy steps with Dr. Melanie Katzman. We've heard a lot of these rules already, but how are we applying them to our lives? Dr. Katzman teaches us how to get on track to become successful. In our headlines segment, Jim Miller from JD Power and Associates stops by to talk about the trend toward a cashless society. They just finished a survey which shows some surprising results around you and those bills in your wallet. Are we really going plastic only? Plus, we'll find out why security lawyers call on FINRA to halt their "expungement" process. What the heck is expungement? It's actually more exciting, and potentially sickening, than you can believe. After a little dose of Doug's trivia, we'll wind up the show by throwing out the Haven Life Line to Mitch, a 26 year old who is just starting out in the workforce, asked decrease 401k to just what his employer matches to save cash for a down payment to buy a house or is that not necessary? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There's a storm coming toward retirements all over the United States (and elsewhere). Pensions are broken, Social Security is headed toward big cuts, and personal savings? Nobody is doing it. On today's show, we'll sit down with the visionary behind the Broken Eggs documentary, Chad Parks. Chad's 2013 documentary shone some light on America's looming retirement crisis. It's been six years since the film released and we'll discuss the progress and changes that have (or sadly, haven't) happened across the retirement landscape since then. During our headlines segment we'll keep the retirement theme going strong by examining TIAA's newest study on retirement and lifetime income. Plus we'll discuss one piece from InvestmentNews about SoFi refunding investors for a tax hit caused by their very own, proprietary ETFs. Later we will throw out the Haven Life Line to Trent, who's worried we'll become over-leveraged as he continues to buy rental properties. Here's the question: what exactly is being over-leveraged? Thanks to AcreTrader for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Learn more at AcreTrader.com/sb. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When it comes to your career, should you love what you do? A blog post our friend R.L. Graham reads says, "Maybe not." Is that right? We've heard a TON about how you should be PASSIONATE about your work. On today's show we'll ring up Jen Hemphill, host of Her Dinero Matters and long-time friend of the basement, and the amazing Paula Pant from Afford Anything to ask their opinion. Our contributors will give their take on working, finding accomplishment in life, and focusing on what matters. Halfway through the show, we'll detour from our usual roadmap and swap out our fintech segment for some Friday HEALTH tech. We've had such great conversations on the correlation between health and finance with Angelo Poli from Metpro that we couldn't resist bringing him back to answer LOTS of your questions. Later we'll answer a Magnify Money call from Patrick: how does someone know if their financial advisor is doing a good job? Sure, there will be good times and bad times, but what's the criteria for judging an advisor's performance? Of course, we'll always save some times for Doug's trivia. Thanks to Kabbage for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Get the money you need to run your small business at Kabbage.com. Thanks to Masterworks for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Bypass Masterwork's 17,000 person waitlist by visiting their site and telling them Stacking Benjamins sent you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This year, diversification may have COST you money, as it has many college endowment funds. We'll dive into that topic and three more in our first-ever show that's mostly headlines ripped from the popular financial press! We'll tackle headlines from NPR, CNBC, Marketwatch, and more, including our lead-off story that asks, could your retirement fun be ruining our economy? Also, nine American families living abroad have reported that their life savings, stowed away in a bank, had vanished. Will the bank reimburse their money? Finally, we'll talk about pensions. GE has frozen pensions for over 20,000 employees, and many more are eligible now to take their funds as a lump sum. How does that work? We'll detail all of the factors you need to consider, on today's show. After a little dose of Doug's trivia, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Jan calling all the way from Germany, who says first, that we are awesome, and second, about diversification between accounts. Should he also invest in multiple currencies? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices