The Stacking Benjamins Show

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

Wondering how the best and brightest leaders emerge in any organization? Whether you're running a business or just your household, we all need leadership skills, and today's guest focuses on those of the great leader, Walt Disney. We'll sit down with Pat Williams, motivational speaker, author, and co-founder of the NBA Orlando Magic franchise. Pat combines his decades of management experience with the leadership lessons from the visionary animator to provide you with relevant and practical lessons on how to lead in the modern workplace. Our talk with Pat begins at the 30:49 mark. Plus, during our headlines segment, we'll take a call from Leo Acheson, associate director of multi-asset and alternative strategies team at Morningstar, about the company's newest report on the state of health savings accounts. HSAs have changed a lot since we last spoke with Leo a year ago, and we'll ask him about improvements in the industry and which plans are the best accounts you should be watching out for. We'll begin our headlines segment at the 5:15 mark. Later we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Julie, who's found herself with a few hundred dollars that she wasn't expecting. What's the best way Julie could invest this small, one-off windfall? Of course, we'll save some time for Doug's trivia. Thanks to Kabbage for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Get the money you need to run your small business. Go to Kabbage.com to get started. Credit lines subject to review and change. Individual requests for capital are separate installment loans issued by Celtic Bank, Member FDIC. Thanks to HoneyBook for supporting Stacking Benjamins. If you run your own business, you’re used to doing it all. But if you’re struggling to get through your to-do list, HoneyBook can help. Go to HoneyBook.com/SB for 50% off your first year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What do you get when you place a bunch of seasoned workers in a room? You immediately start telling stories about the best career advice anyone has ever given you. Today we do just that, with the host of the Beyond The Dollar podcast: Sarah Li-Cain. We’ll work from a post detailing how a Netflix co-founder's father left him a handwritten list of 8 rules to success. What are those rules? Check out what Sarah, Len Penzo, and Paula Pant all have to say about them! Halfway through the show, we’ll take a break to talk about higher interest rates. Who’s working on that? Well, one company is, and today we’ll give you an introduction to Froogal, with CEO Kale Pasch. Plus, we'll answer a voicemail during our Magnify Money segment asking for resources on podcasts and blogs for families AND we'll have some fun with another of Doug's wild trivia questions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why are college costs increasing so fast? While there are lots of theories, only one researcher has reached out to many middle-class families to directly ask them how much money they've spent on college and to get the direct story. Today we talk to her. Caitlin Zaloom joins us on today's podcast to dig in to the problem with college funding. 529 plans? Saving directly with the state using pre-paid tuition? We'll tackle LOTS of scenarios and throw out some ways to solve the problem on today's show. In our headlines segment, we talk about borrowing money from your 401k plan. Even though you can borrow from it without penalty, just because you can, doesn't mean you should. We'll also dig into the chaos that's been created as some of the biggest brokerage firms in the country swipe fees all the way to ZERO. Is that a good thing? After a little dose of Doug's trivia, we'll wind up the show by throwing out the Haven Life Line to an anonymous caller who calls out Joe and OG....well, maybe not OG. More directly....just Joe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What would you say to someone who said they could teach you to be rich? Would you have a hard time believing them? Today we'll sit down with the person who has already done just that for thousands of people across the country: New York Times best-selling author Ramit Sethi. In our headlines segment, what's the deal with gold? We'll take a look at one article from InvestmentNews that makes the case against gold. But, do we think it has a place in your portfolio? Is that money better deployed elsewhere? We'll give our nuggets of wisdom thoughts before moving into our second piece: 5 things plan sponsors are still getting wrong. You've ran into at least one of this issues (or know someone who has). We'll also throw out the Haven Life Line to Mandy, who wants some advice on what to do with her money in the market. Should she stay invested, or cash out and buy a house? Of course, we'll save some time to spend on Doug's surprisingly money-themed trivia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is it frustrated watching successful people work? They seem to do it so easily....and sometimes they even tell you that it IS easy. But is that the truth? What's really behind the success of many people who wisely handle money, or make better business decisions, or seem to juggle priorities easily? There IS a secret...and once you know it you think about the working world differently. Today our special guest Steven Donovan from EvenStevenMoney.com joins OG and Joe to tackle what's really behind success for the average person. Halfway through the show, our roundtable discussion will take a break for our Fintech segment. We'll talk to Erin Papworth from Nav.IT, an app and community helping people not only track their expenses and their goals, but helping to keep them accountable AND connecting them with a community of like-minded individuals. How does it work? We'll talk to Erin all about it! Plus, we'll answer a voicemail during our Magnify Money segment AND save time for Doug's amazing trivia. Thanks to Masterworks for sponsoring our show! Visit masterworks.io Select podcast, then enter Stacking Benjamins to skip the waitlist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ever wonder what it would be like to buy a van and hit the road? Van life is an exciting reality for many people you read about online...but would it be for you? Today we talk to Lisa and Harrison from the Mad Money Monster Podcast, who together decided to try it out. The results? Let's just say it may not have gone exactly the way many bloggers act like it will. In our headlines segment, we're all about cults! One recent financial piece compares Multi-Level Marketing companies (MLMs) to a cult, but are they really similar? We'll share a story from a former Mary Kay consultant who was tricked into an MLM even though she didn't have any money. Lots of promises, but no results. Is it the way things are for MLMs in general? We also prepare you for the next recession! After a little dose of Doug's trivia, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Janelle who is looking to switch jobs. Janelle opted out of receiving benefits from her employer and wants to know if she can use that to negotiate getting a higher salary? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hoping to retire someday? What about retiring early? On today's show we'll sit down with Chris Mamula who retired at...wait for it....41, about how he did it. He's the co-author of the newly released book, Choose FI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence, and also is an award-winning blogger at CanIRetireYet.com. He and his wife blazed their own trail toward freedom after meeting with advisors who didn't serve them and reading blogs that didn't speak to them. They might have also listened to a podcast or two that didn't meet with their expectations. Before all that, though, in our headlines segment, we'll cover one piece from Financial Planning about a Vanguard robo-advisor only recommending... (wait for it) ... Vanguard funds! Think something seems a little fishy with this? We'll throw our two cents into the ring, and still save plenty of time for our second piece from Forbes: women just aren't purchasing enough life insurance. This is SUPER disturbing, given how much women contribute to the average family. If they have a 50% contribution, why aren't they asking for more insurance? We'll share the ugly details. Plus, we'll still have time to throw out the Haven Life Line to Stevan, who thinks it's the right time to start a retirement account. Based on his current tax bracket and the research he's done, Stevan feels like he should choose a Roth IRA over a traditional to get started... is he missing anything? What would be the pros to choosing a traditional account? Of course, we'll always have time for Doug's trivia. Thanks to Grammarly for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Get 20% off a Grammarly premium account, go to Grammarly.com/sb. Get the money you need to run your small business. Go to Kabbage.com to get started. Credit lines subject to review and change. Individual requests for capital are separate installment loans issued by Celtic Bank, Member FDIC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Does it makes sense to hire a coach? Our roundtable discussion today is all around the pros and cons of finding a coach--why do you need one in the first place? How do you find a good one? How do you know it's a good fit? We'll cover all of these and more on today's show with two coaches and a guy who doesn't have one....Sharita Humphrey joins us from Family, Faith and Finance, along with Roger Whitney, the Retirement Answer Man, and Len Penzo from Len Penzo dot com. Halfway through the show, we'll celebrate national tourism day with Kat Kalashian from Live and Invest Overseas, who'll share her list of the top six countries around the world to target if you'd like to live a "work from anywhere" lifestyle. Plus, we'll answer a voicemail during our Magnify Money segment asking for resources on podcasts and blogs for families AND we'll have some fun with another of Doug's wild trivia questions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have you ever wondered if you're handling your money right? Sure you have. More important, have you ever worried that you aren't doing LIFE correctly? Our main guest has been there. She's the best-selling author of the philosophical guide to life in the age of overwhelm titled, Am I Doing This Right?, Colleen Bordeaux. Colleen will share her deeply personal search for more meaning in life and lessons she learned along that way. We'll talk about your personal philosophy, getting comfortable with who you are, figuring out your money from a deep level, and more. It's a wide-ranging interview that we're sure you're going to enjoy as much as we enjoyed talking to her. In our headlines segment, how much does it cost to be considered 'middle class' in a big city? It turns out that it might just cost a TON of money. How do you get ahead when everything is so expensive? We'll talk about many factors, include the fact that where you live can change everything about whether you're financially successful or not. In our second headline, do you prefer receiving money advice from a man or a woman? Well, according to the Wall Street Journal, in the past two years there has been a marked increase in requests from prospective clients who want to work with female financial advisers. We'll talk diversity in the financial services ranks on today's show! After a little dose of Doug's trivia, we'll also save time to throw out the Haven Life Line to Nick. Nick asks if there is a specific ratio of money in each account (Roth and pre-tax) that is recommended? How does your tax strategy look? We'll dive into that, and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How does a guy with a great job at Facebook end up as a standup comedian? Today we talk to Paul Ollinger, host of the new Crazy Money podcast, about chasing your dream...in his case, the dream of becoming a comedian. It's a compelling conversation if you've ever hit the wall with your career, or you've ever made a spur-of-the-moment decision, or you realized that you needed to sharpen the saw to get where you wanted to go. There's something for everyone in today's interview. During our headlines segment, one recent piece takes to task the age-old idea of dollar-cost averaging. Should you do it? You'll be surprised with the results. Plus, do you think becoming a millionaire is out of your reach? I think you're going to love the great news we have for you. With some sound investment strategies and saving your cash, you could find yourself among that list too. On the Haven Life line call, we talk to Maddox, who's wondering what he should do better with his money. He's a college student (and actually turning a profit while in school!), and already has a firm base-level investment plan. Should he diversify more? We'll weigh in, and of course, we'll have time for Doug's trivia. Thanks to Clearbanc for supporting our show. Thanks to Clearbanc for supporting our show. Go to clearbanc.com/SB to sign up today to get $1,000 of additional capital if you are approved as a qualifying company. Thanks to HoneyBook for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Go to HoneyBook.com/sb for 50% off your first year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We spend more and buy stuff to make us happy, but does it? Does more really equal better? On today's show we dive into a recent blog post from the Four Pillar Freedom blog to look at the nature of happiness. Money is always intertwined in our view of "happy," probably because advertisers love making us think that if we just buy one more thing we'll finally get that elusive joy that we've been craving. We'll talk about joy, addiction, happiness and more on today's podcast with a team including Beau Humphreys from The Personal Finance Show, CFP Katie Brewer from Your Richest Life planning, and our own OG. Halfway through the showwe have a special treat where we usually feature our Friday Fintech spotlight. Today instead we'll shine a light on mortgages, because with his recent move to Detroit, Joe just found out that industry insider Joel Gurman from Quicken Loans is his neighbor! Joe invites Joel down to the basement today and quizzes him about the state of mortgages, how interest rates really work, what other fees are involved with mortgages, and more. It's a wide-ranging, fun conversation about the biggest loan many of us will ever have. But that's not all. We'll help C on the Magnify Money call-in segment. C is wondering about retirement withdrawal software. He feels that savings-wise, he is on course, but he wants to make sure that he is withdrawing in the most tax-efficient way. Thanks to AcreTrader for supporting Stacking Benjamins. For more information on how to become a farmland investor through AcreTrader, visit acretrader.com/sb Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At some point you feel fried. Been there? Today's guest, Nicole Lapin, has been there. She thought she could outrun her problems and find success...and today we'll hear how that worked out. Nicole is a New York Times best selling author of both Rich Bitch and her second title Boss Bitch. Today she's back with a new guide to help us figure life out. We'll talk about balance, acceptance, and not trying to outrun your problems on today's show. In our headlines segment, how's your will looking? The wills of a couple people in the news lately are UGLY. We'll focus on the wills of Jeffrey Epstein and Aretha Franklin today, and some huge questions that have come up because of weird circumstances in both (very different) cases. Then, we'll pivot to a chat about wine destinations (how fun is that???). Good news: one recent piece says you don't have to go to Venice or Napa, and to get a great vacation you might not even need a passport. There are low budget destinations for whatever fun you have planned in places you wouldn't believe. After a little dose of Doug's trivia, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Rina, a concerned mother who asks how she can set up a Roth IRA for her child. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Would you know what to do in the 24 hours after a car accident? What about that next 7 days? The days following an accident is a stressful time, but following the right steps can make a big difference. On today's show we'll talk to Elizabeth Calora, partner at PCVA Law, to talk about what you should do after you are involved in an accident. During our headlines segment, one retiree placed her life savings into an annuity without knowing the full consequences, (on the advice of a financial advisor). After an uphill battle, PNC bank has finally agreed to refund her money...but is that the full story? Of course it isn't. We'll share the not-so-obvious conclusion during our breakdown. PLUS, we bring you a slice of sunshine (because that's what we do best). It turns out that average 401k savings rates have hit record levels. That's neat...but as yours? Becky calls our Haven Life Line today. She's over 60 (we didn't ask....she told us!), and she shares that she's worred that she has close to ZERO cash in after-tax accounts. She has good news, though....she DOES have money in Roth accounts that have sat for over 5 years. So does she need an after-tax account? Is she missing anything? Of course, we'll always have time for Doug's trivia and bunches of fun. Thanks to Skillshare for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Get TWO months of courses for free at Skillshare.com/SB. Get the money you need to run your small business. Go to Kabbage.com to get started. Credit lines subject to review and change. Individual requests for capital are separate installment loans issued by Celtic Bank, Member FDIC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"Speed kills" is a popular phrase, but in business, you already hear that faster = better. But is it? If you make a mistake with your money, whether it's making it, spending, tracking or investing...how important is speed (or slowing down) in your decisionmaking? We'll take this philosophical discussion and dive in today with Amy Blacklock from Women Who Money, Len Penzo from LenPenzo.com, and our very own OG. It's a lively discussion that ping-pongs between deep philosophy to light tactics, and, of course, a little fun. Halfway through the show, our roundtable discussion will take a break for our Fintech segment. Aditi Shekar takes a trip down to the basement to re-introduce new listeners to Zeta! We've had quite a few people in our Stacking Benjamins Basement Facebook group ask about apps for couples, and Zeta is exactly that. Aditi will talk about what's changed with Zeta in the last couple years, beyond helping couples track their transactions and develop a budget for their money management. Plus, we'll answer a voicemail from D during our Magnify Money segment. D is wondering about the details of a taxable brokerage account. D and his wife save up for a goal, and when they reach that goal, they no longer want that item. D was curious if moving those savings to a brokerage account would be more financially lucrative. Thanks to Grammarly for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Get 20% off a Grammarly premium account, go to Grammarly.com/sb Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have you ever thought about investing in the wide world of real estate but weren't sure whether it was for you? Today's guest, Michele Cagan, says that it probably IS for you...but maybe not in the way you'd traditionally think. Sure, you can go fix up and flip houses or become a landlord, but Michele shares LOTS of other ways to invest in real estate as well, and gives us five reasons why you should at least think about it. Whether you're a seasoned real estate investor or newbie, there's something for everyone today in Michele's visit to the basement! In our headlines segment: what's the WORST age to take social security? How does the system work in the first place? While it's complicated, we'll share the worst of the worst AND give you some basics on how to start thinking about YOUR payout. In our second headline, Charles Schwab is seeing HUGE returns from their new hybrid robo-meets-human advisor program. It seems these people chasing robos might just want some human advice...strange (smell the sarcasm in that sentence? We'll explain.) After a dose of Doug's amazing trivia, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to a lucky caller, as usual. Just another fun day here in the basement... Thanks to Clearbanc for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Are you doing over $10,000 a month in revenue? Find out how you can receive Clearbanc capital by getting your 20 minute term sheet at clearbanc.com/SB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Do you want better answers in your life? It may seem like a simple solution, but Andy Andrews, New York Times best-selling author, says you just need to be asking better questions. He'll share secrets from his new book, Bottom of the Pool, on today's show! In our headlines segment, we'll ring up Christine Benz on Joe's Dad's shortwave radio. She's the director of personal finance at Morningstar, and we'll ask her how some of our listeners who are new investors can get their retirement plans rolling. In true Andy Andrews spirit, she'll make sure you're not just asking questions about your retirement plans, but asking the right questions. Plus, in our second piece, one article says that millennials should be the new face of the retirement crisis. As two guys who are NOT millennials (but often act like millennials), Joe and OG share their thoughts. During our Have Life Line, we'll answer a voicemail from Bill, who has a life insurance policy with a cash value. Bill's thinking about stopping it and putting it into a long term care policy or something similar. Thoughts? Thanks to AcreTrader for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Learn more at AcreTrader.com/sb. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Fintern is finishing out our rewind week with one of our old school roundtable favorites: we're talking about lies about retirement. You can read the original show notes below: On today's podcast we're talking about lying. A recent news piece reports that there are nine lies we're told about retirement planning. We'll break them down with Greg, Paula, and special guest Rich Jones from the hit podcast Paychecks and Balances. We won't stop there, thought. We'll also discuss a recent question to the Moneyologist at MarketWatch. If you had two kids and one was irresponsible, would you disown him? We ask our roundtable that very question and come up with some interesting estate planning themes you may want to address in your own planning. On the Freshbooks FinTech segment we talk to Michael Asare from Fee Belly. Ever feel like the fine print in a contract is completely against you? Fee Belly was designed to show you ALL of the fine print by highlighting it so you can easily see where contracts might not be in your favor. We'll ask him how it works on today's podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Time for something a little different in the basement! While it's still "rewind week" here, instead of playing an old SB episode, we instead are serving up our little sister show, Money With Friends! This show appears six days a week wherever you listen to Stacking Benjamins. Money With Friends is news and commentary with diverse thought leaders. It's performed in front of a LIVE Facebook audience. This show originally appeared Monday on that channel. If you like it, head on over and listen to today's show as well! We'll have more SB on Friday, with another rewind treat from the FinTern (new shows back on Monday!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to our Stacking Benjamins rewind week! Normally doing this week we would play you some of our favorite episodes from the past that you may have missed... but this week we're mixing things up. Monday and Friday will go as planned, but stay tuned on Wednesday for a special surprise. The Fintern is kicking off the week by queuing up our time with Shannyn Allen, who lost over $50,000 to a hacker. We won't spoil the interview in case you missed it the first time around, but this is one emotional, honest story that you definitely want to hear. You can read the original show notes below: What would happen if you lost more than $50,000 that was meant for your first home? Shannyn Allen lived that harrowing nightmare and she's going to share the story today. She unknowingly handed a hacker $50,000 , and will share the mistakes that were made around her situation, and will also let you know the steps YOU should take if you're even in a similar situation. It's a raw, horrifying story, and also one of the longest interviews we've done on Stacking Benjamins in a long, long time. In our headline segment we talk about Beyonce and Jay-Z. It appears they're spending money like they're....Beyonce and Jay-Z. What does that have to do with you? We'll share that on today's show. Also, Jamie Wise from the Buzz Indexesshares with us some welcome news about oil prices. Are we seeing the lows in oil? He'll share the wisdom of social media chatter on today's podcast. Of course, that's not all. Doug has yet another hare-brained scheme to become wealthy....but still has time to share some trivia. We'll also throw out the Haven Life Line to Nikki, who asks an existential question about money and goals, plus answer a letter from Jason about the Roth IRA. Special thanks to M1Finance for sponsoring our show! We couldn't do any of this without the support of these awesome companies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices