The Stacking Benjamins Show

Sick of working for "the man"? Today we'll talk to a woman who's never held down a single full time job but who's created a career out of what most people call "side hustles." We'll explore pitfalls, opportunities, and more with Shanah Bell, author of The Art of Being a Pita, Paula Pant from Afford Anything, and from our very own podcast, OG. Halfway through the show we'll take a break from our side hustle conversation so Joe can sit down with Tony Aquilar, the founder of new student loans app Chipper. Worried about your student loans? Tony will share some helpful tips on how to pay down student loans quicker, AND will show off how his app will help you do just that. ...and after we take some time for Doug's trivia, our roundtable contributors will share some ideas to help caller TJ during our Magnify Money segment. TJ wants to know some fun and interesting ways to teach kids about money and saving for retirement. Thoughts? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ever wonder how an insurance company would look at some of your favorite movie and television series characters? We might be nerds (who are we kidding...we're huge nerds), but that's exactly the question we wanted to ask Haven Life's Brittney Burgett, who gives us some really enlightening answers. Not only do we find out information about how insurance companies view cartels, money laundering, and 1950's office spaces (all funny and not shocking), we also talk frankly about contestable periods, health ratings, professional considerations, and more. If you've ever wondered how insurance companies think about you, this is a fun way to start. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

PT Barnum was the king of over-the-top sales pitches...or was he? He certainly was the king of hustling to earn a living. If you're looking for a role model to help you work harder, sell better, or be more...entertaining, there are few people you should look to before the Greatest Showman himself. Today, biographer Robert Wilson joins us to dig into the early years of Barnum's life, from his time organizing lotteries and working on general stores to his first move to New York City. Barnum not only was a great pitchman, but he always wanted to back it up with shows that would make people tell their friends and come back. "There's a sucker born every minute" might not have been a slogan that Barnum lived by....we'll explain in the show. Plus, during our headlines segment, Joe will talk to Desiree Vargas Wrigley from Pearachute about just how much you're spending on family fun this summer. The amount is sadly a LOT higher than you may expect. We'll also cover one MarketWatch piece that is a good reminder for all of us: all that 401k and IRA money doesn't all belong to you. While the bottom line in your retirement account may look lofty, the tax bill could take a nice chunk of those savings away. We'll share why. After some P.T. Barnum inspired trivia from Doug, we'll throw out the Haven Life line to a caller who wants to know more about Token, the Fintech company we interviewed a few weeks ago. While Token provides security for the rest of your accounts, what happens if they're breached themselves? And in our letter's segment we'll tackle a question from Michael, who wants to sell some stock his godmother got for him while he was teenager and transfer the cash into a Roth IRA. What are the steps he needs to take to sell the stock? Does he need to hire a broker? Looking for something deeper than what we give you on the show? Three days a week not enough? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: The Stacker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're absolutely thrilled to bring you the best in 2019's personal finance indie podcasts, blogs, and video. Today we welcome Miranda Marquit from the Plutus Awards to walk through the 2019 Finalists for the Plutus Awards. The goal of these awards is to shine a light on a wider spectrum of names and brands so that we all have the ability to hear from a wide universe of points of view. Today we present that universe with our finalists picks in our 10th annual awards celebration. Good luck to all of the finalists! Thanks to MagnifyMoney.com for sponsoring Stacking Benjamins. MagnifyMoney.com saves users on average $450 when they compare, ditch, switch and save on credit cards, student loan refinancing, checking, savings and more. Check out MagnifyMoney.com for your savings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The cast in the Broadway play "Rent" asks, "How do you measure the life of a man?" Today we ask that question as we speak with Nicholas Mann (a great musician in his own right) about his father, the founding member of the Julliard String Quartet (among many other accomplishments), Robert Mann. We'll be talking about Robert Mann's early years: growing up in Portland, getting started on the road to his dream, taking the plunge to move to New York City, his years at Julliard, his military service, and more. We'll talk about practice, mentors, money, teachers, lessons learned, and much more. In our headlines segment, are you the type of person to use the same password on every online account? First...stop that! There's plenty of easy-to-use software out there that will make multiple passwords a breeze. Second, you'll want to change your passwords on the double if you own a Robinhood account. We'll dive into the details during the show, but the company was storing their passwords in plain text, a HUGE internet security no-no. In our second headline, do you still have unpacked boxes from you last move? We'll look at an Inc. piece detailing how one NASA intern scored millions just by cleaning out an old box he'd carried around through the years. Maybe there's gold in that hoarding you've been doing. After a little dose of Doug's trivia, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Ryan, who's started his own business. Ryan is looking into opening a self directed IRA, but his friends have been pointing him towards a SEP 401k. What type of account should he choose? We'll end out the show with a letter from Leo, who wants to know how 529 plans affect FASFA eligibility. Wouldn't it be better to not invest in a 529 plan to make sure your kids get financial aid? 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

Bola Sokunbi tells us the amazing story growing up with a mother who was initially left out, like many women, of the family's financial decisions. Whether you're a man or woman, today you'll hear the reality of your financial life: you can't delegate it to other people. There's nobody better to tell this story, so we're super excited that today Bola, the mind behind Clever Girl Finance, joins us. In our headlines segment, we'll take a call from our long-time friend and Detroit Free Press reporter Susan Tompor. Susan has written a piece on a new money scam which involves receiving an email from your "boss" asking you to buy a few costly gift cards. This is definitely one to watch out for, and we'll find out all the details on the scam from Susan. And after we give Doug a chance to deliver some buffalo wing themed trivia, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to a caller who's wondering what to do with her cash from a discontinued retirement plan. Brooke works for a small startup, and her employer recently discontinued a fee riddled 401k offering. Brooke had $2000 in her 401k, and wonders what should she do with the money now? We'll finish out the show with a letter from Brian, who wants to make sure his thinking on the pro-rata rule and backdoor Roth conversions is solid. Could he avoid the tax hit from a traditional-to-Roth conversion if he does it in in his wife's name? What's a backdoor Roth IRA? How does a pro-rata rule work and will it kill you? All good news: we'll explain the rules AND define all of these technical terms. Thanks to Clearbanc for supporting our show. If you’re 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

Everyone has made mistakes during their life. Lord knows, we've made our share. While we thankfully forget about a lot of the smaller mistakes we make, the larger mistakes tend to stay with us as lessons we can use to help us in the future. Learning from your own mistakes is great, but being able to learn from another person's mistakes and saving yourself some heartache is even better. Today we're giving you a free "head directly to Go and collect $200" card by sharing with you some of the WORST investing decisions of all time, as shared by one publication. Halfway through the show, our roundtable discussion will take a break for our Fintech segment. With colleges opening up their doors for the fall semester soon, we'll focus on one company that's striving to improve student grades AND earn them some extra cash while doing it. Joe will sit down with Jerry Zheng from One Class, and get some detailed bullet points on just how the note-taking company works. Plus, we'll answer a voicemail from K during our Magnify Money segment. K wants to get into real estate and is looking for ways to save for a down payment. While lowering her contributions to her retirement accounts make the most sense to her the idea still makes her cringe. What if she never finds a buying opportunity and misses out on money she could have been earning? Thoughts? Looking for something deeper than what we give you on the show? Three days a week not enough? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: The Stacker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Being a good communicator is a crucial skill we don't pay enough attention to. It's easy for us money nerds financially-minded individuals to learn the intricacies between different financial plans, study market fluctuations, and keep up-to-date on the best interest rates, but why is it so hard to focus on soft skills? Chief among them is communication. That being said, we're money nerds at the end of the day. That's why today we're sitting down with Jason Hanson, a man who's had to communicate professionally day-in and day-out as a former CIA officer. And in our headlines segment, is Wells Fargo catching the last few years of turmoil? We'll discuss the reasons behind why the number of financial advisors saying "sayonara" to bank is finally leveling out, and the lessons you can learn when it's time to leave your job behind. Plus, in our second headline, what's the big reason behind the record number of CFOs retiring from their companies? What are they seeing on the horizon that the rest of us aren't? Later, after we hand the mics over so Doug can dish our some of his trivia, we'll answer a voicemail from an anonymous caller who says he's "new" to money. He's 34, isn't in debt, and has $300,000 in the bank. What should he do with the money? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We have two exciting announcements that mom wanted us to share with you about today's show: One - We're answering your letters, including a BUNCH of them about the Roth IRA, named after a Congressman whose birthday happens to be this very date. In celebration, we're cracking open the mailbag with our friend Scott Rieckens from the Playing With Fire documentary. He stopped by the basement while here for a sold-out screening, and while he was here we put him to work because OG and Joe...well, you know. On the topic of letters...if you'd like to ask us a question, remember now to use the Haven Life line (StackingBenjamins.com/voicemail). We stopped accepting new letters months ago and we are just now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel on letters! Hurrah! Two - Mom wanted us to remind you to take off your shoes when you walk inside the house. She works hard to keep the rugs clean, and you'll just mess them up. That's all. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With debt piling up, savings gone, and your credit cards maxed out, how do you pull yourself out of the hole and get on the right financial path? The first step, of course, is to stop digging, which is what one Reddit user did after racking up over $16,000 in credit card debt. They also posted a list of things they did to make their debt go bye-bye and their Benjamins start to pile up. While it may not be quick or easy to get yourself back to being debt-free, there are definite steps you can take to get yourself into the world of financial freedom - and we'll walk through one piece which reported on the Reddit forum, adding in experts and other information. How much of it is helpful and what isn't? Depends on what section of the piece we're talking about. Today, helping us dig in today is a crack team of internet stars. First, making her return trip to the basement is Chelsea Brennan (Smart Money Mamas), second, we'll welcome Len Penzo (LenPenzo.com), and then we'll say hello to the guy from our own podcast, OG. How would you like to earn stock rewards from companies where you already shop? While you shouldn't shop more to get rich (that won't end pretty), it would be nice to get some extra stock just for buying pillowcases, right? We thought so too, and that's why halfway through the show we'll take a little break from our discussion while Joe rings up and chats with founder David Nelsen from Bumped. Plus, after we subject entertain our roundtable with a round of Doug's trivia we'll break out the Magnifying Glass and answer a listener voicemail from Tyler. His 401k plan is expensive. How does he control his costs of investing for retirement? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What if life weren't so complicated? What if you could stop worrying about lower expense ratios, cheaper insurances, bigger spreadsheets, or trying to perfectly plan out your retirement account so things are perfect decades down the road? On today's show, the guy who is better at taking financial decisions and distilling them to their essence joins us. Today we welcome New York Times columnist Carl Richards, an expert in distilling complicated issues into bite-sized pieces. Plus, in our headlines segment, we'll cover one piece about Suze Orman and her love of cannabis stocks and blockchain. Copying celebrity stock picks aren't always a good idea, and we'll discuss why. In our second headline, we'll turn our attention to one problem in the investing and savings world: women whose spouses are in control of the finances. A recent study shows that lots of women delegate investing to their spouse. We'll discuss why this might not be a good idea. Later on, after we take a break for some of Doug's trivia, we'll take a Haven Life Line from Tyson, whose current 401k with his employer has fees higher than he would like. What can he do to save on fees. And as we finish out letters bag, Leo writes in asking about 529 plans. With FAFSA including 529 plans in the financial eligibility of students, would it be a good idea to NOT contribute to the plan? Thanks to Skillshare for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Get TWO months of courses for free at Skillshare.com/SB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Clutter is everywhere. We buy more stuff to make us happy and all it does is makes us miserable and broke. How do we get out of the cycle? On today's show we'll talk to Tracy McCubbin, founder of cleaning and organizing company dClutterfly. On today's show we'll Declutter your stuff by getting behind the emotions of clutter and dispelling some long-held myths. Plus, during our headlines segment, we'll cover one shocking piece by InvestmentNews, claiming that retirees are going to miss out on $3.4 trillion by claiming their Social Security too early. Is this a case of needing more cash for basic living expenses, or just ill informed retirees cashing in a few years too early? In our second headline we'll erxamine one trend that's gaining a bit of traction: financial apps that charge users to save money. Is it worth paying money to save more? After a little dose of Doug's trivia, we'll turn our attention to the Haven Life Line. Mike calls in today asking about 529 plans. His parents want to contribute to Mike's son's 592 plan. Can Mike use the interest from the account to invest in another account he owns? And as we finish out our letters bag, we'll tear open some mail from Brian, who has some questions about Roth conversions and the pro-rata rule. Can Brian and his wife avoid the tax hit if the conversion is done in his wife's name? Thanks to Skillshare for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Get TWO months of courses for free at Skillshare.com/SB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Picture this: You and your friends are taking a road trip. You get off the highway and pull up to the third gas station of the day. You cut the ignition, take a look around the car and everyone avoids your gaze. You've paid for gas during the last two stops and no one is jumping up at the grand opportunity to fill the tank the third time around. What's your next move? Answering questions presented by one financial story which shines a light on situations like this and more today is our originals roundtable group: Paula Pant of Afford Anything, Len Penzo of LenPenzo.com, and OG from our very own Stacking Benjamins podcast. Halfway through the show, we'll take a break from our discussion on all things awkward while Joe sits down with Zohar Steinberg from Token. With privacy concerns and stolen credit card information constantly in the news, Zohar came up with a solution: unique credit card numbers for each transaction or service. Something goes wrong with one of your transactions or services? You'll have the peace of mind that the rest of your account is safe. Interested in knowing more? Joe will dive into the product with Zohar and learn all the ins-and-outs of Token. Plus, after we get through with Doug's trivia gameshow, we'll answer a voicemail from Lynn during our Magnify Money segment. Lynn will have about $5-7k left over after she pays off her travel expenses from long-term work trips. What should she do with the money? Should she focus on debt or investing? Our roundtable will give their 2 cents and provide Lynn some solid options on what to do with her money. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Worried about fighting with the people in your life about money? Here's the way to end it. Even if you're just struggling to talk to other people in your life about money...maybe it's not you. People don't talk in one financial language. According to Tarra Jackson, today's guest, there are actually FOUR different languages. We'll sit down with Tarra today to learn just what those four languages are, and how we can best communicate with people speaking in a different tongue. Worried about fighting with the people in your life about money? Here's the way to end it. In our headlines segment, we'll discuss weddings. Should we have a small wedding and invest the rest to ensure that we retire rich? Is it possible to do both (have a big wedding AND be rich)? We'll cover that plus another headline about employers seeking permission to send uncashed pension checks to the unclaimed proper funds. Should employers have fiduciary liability for former employees who refuse to cash their checks? Plus, after we take some time for Doug's trivia, we'll answer a question from Russell. Russell wants to know what's the point of being an accredited investor? Why should someone become an accredited investor? And as we finish up our letters segment, we're tearing open a letter from Jacob, who wants to move out of his parent's basement soon. Jacob and his girlfriend are currently living in the basement rent-free and are getting their finances ready to be on their own. Jacob sent in some info on their situation and want some input from fellow basement-dwellers. Are they going to be ready to move out? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shaan Patel is one of the best examples you'll find of a person who started with some big disadvantages but who never made excuses about his situation. Growing up in a budget motel in Las Vegas, Shaan still found a way to ace the SAT, be valedictorian of his high school class, study medicine, start a company, and land a partnership with Mark Cuban. All of this before he was 30 years old. We can't wait for you to hear his story and use it to motivate yourself to get up, do more, and achieve your dreams. In our headlines segment, we're looking at one bill that will change the way your 401k works. Is it a positive or negative change to your retirement plan? We'll discuss ONE of the many aspects of the bill and come down...well, it depends on what you're looking for from your retirement law. Plus, in our second headline, we'll discuss one piece sent by a listener, which covers the story of one man who's being charged with multiple crimes regarding investing, securities, and exploitation of the elderly. The catch? He doesn't even have a license! After we take some time for Doug's trivia, we'll swing around to the Haven Life Line. Biff and his family don't have any debt, and the college costs for his kids are taken care of. At what point should they stop locking away cash in an IRA? We'll finish up with a letter from Matthew, who has some questions about a fund manager he heard about on the show. They're expenses are a bit higher than he's used to, but they've outperformed the market. Does a well managed fund justify the extra cost? Thanks to Away for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Go to awaytravel.com/sb20 and use the promo code sb20 to get $20 off a suitcase! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What are some of the biggest lies of retirement planning? Today we'll finish off our rewind week with one of our old school roundtable episodes. Back in 2017, we discussed 9 lies we're told about retirement planning. Going through the list with us was Paula Pant, former roundtable regular Greg Mcfarlane, and special guest Rich Jones from the Paychecks and Balances podcast. Plus, long time listeners may remember this old segment: we also had a rousing conversation about a Marketwatch Moneyologist piece. If you had two kids, and one was irresponsible with money, would you disown him? That question spurred some interesting estate planning chatter that may bring up points you may want to address in your own planning. Here is our original show description: 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. Thanks to SoFi and MagnifyMoney.com for sponsoring our show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If anyone knows how to sell a house, it's Mindy Jensen. Not only is she a house flipper extraordinaire, but she also works at BiggerPockets, the home of one of the largest forums (if not the largest) for real estate investors. She knows LOTS of the best advice. We talked to her a year ago, and in the spirit of this home-buying season, we thought we should replay this episode because it was such great advice. Whether its your residence, a rental you've been meaning to get rid of, or you're dipping your feet into flipping homes, there are easy mistakes you can avoid to sell your home FAST and get the most out of a sell. Back in 2018 we talked to Mindy Jenson, a master house-flipper whose successfully sold house after house, and got some insider tips on tricks are coming out of the real estate market a winner. Here is our original show description: In a crowded market, having a leg up by avoiding some easy mistakes might be the difference between selling your home quickly, and for the top dollar price possible, or not selling at all. House-flipper Mindy Jensen has sold COUNTLESS houses, and today stops by the basement with her best tips to help you sell your own homes faster. Whether it's your primary residence, rental property or flip, she'll detail how to prioritize and budget for repairs or improvements, and how to find the right help to sell your home. In our headlines segment, freelance writer Hannah Rounds has published a piece on which tax software makes her "recommended" list and which she says to avoid. She comes down to the basement to discuss winners and losers. Also in headlines, what can we learn about finance from basketball player LeBron James? Apparently, quite a bit, according to one publication. We'll talk about key lessons from LeBron on today's show. We'll of course have more from the world of financial planning, throw out the Haven Life line to lucky listener Marie, who wonders about better diversification for her money. Is ONLY having an S&P 500 fund a good approach? Of course, we'll still score with some of Doug's delightful trivia, and more. Why compromise with investments when you can use an intuitive, easy-to-use, robust platform? M1Finance combines the power of automated investing platforms with the flexibility of do-it-yourself but more expensive brokers. ...and now, it's FREE! Be Invested. Check out M1Finance . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The rules of work have changed over the last several years. You need to stay up to date on what's relevant so you aren't left behind and miss the next career opportunity. We were surprise when we went back and listened to this episode from 2017, when Joe sat down with Kathryn Minshew & Alex Cavoulacos, founders of TheMuse.com, to review what were then the new rules of business. Clearly, many still don't understand these. We find that these rules are just as relevant today as they were a few years ago, so we decided it was time to roll this episode again. Here is our original show description: Struggling at work? We'll review some of the "new rules" of business with the founders of TheMuse.com, Kathryn Minshew and Alex Cavoulacos. We'll talk about new rules in networking, finding the career you love, and working more effectively at the job you love. In our headline segment, Brian Barnes, CEO of M1Finance drops by to talk about tax planning. We know tax day was yesterday but these tips will help you make tax-smart moves while investing for the future. We'll also talk about another company being sued by an employee for rotten 401k options. Target date funds are again in the middle of some more controversy. Gena calls the Haven Life line to ask about the American Opportunity Credit, we share good news about recent guest Adam Dell and the Clarity app, and answer a letter from Ben about emerging markets investing. Is active investing the best way to go in smaller, more volatile markets? Of course, Doug brings down the trivia, and much, much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Less stress, easy overhead, and being debt-free... those are three fantastic reasons to chase financial independence. For a growing number of investors the top reason to save and live frugally has become a chance at early retirement. But, what type of freedom does early retirement bring? Is the freedom gained from early retirement worth it? We'll ask our contributors their thoughts on early retirement, and explore the concept of not retiring FROM something, but TO something on today's show. Assisting us in today's discussion is Rocky Lalvani from the Richer Soul podcast, Len Penzo from LenPenzo.com, and OG, from our very own Stacking Benjamins podcast. Halfway through the show, we'll hit the pause button on our discussion while Joe talks to Kevin Kidd, Roush Fenway competition director. You might be thinking, "WAIT, that's not FinTech! what does that have to do with finances?" As it turns out, there are a few financial lessons to be had from a professional racing team. Plus, after we finish a few laps around the track, we'll answer a voicemail from Rosie during our Magnify Money segment. Rosie's parents are retired, and she's recently learned her parents have been charged some crazy fees from their financial advisor. She wants to move them over to some low-cost index funds, but doesn't want to lose all their money in the process. What should their asset allocation look like? Thanks to Experian for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Boost your FICO score instantly for free. Boost is only available at Experian.com/sb Thanks to MetPro for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Get a complimentary Metabolic Profiling assessment and a 30-minute consultation with a MetPro expert at metpro.co/sb. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're barring the doors, closing the shades, and not answering any house calls because today we're answering YOUR letters. From paying down a mortgage principle or investing, to allocations, backdoor conversions, and even the best strategies on giving kids an allowance... this show has it all, thanks to YOU! Plus, in our headlines segment, what can we learn from the life of a day trader? Longtime listeners can probably imagine the whole team's collective groan when we first broached this topic, but the more we discussed this headline, the more we found LOTS of great ideas that everyday investors can use. We love some of the lessons we can distill when learning what separates a good day trader from a bad one. In our second headline, we'll wonder out loud where is the future of financial advice is headed. We'll look over one report from Hartford Funds on important financial considerations you need to keep in mind and give our two cents while we're at it. Later, after we take a break during Doug's trivia, we'll queue up a voicemail from Pete, who no longer works at a job with 401k access. What are his options for investing with tax benefits? Can he still max our his Roth IRA through a backdoor conversion? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What does a volcano have to do with your retirement? We won't use any crazy analogies here, like "things might erupt," or "danger could be bubbling below the surface," mostly because we wouldn't do something like that. But we don't need metaphors mostly because today we're talking to Dr. Rosaly Lopes, senior researcher, vulcanologist, and a TIAA client who speaks to us for a few minutes about her career, volcanoes, and how she's actively sought out annuities to fund her retirement. Why would she use them? What is a vulcanologist? What career advice does she have for people just starting down the path toward meaningful work? We'll ask all of those questions and more on today's show. And in our headlines segment, have you ever made bad financial decisions after a few drinks? (and we're definitely not referring to the kind the comes with free refills....). Maybe you ordered too much food, or indulged in some of Amazon's two-day shipping for "just a few" items you've had your eyes on? While breaking your diet for a night or ordering a new board game aren't exactly the biggest mistakes to make in the world, but how about drinking while you're on the job? While that may seem like duh moment for most of us, one exchange has recently made it official, telling workers to stop drinking on the job. Which business? Of course, it's a financial business...which is why we're talking about it today. Plus, in our second headline, scammers have ramped up schemes against people with medical bills. We'll cover 7 red flags to watch out for, and in a triple threat headlines segment today, we'll discuss one piece that proves how difficult it is to predict interest rates. It turns out even the brightest among us who study the market full time can't get it right. Later, after we take some time for Doug's specially themed volcanic trivia, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Mike, who's been thinking about exchange-traded funds. Should Mike have any concerns about using ETFs in his Roth IRA instead of mutual funds? After we're through discussing ETFs, we'll tear open a letter from Brian, who wants some fact-checking on his backdoor Roth conversion plans. Thanks to Experian for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Boost your FICO score instantly for free. Boost is only available at Experian.com/sb Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How do avoid becoming a zombie? No, not the Walking Dead zombie, but the type who works their whole life, just pounding away, realizing too late that it was all for nothing? On today's episode, Deb Meyer helps the team talk about redefining retirement. What does it really mean? How do we ensure we're chasing the right dreams? We'll discuss some big, heady thoughts in today's main segment. Halfway through the show we'll take a break from our discussion to talk to the Evil HR Lady, Suzanne Lucas. Uber drivers have just been declared independent contractors, and not employees. What does that mean if you're working in the gig economy? What does that mean if you hire employees? We'll talk about all angles of this issue, and how it involves both side hustles and maybe also your primary job, on today's show. Of course, as always, we'll take a Magnify Money hotline call, test our knowledge with Doug's hotdog eating trivia, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cameron Huddleston joins us to tell the story of her aging mother, and the time she nearly missed the chance to have an incredibly important conversation: how her financial assets were managed and what arrangements she'd made for the future. She'll share that story and strategies on talking with parents about money (especially what NOT to say), on today's show. Plus, in our headlines segment, more retirement plan lawsuits hit the court system. The Supreme Court is looking at an interesting case, which largely revolves around when the participant was told about allegedly sub-par investment options in his employer plan. If you get a prospectus, does that mean you're on the hook from that day for everything that's inside? Dave and his wife are debt free, and their children's college and retirement accounts are fully funded. Dave calls the Haven Life Line because they've been thinking about opening a taxable brokerage account to have funds outside of their retirement. Are there any tax implications they should know about? Is there anything else they should be considering? Thanks to LinkedIn for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Go to LinkedIn.com/sb and get a $50 credit toward your first job post. Thanks to Experian for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Boost your FICO score instantly for free. Boost is only available at Experian.com/sb Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You pay your bills on time. You're not in debt, and you have a great credit history. Yet, no matter what you do, you still find yourself stopping just below the mythical 800+ credit score threshold. What are you supposed to do? How do you push your credit score past the last hurdle? We'll discuss solutions for boosting a great credit score into a fantastic score, plus answer YOUR questions about credit card reward programs, where to keep your cash when you're waiting to buy a house, 401k questions and more on today's letter segment. And in our headlines segment, are you seeking out new financial knowledge on your own, or are you waiting for new information to find you instead? We'll talk with Emily Shallal, senior director of product innovation at Ally Bank, about Ally's recent study on financial literacy. Plus, in our second headline, brokers have until the end of June 2020 to implement new regulations. The new rules could put a bigger strain on smaller brokers, who lack the same amount of resources as larger companies. After some of Doug's musical trivia, we'll take a break from our letters to answer a Haven Life Line call from Gregg, who's opened a new brokerage account with Fidelity. The company has offered him a checking account., but when Greg initiatives an ACH on Day 1 it takes another 4 days before he gets access to the cash. How can they do this? Thanks to LinkedIn for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Go to LinkedIn.com/sb and get a $50 credit toward your first job post. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We LOVE talking about investing, savings, and of course, stacking Benjamins, but what about when you actually make it to retirement? Do you have a plan for your first day after your last day of work? How about that next month? That next year? We've mentioned it before: retirement isn't the destination, it's a journey, and a milestone on the bigger journey of life. Discussing the "Now, what?" of making it to retirement are our contributors, Derek Merkler from Parsonex Financial Services, Paula Pant from Afford Anything, and OG from our very own Stacking Benjamins. Halfway through the show we'll take a break from our discussion while Joe talks to Safwan Shah, CEO of PayActiv. Minimum wage employees are often hit the hardest with cashflow issues while they're between paychecks. Safwan and his company have set out to provide a solution: real time access to earned income. Safwan will share on just how PayActiv is accomplishing their goals during our Fintech segment. And during our Magnify Money call we'll answer a voicemail from Loretta. Loretta's parents are retired. They have a paid off house and a healthy amount of savings. However, her mom has gotten sick and money has become a bit tighter. Loretta has since realized that 90% of their stock is in one blue chip company. Her parents are hesitant to change. How can Loretta talk to her parents about their finances? Is She worried over nothing? Looking for something deeper than what we give you on the show? Three days a week not enough? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: The Stacker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You've always known it: most of what people tell you about great work is a lie. Ideas such as company culture, work-life balance, and other truisms are all challenged today by bestselling business thinker, researcher and author Ashley Goodall. Today he joins us to flesh out what we really should be focusing on at work and how, whatever your role, you personally can make your work and your company better. If you spend a ton of time at work, why wouldn't you want it to be something that not only pays the bills, but something that's also fulfilling? In our headlines segment, a new report from the Federal Reserve shows how Americans are faring with their retirement savings. Finances seem to be okay, but what's the deal behind our thoughts on retirement savings? We'll share details. Plus, in our second headline, one survey is reporting that 60 percent of Americans don't have a will. While most of us don't have celebrity sized estates (such as the one we discussed Monday in our discussion on Tom Petty's estate problems), not leaving a will behind could mean trouble for your family. After we take a short break for Doug's Superman-themed trivia, we'll tackle a question from Erik who's thinking about opening a SEP account. Can he keep investing into his Roth IRA and have something like a SEP? Are there better options Erik should be looking into? And in out letters segment, we'll open a letter from Sue, who wants our thoughts on having an index annuity with an annual reset. She already has a bit of savings and has a paid off home. Is it annuity a good idea? Thanks to Experian for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Boost your FICO score instantly for free. Boost is only available at Experian.com/sb. Thanks to Clear for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Get your first two months of Clear for free by going to clearme.com/sb2019 and using promo code sb2019. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices