The Stacking Benjamins Show

To end our rewind week we present one of our favorite roundtable topics. How do you start saving, when you feel like you can't? I think most people are in this boat, based on statistics about how much money the average person squirrels away. So, here with good facts and humor, were Len Penzo, Hilary Hendershott, and Hannah Rounds. Plus, our friend Shannon McLay was just opening her wildly successful Financial Gym in New York (now she's expanding it all over the USA). We talk to her in this episode about her launch. Here are the show notes from the original episode: What was the best advice someone could have given you when you first started investing? If you're a new investor OR a seasoned pro, you're in luck because our roundtable team are all sharing their best tips today to help get the ball rolling. We're joined by two great guests today (along with the amazing Len Penzo)...host of Profit Boss Radio, CFP Hilary Hendershott AND one of our favorite writers, Hannah Rounds from Unplanned Finances. Not only will we talk about getting started early with your financial plan, but then we'll also tackle problems with brokers and sales incentives. How do you know you won't get burned? Finally, we'll answer a question originally asked of The Moneyologist at MarketWatch.com...what would you do if you found out your mother had taken out lots of credit using your name illegally? Would you turn her in? You'll be surprised by all of our answers. THEN in the FinTech segment, we're actually going to go anti-FinTech this week and talk to our friend Shannon McLay about her new concept coming to a city near you, the Financial Gym. What happens when you give your money a workout? How does it work? Maybe, even though we talk about great ways to use your phone for planning purposes, maybe face-to-face coaching has a place in your planning, too. Thanks to Magnify Money for sponsoring our podcast! Support the companies that support us and help yourself along the way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I'm personally excited for you to hear this episode. When this first aired I personally was going through some really dark stuff...and as always happens, I found a book that spoke to me and helped me through it. I needed to change. I needed a wake up call. Maybe you do, too. I was lucky that I found Cortney's book and wondered, "Would she come on the show and talk about this?" I'm grateful that she did. Of course, the rest of the episode is a lot of fun, as always. - Joe. Our original show notes: Where do you start when planning your money? Cortney McDermott, the author of one of this year's hottest self-help and business books, joins us in the basement to talk about starting out. If you don't know what you want, how do you know where to go? Yet, most of us don't ask ourselves the right questions to even begin the journey. Plus, we'll also share headlines from the world of financial planning, throw out the Haven Life line to a lucky listener, score with some of Doug's delightful trivia, and more. Huge thanks to Roofstock (check them out for real estate) and MagnifyMoney.com (when you're comparing financial tools like credit cards and savings accounts) for helping us with today's show. They're awesome companies and if you're not using them, I'm not sure you know what you're missing! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The "system" isn't fair. Names from Ray Dalio to Bill Gates talk about income inequality. Poverty is often swept under the rug by people who want to easily dismiss it as "not pulling yourself up," yet most know it isn't that easy. One man who knows very well how difficult inequality can be is John Hope Bryant. He came down to the basement to talk about "getting the memo" in 2017, and we've been talking about it ever since. To kick off rewind week (if you're new to the show, we play favorites for a week after eight weeks of new podcasts), we're excited to re-share this episode. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why aren't you rolling in the dough? Maybe it's because you aren't focusing on the right parts of your budget. Studies have consistently shown that ONE area of savings beats all others. What is it? Tori Dunlap from HerFirst100k joins Len Penzo and OG to talk about why you aren't saving more money. While you'll learn the top reason why you aren't saving more, you might also have fun doing it.... Halfway through the show we'll take a break from our discussion while Joe talks with Jarrod from the new Easy Profit game. If you've spent any amount of time listening to the show you know that we love the idea of the science of play. So when we heard about a new game that'll teach you how to understand financial statements we just had to talk to the guy behind it all. Then, when Joe's done talking to Jarrod, we'll take some time for Doug's trivia. After a little Disney inspired gameshow fun we'll answer a voicemail from Demetrious, who's been hard at work paying down his loans. While Demetrious wants to keep bringing an extra cash all the overtime at his manufacturing job has been wearing down on his body. Are there some side hustles that he could turn to? 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. Thanks to Experian for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Boost your FICO score instantly for free. Boost is only available at Experian.com/sb.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Andrew Hawkins was an NFL football player with the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns. He also won two Grey Cups in the Canadian Football League, worked in the Detroit Lions front office, starred in a reality television show with Michael Irvin, and starred on Sportscenter on Snapchat...what's he doing now? He's coming down to the basement to talk about how to transition. In his new podcast series, Branching Out (par of the Kneeding Dough series of podcasts if you're searching iTunes), Andrew interviews professional athletes about how they made the transition from pro sports and also what savvy money moves they've made along the way. We'll talk about changing jobs, starting out, building your team, believing in yourself when nobody else does, and more. It's an inspiring interview with Hawk. Plus, in our headlines segment, investors are flocking to buy ZOOM stock... but there's a problem. That's not the company they really want. They're really after ZM stock (from the popular video conferencing company Zoom). Due diligence anyone? And in our second headline, we'll cover one woman's emotional story about creating a "what-if" plan to prepare for the loss of a significant other. Later on, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Drew, who is on a student loan repayment plan. He'll qualify for student loan forgiveness in 20 years, but he doesn't want to put all his faith in his loans being forgiven. Should he forgo investing and instead plug away at his student loans? As always, we'll still save some time for Doug's trivia...which today is exceptionally epic. Thanks to Experian for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Boost your FICO score instantly for free. Boost is only available at Experian.com/sb.com. 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

Doug Lynam grew up in a wealthy family but rejected looking wealthy at an early age and began hanging out with counter-culture kids while trying hard to find himself. From that lifestyle to the Marines and finally to becoming a monk, we'll talk about Doug's quest to find himself and ultimately to come to grips with the role of money and what it meant for him (and also for many of us). We'll talk through stories about his quest, how he began helping his fellow monks with their money, and ultimately how he became a money manager. He'll also share strategies to help you begin building your financial knowledge, to start questioning your own view of money, and to ultimately become a better steward of money. It's a wide-ranging, fun discussion, and we hope you're able to join us for it! In our headlines we'll talk to Paul Yakoboski, Senior Economist at TIAA Institute, about the results of the company's 2019 Personal Finance Index. He'll share how education and juggling your financial life are closely related. We'll talk about trends with the P-Fin index, the roll of education in your game plan, and more. He'll discuss how to gain knowledge about money and how to become better handling financial concerns. Plus, another company is planning an iPO. No, not an IPO (initial public offering), but a more made-up term called an iPO. We'll explain today. Later in the show, we'll throw out the Haven Lifeline to Alan, who has an awesome question for us about pensions. He has two choices: one where he can take the full amount himself or another where he gives up $400 per month but his spouse is also covered for her life. Which does he take? Then, in our letters segment, Dillion writes in asking about the best way to transition into the field of personal finance. He's currently an accountant, but Dillion's realized his passion is in helping people learn about and gain control of their finances. What's the approach to moving into the personal finance field? Of course, we'll also make some room for Doug's trivia, so don't you worry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What happens when a bride and her mom spend $70,000 on a wedding and everything goes wrong? Here's a bigger question: What happens when you spend more to get a bigger, better experience and it completely goes awry? Is it better to "super size" your spending to find more joy? We're all about the correlation between happiness and spending on today's episode. We're shaking things up with today's roundtable guest because joining us in today's discussion is Bobbi Rebell, host of the Financial Grownup podcast AND co-host of our very own Money in the Morning show. Plus, we'll call up Paula Pant of Afford Anything, and Len Penzo from LenPenzo.com. After a crazy Game of Thrones meets Len Penzo inspired trivia from Doug, we'll answer a voicemail during the Magnify Money call. Reed asks about an article he's read on retirement. According to the piece, there's a lot of "front-loaded" spending in retirement, which could drain cash savings a lot quicker than expected. We'll give our take on retirement, spending, and planning in our response to the piece. 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

Today we're all about your letters. We'll start with a question about moving funds around to avoid some taxes, jump into helping a 25-year-old decide whether to max out his retirement accounts, answer a question about robo advisors, and then launch into helping kids with money, how to save for a house, and more. In our headlines segment we'll talk to Joe Jiminez from The Alternate Life podcast. Maybe you've had the urge to quit your day job and go on a journey, but few of us have actually followed through. Joe Jiminez dumped the job and spent his summer walking the Continental Divide Trail. We might not be able to take the summer off ourselves, but we'll at least ask Joe what it's like. Then later on, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Reggie, who's heard on the show that OG isn't particularly fond of Betterment or Wealthfront. Reggie has a bulk of his money in Wealthfront and Betterment, so he's wondering...what's the issue? As always, we'll still save some time for Doug's trivia...which today is exceptionally epic. Thanks to Proper Cloth for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Get $20 off your first custom shirt at Propercloth.com/sb. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Connie Albers joins us today to talk about communication. Specifically, we'll talk about communicating with teenagers, but if you've ever struggled to communicate with anyone, Connie will share great tips on how to build bridges. We'll talk about how to ask the tough questions and have difficult conversations. We'll discuss ways to better understand what's going on in the other person's life. Most of all, we'll discuss ways to be a good leader for your children or for the people around you. If you're still struggling to finish your taxes, Katherine Pomerantz of The Bookkeeping Artist swoops in to save the day. Katherine will share some great tips for ways to possibly save some money on your taxes and also provide some guidance for people not prepared to finish today. How do you file an extension? What if you can't pay the tax due? And in our second headline, the amount of money Americans are paying on credit card interest is only going up this year... by A LOT. And later on in the show we'll throw out the Haven Life line to some new parents. Sebastian and his wife had their baby last year, and they're trying to secure his college future. They have a few different plans in mind, but would like some help on choosing the best one. Then, in our letters segment, Tom has recently started using savings apps. This all sounds well and good, but he also has $13,000 in debt. Should Tom forgo the savings until he has in debt under control? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why is a couple making $500,000 a year feel like they're just getting by? Shouldn't they feel better off than most people? On today's roundtable we'll examine the budget of the couple who feel just "average" and discuss why lifestyle inflation can eat up more of our income than we expect. Joining us on today's show we welcome special guest Michael Anderson (from Maranantha.com), Paula Pant (from AffordAnything.com), and from our very own podcast, OG. Halfway through the show we'll take a break for our weekly Friday Fintech segment, this week featuring something really cool that can help your retirement plan. Joe sits down with Jason Parker from Sound Retirement Planning, who shares the work he's done to create a calculator that will more likely help you set up realistic scenarios that you can use for your planning. And during our Magnify Money Call, we'll answer a voicemail from Annie. Annie's on the track to be debt-free. She's already been investing into her retirement accounts, and she has a four month emergency fund saved up right now. Annie will complete her last goal after she pays off her car loan and ups her emergency fund to six months. What should be her next milestone? As always, of course, we'll still save some time for Doug's trivia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How do you keep going when every day seems like a repeat of the last? What do you do to stay focused when either you're always asked to jump higher or may even just perform the same tasks again and again? Why do we turn every great hobby into a marketing opportunity and kill it by calling it a new a "side hustle" idea? What's the value of gifting something? What tools do you use to build your dreams? Our guest today, Austin Kleon, helps us address all of these fundamental questions and more. As a New York Times Bestselling author and creator, Kleon brings the creative mind of an artist to the pragmatic business world and shares some truths that can help all of us attain more of the life we're fighting for. Great news! There's some exciting new legislation working its way through Congress that could offer better retirement options in the future. As always, we've invited an expert to help us make sense of it all. Chris Spence is senior director of federal government relations for TIAA, and has a front row seat to all of the changes. He'll share highlights, concerns, and the big wins for many of us on today's show. Also during our headlines segment, we'll discuss one recent news article suggesting that those staying out of the equity rally are really starting to feel its effects. In fact, people staying on the sidelines in cash just might make this year's rally last longer. Later on, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Harvey. Harvey and his wife are closing on their dream home soon (congratulations!) and are wondering what they should do with their condo. They know they can more than cover its expenses if they rent it out, but selling the property will save them a ton of cash on their new loan, along with PMI payments. What should the couple do? Plus, when we get to our letters segment, we'll tear open some mail from Kevin, who's wondering if you can "exchange" ETFs like you can mutual funds. As always, we'll still save some time for Doug's trivia...which today is exceptionally epic. Compare checking, savings, credit cards, and loans before switching. Magnify Money makes it super easy to compare, switch and save. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ever wonder about firing your advisor? One woman wrote to Joe about firing her advisor, and we realized that's a question that many people have. How does the process work? Do you tell them? How do you move your money somewhere else? In their haste to get rid of an advisor, some people make big mistakes that end up costing them lots of money. Today we're letting you be a fly on the wall. In place of our regularly featured interview, we'll let you listen in on the recorded conversation Joe had with an anonymous listener who's gotten fed up with her financial advisor. They'll discuss whether to sell assets, what records to keep, how to talk to the advisor, and what to look for in new/better help and brokerages. Plus, in our headlines segment (couldn't get rid of that, could we?), the nation's biggest bond investor has dismissed the possibility of a stock market downturn in the near future. BUT, many in the financial media think the signs all point to stock market doom and the downturn is at our doorstep. So, who should we believe? Should our financial plan change regardless of what happens? And later in the show, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Danielle. Her son, who has special needs, is getting his job. They are working toward him living independently and want to open an account for him at a brick-and-mortar bank where he'll have assistance if needed and easy access to his cash. Thoughts? Then, in our letters segment, we'll cover a (totally) hypothetical question from Matt. Would it make much sense to have his kid forgo the traditional college experience and instead put all the savings into an investment account? It's all about time in the market, right? Don't you worry, we'll cover it all and more (including Doug's trivia), on today's content-packed episode of Stacking Benjamins. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Do you think you could pass a quiz covering basic questions about retirement? While you MIGHT be confident that you know the basics, a recent TD Ameritrade survey suggests that most Americans would actually fail a simple retirement quiz. To help us make sense of whether the terms listed on this quiz are actually meaningful we're helped on Joe's Dad's shortwave by Paula Pant (Afford Anything), Andy Hill (Marriage Kids and Money), and special guest Daniel Angelone (Innovative Planning Partners.) Halfway through the show we'll take small break from the roundtable for our weekly Friday Fintech segment. Joe will talk to Brittany Joiner, creator of the social finance app, Penge. Different than many of our interviews, the Penge app isn't yet "a thing." How does a developer create the idea for a new app and bring it to life? Brittany is living that right now. We'll also tackle how she realized that being inclusive with your social circle about personal finance can change our attitudes towards money. We'll cover that and more during today's Fintech segment. And during our Magnify Money Call, we'll answer a voicemail from Calvin, who's still getting adjusted to the world of personal finance. From what he's learned so far ETFs and mutual funds are the best way to invest. Is there anything else he should be doing with his money to diversify? As always, of course, we'll still save some time for Doug's trivia. 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

Ever wonder what it'd be like to square off against the sharks? Tanya VanCourt from Goalsetter.co just did that and we'll share the exciting story from start to finish on today's show. Whether you're a fan of Shark Tank, Goalsetter, FinTech, or just entrepreneurship in general, you're going to love our blow-by-blow telling of Tanya's Shark Tank adventure. She shares LOTS of strategic lessons for anyone hoping to be a business owner, networker, or strategist. Plus, in our headlines segment, we'll talk to Peter Polson (CEO of Tiller) about Apple's new credit card offering, which was announced just last week. While it's been getting a lot of hype from the media, is the card worth it? We'll break down the features of the new card, perceived benefits from it, and how this offering stacks up against others. Also, we'll dive into one piece from Barrons that could throw a big wrench in a few retirement plans. Are you counting on your primary residence to finance your retirement? We'll discuss why that may not be the best strategy for your golden years. The Barron's piece calls it a trap, but do we agree? Later on, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Les, who owes extra tax this year due to his 1099 income. Les also receives a W2 from his employer. Could he request extra withholding from his employer to cover his self employment taxes? We'll round out the show with a letter from Nathan, who's hopping jobs. Both of his employers have a 457 plan, but his new job won't have a company match. What should he do with his 457? Roll it over? Leave it alone? Roll it to a different plan? As always, we'll still save some time for Doug's trivia...which today is exceptionally epic. Thanks to MetPro for supporting Stacking Benjamins! Get your 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 aren't foolin' around on April Fools Day, because bestselling author, TED speaker, and top researcher of successful people Laura Vanderkam joins us. Laura and Joe tackle time management and priorities. When you have more tasks to do than time to do them in, how do you decide what to do first? What do you ignore? She'll share some simple to implement ideas that will help you conquer your inbox and more importantly, help you increase your attention to what matters. If you need more money, more time, or more life, this is the episode for you. In our headlines segment we'll also talk to Mike Foy from JD Power and Associates about their annual survey on full service advisory firms. This year it appears clients may be ready to ditch their advisor unless they're able to add to the bottom line (especially in a couple crucial areas). What is your advisor doing/not doing? We'll address that on today's show. Also in our headlines segment, Securities America has been hit by an $18 million lawsuit. With the company's now fired broker facing up to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to running a Ponzi scheme, what lessons should we be taking from a family who's taken an $18 million hit loss since 2001? Of course, that's not all. We'll also throw out the Haven Life line to to Royale. With her financial plans on track and savings going well, is there anything Royale and her family are missing from their plan? Of course, we'll still take time to answer a listener letter. Today we'll field one from Michael, who wants to know if there's a good strategy for investments when the market starts to cool off. , and talk about a certain project Mom's Neighbor Doug may or may not be working on. All of that and more in another action-packed episode of the Stacking Benjamins Show! Thanks to Away for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Go to awaytravel.com/sb20 and use the promo code sb20 to get $20 off a suitcase! 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

On today's show, we'll cover all the (once) great financial strategies that have floated around the financial community. What outdated rules-of-thumb are you holding? We'll talk about which financial rules you should probably chuck out the window, and which ones still hold some water in today's world. Joining us on today's roundtable is Sophia Bera (Gen Y Planning), Paula Pant (Afford Anything), and from our very own podcast, OG. Halfway through the show we'll take small break for our Friday Fintech segment, which today we're renaming "Friday HealthTech." Joe and OG sit down with Angelo Poli, the founder of personal lifestyle and weight loss company, MetPro. How do you get yourself in shape? Buy health and sell bad habits. And during our Magnify Money Call, our contributors will take a walk down memory lane to answer Rob's question. Rob's a high school teacher with the opportunity to pass on good financial knowledge to his senior class. He'd like some advice on what knowledge we would've wanted before we started our life journey. As always, of course, we'll still save some time for Doug's trivia. 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

Tony Bradshaw believes that we all can become millionaires. Growing up in a low income household, Tony learned the hard way how difficult it was to make and keep a dollar. But, using some of the strategies he talks about on today's show, he set a goal, made a plan, and then worked his plan to become a millionaire before he was forty years old. We'll talk about how you can make similar choices on today's podcast. Plus, in our headlines segment, we're NOT talking about Millennials, but instead, the newest study focused on... Gen Z. If we had to put a label or two on this generation's approach to the workplace it would read something like this: fast promotions and BIG raises. We'll dig behind the numbers and find some takeaways that are more than meets the eye, with the CEO of the company that studied the commission, Bill Bennett, from Inside Out Development. Later on we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to David, who has some "big" investor questions. What's the deal with being an accredited investor? The group has to be pulling in a nice income every year, or has a big net worth already behind them. Is there really a higher class of investor who have better investing options than everyone else? After we spend some time sorting out the answer for David we'll field a letter from Kyle, who wants needs some guidance on what to do with a bonus from work. Should Kyle lump sump into his 401k (which will max out his contributions for the year), or dollar cost average the cash into his account? As always, we'll still save some time for Doug's trivia. Thanks to LinkedIn for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Go to LinkedIn.com/sb and get a $50 credit toward your first job post. 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

What's your money story? What the heck IS a money story? Jean Chatzky from Her Money (and the Today Show money editor) joins us to talk about her money story, why it's important, and how to use it to avoid making mistakes in the future and capitalize on your strengths. We'll also talk about maximizing social security, why many women don't consider themselves to be "investors," and judgement-free financial discussions. Plus, in our headlines segment, we'll cover one new story that suggests there's a "alphabeticity bias" in 401k investing. What is alphabeticity bias? We'll not only define it, but probably make you groan when you hear how it's hurting people's performance in their retirement plans. Later on we'll field some of your questions. First we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Tim, who has a pension fund at work and an estimated monthly benefit. How does he calculate his net worth statement. Next, we'll open up a letter from Tyler, who has recently read that he shouldn't own small cap funds in a taxable brokerage account because of capital gains. Does he have a right to be concerned? As always, we'll still save some time for Doug's (completely epic) trivia. 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

In true Stacking Benjamins fashion today we're all about the Tooth Fairy. A new Delta Dental study shows that the Tooth Fairy is leaving less money for children's teeth. Does this mean the economy is weakening? Does it mean that the value of teeth are lower? Helping us out today we welcome special guest Susan Beacham from MoneySavvy.com. Also on today's motley crew, is Paula Pant from AffordAnything.com, and rounding out our gang is Len Penzo from the LenPenzo.com blog. Halfway through the show, we'll take a break from our discussion with Susan and the rest of the gang to cover a long running IRA problem. Have you been looking for a place to make investing in alternative investments easier inside of your IRA? During our Fintech segment Joe will talk to Eric Satz, CEO of IRA company Alto, about what his company is doing to help streamline the process. Then we'll answer a Magnify Money call for help from Lauren, who wants to save money for her kid's college fund, but is weary about the restrictions that come with using a traditional 529 plan. What other college savings vehicles are available for her? As always, of course, we'll still save some time for Doug's trivia. Thanks to Airbnb for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Go to Airbnb.com/SB to start hosting. You’ll receive a $100 Amazon Gift Card if you generate $500 in booking value by May 30. Terms and conditions apply. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're answering your letters today, but first, we'll tackle a headline about the case against rolling over your 401(k) plan to an IRA. Most of us have heard why you should roll it over. Let's now hear the flip side. With points such as the lack of a stable value fund, the fact that many IRA advisors are just salespeople, and 401(k) plans in general beat IRA performance, the author makes many points which, on the surface, sound like an open-and-shut case. But is that really ALL of the argument? We'll discuss it today! Plus, also in our headlines segment, one special interest group who loves fiduciary rules is arguing against one state that's trying to put them into place. Do they have a good argument? What does that mean for advisors helping you with your planning in general? We'll also tackle that big topic. But then, we'll spend most of the show on your letters, which today include a TON of Roth IRA questions, among others. How should you set up your Roth? What about the 5 year rule? How should you invest your money inside of your Roth? We'll answer those, plus throw out the Haven Life Line, fire up Doug's trivia question, and more. Today's episode is a great way to celebrate the first day of spring! Thanks to the Murder Book Podcast for supporting StackingBenjamins. Check out Michael Connelly's new Murder Book podcast wherever you get your podcasts, or at MurderBookPodcast.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Finding the right person to help you make your best financial moves is a giant exercise in trust. How do you know an advisor is perfect for you? On that note, how do you know the advisor is right for anyone? What questions can you ask to avoid the wrong relationship? There are a thousand questions you could ask... but the bottom line is this: How do you hire the right person to help you manage your financial decisions? Coming onto the show today is the man with many answers, the author of How to Find the Perfect Advisor, Nicholas Stuller. By the end of the conversation, you'll know what you should watch out for and have the confidence to make the right decision when it comes to hiring a great advisor. Plus, in our headlines segment, we'll take a look at marijuana stocks. These types of stocks continue to see a huge inflow of cash, but could investing in a marijuana stock create some big unintended consequences? We'll cover one piece that details the repercussions you could face by throwing even a few dollars of fun money into the wrong investment. Later on we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to JB, who's looking for the pros and cons of choosing one method of retirement investing over another. What should investors be looking at when deciding on how to invest their retirement funds? We'll also answer a letter from Mark, who's looking for advice on if he should convert his traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. As always, we'll still save some time for Doug's (completely epic) trivia. Thanks to Airbnb for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Go to Airbnb.com/SB and start hosting. You’ll receive a $100 Amazon Gift Card if you generate $500 in booking value by May 30. Terms and conditions apply. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What do rich people do with all their Benjamins? Yachts? Helicopters? Trips to the Alps? Helping us through one MarketWatch piece that seems to have the answer to our burning questions about wealth, is the founder of Reisup, Tara Falcone. Plus, we welcome Len Penzo from LenPenzo.com and OG from our very own SB podcast. Halfway through the show, we'll take a break from our discussion to talk about the future of FinTech. On our special Friday segment to talk about where your next savings opportunity might come from, we welcoming the co-founder of start-up incubator Financial Ventures Studio, Ryan Falvey. Then we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Tim, who has a question about where he and his wife should sock away their retirement funds. Right now most of their money is in traditional accounts, but would it make more sense to have it a Roth account instead? As always, of course, we'll still save some time for Doug's (completely epic) trivia. Thanks to Grammarly for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Get 20% off a Grammarly premium account, go to Grammarly.com/SB. 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

Does it feel like it'll be an eternity until you've finally finished off your student loans? Maybe you're one of the nearly two-thirds of Americans who wonder how they'll ever pay off their loans. Student loans can be a burden for years after you've walked across the stage for a diploma, and it's one expense no one would miss from their monthly budget. And while money and enough time will eventually take care of your student loans, we expect you don't want to wait to be anchored down for a good portion of your working life. So to help you pay down your loans more quickly, today, we welcome special guest David Carlson. David has been in the all-too-known position of having to pay down lots of student loan debt... but he figured out a solution to pay it off. Now he's teaching his process to us. Plus, in our headlines segment, one FinTech company that you've probably heard of is rolling out fee-free exchange-traded funds. Surely it's time to jump ship and invest in them, right? In our second piece, we're looking at one MarketWatch publication about how a manager earns his profits: from other investors' mistakes. Later on we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Matt, who is relocating from Texas to Louisiana. Texas does not have a tax on income, while Louisiana does. Can Matt hold off on his retirement contributions so that he can reduce his earned income in Louisiana? And in our letter's segment, Duncan wants to know if he should take out a small loan to max out his Roth IRA for the year. He's only 30, so he has plenty of time left to minimize risk. As always, we'll still save some time for Doug's (completely epic) trivia. Thanks to Molekule for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Get $75 off your first order at Molekule.com with our promo code: SB. Thanks to Skillshare for supporting Stacking Benjamins. For 2 months of Skillshare FREE, visiting Skillshare.com/SB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are you aggressively striving for your financial goals? Putting in the time to make your dreams come true? Are you sure you're NOT going to let anything stand in your way when it comes to securing a nice retirement and a fantastic nest egg? Here's a question: when are you working TOO hard toward your goal? How do you know when you've gotten TOO caught up in the rat race? On today's show, we sit with entrepreneur David Hauser, who's built and sold two successful businesses, but who also has been overworked, unhappy, and unhealthy. Early on, David was used to a 100+ hour week, a lifestyle of unhealthy eating, and not a lot of physical activity. After a 10 year journey of self improvement, David has found a work-life balance that not only satisfies his financial needs but his personal ones as well. As you'll hear in the interview, being all about the Benjamins doesn't necessarily mean you need to sacrifice the other important parts of your life. Plus, in our headlines segment, how much do you spend on subscriptions? Today Joe talks to Andy Kerns from Digital Third Coast. Partnering with Waterstone to conduct the study, Andy's team looked into the relationship that America has with subscription services. Is it destroying your bottom line? We'll also dive into a piece on how the new crop of financial planners are trained... should more financial firms be looking at a residency program? Later on we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Roxanna, who's only partially vested in a 401k at her old workplace. Could she have problems getting her cash down the road? On the letter's side of things, Tearar wants to get some ETFs in her workplace's SIMPLE IRA, but is getting pushback. What's the deal? As always, we'll still save some time for Doug's (completely epic) trivia. Thanks to Molekule for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Get $75 off your first order at Molekule.com with our promo code: SB. Thanks to Grammarly for supporting Stacking Benjamins. For 20% off a Grammarly premium account, go to Grammarly.com/sb. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

401k? Roth? Dollar cost averaging? Market timing? Target-date funds? Choosing to take responsibility for your financial well-being is often a difficult choice, and it's not made any easier by the long list of jargon that comes attached to being money savvy. That's why on today's show we're breaking down all the words and definitions that'll have you scratching your head as you try to get your budget and retirement plan on the right track. Joining our awesome panel of contributors today (alongside our very own OG, and Paula Pant from Afford Anything) is Nate Abercrombie, from the Investing with the Buyside podcast. Halfway through the show, we'll take a small break from our discussion for our Friday Fintech segment. On today's segment, Joe sits down for a call with Parker Graham from the Destiny App. Do you want to pay off your debt faster (of course you do!), but also get the small wins from the debt snowball method? We'll explore how the Destiny App is setting out to give you the best of both worlds on today's Fintech. Plus, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Kristen. Kristen and her husband are high-income earners but are putting two kids through college. They're also carrying a mortgage and a car loan... with no retirement savings. Where should Kristen and her spouse put their focus as they realign their priorities? As always, we'll still save some time for Doug's (completely epic) trivia. Go to Airbnb.com/SB and start hosting. You’ll receive a $100 Amazon Gift Card if you generate $500 in booking value by May 30. Terms and conditions apply. Thanks to the Murder Book Podcast for Supporting Stacking Benjamins. Go to MurderBookPodcast.com to listen in. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices