The Stacking Benjamins Show

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

Should you take on debt to buy real estate? Does the stock market really return as much as we're told it after a life of saving and investing? And on the topic of stocks... how should a portfolio be split up between small, large and foreign stocks? That's just a sneak peak of the broad range of question and answers we're discussing on today's jam-packed letters episode. During our headlines segment, OG is sharing his thoughts on Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway letter to investors. Plus, we're calling 1(800)Accountant CEO Mike Savage. What's the deal with this year's tax refunds... or lack thereof? After some unusually fantastic trivia by Doug, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Luke, who is getting his master's degree this fall. With his tuition covered, plus a stipend of $1400 a month, should he try to max out his Roth IRA before school starts, or should he save the amount of $6000? As always, we'll still save some time for Doug's (completely epic) trivia. 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. 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

Whether you've never purchased a home before or just don't know much about the process, we've got a treat for you today. We're going to dive into everything mortgages 101 today, like PMI, the negotiability of fees, and the lie that everyone quoting rates is telling (those rates "might not be what you think they'd be.") On today's show we welcome the guy who's teaching us everything millennials need to know about mortgages, Jeff VanNote. During our headlines segment, we'll start with one piece detailing how Americans would spend a life-changing sum of money. Do you know how you would spend yours? In our second headline, we talk to head of retirement research from Carson Wealth, professor Jamie Hopkins. Could you be on the hook for your parents' long term care? Plus, in a special third headline, one Florida man received a $980,000 tax refund. Before you start asking how you can cash in as he did, you'll want to find out the rest of that story. Later on, we'll field a Haven Life Line call from Michael, who has $5,000 in savings. He's put in about $500 into Acorns so far to start investing, but should he be doing more? And in our letter segment, Allen tells us how he's been socking away $100 per month since his daughter has been born. She's going off to college in a couple of years, and Allen wants to keep socking away $100 for her in a Roth IRA once she graduates. Where's the best place to start the account? As always, we'll still save some time for Doug's (completely epic) trivia. 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. 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

What should be the number one priority on your retirement planning list? That answer is going to be different for everyone, and on this roundtable episode our contributors gave their take on one list's "most' urgent items. You can find the original show notes from 2016 below: What are the most important moves to make in retirement? Harlan Landes (Adulting.tv, Plutus Foundation) joins Paula (AffordAnything) and Len (LenPenzodotcom) to tackle a recent Wisebread piece that claims to give us the MOST urgent items on your retirement planning list. Does our panel agree? You'll find out on today's show. Also, we mull over real estate home improvements (where do you get the most bang for your hard-earned dollar?) AND dream about what we'd do if we could get unlimited points/miles. Heck, even ChiChi's gets a mention on today's show. You know it's going to be a wild one when we're talking ChiChi's. In our FinTech segment we talk to Jamie Wise from Buzz Indexes(BUZ) about their index and ETF. Hedge fund managers have been following the wisdom of social media crowds...now Jamie and his firm are bringing the same technology to the average investor. Thanks to MagnifyMoneyand SoFi for sponsoring our podcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When's the last time you gave you financial life a good inspection? It's been a bit since we talked about having a good look at our financial processes and routines, so the Fintern decided to spin up Joe's interview with Today Show Money Editor Jean Chatzky. Back in 2017 Joe talked to Jean about why people should get a financial "check up." We still think that's a great idea in 2019. Here are the original show notes from 2017: If anyone knows the heartbeat of personal finance, it's Today Show Money Editor Jean Chatzky. On today's podcast, Jean joins us in the basement to talk about your financial engine. How well is it running? She's teamed up with Dr. Michael Roizen to talk about how to age-proof your life. We'll have LOTS of tips and resources today. In our headline segment, we talk annuities. Our arch-enemy Meg forwarded us a nefarious piece about annuities that clearly displays what some annuity salespeople are thinking--they just want your cash. Plus, we throw out the Haven Life line and also save time for Doug's trivia. Special thanks to SoFi and Magnify Money 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

We haven't talked about market timing at all on the show lately, so the Fintern thought it was about time to reach back in the archives and find an old episode on the topic. This eshow is from a Wednesday back before we changed our format. OG sounds like he's in a tin can, to a degree, but if you can get through that, the show itself is a really great collection of letters from you. Here's the original show notes from 2015: Today the star of the show is YOU! You ask us about market timing, diversification and risk…and we deliver the goods. Plus PK is back in the basement to argue with Joe about emergency funds. When is it the right time to save into your emergency fund? Is it best to save BEFORE you pay down debt or AFTER? PK says AFTER and Joe says BEFORE….you’ll hear the epic debate on today’s show! As if that weren’t enough, today’s headline is about China’s recent move to regulate their stock market volatility. Is that good or bad for investors? We also review the film Focus with Will Smith and Margo Robbie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's easy to find financial advice on the internet. But finding GOOD financial advice? You'll find that's a bit more difficult. With so many money "gurus" pushing their sage wisdom, how do you sort through all the noise and find the truth? We'll discuss where the "truth" lies today, with some help from our contributors: Chelsea Brannon from Smart Money Mamas, Len Penzo from LenPenzo.com, and OG from this podcast. Today we're tackling money, (bad) advice, and lies! Halfway through the show we'll take a break to talk to Eric Redline, creator of kid-focused money management app, NuMoola. Next we'll answer a Magnify Money call from Scott, who wants to buy a home sooner rather than later. The catch? He doesn't have 20% to put down as a downpayment. Should he charge forward anyway? And don't you worry, we'll save some time for Doug's trivia. Thanks to Grammarly for supporting Stacking Benjamins. For 20% off a Grammarly premium account, go to Grammarly.com/sb. Thanks Audible! Get Power Moves by Adam Grant for free when you sign up for a free Audible trial at Audible.com/sbpower or text sbpower to 500 500. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today we'll throw out our regular playbook to focus on what's really important: your burning financial questions! From Ginny, who wants to become interested in finance (plus a husband who has a BIG man-crush on OG), to Craig and his wife who just inherited a big sum of money....and to Chris wants to know if he should use his savings to pay off his car note before his wedding, we made you and your questions our BIGGEST focus today. BUT, that's not all... we still managed to tackle two big headlines. Making ripples across the financial sector, one ex financial adviser has been sent to prison for seven years after stealing $300,000 from a 97 year old. How do you avoid that mess? We'll show you where this situation went off the rails. Plus, in our second headline, a series of mistakes has the Omaha Public School' pension fund scrambling after a $771 million shortfall. Headlines like these don't exactly inspire trust in the financial industry, so we'll share our big ideas on saving for retirement without walking into a mess like this. A letters episode doesn't mean we're skipping out on the Haven Life Line! Jared is at a critical point with his financial advisor, who hasn't had the best returns in the past couple of years. Is it time for Jared to give his advisor the boot? We can't make the decision for him... but we can tell him our thoughts. 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. 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

Nearly everyone has had a "great" business idea. However, as mom says, "the devil is in the details," and great businesses aren't built on ideas, they're built on successful implementation and follow through. To help you set up either your next side gig or start your next big venture, we're excited to talk to Maria Aspan, Editor at Large for Inc. Magazine. She'll discuss where to look for financing, the importance of a business plan (is it really important?), how to ask family for money, when to include venture capitalists, and more. She'll also share some fantastic success stories from people who've already accomplished what many of our listeners want to learn. Plus in our headlines segment millennial money expert Stephanie O'Connell stops by the basement to discuss the new layaway alternative, Afterpay. Here's how it works: pick out what you want today and pay for it later. Does that sound somewhat like a credit card? Stephanie breaks it all down during our interview. And in our second headline, Cardi B is speaking out against people who are taking jabs at her spending habits. She says she's spending over $300,000 per month and can't lower her bills any more. What's her reasoning? We'll jump into her personal financial issues and talk about responsibilities during our second headline. And in our Haven Life Line, Dustin has his investments for his son's college in the market. With college quickly approaching, where should Dustin be moving his money? Then we'll take a letter from Chris, who wants more information on the rule of thumb many of us have heard, of having a certain threshold of money saved by different ages. As always, we'll still save some time for Doug's (completely epic) trivia. 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. 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