The Stacking Benjamins Show

How much debt have you wiped out? I'll bet today's guest wiped out more, and she's going to share how she got into so much debt, and then the strategies and tactics she used to wipe it out and become a fantastic money coach. Of course, this is the Stacking Benjamins show, so there's much more. In our headline segment we'll talk about weird investments in IRAs. Should you look outside the traditional investment ideas for opportunities? We'll weigh in. We'll also share some news about a couple of amazingly stupid criminals. Making money is hard. The way these morons messed up stealing money might even be harder to believe. On the Haven Life line, Mark wonders about an all stock portfolio vs. using some bonds. We'll discuss the philosophy of a 100% equity game. We'll also answer a letter from Patrick who asks us about the relationship between owning a home and your retirement plan. Should you count home equity into the equation? You'll find out. Of course we have Doug's trivia, some bad jokes, and lots more.... Huge thanks to MagnifyMoney.com for helping us with today's show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Looking for the perfect budget? Maybe the key isn't counting every penny or finding the perfect spreadsheet. Elle Martinez, author of the new book Couple Money, believes that whether you're single or married the answer might lie in communication, and we'll tackle how to have money dates and stop fighting about money on today's show. In our headlines segment, we share a story about comedian Tracy Morgan. Apparently Walmart, who paid him $90M after a severe accident in 2015, wants more proof about his injury. We'll discuss disability coverage and more from that fallout. Then we throw out the Haven Life line to Susan, who asks about taking out a student loan for her son so he can establish credit. We'll also answer a letter from Julian about Roth IRAs, help Doug bring down the trivia, and sprinkle in some pick up lines along the way. Special thanks to M1Finance for sponsoring our show! We couldn't do any of this without the support of some pretty awesome companies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The new vs. used car debate rages on today's podcast. Which is better, buying new with the warranties and assurances that a dealer brings to the table, or purchasing used for (possibly) a lot less money? No platitudes or "rules of thumb" in this discussion. Renee Horne, VP of Loan Experiences from USAA, and Timothy Cain, auto sales analyst for TheTruthAboutCars.com, tackle every aspect of the discussion, from warranties, insurance, car payments, maintenance, car dealers, and available choices. It's a comprehensive, fun discussion that you won't want to miss. ...and in our Friday FinTech segment, ever worry about paying too much for health care? Better yet, ever wonder if you're being overcharged at your doctor versus going to a different provider? David Vivero from Amino.com joins us to talk about researching your doctor, health care facility AND the procedures you're contemplating in an easier way than you'd ever thought possible. Thanks to MagnifyMoney.com for sponsoring our show, and thanks also to everyone who's visited Amazon.com using our link! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What would you find out about yourself after writing down all of your income and expenses for a year? Jonathan Morduch and Rachel Schneider, authors of The Financial Diaries, did just that, and they found some disturbing trends about work, emergency funds, and families struggling to get ahead. We talk to them about how families cope on today's podcast. On the Haven Life line, Brenda is changing jobs from a 401k to a 403b. Can she move money between these two funds? If she can...should she? We'll discuss her options. In headlines, Jamie Wize from the BUZZ Index (ticker BUZ) joins us to talk about recent social media swells about SNAP and Palo Alto. Of course we have Doug's trivia, some bad jokes, and lots more.... Huge thanks to MagnifyMoney.com for helping us with today's show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We kick off today's show talking Tiger Woods and the cost of his recent...er...problem. And then Karen Schenone from Blackrock tells us about how bonds work! What a great kickoff to today's episode. After that, it's ALL of your letters, including ones about IRAs...how to you maximize your contributions; we then turn to blogging. Should Daryl start a blog? We weigh in. We also talk about investing in bonds, building the wrong side-hustle, and more. Special thanks to M1Finance for sponsoring our show! Looking for an investing platform that doesn't involve compromises? Try M1Finance to be invested. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are there really only three rules to getting rich? A recent online piece at a major publication says so, so we ask our crack panel to weigh in. If there WERE three rules, would these even be the correct three? Of course that's not all. We'll also talk about stock market and investing facts you may not know, and wrap it all up with some of our biggest financial regrets. On our Friday FinTech segment, we talk to Ryan Coon from Rentalutions. Thinking about renting houses on the side? Ryan and company have created some interesting technology to help you organize like a pro. Thanks to MagnifyMoney.com for sponsoring our show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What should you know about your money that doctors often mess up? Dr. Amir Baluch comes down to the basement today to share some of the basics that he teaches doctors...and that you should know, too. Plus, in headlines we talk about a mechanic who says, "Your car is DONE!" and also share a disturbing story about people losing vacation days. That's expensive--and not just for your wallet. On the Haven Life line, Erin just bought a car with cash and now has some cash flow to invest. She asks the guys where to put it. In our letters segment, William worries about life insurance. Does he have enough? Of course we have Doug's trivia, some bad jokes, and lots more.... Huge thanks to SoFi and MagnifyMoney.com for helping us with today's show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With automation a bigger part of our life, what's going to drive the economy in the future? We talk economics, work, and the role of money with executive producer Dave O'Connor of the new National Geographic show Year Million. In our headlines segment, we're joined by David Siegel, CEO of Investopedia, to tells us about lessons learned from their recent Market Madness competition. 5,000 college students participated, and the results AND lessons from the competition, including some of the big names missing from the average portfolio, are interesting. We also talk about annuity sales, which are down a TON since this time last year. What's going on? OG & Joe will talk all things annuity. We also throw out the Haven Life line to Josh, who wonders if he should hire a more active manager for his money, and we answer a letter from a listener who thinks Joe's movie review of a recent film was more than a little off. Of course, that's not all. Doug brings the trivia, mom brings treats, and there are some horrible jokes along the way. Special thanks to SoFi and our newest sponsor M1Finance for sponsoring our show! We couldn't do any of this without the support of these awesome companies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What are some tricks to lower your utility bills? Jamila from JourneyToLaunch and Fritz Gilbert from The Retirement Manifesto join Len Penzo (Len Penzo dot com) in a fun, fast-paced roundtable discussion about lowering your home expenses and saving more money. We'll also tackle the recent news from Ford about their HUGE personnel cuts. What should YOU do if you think your job is on the chopping block? In our Friday HR segment, the Evil HR Lady, Suzanne Lucas stops by to answer a listener letter. It seems our listener is close to retirement and his boss might be a micro-manager...or maybe just overly focused on setting improvement goals. How does our listener work with the boss to get through the next couple years until he retires? As always, we have all of that and much, much more to help you kick off a big holiday weekend in the USA. Thanks to SoFi and MagnifyMoney.com for sponsoring our show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With Memorial Day right around the corner in the USA, we ask Mr. Theme Park Insider, Robert Niles, "Where we can find the best values?" As always, he delivers with suggestions for parks around the country, and with ideas for people and families of all ages. In our headlines we talk about money disorders that kill your financial plan. We also discuss a disturbing spending trend among older people. We throw out the Haven Life line to Emily, who wants to know if her boyfriend's job is sub-optimal (he's an active stock trader), and we answer a letter from Stephanie, who asks about buying a house. Should she plop down a bigger down payment or go with a bigger loan to leave her money invested? Of course we have Doug's trivia, some bad jokes, and lots more.... Huge thanks to SoFi and MagnifyMoney.com for helping us with today's show! Looking for show notes? They're right here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today we're live from Times Square and the 2017 CO-OP THINK! Conference, where credit union executives gathered to talk innovation in money management. What do the next five years look like for your money? What innovative solutions are credit unions dreaming up? We talk to top credit union officials from around the country AND financial luminaries like Jean Chatzky and Bobby Rebell to talk about digital innovation. We also throw out the Haven Life line to a caller who wonders how to invest a $200,000 inheritance. Doug brings the trivia, we answer a listener letter, and much more. Thanks to SoFi and M1Finance for sponsoring our show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How do you get ahead financially? Our friends at Kiplinger wrote a fantastic, conservative piece about the keys to financial success and today our crack roundtable team of award winning writers will discuss THAT piece and two others. In our Friday Fintech segment we talk to Dee Choubey from MoneyLion about tracking your money more effectively. How does it work? We'll talk all things money management, debt control, and good, solid nudges to help you handle your finances successfully. Thanks to SoFi and MagnifyMoney.com for sponsoring our show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Invest or pay down credit cards? Buy a car or invest toward a house? These are opportunity cost questions, and today, Emily Guy Birken, author of End Financial Stress NOW, joins us to explain how it works. We'll also talk about the problem with "free," sunk costs, and other often neglected strategies to manage money better. In our headlines we'll talk Johnny Depp again, plus talk financial knowledge. How much do we learn about money over our lifetime? The answer will surprise you. Today we throw out the Haven Life line to Jordan, who has an important tax question many of you may share. Taylor sends us a letter about opportunity cost. Should he pay down debt or invest? We also share Doug's trivia, and more. Thanks to SoFi and MagnifyMoney.com for helping us with today's show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Claudia and Garrett Pennington paid off nearly a quarter million dollars in debt. Better yet? They became MUCH more focused on what was important to them with money and their life. Claudia comes down to the basement on today's show to share their inspiring story of perseverance, living a thoughtful life, and questioning the need for everything. Hulu? Questioned. Cars? Questioned. House? Questioned....and much more. Of course, that's not all. We throw out the Haven Life line to Cameron, who wonders whether it's a good idea to start a separate account to cover his medical in retirement. In headlines we discuss Johnny Depp's money problem. It appears someone may have a spending problem. But in better news, we also profile a recent NFL draft pick who uses a fantastic financial planning technique to bring in some serious money. We'll share how on today's show. Plus, we have Doug's trivia, and more! Special thanks to SoFi and our newest sponsor M1Finance for sponsoring our show! We couldn't do any of this without the support of these awesome companies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We have a fun, wide-ranging discussion today about buying happiness, buying art, firing company boards, and figuring out your retirement number. Liz from ChiefMomOfficer.org joins Len (LenPenzo.com) and Paula (AffordAnything.com) to cover these wide-ranging topics. First, we'll discuss a piece arguing that you CAN buy happiness....and that it's different for everyone. True? You'll find out our panel's opinion today! Plus, we'll discuss Wells Fargo recently renewing every member of their board of directors. Shouldn't some board members have been fired after their recent fiasco? If you own stock, are moments like this a reason to sell today? Finally, we'll discuss your retirement number. When is it important to know how much you'll need for retirement? Early on when you're saving? Later? Ever? We'll ask all three panelists these questions and more. In our Friday Fintech segment we talk to Madelaine D'Angelo from Arthena about buying into an art fund. How does it work? We'll talk all things art and buying it with Madelaine today. Thanks to SoFi and MagnifyMoney.com for sponsoring our show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's show, we're covering all the tough topics because YOU are the headliner on this show! We're answering your letters about 401k plans, college savings, and more! Plus, we throw out the Haven Life Line, we feature headlines about online security with our friend Jocelyn from NextAdvisor and more. Thanks to SoFi and MagnifyMoney.com for helping us with today's show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What is "impact investing"? Jessica Huang from iShares stops by the basement to fill us in, and you won't be disappointed. Maybe your portfolio CAN reflect your ethics and keep the high returns you're looking to achieve. We're also excited to talk to Jack Kosakowski from Junior Achievement today. A new JA study finds that kids are frightened by financial terms. Why? What can we do about it? He has answers. As always, we'll throw out the Haven Life line to a lucky listener and also squeeze in some Coca-Cola trivia from Doug. Special thanks to SoFi and our newest sponsor M1Finance for sponsoring our show! We couldn't do any of this without the support of these awesome companies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What could make your 20's easier? Or, if your older, what SHOULD you have known in your 20's? On today's roundtable episode, Paula Pant from Afford Anything, Len Penzo from LenPenzo.com, and Joe discuss all the things they should have known back then. But that's not all. We circle the wagons on tipping. Should you tip for takeout? When is it appropriate to leave a tip? We'll address all of that today! PLUS - in our Friday Fintech segment we talk to Ross Kimbarovsky from Respect. If you're worried about elder relatives, Ross and his team are rolling out some innovation in the area of elder care. He'll explain how it all works today. Thanks to SoFi and MagnifyMoney.com for sponsoring our show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Think you know everything about the board game Monopoly? Think again! Mary Pilon, author of the New York Times bestseller The Monopolists joins us to talk about the unbelievably interesting and slightly sordid history of one of the world's favorite games. In our headlines segment, we're joined by Jamie Wise from the BUZZ Index. He'll share the latest buzz on investing from social media. Then we're joined by Shane Steele from Chime. They have a new fee finder service which has uncovered some HUGE fees you might want to begin avoiding at the bank. He'll share some of the biggest mistakes they see, plus tips if you think you won't get your taxes finished in time for the deadline. Plus, we throw out the Haven Life line to Lenny, who's worried about taxes and his new side hustle. Should he open a retirement account? Maybe withhold more from his main job? Anything else? We'll help him and you with that question. We also answer a letter from Collin, who asks about rebalancing his investments. 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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tired of being broke? Erin Lowry is coming to save you today. Erin's the author of the new hit book Broke Millennial, and shares stories about examining your past, focusing on your tendencies, and then going on the offensive with your financial life. In our headlines segment, Brittney Burgett from Haven Life joins us to talk about how expensive parenting has become. She'll share some tips for parents about priorities and protecting your biggest asset: your time. Plus, we throw out the Haven Life line to Andy, who's wonders about international funds. We also answer a letter about student loans with some help from Adam Carroll, whose new documentary Broke, Busted and Disgusted has been picked up by CNBC. Special thanks to SoFi and our newest sponsor M1Finance for sponsoring our show! We couldn't do any of this without the support of these awesome companies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Griffin the Intern (AKA the Fintern) is rewinding to our time with Pete the Planner helping out on the roundtable. Here is the original show description: Today we handle a listener question asking, “What exchange traded fund should I buy?” Of course, OG has ideas…. Pete Dunn, AKA Pete the Planner, joins Greg and Len today to talk about high rent payments, rigged company reports and gourmet dog food. How do you make ends meet when 30 percent of your money has to go to your landlord? How do you pick stocks when company CFOs admit they’re “massaging” the numbers? How do you control your budget when your dog eats better food than you? That’s not all, though. We answer your letters about bad 401k plans and purchasing exchange traded funds AND review the new hit film Mission Impossible. This episode originally aired Aug 24, 2015. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Fintern brings another great episode today featuring Darrow Kirkpatrick giving plenty of advice on retirement. Here's the original description: Can you retire yet? Our friend Darrow Kirkpatrick not only can help you answer that question, but he’s coming down to the basement to share TESTED early retirement strategies, such as the role of annuities, setting up your investments, insurance decisions, surprises in retirement, and more. AND because we’re kicking off a fresh eight weeks of shows, of course, there’s much more. We discuss the five most important years of your financial life, a new US Government measure of financial health AND the cost of the world’s largest yacht. Albert calls us on the Quotacy hotline to ask how he should switch careers toward becoming a financial advisor and Jason writes us about Roth IRAs. We have all of that AND still more on today’s podcast! Thanks to MagnifyMoney.com and SoFi for sponsoring our podcast. This episode originally aired on Jun 6, 2016. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today, the FinTern rewinds to one of our favorites episode when Farnoosh Torabi visited the basement to answer your letters. She answered far better than we could have without her. Here's the original show description: We try to stump the amazing Farnoosh Torabi of So Money podcast fame with your letters….but she’s too amazing and answers FOUR of them with little help from us. Should you start a house flipping business with friends? What assumptions should you make in a financial plan? How do you fast forward podcasts? We also talk about the MOST SHOCKING way to get rich….you’ll have to hear it to believe it….AND PK tackles the most expensive years you’ll have during your lifetime. Thanks to SoFi and MagnifyMoney for sponsoring our podcast! This episode originally aired Jun 24, 2015. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why are people struggling to make ends meet? Our roundtable gang today (joined by author of the new book Broke Millennial) kicks off the fun by examining why (according to a recent Washington Post piece), some families just can't seem to save. We'll then dive into worry....and the ways to stop worrying and start saving! Like every roundtable....we won't dwell on a single topic long, so next up on our Friday FinTech segment, we'll talk to Brett Crosby, who'll introduce us to PeerStreet, a new platform for investing in real estate. We'll then end the episode by talking about weird jobs. Trust me...if you've listened to the show for any length of time, you'll be surprised by a few revelations on today's show. Thanks to SoFi and MagnifyMoney.com for sponsoring our show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices