Convenience (and the products and services that make it possible) has infiltrated it’s way into our daily spending - so much so, that it’s become our default option. Who doesn’t want things to be a little easier and a little more accessible? Convenience can be a nice perk of our modern economy, but it can also come at a high cost. And the big problem here is that American consumers are spending more money than ever on different conveniences without giving it a second thought. We’re being parted ...
Aug 26, 2020•38 min•Ep. 245
We’re kicking off the week by answering your questions! And if you have a question for us, we’d love for you to submit your own via HowToMoney.com/ask/ , send us your voice memo! 1 - What should I do with the proceeds from selling my house? 2 - Is it better to max out my HSA now or allow it to continue to be regularly deducted from my paycheck? 3 - Should I go with a regular or Roth 401k and does it make sense for me to stick around until I’m 100% vested? 4 - Why did my credit score drop after p...
Aug 24, 2020•39 min•Ep. 244
It's time for a Friday Flight! These episodes are all about the week’s news and the effects of Covid-19 on your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we are distilling it down to specific takeaways that will allow you to not just weather this health and financial crisis, but to come out on the other side even stronger. In this episode we cover some interesting topics like the cost of the 10 most popular sandwiches you can make at home, why you might be able to negotiate ...
Aug 21, 2020•25 min•Ep. 243
More of us need to be considering dropping a car from our lives - especially as so many of us are now working from home indefinitely! Are we even using those vehicles?! But even if you are going in to work everyday, it’s time to question whether or not it makes sense to continue paying nearly $800 in order to own and maintain that vehicle. Transportation costs are typically the 2nd largest expense we have every single month so getting rid of a car can have a massive effect on your monthly expens...
Aug 19, 2020•33 min•Ep. 242
Jaspreet Singh joins us on the podcast today and he can probably best be described as a serial entrepreneur. However, a life of entrepreneurship wasn’t always the plan for him. Jaspreet was born to immigrant parents and grew up bilingual in a traditional Sikh family, with the strong expectation that he was going to be a doctor, but that didn’t end up being the case! A growing interest in investing led him to YouTube where his channel Minority Mindset now has close to 650k subscribers. Through Ja...
Aug 17, 2020•49 min•Ep. 241
Friday Flight episodes are all about the week’s news and the effects of Covid-19 on your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we are distilling it down to specific takeaways that will allow you to not just weather this health and financial crisis, but to come out on the other side even stronger. In this episode we cover some interesting topics like the increase in bike sales, an employer selling a corporate office, and executive order stimulus bill confusion. After all ...
Aug 14, 2020•24 min•Ep. 240
The novel coronavirus has had a domino-like effect on so many areas of our lives including our finances. Maybe you’ve lost your job and have had to file for unemployment for the first time ever. Or perhaps you technically still have a job but you have been furloughed and are realizing how little you have in savings. Most of the lessons we’re going to discuss in this episode aren’t brand new, but due to the health crisis, they’re more important than ever. It’s vital to reflect on those lessons so...
Aug 12, 2020•31 min•Ep. 239
We’re kicking off the week by answering your questions! And if you have a question for us, we’d love for you to submit your own via HowToMoney.com/ask/ , send us your voice memo! 1 - I’m upside down on a car that has huge maintenance costs- what should I do? 2 - Should I forego my company’s match due to their long vesting period? 3 - Does it make sense to focus on our student loans with the largest balance or the highest interest rate? 4 - Should I continue loaning money to my sister if I feel l...
Aug 10, 2020•36 min•Ep. 238
Friday Flight episodes are all about the week’s news and the effects of Covid-19 on your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we are distilling it down to specific takeaways that will allow you to not just weather this health and financial crisis, but to come out on the other side even stronger. In this episode we cover a lot of interesting topics like new cell phones and affordable cell phone service, investing in gold and precious metals, and increased private equity ...
Aug 07, 2020•21 min•Ep. 237
We’re all looking to spend less money, especially during these difficult coronavirus days, and one of the best ways to accomplish this is by going with generic or private label brands. Name brands have worked their way into our lives but they come at a cost. And then there’s the big question of: what products or purchases should I go generic with and when should I just stick with the name brand that I know and am more familiar with? During this episode we talk about why we’re fans of generics as...
Aug 05, 2020•38 min•Ep. 236
Ben Carlson is the Director of Institutional Asset Management at Ritholtz Wealth Management. There, he helps to create detailed investment plans and manage portfolios for institutions and individuals to help them achieve their goals. Ben is also the author of the new book “Don't Fall For It: A Short History of Financial Scams” which we’ll discuss. And on top of that, he has his own investing podcast called Animal Spirits, and he writes all about investing over at his site “A Wealth of Common Sen...
Aug 03, 2020•48 min•Ep. 235
Friday Flight episodes are all about the week’s news and the effects of Covid-19 on your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we are distilling it down to specific takeaways that will allow you to not just weather this health and financial crisis, but to come out on the other side even stronger. In this episode we cover a lot of interesting topics like using Netflix payments to boost your credit score, the shortage of disinfectant supplies, upcoming sales tax holidays, ...
Jul 31, 2020•20 min•Ep. 234
There are a lot of different types of insurance out there and it can be tough to know which types of policies you should look into and which ones to avoid. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with the amount of information related to insurance, and that can lead you to not making any decisions at all. The end result is that things remain the same- and you’re underinsured. And then you might hear an anecdotal story of when a warranty or insurance policy came in handy for someone else, so you feel that ...
Jul 29, 2020•33 min•Ep. 233
We’re kicking off the week by answering your questions! And if you have a question for us, we’d love for you to submit your own via HowToMoney.com/ask/ 1 - Should I refinance my student loans into a variable or fixed rate? 2 - How does it work if I want to take a 401k distribution for some home renovations projects? 3 - Why have I seen my homeowner’s insurance rate climb and what can I do about it? 4 - What should I consider when it comes to investing in a startup via a new investing platform? 5...
Jul 27, 2020•35 min•Ep. 232
Friday Flight episodes are all about the week’s news and the effects of Covid-19 on your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we are distilling it down to specific takeaways that will allow you to not just weather this health and financial crisis, but to come out on the other side even stronger. In this episode we cover a lot of interesting topics like how Aldi is expanding, back to school spending is expected to be higher than ever, where to check if you haven’t receiv...
Jul 24, 2020•25 min•Ep. 231
It’s time to hear from our wives, Emily and Kate! We finally bring the ladies back on for an episode that we recorded while we were together at the beach. We wrestled the kids down to bed, rigged up a recording table in an echo-y beach house dining room, cracked open some beers and got to talking about personal finance. We fielded some questions from the Facebook group and addressed some topics like what it’s like to be married to a hardcore money nerd, frugal date night ideas, transitioning to ...
Jul 22, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 230
We all want to reign in the spiraling costs of healthcare, so that’s why we’re talking today with Scott Heiser. Scott has more than twenty years of experience as a consultant for clients in the insurance and healthcare system. During those years he also led and developed an employee benefit practice that managed more than half a billion dollars in health benefits. Scott knows the ins and outs of what can feel like the overwhelming world of healthcare and insurance- in fact in his book: “Healthca...
Jul 20, 2020•50 min•Ep. 217
Friday Flight episodes are all about the week’s news and the effects of Covid-19 on your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we are distilling it down to specific takeaways that will allow you to not just weather this health and financial crisis, but to come out on the other side even stronger. In this episode we cover a lot of interesting topics like the reopening of theme parks, the rise of touchless payments, plans for school districts this fall, and whether or not ...
Jul 17, 2020•23 min•Ep. 228
Covid has impacted lots of areas of our lives - including our summer travel plans. So now is a great time to get a little creative if you are hoping for any sort of vacation. Many of us have had our getaways cancelled, or even if not, there’s a chance you may not feel great about being cooped up in an airplane for hours on end. Even if it’s relatively safe, it still isn’t something many of us want to do these days. But if you already have planned for a week off from work it’s important to still ...
Jul 15, 2020•38 min•Ep. 227
We’re kicking off the week by answering your questions! And if you have a question for us, we’d love for you to submit your own via HowToMoney.com/ask/ 1 - Should I always follow the 1% rule as I consider buying an investment property? 2 - If I want to open a new online checking account, should I look to an online brokerage? 3 - How solid is cash value life insurance as an investment tool? 4 - As a recent college graduate, what should I do with a bunch of money I’ve saved up? 5 - I’m a circus pe...
Jul 13, 2020•35 min•Ep. 226
Friday Flight episodes are all about the week’s news and the effects of Covid-19 on your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we are distilling it down to specific takeaways that will allow you to not just weather this health and financial crisis, but to thrive. In this episode we cover a lot of interesting topics like how students who lost summer jobs could be eligible for unemployment, what to do if you received a stimulus payment intended for a deceased family member...
Jul 10, 2020•21 min•Ep. 225
How do you achieve FIRE? Last week we discussed the pros and cons of the Financial Independence Retire Early movement, and this week we’re covering the practical steps that will allow you to achieve FIRE. There are some basic principles that we all need to follow, even when our individual journeys towards FIRE all look different. So in this episode we’ll be encouraging you to envision what you would want your ‘post-work’ life to look like- do you picture a more lean or luxurious retirement? And ...
Jul 08, 2020•35 min•Ep. 224
We have a really inspiring interview today that will encourage anyone who is looking to change their life by paying down debt. Jen Smith is a personal finance expert and she has the experience to back it up. Jen and her husband paid off $78,000 of debt in less than two years making well under 6-figures. She's been featured in Kiplinger, U.S. News & World Report, Money Magazine, and she's co-host of the Frugal Friends podcast and blogs over at ModernFrugality.com. Getting out of debt and frug...
Jul 06, 2020•45 min•Ep. 223
Friday Flight episodes are all about the week’s news and the effects of Covid-19 on your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we are distilling it down to specific takeaways that will allow you to not just weather this health and financial crisis, but to thrive. In this episode we cover a lot of interesting topics like 2019 Roth IRA contributions, high credit card interest rates, and how federal unemployment benefits are coming to a close. And then we talk some about th...
Jul 03, 2020•19 min•Ep. 222
Financial Independence Retire Early- you’ve likely heard the term on the show and this movement has gained a lot of steam over the past decade. And even though we agree with most of the tenets of FIRE, there can be side effects or negative consequences that can occur when it’s taken too far. Just like with almost anything in life, when there isn’t a proper balance, something that’s normally good can easily become something bad. That’s what we’re going to talk about today- the pros and the aspect...
Jul 01, 2020•31 min•Ep. 221
We’re kicking off the week by answering your questions! And if you have a question for us, we’d love for you to submit your own via HowToMoney.com/ask/ 1 - Should I ask for a credit limit increase in order to increase my credit score? 2 - What are my options when it comes to paying off an installment loan? 3 - As I begin down the path towards home ownership, what things should I consider? 4 - How much of my company stock should I sell in order to pay off some credit card debt? 5 - What type of b...
Jun 29, 2020•33 min•Ep. 220
Friday Flight episodes are all about the week’s news and the effects of Covid-19 on your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we are distilling it down to specific takeaways that will allow you to not just weather this health and financial crisis, but to thrive. In this episode we cover a lot of interesting topics like where you can find baking help from professionals, your rights if you owe money, and PPP forgiveness guidelines. Then we talk with our friend Scott Keyes...
Jun 26, 2020•33 min•Ep. 219
As the repair costs of owning an old car begin to add up, you might be wondering if it makes sense to ditch it. Many folks make the decision to abandon their still solid vehicle based on the desire to drive something newer instead of an actual need for something more reliable. The costs of upgrading your car could blow a hole in your personal finances since transportation costs are typically the second line item on most budgets. But we also understand that a vehicle is more than just a way to ge...
Jun 24, 2020•39 min•Ep. 218
Our guest on this episode is Lynnette Khalfani-Cox. Lynnette, also known as The Money Coach, is a personal finance expert, television and radio personality, and the author of 15 books, including the New York Times bestseller Zero Debt: The Ultimate Guide to Financial Freedom. A turning point is when she found herself in $100,000 worth of credit card debt and so we’re excited to hear how she overcame that debt, and we’re also covering the important topic of economic violence and the impact it has...
Jun 22, 2020•50 min•Ep. 217
Friday Flight episodes are all about the week’s news and the effects of Covid-19 on your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we are distilling it down to specific takeaways that will allow you to not just weather this health and financial crisis, but to thrive. In this episode we cover a lot of interesting topics like where to look for a great price on a used car, renewable energy costs, and the effects of a deferment on your credit score. Then we discuss whether store...
Jun 19, 2020•22 min•Ep. 216
