Think back to the last time you lost power at your place. I’m sure it was an inconvenience- it was likely annoying to find yourself walking into a room and reflexively reaching for the light switch, even though the power was out. But the real problem with an outage are the downstream effects it has: food in the fridge spoils, traffic is a nightmare if the stoplights are out, folks even die due to extreme heat or cold. We’re less worried about a power outage and more worried about the mayhem that...
Jan 02, 2026•52 min•Ep. 1083
Time is easily our most precious resource, but rarely do we pay much attention to what it is that we’re going to spend our minutes and hours, which inevitably turn into weeks and years. And if you completely fail to do this, you end up as the proverbial careerist, looking back at the wasted decades, wishing you would’ve done something differently. And our guest today, Ben Miller, actually did shake things up- he traded a position on Wall Street with Goldman Sachs for a fulfilling life out in Col...
Dec 31, 2025•52 min•Ep. 1082
We’re kicking off the week by answering your listener questions! And if you have a question that you’d like for us to answer on the show, we’d love for you to submit your own via HowToMoney.com/ask , send us your voice memo. Regardless of how random or bizarre you might think it is, we want to hear it! 1 - Home sale: should I sell my house to an iBuyer? 2 - Life insurance: is my work provided life insurance enough or should I go ahead and get an affordable policy while I’m young? 3 - Retirement:...
Dec 29, 2025•59 min•Ep. 1081
A big thanks to our friend Joe Saul-Sehy for inviting us to join an episode of Stacking Benjamins – we had a blast, and we think you'll enjoy this convo as well! – It's the most wonderful time of the year in the basement, and we're kicking off the holiday season with our biggest, most packed episode yet. Joe Saul-Sehy, OG, and Neighbor Doug welcome Joel Larsgaard and Matt Altmix from the How to Money podcast for a year-end celebration of everything that mattered in money during 2025. Think of th...
Dec 27, 2025•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 1080
Sherlock Holmes is a literary character we’re all familiar with who has the uncanny ability to solve any mystery he comes across. And one of the things that sets the British detective apart from others is his use of inductive reasoning to solve his cases. He begins with observations which then propel him in his search for the truth. Deductive reasoning, on the other hand, begins with a hypothesis and then uses the facts in order to confirm a theory. And so as we’re trying to figure out how wealt...
Dec 26, 2025•53 min•Ep. 1080
Traveling for free sounds like a lofty goal for most folks. Sure if you’re single or if you’re a DINK couple- but there’s no way you can pull that off with an entire family in tow! Well, it’s actually easier than you think and our guest, Lyn Mettler, is here to explain how. Lyn is a long-time travel journalist who has been featured on the Today Show and US News & World Report. And she practices what she preaches as she and her family travel and fly, for free, about six times every single yea...
Dec 24, 2025•57 min•Ep. 1079
Let’s kick off the week with some fresh listener questions we have lined up for you! And don't just stand on the sidelines- if you have a question you’d like us to answer, toss your voice memo our way. It only takes about 90 seconds to record and you can find a step by step guide over at HowToMoney.com/ask . Regardless of how random or bizarre you might think it is, we want to hear it! 1 - Caring for parents: how do I financially prepare to take care of my parents as they enter their later years...
Dec 22, 2025•53 min•Ep. 1078
Time for a Friday Flight- our little sampling of the week’s best financial news and what it means for your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we boil them down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to get ahead with your money. In this episode we explain some relevant and helpful stories like: Deceptive dollar stores When it pays to go cheap Warrior dividends Less great target date funds Moderate millionaires The wealt...
Dec 19, 2025•36 min•Ep. 1077
Tall fellas UNITE! Joel has to contend with talking with someone who is taller than him for a change, but that’s mostly besides the point (unless tall guys actually invest differently than the rest of the population!?). We’re joined by Ben Felix – one of the clearest voices in finance and investing who is co-host of the Rational Reminder podcast and also runs a killer YouTube channel full of thoughtful, evidence-based investing advice. Ben is a CFA, CFP, the Chief Investment Officer at PWL Capit...
Dec 17, 2025•55 min•Ep. 1076
Let’s kick off the week with some fresh listener questions we have lined up for you! And don't just stand on the sidelines- if you have a question you’d like us to answer, toss your voice memo our way. It only takes about 90 seconds to record and you can find a step by step guide over at HowToMoney.com/ask . Regardless of how random or bizarre you might think it is, we want to hear it! 1 - Target date fund: is my brokerage double dipping expense ratios if my target date fund has other funds as w...
Dec 15, 2025•50 min•Ep. 1075
Time for a Friday Flight- our little sampling of the week’s best financial news and what it means for your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we boil them down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to get ahead with your money. In this episode we explain some relevant and helpful stories like: Fancy, frugal, or cheap advent calendars Political money planning Wild “FI Number” Guesses Free electricity AI replacing jobs A...
Dec 12, 2025•36 min•Ep. 1074
In Greek mythology, Atlas holds the heavens on his shoulders as a punishment from Zeus. And every time you see an image of Atlas, remember the hundreds of millions of Americans who are perpetually burdened by debt. To many of those consumers, the weight of credit cards, personal loans, and car loans feels like an eternal struggle… the new normal with no end in sight. But like our guest today, you can reject that fate and rewrite your story. Jade Warshaw paid off almost half a million dollars in ...
Dec 10, 2025•50 min•Ep. 1073
Let’s kick off the week with some fresh listener questions we have lined up for you! And don't just stand on the sidelines- if you have a question you’d like us to answer, toss your voice memo our way. It only takes about 90 seconds to record and you can find a step by step guide over at HowToMoney.com/ask . Regardless of how random or bizarre you might think it is, we want to hear it! 1 - Downpayment debate: should we put down more than 20% if we have extra money in our investment accounts? 2 -...
Dec 08, 2025•50 min•Ep. 1072
Time for a Friday Flight- our little sampling of the week’s financial news and what it means for your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we boil them down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to get ahead with your money. In this episode we explain some relevant and helpful stories like: Cyber Monday malaise Gen Z paring back AI toys Reluctant retailer returns Gift cards galore BTW, here is that site that allows you t...
Dec 05, 2025•38 min•Ep. 1071
Let’s talk about money and “the youths” today! While a lot of personal finance advice is evergreen and helpful to folks of all ages, it’s also important to reach people where they are and in the way they like to consume information. As middle-aged dads, we hope to stay relevant, but we don’t have the same street cred as our guest today. We’re joined by Lillian Zhang who, as a first generation born American, carved her own path by figuring out the job search, learning how money works, and buildin...
Dec 03, 2025•54 min•Ep. 1070
Let’s kick off the week with some fresh listener questions we have lined up for you! And don't just stand on the sidelines- if you have a question you’d like us to answer, toss your voice memo our way. It only takes about 90 seconds to record and you can find a step by step guide over at HowToMoney.com/ask . Regardless of how random or bizarre you might think it is, we want to hear it! 1 - Accelerated Mortgage Payoff - is velocity banking a smart way to quickly pay off my mortgage? 2 - Donor Adv...
Dec 01, 2025•52 min•Ep. 1069
We’re taking a moment to slow down and reflect on what HTM listeners are truly grateful for during this busy holiday season. And yes… doing this on Black Friday is intentional. Instead of swapping stories about the hottest deals, we’re choosing to hit pause on consumption and appreciate what we already have. We also want to connect the dots between the financial sacrifices and smart money moves you’ve made and the deeper parts of life they impact, like family, time, peace, and purpose. Money mat...
Nov 28, 2025•51 min•Ep. 1068
Though it seems like the world is in shambles, humanity has progressed quite impressively when you look at virtually any length of history. Our modern society has produced a slew of nice things that would have been hard to fathom 50 years ago, much less 250 years ago- smartphones, duct tape, GPS. They’ve all, to greater or lesser degrees, made our lives better and that’s simply looking at consumer goods. Think of other clear markers like infant mortality, literacy rates, longer lifespans and how...
Nov 26, 2025•53 min•Ep. 1067
Let’s kick off the week with some fresh listener questions we have lined up for you! And don't just stand on the sidelines- if you have a question you’d like us to answer, toss your voice memo our way. It only takes about 90 seconds to record and you can find a step by step guide over at HowToMoney.com/ask . Regardless of how random or bizarre you might think it is, we want to hear it! 1 - Home repair: should I get a new roof based on a roof inspector who says my insurance will cover it for free...
Nov 24, 2025•53 min•Ep. 1066
Time for a Friday Flight- our little sampling of the week’s financial news and what it means for your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we boil them down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to get ahead with your money. In this episode we explain some relevant and helpful stories like: Help us dominate the Daffy Voices for Good Campaign ! Burdensome credit card benefits Frankenstein BNPL cards Robinhood Gold 3% cash...
Nov 21, 2025•40 min•Ep. 1065
“Taxes for creatives” could have also been the title of this episode, giving the more entrepreneurially minded the boost they need to officially launch a little business they’ve been considering. But for most folks the topic of taxes isn’t comforting, it’s straight up terrifying… even though it shouldn’t be. Today’s guest, Hannah Cole, is on a mission to create fearless folks who launch into the world of deductions, bookkeeping, tracking, tax filing, and all the other terms that strike a little ...
Nov 19, 2025•57 min•Ep. 1064
Let’s kick off the week with some fresh listener questions we have lined up for you! And don't just stand on the sidelines- if you have a question you’d like us to answer, toss your voice memo our way. It only takes about 90 seconds to record and you can find a step by step guide over at HowToMoney.com/ask . Regardless of how random or bizarre you might think it is, we want to hear it! 1 - Home renovation: what factors did Matt consider when deciding to add on to his existing house? 2 - Credit c...
Nov 17, 2025•49 min•Ep. 1063
Time for a Friday Flight- our little sampling of the week’s financial news and what it means for your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we boil them down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to get ahead with your money. In this episode we explain some relevant and helpful stories like: Help us dominate the Daffy Voices for Good Campaign ! 50 year mortgages Robinhood getting into the mortgage game Cash for Christmas ...
Nov 14, 2025•36 min•Ep. 1062
Everywhere you look, people are talking about AI. Some say it’s going to save the world; others think it might break it. But while the headlines focus on sci-fi futures and big-tech battles, we’re interested in something a little closer to home: what does all of this actually mean for us as everyday, DIY investors – today, and over the next decade? Fortunately, we don’t have to wing it. Vanguard’s global chief economist, Joseph Davis, has been studying the forces shaping our financial future – A...
Nov 12, 2025•53 min•Ep. 1061
Let’s kick off the week with some fresh listener questions we have lined up for you! And don't just stand on the sidelines- if you have a question you’d like us to answer, toss your voice memo our way. It only takes about 90 seconds to record and you can find a step by step guide over at HowToMoney.com/ask . Regardless of how random or bizarre you might think it is, we want to hear it! 1 - Open enrollment: what factors should I consider when hopping to a more affordable health insurance provider...
Nov 10, 2025•51 min•Ep. 1060
Time for a Friday Flight- our little sampling of the week’s financial news and what it means for your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we boil them down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to get ahead with your money. In this episode we explain some relevant and helpful stories like: Timeshare rescission periods $50k average for new cars Shorter car loans please Repos on the rise $10k new car tax break Occupation ...
Nov 07, 2025•36 min•Ep. 1059
Nearly 100 years ago, economist John Maynard Keynes predicted that we’d be working 15-hour weeks by now due to gains in productivity and technology. Tim Ferriss claims that you can pretty much do it all in a 4-hour workweek! Neither of those seem plausible but our guest today takes a much more reasonable approach and says that 4-day work weeks are not only feasible but can lighten the load, allowing us to live more life – all while being more productive! Juliet Schor is an economist and professo...
Nov 05, 2025•56 min•Ep. 1058
Let’s kick off the week with some fresh listener questions we have lined up for you! And don't just stand on the sidelines- if you have a question you’d like us to answer, toss your voice memo our way. It only takes about 90 seconds to record and you can find a step by step guide over at HowToMoney.com/ask . Regardless of how random or bizarre you might think it is, we want to hear it! 1 - Tax help: where should I find a tax professional and how much should one cost? 2 - Frugal or cheap: should ...
Nov 03, 2025•46 min•Ep. 1057
Time for a Friday Flight- our little sampling of the week’s financial news and what it means for your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we boil them down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to get ahead with your money. In this episode we explain some relevant and helpful stories like: Candy buyback Eating roadkill?! Affordable Thanksgiving dinner Discount burnout Bubble trouble What even is “bearish” High on gold L...
Oct 31, 2025•35 min•Ep. 1056
A financial advisor WON’T magically fix your money problems, but many folks assume that by hiring a professional, they’re well on their way to financial success. Maybe, but maybe not, because a bunch of different factors come into play. And who better to have this discussion with other than award-winning investor advocate and financial educator Pam Krueger. She began her career as a stockbroker before moving into financial media, where she created and co-hosted the PBS series MoneyTrack where he...
Oct 29, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 1055
