Purchasing a home is one of the biggest financial decisions you'll ever make, but the significant debt you accrue in the form of a mortgage can sometimes carry a lot of emotional baggage. In this episode, I acknowledge some of the reasons people want to pay off their mortgages, but my recommendation a majority of the time is to NOT pay off their mortgage faster than they need to. I'll cover 5 major reasons NOT to pay off your mortgage early. The 4th one is maybe one of the biggest reasons, but n...
Aug 20, 2021•10 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Jonathan Jennings is a software engineer who works in the AR, VR, and videogame spaces and currently helming his indie VR game at Weird Kid Studios named Galactic Bar fight. He’s been a guest lecturer at University and National Conferences. His first published essay Black Unicorn is available to read in the book Game Devs & Others: Tales From The Margins. He’s been involved in multiple development roles including rapid prototyping, core mechanic programming, user Interface engineering, multi...
Aug 13, 2021•51 min•Season 3Ep. 8
The Backdoor ROTH is an advanced planning strategy for high earners and big savers. Should you use a Backdoor ROTH? Two reasons why you'd use a Backdoor ROTH strategy is: 1. You are phased out of making ROTH Contributions due to your high income. 2. You are a big saver and have already maxed out your 401(k) contributions The process to implement a Backdoor ROTH will depend on if you are doing the smaller Backoor ROTH or the MEGA Backoor ROTH. I also cover the biggest mistake I see when people at...
Aug 06, 2021•36 min•Season 3Ep. 7
My guest today is Gina Covarrubias, Certified Life Coach, B.S. Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering (Purdue University), M.S. Mechanical Engineering (University of Utah) Her distinctive background blends life coaching expertise with 12+ years engineering/technology experience in government, academia and corporate aerospace. Gina founded Deliberate Doing LLC, an exclusive STEM coaching service dedicated to helping technical professionals defeat career despair. She solves the common STEM p...
Jul 30, 2021•42 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Join me as I interview a real estate expert, Patrick Soukup of Soukup Real Estate Services in Fort Collins, CO. We cover a wide range of topics from real estate as an investment and personal residence. Patrick also shares his insights on whether we are in a real estate bubble, how to search for a home when you're out of state, and his real estate investment philosophy. https://www.soukuprealestate.com/our-team https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-soukup-cpm-36497225/ https://www.youtube.com/chann...
Jul 23, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Orlando shares his journey from finance, Peace Corp, back to finance and then breaking into tech by writing a jingle. Despite having an MBA and finance background, it took him over 8 months to break into tech. To stand out from the crowd, Orlando wrote Jingles and leveraged Twitter to directly connect with companies. Orlando Gomez is a First-gen Mexican-American from Chicago's South Side. Parents are from Guanajuato and his Dad settled here as a steelworker after working the fields in California...
Jul 16, 2021•45 min•Season 3Ep. 4
I'm a big fan of 401(k) loans, but they shouldn't be taken out lightly. In this episode, I cover the basic rules of a 401(k) loan, the pros, and the cons.
Jul 09, 2021•14 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Josiah Haswell, in addition to being a good friend, is the CoFounder of Sunshower. IO. The first comprehensive, provider-agnostic cloud management platform. In this episode, you will hear how Josiah shifted from corporate tech to being an employee at Startups and ultimately starting up his own companies. Like any business, startup life ebbs and flows, and Josiah shares some of the challenges, he’s faced with his startups over the years. Without further ado, here is Josiah’s interview. Discoverin...
Jul 02, 2021•48 min•Season 3Ep. 2
If you are anything like my family, your spending habits have changed significantly during the pandemic. If you managed to maintain employment throughout this whole period, then you may have found that your savings accounts actually increased. Or maybe you are a stress shopper and managed to find more ways to spend money now that you have more time on your hands. Either way, your spending habits are likely to change again as we approach what will be a new normal. How have your spending habits ch...
Jun 25, 2021•24 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Make SMART Financial Moves in 2021 We made it to 2021! A year like 2020 stretched us thin in many aspects of our lives and that may have included your finances. If you feel you can improve on your finances in 2021 and want to make it a priority, I want to provide you a framework to get started in 2021. Improving your finances is more than dollars and cents, which is why it is so important to start with a vision... a purpose….. a why…... Call it what you want, but you need to focus on what you ac...
Jan 01, 2021•17 min•Season 2Ep. 24
Michael Liendo recorded a live stream with me for this episode. Michael is a self-taught developer who is currently a senior software engineer and AWS community builder. In this episode, Michael shares his career journey and how his family has been a massive motivation in not only breaking into tech but also not settling for positions that are not a good fit, even if it comes with a lot of perks. As well as, the tips and tricks he's used to constantly find the next level of growth opportunities....
Dec 31, 2020•49 min•Season 2Ep. 23
Sorry for any spoilers, but this movie came out in 1946 so…. A few reasons why this movie has been one of my favorites for most of my adulthood is because I worked at a community bank, similar to the Bailey Bros Building and Loan & when I was 20 one of my close childhood friends passed away. Not a money lesson, but just something interesting that happens early in the movie. The Spanish flu kills Mr. Gowers’s son and although there is nothing financial to talk about that, I just thought it wa...
Dec 10, 2020•26 min•Season 2Ep. 22
Joe Previte is a developer, a teacher, and creator of Vim for VSCode . In his spare time, he enjoys creating videos for egghead, writing articles relating to coding, and participating in an online meditation study group. Joe shares the details of his journey from his decision to drop out of grad school and pursuing a career as a developer. Be sure to listen to the end where he opens up about the early obstacle he faced that not many people would have been able to overcome. Dropping out of grad s...
Dec 03, 2020•44 min•Season 2Ep. 21
Have you seen the rough estimates that you should have saved at various ages? These rough targets are useful, but may not be entirely accurate to you and your unique circumstances. I cover the importance of at least being aware of targets for the amount of money you should have saved in retirement accounts. Good excuses why you may not be on track early on in your career Why the older you get, the more relevant the targets become. And how to catch up if you feel you are not on track to hit your ...
Nov 25, 2020•16 min•Season 2Ep. 20
I have Jason Humphrey on the show and I met Jason online originally because he creates a ton of value-packed content on LinkedIn. And when you create awesome content, people tend to like it and share it. And that's how it came across my feed. Jason helps coding Bootcamp, students to land their first high paying job as a professional software developer. And in this episode, Jason talks about his own personal journey where he wasn't as career-focused early on in his career. And how advice from one...
Nov 19, 2020•53 min•Season 2Ep. 19
Do you struggle with your finances during the holidays? I cover 6 tips to take control over the holiday season. This episode was originally created for a live video challenge I'm doing on my social networks, but I wanted to share it with you! Set a limit (budget) Research Free Shipping Make something Be present Experiences over things
Nov 12, 2020•16 min•Season 2Ep. 18
Arnold Morales is the son of two immigrants from Honduras. He started his career with a GED and working at a warehouse where he is wasn't happy. Looking for more he pursued a community college and took an aptitude test that steered him towards mechanical engineering. He co-founded his community college's first Engineering Society. Since then he's earned a Masters Degree and is currently working for his dream employer, Boeing. It wasn't a straight shot to Boeing though, he was rejected 5 times be...
Oct 15, 2020•39 min•Season 2Ep. 17
Justine is a UX/UI Designer and UI Developer on a mission to create a meaningful impact on people’s lives through her craft. She was born and raised in the Philippines. In 2008, she and her family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where she attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and received her B.S. in Entertainment Engineering and Design. In the summer of 2012, she was accepted in the internship program at Cirque du Soleil, where she honed her skills as an Automation Technician at the show “T...
Sep 30, 2020•52 min•Season 2Ep. 16
When it comes to your financial life, it's very easy to rely on the guidance of others, especially since most of our generation were not taught these important topics in school. This episode is to warn you of the financial advice you should BEWARE of as you start to build your financial strategy guide and financial confidence. People and sources who offer advice solicited or not. Family Friends Coworkers Salespeople Social Media News Books Podcasts Experts Fortune cookies Why not all advice is c...
Sep 09, 2020•28 min•Season 2Ep. 15
Josh shares his awesome story on his path into tech. Early on Josh showed an interest for tech and started taking college courses, but a conversation changed his career trajectory. Josh decided to not pursue a tech career and bounced around with different jobs and ended up getting into trouble. He talks about the challenges of finding a job in tech with a felony. Even with the hurdle of having a felony, Josh shared his story on Twitter and it became a really great experience for him. He also sha...
Sep 03, 2020•48 min•Season 2Ep. 14
I share my personal story of quitting my job to start my business, Level Up Financial Planning. While working in a position many would consider a dream position, with a 6-month-old at home, I quit my job. It was the scariest decision I ever made. In addition to my story, I share a few of the financial steps I took before quitting and a couple of things I wish I had done differently. Job hunting Leaving your team Reducing expenses Building a plan Importance of spouses support Health insurance Bei...
Aug 26, 2020•27 min•Season 2Ep. 13
Leo Yockey is a Software Engineer, Writer, and Speaker from Los Angeles. He runs a digital agency called MangoBass Consulting and is an advocate for underrepresented people in the tech industry. Leo shares his unique story and perspective as a transgender black man in tech. Making a career change Self-taught and coding bootcamp resources Importance of a mentor Real-world example of systemic racism Creating multiple streams of income Monetizing your expertise Unlearning money myths Breaking the c...
Aug 13, 2020•50 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Credit Cards Are Awesome! Regardless of what you may have heard, credit cards are pretty awesome financial tools. It’s one of the best forms of credit that you can access and use to help you reach your financial goals. Unfortunately, credit cards can also be one of the biggest culprits of financial chaos. Credit cards are a tool. They are not evil, though you’re open to criticize credit card companies and other financial institutions. Maybe not an expert level, but being able to maximize the ben...
Aug 05, 2020•23 min•Season 2Ep. 11
Will Johnson is a self-taught developer who broke into tech using Twitter. As you can imagine, his path to break into tech wasn't easy. He used a lot of different ways to learn and work towards his goals of becoming a developer so that he could create a comfortable life for his family. Here are the topics we cover in Will's interview Will's path as a self-taught developer Repeating courses to solidify knowledge The struggle of having no experience (being destroyed by lost opportunities) Knowing ...
Jul 29, 2020•33 min•Season 2Ep. 10
If college planning is important to you, then you want to listen to this episode to understand how a 529 plan may be a solution to help you maximize your college savings. 529 Tax benefits 529 Rules Impact on financial aid Alternative Savings Strategies What if my child doesn’t go to college? What if my child receives a full ride? Fee-Only Financial Planner Subscribe Video...
Jul 21, 2020•19 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Valerie is the Executive Director at Tech By Choice and a Senior Software Engineer at Mastery Logistics. She holds a BS in Psychology & Art. Valerie is passionate about creating secure human-centered digital experiences. As a successful self-taught developer, Valerie started Tech By Choice to give back to the community that helped her succeed. Valerie shares her journey into tech from being a Psychology major to becoming a senior software engineer and the founder of Tech By Choice. We cover ...
Jul 15, 2020•32 min•Season 2Ep. 8
I'm excited today to be talking about how financial independence is in your control. One of the biggest factors in whether you will be successful in reaching financial independence is first believing that you can achieve this goal. How to increase your financial confidence How your incomes impact your ability to reach financial independence Understand that everyone has their unique financial challenges Creating your own opportunities for success Remember everyone starts with a different financia...
Jul 06, 2020•18 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Danny Thompson is a passionate software engineer who is on a personal mission to help people find their path into tech. This episode is packed with great information and action items on how to stand out as you seek to land that first or next developer position. Here are just a few of the pieces of wisdom Danny provides in this episode. PHD Not Required Free CodeCamp Benefits of Meetups & Finding and Building Community The Worst Possible Thing to Say to Aspiring Developers Showing Passion to ...
Jun 30, 2020•38 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Most people work with their financial planners for the rest of their lives due to the unique relationship that is formed by trusting each other to tackle important life goals. With that in mind, it is important to make sure you have a planner that is going to be a good fit for you. The variation in choices and fits are as unique as the options of bread that you can choose at most supermarkets. To help you determine the right fit with a potential planner, here are the top ten questions to ask you...
Jun 22, 2020•23 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Should you refinance your mortgage loan? This has been one of the most popular questions I've helped my clients tackle over the last few months. When weighing the pros and cons of refinancing your mortgage, you should consider the following: How Long Do You Plan To Stay How Much Will It Cost When Do You Breakeven Should You Do A Cash-Out Refinance Alternatives To A 30-Year Mortgage Fee-Only Financial Planner...
Jun 15, 2020•15 min•Season 2Ep. 3
