Join Scott Bennett & Dan Otter for today's episode on 403bwise; an organization that Dan founded to help K-12 educators navigate and make the best of a very flawed 403b system. In this episode, they discuss different resources available, things to look out for in your plan, and questions to ask your plan administrators - insights that can be applied to not just 403b's, but all employer sponsored plans. 403bwise.org
Join Scott Bennett & veterinarian Dr. Sarah Neuser as they discuss some of the costs associated with owning pets, in addition to how you can minimize certain expenses through preventative care. Additionally, Dr. Neuser goes over some of the benefits of holding Pet Insurance, as well as what to look for when price shopping and selecting your plan.
As a sequel to our last episode, Part 2 focuses on a conversation between Jennifer Edwards & Nikki Wolff. They discuss how she addressed these subjects in her own home, when she introduced certain concepts, and what she learned along the way.
Join us today for part one of a two-part podcast on Financially Literate Homes. 3rd Decade's Lead Financial Mentor, Jennifer Edwards, made financially literacy a big part of her children's upbringing. For this episode, her 3 children came on to discuss what this looked like for them growing up, how it's shaped them, and what they plan to implement in their own families some day. For our next episode, you will hear Jennifer share her personal insights behind why she did what she did, when she beg...
Join Scott and Nikki as they converse with 3rd Decade team member, Nicole, about how she's incorporated no-spend challenges into her life, as well as other ways she and her husband have financially, mentally, and physically challenged themselves and made discretion a huge part of their lives. A few notes from Nicole: A no-spend month isn’t a replacement for tracking your spending and setting a proper budget, but it is one way to see just how much of your spending is ‘discretionary’ which roughly...
Join Nikki for a short episode on Grocery Budgeting; a common topic that comes up in financial discussions. Topics covered in this episode include: general guidelines for how much to spend on food, reducing food waste, and ways to reduce costs. Resources: Mr. Money Mustache - Killing Your $1000 Grocery Bill USDA Cost of Food Chart How Much Should I Budget for Groceries Each Month? Budget Friendly Meal Plans...
Join Scott Bennett & Sam Swift as they reflect on this last year. Sam shares openly how even he had a moment of doubt in 2020, and how he was able to get his mind back on course and look at the data to ease the anxiety many of us were experiencing. Ultimately proving once again that staying the course serves the patient people well.
Join Scott Bennett & Nikki Wolff as they discuss the intersection between minimalism and finances. Nikki discusses how she defines minimalism, as well as a few of the misconceptions about it. They share their team member Nicole's philosophy surrounding goal setting and discuss how someone might be able to determine what their values are and how that might affect the way they spend their money.
Scott, Nikki & Bob discuss current trending events in the stock market to bring clarity to what’s happening, as well as to answer some questions many of us might be asking ourselves.
Join Scott Bennett & Nikita Wolff as they discuss negotiating bills, including: ways to prepare for it, personal stories, and strategies for doing so.
Join Nikita Wolff & Scott Bennett as they discuss having children and how to financially plan for it. Nikita takes over as host for this episode to give Scott an opportunity to share his first-hand experience as a parent to 2 children. In this episode, they discuss: -What they had in place beforehand that made them feel ready -Saving up ahead of time -The surprising expenses -Ways to reduce some of the "expected" costs of growing your family -Engaging in free services -529 plans Resources: S...
Join Scott Bennett (Executive Director at 3rd Decade) and Ashley Ilardo (Regional Director at Dimensional Fund Advisors) as they discuss 3rd Decade's new partnership with Dimensional Fund Advisors. In this episode, Ashley & Scott discuss the history of Dimensional, how this partnership will roll out, why we decided to partner together, how we align, and where we're expanding to in the coming months. To learn more about Dimensional, visit: https://us.dimensional.com/...
Join Scott Bennett and Jennifer Edwards as they discuss ways to approach the decision of furthering your education, especially as it pertains to taking out student debt. Jennifer suggests different ways to help hone in on the direction you'd like to go, as well as if it's experience and knowledge, or a specific credential that will help you meet your goals. Audio correction: 29:13 "I feel sad when I see situations where somebody graduates with a degree that didn't have a lot of value in the work...
Join Scott and Nikki as they co-host this episode focused on making the decision to buy a house. One of the common questions we receive is "what are some indicators for me to know when I'm in a good place to buy a home?" Some of the additional topics addressed in this episode are: First-time home buyers programs (pros & cons) The true cost of home ownership The inevitable unplanned home expense Things to have in order prior to making the decision to purchase Who to take advice from PMI...
Join Scott & Beth as they discuss what inspired the creation of "Budget Bytes". In this conversation, they discuss: eating on a budget, reducing food waste, and dispelling the myth that eating healthy is expensive. To see more, visit: budgetbytes.com
Join Scott Bennett & Diane Darling as they discuss Couples & Money. It's no secret that finances are one of the leading stressors in relationships. Tune in to listen to suggested methods of managing money for the health of both individuals as well as the health of the relationship.
Scott is joined by Yanely Espinal, the Director of Educational Outreach at NextGen Personal Finance, to discuss financial education for those not quite in their 3rd Decade. Yanely shares what NextGen is doing to make an impact on how (and if) personal finance is taught in schools across the country. https://www.ngpf.org/ https://www.missbehelpful.com/
Join Scott Bennett and Rebecca Hildenbrand as they discuss the real ways Rebecca applied 3rd Decade's principles to her own life in order to meet her goals of becoming consumer-debt free, as well as what her next steps are.
Scott talks with Kyle Larson, CFP®, an Associate Advisor with TCI Wealth Advisors and mentor with the 3rd Decade about a few of the more technical topics we touch on in our curriculum - ETFs and Mutual Funds. Kyle breaks down some of the similarities and differences between the two investment vehicles, along with why someone might choose one over the other.
Special FAQ Episode: "Will Social Security be around when I retire?" "Should I make it part of my financial plan?" "How closely are the economy and the stock market tied to one another?" Join Scott and Bob as they discuss some of the most common questions we've been receiving recently, and how to make decisions based on logic rather than fear.
Join Scott Bennett & Nikita Wolff as they discuss the role of Money & Shame, ways to begin breaking down those barriers, and some theories of what spurs this on in the first place. "Nikki" is a 3rd Decade Alumni, and now serves as the Program Manager for 3rd Decade. Having spent much of her life living below the poverty line, she applied the concepts she was raised with of "living within your means" and worked hard to develop the tools and habits that she needed to in order to get throug...
Join Scott Bennett & Courtney Klein as they discuss entrepreneurship, fluctuating income, and ways to manage finances within that space. Courtney shares her background and what pushed her to pursue her dream, and what she does to plan accordingly for her finances while also living the life truest to her values.
Join Scott and Jeff Locke (former NFL Punter) as they discuss money management within the NFL, some common misconceptions, and how the basics of responsible money management apply whether you're a teacher or an NFL player.
Join Scott & Jen as they discuss Student Loans in terms of Repayment (one of the most widely misunderstood and confusing topics within student loans). Some repayment methods discussed in this episode are: 10-year Standard Repayments, Income-Driven Repayment, and Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). Resources: https://studentaid.gov/ https://www.vin.com/studentdebtcenter/...
Join us this week as we learn more about socially responsible investing with Lily Styrmoe. ESG investing (also known as: socially conscious, "green", or ethical investing) is a strategy that allows individuals to invest their money in companies that align with their values. Resources coming soon.
On this week's episode, Scott talks frugality with past 3rd Decade participant TK. TK and his wife have been, by far, the most successful students to pass through the 3rd Class as far as consistent net worth increases over the past four years. In fact, we often exclude their numbers, so as not to overstate the stats, when describing the improvement seen by the average 3rd Decade participant. Him and his wife paid their way through college and graduated debt free, purchased a home in their mid-tw...
Join Scott and Laura as they discuss strategies for budgeting amidst emergencies and emergency preparedness, as well as ways that they can serve as peace of mind and permission to safely spend. Laura is one of our founding team members, who has worked with hundreds of 3rd Decaders on reclaiming their lives through sound financial decision-making. As many of us are seeing a change in our hours, and in some cases even job loss, this year has been a wakeup call to many individuals living paycheck t...
Join our host Scott Bennett as he and 3rd Decade Founder, Bob Swift discuss market volatility and the potential impact of COVID-19 for near-future and long-term. Note: It is our intention to hold podcast recordings in-person with professional equipment when it is safe to do so, but in an effort to begin sharing our messages in these trying times, we are temporarily utilizing phone-call recordings. The average person who invests their money has ~6 of these events throughout their lives. Why does ...
