Prices are up. Budgets are tighter. And people are making some surprising choices about what stays and what goes. The woman skipping the new laptop and the graduation dress is still booked for a Disney cruise, a Bruno Mars concert, and a trip to Lake Erie. It turns out inflation doesn't just squeeze your wallet -- it forces a conversation about what you actually value. Joe, OG, Paula Pant, and Doc G dig into where people are drawing the line, why experiences outlast stuff in the happiness resear...
May 22, 2026•56 min•Ep. 1845
Every family knows the feeling. You spend $1,000 to get everyone to the happiest place on Earth, and by 1:30 someone's crying, someone's sunburned, and somebody just paid $18 for a hotdog. Robert Niles from Theme Park Insider (the site that Robert jokes AI is pulling all its theme park data from) comes back to the basement to help you avoid that fate. This year he's also got strong opinions on which park is winning summer 2026, and it's not the one you'd expect. What You'll Walk Away With Why th...
May 20, 2026•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 1844
You wake up, check your portfolio, and realize one stock has quietly become your entire retirement plan. Maybe it came from an employee stock purchase plan. Maybe Grandma left you a pile of Apple shares. Maybe you bought NVIDIA in 2012 because you liked the graphics card and forgot about it. However you got here, the problem is the same: one company now owns you. Joe and OG walk through exactly how to unwind it -- slowly, tax-efficiently, and without making the emotional decisions that cost peop...
May 18, 2026•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 1843
What actually separates people who build lasting wealth from everyone else? Not the tips. Not the apps. The habits. Joe put the question to a panel of financial planners, coaches, and bloggers -- and turned it into a game. Seven habits, three rounds, two points up for grabs. Monica Scudieri, who paid off $257,000 in debt and reached financial independence in 10 years, joined OG and Jesse Cramer to find out how well the conventional wisdom matches what actually works. What You'll Walk Away With T...
May 15, 2026•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 1842
Thirty years ago Beth Kobliner wrote the book that a generation of financial planners handed to their clients' kids. The core advice still holds. But the world around it has changed dramatically -- frictionless spending, gambling apps disguised as investment platforms, and a housing market where the average first-time buyer is now 40. Beth comes back to the basement with an updated edition of Get a Financial Life and a clear-eyed take on what's harder now, what's easier, and what was always just...
May 13, 2026•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 1841
A new study just confirmed what most people in their 40s already feel but rarely say out loud: running out of money is scarier than death. Gen X is leading that number at 73% -- and the reasons why make a lot of sense when you look at what that generation is actually navigating. No pensions. Rising costs. Longer retirements. Markets that never seem to settle. Joe, OG, and Len Penzo dig into the data, the psychology, and the practical steps that actually move the needle. What You'll Walk Away Wit...
May 11, 2026•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 1840
Ever spend an entire afternoon trying to save 38 cents… while completely ignoring the $10 decision sitting right in front of you? Yeah. We’ve all been there. In today’s roundtable, we’re diving into the money habits that actually build wealth, and the ones that just make you feel productive while your financial progress spins its wheels. From lifestyle inflation to automated savings to the tiny “money hacks” people obsess over, this episode is all about separating the moves that matter from the ...
May 08, 2026•35 min•Ep. 1839
Getting to your first $25,000 saved is harder than anything that comes after it. Not because the math is complicated -- because the habits aren't built yet, the fixed expenses are already set, and the standard advice about cutting small treats completely misses where the real leverage is. Scott Trench, VP of Operations at BiggerPockets and author of Set for Life, brings a roadmap that challenges almost everything you've heard about getting started -- and it begins with a decision most people are...
May 06, 2026•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 1838
What if the reason your investment decisions feel so hard isn't the market -- it's how you're wired to think about outcomes? Annie Duke spent years as a professional poker player winning over $4 million in tournaments, then devoted the next chapter of her career to understanding why smart people consistently make bad decisions. The answer has nothing to do with intelligence and everything to do with how we confuse results with quality. She brings the full framework down to the basement today. Wh...
May 04, 2026•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 1837
You've seen the ads. Invest like the ultra-wealthy. Get access to what the 1% does. But what does the 1% actually do -- and how much of it should a normal person try to copy? Joe, OG, comedian and finance educator Roxanne Duckels, and Jesse Cramer run every popular "rich people investing" idea through a simple filter: steal it, scale it, or skip it. The answers will surprise you -- especially the one where OG wants to delete an entire asset class from existence. What You'll Walk Away With Why lo...
May 01, 2026•57 min•Ep. 1836
Haley Sacks didn't grow up knowing what a 401k was. She was nannying for a kid named Winthrop on the Upper East Side, doing comedy at night, and getting paid cash under the table. Then she sat in an HR meeting and her eyes glazed over -- and she decided that was the last time she'd be caught unprepared with her own money. Today she's Mrs. Dow Jones, with millions of followers and a new book. The basement finally got her in the chair, and she did not hold back. What You'll Walk Away With The "fut...
Apr 29, 2026•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 1835
Most investors spend their energy asking the wrong question. It's not which fund is best -- it's which combination of funds gets you to your actual goal at a cost and complexity level you'll actually maintain. Joe and OG break down the full index investing playbook: where to start, when to add complexity, what Wall Street calls indexing that really isn't, and the one number that should change how you think about your entire portfolio. What You'll Walk Away With Why the real argument for index in...
Apr 27, 2026•57 min•Ep. 1834
Most people glance at their balance and move on. Joe Saul-Sehy, OG, Paula Pant, and Jesse Cramer argue that's exactly where the money quietly disappears. This week they go statement by statement, credit card through brokerage, and share what actually deserves your attention and what you can safely ignore. In this episode: The one thing on your credit card statement that trips up even careful spenders, why focusing on your 401k rate of return is the wrong move, the underinsured coverage gap most ...
Apr 24, 2026•53 min•Ep. 1833
Blockchain. Stablecoins. Wallets. Staking. Halvings. If you've spent the last few years nodding confidently through crypto conversations while quietly hoping nobody asks a follow-up question -- this episode is for you. Retired anesthesiologist and trading veteran Joe Duarte went from crypto skeptic to informed pragmatist, and today he brings the plain-English breakdown that most crypto content assumes you don't need. No hype. No moon talk. Just the vocabulary, the mechanics, and the honest risks...
Apr 22, 2026•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 1832
Most people think about investing in terms of what to buy. Joe Saul-Sehy, OG, and CFP Anna Allem argue the more important question is where you put it. This week they break down the three-bucket tax triangle that could save you thousands in retirement, plus answer listener questions on Trump accounts, UTMAs, and how to pull together a home down payment when your money is locked up in all the wrong places. In this episode: The difference between pre-tax, brokerage, and tax-free investing and why ...
Apr 20, 2026•54 min•Ep. 1831
What would you ask about money if you had the mic? Live from Texas A&M Texarkana, Joe Saul-Sehy, Paula Pant, and financial educator Jay Davis take questions from students facing real-world money decisions—like choosing between passion and paycheck, avoiding lifestyle creep, investing safely, and building a financial future from scratch. If you're in your 20s—or wish you could do them over—this episode is packed with the advice we wish we knew earlier . Plus: Doug climbs into the rafters (aga...
Apr 17, 2026•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 1830
The same mental patterns that cause investors to panic-sell during a downturn, chase validation through status purchases, or freeze up when facing big financial decisions -- those are the exact patterns performance coach Jim Murphy has spent decades helping elite athletes overcome. His framework isn't about trying harder. It's about getting aligned. And today he brings it down to the basement to help Stackers apply it to the one game that matters most -- the one you play with your own money and ...
Apr 15, 2026•54 min•Ep. 1829
Oil prices up. Tariffs in the headlines. Markets bouncing. Your phone serving you a fresh reason to panic every 10 seconds. This week Joe Saul-Sehy and OG break down why everything you're feeling right now is normal, why acting on it is the mistake, and how to think about your portfolio when the world feels like it's on fire. Plus CFP Anna Allem joins OG for the basics segment, walking through the three-bucket investing framework that makes it easier to ignore the noise. In this episode: Why vol...
Apr 13, 2026•53 min•Ep. 1828
Most people don't start thinking seriously about retirement until their forties. If that's you, the good news is you're not behind. You're normal. And this week three CFPs, Jackie Cummings Koski, Roger Whitney, and OG break down exactly what to do, in what order, starting right now. In this episode: Why panic is the enemy of a good retirement plan, the first place your money should go before anything else, why your savings rate matters more than finding the perfect investment, and the one invest...
Apr 10, 2026•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 1827
Retirement expert Jamie Hopkins has spent 20 years helping people plan for retirement, and his most counterintuitive advice stops most savers cold: in the final years before you retire, putting more money away might actually be hurting you. This week he joins Joe and OG to explain why, and what to do instead. In this episode: Why financially prepared retirees still end up miserable, how to practice spending before you retire, the home bias that quietly tanks your portfolio and your quality of li...
Apr 08, 2026•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 1826
A Kiplinger study of 1,000+ everyday millionaires found four traits that kept showing up. None of them involve a big salary, a hot stock tip, or a lucky break. This week Len Penzo, OG, and Joe dig into what those habits actually look like in practice, how to train yourself to spend with intention, and how to find a financial advisor who does what you actually need. In this episode: The "Midwest millionaire" traits anyone can adopt, why becoming a great saver can make you a terrible spender, the ...
Apr 06, 2026•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 1825
Most of us were never taught this stuff. So, where do you actually start? Thirty-nine states now require a personal finance course to graduate from high school. That's real progress — and it still might not be enough. Because financial education isn't a one-time event. It's a living curriculum that has to grow with you, stay connected to your actual life, and — crucially — help you get out of your own way when things get emotionally charged. This week, Joe and the crew build that curriculum from...
Apr 03, 2026•1 hr 5 min
Bola Sokunbi didn't start with advantages. She started with a $54,000 salary she never negotiated, a rollover IRA mistake that cost her 40% of her savings, a tenant who stopped paying rent for eight months, and a first year of business that generated exactly $200. She's also built one of the most influential personal finance brands in the country and helped millions of people on the path to becoming millionaires. The gap between those two things isn't luck. It's four pillars -- and she walks thr...
Apr 01, 2026•1 hr 3 min
Markets are down. Social media is loud. And somewhere in the back of your mind, a voice is asking if you should do something. That voice has cost investors more money than any bear market in history. Joe and OG dig into what actually separates disciplined investors from everyone panic-refreshing their brokerage account -- and how to build the guardrails that keep you from making the one mistake that derails everything you've built. What You'll Walk Away With Why the average intra-year market dec...
Mar 30, 2026•47 min
Willpower has a terrible track record with money. It works until it doesn't, and then your good intentions are the first thing to go when life gets busy. The investors and savers who actually make consistent progress aren't trying harder. They've built systems that keep running in the background whether they're paying attention or not. Joe Saul-Sehy, OG, Paula Pant, and Jesse Cramer break down the small, repeatable habits that quietly move the needle -- and why simpler usually wins. What You'll ...
Mar 27, 2026•1 hr 5 min
The best investors in the world are wrong -- a lot. Researchers Claire Flynn Levy and Lee Freeman-Shor spent over a decade studying elite money managers and found that being right about stock picks isn't actually what separates the winners. What separates them is what happens after the pick. The discipline, the rules, the willingness to act when the data changes -- and the ability to remove emotion from decisions most people make entirely on feeling. What You'll Walk Away With Why top investors ...
Mar 25, 2026•1 hr 7 min
If your emergency fund feels like it's just sitting there doing nothing, you might be measuring the wrong thing. The real return on cash isn't the yield -- it's what that cash helps you avoid. Panic selling during a downturn. High-interest debt after an unexpected bill. Tapping your 401(k) at exactly the wrong moment. Joe and OG reframe emergency savings not as a financial placeholder, but as a strategic asset quietly holding your entire plan together. What You'll Walk Away With Why your emergen...
Mar 23, 2026•1 hr 3 min
Your financial plan is only as good as what happens to it under pressure. A market drop. A job loss. An inflation spike that turns "fine" into "wait, what?" Most portfolios are quietly optimized for the good times, and that's exactly why they crack when things get uncomfortable. This week, Joe, Paula, Jesse, and special guest Paul Merriman aren't chasing the highest returns. They're building for something harder: a system that doesn't force bad decisions when everything around it is going sidewa...
Mar 20, 2026•1 hr 7 min
What if reaching financial independence was the easy part? Amy Minkley spent years optimizing toward her number — then hit it and discovered something nobody's spreadsheet prepares you for: freedom without purpose feels surprisingly empty. She joins Joe and OG to talk about what actually fills the gap: community, meaning, and building something instead of just escaping something. Then the basement crew gets practical. Because even the most purpose-driven life still needs its foundations. Joe and...
Mar 18, 2026•56 min
A 401(k) loan often looks harmless. You're borrowing from yourself, the interest comes back to you, and you'll pay it back before it matters -- right? But the fastest way to protect your retirement isn't understanding how loans and hardship withdrawals work. It's building a financial life where you almost never need them. Joe and OG dig into why more people are tapping retirement accounts than ever, and what confident investors quietly do differently. What You'll Walk Away With Why the biggest r...
Mar 16, 2026•1 hr 9 min
