The Stacking Benjamins Show - podcast cover

The Stacking Benjamins Show

Joe Saul-Sehy and Josh ‘OG’ Bannerman, CFPart19.com

Named Best Personal Finance Podcast by Bankrate.com and Kiplinger — and the only podcast the Plutus Awards retired from competition after winning twice — The Stacking Benjamins Show is personal finance that doesn’t put you to sleep.

Hosts Joe Saul-Sehy (former 16-year financial advisor, ex-WXYZ-TV “Money Man”) and Josh “OG” Bannerman, CFP (Certified Financial Planner, Bannerman Wealth) sit around the card table in Joe’s mom’s half-finished basement in Texarkana and talk money with the smartest guests in personal finance, investing, and behavioral economics. As Fast Company wrote, the show “strikes a great balance of fun and functional.”

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: expert guests, real headlines, listener questions, and Doug’s trivia. Topics include investing, retirement planning, budgeting, real estate, behavioral finance, taxes, and financial independence — for anyone who wants to be smarter about money without being talked down to.

Subscribe to The 201 — the free newsletter that goes deeper than the show — at stackingbenjamins.com/201

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Episodes

Why Doing Less With Your Money Is the New Investing Edge (SB1815)

Millennials didn't just change how people invest -- they changed what investing even looks like. Cheaper, faster, more automated, and occasionally more dangerous than anything that came before. The real question isn't whether to adopt their habits. It's which ones are actually building wealth and which ones are quietly lighting your portfolio on fire. Joe, OG, Jen Smith (Frugal Friends), and Doc G (Earn & Invest) sort the signal from the noise. What You'll Walk Away With The quiet Millennial...

Mar 13, 20261 hr 8 min

When Money Rules Don't Match Real Life (Your Questions!) SB1814

Personal finance loves clean rules. Save 20%. Follow the 4% rule. Always max the 401(k). But real life rarely cooperates with tidy formulas. This week Joe Saul-Sehy, OG, and guest co-host CFP Anna Allem dig into the gap between the advice we hear and the messy decisions we actually face. What your savings rate really means. How often you should rethink inflation assumptions. Why a mysterious tax form after a backdoor Roth conversion might not be the crisis it first appears to be. Turns out some ...

Mar 11, 202659 min

Private Equity for Regular People: Higher Returns or a Very Expensive Lesson? SB1813

The ultra-wealthy get access to private equity, private credit, and pre-IPO deals the rest of us don't. Now, suddenly, those same deals are being marketed to you . Coincidence? Maybe. Cause for suspicion? Absolutely. Joe, OG, and Doug settle in at the basement desk (yes, Joe's mom's basement — the most prestigious financial address in podcasting) to dig into a Wall Street Journal headline asking whether everyday investors should be chasing the same private deals as the 1%. OG breaks down why "ex...

Mar 09, 202655 min

Should You Invest When the Market Feels Too High? SB1812

The market feels expensive. Again. So should you invest or wait for a pullback? Joe Saul-Sehy brings together a powerhouse roundtable featuring Len Penzo, Paula Pant (Afford Anything), and Greg McFarlane to tackle the question every investor faces when markets hit new highs. The twist? This conversation originally happened in 2016 when the SPY ETF which tracks the S&P 500 was trading at around $190. Today it's near $700. Everyone who waited for the "right time" back then missed massive gains...

Mar 06, 202646 min

Around the World in 80 Days: The Travel Mindset That Makes Retirement Bigger (SB1811)

What if retirement isn't about doing less, but about becoming more? George Jerjian spent his career as a retirement mindset coach, helping others navigate life after work. Then he decided to practice what he preached. He planned an 80-day round-the-world journey, intentionally choosing unfamiliar countries where he'd be forced out of his comfort zone and into transformation. This greatest hits crossover from Stacking Adventures brings George's story to the basement, not because it's about exotic...

Mar 04, 20261 hr 8 min

Building Courage One Small Step at a Time SB1810

If Jen Drummond can climb K2, you can open that Roth IRA. That's the premise of this greatest hits episode featuring mountaineer and author Jen Drummond, who became the first woman to complete the Seven Second Summits. But here's why we're replaying this conversation from early 2024: it's not about mountaineering. It's about courage. Joe Saul-Sehy opens by explaining why courage matters for your money goals. It takes courage to look at your financial life honestly, to try something new like open...

Mar 02, 20261 hr 20 min

You Don't Need to Be a Money Genius to Win SB1809

Live from Joe's mom's basement (where humility is encouraged and spreadsheets are optional), the crew tackles a deceptively simple question. If most people think they're above average with money, what advice actually helps someone who isn't? Joe Saul-Sehy, OG, Doug, Jesse Cramer, and guest Whitney Hanson (Money Nerds podcast) run a thought experiment inspired by Morgan Housel's observation that nearly everyone believes they're financially smarter than the median. What straightforward moves keep ...

Feb 27, 20261 hr 8 min

How She Eliminated a $43,000 Hospital Bill (SB1808)

Live from Joe's mom's basement (where the jokes are free but hospital care apparently isn't), the Stacking Benjamins crew tackles two very real financial stressors: surprise medical debt and a shifting housing market. First up is Imani Vance, who joined the Coast Guard at 19 and soon faced a nightmare scenario. What started as appendicitis escalated to severe sepsis after limited on-base resources and long waits for off-base care. After hospitalization, including treatment for an abscess and eve...

Feb 25, 202652 min

Suze Orman Changes Her Mind on Working to 70 (SB1807)

Live from Joe's mom's basement (complete with dog mugs, birthday roasting, and Doug polishing his trivia crown), the crew tackles a headline that caught plenty of attention. Suze Orman backing off her long held stance that everyone should work until age 70. Does that mean you shouldn't work longer? Not exactly. Joe Saul-Sehy, OG, Doug, and special guest Len Penzo break down the math behind working into your late 60s or beyond. More years to save, more compounding, fewer years drawing down assets...

Feb 23, 202657 min

How to Talk to Kids About Money (Without Making It Weird) SB1806

Want your kids to grow into confident money decision-makers without turning every dinner conversation into a financial lecture? In this roundtable episode, Joe sits down with Livia (“Liv”) Roder , host of the Liv Lab Podcast, Karen Holland of GiftingSense.org, and John Lanza , host of the Art of Allowance Podcast to explore what actually helps kids understand money before the stakes get big. Instead of theory, this discussion focuses on real moments when money suddenly becomes real: college pric...

Feb 20, 20261 hr

Best Tax Software for 2026 (And Handling Market Drops) SB1805

Live from Joe's mom's basement (where receipts go to be judged and spreadsheets fear OG), this episode tackles two big questions Stackers are asking right now. What's the best tax software for filing your 2025 return? And what should normal, long term investors make of gold, silver, and crypto taking a wild ride? Joe Saul-Sehy and OG are joined by Robert Farrington from The College Investor to break down the tax software landscape without the marketing fluff. Because if you're our Stacker avatar...

Feb 18, 202657 min

The Boring Plan That Built $2 Million SB1804

Think building seven figure wealth requires exotic investments or perfect timing? This President's Day episode from Joe's mom's basement tells a very different story. Joe Saul-Sehy, OG, and Neighbor Doug dig into a Kiplinger My First Million case study featuring a Wisconsin couple who started saving at age 32 with exactly zero invested and quietly built $2 million over the next 22 years using mostly retirement accounts and steady habits. Their success sparks a bigger conversation about why simpl...

Feb 16, 20261 hr 9 min

Love It or Leave It: Financial Edition (SB1803)

Nothing says romance like a heated debate about the 4% rule. Live from the basement (which suspiciously resembles YouTube headquarters), Joe Saul-Sehy, OG, Neighbor Doug, and the panel celebrate Valentine's Day weekend the only way Stackers know how: by putting their favorite financial ideas on the hot seat. This isn't a polite discussion. It's a rapid fire "love it or leave it" showdown where popular money strategies either get roses or get shown the door. On the chopping block: Paying off a lo...

Feb 13, 20261 hr 1 min

How to Talk About Money Without Fighting SB1802

What's more romantic than roses and chocolate? How about not fighting about money. Joe Saul-Sehy and OG welcome Douglas and Heather Boneparth, the financial planning power couple who literally wrote the book on navigating money in relationships. Broadcasting from the basement (where love is patient and spreadsheets are kind), the crew dives into how people can build financial trust, avoid money secrets, and actually enjoy talking about dollars without it turning into a heavyweight title fight. W...

Feb 11, 202658 min

Are You Investing or Just Placing Bets? SB1801

Joe Saul-Sehy, OG, and Neighbor Doug pull up a rickety basement chair and unpack a growing trend: people treating investing like a series of high stakes bets instead of a long term plan. Sparked by a recent Wall Street Journal piece on aggressive investing, the gang digs into where the line is between smart risk taking and straight up gambling with your future. Using plenty of real world examples and a few basement metaphors, the crew breaks down how stocks, businesses, options, and even so-call...

Feb 09, 202654 min

The Worst Money Advice Ever (Episode 1800!)

Eighteen hundred episodes calls for something special, and what better way to celebrate than by dragging the absolute worst money advice into the light and laughing at it together? Special guest and CFP Sarah Catherine Guiterrez from Aptus Financial joins Joe Saul-Sehy, Neighbor Doug, Paula Pant (Afford Anything), and Jesse Cramer (Personal Finance for Long Term Investors) for a rapid-fire, no mercy takedown of the most damaging financial clichés ever passed down at family dinners, car dealershi...

Feb 06, 20261 hr 8 min

Building a Wealth Machine That Lasts Generations (SB1799)

Whitney Elkins-Hutten's story isn't about overnight success or getting lucky. It's about building a wealth machine that keeps working even when life throws curveballs. Broadcast as always from Joe's mom's basement, this episode explores how Whitney went from a modest, very 1970s upbringing to creating systems that generate lasting wealth, and what everyday people can realistically take from her experience. Yes, she built an $800 million real estate portfolio, but this conversation is about somet...

Feb 04, 20261 hr 12 min

Stop Leaving Money on the Table at Tax Time (SB1798)

Taxes don't have to feel like something that happens to you. Joe Saul-Sehy, OG, and Neighbor Doug break down the biggest recent tax changes and, more importantly, how to use them intentionally instead of accidentally leaving money on the table. This isn't about memorizing the tax code or becoming a DIY CPA. It's about understanding where the real opportunities are right now, which moves matter most at different life stages, and how smart planning today can quietly add up to thousands of dollars ...

Feb 02, 202649 min

How to Get 1% Better Without Burning Out (SB1797)

What if the path to better money decisions, more confidence, and a calmer life wasn't a massive overhaul but just getting a tiny bit better today than you were yesterday? Joe Saul-Sehy, Neighbor Doug, OG, and Paula Pant (Afford Anything) are joined by David Gillis, creator of the 1% Better Conference, for a roundtable exploring the surprisingly powerful idea of improving by just 1% at a time. No vision boards. No 5 a.m. ice baths. Just small, intentional choices that compound into real results, ...

Jan 30, 20261 hr 6 min

The Science of Better Ideas with George Newman SB1796

Where do great ideas come from, and why do they always show up in the shower, on a walk, or five minutes after you've stopped trying so hard? Joe Saul-Sehy, OG, and Neighbor Doug welcome this week's mentor, behavioral scientist George Newman, to unpack how creativity really works and how Stackers can use it to make better decisions with money, careers, and life. This isn't about becoming "more creative" in a woo-woo sense. It's about understanding the conditions that consistently produce better ...

Jan 28, 20261 hr

When to Trust Your Gut and When to Trust the Math SB1795

Ever made a money move that felt right then immediately wondered if you just emotionally invested in a bad idea? We've all done it. Some of us have receipts. Joe Saul-Sehy, OG, and Neighbor Doug tackle one of the trickiest parts of personal finance: knowing when to trust your gut and when your gut needs to sit down and let the math speak. Because here's the thing. Most Stackers aren't struggling because they don't know what a Roth IRA is. You're struggling because real life decisions don't happe...

Jan 26, 20261 hr 10 min

How to Afford Life Without Living Like a Monk (SB1794)

Inflation may be doing its best to body slam your budget, but this episode is all about fighting back without turning your life into a sad spreadsheet. Joe Saul-Sehy, Neighbor Doug, Paula Pant (Afford Anything), and Jesse Cramer (Personal Finance for Long Term Investors) are joined by special guest Justin Brown-Woods (Price of Avocado Toast) for a roundtable tackling the big question Stackers keep asking: Why does life feel so expensive even when I'm doing everything right? Instead of the usual ...

Jan 23, 20261 hr 3 min

How to Make Your Money Support the Life You Want (SB1793)

What if your money stopped dictating your schedule and started supporting the life you actually want to live? Joe Saul-Sehy welcomes CFP Dana Anspach of Sensible Money as special guest co-host for an episode featuring this week's mentor, Andy Hill. Andy shares how he stepped away from the corporate grind, redesigned his priorities, and built a life where family and flexibility came first. His story isn't about escaping work. It's about building a financial foundation that gives you options. Then...

Jan 21, 20261 hr 19 min

How to Prioritize Your Money: Listener Q&A (SB1792)

Ever feel like your money questions don't fit neatly into one category? One minute you're thinking about retirement, the next it's insurance, emergency funds, gifting money, or whether your workplace plan is helping or hurting you. This is one of those episodes where Stackers bring the real-life questions, and Joe Saul-Sehy, CFP Anna Allem, and Neighbor Doug help sort through the noise. It's a true Q&A show built from the issues you're wrestling with right now. No perfect spreadsheets. No on...

Jan 19, 20261 hr 4 min

The Money Habits to Keep and Ditch in 2026 (SB1791)

Some people kick off a new year with a vision board. We prefer a runway show in sweatpants from Joe's mom's basement. Joe Saul-Sehy, OG, and Neighbor Doug throw personal finance into the spotlight and ask the question every Stacker secretly loves: What's officially "so last year" in your money plan, and what's worth keeping for 2026? Because here's the truth. You don't need a total financial makeover. You need a few smart "wardrobe swaps" that fit your real life. The habits that quietly drain yo...

Jan 16, 20261 hr 8 min

Build Income Beyond Your Paycheck (SB1790)

If you're making decent money but still feel like you're one bad month away from stress, this episode is for you. Joe Saul-Sehy, OG, and Neighbor Doug sit down with Mel Abraham to talk about something most Stackers think about but don't know how to start: creating income that doesn't depend entirely on showing up to work every single day. Not side hustle mania or get-rich-quick schemes. Just practical ways to build what Mel calls a "money engine" that makes your financial life steadier and way l...

Jan 14, 202657 min

Breaking Money Rules and Playing Survivor Pantry SB1789

What if some of the "rules" you've been told about money aren't rules at all, just assumptions that haven't been questioned lately? Joe Saul-Sehy, OG, and Neighbor Doug pull apart a handful of deeply held financial beliefs and see what holds up when real life enters the conversation. From Social Security timing to investment return expectations, the crew explores where common advice works, where it falls short, and why context matters more than catchy rules of thumb. Along the way, the discussio...

Jan 12, 20261 hr 9 min

Our Annual Magic 8 Ball Predictions for 2026 (SB1788)

It's that time of year when we look ahead, squint confidently into the future, and pretend we have any idea what's coming next. In this annual Stacking Benjamins tradition, Joe Saul-Sehy welcomes back Mindy Jensen from the BiggerPockets Money Podcast, Len Penzo of LenPenzo.com, and OG for the predictions episode that blends money talk, pop culture, and just enough nonsense to keep everyone honest. Instead of pretending anyone can forecast the markets, the crew leans into what really matters: how...

Jan 09, 20261 hr 18 min

Making Time for What Matters with Laura Vanderkam (SB1787)

If 2026 already feels busy and it's barely started, you're not imagining it. Joe Saul-Sehy and OG sit down with renowned time management expert Laura Vanderkam to tackle one of the biggest stressors Stackers face. Feeling like there's never enough time to do the things that matter, including managing money well. Laura helps break the myth that better time management means squeezing more productivity into already packed days. Instead, the conversation centers on intentional time use: how to prote...

Jan 07, 20261 hr 14 min

Waste Time on Hot Real Estate or IPO Trends or Start Building Wealth? SB1786

A new year has arrived, and with it comes a fresh wave of hot takes, bold predictions, and "can't miss" investing ideas. Joe Saul-Sehy and OG step back from the noise to discuss what clearly doesn't work and then to focus on what actually helps you build wealth in 2026 and beyond. Rather than chasing hot trends, they revisit the timeless rules that have quietly done the heavy lifting through every market cycle. Why diversification still matters even when it feels boring. Why IPO hype and specula...

Jan 05, 20261 hr 13 min
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