Stacking Benjamins: Your Gateway To Money And Personal Finance

Buying running shoes for your partner who you know loves to run, you find THAT romantic? Taking a walk in the park holding hands, is that still romantic? Watching TV or a Movie and not saying a word to each other during the entire show, you find THAT romantic? Today we'll turn romance on its head as we apply the question "Is that romantic," to a BUNCH of financial questions. Do romance and money mix? We'll find out. Here to help us spread some love on Valentine's Day from the Afford Anything podcast, we'll say hello to the lovable Paula Pant and the guy with the dry sense of humor from this very podcast...OG! How old will you be when you die? Will you have enough money? It turns out, many of us will live for a long, long time, according to science. What if you run out of money late in life? Worse yet, what if a family member runs out of money and you have to sacrifice your retirement to take care of them. Today, during our FinTech segment, we'll share details about a company working on that very issue. Bl

Why are some of the coolest financial tools rarely used? For example, people by-and-large avoid HSA accounts, when they're the Swiss-army knife of a healthcare plan. Today we'll shine a light on another type of plan that's not often used: the Roth 401K. A recent piece in a major publication predicted that Roth 401K plans will become bigger now that the SECURE Act has been enacted. What do Joe & OG think? Do THEY like the Roth 401K? You'll find out during today's episode! After that, we're all about your letters! You've been kind enough to ask us lots of questions, and Joe & OG today grab the mailbag and sort through it. We'll tackle everything from buying a home to investing in a Roth IRA to whether Monopoly is a good game or a great game. We didn't say that they were good questions....we just said there were lots. But that's not all. We'll also throw out the Haven Life line to a lucky caller AND we'll hear some great trivia from Doug about one of our greatest Presidents...Abe Lincoln. Enjoy! Learn

Don't look now but Friday is Valentine's Day! You're probably wondering what a "chocolates and roses" holiday has to do with finances... and the answer is...A lot. As we'll find out today, many people don't hesitate about turning their wallets over and shaking out ALL their cash. But today we'll help you celebrate in style (or in jest) WITHOUT breaking the bank. Today we've invited Sara Skirboll from ReatilMeNot to share with us plenty of great advice on how to find great Valentine's day dining deals WITHOUT using your whole stack of Benjamins. Plus, how much do you hate love reading through dense paperwork and contract terms? It's safe to assume you probably hate paperwork as much as we do, which is why covering some good news from Fidelity: they're cutting out 20% of the information that clients must review before opening an account. And in our second headline, we'll share the latest from a lawsuit between Shannon Dougherty and State Farm. It's ugly and just got...uglier. During our Haven Life Line

Would $250,000 a year be enough for you to "get by"? It wasn't for one early retiree. Today we're going to dive into income, expenses, priorities and bucket lists. Helping us today is a roundtable team of fantastic personalities. First, our special guest today comes from Revele Financial Group, Dawn Dahlby! From the Afford Anything podcast, we have Paula Pant, and Len Penzo joins in the fun from Len Penzo dot com! What is the most expensive piece of artwork you own? Do you think you could ever own a Andy Warhol piece or a Monet? Well today, during our FinTech segment we'll share a company helping people do just that. Joe'll talk buying fractional shares of art with Scott Lynn, the founder of Masterworks.io. We'll discuss not only the types of art that newbies mistakenly buy, but also, liquidity, the long term returns of art, and more. And finally, during our MagnifyMoney segment, we'll answer a question on whether you should take risks while you are still in debt? As always, of course, we'll quiz

JT and Tamzon had a great start. After paternity leave from a fantastic job, JT thought he knew that with his burgeoning side-gig, he could quit his job and live happily ever after without going back to full-time work. Then, he found out that the math wasn't working. What would you do? We'll share one family's story of taking control of your goals and then rebooting when the math still doesn't make sense. On today's show early-retirees JT and Tamzon join us to talk about adding flexibility into your planning. Plus, are you a Medicare recipient? If so, it's an important open enrollment time for many. If not, you should plan ahead for the (ahem) increasing cost of healthcare. Danielle Kunkle Roberts from Boomer Benefits joins us to chat about all things Medicare. And in our second headline, we'll share how much your peers have saved for retirement. Want to gauge how you're doing? We'll have all the numbers. Of course, we're also going to toss out the Haven Life Line and we'll still make room for Doug's

Much of the game around managing money is in doing the little things...not being tripped up by the small mistakes and doing those little things that can turn failure into success in a hurry. Today, Norm Champ (formerly of the Securities and Exchange Commission), joins us to talk about mastering your money. What are some of the moves you can make to be a better money manager? We'll talk about controlling expenses (with some ideas to help you hone your budget), automating your money, and more on today's show. Plus, where does the money come from that most Americans use during retirement? The ugly answer we'll share during our headlines segment. Plus, we'll discuss lessons learned from the terrible event that dominated the headlines last week: Kobe Bryant's tragic helicopter accident. Later we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Julie, who asks about a fund many investors "in the know" talk about often. What's the difference between "VTSAX" and the rest of the less-often suggested crowd of funds that do

So, how much money do you make? Could a borrow a big sum of cash? Ever had any of THOSE moments? What do you do? Well today we'll discuss some seriously awkward questions. To help us, we welcome from Afford Anything the amazing Paula Pant, the almost retired Len Penzo from Len Penzo dot com, and from this podcast the straight shooter OG! If you or anyone you know is in the job market, watch out! Recruiters are now corresponding more and more via text. What could go wrong with that? We'll dive into how to apply some ettiquette to your text messages with Suzanne Lucas, AKA the Evil HR Lady. At the halfway mark of today's episode, we'll hear from the Evil HR Lady about the correct way to communicate via text to recruiters and future employers. And finally, during our MagnifyMoney segment we will answer a question from Facebook Group on a few tax questions on who to have prepare your taxes? As always, of course we'll quiz our contributors with an epic gameshow question about the world record for longe

She'll tell you over and over that her job isn't interesting. But if you're a money nerd, do we have a treat for you today, because accountant Tracy Coenen spends her time chasing down bad guys using spreadsheets and bank statements (I'll stop if you need a moment). Today she'll tell us stories of two stories where she helped catch perpetrators by using financial records (and some amazing ingenuity) to help bring "bad guys" to bear. Plus, are you interviewing soon? Even if you aren't we'll talk about some useful tips if you're interested in moving up the ladder at work or with another pursuit (and who isn't?). Plus, we'll discuss the new milestone one fund company just passed and pause for a moment...man, that's a lot of money. Of course, we're also going to toss out the Haven Life Line to Dillon and get Joe and OG's take on how Dillon should approach his investments. All and and we'll still make room for Doug's trivia. Step aside, people! There's a new episode coming.....this plate is HOT! Learn mo

How did America get its start? Of course, by relying on the financial fortunes of a few of our founding fathers. Today we're rolling back the clock to look at how some founding fortunes helped launch our country. We'll dive into the topic with Tom Shachtman, the author behind the Founding Fortunes, to discuss the roll of money in uniting revolutionaries, both rich and poor. Plus, should we be paying more attention to sustainability while investing? During our headlines we'll cover one report from Barron's that shows mutual funds ranking high on sustainability are actually outperforming the market. I know! We were surprised, too. And finally, we'll answer a question from Heather during our Haven Life line call, who just opened up a Fidelity account. Heather and her husband want to start investing, but aren't sure which funds to put money into. Thoughts? And of course, we'll save some time for Doug's trivia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If the FIRE movement is so inspirational, why is it constantly under attack? More heat was lobbed at the early retirement movement last week by a couple of industry insiders on Twitter. To help us, we welcome the FIRE-y woman behind the Fiery Millennials blog, Gwen Merz, Len Penzo from Len Penzo dot com, and the wonderful Doc G from the What's Up Next podcast! These intelligent, retirement-focused people will be discussing the tweet that started quite the firestorm. If you or anyone you know has student loans, you'll want to listen to our Friday FinTech guest, Michael Block. He's the CEO and Founder of Pillar which is an app to help you pay back your student loans and save money. Early users have reported some huge wins, so we had to get the details from Michael about how it works. And finally, during our MagnifyMoney call in segment we will answer a question from an anonymous woman on how she will be affected by inheriting a ROTH IRA. As always, we'll quiz our contributors with an epic game show

Let's get back to the basics. Everyone talks about retirement tools, projections, timelines, and tax strategies...what about answering, "How do I begin?" If that's you, we've got you covered on today's show because we're talking to CPA Michele Cagan about Retirement 101. We'll start off with how you fare against other savers (or non-savers), and then discuss how you should frame retirement. Is it one long process? Should you begin with picking investments? We'll cover all of that and more on today's show. Student loan borrowers everywhere cheered recently when a Navy vet had his loans discharged in court (something people said couldn't be done). In our headline segment we'll talk to attorney Leslie Tayne about how that happened, and maybe spill a little bad news (spoiler) about you and your student loans. But don't worry--all hope isn't lost. Leslie will also share some good advice for student loan borrowers. Of course, that's not all. We'll also throw out the Haven Life line to a lucky listener AND s

Is debt crushing your dreams? Are your relationships affected by students loans or credit card problems? You NEED to hear today's guest, Reshawn Lee, talk about her situation. Reshawn and her husband Rob had horrible credit card debt, student loans, and couldn't ever seem to begin saving...until they took some drastic actions and everything turned out (spoiler!) not just great, but with a trip around the world! Today we'll talk about the work they do on their Learn Hustle Grow blog and YouTube channel, and learn about how they overcame their issues and began their path to financial independence. Are you hearing (like we are) the buzzword "AI" all over the financial arena lately? We'll discuss one headline about how much of the artificial intelligence out there is more artificial than intelligent. Later we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Christina, who can no longer contribute to an employee sponsored retirement plan after a job change. How should she continue saving for retirement? Of course we'll

Happy Birthday to our namesake Benjamin Franklin!! Today we'll celebrate by talking about one of our favorite topics, leaving your 9-5 job early. To help us, we welcome the woman behind the new EconoMe Conference, Diania Merriam, Len Penzo from Len Penzo dot com, and the wonderful OG from our very own podcast! This piece, written by Jessica Garbarino for her Every Single Dollar blog, is titled Why I Walked Away from a Six-Figure Job, and goes over some very good reasons to leave a "good" job AND many of the strategies she used to ensure she wouldn't have to return. (Big thanks to Mindy Jensen from BiggerPockets Money for reading it today as well!) Frustrated with your money management skills? Don't feel like you have enough of a handle on your monthly expenses? At the halfway mark of today's episode, we'll hear from Belinda Rosenblum and Joe, as they unveil the exciting new course offered by the Stacking Benjamins team, Making Money Easy. We'll walk through all of the details today. It's been a long time

Your retirement options just became more robust. A new law called The SECURE Act passed late last year and today we're sharing ALL of the information you need to know to change your plan to take advantage of this new, exciting legislation. If this is new to you, don't worry, we've got you covered. We'll begin the show with Joe & OG bringing you up to speed on the details. But if you're wondering how to use it well, we have something even better. Joining us on today's show we'll have Aimee Kwain from Fidelity Investments, Dan Keady from TIAA, and the Retirement Answer Man himself, Roger Whitney to walk us through their thoughts about the new law. Our goal today is to help you to understand how the SECURE Act impacts you, and we're excited about all you're about to learn. Of course, this is a Stacking Benjamins episode, so that isn't all....later we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Leo, who is wondering what he should do with his money while he's saving up for a downpayment on a house. Should he invest,

Are you frustrated that your average day doesn't start out chasing your goals but instead reacting to everything else going on? Between kids, spouse or friends, and co-workers, how are you supposed to get ahead on YOUR agenda? Good news, today we chat with Romi Neustadt, the bestselling author of You Can Have It All...just not at the same damned time! We'll have an amazing conversation focusing on how to REALLY set goals that stick (hint: you don't start with goal setting), how to keep your priorities in line, and the key to focus like a laser on the things that are most important if you want to get everything possible out of life. Plus, during our headlines, we'll examine some financial horror stories that very well could happen to you. Have you had some big changes in your life and haven't gotten around to updating your beneficiaries? While this may seem like something you can wait on, we're fairly certain today's ugly stories of people who put it off will make you jump on it sooner rather than later. T

What money moves are you planning for 2019? From creating an emergency fund and increasing your 401k contributions, to downsizing and starting a side hustle, there are plenty of smart financial steps you can take to make this year your best one yet. Joining our roundtable discussion about your best money moves today, we welcome Paula Pant from Afford Anything and OG from our very own podcast. Halfway through the roundtable we'll take a break for our Friday Fintech segment and talk to David Chang from Gradifi. Gradifi is setting out to give employers an easy system to help employees pay down student loans and fund 529 plans. We'll also answer a MagnifyMoney.com question from Zach, who's interested in the FIRE movement. Should he be following the advice of the FIRE movement and forgo his Roth account in favor of using a traditional? And of course, we'll still have time for Doug's trivia. Thanks to Skillshare for sponsoring the show. Start your two months of unlimited access to Skillshare by visiting SkillShare.

For many of us, "charity begins at home" is our constant refrain. But you have to admit, it feels good to give and to be a part of a community. Not only are you helping those around you, but you're also working together with your family or friends on a higher purpose. That's why we're thrilled today to talk with our friends, Scott Maderer from Inspired Stewardship, our good friend Paula Pant from the Afford Anything podcast, and the wonderful OG from our very own podcast about how they give! We'll share a piece from Marriage, Kids, and Money's Andy Hill about how he teaches his kids to give and get LOTS of great ideas from the team. Plus, at the halfway mark of today's episode we'll hear from Saul Cohen from Round during our Friday FinTech segment. Round helps investors find exclusive investment opportunities so they can invest actively like the 1%. How does it work? Saul will walk us through Round's mission and how they work with investors. And during our Magnify Money call we'll hear from our good f

What goals do you want to achieve? It's easier to reach any destination with the right people around you. To help YOU find your best route toward your goals, today we welcome Tim Rhode, author of Tribe of Millionaires, and founder of nonprofit 1 Life Fully Lived, to talk about building your network to reach your ultimate potential. Plus, during our headlines, we'll cover a piece from Bloomberg about how credit card debt has hit an 10-year high, and what that means to you. Spend too much money this last year? Maybe it's time to go back and listen to Monday's debt cleanse episode.... PLUS, how about fees that drive you crazy? We'll highlight a BIZARRE fee that a hotel in West Virginia charged. So random... Later we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Anthony, who calls in to give the those of us in the basement some helpful advice about TSPs (Thrift Savings Plans) that you may have been unaware of. Thanks, Anthony! Of course, we'll save some time for Doug's possum-heavy trivia. Learn more about yo

Wake up January 1 with a hangover? Even if you didn't "over-imbibe" on alcohol, there's another hangover people suffer from: excess spending. Let's make January a reset month if you overspent last year. As many financial gurus say, "Tomorrow is a new day" and you can decide that you want to grab the reins and control not just your debt but your money in general. Today we sit down with Brian Karimzad, CEO of Magnify Money, on all of the things you can do to make your debt cleanse a success. During our headlines portion of the show, we'll take a look at how the average 401k fared in 2019. Good, bad... great? If you didn't do well with your retirement plan last year, how do you make a change to improve in 2020? We'll share some ideas. Plus, during our second piece, we'll examine the reason popular financial company Vanguard just eliminated even MORE trading fees. That's not all, though! We'll throw out the Haven Life Line as well, and answer a voicemail from James who asks for investment advice. What do

Where is the market going to go in 2020? Who will win the election? What did we learn from the Magic 8 Ball predictions of 2019? We'll start by looking at ALL of our last year's predictions and discuss LOTS of financial planning themes. Between emerging markets, individual stocks, playing the lottery, and more, we'll cover a wide range of money topics that you (gasp) might learn from. Calling in today to help out is our good friend, Paula Pant from the Afford Anything podcast, plus Len Penzo from LenPenzo.com...and OG from our very own podcast! We'll take a break halfway through this monster podcast episode to talk to Ryan Falvey from Financial Venture Studio. What does the future hold for FinTech? Ryan has a front row seat for some of the hot new ideas coming out of this sector and will share some of the important themes you'll see coming to your phone, your computer, and your portfolio in the future. As always, we'll also help a listener Magnify their Money...but today we're joined by special guest