Stacking Benjamins: Your Gateway To Money And Personal Finance

We see people without children retiring early all the time. Is that because children are the speed bumps on the road to the financial heaven? We'll ask our panel for their thoughts, including a woman who has six kids and is chasing financial freedom, Wendy Mayes from the House of FI podcast. We'll discuss meal planning, where you live, your transportation costs, child expenses and more, on today's show. Halfway through the show, our roundtable discussion will take a break for our Fintech segment. School is back in session, which means it's time to buy school supplies. Brad Williams from Mercari joins Joe in the basement to introduce their app which helps users buy or sell gently used school supplies. Find out what Mercari is all about and what their company can do for you and your wallet. Plus, we'll answer a voicemail from J during our Magnify Money segment. J is getting married in a few months and wants to know how to effectively introduce money management to his future-spouse. J also wants to know the midd

Len Penzo is the king of the sandwich study...and of independent thinking ABOUT sandwiches (and many, many other topics). On today's show we dive into the latest iteration of our favorite way of talking about inflation: comparing the rise and fall of prices among popular school lunch/work brown bag sandwiches. How much do different sandwiches cost? How much more do they cost than last year? What are the most inexpensive sandwiches? Which have changed in price the most? If you're looking for a deep dive into the world of sandwiches, today is the show for you. In our headlines segment, we will learn what the ten stocks millennials just cannot live without. What are they? How do they compare with the stocks you SHOULD own? We'll tackle both the top 10 list and attempt to answer that question. Plus, what is a small cap REIT and should you think about one in your portfolio? We'll talk about diversification during our second headline. After a little dose of Doug's sandwich-themed trivia, we'll throw out the Haven L

Today we sit down with Rob Berger, host of the Dough Roller podcast and author of Retire Before Mom & Dad about the five lies we all are told about money. Because we fall into these traps, we're duped to live a life on the hamster wheel, working harder and harder, but getting nowhere. Today we'll talk about debt, investing, insurances, advisors and more, so that you can take charge of your finances. Plus, during our headlines segment, we'll cover one piece from Financial Planning about an ex-advisor who is off to prison for duping his clients with a Ponzi scheme. What did he do wrong? We'll share. We'll also jump into some big news from the IRS. One product's tax treatment with regard to advisor's fees is changing. That may change the way advisors...and YOU view that particular tool. And after we take some time for some of Doug's french fry themed trivia we'll take a voicemail from Jason during our Haven LifeLine. Jason wants to know our thoughts about funds and strategies that will deliver the highest risk-a

Today our roundtable discussion focuses on one set of homeowners who successfully sold their house, but realized that they could've saved $60,000 if they had instead rented and never purchased the home in the first place. Is buying a home a waste of money? Did the couple make some big mistakes that we can all avoid? Did they use professionals wisely or make some bad decisions? Discussing this headline with us are three veterans of the financial blogging and podcasting community: Tom Drake from MapleMoney.com, Paula Pant from Afford Anything, and Len Penzo from LenPenzo.com Halfway through the show, we'll take a break from our rent vs. homeownership discussion while Joe sits down with Jean Statler from the Alliance for Lifetime Income. The organization is working with MIT's AgeLab on an important issue: the risk that we might outlive our savings. Jean reviews the problems the public has had with annuities and dives into the discussion of what the industry is doing to clean up perceptions and simplify products.

Who wouldn't want to be one of the Grateful Dead (love the play on the rock band name, don't you?)? Today we'll ask the question, "When's the last time you've thought about your estate plan... (if you've made one)?" Making a will or even a full trust may seem like a daunting task that's best done tomorrow, or the day after that, but we all know that it's an important piece of your financial life that shouldn't be overlooked. To help us understand the ins-and-outs of estate planning in the most fun way possible (and MAN is it fun...), we've invited down the woman who literally wrote the book on it: Carol Weisman, author of Becoming One of the Grateful Dead. In our headlines segment, we're getting a little political today with our first piece. With the election cycle revving up, some politicians have been talking about paying for different campaign promises by enacting a tax on some financial transactions. Is there cause to be worried about the bigger retirement picture if more taxes are thrown in the mix? Afte

While we all love talking financial independence, side hustles, and paying off huge amounts of debt, another topic doesn't get enough attention, mostly because it's difficult. We don't pay nearly enough attention to the biggest threat facing any retirement: long-term care. What happens if you have a catastrophic illness and can't take care of yourself? Nursing homes are expensive, home care is expensive, and asking loved ones to take care of you can be horrible for their health and wellbeing also. Today we'll talk to Shawn Britt from Nationwide Insurance, who as a long time professional in this field, knows the statistics and the horror stories, but also the common sense approaches to many illness-related problems. We'll talk planning, the good/bad/and ugly of long term care policies, but mostly about maintaining flexibility and options as a result of making informed decisions before life makes those decisions for you. In our headlines segment, the Fed is unrolling a plan to create a faster money transfer sys

Sick of working for "the man"? Today we'll talk to a woman who's never held down a single full time job but who's created a career out of what most people call "side hustles." We'll explore pitfalls, opportunities, and more with Shanah Bell, author of The Art of Being a Pita, Paula Pant from Afford Anything, and from our very own podcast, OG. Halfway through the show we'll take a break from our side hustle conversation so Joe can sit down with Tony Aquilar, the founder of new student loans app Chipper. Worried about your student loans? Tony will share some helpful tips on how to pay down student loans quicker, AND will show off how his app will help you do just that. ...and after we take some time for Doug's trivia, our roundtable contributors will share some ideas to help caller TJ during our Magnify Money segment. TJ wants to know some fun and interesting ways to teach kids about money and saving for retirement. Thoughts? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ever wonder how an insurance company would look at some of your favorite movie and television series characters? We might be nerds (who are we kidding...we're huge nerds), but that's exactly the question we wanted to ask Haven Life's Brittney Burgett, who gives us some really enlightening answers. Not only do we find out information about how insurance companies view cartels, money laundering, and 1950's office spaces (all funny and not shocking), we also talk frankly about contestable periods, health ratings, professional considerations, and more. If you've ever wondered how insurance companies think about you, this is a fun way to start.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

PT Barnum was the king of over-the-top sales pitches...or was he? He certainly was the king of hustling to earn a living. If you're looking for a role model to help you work harder, sell better, or be more...entertaining, there are few people you should look to before the Greatest Showman himself. Today, biographer Robert Wilson joins us to dig into the early years of Barnum's life, from his time organizing lotteries and working on general stores to his first move to New York City. Barnum not only was a great pitchman, but he always wanted to back it up with shows that would make people tell their friends and come back. "There's a sucker born every minute" might not have been a slogan that Barnum lived by....we'll explain in the show. Plus, during our headlines segment, Joe will talk to Desiree Vargas Wrigley from Pearachute about just how much you're spending on family fun this summer. The amount is sadly a LOT higher than you may expect. We'll also cover one MarketWatch piece that is a good reminder for all

We're absolutely thrilled to bring you the best in 2019's personal finance indie podcasts, blogs, and video. Today we welcome Miranda Marquit from the Plutus Awards to walk through the 2019 Finalists for the Plutus Awards. The goal of these awards is to shine a light on a wider spectrum of names and brands so that we all have the ability to hear from a wide universe of points of view. Today we present that universe with our finalists picks in our 10th annual awards celebration. Good luck to all of the finalists! Thanks to MagnifyMoney.com for sponsoring Stacking Benjamins. MagnifyMoney.com saves users on average $450 when they compare, ditch, switch and save on credit cards, student loan refinancing, checking, savings and more. Check out MagnifyMoney.com for your savings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The cast in the Broadway play "Rent" asks, "How do you measure the life of a man?" Today we ask that question as we speak with Nicholas Mann (a great musician in his own right) about his father, the founding member of the Julliard String Quartet (among many other accomplishments), Robert Mann. We'll be talking about Robert Mann's early years: growing up in Portland, getting started on the road to his dream, taking the plunge to move to New York City, his years at Julliard, his military service, and more. We'll talk about practice, mentors, money, teachers, lessons learned, and much more. In our headlines segment, are you the type of person to use the same password on every online account? First...stop that! There's plenty of easy-to-use software out there that will make multiple passwords a breeze. Second, you'll want to change your passwords on the double if you own a Robinhood account. We'll dive into the details during the show, but the company was storing their passwords in plain text, a HUGE internet sec

Bola Sokunbi tells us the amazing story growing up with a mother who was initially left out, like many women, of the family's financial decisions. Whether you're a man or woman, today you'll hear the reality of your financial life: you can't delegate it to other people. There's nobody better to tell this story, so we're super excited that today Bola, the mind behind Clever Girl Finance, joins us. In our headlines segment, we'll take a call from our long-time friend and Detroit Free Press reporter Susan Tompor. Susan has written a piece on a new money scam which involves receiving an email from your "boss" asking you to buy a few costly gift cards. This is definitely one to watch out for, and we'll find out all the details on the scam from Susan. And after we give Doug a chance to deliver some buffalo wing themed trivia, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to a caller who's wondering what to do with her cash from a discontinued retirement plan. Brooke works for a small startup, and her employer recently discon

Everyone has made mistakes during their life. Lord knows, we've made our share. While we thankfully forget about a lot of the smaller mistakes we make, the larger mistakes tend to stay with us as lessons we can use to help us in the future. Learning from your own mistakes is great, but being able to learn from another person's mistakes and saving yourself some heartache is even better. Today we're giving you a free "head directly to Go and collect $200" card by sharing with you some of the WORST investing decisions of all time, as shared by one publication. Halfway through the show, our roundtable discussion will take a break for our Fintech segment. With colleges opening up their doors for the fall semester soon, we'll focus on one company that's striving to improve student grades AND earn them some extra cash while doing it. Joe will sit down with Jerry Zheng from One Class, and get some detailed bullet points on just how the note-taking company works. Plus, we'll answer a voicemail from K during our Magnif

Being a good communicator is a crucial skill we don't pay enough attention to. It's easy for us money nerds financially-minded individuals to learn the intricacies between different financial plans, study market fluctuations, and keep up-to-date on the best interest rates, but why is it so hard to focus on soft skills? Chief among them is communication. That being said, we're money nerds at the end of the day. That's why today we're sitting down with Jason Hanson, a man who's had to communicate professionally day-in and day-out as a former CIA officer. And in our headlines segment, is Wells Fargo catching the last few years of turmoil? We'll discuss the reasons behind why the number of financial advisors saying "sayonara" to bank is finally leveling out, and the lessons you can learn when it's time to leave your job behind. Plus, in our second headline, what's the big reason behind the record number of CFOs retiring from their companies? What are they seeing on the horizon that the rest of us aren't? Later, a

We have two exciting announcements that mom wanted us to share with you about today's show: One - We're answering your letters, including a BUNCH of them about the Roth IRA, named after a Congressman whose birthday happens to be this very date. In celebration, we're cracking open the mailbag with our friend Scott Rieckens from the Playing With Fire documentary. He stopped by the basement while here for a sold-out screening, and while he was here we put him to work because OG and Joe...well, you know. On the topic of letters...if you'd like to ask us a question, remember now to use the Haven Life line (StackingBenjamins.com/voicemail). We stopped accepting new letters months ago and we are just now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel on letters! Hurrah! Two - Mom wanted us to remind you to take off your shoes when you walk inside the house. She works hard to keep the rugs clean, and you'll just mess them up. That's all. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With debt piling up, savings gone, and your credit cards maxed out, how do you pull yourself out of the hole and get on the right financial path? The first step, of course, is to stop digging, which is what one Reddit user did after racking up over $16,000 in credit card debt. They also posted a list of things they did to make their debt go bye-bye and their Benjamins start to pile up. While it may not be quick or easy to get yourself back to being debt-free, there are definite steps you can take to get yourself into the world of financial freedom - and we'll walk through one piece which reported on the Reddit forum, adding in experts and other information. How much of it is helpful and what isn't? Depends on what section of the piece we're talking about. Today, helping us dig in today is a crack team of internet stars. First, making her return trip to the basement is Chelsea Brennan (Smart Money Mamas), second, we'll welcome Len Penzo (LenPenzo.com), and then we'll say hello to the guy from our own podcast,

What if life weren't so complicated? What if you could stop worrying about lower expense ratios, cheaper insurances, bigger spreadsheets, or trying to perfectly plan out your retirement account so things are perfect decades down the road? On today's show, the guy who is better at taking financial decisions and distilling them to their essence joins us. Today we welcome New York Times columnist Carl Richards, an expert in distilling complicated issues into bite-sized pieces. Plus, in our headlines segment, we'll cover one piece about Suze Orman and her love of cannabis stocks and blockchain. Copying celebrity stock picks aren't always a good idea, and we'll discuss why. In our second headline, we'll turn our attention to one problem in the investing and savings world: women whose spouses are in control of the finances. A recent study shows that lots of women delegate investing to their spouse. We'll discuss why this might not be a good idea. Later on, after we take a break for some of Doug's trivia, we'll take

Clutter is everywhere. We buy more stuff to make us happy and all it does is makes us miserable and broke. How do we get out of the cycle? On today's show we'll talk to Tracy McCubbin, founder of cleaning and organizing company dClutterfly. On today's show we'll Declutter your stuff by getting behind the emotions of clutter and dispelling some long-held myths. Plus, during our headlines segment, we'll cover one shocking piece by InvestmentNews, claiming that retirees are going to miss out on $3.4 trillion by claiming their Social Security too early. Is this a case of needing more cash for basic living expenses, or just ill informed retirees cashing in a few years too early? In our second headline we'll erxamine one trend that's gaining a bit of traction: financial apps that charge users to save money. Is it worth paying money to save more? After a little dose of Doug's trivia, we'll turn our attention to the Haven Life Line. Mike calls in today asking about 529 plans. His parents want to contribute to Mike's

Picture this: You and your friends are taking a road trip. You get off the highway and pull up to the third gas station of the day. You cut the ignition, take a look around the car and everyone avoids your gaze. You've paid for gas during the last two stops and no one is jumping up at the grand opportunity to fill the tank the third time around. What's your next move? Answering questions presented by one financial story which shines a light on situations like this and more today is our originals roundtable group: Paula Pant of Afford Anything, Len Penzo of LenPenzo.com, and OG from our very own Stacking Benjamins podcast. Halfway through the show, we'll take a break from our discussion on all things awkward while Joe sits down with Zohar Steinberg from Token. With privacy concerns and stolen credit card information constantly in the news, Zohar came up with a solution: unique credit card numbers for each transaction or service. Something goes wrong with one of your transactions or services? You'll have the pe

Worried about fighting with the people in your life about money? Here's the way to end it. Even if you're just struggling to talk to other people in your life about money...maybe it's not you. People don't talk in one financial language. According to Tarra Jackson, today's guest, there are actually FOUR different languages. We'll sit down with Tarra today to learn just what those four languages are, and how we can best communicate with people speaking in a different tongue. Worried about fighting with the people in your life about money? Here's the way to end it. In our headlines segment, we'll discuss weddings. Should we have a small wedding and invest the rest to ensure that we retire rich? Is it possible to do both (have a big wedding AND be rich)? We'll cover that plus another headline about employers seeking permission to send uncashed pension checks to the unclaimed proper funds. Should employers have fiduciary liability for former employees who refuse to cash their checks? Plus, after we take some time