Credit card points are a fun bonus, but as Wealth Advisor Patrice Bening and guest expert Greg Eisenman reveal in this session from Morton Wealth’s 2025 Investor Symposium, they can be much more than that. 

Greg shares how credit card points are his most powerful tool for funding travel, amplifying everyday spending, and freeing up cash for bigger financial goals. If you want to know how he saved over $24,000 on a trip to Europe using points, don’t miss this episode.

Tune in if you're interested in…

* The smartest ways to earn, redeem, and not waste credit card points
* Which cards offer real value 
* Strategies business owners can use to supercharge point accumulation
* Real examples of turning everyday spending into luxury travel
* How to align point-earning with your financial goals and values

Should we strive for a work-life balance... or work-life presence?

In this episode of Couchside Conversations, Kevin Rex and Stacey McKinnon explore the difference between the two and how to set healthy boundaries with colleagues and loved ones.

Tune in if you’re interested in…
• Why “presence” is a healthier, more realistic goal than balance
• How to set expectations that reduce guilt and stress
• The truth about working from home and what people really want: flexibility
• Simple habits to feel more grounded in work, family, and life

The way you handle money doesn’t just come down to income and expenses. Your mindset, which can be dictated by everything from childhood experiences to modern-day pressures, may be the most important determinant in your financial life. 

Financial Planning Advisors Brittany Yudkowsky and Ian Rennick are here to break down the psychology of money and how you can become more proactive about shaping a mindset conducive to true wealth. 

Tune in if you’re interested in…
• Understanding how your upbringing influences financial habits
• Shifting from scarcity thinking to long-term growth
• Finding balance between saving for tomorrow and living for today
• Building confidence in your money decisions

One of the most common client questions our advisors have been receiving is, “What should I do if we go into a recession?”

While no one can predict the next downturn, CEO Jeff Sarti and Modearn® Advisor Beau Wirick break down practical steps to help you feel more confident no matter what the economy throws your way. 

Tune in if you’re interested in…
• Knowing how a recession might impact you, depending on your life stage
• Learning the “three-bucket” approach to financial security
• Building a resilient investment strategy that prioritizes income
• Stress-testing your retirement plan for unexpected events
• Feeling more emotionally prepared for uncertainty

Did you know that approximately one in three Americans feels uncomfortable talking about finances with their partner? Although it’s a sensitive topic, money is a critical part of relationships that needs to be discussed with intention. 

In this episode, Modearn® Advisors Stacey McKinnon and Michael Grosslight explore how money stories and habits shape the way couples approach financial decisions. They share real-life examples, tips, and strategies for creating healthier money conversations at home.

Tune in if you’re interested in…

• Tips for creating a safe space to talk about money (and when a “referee” can help)
  
  
• Navigating different spending styles and risk tolerances as a couple
  
  
• Understanding how your “money story” influences financial decisions in marriage
  
  
• Balancing autonomy with transparency in shared finances
  
  
• Practical strategies for aligning money choices with shared goals

There are more ways to invest than just in the traditional stocks and bonds market. Sometimes, thinking outside the box can unlock untapped potential for investors and offer ways to diversify one's portfolio and protect against volatility. Modearn™ advisors Kevin Rex and CEO Jeff Sarti discuss creative investments that offer opportunities for growth through emerging or niche markets.

Here are some key takeaways from their conversation:

- Lowercase "c" creative investments like Bitcoin are now mainstream, while uppercase "C" creative investments are still niche and less crowded.
- Real estate can be creative depending on the approach, such as focusing on niche sectors like healthcare or storage during market dislocations.
- Morton Wealth advocates for private credit as a creative investment avenue, lending to businesses and individuals with tangible collateral, providing stock-like returns but with less volatility.
- Modern investors are often distrustful of traditional institutions, fueled by political and economic uncertainty, inflation concerns, and fears around money-printing.
- Creative investments often involve more work and expertise, particularly in assessing risk through due diligence on operational, structural, and collateral factors.
- Jeff and Kevin urge investors to consider adding more international stocks to their portfolio, with a preferred mix of two-thirds U.S. stocks and one-third international to take advantage of global opportunities and mitigate U.S. market overvaluation.

Welcome to our very first episode of Couchside Conversations, a Modearn™ video series about real conversations to empower you to enjoy the experiences of today while planning for your future.

All too often, we get caught up in the daily motions of work and forget the benefits of resting and traveling. In this first episode, Wealth Advisors Stacey and Kevin discuss how vacations can better one’s quality of life, relationships, creativity, and motivation. They also explore the importance of financial savviness when traveling, like using the right credit cards to gain points, considering travel agencies, realizing which aspects of your vacations are worth spending more on, saving ahead of time for bigger trips, and finding balance between enjoying the present and preparing for the future.

Stay tuned for more Couchside Conversations episodes! We have topics coming up like…
- Battle of the Spouses: Financial Edition
- Parenting Tips for Financially Savvy Kids
- Protecting Your Family Using Insurance
- Gen X: Complexities of the “Sandwich Generation”

*Keep watching towards the end to catch our “This or That” segment where Kevin and Stacey ask these rapid fire questions to each other:* 

• Plan a trip with an itinerary or wing it?
• Only visit places you've never been to or only visit places you've already been?
• Miss your flight or lose your luggage?
• Beach or mountain?
• First class flight or five star hotel?
• Travel five times but have a budget, or travel once in luxury?
• Airbnb or hotel?

There are so many charities we can support out there but sometimes, it can feel overwhelming to choose which ones to donate our time, effort and money to. How can we pick the right organizations and give efficiently to ensure our resources are being used in the best way? This episode of Couchside Conversations is from Morton Wealth's 2023 Investor Symposium. Wealth Advisor Kevin Rex is joined by Jessi Bierling, Associate Director of James Storehouse and Stacy Swanson, Chief Development Officer of Interface Children & Family Services on the Modearn stage to discuss questions that may be top of mind for individuals that are charitably inclined and looking for guidance on how to make the most impact. 

Jessi and Stacy suggest attending charity events and conducting proper research using sites like Charity Navigator and GuideStar to know which organizations you’d like to donate resources to. Volunteering one’s effort, expertise and mentorship can have a profound impact on your community- help does not always have to come in a monetary form.
 
Kevin, Jessi, and Stacy also recommend listeners to consider Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs) as a way to donate efficiently by contributing appreciated assets and planning multi-year donations. Donors retain advisory privileges over how DAF funds are distributed and contributions to a DAF are usually tax-deductible in the year they are made.

Stay tuned for more Couchside Conversations episodes! We have topics coming up like…
- Battle of the Spouses: Financial Edition
- Parenting Tips for Financially Savvy Kids
- Protecting Your Family Using Insurance
- Gen X: Complexities of the “Sandwich Generation”

How can we find the balance between enjoying life in the present and fulfilling our current needs, while still preparing for the future? Wealth Advisors Priscilla Brehm and Stacey McKinnon take the stage at  @morton_wealth 's 2023 Investor Symposium to discuss making wise financial decisions that maximize our joy and memories with loved ones, making sacrifices for long-term goals, identifying the “why” behind our wealth, and making financial planning easier through methods like automatic deductions. 

Stay tuned for more Couchside Conversations episodes! We have topics coming up like…
- Battle of the Spouses: Financial Edition 
- Parenting Tips for Financially Savvy Kids 
- Protecting Your Family Using Insurance 
- Gen X: Complexities of the “Sandwich Generation”

How can we balance taking care of our growing children and aging parents at the same time? This is a dilemma many adults in their 40s and 50s are facing today. In fact, over 50% of individuals in this age range are feeling the pressure of being “sandwiched” between caring for a parent 65 years or older and at least one minor or adult child. This episode of Couchside Conversations is from Morton Wealth's 2023 Investor Symposium. CEO Jeff Sarti is joined by Wealth Advisor Patrice Bening to tell their personal stories of being caught in the middle and share tips for navigating this complex journey.

Generation X or the “Sandwich Generation” are feeling the increased emotional and financial pressures faced by both their children and their parents. On one hand, they are dealing with a competitive education system and the expectation to participate in an abundance of extracurricular activities, and on the other, with increasing costs of medication and caretaking for elderly parents, it can feel harder than ever before. 

Jeff and Patrice highlight the importance of considering retirement and elderly care options, health insurance, Medicare, healthcare directives, and powers of attorney. They also emphasize the value of seeking support from professionals, like wealth advisors, in managing these complexities. 

Stay tuned for more Couchside Conversations episodes! We have topics coming up like… 
- Battle of the Spouses: Financial Edition 
- Parenting Tips for Financially Savvy Kids
- Protecting Your Family Using Insurance