Dollars Making Sense

On this weeks episode we discuss:

• The Guinness Book of World Records
• The American Rescue Plan Act and a new round of stimulus checks
• The Charlotte housing market is booming
• Taylor’s current thinking on rent vs. buy
• What our friends are seeing and experiencing in the home shopping process
• Nationwide reasons why the housing market has more demand than supply
• International Women’s Day
• Owning individual stocks vs. owning the stock market
• March Madness predictions
• Pi Day and our favorite pie flavors
• Daylight Savings Time

Articles Mentioned in the episode:

• Housing Inventory Hits a Record Low: What It Means for Buyers
• Charlotte housing market is booming
• Where Have All the Houses Gone? (New York Times)
• Owning Individual Stocks vs. Owning the Stock Market 
• On International Women’s Day, a Look Back at the Last Year in Pandemic for Working Women
• Yellen says COVID-19 having 'extremely unfair' impact on women's income, jobs

On this week's episode we discuss:

• Brett’s background as a professional golfer
• The major career switch he made in his early 30’s
• The barriers to changing jobs and the emotional impact of the decision
• Brett’s childhood experiences with money and how he discussed finances with his parents
• The entrepreneurial mentality and how it translates into his career now
• His thoughts on financial literacy and how he teaches his kids about money
• Brett’s advice for someone who is considering changing careers
• What being a professional golfer taught Brett about managing money
• Brett’s favorite fried chicken, date night spot, and favorite golf courses

A little about Brett:

Brett grew up in Alabama and graduated from Auburn University where he was a four year letterman on the golf team. He then went on to play professional golf for nine years before transitioning to become a financial advisor. Brett has been a financial advisor for over 15 years now and has also found ways to stay in the game. He continues to play in amateur tournaments and was the 2018 U.S. Mid Amateur Runner-Up. Tune in to listen to his stories about his years on tour, his ultimate decision to switch careers, and his advice for how to navigate the challenges of change.

In this week’s episode we discuss:

• Will the Biden administration cancel student loan debt?
• Credit scores rise during the pandemic
• The ‘That sounds stupid, I’m buying some just in case’ mentality
• The basics of tax planning: what you need and when to file
• Should you hire a CPA to do your taxes?
• Risks and penalties for filing late taxes
• The pros and cons of hiring a CPA
• How will stimulus checks be taxed?
• The sports card market is hot right now
• Are algorithms ruining movies?

Articles Discussed:

1. What do I need to file my taxes?
2. When should you hire a CPA?
3. Free tax software: where to file your taxes for free 
4. The sports card market is hot, and there’s no end in sight

On this week’s episode we discuss:

• The different types of accounts you can invest in
• What are active vs. passive funds
• An overview of investment types and investment vehicles
• How Courtney and Taylor invest their money
• The most important things to remember when just starting out
• The idea of risk tolerance vs. risk capacity
• Would you travel to space right now if you had the chance
• Taking advantage of app limits
• New restaurants to try in Charlotte

Article Discussed in this weeks Episode:

• SpaceX announces first-ever non-astronaut space flight crew

This is a new segment called the “Economics of”. We have a number of interviews lined up giving you real world insight and experience into many of life’s biggest changes. Up first… wedding planning!

On this week’s episode we discuss:

• Should you and your partner talk about finances before getting married?
• Planning a wedding during Covid
• Ideas for discussing sensitive topics before marriage
• Should you combine finances in marriage?
• Talking to wedding vendors before committing
• How to stay flexible during the wedding planning process
• Investing vs. spending money on a wedding

In this episode we discuss:

• The past weeks NFL games and the state of sports gambling
• How do we use Twitter and Tweet Deck
• The best podcasts for finance and financial planning
• Is email still a viable way of getting news?
• Cable news and if it is dying
• The Psychology behind sibling Rivalry
• Best recommendations for the White Water Center

Articles discussed:

• The Future of Entertainment: How Sports Betting Will Change the Game
• The Psychology Behind Sibling Rivalry

In this episode we discuss:

• Why ‘good enough’ is better than ‘the best’
• Money can give you freedom instead of happiness
• The marginal level of happiness as it relates to income
• How we spent our money in 2020
• Our thoughts on food delivery
• Good vs. bad credit
• “Two dollar doubles” and Sharkey’s Blacksburg
• Predictions for 2021
• Recommendations: physical books and audiobooks

Articles discussed:

• You don’t always need the best. What you need is “good enough”
• How to spend your money for maximum happiness
• How we spent our money in 2020
• The average credit card interest rate is 16.05%

• Should college athletes get paid?
• The Roaring 20’s round two
• Unused vacation days 
• Your parents and their finances
• Revisiting estate planning documents
• What our New Year’s resolutions are (and aren’t)
• Favorite Christmas movies

• Supreme Court will hear case on NCAA athletes getting paid
• Companies fret as vacation days go unused
• The data-driven case for vacation
• Everplans – store and share everything important

On this week’s episode we discuss:

• The rollout of the vaccine in the UK
• The 20 Rules of personal finance
• Year-end planning
• Does a last minute Roth IRA or Traditional IRA contribution make sense?
• Bonus vs. raise: Which is better?
• Charitable giving and giving back

Links we talked about:

• 90-Year-Old Grandmother Gets 1st Dose of Vaccine as UK Declares Covid ‘V-Day’
• The 20 Rules of Personal Finance
• Find Your Place in the Vaccine Line

On this week’s episode we discuss:

• ‘Vaccine Monday’
• Louisiana’s preparation for vaccine distribution
• How we spend and save our own money
• Personal budgeting vs. personal benchmarks
• Our favorite Thanksgiving side dishes
• Where we’d like to travel to once Covid is behind us