Diversity in your investments and savings for retirement (and your efforts to achieve long term financial freedom) is very important. It's key to minimizing risk and maximizing return. Lately, precious metals, as an investment, has become a topic of discussion.

To find out whether you should do it, and if so, how to go about it, I talked with Kristen Nagle about how she helps folks to get started in this market.

In this episode you will learn:

• Whether you should invest in precious metals
• How to get started
• What portion of your portfolio should be in precious metals

Each generation has a different approach to money, saving, retirement, and what it means to be financially free and secure. So strategies for starting on that journey can vary quite a bit, and Gen Z is no exception.

That's why on this episode of the podcast I talked with Jack Campbell, an investor and venture capitalist who helps Gen Zers to discuss how they can map out and navigate their path to financial freedom.

In this episode you will learn:

• How a person's generation defines their financial goals and saving strategies
• What that definition is for Gen Z
• Why old money rules don't work for Gen Z
• What rules do work
• The importance of investing in defense, energy, and industrial entities.

Achieving financial freedom is something people aspire to, but not everyone thinks it is possible. Even those that do think it will take them way too long. For some it means getting out from under debt first; for others it means being able to invest enough each year to make it happen in a reasonable amount of time.

But sometimes it can be done quicker. That's why on this episode of the podcast I talk with Ryan Lee who, by following a less traditional path, was able to achieve financial freedom in less than 10 years.

In this episode you will learn:

• Why the traditional retirement saving system is broken
• How to invest in real estate without all the hassles and responsibilities of being a landlord
• How insurance can help you get to financial freedom sooner

With the engagement of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, there's been a lot of talk on social media about prenuptual agreements. But what many people don't know is that these agreements (as well as their lesser-known cousins, post-nuptual agreements) are not just for the very rich. Others can benefit from them as well.

That's why in this episode of the podcast I talked with New Jersey certified family law attorney AllynMarie Smedley about how these two agreements work, when they are appropriate, and how they can help couples both before and after they get married.

In this episode you will learn:

• What a pre-nuptual agreement is
• What a post-nuptual agreement is
• Why you might want to have one
• How they can help
• How to broach the topic to your fiancee/spouse

Most people are focused on the savings part of their retirement planning. They contribute to their 401k, put something into a Roth IRA, and have an emergency fund. But what they often don't think about is the transition from saving to spending that will happen when they actually retire.

That's why on this episode of the podcast I talk with Laura Rehbein of Impavid Wealth Advisors on how to go about creating a new paycheck when the old one goes away.

In this episode you will learn:

• How to shift your mindset from saving to spending
• How your money can grow while you spend it
• About the building blocks of your retirement paycheck
• Why you need to rebuild your paycheck periodically

Having your first child is a wondrous event for a married couple as they start a family. There's lots of celebration surrounding it. But the cost of raising that child after its born is something that involves lots of advanced planning to avoid serious stress to your finances (and financial freedom) going forward.

So how much does it cost to raise a child these days? To answer that question I talked with Certified Financial Planner Lori Atwood to identify those costs and what people can do to plan for them.

In this episode you will learn:

• The kinds of financial changes soon-to-be parents should expect
• How to determine how those changes will affect you specifically
• How to start making changes to your financial plan to adapt to these changes
• The best ways to prepare for these changes
• How these costs change as the child get over, and how you can adapt to them

We've all heard the saying: "The rich get richer and the poor get poorer." But why do the rich get richer? Is it just the mindset that "it takes money to make money" or do they know something else that we don't?

Lots of financial planners talk about mutual funds, annuities, IRAs and 401(k)s, but do the rich do the same or is there more? To answer that question, I talked with Ben Mohr about how everyone can invest like the ultra-wealthy.

In this episode you will learn:

• What wealthy people do when the market is down
• Alternative strategies that are actually safer than traditional investments
• About life settlements as a tool of the ultra-wealthy
• About safe investments for those nearing retirement

Everyone these days knows that a college education doesn't come cheap. It's a major investment for families and, if not handled properly, can lead to financial hardship after graduation. But can you get a good education without paying full price?

To answer that question and to discover ways that parents and students can find the perfect college fit academically, socially, and financially, I talked with college consultant Lee Norwood to tell us all about it.

In this episode you will learn:

• When parents and students should start the college search process.
• How to set up a college planning timeline.
• What should be on your timeline.
• How to make a balanced list of potential schools.
• Whether test scores are still important.

As a bankruptcy attorney, I know that getting that discharge and fresh start in your financial life can be liberating. No longer having the stress of carrying debt is great, but the next question is: where do you go from there?

To answer that question, I talk to fellow bankruptcy attorney Barry Levine about the steps you can take to rebuild your financial life.

In this episode you will learn:

• What you can do to make sure that your fresh start lasts
• About the bad money habits you see that prevent some people from achieving financial freedom post-bankruptcy
• About what they can do to change that
• What you can do to rebuild your credit

Many people experience financial difficulties due to deep seated emotional feelings about money. These feelings often drive bad money decisions that keep them from achieving financial freedom.

To identify these emotional money beliefs and help people to get past them I talked with Certified Financial Planner Shannon Ryan to discuss solutions to this problem.

In this episode you will learn:

- The money beliefs that could be holding you back from financial freedom - How to change them - How to heal emotional money wounds - What "money shame" is and how to get over it