How to Money

Time for a Friday Flight- our little sampling of the week’s best financial news and what it means for your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we boil them down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to get ahead with your money. In this episode we explain some relevant and helpful stories like:

• Joel evades a parking ticket?
• Faltering friendships
• Super intelligence for savers (it’s already here)
• 60 million enrolled in Trump Accounts
• Most think the stock market is unsustainable
• Over-optimistic Coast FIRE adherents
• New Robinhood features
• Birthdayzillas (vs celebrating like a normie)
• Debt payoff determination
• The new debt-free scream?
• Check cash advance apps

Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances:

• YouTube: You thought you’d never see it… the How To Money channel over on YouTube - LIKE and SUBSCRIBE!
• Credit card perks: Check out our favorite credit cards that we use to maximize rewards and optimize our spending.
• Other money nerds: Find a thriving community of fellow money nerds by joining the HTM Facebook group!
• Newsletter: Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical.
• Money Gears: knowing what to do with your money is crucial to your personal finance journey.
• MG7: and maybe you’re well on your way to financial independence but you’re looking for some financial reassurance, that’s when heading over to HowToMoney.com/Advisor and getting matched with a highly vetted financial advisor makes sense.

And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money!

Best friends out!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The economics of higher education are pretty messed up and colleges know it. Sure, we're sometimes our own worst enemies when it comes to spending. But the pricing system itself seems almost designed to confuse: opaque, inconsistent, and nearly impossible to decode from the outside. Which means there's real money on the table for families who take the time to learn how admissions and financial aid actually work… and which hoops are worth jumping through and which aren't. Get fluent in this system, and you could save yourself tens of thousands of dollars. Stay in the dark, and you're leaving that money on the table. We're joined by Phillip Levine, an economist and professor who's spent his career studying education finance and his new book, Hidden Tuition, pulls back the curtain on how the system really works, and what families can do to navigate it on their own terms. Today we discuss:

• Differences between sticker price and actual cost
• Enrollment trends and their impact on college prices
• Understanding the FAFSA and need-based aid
• Merit aid and how colleges use discounts
• Negotiating financial aid offers
• Tools and resources for estimating college costs
• The role of 529 plans and early savings
• Manipulating finances to maximize aid
• And much more!

Can’t get enough How To Money? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances:

• YouTube: You thought you’d never see it… the How To Money channel over on YouTube - LIKE and SUBSCRIBE!
• Credit card perks: Check out our favorite credit cards that we use to maximize rewards and optimize our spending.
• Other money nerds: Find a thriving community of fellow money nerds by joining the HTM Facebook group!
• Newsletter: Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical.
• Money Gears: knowing what to do with your money is crucial to your personal finance journey.
• MG7: and maybe you’re well on your way to financial independence but you’re looking for some financial reassurance, that’s when heading over to HowToMoney.com/Advisor and getting matched with a highly vetted financial advisor makes sense.

And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money!

Best friends out!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re kicking off the week by answering your listener questions! And if you have a question that you’d like for us to answer on the show, we’d love for you to submit your own via HowToMoney.com/ask , send us your voice memo. Regardless of how random or bizarre you might think it is, we want to hear it!

1 - Stock tips: why do so many people pay for stock tip subscriptions?!

2 - Toyota time: is it worth dropping a lot of money on our old Corolla?

3 - Income bump: how can I offset my taxes while still achieving some financial goals?

4 - Political: does iHeart prevent you guys from talking politics on the podcast more often?

5 - Medical debt: what’s the site that helps you to get out of medical debt?

Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances:

• YouTube: You thought you’d never see it… the How To Money channel over on YouTube - LIKE and SUBSCRIBE!
• Credit card perks: Check out our favorite credit cards that we use to maximize rewards and optimize our spending.
• Other money nerds: Find a thriving community of fellow money nerds by joining the HTM Facebook group!
• Newsletter: Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical.
• Money Gears: knowing what to do with your money is crucial to your personal finance journey.
• MG7: and maybe you’re well on your way to financial independence but you’re looking for some financial reassurance, that’s when heading over to HowToMoney.com/Advisor and getting matched with a highly vetted financial advisor makes sense.

Please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money!

Best friends out!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time for a Friday Flight- our little sampling of the week’s best financial news and what it means for your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we boil them down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to get ahead with your money. In this episode we explain some relevant and helpful stories like:

• Happy Birthday Pete!
• Will Joel regret his Midea purchase?
• Whether iced coffee is off-limits in an interview
• Love/Hate relationship with self-employment
• Saying no to commuting
• The best year to be alive
• Homebuying with homies
• Softening housing market
• Muse is meh
• AI getting financial answer wrong
• Wacky ETFs
• Social Security age could be lowered

Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances:

• YouTube: You thought you’d never see it… the How To Money channel over on YouTube - LIKE and SUBSCRIBE!
• Credit card perks: Check out our favorite credit cards that we use to maximize rewards and optimize our spending.
• Other money nerds: Find a thriving community of fellow money nerds by joining the HTM Facebook group!
• Newsletter: Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical.
• Money Gears: knowing what to do with your money is crucial to your personal finance journey.
• MG7: and maybe you’re well on your way to financial independence but you’re looking for some financial reassurance, that’s when heading over to HowToMoney.com/Advisor and getting matched with a highly vetted financial advisor makes sense.

And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money!

Best friends out!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

61% of Americans say they’re more afraid of running out of money than they are of dying… the idea of spending our later years stressed about money is so terrifying that some people would rather face the great unknown than deal with their own financial plan. And yet, far too many people are taking the “I’ll figure it out someday” approach when it comes to retirement. They’re hoping things work out instead of building a plan that gives them confidence and freedom. Our guest today believes retirement doesn’t have to be defined by fear and uncertainty. With the right decisions, we can worry less about money and spend more time enjoying the life we’ve worked so hard to build. Jean Chatzky has spent decades helping people make smarter decisions with their money through her work on the Today show, her AARP columns, her books (the latest of which is titled The Forever Paycheck), and her podcast. Today we discuss what retirement looks like in this modern era, how we can prepare for it without letting fear take over, and we dig into topics like:

• The retirement crisis and how to address it
• A 'forever paycheck' and how to create one
• Role of annuities and other income products in retirement planning
• Shifting from accumulation to decumulation and behavioral challenges
• The impact of longevity and market risks on retirement strategies
• How to balance risk and guarantees in retirement income
• Psychological aspects of spending and saving in retirement
• And much more!

Can’t get enough How To Money? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances:

• YouTube: You thought you’d never see it… the How To Money channel over on YouTube - LIKE and SUBSCRIBE!
• Credit card perks: Check out our favorite credit cards that we use to maximize rewards and optimize our spending.
• Other money nerds: Find a thriving community of fellow money nerds by joining the HTM Facebook group!
• Newsletter: Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical.
• Money Gears: knowing what to do with your money is crucial to your personal finance journey.
• MG7: and maybe you’re well on your way to financial independence but you’re looking for some financial reassurance, that’s when heading over to HowToMoney.com/Advisor and getting matched with a highly vetted financial advisor makes sense.

And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money!

Best friends out!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re kicking off the week by answering your listener questions! And if you have a question that you’d like for us to answer on the show, we’d love for you to submit your own via HowToMoney.com/ask , send us your voice memo. Regardless of how random or bizarre you might think it is, we want to hear it! But first… will or won’t Joel run a 50k?! But then we get to:

1 - Cash surrender: or keep a life insurance policy around and how will it impact my student loan payment?!

2 - Early retirement: should I prioritize my 457 if I’m interested in retiring as a firefighter at age 53?

3 - Best yield: where should we keep the downpayment for a new home purchase?

4 - Buy my car: wise advice if you want to sell your car for the most money.

5 - 1% AUM: how do I keep my parents from getting ripped off?

Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances:

• Referenced: Breaking up with your financial advisor.
• YouTube: You thought you’d never see it… the How To Money channel over on YouTube - LIKE and SUBSCRIBE!
• Credit card perks: Check out our favorite credit cards that we use to maximize rewards and optimize our spending.
• Other money nerds: Find a thriving community of fellow money nerds by joining the HTM Facebook group!
• Newsletter: Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical.
• Money Gears: knowing what to do with your money is crucial to your personal finance journey.
• MG7: and maybe you’re well on your way to financial independence but you’re looking for some financial reassurance, that’s when heading over to HowToMoney.com/Advisor and getting matched with a highly vetted financial advisor makes sense.

Please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money!

Best friends out!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time for a Friday Flight- our little sampling of the week’s best financial news and what it means for your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we boil them down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to get ahead with your money. In this episode we explain some relevant and helpful stories like:

• Holiday spending
• Illiterate Americans
• Worse on purpose and planned obsolescence
• Shrinking shoulder season
• Healthcare inflation (even still, get insured)
• Stocks in a late stage bubble?!
• Retirees afraid to spend
• Early social security claims
• Fed and higher interest rates
• And plenty more!

Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances:

• YouTube: You thought you’d never see it… the How To Money channel over on YouTube - LIKE and SUBSCRIBE!
• Credit card perks: Check out our favorite credit cards that we use to maximize rewards and optimize our spending.
• Other money nerds: Find a thriving community of fellow money nerds by joining the HTM Facebook group!
• Newsletter: Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical.
• Money Gears: knowing what to do with your money is crucial to your personal finance journey.
• MG7: and maybe you’re well on your way to financial independence but you’re looking for some financial reassurance, that’s when heading over to HowToMoney.com/Advisor and getting matched with a highly vetted financial advisor makes sense.

And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money!

Best friends out!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Does anyone look at the U.S. healthcare system and think, "Yep, everything's working great"? Probably not. It's not because we don't have talented doctors or dedicated healthcare workers. It's because a growing web of corporate interests, distorted incentives, and financial middlemen has turned healthcare into one of the most expensive and frustrating systems in the developed world. In his new book, The Healthcare Heist, Dr. Jordan Grumet – who is also a personal finance podcaster, writer, & speaker – exposes how that happened. Medical bills remain a major source of debt and bankruptcy for American families, but Jordan argues that none of this is inevitable. More importantly, he lays out practical solutions to help individuals. Today we discuss:

• The corporate influence on healthcare
• Healthcare insurance complexity
• Intimacy gap in doctor-patient relationship
• Innovation in the US
• The role of pharmaceutical companies
• Medical tourism
• Alternatives like health sharing
• Learning from global healthcare models
• Emotional side of money management
• And much more!

Can’t get enough How To Money? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances:

• Cashback credit cards: Check out our favorite credit cards that we use to maximize rewards and optimize our spending.
• Other money nerds: Find a thriving community of fellow money nerds by joining the HTM Facebook group!
• Newsletter: Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical.
• Money Gears: knowing what to do with your money is crucial to your personal finance journey.
• MG7: and maybe you’re well on your way to financial independence but you’re looking for some financial reassurance, that’s when heading over to HowToMoney.com/Advisor and getting matched with a highly vetted financial advisor makes sense.

And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money!

Best friends out!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re kicking off the week by answering your listener questions! And if you have a question that you’d like for us to answer on the show, we’d love for you to submit your own via HowToMoney.com/ask , send us your voice memo. Regardless of how random or bizarre you might think it is, we want to hear it! A little Southwest companion pass and airline talk before we dive in:

1 - Big goals: what should I focus on next after I’ve paid off my house?!

2 - Parent help: should I get a power of attorney or keep it simple with a joint account to help my aging parents?

3 - Mach E: am I the only one using an electric vehicle as a way to save a ton?

4 - Newish iPhones: where’s the best place to look if I don’t want to buy brand new?

5 - Venmo vs Zelle: which are the best P2P payment apps for my daughter to use?

Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances:

• YouTube: You thought you’d never see it… the How To Money channel over on YouTube - LIKE and SUBSCRIBE!
• Credit card perks: Check out our favorite credit cards that we use to maximize rewards and optimize our spending.
• Other money nerds: Find a thriving community of fellow money nerds by joining the HTM Facebook group!
• Newsletter: Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical.
• Money Gears: knowing what to do with your money is crucial to your personal finance journey.
• MG7: and maybe you’re well on your way to financial independence but you’re looking for some financial reassurance, that’s when heading over to HowToMoney.com/Advisor and getting matched with a highly vetted financial advisor makes sense.

Please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money!

Best friends out!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time for a Friday Flight- our little sampling of the week’s best financial news and what it means for your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we boil them down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to get ahead with your money. In this episode we explain some relevant and helpful stories like:

• TOP TIER Plus (evidently it’s better!)
• Spending all the discretionary income
• Guilt-ridden spending (for the dopamine hit?)
• Everything (investing) in it’s right place
• Sneaking socialism
• Getting harder to return stuff
• Fast shipping trains how we shop
• Home buying help
• Marry the house, date the rate
• Will apartment rents go up?
• Getting paid to move

Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances:

• YouTube: You thought you’d never see it… the How To Money channel over on YouTube - LIKE and SUBSCRIBE!
• Credit card perks: Check out our favorite credit cards that we use to maximize rewards and optimize our spending.
• Other money nerds: Find a thriving community of fellow money nerds by joining the HTM Facebook group!
• Newsletter: Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical.
• Money Gears: knowing what to do with your money is crucial to your personal finance journey.
• MG7: and maybe you’re well on your way to financial independence but you’re looking for some financial reassurance, that’s when heading over to HowToMoney.com/Advisor and getting matched with a highly vetted financial advisor makes sense.

And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money!

Best friends out!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.