How to Money

The Feds are cracking down on defaulted student loans! According to the new US Education Secretary, it’s time for student borrowers with federal loans to begin making payments. The clock is ticking and May 5th is the date that nearly 2 million borrowers are going to be moved into repayment plans and collections will begin for loans that are in default with over 5 million borrowers at risk of garnished wages. This is a massive shakeup from what borrowers have experienced over the past 5 years, and we’re thankful to be joined by founder and CEO of Student Loan Planner, Travis Hornsby to parse the details. Travis has a massive amount of experience having consulted on several billion dollars of student debt and today we discuss what borrowers should do to avoid wage garnishments, whether PSLF is under fire, some simple steps to take to ensure that borrowers are paying as little as legally possible, and more!

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

• Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. 
• Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical.
• Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group.
• Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool!
• Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile.

During this episode we enjoyed an Only Calling Hours Pull Me Back To These Midwestern Roots by Burial and Hop Butcher (yes, that’s the actual name of that beer)! 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.

Let’s kick off the week with some fresh listener questions we have lined up for you! And don't just stand on the sidelines- if you have a question you’d like us to answer, toss your voice memo our way. It only takes about 90 seconds to record and you can find a step by step guide over at HowToMoney.com/ask . Regardless of how random or bizarre you might think it is, we want to hear it!

1 - How should I strike the balance between paying off my student loans versus investing?

2 - Since I loan money to friends, can I report their on-time payments to help them build their credit?

3 - What is the role of faith in your lives and how does it pertain to handling your personal finances?

4 - Should I use my company stock vests to pay extra towards my mortgage?

5 - I’m planning to travel internationally so what cell phone provider should I go with?

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

• Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. 
• Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical.
• Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group.
• Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool!
• Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile.

During this episode we enjoyed a Birdie Putt by Six Bridges Brewing! 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.

Time for a Friday Flight- our little sampling of the week’s 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: student loan repayments resume, debt defaults, the rise of 84 month car notes, VIP investments, tapping money in a turbulent market, strategic Roth conversions, regretful retirees, working less for FIRE sustainability, mini-retirements, timeshares, copycat hotel sites, and getting a REAL ID.

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

• Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. 
• Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical.
• Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group.
• Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool!
• Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile.

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. Have an awesome weekend!

Best friends out!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who doesn’t wish that they were currently listening to this episode while lounging at the beach, on a European adventure, or even completely off the grid hiking somewhere amazing?! Of course we all want to do that but c’mon, it’s too expensive! That is the unfortunate excuse that we give ourselves for why we don’t travel as much as we’d like, but our guest is here to set the record straight. Scott Keyes is the founder of Going, the travel platform that was formerly known as Scott’s Cheap Flights. Over at Going, Scott is all about helping travelers snag the absolute best flight deals- from mistake fares, to the best time to book flights, to specific travel recommendations… listen as we have a wide-ranging conversation that will get you excited to plan your next excursion.

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

• Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. 
• Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical.
• Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group.
• Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool!
• Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile.

During this episode we enjoyed a Kolsch by Altstadt Brewing! 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.

Let’s dive into the week with some fresh listener questions we have lined up for you on this Special Tariffs Edition of Ask HTM (more on that further down). But don't just stand on the sidelines- if you have a question you’d like us to answer, toss your voice memo our way. It only takes about 90 seconds to record and you can find a step by step guide over at HowToMoney.com/ask . Regardless of how random or bizarre you might think it is, we want to hear it!

But as the title states, we’re going to cover a ton of different questions that all pertain to the issue of tariffs and how they are going to impact you and your money. For instance:

• Should I diversify to international investing given the state of things?
• Can you discuss if tariffs are a form of regressive tax?
• Is moving more dollars into gold and crypto a smart move?
• Does my emergency fund get factored into unemployment benefits?
• How do you come up with a Bare Bones Budget?
• Is this a ridiculous time to sell our house?
• How should I consider an early retirement offer from my employer?
• As an investing ‘late bloomer’, how does market volatility impact my ability to save for retirement?
• Does more market volatility make paying for Betterment’s auto tax loss harvesting a good idea?
• and additional concerns...

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

• Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. 
• Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical.
• Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group.
• Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool!
• Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile.

During this episode we enjoyed a Yellow Rose Smash IPA by Lonely Pint! 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.

Time for a Friday Flight- our little sampling of the week’s 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: Elon stickers, panic pre-purchasing, used car prices ticking up, tariff surcharges, make used great again, untrustworthy TikTok trends, buying vs being dupes, fatter E-funds, fearing overdraft fees, “recession hair”, overpriced 8k, predictable phone pricing, and Coachella with interest.

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

• Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. 
• Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical.
• Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group.
• Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool!
• Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile.

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. Have an awesome weekend!

Best friends out!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re joined by the Chief Economist at Redfin, Daryl Fairweather, so you know we’re talking about the current state of the real estate market today. But before she was knee-deep in housing data Daryl was the senior economist at Amazon, and before that she was a researcher at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston which is when she was working with Freakonomics author Steven Levitt. Now, she has a new book that just came out last week, Hate The Game: Economic Cheat Codes for Life, Love, and Work. The book is all about helping folks to use game theory and behavioral science to lay out all the options in life. For example whether you should get married and have kids or not, or going for a promotion versus looking for a new job, or whether or not you should move to a new city! Basically, Daryl is wanting to help folks win at whatever game in life they’re playing and we also discuss her favorite nerdy board game, the solutions to high housing prices, and plenty more!

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

• Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. 
• Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical.
• Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group.
• Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool!
• Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile.

During this episode we enjoyed an Argyle Raspberry Key Lime Sour by Contrast Artisan Ales! 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.

Let’s dive into the week with some fresh listener questions we have lined up for you! And don't just stand on the sidelines- if you have a question you’d like us to answer, toss your voice memo our way. It only takes about 90 seconds to record and you can find a step by step guide over at HowToMoney.com/ask . Regardless of how random or bizarre you might think it is, we want to hear it!

1 - Should I follow the investment portfolio modeled by Yale’s endowment fund?

2 - Are there DIY ways to scrub my personal info from the web or should I pay for DeleteMe?

3 - Does it make sense to pay for medevac insurance or is it included in Medicare?

4 - Is it a bad idea to perform a retirement account rollover when the market is down?

5 - When does it make sense to pay for a new car in cash?

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

• Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. 
• Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical.
• Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group.
• Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool!
• Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile.

During this episode we enjoyed a Houndstooth Sour by Contrast Artisan Ales! 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.

Flexibility is a characteristic that will serve you well! This reminded Joel of his summer beach trip with his family to Tybee Island. Shortly after they left, there was a massive swarm of jellyfish that meant beachgoers couldn’t even get in the water. Lifeguards treated around 300 visitors for jellyfish stings in a single weekend. And while that would’ve been a bummer if you were wanting to spend some time in the ocean, it didn’t mean that you couldn’t have any fun in the sun. It just would’ve meant more time playing bocce or spikeball! And we believe the same is true when it comes to our money. Just like you might need to adapt your vacation plans if jellyfish have taken over the water, seeing the current trends can help us optimize our decisions and avoid unnecessary financial pain. And while it’s always good to strive for financial flexibility, we think this is even more important today given the incredible amount of change that we’ve seen impact markets over the past two years. So listen as we lay out some scenarios that highlight the benefits of flexibility, as well as practical steps that’ll allow you to achieve a higher degree of financial flexibility.

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

• Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. 
• Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical.
• Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group.
• Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool!
• Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile.
• Don’t be cheap and forego getting a life insurance policy. Compare rates with Policygenius.

During this episode we enjoyed a Six which is a saison style beer by Upright Brewing! 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.

Whether it’s too late to get in on BTC, hackers targeting crypto, what a Federal Bitcoin Reserve means for the price of BTC… these are just a few of the topics we get into today with our guest, Natalie Brunell. When we occasionally talk about Bitcoin, it’s typically within the context of investing, and even then our approach is for it to be a relatively small portion of our overall portfolio. Could most folks do without it? Totally. Don't overly focus on what we see as a more alternative investment if you’re not predominantly in low-cost index funds. Don’t major in the minors. But that is not at all how Natalie views Bitcoin. She sees it initially as an asset, but then as an entirely new system of money- a system that is incorruptible and nonpartisan. In Natalie’s words, BTC is egalitarian, it doesn’t benefit any race over another, and it’s the purest expression of freedom and self-determination, who doesn’t want that?! For over a decade Natalie was an investigative journalist and is now a predominant figure in the BTC space, she’s an influential educator, host of the Coin Stories podcast where she dives in deep and we think you’ll really enjoy her thoughtful approach to investing in crypto!

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

• Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here. 
• Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical.
• Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group.
• Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool!
• Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile.

During this episode we enjoyed a Stash IPA by Independence Brewing! 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.