It's What You Keep

For many of us, retirement is something we'll think about someday. But what happens when "someday" arrives—and you realize you're already financially ready?

In this episode of It's What You Keep, Kenny and David sit down with longtime friends Mark and Elaine Diggs, who both retired earlier this year—before turning 60.

Mark and Elaine share some of the financial decisions that helped make an early retirement possible, from prioritizing saving and investing to taking advantage of employer retirement benefits and the power of compound returns. They also discuss something that may surprise you: they stopped maintaining a detailed household budget years ago and instead focused on growing and monitoring their net worth.

The conversation explores what changes as retirement gets closer, why accumulating money and using that money require different strategies, and how having different types of retirement assets can provide flexibility when it comes to taxes.

But ultimately, this conversation becomes about something even more valuable than money: time.

In this episode:

• Why Mark and Elaine focused on net worth rather than a traditional household budget
• What you should be thinking about 25 years before retirement
• What changes when you're only five years away
• Why starting early makes compound returns so powerful
• Why retirement planning isn't simply about replacing your working income
• How different types of retirement accounts can affect taxes
• Why spouses don't have to view debt and financial risk exactly the same way
• The importance of communicating and making financial decisions as a team
• Why knowing when you have "enough" can change the way you think about work
• How retirement can transform time—not money—into your most valuable resource

Mark and Elaine are still new to retirement, but they've already discovered one of its greatest rewards: the ability to say yes to the things they want to do—and no to the things they don't.

Because eventually, keeping more of what you make isn't just about accumulating wealth.

It's about buying back your time.

And remember: it's not what you make... it's what you keep.

For the first guest interview on It’s What You Keep, Kenny and Dave welcome longtime friend and insurance professional Richard James for a conversation about one of the biggest expenses most of us will ever take on: our cars.

Richard shares the financial philosophy that has guided his own car-buying decisions—from buying quality and keeping vehicles for the long haul to knowing when repairs finally make replacement the smarter choice. The conversation also gets into the true cost of owning a car, including financing, maintenance, fuel, and insurance—and why the monthly payment is only part of the story.

Richard also offers an insider's perspective from more than 30 years in the insurance business, including why good credit can give you negotiating power, how to think about deductibles and liability coverage, and why shopping for insurance based on price alone can leave you dangerously underprotected.

In this episode:

• When does it make sense to repair an older car—and when is it time to replace it?
• Why you should decide what you can afford before walking into the dealership
• The dealership question that can trap you into focusing on the monthly payment instead of the total cost
• How strong credit can help you negotiate a better deal
• Why insurance costs should be considered before you buy the car
• What an insurance professional wants you to understand about coverage and deductibles
• How to resist the pressure to drive a car your finances can't comfortably support
• Why being willing to walk away may be your greatest negotiating advantage

And perhaps Richard's most important advice: know your lane and stay in it. Your financial decisions should be based on your income, your priorities, and your future—not what somebody else is driving.

Because it's not what you make... it's what you keep.

Student loans don't have to define your financial future.

In Part 2 of our conversation on student loans, Kenny and Dave shift from the problem to the solutions. They share seven practical strategies that can help you avoid excessive student debt—or pay it off faster if you already have it.

From scholarships and grants to employer tuition assistance, military programs, loan forgiveness, and skilled trades, this episode explores options that many students and families overlook. If college is in your future—or you're helping someone prepare for it—this conversation could save you thousands of dollars and years of financial stress.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why avoiding student loans is the best financial strategy whenever possible
• How scholarships, grants, and work opportunities can reduce borrowing
• Why paying student loans off early can save a fortune in interest
• Which careers qualify for loan forgiveness programs
• Why skilled trades can provide an excellent career without massive college debt
• How combining multiple strategies can dramatically reduce the cost of higher education

The cost of college may keep rising—but that doesn't mean your debt has to.

Because it's not just what you make... it's what you keep.

A college degree can open doors—but student loans can quietly close financial ones if you're not careful.

In this episode, Kenny and Dave take an honest look at how student loans really work. From deferred payments and accumulating interest to forbearance, repayment timelines, and why student loan debt is so difficult to escape, they explain the hidden costs that many borrowers don't discover until years after graduation.

Whether you're a student, a parent helping pay for college, or still carrying loans years later, this episode will help you understand the financial realities behind one of the largest debts most people will ever take on.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why student loans seem so attractive at first
• How interest grows while you're still in school
• The real impact of deferment and forbearance
• Why student loans are different from almost every other type of debt
• How student loan debt can affect your long-term wealth

This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. In the next episode, Kenny and Dave discuss practical alternatives to borrowing and strategies for reducing the financial burden of higher education.

Because it's not just what you make... it's what you keep.

Should you repair your current vehicle or buy another one? Here's a practical framework to help you decide.

In the final episode of our three-part series on vehicle ownership, Kenny Evans and David Berry share seven objective questions that can help you make one of the biggest financial decisions most people face.

Instead of relying on emotions, peer pressure, or the excitement of driving a new car, this episode walks through a simple process for evaluating repair costs, vehicle reliability, depreciation, insurance, and the long-term financial impact of replacing a vehicle.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to compare repair costs with future car payments
• Why the 50% rule can help guide your decision
• How to evaluate your vehicle's long-term reliability
• Why hidden ownership costs matter more than most buyers realize
• How to compare costs over a realistic time period
• Why checking your emotions is just as important as checking your budget
• A practical seven-step framework you can use before making your next vehicle purchase

This concludes our three-part series on one of the most important financial decisions many families make. Whether you decide to repair your current vehicle or purchase another one, our goal is to help you make that decision based on facts—not emotions.

🌐 Learn more and explore additional resources at: https://www.keepitpodcast.com

About It's What You Keep

Hosted by Kenny Evans and David Berry, It's What You Keep is a personal finance podcast dedicated to helping people keep more of the money they earn through practical financial education, real-life experiences, and honest conversations about building lasting wealth.

#CarBuying #PersonalFinance #MoneyManagement #FinancialLiteracy #CarRepair #UsedCars #BuildingWealth #ItsWhatYouKeep

In this episode, we continue our discussion of the new versus repair car decisions and some of the emotional and financial factors that come into play.

For most people, a car is the 2nd biggest expense in their budgets behind rent or a mortgage payment. And, unfortunately, it is one of those items that loses value with every passing day, so making sure we control that expense is important.

Join us for some examples and stories that drive home the importance of making a good decision here!

In this episode, Dave and Ken discuss one of the most challenging and potentially financially damaging decisions that people make: Buying a new car versus repairing the car I already have.

Any car discussion can go many different ways, but here we are focusing on a decision many people face when they've had a car long enough that they've paid it off, and now are faced with repair bills and - wait for it! - opinions of others about the age and style of their car!

We both speak from personal experience, having made some bad decisions in the past and try to share our lessons so you don't make the same mistakes!

This episode, we put our money where our mouths are and commit to using ROUND UP features of our respective bank accounts to save money.

In previous episodes, we have discussed the importance of saving money and suggested ways to make it a priority. With a round-up feature, saving money can not only be easy and consistent, but also almost invisible!

Round-up savings leverages your normal, everyday spending to save by "rounding up" your purchases to the next even dollar and putting that rounded up amount into a savings or investment account.

Join us as we track our savings over the next few months and, since you're here, start your own round up account as well! We think you'll be pleasantly surprised with the results!

In this episode, we talk about ways to make growing your savings a priority while keeping it painless and nearly invisible!

Too often, people tend to make savings a low priority or an afterthought behind paying bills, giving money away and spending on non-essentials like restaurants and clubs!

The best way to make sure you are saving is to not only treat your savings account as a BILL that HAS to be paid every paycheck but also treat it as the most important bill you have!

There are methods and tools that can help by making sure your savings is the first thing that comes out of every paycheck on every pay day so that you don't "miss" the money. We've learned that people will adjust their spending to the amount of money that they actually see.

And you help your future self if you put away money before you see it!

In this episode, we revisit the use of credit cards. Only this time, we talk about ways they can be used to enhance your life as long as you practice discipline and control.

Used wisely, credit cards can actually HELP you to save money and enjoy life without "breaking the bank"!