Life is Life!

To wrap up Season One, the Talk Wealth To Me podcast team "replies all" to questions we've received during Season One from our listeners.

From paying off credit card debt to saving money on groceries to building credit, you've got questions, and we've got some answers.

About the Show
Comments, questions or suggestions for the show? Email us at [email protected].

To learn more about DebtWave Credit Counseling, visit our website or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

To learn more about the San Diego Financial Literacy Center, visit our website or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

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While it’s true that numbers and math don’t care about your gender, numbers and math are hardly the driving force behind personal finances. Instead, outside cultural influences often affect our financial situations more than we’d like to admit.

In this episode, Chase and Katie sit down with Brynne Conroy for a discussion on the poverty cycle, the cultural influences that affect an individual's earning potential, as well as their ability to save, and the importance of breaking stigmas around social programs.

About Brynne
Brynne Conroy is the owner, creator and content director of the Femme Frugality blog. In October 2018, Conroy published The Feminist Financial Handbook, which quickly went on to become a  #1 Amazon new release.

In The Feminist Financial Handbook, Conroy takes a deep dive into how discrimination and oppression affect an individual or family's personal finance and the steps people can take to overcome the hurdles in front of them.

About the Show
Comments, questions or suggestions for the show? Email us at [email protected].

To learn more about DebtWave Credit Counseling, visit our website or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

To learn more about the San Diego Financial Literacy Center, visit our website or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Support the show

1 in 4 women is known to be a victim of domestic violence. Men are affected too, we just have fewer stats on the rate they endure abuse. 

A study by the Centers for Financial Security found that 99% of domestic violence cases also involved financial abuse. What's more, financial abuse is often the first sign of dating violence and domestic abuse. 

Financial abuse involves controlling a victim's ability to acquire, use, and maintain financial resources. Those who are victimized financially may be prevented from working. They also may have their own money restricted or stolen by the abuser. And rarely do they have complete access to money and other resources. When they do have money, they often have to account for every penny they spend.

Financial abuse may begin subtly and progress over time. It may even look like love initially as abusers have the capacity to appear very charming and are masterful at manipulation. For example, the abuser may make statements such as, “I know you’re under a lot of stress right now so why don’t you just let me take care of the finances and I’ll give you money each week to take care of what you need.” 

This scenario commonly leads to the abuser giving the victim, less and less in “allowance” and by the time the victim decides she or he wants to take back control of the finances, she or he discovers that the accounts have all been moved or she or he no longer has knowledge or access to the family funds.

The short- and long-term effects of financial abuse can be devastating. In the short-term, access to assets is imperative to staying safe. Without assets, survivors are often unable to obtain safe and affordable housing or the funds to provide for themselves or their children. With realistic fears of homelessness, it is little wonder that survivors sometimes return to an abusive partner.

For those who manage to escape the abuse and survive initially, they often face overwhelming odds in obtaining long-term security and safety. Ruined credit scores, sporadic employment histories, and legal issues caused by the abuse make it extremely difficult to gain independence, safety, and long-term security.

Resources:
The National Domestic Violence Hotline
Advocates are available 24/7 at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) in more than 200 languages, TTY 1-800-787-3224. All calls are free and confidential.

Aunt Bertha 

Purple Purse Allstate Foundation

About Rebecca Neale
Rebecca G. Neale has years of experience advocating for clients in the courtroom and the conference room and enjoys helping people navigate some of the most difficult chapters of their lives.

She has represented and advised over 300 clients in divorce cases, housing proceedings, Social Security appeals, and more. Rebecca has represented homeowners in nationwide class-action lawsuits against banks and small businesses in contract disputes and clerked for the highest state courts in New York and California.

About the Show
Comments, questions or suggestions for the show? Email us at [email protected].

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One word that pops up frequently when talking about finances or a budget is "plan." A seemingly simple word, but in reality, it's our "plan" for our money that really makes a difference in our wallets.

What does a financial plan look like?

It's different for every person/family/couple. But some common examples include buying a home. Most of us can't afford to wake up in the morning and purchase our dream home later that same day. For a majority of us, we need time to save up money for a down-payment.

So what do we do?

We come up with a plan to buy a home. We determine how much we can afford, we research neighborhoods, school districts, our commutes, etc. Similar plans are made when adopting a pet, having a child, getting married, buying a car, and even going on a vacation.

When we don't have a plan or a goal we're working toward, we're not always mindful of where we're spending our money. And sometimes that can get us into trouble.

In this episode, Chase, Felipe, and Katie chat about why we need financial planning, how a plan helps you stay out of debt, and how to get started.

About the Show
Comments, questions or suggestions for the show? Email us at [email protected].

To learn more about DebtWave Credit Counseling, visit our website or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

To learn more about the San Diego Financial Literacy Center, visit our website or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Support the show

Financial issues rank among the most stressful concerns for active-duty service members, vets, and their families, according to a survey by Blue Star Families, a nonprofit out of Syracuse University. In fact, financial concerns rank as the second-highest overall concern, second to relocation anxiety.

While the military does offer service members access to supplemental courses that teach personal finance, the fact is most military members don't know how to manage their finances while in the military. And even more service members struggle to manage their finances when they inevitably leave the military - especially females, who oftentimes are tasked with managing the household finances.

The financial issues are sometimes even more exaggerated for female service members, who are more likely to be single parents than their male counterparts. And given that there are currently 2 million female military veterans in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, female service members struggle with money is becoming an increasingly important issue - especially since the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs expects 18 percent of the military vet population will be female by 2040.

Joining us on the show to discuss this very important topic is Dr. Ann James, founder of Financial Freedom Battle Buddies. Dr. Ann shares how service members become accustomed to getting allowances for housing, food, medical, and clothing, that they oftentimes don't plan for life outside the military, and shares how she's working to change that financial dependence to allow more and more female service members and vets to experience financial freedom.

As Dr. Ann says, it doesn't matter if you're an E-1, O-6 or civilian, financial freedom can be yours.

About Dr. Ann
Dr. Antoinette (Ann) James founded Financial Freedom Battle Buddies to help her fellow female veterans take back control and win the fight over their money. Early in her military career, Dr. Ann was exposed to valuable personal finance lessons which allowed her to overcome numerous money pitfalls after becoming a single mother. 

​An Iraq War Veteran, Dr. Ann managed multi-million dollar operating budgets while serving as a Financial Officer. In 2011, after serving 21 years, Dr. Ann retired from the Air Force and successfully transitioned to civilian life. As a proclaimed life learner, she returned to school and earned her Doctorate of Education from Grand Canyon University in 2017. In order to further expand her ability to provide sound financial guidance and education, in 2019 she earned the distinguished gold standard of becoming an Accredited Financial Counselor. 

About the Show
Comments, questions or suggestions for the show? Email us at [email protected].

To learn more about DebtWave Credit Counseling, visit our website or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

To learn more about the San Diego Financial Literacy Center, visit our website or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Support the show

For decades, owning a vehicle was synonymous with freedom.

Having a car meant not having to be at the mercy of a bus or train schedule; it meant you could live and work in a different neighborhood from where you worked or went to school. Vehicles even became a place of refuge – a place to sing out loud or rest your eyes.

But cars are ridiculously expensive – and as rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft gain consumer trust and extend their services to every neighborhood in the U.S., more and more Americans are questioning the need to own a car.

When you can find a ride to your destination in a matter of minutes with just the swipe of your finger, does it make financial sense to continue to make $500-plus payments, possibly for the rest of your life?

San Diego-resident and friend of the show, Dan Hubbard, joins us to share how he lives without a car in Southern California. Dan even shares how he commutes daily to an office job via public transportation.

About the Show
Comments, questions or suggestions for the show? Email us at [email protected].

To learn more about DebtWave Credit Counseling, visit our website or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

To learn more about the San Diego Financial Literacy Center, visit our website or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Support the show

Building wealth is a tricky business, especially for those whose faith teaches them that money is intrinsically evil, financial planning is only for the wealthy, and that you're stuck FOR-EV-ER with consequences of past financial mistakes.

Deborah L. Meyer, CPA/PFS, CFP®, is the author of Redefining Family Wealth: A Parent’s Guide to Purposeful Living. Deb joins Talk Wealth To Me to share how wealth is about so much more than money - it's also about providing for your family and others in meaningful ways, why faith and finance don't have to be separate, as well as how the power of prayer works hand-in-hand at viewing your finances from an abundance mindset.

About Deb Meyer:
Deborah owns WorthyNest®, a fee-only financial planning and investment advisory firm that helps parents build wealth, and SV CPA Services, an accounting and tax firm for forward-thinking entrepreneurs. 

Deborah has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and CNN Business and is a contributor to Kiplinger.  She is a 2019 CPA Practice Advisor “40 Under 40 Honoree” in Accounting and received the 2018 AICPA Standing Ovation Award.  Outside of work, Deborah spends time with her husband Bryan and three sons.

About the Show
Comments, questions or suggestions for the show? Email us at [email protected].

To learn more about DebtWave Credit Counseling, visit our website or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

To learn more about the San Diego Financial Literacy Center, visit our website or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Support the show

Have you talked to your children about money?

The sad truth is that kids as young as two years of age are enticed to want this, want that – it’s the wily little “Want Monsta” and he is really good at making us want more than we need or can afford.

It’s hard to teach children real-life skills about spending and saving…but it will be harder later if they don’t learn! After all, money does NOT grow on trees…

There are several different strategies parents can use to educate their children about personal finance - how to budget, how to save, how to consider the cost of tax, etc. But what about the theatre? Have you ever considered taking your children to a puppet show, where they can learn about personal finance while belly laughing?

Debbie Todd is the co-founder of Ruby’s Troupe, an innovative interactive live and online theatre education group. A licensed CPA and certified financial education instructor with over 36,000 hours dedicated to “smart money” activities, Debbie is a spunky Grandma who is passionate about helping children defeat the Want Monsta and become Smart Money Commanders.

Debbie joins us on the show to share how Ruby's Troupe is creating a whole new generation of personal finance savvy youngsters, as well as why we should educate our children about money sooner than later.

About the Show
Comments, questions or suggestions for the show? Email us at [email protected].

To learn more about DebtWave Credit Counseling, visit our website or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

To learn more about the San Diego Financial Literacy Center, visit our website or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Support the show

When's the last time you went on vacation? Has it been too long to even remember?!

We get it - traveling is hard for a multitude of reasons. The biggest: The expense.

The average vacation costs about $1,145 per person. And when you're on a tighter budget, perhaps you're paying off credit card debt or student loans, or maybe you're working hard to build up your 401(k) and emergency savings accounts, it can seem like travel is no longer within your financial reach.

Joining us on the show is Sunny Burns, founder of FamVestor.com. Sunny shares how he used credit card hacks to travel:

• roundtrip to Japan with his wife for $30
• on a 5-day cruise from Puerto Rico to New Jersey for $250 per person
• As well as a three-week backpacking trip through five different European nations with a six-month-old for less than $2,400!

So what exactly is credit card hacking?
Credit card hacking is utilizing credit cards and especially credit cards with high bonuses to gain lots of miles very quickly and then using those miles to get free flights.
 
How can you get started on travel hacking?
Check out our full conversation with Sunny Burns, then head over to Sunny's website to learn more about how his family uses credit card hacks to travel the world: famvestor.com/travel

About the Show
Comments, questions or suggestions for the show? Email us at [email protected].

To learn more about DebtWave Credit Counseling, visit our website or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

To learn more about the San Diego Financial Literacy Center, visit our website or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Support the show

Saving money on groceries is one of the fastest ways to cut spending from your budget.

Given that the average family of four is spending about $800 per month on groceries ($200 per person), cutting costs at the grocery store and eating out less is one of the fastest ways to save money.

In Episode 17 of Talk Wealth To Me, Chase, Felipe, and Katie, sit down with Steve and Annette Economides who are the experts when it comes to frugal grocery shopping. When Steve and Annette had five kids living at home, the couple spent just $350 per month on groceries - $50 per person per month.

How did they do it?

1. Taking inventory of the food they already at home
2. Shopping at the grocery store just once per month
3. Utilizing a very large freezer
4. And more!

Listen to the full episode to hear Steve and Annette share the ins and outs of frugal grocery shopping as well as tips to get you started on grocery savings.


To learn more about Steve & Annette's grocery strategies visit their:

Website: https://moneysmartfamily.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MavinOfSavin

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/annettesteve/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmericasCheapestFamily/

Free Downloads:

Shopping List and Price Tracker: https://moneysmartfamily.com/groceries/

Freezer Inventory: https://moneysmartfamily.com/grocery-tips-landing-page/ (bottom of the page)

Books: 

• America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money
• Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half
• The MoneySmart Family System: Teaching Financial Independence to Children of Every Age

Comments, questions or suggestions for the show? Email us at [email protected].

To learn more about DebtWave Credit Counseling, visit our website or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

To learn more about the San Diego Financial Literacy Center, visit our website or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Support the show