Parents want the best for their kids. Because of that, it’s a balancing act of helping them and helping them help themselves. That applies to finances too.

In this episode, I talk to Bobbi Rebell about how to set your teens and young adults up for financial success. Bobbi is a CFP® and the author of Launching Financial Grownups: Live Your Richest Life by Helping Your (Almost) Adult Kids Become Everyday Money Smart. She is a financial literacy advocate, the host of the Money Tips for Financial Grownups podcast, and the founder of GrownupGear.com. Bobbi was previously a global business news anchor and personal finance columnist at Reuters and held various journalist positions at top news outlets, including CNBC, CNN, and PBS.

Bobbi shares what you can do now to help your kids be financially successful on their own. From budgeting and saving to understanding their first 401k and homeownership, Bobbi gives some practical steps on how to go about it.

The show notes can be found here:

https://laceylangford.com/podcast/financial-success-as-an-adult/

Credit card debt can get many people in trouble, but for some, credit cards help them travel and do more for less.

In this episode, Derrick Dye, the Co-Founder of Travel on Point(s). Shares some tips and best practices for traveling on credit card points.

Derrick always loved to travel and early on figured out a few tricks to save money on airfare and hotels through loyalty programs. But it wasn't until he and his wife started opening up credit cards for rewards to enhance their travels that he really understood the value. Now Derrick spends his time running a Facebook group, writing blog posts, and hosting zoom sessions to teach people how to maximize their rewards to Travel on Point(s).

Derrick shares tips to get started, some rules of thumb for credit cards, benefits you can receive, and most importantly, mistakes to avoid when using credit cards for points.

Show notes can be found here:

https://laceylangford.com/podcast/traveling-on-points/

We’re in some financial strange times. Inflation is up, interest rates are rising, the supply chain is messed up, there’s lots of volatility, and we’re coming off COVID. But how do you balance everything that’s going on, stay consistent and create plans for your finances?

In this episode, I talk to Profit First Professional Rocky Lalvani, who has an MBA and is an Enrolled Agent, about what things you can control during these times, how to work on them and how to tune out the things out of your control.

Show notes can be found here: https://laceylangford.com/podcast/financially-focused-in-strange-times/

Money esteem is important. You have to have faith in your abilities to manage your money. If you have debt, you need faith in your ability to get out of debt. If you’re saving for retirement you need faith in your ability to save and invest money each month. And you need faith in your ability to live within your means.   

Here are five ways you can build money esteem.

Show notes can be found here:

https://laceylangford.com/podcast/money-esteem/

Military married to military has its own sets of benefits and challenges. On one hand, you have great benefits and income but on the other, you have separations and a whole lot of planning and prep to make married and military life work.

In this episode, I talk to Certified Financial Planner and veteran, Katie Cannon. Katie is a fee-only financial planner and founder of Money Pilot Financial Advisor. She helps military service members and federal employees envision and build their best financial life. Katie served in the Army as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot and now enjoys riding her horses and life on the farm.

Katie shares advice on how dual-military couples can best plan their finances during and after service. She talks about the best thing dual-military couples can do to prepare for retirement and how to plan for the additional expenses of being married to another service member. As well as some considerations you may not know you should be taking with your money now, so it’s not a problem later.

Show notes can be found here: https://laceylangford.com/podcast/tips-for-dual-military-couples/

A military spouse’s retirement is an important part of a military family’s retirement planning. Thankfully more and more military spouses are taking advantage of using Individual Retirement Accounts or employer 401ks to save for their future. The challenge for military spouses is to decide what to do in situations where you have multiple 401k accounts because of your many job changes due to PCSing.

In this episode, I talk with Patrick Ortman, a military spouse and a Certified Financial Planner on best practices military spouses can use to help them make decisions and manage multiple 401ks.

Patrick founded Ortman Financial Planning in 2016, a financial planning and investment management firm located in Bethesda, MD. He has a strong focus on his clients’ overall financial well-being and recognizes that money is only a tool to help achieve the vision each person has for their life.

Show notes can be found here:

https://laceylangford.com/podcast/multiple-401ks/

This week marks the 78th Anniversary of the signing of the GI Bill. The GI Bill benefit is right up there with free medical care when it comes to perks for serving in the military. The value of your Post 9/11 GI Bill benefit is not only big, the impact it can have on your future earnings and quality of life is even greater. Just like any planning for transitioning out of the military, there is some prep and planning that goes into getting the most out of your GI Bill benefit.

In this episode, I talk to veteran benefit expert, Dr. Paul R. Lawrence on how to plan and get the most out of your Post GI Bill benefit, mistakes to avoid, and how to transfer your benefit to your dependents.

Dr. Lawrence is an Army veteran, author, and passionate Veteran advocate. For almost three years, he served as Under Secretary of Benefits at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. As Under Secretary, he was in charge of the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA).

Show notes can be found here: https://laceylangford.com/podcast/your-post-9-11-gi-bill-benefits/

We talk a lot about saving for retirement but often not about drawing from all of your retirement savings when it comes time. The 4% rule is important when it comes to withdrawing your retirement savings each year.

In this episode, I talk with Rob Berger about what the 4% rule is, how it came about, how it works and the impacts inflation can have on it.

Rob is the host of the Financial Freedom Show on YouTube and author of Retire Before Mom and Dad. Through his YouTube channel and blog, robberger.com, he helps folks navigate the world of investing and retirement planning.

Rob shares a wealth of knowledge about retirement, the 4% rule, and how it applies to military pensions.

Show notes can be found here: https://laceylangford.com/podcast/inflation-and-the-4-percent-rule/

Do you know what the SBP decision is? If not, you’re not alone. A lot of service members and spouses don’t know it’s a decision they will be faced with come retirement time. And many don’t know the factors they should consider in the decision. 

In this episode, I talk with a Survivor Benefit Plan expert, Kate Horrell about the questions you should know the answers to before you decide on whether or not to elect the SBP for service members' pension. 

Kate Horrell is a military spouse, Accredited Financial Counselor, and personal financial educator who helps the military community make the most of their pay and benefits. With over 10 years working with thousands of military families, she understands the concerns of currently serving, retired, and veteran families.

Show notes can e found here: https://laceylangford.com/podcast/survivor-benefit-plan-faqs/

In honor of PCS season, I’m bringing back one of my popular shows to share with you. It’s my interview with Christine Carol "C.C." Gallagher, the Founder of Military Quality of Life Consulting, LLC and the Stressless PCS Kit. C.C. and I have a great conversation filled with lots of great tips on how to reduce stress in your next PCS. I hope you enjoy this show.

Show notes can be found here: https://laceylangford.com/podcast/how-to-have-a-stressless-pcs/