So far in July: Global minimum tax gains steam, oil hits six-year high, the Delta COVID-19 strain threatens the recovery and borrowing is back big-time.

Nearly every day, there’s news that affects you and your money. From politics and taxes to markets and interest rates, things are happening that affect your savings and your future — so many things, in fact, it’s hard to keep up with them all.

Problem solved. We track everything that’s happening every day. And every couple of weeks, we condense it all and report everything you need to know in a special edition of the “Money!” podcast.

In addition to recapping the news, we check in on our personal investments, and discuss ideas and suggestions to make you smarter and richer, all without boring you to death in the process.

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I'm an efficiency freak.

For years it's been a game for me to spend as little time as possible on chores by doing things like minimizing the time it takes to unload the dishwasher (hint: put the forks, knives and spoons in separate clusters in the silverware tray so you can grab a handful at once), empty the trash (hint: put extra bags on the bottom of the trash can to save a trip to the pantry for a new one) and vacuum the house (ask for a Roomba for Christmas.)

Even if you don't suffer from a similar compulsion, you should still try to be as efficient as possible when managing the family finances, for at least two reasons: First, less time managing money means more time for fun stuff; and second, making things too complex or time-consuming often means leaving them undone, underdone or badly done.

In short, if you'd rather spend time laying on the beach than fooling with finances, I'm here for you. There are tons of shortcuts you can harness that will allow you to get 90% of the returns achieved by the investment-obsessed in 10% of the time and with 5% of the effort and knowledge.

Ready to gain free time without sacrificing returns? To replace confusion with confidence? Good, because that's what this week's "Money!" podcast is about. We're going to explore how to invest with a minimum number of investments and in just a few minutes a year.

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When I first became an investment advisor back in 1981, interest rates were a lot different than today. For example, you could earn nearly 20% on a safe, secure money market fund. You could earn 12% totally tax-free on a AAA rated municipal bond. Completely risk-free, three-month Treasury Bills were paying north of 15%!

Doesn't that seem impossible? It's true, though.

Back then, nobody was wondering how they could earn more interest on their savings, because nobody needed to. Fast-forward to today and that's all investors talk about. And no wonder: If you're attempting to live off the interest on your savings, best you have a ton of savings.

If you've got a million bucks in the bank that's only earning .1%, you're only making a thousand bucks a year in interest: Good luck living on that. On the other hand, if you could earn 10% on that million bucks, you're earning $100,000. That's more like it, right?

Unfortunately, there's no free lunch. Only a liar or a fool would try to convince you that you could earn 1,000 times more interest with no additional risk. But, just maybe, you can earn 1,000 times more interest without taking 1,000 times more risk.

That's what this week's "Money!" podcast is about. Today we're going to discuss a bunch of ways to earn 10% or more on your savings, while also examiniting the risks involved.

Want more information? Check out these resources:

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Nearly every day there's news that affects you and your money. From politics and taxes to markets and interest rates, things are happening that affect your savings and your future -- so many things, in fact, it's hard to keep up with them all.

Problem solved. We track everything that's happening every day. And every couple of weeks, we condense it all and report everything you need to know in a special edition of the "Money!" podcast.

In addition to recapping the news, we check in on our personal investments, and discuss ideas and suggestions to make you smarter and richer, all without boring you to death in the process.

Want more information? Check out these resources:

Become a member: https://www.moneytalksnews.com/members/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're going to make informed decisions, financial or otherwise, it's important to get your facts straight – something you might not be achieving, depending on who you turn to for news.

More than a decade ago, the Christian Science Monitor recently ran a story called Are you smarter than a Fox News viewer? How about a CNN viewer? based on a survey conducted in 2010 by WorldPublicOpinion.org and Knowledge Networks.

I wrote an article about it, but not because of politics. I wrote it because investors need to be especially concerned about separating truth from fiction, and facts from opinion. Being uninformed or ill-informed as an investor can be expensive.

For example, here's one of the questions asked in the WorldPublicOpinion survey: It concerns the Great Recession, which began just before Obama took office.

As you know, the American economy had a major downturn starting in the fall of 2008. Do you think that now the American economy is:
A. Starting to recover.
B. Still getting worse.

This question was posed late in 2010. How would you have answered? More than half of overall news viewers thought the economy was still getting worse. But nearly three quarters of Fox viewers thought it was getting worse.

The truth? The economic recovery began in the third quarter of 2009, so it was into recovery mode in 2010, when this question was asked.

Many of the stocks I own today were purchased in the spring and summer of 2009, when the economy was bottoming out. Presumably those who thought the economy was getting worse were on the sidelines in their 401(k)s or other investments. I made a ton of money by accessing unbiased facts.

This is one of many examples of how slanted news, whether on the right or the left, can make otherwise informed investors uniformed.

That's what this week's "Money!" podcast is about. We're going to talk about how to determine whether the news you're consuming, financial or otherwise, is reliable enough to put your money where somebody else's mouth is.

Want more information? Check out these resources:

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hortly after Sept. 11, 2001, I began seeing collection boxes on various store counters in my neighborhood soliciting donations for a charity called "The Orphans of 9/11." Instead of dropping in my change, because I'm a consumer reporter, I called the charity to request their tax return.

Turns out that while the Orphans of 9/11 was a legitimate charity, they weren't collecting donations in my state and didn't use collection boxes at all. Someone had simply stolen their logo and fabricated the boxes. They'd been emptying them regularly for months, but I was the first person who attempted to verify they were legitimate.

When I called my local police department to report this despicable crime, they took a report but said they didn't have the manpower to stake out the boxes and catch the thief. Their advice: Go around my neighborhood and inform the merchants.

That's one simple scam I've uncovered in my decades reporting consumer news, but I've seen plenty more.

Want to learn the simplest methods to rip people off, or better yet, methods to avoid becoming a victim? That's what this week's "Money!" podcast is about. We're going to talk about at least six scams and how you can avoid them.

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Hosts:

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Nearly every day there's news that affects you and your money. From politics and taxes to markets and interest rates, things are happening that affect your savings and your future -- so many things, in fact, it's hard to keep up with them all.

Problem solved. We track everything that's happening every day. And every couple of weeks, I condense it all and report everything you need to know in a special edition of the "Money!" podcast.

In addition to recapping the news, we check in on my personal investments, and discuss ideas and suggestions to make you smarter and richer, all without boring you to death in the process.

As usual, my co-host is financial journalist Miranda Marquit. Listening in and sometimes contributing is producer and novice investor Aaron Freeman.

Want more information? Check out these resources:

Hosts:

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As you journey through life, you should be laying a financial foundation; one strong enough to provide security and a fulfilling, worry-free retirement.

How do you do it? Step by step.

When you're in your 20s, you're getting your sea legs; adapting to adulthood, learning financial responsibility and putting some money aside.

When you hit your 30s, it's time to get serious by developing a healthy retirement plan and emergency savings.

In your 40s you hitting your peak earnings years, understanding investing and starting to imagine what retirement life will be like.

Every decade of your financial life builds on the one before and culminates, hopefully, in bullet-proof savings and enough income to make life after work stress-free and fun.

If you start investing $100 per month when you're 25, and average an annual return of 10% (the average long-term return for stocks) when you reach 65, you'll have about $640,00.

That's what this week's "Money!" podcast is about. We're going to talk about essential money moves you should be making for every decade of your life; from your 20s to your 70s and beyond

Want more information? Check out these resources:

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When I explored topics for my first book more than 20 years ago, there was one that I couldn't ignore: Debt. I was compelled to write about how to avoid it and how to destroy it, becasue I'd personally experienced how creating debt holds you back and eliminating it sets you free.

The result was Life or Debt.

I've always believed debt is a cancer that destroys the financial fitness of far too many Americans. Sure, there's "good debt," like the kind used for an education, a home or maybe a business. But far too often, debt is what happens when desire meets easy credit. Result? Often, needless stress, derailed goals, ruined relationships and postponed retirements.

That's why I've served on the board of credit counseling services and why I've been preaching debt-free living for decades. Unlike achieving massive wealth, achieving a debt-free life is within the means of most people, and getting there requires a few simple steps; not easy steps, perhaps, but simple.

That's what this week's "Money!" podcast is about. We're going to talk about why it's important to avoid debt, the fastest methods to eliminate it, and how to stay debt-free for life.

Want more information? Check out these resources:

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Which is the better investment; stocks or real estate?

Due to the unique nature of real estate, an apples-to-apples comparison is tough to make. But speaking from 40+ years of personal experience, I'd say both are important components of a well-balanced investment mix. I've made great long-term money with both.

Major difference: Stocks are easy to buy, sell and track. Real estate, on the other hand, has traditionally been anything but.

When you hear someone talking about investing in real estate, you probably imagine a hapless landlord, cleaning, painting, mowing and praying that their tenant can come up with the rent next month.

While that's not inaccurate -- I lived that version of the real estate investor in my younger days -- these days there are ways to invest in land and buildings that don't involve schlepping lawn mowers and paint cans. There are now real estate opportunities that don't require a boatload of cash, sweat equity or even much supervision.

That's what this week's "Money!" podcast is about. We're going to talk about all the different ways to invest in real estate, both traditional and cutting edge.

Want more information? Check out these resources:

Hosts:

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