This is a special episode for us, in part because we both love this movie. But ... it's also a bit of a send-off for us. We're taking an indefinite hiatus - more on that in the episode. We've loved making this podcast and hope to be back soon, but need a little time off. In this episode, we discuss estate tax issues, whether Andy Dufresne was awful at tax law or maybe a secret genius, and talk about what it feels like to break free of the obligation to work. You don't want to miss this one!

IMPORTANT NOTE: We discuss in the episode that inheritances are tax-free to the beneficiary. Caveat we forgot to include: we were talking about federal law. Some states do impose an inheritance tax. If you inherit money, talk to a pro to make sure you pay any appropriate taxes.

If you'll miss this podcast, please let us know! Reach out at [email protected]

Guest host Doug Cunnington stops by to talk about one of his favorite flicks, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. We got into whether real or fake Christmas trees are more economical, decided that Cousin Eddie is actually a Zen-master whom we should all emulate, got into van/RV life, and finally talked all about the Christmas bonus check Clark Griswold was waiting on throughout the film. We discussed the cost of owning and maintaining a swimming pool, and what our thoughts are on subscription gifts (like the jelly of the month).

Also - Carla was TOTALLY right. There is a Christmas carol with the lyrics "It doesn't matter if you're rich or poor, he loves you just the same." That carol is Here Comes Santa Claus. You may have heard of it.

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The holiday fun continues this week with the classic film It's a Wonderful Life. We talk about whether Mr. Potter was actually all that bad or just a savvy investor, the value of building a community of people who care about you, why panic-buying OR selling is always a terrible idea, and finally talk about why the offer of salary 8x what you're currently making is always worth a quick chat with your spouse. Also - we all know Mr. Potter basically sucked but ... was he an actual thief?

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It's the holiday season! Which comes with SO. MANY. MONEY. ISSUES. We use the comedy Four Christmases as a launching point to talk about all kinds of holiday-related spending issues. We get into the cost of holiday travel and whether you should visit family at Christmas or take off for exotic destinations. We also debate the value of spending caps and explore some stats on how many holiday gifts are unwanted each year. And we dispense some advice on how to avoid being the one who gives all those unwanted gifts!

Warning to parents! We give away some rather large secrets about Santa's workshop in this episode so tread lightly.

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As we approach the holiday season, cozy favorites like Pride and Prejudice always call to us. So this week, we're doing a rebroadcast of one of our favorite episodes: Pride and Prejudice. We talk about the Bennet family's finances, debate just how rich Mr. Darcy was, and discuss why you should save money for a rainy day so you don't feel pressured to marry someone like the dreadful Mr. Collins. We also talk about whether vacation homes make financial sense and whether dowries are still a thing today. Make sure you stick around until the end of the episode to listen to Carla's rendition of the dreamy piano theme from this movie!

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Happy Thanksgiving! This week, we're publishing the audio from the presentation we gave at Rocky Mountain CampFI in July 2022. We go over many of our favorite examples of outlandish on-screen spending, and talk about how the unrealistic portrayals we see on TV affect our psyche. We also discuss our strategies for inoculating ourselves against this constant messaging of how we're supposed to dress, where we're supposed to live, what we're supposed to drive, and who we're supposed to be.

Check out the YouTube version (with fun visuals included!) here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvPGqhCy7es

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In the last episode of our Tom Cruise series, we're tackling Rain Man. This 1988 Oscar winner has its moments, and it's brimming with money lessons. We debate whether the estate tax (the DEATH tax) is a good or bad thing, go over the stats on how many people are actually affected by it, and analyze the argument that the estate tax is awful for small business owners and farmers. We also talk about challenging the validity of a will, and round things off with a rant about how hard it is to win big by counting cards in blackjack.

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The Tom Cruise love (hate?) fest continues. The 1988 film Cocktail is on the Razzie's list of the 100 most "enjoyably bad" films ... and for good reason. But even though the film is bad, the money content is amazing. We cover whether inventions are a good pathway to wealth, whether Tom Cruise's character should've gone to college, what the GI Bill actually covers, and why getting rich quickly is pretty much always a pipe dream.

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We're on a 90s Tom Cruise kick! This week, we're relying on Carla's legal knowledge to figure out just how ridiculous the plot of The Firm is. Spoiler alert ... it's SUPER ridiculous. We talk about starting salaries for big firms, what Mitch McDeere's earning potential was, and why basically all the decisions in this film were, to use a legal term, wackadoodle.

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Show me the money!!! Jerry Maguire is full of quotable lines and epic money mistakes. How should Jerry have gone about leaving his job? Should Dorothy Boyd have gone with him? And was Rod Tidwell quiet quitting the NFL??

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