Radical Personal Finance

I've been sick most of the past week and am especially struggling with my throat/voice. When Joshua no speak, RPF no happen. (And of course that's a good reminder of the value of disability planning!)

So, in light of the Equifax breach, I'll issue this replay for you. If you skipped this episode when it originally aired as Episode 461, don't skip it now.

Enjoy.

Joshua

Today we tackle the Equifax security breach. This is the most damaging release of personal information ever. And you need to take it seriously.

You must assume that you have been affected. At this point, I see no reason to even trust the official Equifax website. Here's why.

• Clark Howard's excellent credit freeze guide: http://clark.com/personal-finance-credit/credit-freeze-and-thaw-guide/
• Another excellent one by the Justin Carroll and Michael Bazzell: https://privacy-training.com/CreditFreeze.pdf
• I forgot to mention this on the show, but here's a link for those of you who are readers of the resources. The IRS seems to use social media to find people committing tax fraud. Source: http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2017/08/the-irs-is-mining-taxpayer-data-on-social-media-in-violation-of-federal-privacy-law.html
• The official Equifax response website: www.equifaxsecurity2017.com
• Why the Equifax breach is possibly the worst leak of personal information ever.
• What should you do if your data was hacked?
• The novel I mentioned: True Faith And Allegiance, a Tom Clancy novel by Mark Greaney

I was inspired to do this show by watching a recent conversation thread in the RPF Facebook Group about where to store your emergency fund.

I thought it'd be fun to share with you the things I think about with regard to emergency fund storage.

Enjoy the show!

Joshua

• www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/patron

Hey Radicals!

Thank you to so many of you who have inquired of our health and safety following Hurricane Irma.

Here's my personal report for you!

Short version: we are well. :)

Joshua

I've been busy today preparing for Hurricane Irma here at the Radical Personal Finance Global Headquarters.

At the moment, the National Hurricane Center forecasts the eye of the storm to pass squarely over HQ. So, I thought I'd record a podcast and share a few things with you:

• Based on watching the Hurricane Irma frenzy, I'm convinced that "societal collapse" scenarios are plausible. I learned this at Costco yesterday.
• I'm also convinced we live in the greatest time to be alive and that there are so many tremendously powerful companies who are laser-focused on serving their customers. I learned this at Costco today. And from reading this article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/inside-story-what-took-keep-texas-grocery-chain-running-chip-cutter
• The final 20 minutes of the show involves an off-the-cuff discussion of practical hurricane preparation if you decide to stay put through a storm.

Gotta run! Lots to do...

Joshua

It's Friday! On Fridays we do a live Q&A show. Today we cover:

• (2:30) What Should a New Expatriate Do With Their Investment Money?
• (18:30) What To Do With an Old Pension?
• (26:40) How Should a Newlywed Approach the Rent or Buy Question?

If you'd like to join me for a future Q&A show, sign up to be a Patron at www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/patron

Joshua

Whenever there's a natural disaster, we have various articles on price gouging's lamentability, to wit, its harmfulness and illegality.

But, is it really bad?

I say not.

"Price gouging" (or, more accurately stated, the adjustment of market prices to meet changing demand) has tremendous utility for the well-being of all involved and is absolutely upright, moral, and ethical.

Of course, this guy says it's wrong, morally and economically. I deal with his "arguments" in the show.

Joshua

• Support RPF on Patreon: www.radicalpersonlfinance.com/patron

I've been watching the #HoustonFloods this weekend and considering the lessons I can learn for my own disaster planning.

Today, I share some useful ideas for you about how to plan for events like the Houston Floods.

Joshua

• Episode 381 - Simple, Cheap, Practical Tips to Help You Prepare for a Coming Hurricane
• Episode 347: Disasters Happen – Make a Plan Now to Ensure You Have Plenty of Money Available to You to Solve the Problems Money Can Solve

Yesterday I was watching the solar eclipse (up north in the 100% band) and I happened to have breakfast with an expediter.

Not sure what that is?

Basically, a truck driver who drives a van. (More in the audio show.)

As we ate, I tried to lay out a few paths on how he could become financially free based on his current work.

And, I promised him a show on the topic.

So, you get to listen in as I tell him--and you--how any normal person can use a live-on-the-job opportunity as a trampoline to bounce them into the upper tiers of financial abundance.

Enjoy!

Joshua

• The novel I mentioned is Enemies Foreign and Domestic by Matthew Bracken.

Time for Friday Q&A! If you'd like to join for a future show, sign up here: www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/patron

Today, we cover:

• 2:00 Should I refinance my credit card debt by moving it to a HELOC?
• 34:10 Do you have passion for a job before the fact or do you become passionate about it after you're good at it?
• 42:30 Should I drop the military's Survivor Benefit Plan for my pension in favor of buying a 10-year whole life insurance policy?

Enjoy!

And remember! I have 27 seats remaining for the new Radical Personal Finance Guide to Career & Income Planning. If you're interested, I'd love to have you in the class. Join here: www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/career

Joshua