Something Personal

Gambling, and especially betting on sports, is more accessible than ever, with the rise of dedicated apps and partnerships between sportsbooks and professional sports organizations. But what are the true costs? Financial adviser Melinda Kibler and mental health counselor Vanessa Fernandez explore the ins and outs of how gambling is becoming more normalized — and the impact that normalization can have on your wallet and your mental health. Learn how everything from squishies to prediction markets can offer dopamine hits that your brain comes to crave, why setting dollar limits on your habit is critical even for casual gamblers, and why some people who gamble find it impossible to stop without help. Vanessa and Melinda also identify resources for individuals who may be dealing with gambling disorder, and for their loved ones.

• Vanessa Fernandez on Psychology Today
• Clinical & Forensic Institute, Inc.
• "The Bookie In Your Pocket" by Melinda Kibler, CFP®, EA (paywall)
• "The World Cup has turbocharged sports betting — and addiction, advocates fear" (WLRN/NPR)
• "Clash Between Prediction Markets and States Sets Off a Furious Political Battle" (NYT, paywall)
• "Taxes After The One Big Beautiful Bill" feat. Eric Meermann, CFP®, CVA, EA
• "MLB players reveal a modern toll of legal gambling: Threats, DMs and encounters" (NYT, paywall)
• Palisades Hudson on Substack

The financial advisers at Palisades Hudson work with individuals and families over the course of decades. Navigating the decline and death of a client they’ve known for a very long time is a fundamental part of the job. Larry Elkin, Eric Meermann and Rebecca Pavese — three of the firm’s executives, each with more than 25 years of experience in their field — join host Amy Laburda for a roundtable discussion of how advisers experience a client’s death. They talk frankly about the emotional side of the loss, the ways they can step in to help the loved ones left behind, and why planning needs to happen before the end arrives. Personal finance rarely gets more personal than in the premiere of “Something Personal,” Season Four.

• Why Estate Planning Is For Everyone (feat. David Walters)
• Palisades Hudson on Substack

Something Personal will return in fall 2026. Host Amy Laburda welcomes back financial professionals from Palisades Hudson Financial Group to join her for conversations with guests in a variety of fields, from mental health to meteorology and beyond.

To get notifications when new episodes arrive, including the Season Four premiere, sign up for our newsletter at palisadeshudson.substack.com on any tier.

“Organizational behavior” is a field that blends business with psychology, sociology, and even elements of anthropology. But the core of the science is understanding the human experience of the workplace. Professors Jessica Siegel Christian and Michael Christian, both of the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, join Palisades Hudson’s Senior VP/CIO Ben Sullivan for an exploration of how organizational behavior can illuminate how we behave at work. From how sleep deprivation affects ethical decision-making, to strategies for avoiding groupthink, to the ways that Luke Skywalker can help you find meaning in your work life (and beyond), this wide-ranging conversation illustrates that understanding people is key to career success.

Thank you for joining us for season three of “Something Personal.” Season four will arrive in autumn 2026, so we hope you’ll subscribe and join us then. 

• Jessica Siegel Christian bio
• Jess on LinkedIn
• Michael Christian bio
• Mike on LinkedIn
• Organizational Behavior at UNC Kenan-Flagler (LinkedIn)
• “Investing Fundamentals”, featuring Benjamin C. Sullivan, CFP®, CVA, EA
• “A Financial Planner Confesses His Sins” by Ben Sullivan
• “Do Nothing”
• “Atomic Habits”
• The Hero’s Journey Restorying Intervention
  

Palisades Hudson VP Rebecca Pavese is an experienced financial planner, a CPA, and the mother of two daughters who have played sports at NCAA Division I schools. Her elder daughter earned a cross-country and track scholarship to the University of Tennessee; her younger daughter received a scholarship to play softball at Clemson, where she has kicked off her freshman season this spring. Rebecca sat down with “Something Personal” host Amy Laburda for a discussion about what it’s been like raising young athletes from the early days in recreational leagues through college competition. As both a parent and a financial professional, Rebecca offers advice to athletes’ family members, as well as to young athletes themselves, as they progress toward whatever their ultimate level of play may turn out to be.

Links:

• “Navigating College Admissions” (featuring Rick Clark, Georgia Tech)
• “Financial Foundations: Budgets And Credit Scores” (featuring Rebecca Pavese, CPA)
• “Name, Image And Likeness Tips For Student-Athletes” by Eric Meermann, CFP®, CVA, EA

Buying a home, especially a first home, is an exciting step. But the process can be daunting, especially when it’s unfamiliar. In this episode, private mortgage banker Doug Kenner and financial planner David Walters sit down to guide listeners through the process. How do you know you’re ready to buy? What’s the difference between prequalification and preapproval? Should you opt for an adjustable rate or a fixed rate mortgage? Doug and David explain the ins and outs, so homebuyers can proceed with confidence, whatever their situations may be.

• Doug Kenner on LinkedIn
• “Love, Marriage And Prenups” (featuring David Walters, CPA, CFP®)
• “Gifting Family Assets Creatively” (by Benjamin C. Sullivan, CFP®, CVA, EA)
• “Why Estate Planning Is For Everyone” (featuring David Walters, CPA, CFP®)

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act preserved some tax provisions, altered existing rules, and introduced entirely new ones. Now that it is income tax preparation season, how should you navigate the ins and outs? Eric Meermann, CFP®, CVA, EA, has decades of tax experience to draw on for the answer. In this episode, Eric walks listeners through the major tax provisions of last summer’s omnibus legislation. Beyond details on tips, overtime, state and local tax deductions and the many other changes in play, Eric offers some broader suggestions about staying ahead of deadlines and keeping things organized.

Links:

• “Tariffs, Taxes And ‘All That Government Stuff’” (featuring Larry Elkin, Paul Jacobs and Ben Sullivan)
• “Big, But How Beautiful?” by Eric Meermann
• “GOP frustrations grow over lackluster ‘big, beautiful bill’ sales pitch,” The Hill
• Occupations that customarily and regularly received tips on or before December 31, 2024 (IRS)
• “Why Estate Planning Is For Everyone” (featuring David Walters)
• Q&A about qualified expenses for 529 plans (IRS)
• “Building Community Around Mission” (featuring Ben Hall and Ben Sullivan)

In a special behind-the-scenes episode of “Something Personal,” host Amy Laburda chats with the show’s director, editor and mixer, Joseph Ranghelli. Joe offers listeners a window into what he does for this podcast, as well as his experiences on other podcasts and on television. Amy and Joe then dive into Joe’s film background and his experiences working for productions in New York City. To wrap up, Joe shares his opinions on the upcoming Academy Awards: what should have been nominated, why “Sinners” broke through despite its genre roots, how to predict which way best picture will break and more.

Links:

• Art Movez
• BRIC TV
• "Chill"
• National Board of Review (history)
• Billy Crystal's opening monologue, the Academy Awards (1998)
• “Aspect Ratios with Sinners Director Ryan Coogler”

Between entertainment services, meal kits, online storage and more, most of us pay for a host of subscriptions. But when you continue to pay for services you no longer use, “undead” subscriptions can take a nasty bite out of your budget. Kasey Radney, CFP®, sits down with host Amy Laburda to talk about why subscriptions are everywhere. They discuss how to fend off zombies before they multiply, strategies for keeping yourself honest about which subscriptions you choose to pay for, and how to make sure your subscriptions don’t sneak up on you in the future. Listen in to learn how to prevent your bank statement from becoming a home for the walking dead.

Links:

• “Attack of the Zombie Subscriptions!” by Kasey Radney, CFP®
• “Why One Man Is Fighting for Our Right to Control Our Garage Door Openers” (NYT, subscription required)
• “Financial Foundations: Budgets And Credit Scores,” featuring Rebecca Pavese, CPA

Executive and retirement coach Andrea Maizes prevents people from making terrible mistakes. Business founders, CEOs and executives may simply trust that they will figure out retirement when it arrives, but life’s transitions can easily blindside even the most capable among us. Andrea sat down with Eric Meermann, CFP®, CVA, EA and Paul Jacobs, CFP®, EA to talk about when someone is ready for retirement, the ways that modern retirement looks different from the cliched image many hold, and what to do if someone arrives in retirement only to discover that it isn’t what they thought it would be. Find out how Andrea helps her clients define retirement success and the steps she can help them can take to achieve it.

• Learn more about Andrea
• Andrea on LinkedIn
• “The Next Edit” on Substack
• "Your Next Edit" on Amazon
• “Life Is in the Transitions” by Bruce Feiler
• RQ Assessment