Tennessee passes an anti-pubic employee law that will subject teachers and others to private company financial sales pitches. We break it down into three parts: 1) What it is 2) What we dislike about it 3) What teachers and state employees should do.

• Tennessee Throws Teachers to the Wolves (Blog Post)
• Tennessee Legislators Illegally Voting with Sticks (John Oliver)
• Learned by Being Burned (short pod series about K-12 403(b) issues)
• 403bwise.org
• Meridian Wealth Management

Nothing presented or discussed is to be construed as investment or tax advice. This can be secured from a vetted Certified Financial Planner (CFP®).

The Los Angeles Unified School District created its own 457(b) plan, and it's excellent. It has won not one, but two awards. We speak with two members of the LAUSD Retirement Investment Advisory Committee who were and are instrumental to its success.

• LAUSD 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan Fund Lineup
• Learned by Being Burned (short pod series about K-12 403(b) issues)
• 403bwise.org
• Meridian Wealth Management

Nothing presented or discussed is to be construed as investment or tax advice. This can be secured from a vetted Certified Financial Planner (CFP®).

Who better to make sense of the tariff situation than one of our favorite guests, Cullen Roche, economist, and founder and chief investment officer of the Discipline Funds, a low-fee advisory firm.

• An Autopsy of American Exceptionalism
• Three Things - China Deal
• Learned by Being Burned (short pod series about K-12 403(b) issues)
• 403bwise.org
• Meridian Wealth Management

Nothing presented or discussed is to be construed as investment or tax advice. This can be secured from a vetted Certified Financial Planner (CFP®).

Scott finds out just how much commission Equitable salespeople get for selling EQUI-VEST products. No wonder they fight reform so hard. No wonder they love to initiate exchanges.

• The Price of Enrollment
• Podcast on SIOs
• Plan Fee Disclosure Form for University of Jamestown
• Equitable Plan Fee Disclosure Brochure
• Learned by Being Burned (short pod series about K-12 403(b) issues)
• 403bwise.org
• Meridian Wealth Management

Nothing presented or discussed is to be construed as investment or tax advice. This can be secured from a vetted Certified Financial Planner (CFP®).

Who better than best-selling author Morgan Housel to help put April's market volatility in perspective? Well we couldn't get Morgan on the pod but we have the next best thing: Morgan Houselisms! Enjoy.

• 9 Charts on Trump's First 100 Days in the Markets
• Learned by Being Burned (short pod series about K-12 403(b) issues)
• 403bwise.org
• Meridian Wealth Management

Nothing presented or discussed is to be construed as investment or tax advice. This can be secured from a vetted Certified Financial Planner (CFP®).

Retired Los Angeles Unified School District teacher, principal and district administrator, Mary Ann Sullivan, is now officially a CFP®! Not only that, she is opening an advice-only, fee-only firm.

Note: Mary Ann meant to say that the number of experience hours needed for a CFP® is 4,000 for apprenticeship and 6,000 for standard pathway (not the 2,000 and 4,000 hours respectively that she mentioned in interview).

• 395 Financial Planning
• Retired Teacher Pays It Forward (Maggie Mason/Santa Barbara)
• Learned by Being Burned (short pod series about K-12 403(b) issues)
• 403bwise.org
• Meridian Wealth Management

Nothing presented or discussed is to be construed as investment or tax advice. This can be secured from a vetted Certified Financial Planner (CFP®).

In episode two of our new pod series: 403(b) & 457(b) Basics Scott and Dan look at asset allocation. They describe what it is, why it's important and they go over several strategies for allocating a 403(b) and a 457(b).

• Importance of Asset Allocation by Barb O'Neill
• The Price of Peace: Why diversification is difficult, but necessary by Nick Maggiulli
• Risk Tolerance Assessment
• Cullen Roche Discipline Funds
• 403(b) & 457(b) Basics: How to start a 403(b) (pod)

Nothing presented or discussed is to be construed as investment or tax advice. This can be secured from a vetted Certified Financial Planner (CFP®).

Barbara O'Neill, PhD, CFP, AFC, owner/CEO of Money Talk: Financial Planning Seminars and Publications, and a monthly columnist for 403bwise talks spring cleaning your personal finances.

Spring cleaning is more than deep cleaning and decluttering. It is a great time to neaten up your finances.

• Spring Cleaning Your 403(b) and Personal Finances
• The Truth About So-Called "No Fee" Products
• Meridian Wealth Management
• 403bwise.org

Nicole and Larry Dubill, two Buffalo, NY area educators, share passion for education, music, and 403(b) advocacy.

• Cleveland Hill School District 403(b/457(b) Vendor List
• Hamburg Central School District 403(b)/457(b) Vendor List
• The Truth About So-Called "No Fee" Products
• Meridian Wealth Management
• 403bwise.org

Nothing presented or discussed is to be construed as investment or tax advice. This can be secured from a vetted Certified Financial Planner (CFP®).

Teacher who sought to educate colleagues about the 403(b) gets threatening email from Equitable. We read and discuss correspondence.

• Read the letter
• The Truth about Structured Investing Options (SIOs)
• Meridian Wealth Management
• 403bwise.org

Nothing presented or discussed is to be construed as investment or tax advice. This can be secured from a vetted Certified Financial Planner (CFP®).