Back to the finances! Ok, I originally thought this was a clever reference, but I realized while typing it that Back to the Future came out in 1985. While we reflect on our lives as older Millennials, you can enjoy another great guest episode featuring Mandi Woodruff! Mandi is a personal finance expert with a special focus on Millennial spending. She’s also a former Yahoo personal finance reporter who’s appeared as an on-camera expert for CBS and Good Morning America. More recently, she’s become executive editor at MagnifyMoney.com, a money columnist at Teen Vogue and co-host of the Brown Ambition podcast. We had an awesome wide-ranging discussion with Mandi covering:

• Relationships and money - how many of us have them - and tips for managing "your" money as you transition from I to we
• How to start the dreaded 'personal finance' discussion with your partner
• Tips you can follow to manage, or even lower, your student loan and Lies Your Student Loan Company Might Tell You
• The one type of debt you should NOT pay off and why

Do you know what today is? It's our anniversary, made for you and me! That's right PB fans, this week we celebrate our first 12-months at Paychecks and Balances. Of course, we have to start by saying THANK YOU to the fans and listeners for the love and support! We wouldn't be here without you. But, like Mr. Diddy, PB can't stop won't stop, so while we reflect on what we've achieved this year, we're already excited for new projects, new content, and even more opportunities. We look forward to helping you be great and reaching more people in 2017 and beyond. This week's show discusses:

• Ok, we may be a generation raised on credit and buried in debt, but we're ready to prove we're also more than capable of digging ourselves out of this mess
• Why we're focusing more on our journey instead of comparing our progress to others - there's "levels" to the game of life and we've finally found our lane
• What has and continues to motivate us about personal finance, debt and career management
• What's next for Paychecks and Balances

We go to college to get our “dream jobs,” then we are unable to pursue our dreams because we need the income from the job to pay off the debt incurred from going to college. What a time to be alive! “Simon Sinek (age 43) spoke to The Independent about how parenting, combined with social media, working environments, and our impatience have created a generation plagued by low self-esteem, and what we can do about it.” Say what now? Are Millennials really that entitled and emotionally ill-equipped? On behalf of Millennials everywhere, we debunk these alternative facts. On this week’s show we discuss:

• Is it ok for companies to expect Millennials to be available to work 24-7, even after normal business hours and on the weekend?
• How searching for your dream job is like finding your soulmate, your “soul job” is a journey that might take your entire career.
• Following-up on episode PB40: Think Like a Recruiter, Rich discusses another LinkedIn feature — LinkedIn.com/Alumni — that can help expand your professional network and identify possible referrals based on your school’s alumni.

"Days go slow. Years go fast." - Marcus realizes in this week's Money Minute and This Week in Work hybrid. Rich and Marcus realize that "life comes at you fast" is more than a catchy insurance commercial quote. On this episode, we discuss practical tips for helping ensure you move forward at the speed of life. Topics include:

• "The Career Tripod" or three tips you can start using today to meet your career and personal goals at the same [gosh darn] time
• A LifeHack Marcus is trying for 2017 to make at least one personal or professional improvement every week of the year
• ProTips for how you can actualize your Main Plan, Back-up Plan, and Back-up Back-up Plan

This week's guest is Marc Miller. Marc runs the website CareerPivot.com and blog. His career included 22 years at IBM, thriving tech startups, and a stint as a high school math teacher. After thirty years of wandering the proverbial career desert, Marc learned his most crucial lesson: Most people don’t really know what makes them happy at their core, what fulfills them. Marc uses his extensive training experience to help others—especially Baby Boomers—find careers that they could grow into for the decades that lie ahead. We were happy to have him on the show to discuss a wide variety of topics including:

• How individuals can best navigate multi-generational workplaces by focusing on their likenesses and using our differences as strengths to improve our work interactions
• Focus on building resumes versus just college degrees
• The outside forces that shaped each generation's unique perspective on work and life
• Career advice for your 20s, 30s, and 40s and how CareerPivot strategies can help prepare your for career longevity in or as you near retirement

Resources

Be sure to check out these other great reads by Marc Miller:

• The Repurpose Your Career Podcast
• What Does Your Resume Say About Your Age?
• Think Link a Recruiter
• The Multi-Generational WorkPlace White Paper
• Personal Branding for Baby Boomers – What It Is, How to Manage It, and Why It’s No Longer Optional is available on Amazon
• Book Review: The 100 Year Life

Announcements:

We’re excited about “another one!” Be sure to check out our feature on NerdWallet for Black History Month 2017, 8 African American Financial Gurus to Follow. We’re among some great and talented speakers and writers here. Find your expert, niche and get your follow on.

We’re on Soundcloud!

Check out our PATREON page! We’re raising funds to grow the show so we can create more great content that helps you get ahead professionally and financially.

Debt Free Or Die Trying the book is available on Amazon!

Looking for more career development and debt freedom tips? Join our email list at PaychecksandBalances.com/email for exclusive content including show updates, digital giveaways, and more. We don’t spam. We just keeps it real. Yes, keeps.

LIKE us on Facebook.com/PaychecksandBalances or follow us on Twitter @PayBalances and Instagram at the same name!

In this week's Money Minute, Marcus shares a helpful tool that he has used over the years to research career fields and options from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Thinking of making a job change? Not sure what other professions are related to your current skillset? In school and want to make sure the job you want will exist in 4 years and allow you to "make it rain" or whatever the cool-kid equivalent of rain making is called in 2021? There's a website for that, the Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Tune into this week's show to learn:

• Quick facts about your next career, such as Median Pay, Typical Entry-Level Education, Job Outlook, and more.
• The proactive professional steps Rich is taking now to ensure his dreams for the future don't become the ghost of professional missteps past.
• The differences between where Rich and Marcus thought they would be in college and how you might use their lessons learned to adjust your professional and collegiate pursuits.
• Lastly, Rich shares how a combination of personal growth, focus, discipline and the Paychecks and Balances show itself have helped him reach another milestone: paying off all of his personal credit card debt by 2017

Resources:

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook
• Episode 20: Lifestyle Inflation

Announcements:

We're excited about "another one!" Be sure to check out our feature on NerdWallet for Black History Month 2017, 8 African American Financial Gurus to Follow. We're among some great and talented speakers and writers here. Find your expert, niche and get your follow on.

We’re on Soundcloud!

Check out our PATREON page! We’re raising funds to grow the show so we can create more great content that helps you get ahead professionally and financially.

Debt Free Or Die Trying the book is available on Amazon!

Looking for more career development and debt freedom tips? Join our email list at PaychecksandBalances.com/email for exclusive content including show updates, digital giveaways, and more. We don’t spam. We just keeps it real. Yes, keeps.

LIKE us on Facebook.com/PaychecksandBalances or follow us on Twitter @PayBalances and Instagram at the same name!

Are you on LinkedIn? Are you using it right? Well, this week Rich leads a discussion on pro tips and life hacks to make sure you're maximizing your LinkedIn profile. Our discussion covers the following ways to improve your LinkedIn:

• How to make your LinkedIn profile stand out to recruiters
• The hidden LinkedIn feature you can update today to let recruiters know you're actively job searching without alerting your current employer
• What not to include on your LinkedIn profile that might make recruiters and HR professionals contact you
• What key terms recruiters look for and the importance of ensuring your LinkedIn profile matches your resume

Announcements:

We're on Soundcloud! 

Check out our PATREON page! We’re raising funds to grow the show so we can create more great content that helps you get ahead professionally and financially.

Debt Free Or Die Trying the book is available on Amazon!

Looking for more career development and debt freedom tips? Join our email list at PaychecksandBalances.com/email for exclusive content including show updates, digital giveaways, and more. We don’t spam. We just keeps it real. Yes, keeps.

LIKE us on Facebook.com/PaychecksandBalances or follow us on Twitter @PayBalances and Instagram at the same name!

We thought we'd give you a break from the old country for old men podcast with a guest feature with Donovan Frost, whom we had the pleasure of meeting at FinCon16. Donovan is a 25 year old Millennial and the one-man voice behind TheAdaptableAdult.com. Marcus became interested in Donovan's story and having him on the show after finding out that Donovan had quit his day job to travel the world and discover his purpose. On this episode we discuss: What Donovan learned - pros and cons - about the sacrifice needed to quitting work to travel Why younger Millennials needs to focus on their finances as early as possible and how Donovan goes about sharing his advice with his peers Passive Income goals and how traditional avenues like residential investments might still be viable for Millennials to pursue Why The Adaptable Adult was created and what Donovan hopes to accomplish with his website Announcements: Take the first ever P&B Audience Survey today! Check out our new PATREON page! We’re raising funds to grow the show so we can create more great content that helps you get ahead professionally and financially. Debt Free Or Die Trying the book is available on Amazon! Looking for more career development and debt freedom tips? Join our email list at PaychecksandBalances.com/email for exclusive content including show updates, digital giveaways, and more. We don’t spam. We just keeps it real. Yes, keeps. LIKE us on Facebook.com/PaychecksandBalances or follow us on Twitter @PayBalances and Instagram at the same name!

Rich and Marcus return this week with a Money Minute tip and This Week in Work. This is a classic Paychecks and Balances episode. Help us, help you make your money great again! On this show we discuss: Budgeting Sucks: Here's how "just the tip" or 20% can help you make your budget and savings needs worry free Tips for dividing your savings goals into Conservative; Moderate; and Aggressive Why finding a mentor both at work and outside of work can separate you from the crowd and make your professional life easier "Let me connect you to" - the key phrase that separates friends from mentors and coaches Announcements: Take the first ever P&B Audience Survey today! Check out our new PATREON page! We’re raising funds to grow the show so we can create more great content that helps you get ahead professionally and financially. Debt Free Or Die Trying the book is available on Amazon! Looking for more career development and debt freedom tips? Join our email list at PaychecksandBalances.com/email for exclusive content including show updates, digital giveaways, and more. We don’t spam. We just keeps it real. Yes, keeps. LIKE us on Facebook.com/PaychecksandBalances or follow us on Twitter @PayBalances and Instagram at the same name!

We welcome in 2017 with the awesome couple behind HisAndHerMoney.com, Tai and Talaat McNeely. His and Her Money is a journey of how two high school sweethearts fell in love, got married, but were total opposites when it came to handling their finances. Between being the proud parents of three children, Tai and Talaat find time to share their personal stories on love, money, and personal finance to help others find the financial freedom they have found. On this week's episode we discuss: Why you need to attach a personal mission statement to your budget goals How following "the norm" can lead you financially astray "You need more discipline, not more dollars." Advancing your financial discussion as your relationship advances, "as your relationship graduates, so should your conversations about finances." Resources: View His and Her Money on YouTube Announcements: Take the first ever P&B Audience Survey today! Check out our new PATREON page! We’re raising funds to grow the show so we can create more great content that helps you get ahead professionally and financially. Debt Free Or Die Trying is out now! Cop it in that Amazon! Looking for more career development and debt freedom tips? Join our email list at PaychecksandBalances.com/email for exclusive content including show updates, digital giveaways, and more. We don’t spam. We just keeps it real. Yes, keeps. LIKE us on Facebook.com/PaychecksandBalances or follow us on Twitter @PayBalances and Instagram at the same name!