The Stacking Benjamins Show

Are you struggling with debt? How about a little inspiration? Cindy Zuniga paid off a LOT of debt in just four years. Like you, she finally realized she'd had enough and something had to change...so change she did. Today she'll share the struggle and her path out from deep debt, along with dispelling some myths about debt payoff strategies along the way. She'll also share how she successfully used a cool concept called "zero-based budgeting" to not just pay down debt but to curb her spending habits successfully. Additionally, she'll share some of the places she found inspiration to keep going on her long journey during her payoff process and after. If you saw Cindy's story on Good Morning America, you'll love this expanded interview with her today on Stacking Benjamins!

Plus, Fidelity Investments has some great news for savers: we're doing a good job saving collectively. However, some of us are (ahem) doing better than others. John Boroff, Fidelity's Director of Retirement and College Leadership joins us Joe's dad's shortwave radio to talk about not just the successes, but also why people have maybe been more successful so you can emulate those strengths. He'll also share some great ideas to save more if you're behind.

If you think that's all, it might be your first time here (so welcome!). Of course we'll throw out the Haven Life line to a lucky caller, share some of Doug's chocolatey trivia AND much, much more. Enjoy!

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When was the last time you planned to make some of your big dreams a reality? What's holding you back? Time? Money? Fear of the unknown? Today we're talking to Tamara Jacobi, who created a retreat in the Mexican jungle right after college. She's the author of the new book Wildpreneur AND a continental traveler, who'll join us and talk about how you can face your fears, climb to new heights, and make your dreams a reality.

Are you worried about the economic effects of the coronavirus spreading to your portfolio? During our headlines segment, we'll ring up Chris Cook, president of Beacon Capital Management, and get some answers on what you can do to inoculate your investment strategy.

During our Haven Life Line we're shaking things up a bit. We're keep the voicemails on hold this time around while we turn our eyes toward the results of our Instagram poll: what's been this year's most surprising budget busters? We'll break down our range of answers during this special Haven Life segment.

As always, we'll carve out a bit of time for Doug's trivia.

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Buying running shoes for your partner who you know loves to run, you find THAT romantic? Taking a walk in the park holding hands, is that still romantic? Watching TV or a Movie and not saying a word to each other during the entire show, you find THAT romantic? Today we'll turn romance on its head as we apply the question "Is that romantic," to a BUNCH of financial questions. Do romance and money mix? We'll find out. Here to help us spread some love on Valentine's Day from the Afford Anything podcast, we'll say hello to the lovable Paula Pant and the guy with the dry sense of humor from this very podcast...OG!

How old will you be when you die? Will you have enough money? It turns out, many of us will live for a long, long time, according to science. What if you run out of money late in life? Worse yet, what if a family member runs out of money and you have to sacrifice your retirement to take care of them. Today, during our FinTech segment, we'll share details about a company working on that very issue. Blair Baldwin joins Joe in the basement to talk about AgeUp.

And finally, during our MagnifyMoney segment, we will answer a question on HSA accounts and the military. Is our caller eligible for an HSA?

As always, of course, we'll quiz our contributors with an epic gameshow question regarding the number of people who really do celebrate Valentine's Day! It's a circus as usual on today's Stacking Benjamins Show!

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Why are some of the coolest financial tools rarely used? For example, people by-and-large avoid HSA accounts, when they're the Swiss-army knife of a healthcare plan. Today we'll shine a light on another type of plan that's not often used: the Roth 401K. A recent piece in a major publication predicted that Roth 401K plans will become bigger now that the SECURE Act has been enacted. What do Joe & OG think? Do THEY like the Roth 401K? You'll find out during today's episode!

After that, we're all about your letters! You've been kind enough to ask us lots of questions, and Joe & OG today grab the mailbag and sort through it. We'll tackle everything from buying a home to investing in a Roth IRA to whether Monopoly is a good game or a great game. We didn't say that they were good questions....we just said there were lots.

But that's not all. We'll also throw out the Haven Life line to a lucky caller AND we'll hear some great trivia from Doug about one of our greatest Presidents...Abe Lincoln. Enjoy!

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Don't look now but Friday is Valentine's Day! You're probably wondering what a "chocolates and roses" holiday has to do with finances... and the answer is...A lot. As we'll find out today, many people don't hesitate about turning their wallets over and shaking out ALL their cash. But today we'll help you celebrate in style (or in jest) WITHOUT breaking the bank. Today we've invited Sara Skirboll from ReatilMeNot to share with us plenty of great advice on how to find great Valentine's day dining deals WITHOUT using your whole stack of Benjamins.

Plus, how much do you hate love reading through dense paperwork and contract terms? It's safe to assume you probably hate paperwork as much as we do, which is why covering some good news from Fidelity: they're cutting out 20% of the information that clients must review before opening an account. And in our second headline, we'll share the latest from a lawsuit between Shannon Dougherty and State Farm. It's ugly and just got...uglier.

During our Haven Life Line call, we're going old-school and tearing open a letter from our new BFF Diane. She's looking for some alternatives to HSAs and long-term care plans. What options are available for people who can't use the more traditional options?

Of course, we'll save some time for Doug's trivia.

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Would $250,000 a year be enough for you to "get by"? It wasn't for one early retiree. Today we're going to dive into income, expenses, priorities and bucket lists. Helping us today is a roundtable team of fantastic personalities. First, our special guest today comes from Revele Financial Group, Dawn Dahlby! From the Afford Anything podcast, we have Paula Pant, and Len Penzo joins in the fun from Len Penzo dot com!

What is the most expensive piece of artwork you own? Do you think you could ever own a Andy Warhol piece or a Monet? Well today, during our FinTech segment we'll share a company helping people do just that. Joe'll talk buying fractional shares of art with Scott Lynn, the founder of Masterworks.io. We'll discuss not only the types of art that newbies mistakenly buy, but also, liquidity, the long term returns of art, and more.

And finally, during our MagnifyMoney segment, we'll answer a question on whether you should take risks while you are still in debt?

As always, of course, we'll quiz our contributors with an epic game show question about The Beatles! How much did they receive for performing on the Ed Sullivan Show?

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JT and Tamzon had a great start. After paternity leave from a fantastic job, JT thought he knew that with his burgeoning side-gig, he could quit his job and live happily ever after without going back to full-time work. Then, he found out that the math wasn't working. What would you do? We'll share one family's story of taking control of your goals and then rebooting when the math still doesn't make sense. On today's show early-retirees JT and Tamzon join us to talk about adding flexibility into your planning.

Plus, are you a Medicare recipient? If so, it's an important open enrollment time for many. If not, you should plan ahead for the (ahem) increasing cost of healthcare. Danielle Kunkle Roberts from Boomer Benefits joins us to chat about all things Medicare. And in our second headline, we'll share how much your peers have saved for retirement. Want to gauge how you're doing? We'll have all the numbers.

Of course, we're also going to toss out the Haven Life Line and we'll still make room for Doug's trivia. Step aside, people! There's a new episode coming!

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Much of the game around managing money is in doing the little things...not being tripped up by the small mistakes and doing those little things that can turn failure into success in a hurry. Today, Norm Champ (formerly of the Securities and Exchange Commission), joins us to talk about mastering your money. What are some of the moves you can make to be a better money manager? We'll talk about controlling expenses (with some ideas to help you hone your budget), automating your money, and more on today's show.

Plus, where does the money come from that most Americans use during retirement? The ugly answer we'll share during our headlines segment. Plus, we'll discuss lessons learned from the terrible event that dominated the headlines last week: Kobe Bryant's tragic helicopter accident.

Later we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Julie, who asks about a fund many investors "in the know" talk about often. What's the difference between "VTSAX" and the rest of the less-often suggested crowd of funds that do the same thing? ...and of course, we'll save some time for Doug's trivia.

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So, how much money do you make? Could a borrow a big sum of cash? Ever had any of THOSE moments? What do you do? Well today we'll discuss some seriously awkward questions. To help us, we welcome from Afford Anything the amazing Paula Pant, the almost retired Len Penzo from Len Penzo dot com, and from this podcast the straight shooter OG!

If you or anyone you know is in the job market, watch out! Recruiters are now corresponding more and more via text. What could go wrong with that? We'll dive into how to apply some ettiquette to your text messages with Suzanne Lucas, AKA the Evil HR Lady. At the halfway mark of today's episode, we'll hear from the Evil HR Lady about the correct way to communicate via text to recruiters and future employers.

And finally, during our MagnifyMoney segment we will answer a question from Facebook Group on a few tax questions on who to have prepare your taxes?

As always, of course we'll quiz our contributors with an epic gameshow question about the world record for longest roller coaster marathon ride! Hope you can join the fun!

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She'll tell you over and over that her job isn't interesting. But if you're a money nerd, do we have a treat for you today, because accountant Tracy Coenen spends her time chasing down bad guys using spreadsheets and bank statements (I'll stop if you need a moment). Today she'll tell us stories of two stories where she helped catch perpetrators by using financial records (and some amazing ingenuity) to help bring "bad guys" to bear.

Plus, are you interviewing soon? Even if you aren't we'll talk about some useful tips if you're interested in moving up the ladder at work or with another pursuit (and who isn't?). Plus, we'll discuss the new milestone one fund company just passed and pause for a moment...man, that's a lot of money.

Of course, we're also going to toss out the Haven Life Line to Dillon and get Joe and OG's take on how Dillon should approach his investments. All and and we'll still make room for Doug's trivia. Step aside, people! There's a new episode coming.....this plate is HOT!

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