The Stacking Benjamins Show

We spend more and buy stuff to make us happy, but does it? Does more really equal better? On today's show we dive into a recent blog post from the Four Pillar Freedom blog to look at the nature of happiness. Money is always intertwined in our view of "happy," probably because advertisers love making us think that if we just buy one more thing we'll finally get that elusive joy that we've been craving. We'll talk about joy, addiction, happiness and more on today's podcast with a team including Beau Humphreys from The Personal Finance Show, CFP Katie Brewer from Your Richest Life planning, and our own OG.

Halfway through the showwe have a special treat where we usually feature our Friday Fintech spotlight. Today instead we'll shine a light on mortgages, because with his recent move to Detroit, Joe just found out that industry insider Joel Gurman from Quicken Loans is his neighbor! Joe invites Joel down to the basement today and quizzes him about the state of mortgages, how interest rates really work, what other fees are involved with mortgages, and more. It's a wide-ranging, fun conversation about the biggest loan many of us will ever have.

But that's not all. We'll help C on the Magnify Money call-in segment. C is wondering about retirement withdrawal software. He feels that savings-wise, he is on course, but he wants to make sure that he is withdrawing in the most tax-efficient way.

Thanks to AcreTrader for supporting Stacking Benjamins. For more information on how to become a farmland investor through AcreTrader, visit acretrader.com/sb

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

At some point you feel fried. Been there? Today's guest, Nicole Lapin, has been there. She thought she could outrun her problems and find success...and today we'll hear how that worked out. Nicole is a New York Times best selling author of both Rich Bitch and her second title Boss Bitch. Today she's back with a new guide to help us figure life out. We'll talk about balance, acceptance, and not trying to outrun your problems on today's show.

In our headlines segment, how's your will looking? The wills of a couple people in the news lately are UGLY. We'll focus on the wills of Jeffrey Epstein and Aretha Franklin today, and some huge questions that have come up because of weird circumstances in both (very different) cases. Then, we'll pivot to a chat about wine destinations (how fun is that???). Good news: one recent piece says you don't have to go to Venice or Napa, and to get a great vacation you might not even need a passport. There are low budget destinations for whatever fun you have planned in places you wouldn't believe.

After a little dose of Doug's trivia, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Rina, a concerned mother who asks how she can set up a Roth IRA for her child.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Would you know what to do in the 24 hours after a car accident? What about that next 7 days? The days following an accident is a stressful time, but following the right steps can make a big difference. On today's show we'll talk to Elizabeth Calora, partner at PCVA Law, to talk about what you should do after you are involved in an accident.

During our headlines segment, one retiree placed her life savings into an annuity without knowing the full consequences, (on the advice of a financial advisor). After an uphill battle, PNC bank has finally agreed to refund her money...but is that the full story? Of course it isn't. We'll share the not-so-obvious conclusion during our breakdown. PLUS, we bring you a slice of sunshine (because that's what we do best). It turns out that average 401k savings rates have hit record levels. That's neat...but as yours?

Becky calls our Haven Life Line today. She's over 60 (we didn't ask....she told us!), and she shares that she's worred that she has close to ZERO cash in after-tax accounts. She has good news, though....she DOES have money in Roth accounts that have sat for over 5 years. So does she need an after-tax account? Is she missing anything?

Of course, we'll always have time for Doug's trivia and bunches of fun.

Thanks to Skillshare for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Get TWO months of courses for free at Skillshare.com/SB.

Get the money you need to run your small business. Go to Kabbage.com to get started. Credit lines subject to review and change. Individual requests for capital are separate installment loans issued by Celtic Bank, Member FDIC.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

"Speed kills" is a popular phrase, but in business, you already hear that faster = better. But is it? If you make a mistake with your money, whether it's making it, spending, tracking or investing...how important is speed (or slowing down) in your decisionmaking? We'll take this philosophical discussion and dive in today with Amy Blacklock from Women Who Money, Len Penzo from LenPenzo.com, and our very own OG. It's a lively discussion that ping-pongs between deep philosophy to light tactics, and, of course, a little fun.

Halfway through the show, our roundtable discussion will take a break for our Fintech segment. Aditi Shekar takes a trip down to the basement to re-introduce new listeners to Zeta! We've had quite a few people in our Stacking Benjamins Basement Facebook group ask about apps for couples, and Zeta is exactly that. Aditi will talk about what's changed with Zeta in the last couple years, beyond helping couples track their transactions and develop a budget for their money management.

Plus, we'll answer a voicemail from D during our Magnify Money segment. D is wondering about the details of a taxable brokerage account. D and his wife save up for a goal, and when they reach that goal, they no longer want that item. D was curious if moving those savings to a brokerage account would be more financially lucrative.

Thanks to Grammarly for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Get 20% off a Grammarly premium account, go to Grammarly.com/sb

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Have you ever thought about investing in the wide world of real estate but weren't sure whether it was for you? Today's guest, Michele Cagan, says that it probably IS for you...but maybe not in the way you'd traditionally think. Sure, you can go fix up and flip houses or become a landlord, but Michele shares LOTS of other ways to invest in real estate as well, and gives us five reasons why you should at least think about it. Whether you're a seasoned real estate investor or newbie, there's something for everyone today in Michele's visit to the basement!

In our headlines segment: what's the WORST age to take social security? How does the system work in the first place? While it's complicated, we'll share the worst of the worst AND give you some basics on how to start thinking about YOUR payout. In our second headline, Charles Schwab is seeing HUGE returns from their new hybrid robo-meets-human advisor program. It seems these people chasing robos might just want some human advice...strange (smell the sarcasm in that sentence? We'll explain.)

After a dose of Doug's amazing trivia, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to a lucky caller, as usual. Just another fun day here in the basement...

Thanks to Clearbanc for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Are you doing over $10,000 a month in revenue? Find out how you can receive Clearbanc capital by getting your 20 minute term sheet at clearbanc.com/SB.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Do you want better answers in your life? It may seem like a simple solution, but Andy Andrews, New York Times best-selling author, says you just need to be asking better questions. He'll share secrets from his new book, Bottom of the Pool, on today's show!

In our headlines segment, we'll ring up Christine Benz on Joe's Dad's shortwave radio. She's the director of personal finance at Morningstar, and we'll ask her how some of our listeners who are new investors can get their retirement plans rolling. In true Andy Andrews spirit, she'll make sure you're not just asking questions about your retirement plans, but asking the right questions. Plus, in our second piece, one article says that millennials should be the new face of the retirement crisis. As two guys who are NOT millennials (but often act like millennials), Joe and OG share their thoughts.

During our Have Life Line, we'll answer a voicemail from Bill, who has a life insurance policy with a cash value. Bill's thinking about stopping it and putting it into a long term care policy or something similar. Thoughts?

Thanks to AcreTrader for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Learn more at AcreTrader.com/sb.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Fintern is finishing out our rewind week with one of our old school roundtable favorites: we're talking about lies about retirement. You can read the original show notes below: 

On today's podcast we're talking about lying. A recent news piece reports that there are nine lies we're told about retirement planning. We'll break them down with Greg, Paula, and special guest Rich Jones from the hit podcast Paychecks and Balances.

We won't stop there, thought. We'll also discuss a recent question to the Moneyologist at MarketWatch. If you had two kids and one was irresponsible, would you disown him? We ask our roundtable that very question and come up with some interesting estate planning themes you may want to address in your own planning.

On the Freshbooks FinTech segment we talk to Michael Asare from Fee Belly. Ever feel like the fine print in a contract is completely against you? Fee Belly was designed to show you ALL of the fine print by highlighting it so you can easily see where contracts might not be in your favor. We'll ask him how it works on today's podcast.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Time for something a little different in the basement! While it's still "rewind week" here, instead of playing an old SB episode, we instead are serving up our little sister show, Money With Friends! This show appears six days a week wherever you listen to Stacking Benjamins. Money With Friends is news and commentary with diverse thought leaders. It's performed in front of a LIVE Facebook audience. This show originally appeared Monday on that channel. If you like it, head on over and listen to today's show as well! We'll have more SB on Friday, with another rewind treat from the FinTern (new shows back on Monday!).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome to our Stacking Benjamins rewind week! Normally doing this week we would play you some of our favorite episodes from the past that you may have missed... but this week we're mixing things up. Monday and Friday will go as planned, but stay tuned on Wednesday for a special surprise.

The Fintern is kicking off the week by queuing up our time with Shannyn Allen, who lost over $50,000 to a hacker. We won't spoil the interview in case you missed it the first time around, but this is one emotional, honest story that you definitely want to hear.

You can read the original show notes below: 

What would happen if you lost more than $50,000 that was meant for your first home? Shannyn Allen lived that harrowing nightmare and she's going to share the story today. She unknowingly handed a hacker $50,000 , and will share the mistakes that were made around her situation, and will also let you know the steps YOU should take if you're even in a similar situation. It's a raw, horrifying story, and also one of the longest interviews we've done on Stacking Benjamins in a long, long time.

In our headline segment we talk about Beyonce and Jay-Z. It appears they're spending money like they're....Beyonce and Jay-Z. What does that have to do with you? We'll share that on today's show. Also, Jamie Wise from the Buzz Indexesshares with us some welcome news about oil prices. Are we seeing the lows in oil? He'll share the wisdom of social media chatter on today's podcast.

Of course, that's not all. Doug has yet another hare-brained scheme to become wealthy....but still has time to share some trivia. We'll also throw out the Haven Life Line to Nikki, who asks an existential question about money and goals, plus answer a letter from Jason about the Roth IRA. 

Special thanks to M1Finance for sponsoring our show! We couldn't do any of this without the support of these awesome companies.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What do YOU worry about when it comes to money? Is it the same thing others worry about? Today we head to sunny Orlando, the home of Podcast Movement (the nation's biggest podcasting conference), and catch up with some top financial podcasters at the FinCon booth in the expo hall (they were nice enough to set up a podcasting booth for shows to use!). Today we talk to Mindy Jensen from Bigger Pockets Money, Lacey Langford from the Military Money show, and all the way from Australia, the host of one of the biggest money shows in the land down under called My Millennial Money, Glen James. 

We'll take a break at the halfway point to finish off our Labor Day prep week. OG and Joe will share a cautionary tale about inviting your FIRE (financial independence/retire early) friends over for your Labor Day cookout. His event last year went really, really poorly. He'll explain. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.