The Stacking Benjamins Show

Kurt Long used to launch rockets for NASA, but lately, he's been worried about your money (and your health). Kurt is the co-founder and CEO of security and privacy firm BUNKR, and has worked with some of the largest financial and healthcare institutions to keep your data private. We discuss where the biggest threats are coming from, what to ask advisors, what you should do to protect your health care records, and more. By the end of today's episode, you should have a clear idea of when your financial information is at risk and when you're safe.

But before that we dive into a headline about timeshare exit fraud. If you've ever heard the commercials offering to help you get rid of your timeshare, you may have some idea what a huge industry it's become, and also now full of scammers trying to "help" you...or maybe just help themselves to your money. We talk timeshares, scams to get you IN and unfortunately, now also scams to get you out. How do you steer clear of all of this? We'll share ideas

Of course, we'll also take a question from a Stacker who said, "I'd better call Saul....Sehy and OG!" and we leave time for Doug's trivia question, that we're sure you'll be sharing around the virtual watercooler later today.

Our 1500th episode is coming! If you've changed your financial life at all because of the show or the SB community, call in and celebrate with us. Tell us how you've made some positive changes and we'll help motivate other Stackers to get rolling on their financial plans! Go to http://stackingbenjamins.com/voicemail and leave us a message sharing something you've done as a result of the show. Thanks for helping us build this coming episode!

FULL SHOW NOTES: https://www.stackingbenjamins.com/secure-your-life-kurt-long-1488

Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are in our newsletter, The 201, available at https://www.stackingbenjamins.com/201

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What role does spending money play in your life: as a tool to live a better life or a yardstick of status to measure yourself against others? Our roundtable discussion centers around this, as we're lucky to be joined by the dynamic duo Kitty and Piggy from the award-winning Bitches Get Riches podcast and blog. They join up with OG and Len Penzo to form the roundtable for this epic episode. Joe's mom's cousin Diania Merriam, founder of the EconoMe Conference, takes over MC duties for Neighbor Doug.

In the second half of the roundtable discussion, sponsored by DepositAccounts.com, we dig into each of our contributors' favorite entry on Morgan Housel's list.

Stick around for the next installment of our year-long trivia contest. Diania brings a Gillian's Island-themed trivia to our panel. Will the Bitches use their advantage in numbers to take home the W for Paula? Will Len's first-hand knowledge of Gillian's Island, having actually been around for the pilot episode, give him the upper hand, or will OG use his superior financial planning skills to bring home the W?

FULL SHOW NOTES: https://www.stackingbenjamins.com/kitty-piggy-roundtable-1487

Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are in our newsletter, The 201, available at https://www.StackingBenjamins.com/201

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Were so worried about the Benjamins, the job, the success ladder, and getting "the things" that sometimes we forget to live. Guy Kawasaki was in the room when the iconic Apple "Think Different" campaign was created. He believes that "Think Different" isn't enough today. In his words, "You can be different and still suck." It's time for a higher target, and that target is "remarkable." But how do you get there? We'll detail everyting from the findings of Carol Dweck to the work of Jane Goodall to parse what "remarkable" truly means. In Guy Kawasaki's world, it means surfing. It means questioning your beliefs. It means learning how to ask better questions.

Before that we cover a disturbing headline: FinTech company Chime and company-with-a-reputation-of-dishonesty Robinhood are better regarded than products which compete against them offered by big names like Vanguard and Fidelity. Why are younger investors and savers trusting these names over the heavyweights? That's good news, right? Maybe. We'll share what we think this means and also what you should do about it when thinking about where to park your hard-won dollars.

Of course, we'll also take a question from a Stacker in need AND share Doug's trivia question! On the back porch, we also announce some new meetup dates. Come out and join us!

FULL SHOW NOTES: https://www.stackingbenjamins.com/how-to-live-your-best-life-best-self-guy-kawasaki-1486

Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are in our newsletter, The 201, available at https://www.stackingbenjamins.com/201

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So many new businesses start every year, only to fail weeks or months later. Sadly, many of the missteps these would-be business owners made could have been presented if they'd followed some fairly simple steps. CPA Michele Cagan not only owns her own small business, she counsels many business owners with their taxes and their business plans. She joins us today to share some of the most essential nuggets new business owners and side hustlers need to know, from her new book, Starting a Business 101.

In our headline segment, Capital One has acquired Discover. What does this mean for Discover and Capital One cardholders and clients? We'll dive into all of the details and what experts are predicting will happen to the benefits cardholders of each company can expect. Good news no matter whether you're a Discover or Capital One customer...experts seem to believe things are looking up across the board.

Of course, we'll also share a TikTok minute AND discuss backdoor Roth IRAs, mega-backdoor Roth IRAs (aka - "Doug's Mom IRAs"), and much, much more. Of course, we save time to wander out to the back porch and share our favorite films and television shows...and others we don't care for so much.

FULL SHOW NOTES: https://www.stackingbenjamins.com/how-to-start-a-business-101-michele-cagan-1485

Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are in our newsletter, The 201, available at https://www.stackingbenjamins.com/201

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We round out Rewind Week with an episode from The Earn & Invest Podcast.

This is a current events/community Thursday episode featuring an Earn & Invest community member Ian Kist. We are also joined by Joe Saul-Sehy from The Stacking Benjamins Podcast. Today we discuss current articles about Crypto and Indexing that seem to be diametrically opposed. Who is right?

This show originally aired on January 25, 2024, so ignore any mention of current events. To see the original show notes, visit Community Episode: Crypto vs S&P 500 Index Smackdown — Earn & Invest (earnandinvest.com).

Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are in our newsletter, The 201, available at https://www.StackingBenjamins.com/201

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We continue Rewind Week with an episode where interviews Jason Tartick. How happy are you, truly, with your job and life? Many people go through the motions in a career they don’t like, never taking the leap to find something they actually enjoy. The average life expectancy is 79 years, so here’s a question: how many of those years are you willing to waste doing something you don’t love? Jason Tartick is well known for being on The Bachelorette but his story is much deeper than what we saw on TV. He was secretly having panic attacks at work as a banker and was stressed beyond belief. Instead of digging deep to find the reason why, he initially tried to mask and ignore the emotions. He’s here today to share his story and how he ultimately restarted his life and career to do what he loves.

During our headline segment, Rita Assaf from Fidelity Investments joins the fun to share the results of Fidelity’s State of Retirement Planning survey. She shares the biggest concerns on investors’ minds and the impacts the pandemic has had on our financial confidence. Later, we’ll also answer Kevin’s question about an excess Roth IRA contribution. And, of course, Doug will share his amazing trivia.

This show originally aired on April 6, 2022, so ignore any mention of current events. To see the original show notes, visit When Do You Reboot Everything? (with Jason Tartick) » The Stacking Benjamins Show.

Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are in our newsletter, The 201, available at https://www.stackingbenjamins.com/201

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We kick off our Rewind Week with an episode from our sister show, Stacking Deeds.

Asking questions is the key to making connections, and today we connect with top Manhattan real estate broker Vickey Barron! She'll teach YOU how to ask the right questions to buy the right properties and build the right team. In our headlines, scams are on the rise....so what are some of the biggest real estate scams? We'll share. And speaking of share...I'll share some trivia that travels coast to coast.

This show originally aired on August 15, 2023, so ignore any mention of current events. To see the original show notes, visit The Inquisitive Investor: Vicki Barron on How Asking Questions Elevates Your Real Estate Game (stackingdeeds.net).

FULL SHOW NOTES: http://stackingbenjamins.com/sb-rewind-stacking-deeds-vickey-barron-1482

Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are in our newsletter, The 201, available at https://www.stackingbenjamins.com/201

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Over the course of your life, would you prefer to feel special or happy? If you can only choose one in your life, which one would you choose and feel like you made the most of it? That's the topic for our roundtable discussion today. We're joined by our very special guest Dana Anspach, CFP®, RMA®, Kolbe Certified™ Consultant, and Founder & CEO of Sensible Money, LLC. She's joined by our in-house sourpuss OG and Len Penzo, creator of the award-winning blog lenpenzo.com.

Our panel discusses whether achieving "happy" or "special" is necessarily an either/or decision, or if there's some middle ground between the two. Joe goes on to clarify that the author's definition of "special" centers around addiction to professional success: addicted to being hardworking, successful, and wealthy. We tackle why many success-focused people are actually "miserably rich." Do you have to sacrifice your happiness in order to achieve professional success, or is there a way to have the best of both worlds?

In the second half of the discussion, sponsored by DepositAccounts.com, we dive into how to overcome workaholism, so you avoid being miserable and wealthy. Is shedding materialism in favor of simplicity the secret to maintaining a healthy balance between success and happiness?

Stay tuned for Doug's amazing big-money question. Will Dana propel Paula into a 3-way tie for first place or will OG or Len take sole possession of the lead?

FULL SHOW NOTES: https://www.stackingbenjamins.com/balancing-success-and-happiness-1481

Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are in our newsletter, The 201, available at https://www.StackingBenjamins.com/201

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What are the most difficult skills you can master to create more Benjamins? Among the top must be "communicating effectively." The term "rainmaker" exists because people who can bring in more connections, networks, and also business into an organization are generally among the highest paid employees. The most valuable people in any organization are those who can simply and effectively share thoughts that move the needle. But that's only at work. Communication is also a huge part of making and keeping friends, building a family, or negotiating with neighbors, contractors, or community members. In short, being a supercommunicator pays in every possible way. That's why Charles Duhigg (bestselling author of The Power of Habit) joins us again to discuss how YOU can communicate more effectively. He'll talk about the different types of conversations people have, techniques to improve your skill when talking with others, and how to find common ground more often so that you can all handle the tasks of the day.

But before that, we share a headline about the insurance industry. Things are a-changin', as they say, and it turns out...insurance is pretty boring. But will it always be boring? And what does that have to do with your money anyway? We'll share details on what's happening in the insurance industry and why you might want to evaluate your coverages to decide if it's time to move to better risk management techniques.

Of course, we answer a question from a Stacker who thought, "I'd better call Saul....Sehy and OG!" He wonders about dividend paying stocks, taxes, and more. Plus, we'll also crown this podcast with Doug's amazing trivia question, the next round of our 2024 Math Joke Off, and more!

FULL SHOW NOTES: https://www.stackingbenjamins.com/charles-duhigg-1480

Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are in our newsletter, The 201, available at https://www.stackingbenjamins.com/201

Today's takeaways:

1) Check with your insurer to see that you're getting all the discounts possible AND check with other insurers to see if they're more competitive than your current offering. Talk to agents to ensure you have the right amount of coverage as well.

2) Ask, "What type of conversation are we having" before engaging too much in any discussion. Taking just a moment to do so can yield great opportunities. Learn to overshare so that others feel comfortable, and meet the person where THEY are, versus where you want them to be.

3) While dividends are great, a high dividend also means the chances for appreciation lower. If you're in a low tax bracket you may pay little (or no) tax on dividends...but a high dividend paying stock still may not be your friend. Also, if the dividend is really high, check to see if the company is organized as a partnership. If so, that may mean you'll have tax complications, including possible tax on dividends (even inside of an IRA), and additional reporting through a K-1 document...which often arrives very late in the tax season.

Enjoy!

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Why aren't you making those big strides you're hoping for in your career, personal life, or with your money? Today we talk about the building blocks of success, which contrary to popular belief, isn't being "special" or taking a "big leap." It's getting the little things correct. Dr.'s Resa Lewiss and Adaira Landry join us to dive into tweaking some of the skills they've found can give you the largest boost with the least amount of effort, to increase your income, experience life more, and ultimately not just stack more Benjamins, but stack more worthwhile moments.

Before that we share a headline that could save you thousands of dollars in taxes. One popular tax expert looks at the thousands of layoffs recently and finds some lemonade in the job-loss lemons of life. We explore one tax strategy we haven't discussed in a long, long time...and it could be your biggest tax break ever.

Of course, we also share a great idea in the TikTok minute, Doug's amazing trivia, and more!

FULL SHOW NOTES: https://www.stackingbenjamins.com/micro-changes-for-big-results-1479

Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are in our newsletter, The 201, available at https://www.stackingbenjamins.com/201

Enjoy!

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