Ways to Means

Welcome to our last episode! Join us as we reflect on our lives since starting Ways to Means and particularly how our decisions and milestones have been influenced by the podcast. We look back on our favorite moments and lessons learned.

Thanks to all our listeners for being a part of this experience. We learned so much and we hope you did too. 

Welcome to our last episode of Ways to Means for 2022! Today we are counting down to midnight with our top ten tax tips to help you maximize your finances ahead of the 2023 tax season. There are plenty of things you can do RIGHT NOW before the end of the year to reduce how much you pay in taxes for 2022. And if you don’t have time to get to them all, you can set your new years resolution to make 2023 your best tax year yet. 

Mentioned in this episode:

Renting residential and vacation property: https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc415

Tax Policy Center’s marriage calculator: https://urbn.is/3FVxsle

To find out if your state has a program through which you can deduct or gain a tax credit for qualified gifts, check out: https://www.uscharitablegifttrust.org/tax-treatment-of-charitable-contributions.php

In today’s episode, we welcome Tannis Fuller, the co-director of the Blue Ridge Abortion Fund which we often refer to as BRAF throughout the episode.

BRAF provides support for people seeking abortions including covering costs of the procedure, travel, childcare and more. They serve central Virginia, which includes the Charlottesville area and are members of the National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF), a membership organization of over 76 funds across the United States.

This summer, the Supreme Court ruling, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization functionally overturned Roe v. Wade which has been protecting a woman’s right to an abortion since 1973. In light of this decision, many states have outlawed or severely restricted abortion, which means the demand on abortion funds in abortion-protected states such as Virginia is only growing as more women must travel to see these services.

We are so grateful to Tannis Fuller and all the amazing people at Blue Ridge Abortion Fund who provide this critical support for women seeking abortion. If you are moved by today’s content and the work BRAF does, please visit their website at blueridgeabortionfund.org and sign up to be a monthly sustaining donor right now. And don’t forget to also share this on social media and talk to the people in your life about abortion. Thank you for being a part of this important work and service to our community.

https://blueridgeabortionfund.org/

On today’s episode we are talking to three different people who embraced the power of negotiation. From moving industries and negotiating salary increases to buying a house for under asking in one of the hottest real estate markets in the country, they’re going to show us everything is negotiable!

Our guests are Kim Tran, Alyssa Cardin, and Ashley Suzanne. Kim Tran (@yourworkinspires on instagram), offers 1:1 career and leadership coaching.

In today’s episode, we zoom out to talk philosophically about money and how it makes us feel. We talk about two articles from the Atlantic, called “What you’re really worried about when you’re worried about money,” and another article “who actually feels satisfied about money?” In these articles we explore peoples’ relative perception of wealth, the correlation between money and happiness, and what we can do to ease our money related anxieties. Who can name the Friends episode our episode title is referencing? 

On today’s episode, we speak with Jes Koepfler, the Head of Client Experience Research for Vanguard's Retail Division. Vanguard is a registered investment advisor that has been around since 1975. The company is known for its four core principles

The founder of Vanguard, Jack Bogle, is also known for starting the first index fund, which we discuss in our stock market primer episode.

We talk to Jes about what it means to design for the user, how design can cue users to take certain actions, and how the corporate philosophy is embodied in the Vanguard website design and ultimately, the experience of the user. Jes also talks about how her professional experiences have informed how she manages her personal finances.

In this episode, we speak with Taysha Devaughan, an activist and resident of Wise county, Virginia, about her decision to run for US congress in Virginia’s 9th district. We discuss her motivations for running, her vision for her community, and the practical considerations involved with mounting a campaign while working full time and running a household. Mentioned in the episode:

This week Susanna is in New Orleans for Mardi Gras so we caught up with a friend of hers, Max, who is a full time professional gig musician playing upright bass with different groups and at different venues across the city. As he explains, he and his peers are holdouts, operating as part of a cash-based industry in an increasingly cashless economy. He’s also self-employed, earning uncertain income that fluctuates according to erratic impacts to demand, such as covid. We talk to him about how he secures gigs, navigates a unique compensation structure, and how he approaches things like healthcare and taxes.

This week, we continue talking about home ownership and compare the financial impact of renting vs owning a home. We talk through common costs and benefits to home ownership, the average US homebuyer and home purchase, how local markets should affect your decision, and how policy and structural forces influence who benefits most.

Sources:

This week, our mutual friend Lou joined us on the podcast to discuss her recent first time home buying experience. We talked to her about the process, from wishlist to loan closing, and captured the good the bad and the ugly of searching for a home during this hot stretch. It's been a seller's market lately, thanks in part to the pandemic creating some unpredictable demand patterns, so we wanted to learn some secrets from someone who has braved the frenzy. If you are a first time home buyer, or get sick pleasure out of tales from the pandemic home buying experience, this one's for you!