Money Unplugged with Chris Hill

Ben Carlson, director at Ritholtz Wealth Management, co-host of Animal Spirits and author, champions a simple approach to money and life. He shares lessons from a frugal Michigan upbringing, surviving the 2008 crisis, and why simplifying investing beats complexity. Personal stories include a pre-marriage investing PowerPoint, putting family experiences over stuff, and the mantra: less is more.

Dan Caplinger, financial writer and former tax and estate planning attorney, shares personal money stories from coin-rolling with his mom to regretful childhood purchases. He discusses why he left law firms, how he and his wife structured finances before marriage, a bold tax-change idea, joyful durable purchases like his Miata, and lessons about broker conflicts and shifting from saving to spending.

Brian Stoffel, co-founder of Long-Term Mindset and former middle school teacher turned investor. He recounts a Taleb-inspired experiment showing that stocks he actually owned beat those he only praised. Listens to antifragility, seeks companies that thrive under stress. Talks about his unconventional path from Iowa classrooms to Costa Rica and why conviction matters in investing.

Jeff Santoro, a former music teacher turned school administrator who started investing with $50 on Robinhood and now co-hosts Investing Unscripted. He talks about discovering investing during the pandemic, how a pension bred complacency, his lifelong habit of tracking money, attending Berkshire Hathaway meetings, and why he urges starting retirement savings early.

Brian Feroldi, financial educator, investor, YouTuber and author of Why Does the Stock Market Go Up?, shares his self-taught investing journey. He explains learning on the road via audiobooks, why he regrets his MBA, and how Charlie Munger’s take on incentives reshapes stock-pay thinking. He also talks about teaching kids investing and the habits that built his long-term approach.

Jason Hall grew up in rural Georgia watching his dad treat money the way most people treat a hot potato — get it and spend it as fast as you can. Nobody talked about saving. Nobody talked about investing. The plan, such as it was, was to fix up a beat-up old truck his grandfather gave him, pulling parts from the junkyard ten miles down the road, and figure the rest out later.Co-host of the Investing Unscripted podcast and a contributor to The Motley Fool for over a decade, Jason joins Chris Hill to talk about the long, expensive road from that junkyard to genuine financial clarity. He shares:- Why dropping out of college to sell electronics at Circuit City felt like the smart move — and how money locked him into a career path he never planned on- The moment his girlfriend's savings account and an unauthorized speaker purchase nearly ended their relationship before it really began- How he cashed out his 401(k) to pay for a round of golf with two guys whose names he can't remember — and what that decision is worth in today's dollars- The conversation he had with his wife before walking away from a six-figure sales job to write about investing for half the payWhat's the last thing you splurged on? Tell us at info@moneyunpluggedpod.comGo to ilovemarmar.com and use the promo code “MONEY” to get 10%.Opening clip – “Nate Bargatze: Hello World”

Tyler Gardner, a former financial advisor and portfolio manager who hosts Your Money Guide on the Side, tells the story of a Vermont childhood that shaped his money views. He explores how silence about money shaped decisions. He shares career twists from teaching to finance. He urges defining what you want money to buy and recounts memorable splurges and lessons.

Andy Hill, host of Marriage, Kids and Money and author of Own Your Time, shares his journey from early frugality to a million-dollar net worth. He talks about buying a house at 22, early investing wins and flops, money conversations in marriage, the splurge after hitting $1M, and the simple investing move he wishes he'd made sooner.

Getting burned on a bad investment early in life can do one of two things: swear you off investing forever, or teach you exactly what kind of investor you want to become. For Laura Adams, it did the latter.Host of the Money Girl podcast — one of the longest-running personal finance podcasts in the world, with more than 1,000 episodes — Adams  grew up in Charleston, SC, in a household where money was never discussed. That silence may be exactly why she became obsessed with it. Her earliest money memory involves sorting coins into paper wrappers for her father's business. Her first checking account came at age 12, when she begged her mother for one just so she could balance it.Chris Hill talks with Laura about:- How falling for a Ponzi scheme in her twenties turned her into a committed index investor who doesn't look back- Buying a struggling flooring business with her husband knowing nothing about flooring — and selling it four years later at a profit- The 2-year plan she and her husband made to eliminate their credit card debt as newlyweds, and why paying it off felt better than she expected- Why the money rules that help you build wealth can actually work against you when it's time to spend itWhat is something you bought that makes you happy? Tell us at info@moneyunpluggedpod.com.Want to find the best stocks and speed up your investing analysis? Try TIKR for free at tikr.com/unpluggedOpening clip - "Succession"

The best job is one you love. The second best? One you hate. Organizational psychologist Alison Fragale learned this the hard way — trading a McKinsey consulting career she couldn't stand for a Stanford PhD and a calling she never would have found otherwise.A professor at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and author of the bestseller Likeable Badass, Fragale grew up in Pittsburgh shaped by a father who made sure his daughter never had to think twice about what she put in the grocery cart. That early imprint on money followed her through Dartmouth, into consulting, and eventually into a career spent studying how people earn power, status, and influence.She talks with Chris Hill about:- Why the people most stuck in their careers are neither miserable nor happy — and what to do about it- A financial concept she didn't encounter until her late thirties that completely changed how she thinks about giving- Why she bought the car she'd wanted for decades, immediately regretted it, and refuses to get rid of it anyway- The one habit she believes is both the most generous thing you can do for others AND the most strategic thing you can do for yourselfCheck out Alison's book Likeable Badass at alisonfragale.com.What's the last thing you splurged on? Tell us at info@moneyunpluggedpod.com.Go to ilovemarmar.com and use the promo code “MONEY” to get 10%.Opening clip – “Heist”