The Stacking Benjamins Show

Is it frustrated watching successful people work? They seem to do it so easily....and sometimes they even tell you that it IS easy. But is that the truth? What's really behind the success of many people who wisely handle money, or make better business decisions, or seem to juggle priorities easily? There IS a secret...and once you know it you think about the working world differently. Today our special guest Steven Donovan from EvenStevenMoney.com joins OG and Joe to tackle what's really behind success for the average person. Halfway through the show, our roundtable discussion will take a break for our Fintech segment. We'll talk to Erin Papworth from Nav.IT, an app and community helping people not only track their expenses and their goals, but helping to keep them accountable AND connecting them with a community of like-minded individuals. How does it work? We'll talk to Erin all about it! Plus, we'll answer a voicemail during our Magnify Money segment AND save time for Doug's amazing trivia. Thanks to Masterworks for sponsoring our show!  Visit masterworks.io  Select podcast, then enter Stacking Benjamins to skip the waitlist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ever wonder what it would be like to buy a van and hit the road? Van life is an exciting reality for many people you read about online...but would it be for you? Today we talk to Lisa and Harrison from the Mad Money Monster Podcast, who together decided to try it out. The results? Let's just say it may not have gone exactly the way many bloggers act like it will. In our headlines segment, we're all about cults! One recent financial piece compares Multi-Level Marketing companies (MLMs) to a cult, but are they really similar? We'll share a story from a former Mary Kay consultant who was tricked into an MLM even though she didn't have any money. Lots of promises, but no results. Is it the way things are for MLMs in general? We also prepare you for the next recession! After a little dose of Doug's trivia, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Janelle who is looking to switch jobs. Janelle opted out of receiving benefits from her employer and wants to know if she can use that to negotiate getting a higher salary? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hoping to retire someday? What about retiring early? On today's show we'll sit down with Chris Mamula who retired at...wait for it....41, about how he did it. He's the co-author of the newly released book, Choose FI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence, and also is an award-winning blogger at CanIRetireYet.com. He and his wife blazed their own trail toward freedom after meeting with advisors who didn't serve them and reading blogs that didn't speak to them. They might have also listened to a podcast or two that didn't meet with their expectations. Before all that, though, in our headlines segment, we'll cover one piece from Financial Planning about a Vanguard robo-advisor only recommending... (wait for it) ... Vanguard funds! Think something seems a little fishy with this? We'll throw our two cents into the ring, and still save plenty of time for our second piece from Forbes: women just aren't purchasing enough life insurance. This is SUPER disturbing, given how much women contribute to the average family. If they have a 50% contribution, why aren't they asking for more insurance? We'll share the ugly details. Plus, we'll still have time to throw out the Haven Life Line to Stevan, who thinks it's the right time to start a retirement account. Based on his current tax bracket and the research he's done, Stevan feels like he should choose a Roth IRA over a traditional to get started... is he missing anything? What would be the pros to choosing a traditional account? Of course, we'll always have time for Doug's trivia. Thanks to Grammarly for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Get 20% off a Grammarly premium account, go to Grammarly.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

Does it makes sense to hire a coach? Our roundtable discussion today is all around the pros and cons of finding a coach--why do you need one in the first place? How do you find a good one? How do you know it's a good fit? We'll cover all of these and more on today's show with two coaches and a guy who doesn't have one....Sharita Humphrey joins us from Family, Faith and Finance, along with Roger Whitney, the Retirement Answer Man, and Len Penzo from Len Penzo dot com.Halfway through the show, we'll celebrate national tourism day with Kat Kalashian from Live and Invest Overseas, who'll share her list of the top six countries around the world to target if you'd like to live a "work from anywhere" lifestyle.Plus, we'll answer a voicemail during our Magnify Money segment asking for resources on podcasts and blogs for families AND we'll have some fun with another of Doug's wild trivia questions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have you ever wondered if you're handling your money right? Sure you have. More important, have you ever worried that you aren't doing LIFE correctly? Our main guest has been there. She's the best-selling author of the philosophical guide to life in the age of overwhelm titled, Am I Doing This Right?, Colleen Bordeaux. Colleen will share her deeply personal search for more meaning in life and lessons she learned along that way. We'll talk about your personal philosophy, getting comfortable with who you are, figuring out your money from a deep level, and more. It's a wide-ranging interview that we're sure you're going to enjoy as much as we enjoyed talking to her.In our headlines segment, how much does it cost to be considered 'middle class' in a big city? It turns out that it might just cost a TON of money. How do you get ahead when everything is so expensive? We'll talk about many factors, include the fact that where you live can change everything about whether you're financially successful or not. In our second headline, do you prefer receiving money advice from a man or a woman? Well, according to the Wall Street Journal, in the past two years there has been a marked increase in requests from prospective clients who want to work with female financial advisers. We'll talk diversity in the financial services ranks on today's show!After a little dose of Doug's trivia, we'll also save time to throw out the Haven Life Line to Nick. Nick asks if there is a specific ratio of money in each account (Roth and pre-tax) that is recommended? How does your tax strategy look? We'll dive into that, and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How does a guy with a great job at Facebook end up as a standup comedian? Today we talk to Paul Ollinger, host of the new Crazy Money podcast, about chasing your dream...in his case, the dream of becoming a comedian. It's a compelling conversation if you've ever hit the wall with your career, or you've ever made a spur-of-the-moment decision, or you realized that you needed to sharpen the saw to get where you wanted to go. There's something for everyone in today's interview.During our headlines segment, one recent piece takes to task the age-old idea of dollar-cost averaging. Should you do it? You'll be surprised with the results. Plus, do you think becoming a millionaire is out of your reach? I think you're going to love the great news we have for you. With some sound investment strategies and saving your cash, you could find yourself among that list too.On the Haven Life line call, we talk to Maddox, who's wondering what he should do better with his money. He's a college student (and actually turning a profit while in school!), and already has a firm base-level investment plan. Should he diversify more? We'll weigh in, and of course, we'll have time for Doug's trivia.Thanks to Clearbanc for supporting our show. Thanks to Clearbanc for supporting our show. Go to clearbanc.com/SB to sign up today to get $1,000 of additional capital if you are approved as a qualifying company.Thanks to HoneyBook for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Go to HoneyBook.com/sb for 50% off your first year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

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

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

"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