The Stacking Benjamins Show

Welcome to our countdown to New Years! Leading up to our New Year's Magic 8-ball episode with Len Penzo we're bringing you our top "quirkiest" interviews. These shows were released from this last year all the way to 2013, so you're in for a real treat.We're kicking things off with our interview with Tracy Coenen, a forensic spy who uses her knowledge of spreadsheets and bank knowledge to chase down criminals. You can read our original show notes below:She’ll tell you over and over that her job isn’t interesting. But if you’re a money nerd, do we have a treat for you today, because accountant Tracy Coenen spends her time chasing down bad guys using spreadsheets and bank statements (I’ll stop if you need a moment). Today she’ll tell us stories of two stories where she helped catch perpetrators by using financial records (and some amazing ingenuity) to help bring “bad guys” to bear.Plus, are you interviewing soon? Even if you aren’t we’ll talk about some useful tips if you’re interested in moving up the ladder at work or with another pursuit (and who isn’t?). Plus, we’ll discuss the new milestone one fund company just passed and pause for a moment…man, that’s a lot of money.Of course, we’re also going to toss out the Haven Life Line to Dillon and get Joe and OG’s take on how Dillon should approach his investments. All and and we’ll still make room for Doug’s trivia. Step aside, people! There’s a new episode coming…..this plate is HOT! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What was YOUR biggest lesson from 2020, besides avoid pandemics? Today we'll share our top 5 (plus an "honorable mention") events from maybe the weirdest year in recent memory. There were MANY great takeaways this year, so it was difficult to decide. Today we'll talk about the importance of emergency funds, relationships, giving, sticking to your investment strategy, and more!Plus in our headline segment, we're joined by IRA and tax guru Ed Slott, who shares a few last-minute tax tips. He'll talk about your Roth IRA, giving, and (gasp!) spending money.That's not all. Doug shares trivia about today's Festivus holiday AND Joe and OG answer a Haven Life line call from a guy named Nick in Alaska.Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Comedy Central is such a part of American culture that its existence seems obvious, but that wasn't always the case. The process of creating Comedy Central is a story of perseverance, luck, believing in yourself and your idea, and more. We'll talk to Art Bell about his original idea for Comedy Central, his background, and how he wound up pitching it to the head of HBO (without an appointment!). If you've ever had an idea that you wanted to bring to life, you MUST listen to today's show.Plus, the student loan crisis is back in the news lately, with many speculating how the new administration is going to possibly change the game for borrowers. While we won't speculate on any of that, we WILL speak with Asha Srikantiah from Fidelity Investments about not only their 2020 Student Debt Snapshot (which shines a light on some of the most looming problems people are having with debt), but also a new free tool they've developed to help people work on better loan repayment strategies and options.Later, we'll throw out the Haven Life line to J.J., who is changing brokers and wants to know the best way to diversify his portfolio now that he's moved. How can he diversify without paying a bunch of unnecessary fees?Of course, we'll still share Doug's trivia, take a call about Joe's warranty expiring, and more.Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With the end of 2020 FINALLY in sight, (and what a long 38 months it's been), we're excited to bring you all of our best lessons from the last year. Between Paula Pant and Len Penzo, with OG and Joe weighing in on all of their top picks, you'll have plenty to chew on. We'd write more here...but who wants to give up what our top picks are? Just listen!PLUS, there's new innovation coming to your computer and phone. Like clockwork, it seems we hear about regular data breaches and how the companies we trust with our information have been mismanaged. Today we'll welcome to our Friday Fintech segment our friend Peter Polson from Tiller Money, to learn all about new advancements coming to your computer and phone app security. This will revolutionize how you look at financial technology in the future.While there's no listener voicemail today, that doesn't mean we're not answering a question. We found a problem we wanted to help someone solve over at the personal finance subreddit. At the very least we'll make sure that (hopefully) none of you Stackers make this same mistake. This poster bought a new car with a 72-month loan attached at 5.9%. The kicker? They have a 710 credit score! With only a few days to return it, they ask what's the good play here? Of course, we'll have ideas.BUT that's not all...we'll also reach the finish line on our year-long trivia contest! Can OG force Len into an overtime week? We'll have the exciting (maybe) conclusion (also...maybe) on today's show. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Few people have seen as many great ideas (and horrible ideas) as Paul Merriman. We were listening to Paul Merriman's advice long before we had a podcast and today we FINALLY were able to sit down with him...and he doesn't disappoint. Today Paul dishes out five ideas that will all make you over a million dollars more during your lifetime if you're a young investor. Before you listen you should ask yourself NOT if you've heard these ideas before, because there's a good possibility that you have. The key question to ask is, "What are you DOING about these five ideas." Based on statistics of the average investor we can all use help IMPLEMENTING a better strategy, and Paul shares some great ones today.Plus, should you invest in non-traded real estate? A recent headline complains that real estate that isn't traded is hard to value. Joe and OG will go over exactly what the controversy is AND whether you should consider these for your portfolio. Also, we'll cover new information the Securities and Exchange Commission is making available to US investors. Will it change how you invest? We'll answer THAT question as well.We'll end the show with a question from Matt on rebalancing. Matt asks if the natural ebbs and flows of the stock market (and regular investments) negate the purpose of rebalancing. Wouldn't the market take care of that on its own? What's the point? We'll talk rebalancing 101 today! It's a nerd's dream!Plus, Doug gets a little classy with today's trivia. Well, he would consider anything to do with the subject of tea to be classy. If you feel confident in your tea trivia, make sure to test your mettle halfway through the show.Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join Joe & OG every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from Joe's mom's basement in Texarkana, Texas. They'll cover all the current money headlines, talk to experts and avoid washing windows, three days a week! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Know anyone just beginning their financial journey? Well, gather them round your listening device because on today's show Symoné B. "Beez," author of Financial Starter Kit and co-host of the new podcast 4 Goats and a Mic, joins us. We'll walk you through the FIRST things you need to do to build a solid financial foundation. Plus, Symoné will share her story from start to finish: from finding herself sinking in credit card debt - a situation she promised herself she'd never be in - to cutting up her credit cards to retake control of her situation. But she didn't stop there, now Symoné is on a mission to help others gain financial independence and avoid the same pitfalls she encountered. We'll talk 101 financial strategies, what to do when your in over your head, and more.Hello DoorDash and AirBnB lovers! Are you getting FOMO (fear of missing out) from all of the flashy initial public offering (IPO) headlines? With seemingly every IPO followed up by the "look at how much money it made on Day 1" headlines, who wouldn't want to get the early bird special on the next one? There's only one problem about jumping on IPOs to make a killing in the stock market, and early DoorDash investors found that lesson out the hard way. After Joe and OG explain how these IPOs actually work, we'll jump on the line with Affinity Solutions CEO, Johnathan Silver to get some firsthand data on how consumer spending has changed this past year. Have you driven to work less and fixed up your home office? Maybe shopped for the holidays a little early? Jonathan just might describe YOU on today's show.And finally, we finish today's show with a note of good cheer. Tyler calls into the Haven Life line looking for advice on the best way he can help set up his future niece/nephew for college and beyond.Of course, we'll always save some time for Doug.Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A certain prince is having some issues and only YOU can help! Do you help him? Whether it's that scam, the IRS is knocking on your door, or another reach into your pocketbook, scams are everywhere (especially this time of year). What are the best practices for avoiding losing your money? We'll tackle a recent list written by our friend Stacy Johnson on today's show. Helping you hold on to your dollars, we'll welcome Doc G from the Earn and Invest podcast, Paula Pant from Afford Anything, and Len Penzo from the award-winning LenPenzo.com blog.Vanguard has released a new study about millennials and their view on retirement. We'll chat about that with Brian Concannon, head of Vanguard Digital Advisor. While we have his attention, we'll have him take on a tour of their new platform. He'll talk about how it works, the problems it solves, what it costs, and more.We'll finish out the show with a voicemail from Katherine. She knows she'll donate a large sum to her favorite non-profit, but is there a good time to donate it? Katherine says that she is still young, and knows any money she invests will compound and go a lot further in the future. Thoughts?As always, Doug will keep the party going with his game-show trivia. Today is a bittersweet day in history: the biggest Ponzi scheme in history, orchestrated by Bernie Madoff, ended on this day. Think you can guess how much Madoff stole from his clients? You'll find the answer at the halfway mark of today's episode.Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The history of money is possibly (even probably) the most tangled web of assumptions, grief, symbolism, happiness, and longing in the history of the world. Today Frederick Kaufman joins us to share a few of those stories. From the earliest days of exchanging objects to represent currency, to the heads of state on coins, to Bitcoin and beyond, we'll discover many of the stories that encompass names from Adam Smith to Anna Nicole Smith.Plus, during our headlines segment of the show we'll talk to Sean Hanft from FSAStore.com. It's nearing the end of the year and if you have flexible spending account dollars left, it's time to use them before you lose them. Plus, one blog post making its way around, which makes the case against opening a 401k to start saving for retirement. Naturally, Joe and OG have a thought or two about that.Plus, we all know the famous 4% rule (of thumb), but have we been using it wrong this whole time? Matt calls in the Haven Life Line to ask for some clarification. While you shouldn't be using rules of thumb to guide your portfolio in the first place, Matt's question could potentially have big implications on your retirement draw-down.Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With all of the talk about a divided nation, finger pointing about the election, and a year when so, so many things have become "political," today we're thrilled to bring you John Hope Bryant, who throws water on all of these arguments. His no-nonsense approach to how we ALL win together is refreshing and provocative. We'll talk about lessons from his new book, Up From Nothing on today's show.Plus, big congrats to stock-based ETFs in November. Record inflows poured into these positions, which leaves Joe and OG scratching their heads. Why do investors wait until the market climbs to record highs to stuff money into funds AGAIN? We'll counter that with yet another piece we found that proclaims the sky is about to fall. Again.Of course, that's not all. We'll get some help from a listener on explaining Value Averaging (vs. Dollar-Cost Averaging), and Doug will skewer a horrible, horrible national recognition day for a group he says is undeserving. Wait until you hear his rant...Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices