Jill on Money with Jill Schlesinger

We like to mix it up and try new things every now and then on “Better Off.” Earlier this month, for the first time, we featured one guest (Jason Zweig) on back-to-back episodes. This week, it’s another first for us, one that’s all about you guys, our awesome listeners. We’ve been getting so many email questions on a variety of topics we thought it would be a good idea to devote an entire episode to answering your questions. Sure, I could do this on my own but thought it would be much more fun to have a partner in crime, so I borrowed Alex Benke, CFP®, from our sponsor, Betterment. Betterment recently announced new service plans which offer access to a team of CFP® professionals and licensed financial experts to help customers with their more complicated financial issues. We’re borrowing a page from that model and answering your questions! We started off helping Stephen from Florida with retirement planning. Like many, Stephen feels he got a late start and wants to make sure he’s now on the right path. Howard from Atlanta is in pretty good shape with a nice chunk of money socked away, but he wanted a second opinion to see if there’s anything he could be doing better or if there’s something he should stop doing. Andrew from Illinois recently inherited retirement money after his father passed away. With the inheritance comes the responsibility of RMDs, taxes, etc. It can be a lot for someone to process so Alex and I were more than happy to lend a helping hand to Andrew. We finished up this episode with Peter in Michigan who finds himself in a common situation: He’s carrying piles of student loan debt, as in $200,000. Peter was wondering if it made more sense to increase his 401(k) contribution or put some extra cash toward the student loans? Here’s a tease...Alex and I had different opinions on this one. :) I hope you enjoyed this special episode. Who knows, maybe we’ll start doing it on a more regular basis. I’ve always found that people love hearing other people ask questions because chances are, they were wondering the same thing but were too afraid to ask. Don’t be afraid! If you have a question, email us at askjill@betteroffpodcast.com. “Better Off” is sponsored by Betterment. Please leave us a rating or review in iTunes. "Better Off" theme music is by Joel Goodman, www.joelgoodman.com. For a recap of every episode, visit https://www.betterment.com/resources/topics/inside-betterment/better-off-podcast/. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Do you have a financial advisor? Are you looking for one? Do you know how much you're paying this person? Or should be expecting to pay? Are the fees so high you feel like you're getting screwed? Our BONUS caller of the week sure felt that way! That's why Cheryl from Massachusetts gave us a call. Was her gut instinct right? Is she paying too much? Give it a listen and leave us your feedback by leaving a rating or review in iTunes. Don't forget, a brand new episode of the Better Off podcast comes out Thursday so stay tuned for more listener questions plus an informative interview. Better Off is sponsored by Betterment. Have a question? Email us at askjill@betteroffpodcast.com. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With Tax Day right around the corner, our guest, Ed Slott, CPA, is in the house to review some last-minute tips, dos and don'ts, and provide sage advice about which IRA might be right for you. Ed is not only a tax guru, he’s also a total character. He skillfully presents what is usually dry advice in just the way we like on “Better Off”: with attitude and humor! Considered one of the foremost authorities on all things regarding taxes, retirement, IRAs, Ed is regularly quoted in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Money, Kiplinger’s, USA Today, Investment News and a host of additional national magazines and financial publications. You may have also seen Ed on your local public television station on one of his numerous specials. I realize paying taxes can be a sore subject, but as much as everyone complains, Ed says that tax rates are still relatively low. That means that now could be a good time to move funds from tax-deferred vehicles, like 401(k)s and IRAs into tax free Roth IRAs. Ed also notes that the very best retirement strategy is to work as long as you can. Extra income can prevent you from dipping into your nest egg; allow you to make Roth and spousal Roth IRA contributions (though once you turn 70 1/2, you can NOT make traditional IRA contributions); and most importantly, working longer will help you combat the reality of longevity! See, it’s not all bad news around tax time...and as Ed says, the key to the entire tax preparation process is to keep flawless records and documentation throughout the year! “Better Off” is sponsored by Betterment. Please leave us a rating or review in iTunes. "Better Off" theme music is by Joel Goodman, www.joelgoodman.com. For a recap of every episode, visit https://www.betterment.com/resources/topics/inside-betterment/better-off-podcast/. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the latest BONUS call we talk to Kevin from California. Kevin and his wife were recently gifted $25,000 and have been contemplating various ways to use it. As a young couple with decades ahead of them before retirement, their initial thought was to pay down the mortgage. Good idea? You'll have to listen for the answer! Don't forget, a brand new episode of the Better Off podcast comes out Thursday so stay tuned for more listener questions plus an informative interview. Better Off is sponsored by Betterment. Please let us know what you think by leaving a rating in iTunes. Have a question? Email us at askjill@betteroffpodcast.com. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you don’t know the name Jason Zweig, as a listener of the Better Off podcast, chances are you know his work. The “Intelligent Investor” column that you read every Saturday in the Wall Street Journal...yep, that’s his awesome work. I’ve been a fan of Jason’s for a long time, so it’s a no brainer that he’s on one of the early episodes of “Better Off.” And let me just say, it was no easy get! We, and when I say we I really mean Mark, the best producer in the world, have been going back and forth with Jason since last October trying to nail down a date. Was it worth it? Let’s just say that when we do interviews, Mark and I are acutely aware of how long they’re running. We try to keep them 30 minutes or less. Well, Jason was so good we kept him for nearly an hour. His knowledge and insight of the financial industry is so wide and deep that we decided that we needed to feature him in back-to-back episodes, a “Better Off” first! In part two of this interview we cover the decreasing cost of investing and why it may eventually cost the customer absolutely nothing, the role of brokers as the industry continues to evolve, and finally, what encourages Jason about the future of the financial services industry. If you like Jason’s column, you should also check out his books. His latest work, The Devil’s Financial Dictionary, skewers the plutocrats and bureaucrats who gave us exploding mortgages, freakish risks, and banks that are too big to fail. It also distills the complexities, absurdities, and pomposities of Wall Street into plain truths and aphorisms anyone can understand. “Better Off” is sponsored by Betterment. "Better Off" theme music is by Joel Goodman, www.joelgoodman.com. For a recap of every episode, visit https://www.betterment.com/resources/topics/inside-betterment/better-off-podcast/. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on the BONUS call we do retirement planning with Barry from Pennsylvania. Barry and his wife are looking to retire in a few years and want to make sure they're on the right track. As you'll hear, there are many questions that need to be asked before giving a thumbs up or down. Don't forget, a brand new episode of the Better Off podcast comes out Thursday so stay tuned for more listener questions plus an informative interview. Better Off is sponsored by Betterment. Please let us know what you think by leaving a rating in iTunes. Have a question? Email us at askjill@betteroffpodcast.com. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you don’t know the name Jason Zweig, as a listener of the Better Off podcast, chances are you know his work. The “Intelligent Investor” column that you read every Saturday in the Wall Street Journal...yep, that’s his awesome work. I’ve been a fan of Jason’s for a long time, so it’s a no brainer that he’s on one of the early episodes of “Better Off.” And let me just say, it was no easy get! We, and when I say we I really mean Mark, the best producer in the world, have been going back and forth with Jason since last October trying to nail down a date. Was it worth it? Let’s just say that when we do interviews, Mark and I are acutely aware of how long they’re running. We try to keep them 30 minutes or less. Well, Jason was so good we kept him for nearly an hour. His knowledge and insight of the financial industry is so wide and deep that we decided that we needed to feature him in back-to-back episodes, a “Better Off” first! In part one of the interview we cover the power of index funds, the importance of having rules in your financial life, the beauty of passive investing and the importance of technology and humans working together. We also talk about the evil F-word (fiduciary) and why such a simple concept of putting clients first, is such a controversial issue for a conflict-ridden industry. If you like Jason’s column, you should also check out his books. His latest work, The Devil’s Financial Dictionary, skewers the plutocrats and bureaucrats who gave us exploding mortgages, freakish risks, and banks that are too big to fail. It also distills the complexities, absurdities, and pomposities of Wall Street into plain truths and aphorisms anyone can understand. “Better Off” is sponsored by Betterment. For a recap of every episode, visit https://www.betterment.com/resources/topics/inside-betterment/better-off-podcast/. "Better Off" theme music is by Joel Goodman, www.joelgoodman.com. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on the BONUS call we talk to Karen from Kentucky who was wondering about an annuity. Because annuities are very tricky products it's one of the most common questions we get. In Karen's case, she already has a pension and a retirement account so does she need to purchase this product? Listen to find out! Don't forget, a brand new episode of the Better Off podcast comes out Thursday so stay tuned for more listener questions plus an informative interview. Better Off is sponsored by Betterment. Please let us know what you think by leaving a rating in iTunes. And if you have a question you'd like to ask, email us at askjill@betteroffpodcast.com. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I’m going to assume that a good portion of you subscribed to the Better Off podcast have used either Uber or Airbnb. I use Uber all the time and it seems like everyone I know has used Airbnb. My producer Mark just used Airbnb for a week in Tokyo and loved it. James Altucher, our guest from the second episode, basically lives full-time in various Airbnb locations. It’s no exaggeration to say that these companies have almost single-handedly disrupted stodgy industries (taxi/limousine and hotel), become stars of the Silicon Valley venture capital world and made their impact felt across the globe. That’s why we were delighted to have a great conversation with Brad Stone, Bloomberg journalist and author of “The Upstarts: How Uber, Airbnb, and the Killer Companies of the New Silicon Valley are Changing the World.” Brad defines an upstart as either “a newly successful person” or “someone who does not show proper respect to the established way of doing things” -- you’ll need to decide whether or not Travis Kalanick of Uber and Brian Chesky fall into one or both of those categories. They certainly were brash survivors who didn’t create the ideas that made each company successful, but somehow they were able to execute better (more ruthlessly?) than their competitors. Unlike in his previous book about Amazon, “The Everything Store”, where CEO Jeff Bezos would not talk to him, this time Brad had access to all the key players and he writes a compelling page-turner. He opens the story with the 2008 Obama Inauguration, which founders of both companies were attending. What lessons have these wildly successful upstarts learned over the past nine years? How have they matured and become better leaders? After reading this book, you’ll have a whole new perspective the next time you ride in an Uber or make an Airbnb reservation. “Better Off” is sponsored by Betterment. For a recap of every episode, visit https://www.betterment.com/resources/topics/inside-betterment/better-off-podcast/. "Better Off" theme music is by Joel Goodman, www.joelgoodman.com. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For the BONUS call this week we chatted with Brian from Seattle who plans on leaving his Roth IRA to his two kids...since this won't be happening for many, many years, he was wondering how he should be invested inside the Roth. A good lesson for anyone with a Roth or traditional IRA. Don't forget, a brand new episode of the Better Off podcast comes out Thursday so stay tuned for more listener questions plus an informative interview. Better Off is sponsored by Betterment. Please let us know what you think by leaving a rating in iTunes. And if you have a question you'd like to ask, send us an email at askjill@betteroffpodcast.com. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices