

How to Money
iHeartPodcasts
Best friends Joel and Matt are the co-hosts of How to Money which is all about providing the knowledge & tools that normal folks need to thrive in areas like debt payoff, DIY investing, and crucial money tricks that will provide continuous help along your journey. We believe that access to unbiased and jargon-free personal finance guidance is more necessary than ever before. When you handle your money in a purposeful, thoughtful way that works for your lifestyle, you can really start living a rich life.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 1, 2021 • 50min
The Weird Science Behind Your Irrational Money Decisions #443
Randomly ask any of your friends how often they check their phone, and most will probably say something like 20-30 times, maybe 50 times a day. Yet stats show that ⅔ of Americans unlock their phone over 160 times a day. Luckily screen time and other similar apps can help us to understand that there is a big difference between what we think that we’re doing and what we’re actually doing. As humans we’re not the most rational and self-aware beings. We often believe that we’re incredibly objective but it probably depends more on the day of the week, how hungry we are, and who we’re talking with. But we believe that by understanding and naming some different behavioral science and economic terms, that we can better realize our tendency to make irrational gut reactions and think differently about how and why we make decisions in the first place.During this episode we enjoyed a Volume Integral by Pontoon Brewing- a big thanks to Miguel for donating this one to the podcast! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money!Best friends out! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 29, 2021 • 48min
Ask HTM - Buying a Home to Fight Inflation, Ethical Conundrum By Receiving Co-Pay Assistance, & Financial Priorities After Having a Baby #442
We’re kicking off the week by answering listener questions! And if you have a question that you’d like for us to answer on the show, we’d love for you to submit your own via HowToMoney.com/ask/ , send us your voice memo. Regardless of how random or bizarre you might think it is, we want to hear it!1 - Should I invest in my new side business or use that money to max out my Roth IRA?2 - Is it unethical for me to accept financial assistance from a pharmaceutical company if we don’t really need the support?3 - In order to pay for a wedding, is it OK to take some money out of an investment account?4 - We’d like to buy a house in order to fight inflation- is this a good idea?5 - What financial priorities should we focus on now that we’ve had a baby?During this episode we enjoyed a 5th Anniversary Hill by Southern Grist! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money!Best friends out! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 26, 2021 • 27min
Friday Flight - Christmas Tree Inflation, Headphone Trends, & Asinine Hospital Bills #441
It's time for a Friday Flight! These episodes are all about the week’s financial news and the impact on your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we distill it down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to continue to make smart money moves. In this episode we cover some relevant and helpful stories like: raising deductibles to save on premiums, raid our bookshelf, crypto in the vernacular, Christmas tree inflation, keeping your head on Black Friday, bucking consumption trends, a massive right to repair win, a tanking market in 2022, going with an EV to save money, & how to avoid arbitrary asinine hospital bills.And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money. Have an awesome weekend!Best friends out! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 24, 2021 • 47min
Stop Money Arguments In Their Tracks #440
Wouldn’t it be nice if you never had a disagreement about money with your partner ever again? Oh the bliss! Even just imagining this conflict-free future might be causing the tension in your shoulders to relax or that headache to fade. Unfortunately, that’s a paradise that’s lost and not something we can promise! Since most Americans report having major conflicts concerning money, it’s important to engage in healthy ways so that we avoid destructive patterns in our relationship as well as with our money. We want to work towards not only growing our wealth but growing and strengthening our relationships as well. During this episode we cover some of the common patterns of arguments we often hear about and what to do about those arguments. We also offer some tips that we believe will allow you to keep simple disagreements from escalating into knock-down-drag-out money fights.During this episode we enjoyed an HDHC CananDANKua by Other Half Brewing- a big thanks to Jason for sending this one our way to enjoy! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money!Best friends out! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 22, 2021 • 49min
A Very Merry Minimalist Christmas with Meg Nordmann #439
Today we have the pleasure of speaking with Meg Nordmann who is the author of “Have Yourself a Minimalist Christmas: Slow Down, Save Money, & Enjoy a More Intentional Holiday”. With the holidays quickly approaching, we can often find ourselves wondering where all of our time, and money is running off to- but Meg wants to change that with her approach to minimalism. Her book presents strategies to help us to resist the clever marketing and cultural expectations that this season often brings. We talk about Meg’s own history with consumption, the relatively new history of Santa, how she approaches gift giving with her children, convincing extended family to give fewer gifts, and how she creates a minimalist calendar around the holidays.During this episode we enjoyed an Empire of Eternal Nothingness by Burial! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money!Best friends out! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 19, 2021 • 32min
Friday Flight - Robots, Rent Control, & Taylor Swift #438
It's time for a Friday Flight! These episodes are all about the week’s financial news and the impact on your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we distill it down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to continue to make smart money moves. In this episode we cover some relevant and helpful stories like: Joel’s first homeowners insurance claim, budgeting for Christmas, what we can learn from Taylor Swift, combating rising prices, most NFTs are worthless, old cell phones are getting bricked in 2022, the impact of robots on the labor market, & the unintended consequences of rent control.And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money. Have an awesome weekend!Best friends out! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 17, 2021 • 43min
When to DIY or Hire a Pro #437
To DIY or not to DIY… you can almost hear that being said in the voice of Hamlet (the Kenneth Branagh Hamlet not the Mel Gibson one, of course.) But while this question is not nearly as existential as the one Hamlet poses, it’s one that we all increasingly find ourselves asking. On one hand you DIY everything in order to save as much money as possible and in the process you also gain a tremendous amount of knowledge- but do you have enough time to live your life? And on the other hand you outsource and hire a pro as often as you can and for the most part you know that the job is being expertly performed by a professional- but do you have enough money to live your life? So we’re establishing a helpful framework for you to make better decisions in today’s episode. We’re focusing on better decisions because there isn’t going to be a right or wrong answer. That’s up to us as individuals and our own specific situations, but we can all go about asking ourselves the right questions when it comes to whether we should DIY or hire a pro.During this episode we enjoyed a Bell’s Two Hearted Ale- a big thanks to Chris and all of our friends at the brewery for donating this one to the show! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money!Best friends out! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 15, 2021 • 43min
Ask HTM - Frugal or Cheap with a Disappointed Daughter, Awkwardness in Combining Finances with a Partner, & Balance Transfer Cards for Large Expenses #436
We’re kicking off the week by answering listener questions! And if you have a question that you’d like for us to answer on the show, we’d love for you to submit your own via HowToMoney.com/ask/ , send us your voice memo. Regardless of how random or bizarre you might think it is, we want to hear it!1 - My daughter doesn’t like the helmet I bought for her that was on clearance - frugal or cheap?2 - How do I overcome some awkwardness as my partner and I combine our finances?3 - Should I be looking to just get the match or should I max out my employer provided 401k?4 - Does it make more sense for an older family member to draw on retirement accounts before social security?5 - Is using a balance transfer credit card a good idea for a large expense I have coming up?During this episode we enjoyed a Bell’s Two Hearted Ale- a big thanks to Chris and all of our friends at the brewery for donating this one to the show! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money!Best friends out! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 12, 2021 • 30min
Friday Flight - Zillow’s Implosion, Your Office Beckons, & the 401(EXTRA)k #435
It's time for a Friday Flight! These episodes are all about the week’s financial news and the impact on your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we distill it down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to continue to make smart money moves. In this episode we cover some relevant and helpful stories like: YNAB raising rates, the 401(EXTRA)k, your office beckons, negotiating higher pay, entrepreneurs are happier, cutting a vehicle with e-bikes, senior citizens and crypto holders getting scammed, millennials love DIY investing, active managed funds disappointing performance, Zillow’s implosion, the future of iBuying, & how to go about refinancing.And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money. Have an awesome weekend!Best friends out! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 10, 2021 • 41min
Think Twice Before Investing #434
Investing isn’t as simple as just throwing some money in the market and crossing your fingers. Yes, we do want you to invest. And yes there’s a chance you could probably invest more than you currently are. But there are a host of additional considerations that we want you examining before you open a brokerage account on your phone, initiating a transfer, and hitting purchase. Do you know what you’re investing in? Can you easily explain it to a friend? How do you feel about volatility, fees associated with that investment, illiquidity, and your time horizon? We like to think of it like taking a road trip- there are a number of things to do keep in mind like: do I know where I’m going, does my boss know I’m taking time off work, how long am I going to be gone, and can my car even handle a road trip of this magnitude? We’re not trying to dissuade you from investing, but we do want you to think twice before investing.During this episode we each enjoyed an Emergency Drinking Beer by Wild Heaven! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money!Best friends out! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


