How To Money

This week on the podcast we’re answering your questions!1 - Should I continue to balance my checkbook every month, or is it a waste of time?2 - I have 2 daughters who rarely drive- how can I reduce how much I spend on their car insurance?3 - Should I purchase a primary residence or a couple investment properties instead?4 - Is identity theft insurance worth the money?5 - As a small business owner, should I consider offering a SIMPLE IRA or a 401k?And if you have a question for us, we’d love for you to submit your own via HowToMoney.com/ask/During this episode we enjoyed an Agrestic by Firestone Walker - a big thanks to our friend Josh for donating this beer to the show, and as a friend of the show you’ve earned enough points and have officially reached ‘red status’! And if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to spread the word to get more people doing smart things with their money!Best friends out! Learn more a

Are you saving your money when instead you should be investing it? Or maybe you’ve been investing, but alternatively you should be saving! Folks get confused as those terms are often used interchangeably, but they are very different. For example, we call it “saving for retirement” when we are actually “investing for retirement.” Saving and investing are both important and have their place, and so the trick is knowing when you should be doing either. During this episode, we’ll cover some of the different indicators and considerations that will help you to determine whether you should be saving or investing. And it depends on your goals, but there’s a good chance you’ll need to do both!During this episode we enjoyed a Kong Double Hazy IPA by BarrelHouse Brewing Co - a big thanks to our friend Josh for donating this beer to the show! And if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to spread the word to get more people d

Wanna sell your house for a lot of money? Then it would behoove you to listen to this interview! Our guest today, Mindy Jensen, is a licensed real estate agent in Colorado and has been buying and selling homes for about 20 years. And not only does she buy and sell them for her clients, but she’s an investor herself and specializes in live-in flips. Mindy works for BiggerPockets.com where she helps investors learn the proper ways to invest in real estate and she also co-hosts the podcast BiggerPockets Money. In this episode we talk through how you can sell your home for the most money possible.We’re also going to give away 10 copies of Mindy’s book, “How to Sell Your Home: The Essential Guide to a Fast, Stress-Free, and Profitable Sale”. To be entered to win, just make sure you’ve left us a solid review over in Apple podcasts or Stitcher, and then shoot us an email at HowToMoneyPod@gmail.com with your screen name. That’s it!During this episode we enjoyed a Slammin at the Club by Casa Agria Specialty Ales- than

We live increasingly busy and complex lives and the same is true of our money. Repeatedly making smart money moves is hard. It’s easy for us to forget or just get plain lazy when it comes to doing the right thing with our funds. Between our different bank accounts, multiple credit cards, and debt obligations, it can be difficult for us to take action on a consistent basis that will have a long-lasting effect on our personal finances. That’s where automation comes in- it helps us to engineer money success ahead of time, instead of trusting ourselves in the moment to continually muster the willpower to make it happen. But like many of the financial tools at our disposal, it’s not all puppies and rainbows. So, in addition to the clear benefits, be sure to listen and learn why you should also be careful when it comes to employing automation in your personal finance life.During this episode we enjoyed a Dayglow IPA by Elysian Brewing Company - a big thanks to Joe in Minnesota for donating the beers to the show thi

This week on the podcast we’re answering your questions! Our family has outgrown our current car so our multiple road trips every year are getting cramped. Should we purchase a new (used) car, or rent a larger vehicle as needed? Does the 5 year holding period apply to my contributions of my Roth IRA? Should I purchase pet insurance? I’d like to save up a down payment for a home but I’m also currently paying down debts using the debt snowball method. What should I do? I have student loans and I also qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness- how can I reduce the minimum amount that I owe every month? And if you have a question for us, we’d love for you to submit your own via HowToMoney.com/ask/During this episode we enjoyed a King Sue by Toppling Goliath Brewing - a big thanks to Joe in Minnesota for donating this beer to the show! And if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to spread the word to get more people

Personal levels of indebtedness are at all time highs in our country. Consumer spending is growing, student loans are ever-present, and car loans are becoming even more of an issue as consumers take out 72 and 84 month loans. The reality and feeling of drowning in debt is compounded when folks don’t know how to get out from underneath this crushing weight. Where do you even begin?! What we need is a plan to help us get out of debt and get our feet set in the right direction this year. Now is the time to get your personal finances in order and creating a debt payoff plan is vital to achieving your financial goals.During this episode we enjoyed a Barrel Aged Yeti Imperial Stout- thanks to our friends there at the brewery for donating this one! And if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to spread the word to get more people doing smart things with their money!Best friends out! Learn more about your ad-choices at h

If you’re thinking about starting your own side hustle, then this episode is a #MustListen! Vincent Pugliese is a husband, dad, and a professional photographer who started out at making $15 an hour working for the local newspaper, to paying off $140,000 in debt in 4 years. Through his journey to become debt free, he discovered the power of being self-employed, and the impact it can have towards not only achieving financial freedom, but time freedom and life freedom as well. During this process, Vincent wrote the book Freelance to Freedom which has inspired many who want to quit their day jobs and start their own businesses in order to take control of their lives.During this episode we enjoyed a S’Mores Yeti by Great Divide- thanks to our friends there at the brewery for donating this one! And if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to spread the word to get more people doing smart things with their money!Best fri

We can only go so far with being frugal, before we venture into the realm of cheap. Now don’t get us wrong- frugality is a great tool in your personal finance swiss army knife. We’re frugal fellas ourselves, and we love seeing what money saving steps our friends and listeners are implementing into their lives, but frugality alone doesn’t cut it. There are times when you need to make larger cuts and prioritize the other tools in your personal finance swiss army knife to help you achieve your money goals. Today we’re going to discuss the role frugality should play in our financial lives and how to use the other tools at your disposal when adding more frugal hacks to your life just won’t do the trick.During this episode we enjoyed a Hibernation Ale by Great Divide- thanks to our friends there at the brewery for donating this one! And if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to spread the word to get more people doing

This week on the podcast we’re answering your questions! 1 - I was overpaid by my employer, what should I do now? 2 - Should I convert my 401k into an IRA? What considerations should I keep in mind? 3 - I have some IRS debt. Should I prioritize my debt snowball or get after that tax debt owed to the IRS? 4 - What’s the deal with my savings account interest rate dropping? 5 - I have an ESPP that is offered at work. Should I participate, and if so, how should I go about taking advantage of my employee stock purchase plan?And if you have a question for us, we’d love for you to submit your own via HowToMoney.com/ask/During this episode we enjoyed a Mexican Chocolate Yeti by Great Divide - a big thanks to our friends there at the brewery! And if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to spread the word to get more people doing smart things with their money!Best friends out! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://w

For most normal people, personal finance is boring! There are many reasons why Americans have a really difficult time getting their money act together, but today we’re addressing the fact that we’d rather spend our time doing almost anything else. This is a problem as it takes intentional action for the rubber to meet the road and for our hopes and dreams to be turned into a debt slaying, wealth building reality. Gamifying our personal finances can help us to actually achieve some of those goals when it would otherwise be something we wouldn’t do at all. When we can figure out what it is about a particular game that we love, then we can bridge that gap and take some of the elements from the games we love and apply them to our personal finances. We really believe that gamification will level up your money game.During this episode we enjoyed a Astral Prism by Modern Times Beer- another big thanks to our friend Craig there at the brewery for donating this one! And if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscrib

It’s probably going to be hard, but waking up earlier this year can help you to get your personal finances in order! We’re excited to talk with our friend 5am Joel about how he got started waking up early and how this has impacted him personally. We both met Joel at a personal finance conference and immediately bonded over a mutual love of craft beer as well as talking about nerdy money things like investing in real estate and financial independence. He’s been waking up early for years now and we’re curious to hear how he does it so that we can begin implementing some of his tips into our daily routine as well.During this episode we enjoyed a Black House by Modern Times Beer- another big thanks to our friend Craig there at the brewery for donating this one! And if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to spread the word to get more people doing smart things with their money!Best friends out! Learn more about your

When 80% of folks report that they’re living paycheck to paycheck, it’s clear that this lack of margin in our lives is a major contributing factor to why we have some much stress in our lives. It’s true of our money and it’s true of our time as well. And with it being the new year, it’s easier to believe that a new and better narrative is possible- and it is! We have the power to change our previous negative money associations and to start handling our personal finances better this year. In this episode we’ll cover why margin is so important, some of the different things that keep us from having more of it, as well as some practical steps that we can take in order to create more margin in our lives.During this episode we enjoyed a Visible World by Modern Times Beer - a big thanks to our friend Craig there at the brewery! And if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to spread the word to get more people doing smart

This week on the podcast we’re answering your questions! 1 - Should I consider renting out a furnished spare room, and do I go about to vet possible roommates? 2 - How diversified are index funds? 3 - Can I use funds from a car loan to pay off some high interest credit card debt? 4 - When should I transition my side hustle to a legit small business and how do I start deducting my expenses come tax season? 5 - Should I invest in my 403b with pre-tax or post-tax dollars?And if you have a question for us, we’d love for you to submit your own via HowToMoney.com/ask/During this episode we enjoyed a Farmhouse Pale Ale by Oxbow Brewing Co - a big thanks to our friends there at the brewery! And if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to spread the word to 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/listen

Merry Christmas and happy holidays! In the midst of all the festivities, now is a good time to ask ourselves: “Buying new stuff makes us happy, right?” Well if you have a need that is now being met, there is certainly some value that item is now providing. But value isn’t the same as happiness. Hedonic adaptation, or the hedonic treadmill, helps us understand the effect of consumption. Coming to grips with that can help us end unhealthy cycles of mindless consumerism and set us on a path to a healthier way of thinking about money, spending, and saving for the future. Listen to the full episode to learn how hedonic adaptation can be terrible, how it can actually be a good thing, and then finally to learn how to hack it and truly control how happy you really are.During this episode we enjoyed a Mangifera Flux by Marz Community Brewing- a huge thanks to our buddy Andrew for bringing this beer all the way back from Chicago. And if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and give us a quick review in Apple

Our guest today is Keith Schroeder who began working in the backwoods of Wisconsin on a family farm fixing silo unloaders- not the kind of job most of us had growing up! But his passionate distaste for that work led him to file tax returns on the side and that hustle led to Keith being able to retire at age 22 however he didn’t stay retired for long. His tax preparation business exploded into a full on accounting firm where at his busiest, he was serving over 2,000 clients. He started his own blog in 2016 called The Wealthy Accountant to inspire people to “live life well” and also help them not screw up their taxes. In this episode we’ll cover Keith’s thoughts on the best tax advantaged retirement accounts, whether your side business should really be a hobby, and some important considerations as you begin to get your 2019 tax forms together!During this episode we enjoyed an Alpha Abstraction Vol. 9 by Wild Leap which you can learn all about on Untappd! And if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and

How we pay for things has a LOT of implications. Chances are whether you use “cash, debit, or credit” is more a result of habit than a thoughtful approach to your spending. “I use my check card because that’s just what I do- and it’s easy!”. But it’s important to note that some payment methods are more secure than others, while others provide better rewards, peace of mind, or might even cause you to spend less of your money. So how do you know whether you should be pulling out your debit or credit card? Or should you stick to using cash? We’ll discuss the pros and cons and why how you pay is so important.During this episode we enjoyed an Oro Negro by Jackie O's Brewery- a big thanks to Art, Mackenzie, and all of our friends there at the brewery! And if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to spread the word to get more people doing smart things with their money!Best friends out! Learn more about your ad-choices

This week on the podcast we’re answering your questions! 1 - Should we go with a cash out mortgage refinance in order to pay off student loans? 2 - Can I contribute to a self employed retirement account while also contributing to my employer sponsored plan? 3 - What does it take to be a HUD landlord and how do I balance community renovation with gentrification? 4 - We have a lot of available credit through our credit cards, but we never use it. Should we keep those cards open or close those accounts? 5 - Considering the stock market is hot and a correction is imminent, is dollar cost averaging or lump sum investing a better approach for me?And if you have a question for us, we’d love for you to submit your own via HowToMoney.com/ask/During this episode we enjoyed an Ogee by Jackie O's Brewery - a big thanks to Art, Mackenzie, and all of our friends there at the brewery! And if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us

Fees are a major pain and they’ve worked their way into so many different industries! We recently talked about travel lodging and discussed the annoyance of the countless fees that might get tacked on: resort fees are some of the most confusing, but parking and WiFi fees abound too! With fees becoming so prevalent across our financial lives, we need to be aware of how and when we encounter them so we can be vigilant and intentional to avoid them whenever possible. While we understand and will readily admit that certain services and products have a cost, we really don’t like it when those fees are hidden until the last minute or when companies go about adding them in an underhanded way.During this episode we enjoyed a Bourbon Barrel Dark Apparition by Jackie O's Brewery- a big thanks to Art, Mackenzie, and all of our friends there at the brewery! And if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to spread the word to ge

On average, we lose 3 hours of productivity every single day due to distractions! There are countless ways that we’re distracted in our lives today, and these distractions are keeping us from doing the things we truly need to do. MAYBE YOU’RE CURRENTLY DISTRACTED RIGHT NOW. It is very easy to allow ourselves to be constantly barraged by notifications, social media, or by email and these distractions are keeping us from being good friends and family members at home, and they’re keeping us from being productive and engaged at work. This is why we’re stoked to be talking with distraction expert Curt Steinhorst today. Curt wrote the book Can I Have Your Attention? Inspiring Better Work Habits, Focusing Your Team, and Getting Stuff Done in the Constantly Connected Workplace. We often talk about ways to save money but today’s conversation will focus on how we can do a better job earning money by focusing our attention on what matters most.During this episode we enjoyed a Quatrefoil by Jackie O's Brewery- a big than

When 99% of American companies are small businesses, it’s no exaggeration to say that these businesses are the backbone of our country. These startups have been responsible for almost all new job creation over the past 3 decades! And not only are small businesses important to our economy but they’re important to us on a personal level as well. These are the storefronts and people who make up our communities and neighborhoods- they’re a part of our identity! However as technology marches on, small businesses also need to adapt and utilize this innovation to continue to reach their customers where and how they want to be reached. We’re going to cover some of our favorite ways that small businesses are able to use technology to stand out in really cool ways and contribute to their local community.During this episode we enjoyed a Double Purple Chroma by Other Half Brewing. Since we recorded this episode live in NYC, we were excited to enjoy a local craft beer from the borough of Brooklyn. And if you enjoyed this