What’s the best way to save for a house without wrecking your retirement plan? That’s just one of the big questions Joe Saul-Sehy, OG, and Mom’s neighbor Doug tackle in this packed episode (number 1700!) of Stacking Benjamins. Whether you're trying to figure out where to park your emergency fund, how to handle inherited IRAs, or how to financially plan as a single adult with big responsibilities (hello, aging parents!), this episode is full of relatable scenarios and actionable strategies.

Stackers Torin, VJ, Lori, and Michelle ask everything from:

How much is too much in your emergency fund?
What happens to inherited IRAs when you're already juggling financial priorities?
What should single people be doing right now to prepare for the future?
How do you juggle helping aging parents while keeping your own goals on track?

Plus, we mix in commentary from Kevin at Edward Jones and longtime listener Ron—offering insights from inside the financial services world and the Stacker community. The guys debate personal finance media narratives, give practical advice for budgeting large windfalls, and reflect on why saving feels easier in theory than in practice.

Also covered in this episode:

Why financial advice often skips over single individuals—and what to do about it
Emergency fund strategies: where to park the money, how much to keep, and how to make peace with the fact it isn’t earning sky-high returns
How to prioritize debt, student loans, savings, and investing without setting off a financial anxiety spiral
The value of short-term tradeoffs when you’ve got long-term goals

All delivered with the basement’s signature charm—where the coffee is lukewarm, the guidance is practical, and the jokes… well, let’s just say they’re dividend-eligible.

This episode is a perfect listen for:

New Stackers building their financial foundation
DIYers trying to juggle competing money goals
Anyone who’s inherited assets and doesn’t want to mess it up
People who’ve realized adulting is basically managing 14 financial priorities at once and still remembering to bring snacks.

FULL SHOW NOTES: https://stackingbenjamins.com/answering-your-questions-mailbag-1700

Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are in our newsletter, The 201, available at https://www.stackingbenjamins.com/201

Enjoy!

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