Radical Personal Finance

As I release today's show, Hurricane Matthew is threatening the east coast of Florida and the Carolinas. (Today's show is not specific to Hurricane Matthew. The content is useful in any natural disaster or hurricane. But I wanted to get this information to you in a timely manner so that those of you in the warning cone have an opportunity to prepare.) Today's show is very practical. I cover: The most important need to address in advance of the storm: the ability to keep your phone and communications working without electricity. How to think about and plan for an evacuation plan. Simple and cheap ways to handle water and food when you have no power. How to use your car as a generator. And more! Enjoy the show! Joshua RESOURCES: You need to keep your phone functional and charged at all times. The easiest, simplest way to do this is by using an external backup battery. There are varying sizes available: I own the Kmashi 15000mAH External Battery Power Bank. It's the cheapest I've found ($14 on Amazon for the black version) and should give you 5+ charges for your phone. It has a 4-star rating on Amazon with about 7,700 reviews. I've had no problem with it. http://rpf.link/2dO4v0Y I also own the RAVPower 13000 mAH External Battery Power Pack. It works perfectly fine and is smaller and lighter than the Kmashi above. (This is the one that I prefer to carry in my pocket while traveling. The Kmashi above is too big to be comfortable in my pocket.) It should get you about 4 charges. But, at $27 on Amazon, it doesn't give you as much bang for the buck. http://rpf.link/2dP9SJF Steven Harris has more information on keeping your cell phone charged at his excellent site: www.cellphone1234.com I chose to buy different batteries than he recommended because they were cheaper (but still highly rated) when I was shopping. The Berkey water filter system that we own and use is this one: http://www.directive21.com/products/royal-berkey-system/ (This is where we bought it from--Directive 21 did a fine job with service.) There are other sizes available. For information on how to power your house from your car, listen to Steven Harris's free class here at http://www.solar1234.com/ The Eneloop rechargeable batteries that I use in all of my flashlights, kids toys, etc. are these on Amazon: http://rpf.link/2dbuiLA I use this 8-cell Powerex charger to keep them all topped up. http://rpf.link/2dXXdHc The car battery charger that I recommended is from CTEK. http://www.ctek.com/ For more great, simple, practical emergency preparedness tips, check out all of Steven Harris's websites here: http://www.steven1234.com/

Are you an employee? Want to make more money? Want to have a tremendous career? Listen to this show. Joshua Patronize me: www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/patron Talk to me: www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/phonecall

On today's show I cover four of the major perils of success. Both failure and success have danger points. You might think a lot about the dangers of failure. But are you aware of the perils of success? Have you thought about what might happen to you as you continue to achieve success? In today's show, I share with you four dangers of success...and I've fallen prey to all four of them. Then, after that discussion, I share with you how--and why--I'm removing some of the filters that I've kept on the content of RPF. Not a lot is changing with regard to what I actually produce on RPF. But my own mental decisions are changing and I am intentionally giving myself more freedom to tackle difficult subjects. Details in the show! Joshua As mentioned in the show. Please: Write me an email with "product question" in the subject line and ask me any question that you have. Or, just tell me the subject/topic/question you'd like me to do more content on. Will you please review the show on whatever podcasting platform you use? iTunes, Stitcher, App Store--all are fine. One or two sentences is perfect and you can do it right on your phone. Please support the show on Patreon. This is the best way to maintain a free and independent voice. www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/patron Do you have a specific question you'd like my advice on? Book a consulting call here: www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/phonecall

My guest today is Jason Vitug. Jason has a very interesting story of beginning at the bottom of the work-world, advancing quickly to company leadership, and then walking away to pursue travel and personal business projects that seem to integrate more with his life vision. Oh, and he wrote a book and just finished a 54-city speaking tour. Enjoy the interview! Joshua Jason's book: "You Only Live Once: the Roadmap to Financial Wellness and a Purposeful Life" http://rpf.link/2d7tsSN Jason's websites: www.JasonVitug.com and www.Phroogal.com and www.RoadToFinancialWellness.com Support RPF on Patreon: www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/patron Book a consulting call with me: www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/phonecall

I recently appeared on Paula Pant's Afford Anything podcast for an in-depth discussion of the stages of financial independence. The interview was one of the favorite interviews I've done in a while and I think you'll really enjoy it. Enjoy! Joshua The original post: http://podcast.affordanything.com/stages-financial-independence-joshua-sheats/

Hey Radicals! I'm heading to California today for #FinCon16. I'd love to connect with as many of you as possible while I'm there! I'll be available on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (9/22 to 9/24). Reach out to me on Twitter and let's schedule a time to connect! https://twitter.com/JoshuaSheats Joshua

We know that it's worthwhile to increase income in order to reach our financial goals more quickly. But how can we do that? One proven way is to get advanced education by attending graduate school. My guest today is Matt Miner. He followed the time-worn path of attending graduate business school as a way of significantly increasing his earnings and he's learned from that experience. He's also studied the issue extensively, so he brings both personal experience and study to this question. In this show we discuss: Matt's personal path to improved finances His advice on how to answer the question of, "Should I go to graduate school?" Various options and ways to get the thing done! Enjoy the show! Joshua Matt's website: http://www.designindependence.com/ Support RPF on Patreon: www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/patron Sign up for a consulting call with me: www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/phonecall

I received the note below from a listener of my show and today I answer it! Enjoy, Joshua ----- Hi Mr. Sheats! I'm a home educated 13-year-old fan of your podcast. I love how in-depth, interesting, and out-of-the-box it is. I used to listen to the Dave Ramsey Show a lot, but that got really bland, so my dad suggested your show. I love it! I've been listening pretty much daily since January of this year, and you've inspired me to become financially independent before age 30. Right now, I'm saving 70% of my income from working at my parents' dental office and trying to develop skills that will get me closer to that goal (such as math, coding, and finance, all things I love learning about and think have the best potential to help me become financially independent). Do you have any advice for a thirteen-year-old listener like me? As for a specific question, I was wondering whether you would recommend I continue doing high school at home or attending our local public school. I'm really interested in taking CLEP classes since those could help me finish college faster. As far as I can tell, the pros of public school are: I'm pretty extroverted, so being able to hang out with friends every day sounds fun (although I'm sure high school isn't just hanging out!). The high school in our district is ranked 10/10, so it's supposed to be a good school academically. It might be a good way to get a feel for going to a "normal" school and make getting used to staying at the teacher's pace, and other skills I might need for college easier. The transcript is automatic, but in home education, you have to detail everything yourself and make sure it fits with requirements. Cons: I love being home educated! I'm an independent learner, and I can learn faster just reading something and taking a test than sitting in class for an hour. I'd probably have less time in a public school as opposed to home education. Other than hanging out with friends, writing my fantasy novel, and playing music, I want to spend my free time as a homeschooler learning skills, experimenting with starting a business, and studying CLEP. I'd have to stick with the class, but with home education, everything's based on your pace, so you can go faster. I love how we can take vacations or days off sporadically, but in public school, with such long summer breaks, etc, you can't miss a day comfortably. I'd have to wake up early (; Thanks for all your time! Support RPF on Patreon: www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/patron Book a consulting phone call with me: www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/phonecall

My guest today is Lauren Greutman. Lauren has been on RPF before (with her husband Mark) way back at Episode 108. But today she's back today as part of the book launch tour for her brand-new book: The Recovering Spender: How to Live a Happy, Fulfilled, Debt-Free Life. In today's episode, we cover: Lauren's personal story and her highs and lows Lauren's systematic, step-by-step advice for how to overcome a spending addiction And more! Enjoy the interview! Joshua Lauren's book on Amazon: The Recovering Spender: How to Live a Happy, Fulfilled, Debt-Free Life http://rpf.link/2cqaNj8 Lauren's website: www.IAmThatLady.com Support RPF on Patreon: www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/patron Want to schedule a consulting call with me? Book here: www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/phonecall

On Fridays, we do Q&A. Today we cover: How Should I Structure My Purchase of an iPhone? What Should I Think About When Buying a House? How Many Credit Cards Should I Have For Optimal Living? How Should I Value My Defined-Benefit Pension Plan If you'd like to join for a future Q&A call, join here: www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/patron Joshua Support RPF on Patreon: www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/patron Get a personal consulting call with me: www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/phonecall