Listen Money Matters - Free your inner financial badass. All the stuff you should know about personal finance.

If you want to start a business what kind do you want it to be? There are two competing business philosophies: lifestyle business vs. growth-minded business.A lifestyle business isn’t intended to make the owner tons of money. The goal of a lifestyle business is to make enough money to be comfortable while having freedom and a good work-life balance while doing work that you enjoy. Many lifestyle businesses were started based on the owner’s particular hobby or passion and represent their personal values. When you think of the startup world, you typically think of founders who are working like mad to grow their companies as fast as possible. Often, the founder or founders will get their company to the point where there’s enough promise to attract funding.And at that point, you’ve got investors who now want to see an ROI – and in the startup game, they’re not looking for a modest ROI, they’re looking for “to-the-moon” businesses. This is the growth-minded business model.Whichever type of business appeals to you, starting and building one puts you on a different plane than the great majority of people. Most people spend their entire lives working for someone else, making someone else money. Starting your own business can give you more choice, freedom, and independence than your average 9-5'er can ever dream of. And we think that makes it all worth the effort.Full Article HereShow NotesApex Predator: A farmhouse ale from Off Color Brewing.LMM Financial Toolbox: The tools we use to manage our money.LMM Pro: Research, evaluate, and track rental properties. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re continuing online business month with an interview  with Corbett Barr  from Fizzle on how to build a business.  Fizzle encourages you to create something you’re proud of through hard work and persistence. The site isn’t full of “20 Amazing hacks to start a business overnight and become a billionaire” content. It offers long-term advice that will help people grow a business. Full Article HereShow NotesFizzle.co: Use this link to get a free five-week trial period.Crabbie's Ginger Beer:A slightly sweet, alcoholic ginger beer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Okay, so we want you to start your own business. But why are we advocating for online businesses? Because a brick and mortar business only goes so far. You have to physically be present, and there is a logical maximum you can earn based simply on space restrictions. Restaurants can only turnover so quickly; clothing stores can only fit so many people inside at a time. The internet is infinitely scalable. It has almost limitless reach. There are people from every corner of the world who hear what Listen Money Matters has to say. An online business also gives you the freedom we all want. You aren’t tied to a location.We want to motivate all of you to get started creating online businesses. The idea is that with part-time, but a focused effort, in one year you can build an online business that earns $1,000 or more per month.Full Article HereShow NotesKentucky Ryed Chiquen: An amber ale brewed with rye malt and aged in rye whiskey barrels. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many people are afraid to negotiate be it for a raise or a salary offer for a new job. Josh’s approach is to follow a process that will allow him to accomplish the thing he is afraid of. If you can break something down into steps and just follow the steps, suddenly you’ve done it. When it comes to getting a raise, most of us could do better. Today we talk fearless salary negotiation tips with Josh Doody.Full Article HereShow NotesImperial Donut Break: An Imperial Porter from Evil Twin Brewing.Salary Negotiation Sample Email: To counter offer once you have a job offer.Salary Increase Letter Sample: Asking for a raise.Josh's Twitter: You can reach him here.Fearless Salary Negotiation: Josh's site. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How resourceful are you? When we harness the science of resourcefulness, we can achieve great things in our personal, professional, and financial lives.  How do we define success? For many people success means more; more money, more stuff, more employees. But that definition is wrong. There are two approaches to resources; chasing and stretching. When we chase, we tire ourselves out going after more, more, more. If we stretch, we use the resources we already have available. Once we stop chasing and start stretching, we are better able to solve problems and innovate which means we are more fully engaged in our endeavors.Author Scott Sonenshein joins us to discuss his new book on resourcefulness.Scott Sonenshein is the Henry Gardiner Symonds Professor of Management at Rice University. His new book Strech: Unlock the Power of Less-and Achieve More Than You Ever Imagined gives us a new way to succeed in business and our lives by using the science of resourcefulness. Full Article HereShow Notesscottsonenshein.com/book: Where you can find Scott's book.Mint: Start budgeting today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On This Financial Life episode, the guys chat with Brian, a long time fan of the show. They talk about his finances, mortgage, and debt over a cold one. Here’s the scoop. He and his wife are new first-time home buyers and live in the Philly area. They didn’t have the best living situation, so it pushed them to aggressively to save for a home and drastically cut spending. They didn’t have the easiest time of finding a home. The first house they put a bid on majorly failed the inspection and they were looking at 10-20k worth of repairs. No bueno. They finally ended up finding a place they loved, but the price was a lot higher. After doing the math, they decided they could afford the house and used an FHA loan to pay for it.Full Article HereShow Notes: Andrews Beer: Mac Fanny Baw Bourbon Barrel Aged Smoked Ale from Against the Grain Brewery.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Finding the perfect job is a daunting task. You send out tons of resumes, create custom cover letters, go on interviews, anxiously wait for a call and then end up not getting an offer. Rinse and repeat.It can be incredibly frustrating when you send out application after application and don’t hear back anyone. If you have been searching for a new job for some time, it might be time to step up your game.Today the guys talk to Mark Fiebert (Andrews dad) and pick his brain on how to land a job. After years of experience being on both ends of the hiring process, Mark has some great incites on how to get your foot in the door, nailing your interview and making connections. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Holiday spending hangovers make January a debt month for some of us so we are bringing you five questions on how to deal with debt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you currently have debt there are ways to make it less expensive. Today we will discuss why you should refinance your debt.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are a lot of things that deserve your energy but paying off debt isn’t one of them. If you have debt, it can feel hopeless. But you can get out of debt, and it’s easier than you think. We can show you how to be lazy and pay off your debt. An All-Time Record If you have debt, you’re not alone. Total household debt—a category that includes mortgages, student loans, and car loans along with credit card and other debt—dipped in the wake of the Great Recession, but it has since steadily rebounded in the years since. Overall, Americans’ debt hit a new high of $13 trillion last year, surpassing the previous record set in 2008 by $280 billion, according to the New York Fed.” Not all debt is the same. Mortgage debt, for instance, is typically low-interest debt and a home can be an investment. It’s the other kinds of debt, credit cards, student loans, that can hinder all of your long-term financial goals. So let’s tackle that kind of debt once and for all, and be lazy while we do it. Paying off debt is a process Paying off debt is a process, and there are several steps. These steps can take a while to accomplish. You didn’t accumulate this debt overnight, and you’re not going to pay it overnight. Face the Music It’s terrifying to sit down and total up just how much debt you’re in, but that is the first step if you want to pay off your debt. Make a list of all of your outstanding debts and the interest rate on each. The best way to see all of your debt is in your Credit Karma account. Not only will you see all of the debts but you’ll be able to see your credit report and credit score too. It’s free to make an account so do that now if you don’t already have one. Go through your credit report and make sure all of the listed debts are legitimate. There are a variety of reasons debts that aren’t your’s can end up on a report. If you find debts that are not your’s, you can dispute them. Consult Your Budget What’s that? Don’t you have a budget? Well, go to Personal Captial and get a good overall picture of your finances and your spending. How much money do you have coming in compared to how much is going out? Do you have any money that isn’t going out? Your budget is going to identify the cash you can use to pay off your debt. You should be dedicating at least 20% of your income to paying off your debt. Once you have a month’s worth of budget data, go through it with a fine-toothed comb. Where are your spending leaks? Saving money is easier than making more money, so if you want to be lazy and pay off your debt, this is the best place to do it, by cutting your budget. Let Trim find and cancel expenses like gym memberships you don’t use and subscription services you can’t afford when you have debt to pay off. Let Billshark negotiate better rates for things like your cable and internet service. Every dollar you save is an extra dollar you have to pay off your debt more quickly. Triage the Damage Are you behind on any payments but not so far behind that... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices