The Stacking Benjamins Show

Welcome to our Stacking Benjamins rewind week! Normally doing this week we would play you some of our favorite episodes from the past that you may have missed... but this week we're mixing things up. Monday and Friday will go as planned, but stay tuned on Wednesday for a special surprise.The Fintern is kicking off the week by queuing up our time with Shannyn Allen, who lost over $50,000 to a hacker. We won't spoil the interview in case you missed it the first time around, but this is one emotional, honest story that you definitely want to hear.You can read the original show notes below: What would happen if you lost more than $50,000 that was meant for your first home? Shannyn Allen lived that harrowing nightmare and she's going to share the story today. She unknowingly handed a hacker $50,000 , and will share the mistakes that were made around her situation, and will also let you know the steps YOU should take if you're even in a similar situation. It's a raw, horrifying story, and also one of the longest interviews we've done on Stacking Benjamins in a long, long time.In our headline segment we talk about Beyonce and Jay-Z. It appears they're spending money like they're....Beyonce and Jay-Z. What does that have to do with you? We'll share that on today's show. Also, Jamie Wise from the Buzz Indexesshares with us some welcome news about oil prices. Are we seeing the lows in oil? He'll share the wisdom of social media chatter on today's podcast.Of course, that's not all. Doug has yet another hare-brained scheme to become wealthy....but still has time to share some trivia. We'll also throw out the Haven Life Line to Nikki, who asks an existential question about money and goals, plus answer a letter from Jason about the Roth IRA. Special thanks to M1Finance for sponsoring our show! We couldn't do any of this without the support of these awesome companies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What do YOU worry about when it comes to money? Is it the same thing others worry about? Today we head to sunny Orlando, the home of Podcast Movement (the nation's biggest podcasting conference), and catch up with some top financial podcasters at the FinCon booth in the expo hall (they were nice enough to set up a podcasting booth for shows to use!). Today we talk to Mindy Jensen from Bigger Pockets Money, Lacey Langford from the Military Money show, and all the way from Australia, the host of one of the biggest money shows in the land down under called My Millennial Money, Glen James. We'll take a break at the halfway point to finish off our Labor Day prep week. OG and Joe will share a cautionary tale about inviting your FIRE (financial independence/retire early) friends over for your Labor Day cookout. His event last year went really, really poorly. He'll explain.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ever walk into a wine store and wonder what all the labels mean? Looking for a way to upgrade your Labor Day celebration without spending a ton of money? Today, wine expert Dave Falchek from the American Wine Society joins us to talk all things vino. How do you pick a wine? What are some clues that a wine is good for your party? What do those ratings mean in a wine shop? What wines go best with burgers and dogs? We'll answer all of those questions and more on today's show!In our headlines segment, we'll find out why a half a ton of weed was returned to the seller as it was going public. One new billion-dollar pot company is to blame, and the stock price isn't looking great. What does this mean for cannibis stocks in general? Of course, Joe and OG both have opinions. Also, a recent New York Times piece shares how the next recession might start. We'll walk through the possibilities and also maybe look into the crystal ball ourselves.After a little dose of Doug's trivia, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Peter, who wants to know if he made a mistake by taking his Roth IRA fund out to help pay for real estate.Thanks to Clearbanc for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Are you doing over $10,000 a month in revenue? Find out how you can receive Clearbanc capital by getting your 20 minute term sheet at clearbanc.com/SB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're celebrating Labor Day in style (and a week early) with Frankie Celenza, the chef at Struggle Meals on the Tastemade network. We'll talk not only how to make your holiday weekend grilling perfect, but also how to make smart and frugal food choices in the kitchen. Not only will he share tips on how to make your perfect burger, but also grocery ideas in general, how to make sauces, and the key to that recipe in front of you.Before our fantastic chat with Frankie, we'll discuss the retirement danger zone. Could the early years of retirement make or break your golden years? We'll cover what you SHOULD be worried about when it comes to retirement, plus we'll also give our two cents on one piece from InvestmentNews that shares five reasons why even the staunchest of Roth IRA lovers might want to think about leaving some of their portfolios in traditional IRAs.After we take a break for some Labor Day trivia from Doug, we'll round out the show by throwing out the Haven Life Line to Susan, who's mother needs $1800 a month for her assisted living facility. Her mother has a sizable nest egg split with some of the allocation going into a total stock index, and some going into a total bond index. Which of the funds should be in a Roth account. Does it really matter?Thanks to Clearbanc for supporting our show. If you’re doing over $10,000 a month in revenue, find out how you can receive Clearbanc capital by getting your 20-minute term sheet at clearbanc.com/SB.Thanks to AcreTrader for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Learn more at AcreTrader.com/sb. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We see people without children retiring early all the time. Is that because children are the speed bumps on the road to the financial heaven? We'll ask our panel for their thoughts, including a woman who has six kids and is chasing financial freedom, Wendy Mayes from the House of FI podcast. We'll discuss meal planning, where you live, your transportation costs, child expenses and more, on today's show.Halfway through the show, our roundtable discussion will take a break for our Fintech segment. School is back in session, which means it's time to buy school supplies. Brad Williams from Mercari joins Joe in the basement to introduce their app which helps users buy or sell gently used school supplies. Find out what Mercari is all about and what their company can do for you and your wallet.Plus, we'll answer a voicemail from J during our Magnify Money segment. J is getting married in a few months and wants to know how to effectively introduce money management to his future-spouse. J also wants to know the middle ground in putting a budget in place that the family agrees to. Thoughts?Thanks to Grammarly for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Get 20% off a Grammarly premium account, go to Grammarly.com/sb Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Len Penzo is the king of the sandwich study...and of independent thinking ABOUT sandwiches (and many, many other topics). On today's show we dive into the latest iteration of our favorite way of talking about inflation: comparing the rise and fall of prices among popular school lunch/work brown bag sandwiches. How much do different sandwiches cost? How much more do they cost than last year? What are the most inexpensive sandwiches? Which have changed in price the most? If you're looking for a deep dive into the world of sandwiches, today is the show for you.In our headlines segment, we will learn what the ten stocks millennials just cannot live without. What are they? How do they compare with the stocks you SHOULD own? We'll tackle both the top 10 list and attempt to answer that question. Plus, what is a small cap REIT and should you think about one in your portfolio? We'll talk about diversification during our second headline.After a little dose of Doug's sandwich-themed trivia, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to a lucky caller. It's another fun show with lots of twists and turns...just another day in the basement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today we sit down with Rob Berger, host of the Dough Roller podcast and author of Retire Before Mom & Dad about the five lies we all are told about money. Because we fall into these traps, we're duped to live a life on the hamster wheel, working harder and harder, but getting nowhere. Today we'll talk about debt, investing, insurances, advisors and more, so that you can take charge of your finances.Plus, during our headlines segment, we'll cover one piece from Financial Planning about an ex-advisor who is off to prison for duping his clients with a Ponzi scheme. What did he do wrong? We'll share. We'll also jump into some big news from the IRS. One product's tax treatment with regard to advisor's fees is changing. That may change the way advisors...and YOU view that particular tool.And after we take some time for some of Doug's french fry themed trivia we'll take a voicemail from Jason during our Haven LifeLine. Jason wants to know our thoughts about funds and strategies that will deliver the highest risk-adjusted return. Should he be 100% equities with his money or something safer?Thanks to Grammarly for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Get 20% off a Grammarly premium account, go to Grammarly.com/sb. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today our roundtable discussion focuses on one set of homeowners who successfully sold their house, but realized that they could've saved $60,000 if they had instead rented and never purchased the home in the first place. Is buying a home a waste of money? Did the couple make some big mistakes that we can all avoid? Did they use professionals wisely or make some bad decisions? Discussing this headline with us are three veterans of the financial blogging and podcasting community: Tom Drake from MapleMoney.com, Paula Pant from Afford Anything, and Len Penzo from LenPenzo.comHalfway through the show, we'll take a break from our rent vs. homeownership discussion while Joe sits down with Jean Statler from the Alliance for Lifetime Income. The organization is working with MIT's AgeLab on an important issue: the risk that we might outlive our savings. Jean reviews the problems the public has had with annuities and dives into the discussion of what the industry is doing to clean up perceptions and simplify products. It's a very frank and enlightening conversation about an often maligned financial tool AND the issues surrounding living longer.During our Magnify Money segment, we'll take a call from Kurt, who has a question about his workplace tuition reimbursement. If Kurt doesn't stay with his employer for three years he owes back all of the cash his company gave him for school expenses. Right now he has the amount sitting in a savings account, what should he do with it? Should he invest it? Pay down debt? Leave it in savings? Our team bounces around several possibilities.Thanks to Grammarly for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Get 20% off a Grammarly premium account, go to Grammarly.com/sb. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who wouldn't want to be one of the Grateful Dead (love the play on the rock band name, don't you?)? Today we'll ask the question, "When's the last time you've thought about your estate plan... (if you've made one)?" Making a will or even a full trust may seem like a daunting task that's best done tomorrow, or the day after that, but we all know that it's an important piece of your financial life that shouldn't be overlooked. To help us understand the ins-and-outs of estate planning in the most fun way possible (and MAN is it fun...), we've invited down the woman who literally wrote the book on it: Carol Weisman, author of Becoming One of the Grateful Dead.In our headlines segment, we're getting a little political today with our first piece. With the election cycle revving up, some politicians have been talking about paying for different campaign promises by enacting a tax on some financial transactions. Is there cause to be worried about the bigger retirement picture if more taxes are thrown in the mix? After we've had our fill of politics, we'll stick around the stock market as we discuss our second piece: a robo-run ETF has been making a splash by beating the overall stock market.Later, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Ian, who has now realized the mutual fund he picked has higher fees than he would like. He's down 11% right now, but should he hold onto his fund knowing about the high fees?A big thanks to Student Loan Hero for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Find out how you can pay for college AND compare different interest rates before locking into a loan at StudentLoanHero.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

While we all love talking financial independence, side hustles, and paying off huge amounts of debt, another topic doesn't get enough attention, mostly because it's difficult. We don't pay nearly enough attention to the biggest threat facing any retirement: long-term care. What happens if you have a catastrophic illness and can't take care of yourself? Nursing homes are expensive, home care is expensive, and asking loved ones to take care of you can be horrible for their health and wellbeing also. Today we'll talk to Shawn Britt from Nationwide Insurance, who as a long time professional in this field, knows the statistics and the horror stories, but also the common sense approaches to many illness-related problems. We'll talk planning, the good/bad/and ugly of long term care policies, but mostly about maintaining flexibility and options as a result of making informed decisions before life makes those decisions for you.In our headlines segment, the Fed is unrolling a plan to create a faster money transfer system. We'll discuss what could be the end of the three day wait for money transfers between many institutions, and, of course, what that means to you. Plus, in our second piece, a Swedish online payments company has been valued at $5.5 billion - making it Europe's biggest FinTech start-up ever. Also? It's backed by Snoop Dogg! The firm, Klarna, purchases products from companies on behalf of the consumer and bills customers over time. Is this a dream come true or a recipe for disaster? We'll cover the implications, good and bad, during our headlines segment.We'll finish out the show by throwing out the Haven Life Line to Jason, who has a totally serious question about investing everything he has into a glide path. Currently Jason is 100% investing into the Vanguard total bond fund. Here's the issue: the expense ratio is 0.15%, while the Schwab total bond fund is .014%. It makes sense to move his money over, but that could cause him to incur a $32 tax hit. What's Jason to do in a dilemma like this? Don't worry, we'll give him some advice straight from the heart.Thanks to Grammarly for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Get 20% off a Grammarly premium account, go to Grammarly.com/sb.Thanks to AcreTrader for supporting Stacking Benjamins. Learn more at AcreTrader.com/sb. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices