How to Money

Have you ever renovated a home? If so, then you remember all of the decisions that you had to make that initially were a lot of fun. Paint colors, light fixtures, tile, even the kind of toilet you wanted… but eventually it gets old and you just want it done. If you can’t relate, even picking up a loaf of bread at the grocery store can be overwhelming- “Should I get honey wheat, 100% whole wheat, 13 grain, the stuff with flax?!” While it can be nice to have options, complicating things doesn’t always make them better. And when it comes to investing, the opposite is actually true. Decision fatigue is what we’re talking about and there can be so many distractions that keep us from reaching our financial goals. Lump sum vs dollar cost averaging, international stocks, ESG investing, real estate, hiring a financial advisor- these are just a few of the potential distractions that we discuss in today’s episode.   Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here.  Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile.   During this episode we enjoyed a Symptom of Progeny by Burial! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money!   Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re kicking off the week by answering listener questions! And if you have a question that you’d like for us to answer on the show, we’d love for you to submit your own via HowToMoney.com/ask , send us your voice memo. Regardless of how random or bizarre you might think it is, we want to hear it!   1 - With the payment pause ending, how do I approach paying off my student loans while maintaining my credit score? 2 - Why do I need to save medical receipts for my HSA? And another: Should I tap my brokerage account for a home down payment? 3 - My car insurance rates have skyrocketed! What can I do to keep those premiums in check? 4 - We’re expecting… some big medical bills- how can we be financially prepared for having a baby? 5 - Can I DIY tax loss harvesting or is that something worth paying a financial advisor for?   Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here.  Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile.   During this episode we enjoyed a A Generous Characterization of Those You Remember Otherwise by Burial! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money!   Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marshall Allen is a journalist who investigates why we pay so much for healthcare here in America, while simultaneously we receive so little in return. He is the author of “Never Pay the First Bill: And Other Ways to Fight the Health Care System and Win” and he is also the founder of Allen Health Academy, which produces a curriculum of short on-demand videos to equip and empower employees to navigate the healthcare system. Marshall has been investigating the healthcare industry for 15 years, including over a decade at ProPublica. He also teaches investigative reporting at the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York. We highly recommend that you listen to this episode if you’re looking for practical ways to reduce how much you’re spending on medical costs!   Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here.  Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile.   During this episode we enjoyed a Fade Away by Cruz Blanca Brewery - thanks to Dennis and our friends at the brewery for donating this one to the podcast! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money!   Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The last thing you want to do when hydroplaning on a flooded road is to overcorrect, potentially sending your car veering into the opposite direction, leading to a crash. Going from one extreme to another can often lead to more harm, or at the very least it can be frustrating and that’s where the ‘laptop class’ has found itself over the past 3 years since the pandemic. We went from typical pre-pan office life when we were all none the wiser, to ‘the death of the office’ where many were working from home, and now there’s a widespread movement to finally get employees back into the office. We’re calling it workplace whiplash because we think both extremes leave something to be desired- there are certainly benefits to be had from going into the office like increased productivity and even higher levels of social health. But there are also major drawbacks to office life in the form of losses in time, health, and money. So, what should you do if your boss says it’s time to come back to the office? We discuss all that and more in today's episode!   Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here.  Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile.   During this episode we enjoyed A Quite Ostentatious Testimony of Nonsequiteur by Burial. And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money!   Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re joined today by Yanely Espinal, who is also known as MissBeHelpful in the online world of personal finance. Yanely was born in Brooklyn, she is a first generation daughter of immigrants, and even though she went to Brown University it didn’t take long for her to rack up over $20,000 in credit card debt. Academic performance doesn’t automatically mean that you know how to handle your money, and Yanely knew that she needed to make some changes! Before long she was sharing her experience online in order to help others and she parlayed her teaching career into serving as the Director of Educational Outreach at Next Gen Personal Finance. And now she’s recently published her first book: Mind Your Money. She is also currently on a political roller coaster ride across the country in order to convince lawmakers to make personal finance a high school graduation requirement. Listen as we talk about all of this and more today!   Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here.  Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile.   During this episode we enjoyed a Codebreaker West Coast IPA by Trademark Brewing. And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money!   Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time for a Friday Flight- our sampling of the week’s financial news and what it means for your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we boil them down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to get ahead with your money. In this episode we explain some relevant and helpful stories like: how the CFPB is following our lead, teens making bank, electricians making a SHOCKING amount (yep), Uber Carsharing paying out, car insurance continues to climb, crypto policing, the bull is back, rents are receding, leasing an EV could make sense, EV tax credits, & some legit free cell service.   Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here.  Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile.   And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money. Have an awesome weekend!   Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When was the last time you were delighted by something or someone?! For Joel, it was when the tree removal company came back out to his house to re-tarp his roof AND they refunded him for it. That’s some Aldi twice-as-nice-guarantee action right there. Not only did they correct the mistake but they went above and beyond to make sure he was happy. And I think that ‘unexpectedness’ is what makes something truly delightful- when it’s a surprise. And similarly when it comes to credit cards we all know of the basic bonuses and cashback, but when you’re able to score a benefit that you weren’t expecting- that’s when the delight kicks in. And that’s what we’re discussing today- some of the lesser known but truly fun and beneficial perks to using credit cards.   Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here.  Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile.   During this episode we enjoyed a Jammiest Bits of Jam by Sour Cellars! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money!   Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re kicking off the week by answering listener questions! And if you have a question that you’d like for us to answer on the show, we’d love for you to submit your own via HowToMoney.com/ask , send us your voice memo. Regardless of how random or bizarre you might think it is, we want to hear it!   1 - How should I respond to a girlfriend who is diagnosing my insecurities around money? 2 - Wages aren’t keeping up with rising home values- what should first time home buyers do? 3 - I’m investing some, I don’t have any savings, and I have some debt- what should I do with my money? 4 - Can I take advantage of a 1031 exchange in order to cut capital gains tax on some real estate? 5 - Should I sell my car in order to finally pay off some lingering credit card debt?   Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here.  Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile.   During this episode we enjoyed a Pyrotechnic Pleasantries by Sour Cellars! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money!   Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time for a Friday Flight- our sampling of the week’s financial news and what it means for your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we boil them down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to get ahead with your money. In this episode we explain some relevant and helpful stories like: $3 movies, T Swift Tourism, the Messi Effect, Apple breaking the bank, instant ACH transfers, DoorDashOffWithYourMoney, Costco meat indicator, $1,000,000,000,000 in credit card debt, Prime Perks, haggling for discounts, 1% mortgage down payments, & WTD with that home equity.   Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here.  Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile.   And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money. Have an awesome weekend!   Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever eaten so much dessert that you thought you might puke? Or maybe you find yourself at the end of a shopping spree with too many clothes in your closet than you could ever possibly wear? In both cases we’re talking about the diminishing marginal utility that we receive from each additional item we consume- the first cup of water after a run is wonderful, but the fifteenth... less so! Diminishing returns is a common way to describe this phenomenon, and we want you to know that this applies to frugality as well. There’s a certain subset of folks who think that the best way to handle their money is to be frugal to the max. And while we would even call ourselves a couple of frugal fellas, it’s important to point out that it’s not a financial tool that fixes everything. So while we’ll be the first to point out how frugality can make you wealthier due to how quickly you can implement it and it’s long-term implications, we’re also not shy about highlighting its downsides: how it can be the result of a fear driven mindset, how focusing on expenses can distract you from thinking about income, how it can lead to a miserly existence. There’s a way you can develop a healthy embrace of frugality and that’s what we’re discussing today!   Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances: Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here.  Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical. Join a thriving community of fellow money in the HTM Facebook group. Find the best credit card for you with our new credit card tool! Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile.   During this episode we enjoyed The Void of Perspective That Became You and Me by Burial. And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money!   Best friends out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.