How to Money

With all that we’re trying to accomplish in our everyday lives- we find that reminders are a necessity. For instance, your car’s low gas indicator light that flares up when you’re nearing an empty tank. More power to ya if you’re driving an EV (see what I did there…), but for the rest of us still driving internal combustion vehicles, the low fuel light is a life saver. When it comes on, you know you only have so many miles left to find a gas station before you’re going to end up stranded on the side of the road. Well this episode is here to function similarly to that low fuel light, as kind of a warning because you’ve only got 3 months left in 2022. You can use them to your advantage and attain some of the financial goals you set out to achieve in January. Or you can attempt to coast into 2023 running on fumes. There are some hard and fast deadlines approaching and once that window of time closes, there’s no going back. Today we’re talking about student loans, workplace benefits, taxes, retirement savings, and more so listen up- the clock is ticking!   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. Find a thriving community of fellow money nerds by joining the HTM Facebook group! Maximize your rewards by getting the best credit card for how you spend. Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. Don’t be cheap and forego getting a life insurance policy. Compare rates with Policygenius. During this episode we enjoyed a Pickle Down Economics by Bosque Brewing- a big thanks to Bob in New Mexico for donating this one to the show! 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.

Brian Kelly, The Points Guy himself, is joining us today on the podcast! If you’ve ever attempted some research on airline miles or credit card reward points, then there’s a good chance you’ve read an article or two over at ThePointsGuy.com. Bryan has an entire staff of writers who are all travel experts- from offices in Austin, to NY, all the way over to London. Which of course frees Bryan up to be able to spend even more of his time participating in his favorite activity- traveling. Listen as Brian shares why he’s willing to pay annual fees on 25 credit cards, what you should do if you have existing airline points, what he thinks about cashback credit cards, how to maximize the number of points you can earn, his favorite perks and benefits of travel cards, and finally his thoughts on traveling with a new baby!   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. Find a thriving community of fellow money nerds by joining the HTM Facebook group! Maximize your rewards by getting the best credit card for how you spend. Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. Don’t be cheap and forego getting a life insurance policy. Compare rates with Policygenius.   During this episode we enjoyed an Elephants on Parade by Bosque Brewing- a big thanks to Bob in New Mexico for donating this one to the show! 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 our Friday Flight! These episodes are a sampling of the week’s financial news and the impact on your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we distill it 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 cover some relevant and helpful stories like: interest rates on the rise, dumb ol gift cards, repair or replace a broken appliance, the easiest way to save time and money in the kitchen, phantom funds in your Venmo and Cash app, sweepstake savings accounts, coffee-drinking spendthrifts, speculation nation, an index fund to avoid, & last but also least- poop music.   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. Find a thriving community of fellow money nerds by joining the HTM Facebook group! Maximize your rewards by getting the best credit card for how you spend. Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. Don’t be cheap and forego getting a life insurance policy. Compare rates with Policygenius.   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.

Up until the 1500s, everybody thought that the earth was the center of the universe- the sun, moon, and planets all orbited around us. But over the course of a century as more folks accepted the belief that we are a part of a heliocentric solar system, this updated view significantly changed everyone’s perception of planet Earth. No longer were we at the center of it all! Our planet Earth is still important of course, but everyone began to see that we were a part of a larger system. We were put in our proper place. And similarly we feel that work and career tends to be at the center of the American universe, negatively impacting our lives via workaholism, lack of other interests, and higher levels of stress. Not that work can’t be fulfilling! We’ve always held a high view of work- it provides a sense of meaning and structure, not to mention a necessary source of income. But when our lives revolve around work, when it’s the center, we think it throws everything out of balance. Listen as we discuss the many reasons why work dominates our lives, as well as how you can find more work-life balance!   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. Find a thriving community of fellow money nerds by joining the HTM Facebook group! Maximize your rewards by getting the best credit card for how you spend. Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. Don’t be cheap and forego getting a life insurance policy. Compare rates with Policygenius. During this episode we enjoyed a S'mores by Wicked Weed! 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 - Is it best to recast a mortgage or should I just pay a lump-sum and be done with the mortgage a bit sooner? 2 - Frugal or cheap?! Repurchasing a board game online after it dropped in price, and having to drive in order to return the original. 3 - What interest am I forfeiting if I pull money out of my I bonds early? 4 - When buying solar, am I just exchanging a loan payment for my monthly electricity bill? 5 - I’d like to be a long-distance landlord- is that a wise move and what else should I keep in mind?   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. Find a thriving community of fellow money nerds by joining the HTM Facebook group! Maximize your rewards by getting the best credit card for how you spend. Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. Don’t be cheap and forego getting a life insurance policy. Compare rates with Policygenius.   During this episode we enjoyed a German Chocolate Cake by Wicked Weed! 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 our Friday Flight! These episodes are a sampling of the week’s financial news and the impact on your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we distill it 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 cover some relevant and helpful stories like: HTM sock giveaway, sticky inflation, stressful everyday money fights, college major regrets, taxing student loan forgiveness, IRS refunding an extra billion dollars to filers, WTD about market crash predictions, millennials selling out, 401k lifetime income illustrations, ESG funds looking worse than ever, & going into debt for an iPhone.   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. Find a thriving community of fellow money nerds by joining the HTM Facebook group! Maximize your rewards by getting the best credit card for how you spend. Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. Don’t be cheap and forego getting a life insurance policy. Compare rates with Policygenius.   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.

Some folks will swear that taking a nap is bad for you. “It’ll throw off your circadian rhythm!” or “You’re being lazy- maybe it’s time to be more productive with your time!”. And of course, like many things in life, you could take it too far. For instance taking a nap while your friends are visiting or climbing in bed for 3 hours in the middle of the day will likely lead to poor outcomes- there will be negative downstream effects. But the reality is that a well-timed nap can bring a lot of benefits for many folks- it can boost your memory, increase your job performance, and ease your stress levels. Well, in the same way that naps are misunderstood, so is debt. Indiscriminate use of naps or debt could easily create a mess. But the strategic use of debt is an incredibly nuanced topic that we’re venturing into. Today we discuss how you can determine if you’re using debt strategically by looking at your finances holistically, how folks use debt as a crutch, why it’s important to understand opportunity cost, evaluating your own personal debt tolerance, and much more!   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. Find a thriving community of fellow money nerds by joining the HTM Facebook group! Maximize your rewards by getting the best credit card for how you spend. Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. Don’t be cheap and forego getting a life insurance policy. Compare rates with Policygenius.   During this episode we enjoyed a Milk & Cookies by Wicked Weed! 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.

In the same way that being able to read is a critical component of learning and furthering your education, budgeting is essential to managing your money well and building wealth. It’s foundational! And that’s why we’re pumped to have Sarah Wilson joining us on the podcast today. Today we discuss why the Budget Girl started publishing her own budget for the entire internet to see, how granular you should be getting with your budget, as well as some of the lowest hanging fruit everyone should consider. And we also hear how Sarah paid off all of her student loans in just 3 years on a meager income, her foray into house hacking, charging her boyfriend rent, the future of her very successful site and YouTube channel, plus a bunch of other topics as well!   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. Find a thriving community of fellow money nerds by joining the HTM Facebook group! Maximize your rewards by getting the best credit card for how you spend. Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. Don’t be cheap and forego getting a life insurance policy. Compare rates with Policygenius.   During this episode we enjoyed a Brownie by Wicked Weed! 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 our Friday Flight! These episodes are a sampling of the week’s financial news and the impact on your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we distill it 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 cover some relevant and helpful stories like: getting a 3% mortgage via a loan assumption, some new competition for home internet providers, leg room lunacy, free lodging because of flight delays, donate now pay later, influencers in the wild, active insurance trackers to save, & secondhand steals from buying used.   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. Find a thriving community of fellow money nerds by joining the HTM Facebook group! Maximize your rewards by getting the best credit card for how you spend. Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. Don’t be cheap and forego getting a life insurance policy. Compare rates with Policygenius.   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.

There’s been a massive proliferation of micro-transportation devices in recent years. Everything from Segways and electric skateboards to Onewheels and e-scooters. But as cool as some of those futuristic devices are, none of them hold a candle to the ultimate classic- the bicycle. Advances in technology have made bikes lighter, safer, and easier to repair, but the basic bicycle remains unchanged and is still the most affordable and dependable personal transportation device. And we’ve seen similar changes when it comes to what it means to be an investor. There really are a ton of crappy investments out there and the spread of not-so-awesome investment advice has been on the rise as well. It’s a constantly changing space and there are a wider range of options available as well as ‘gurus’ telling us how we should be investing. These fancy options can throw us off our game and so we wanted to make sure that you’re able to cultivate and embody the characteristics of a great investor so that you’ll be able to make wise decisions with your investments.   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. Find a thriving community of fellow money nerds by joining the HTM Facebook group! Maximize your rewards by getting the best credit card for how you spend. Massively reduce your cell phone bill each month by switching to a discount provider like Mint Mobile. Don’t be cheap and forego getting a life insurance policy. Compare rates with Policygenius.   During this episode we enjoyed a Oktoberfest by Dry County 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.