This week dives into pressing listener queries! Discover whether selling your home after just two years spells financial doom. Explore investment strategies for a surprise windfall. Unpack the miseries of owning a car that has broken down repeatedly, and weigh the pros and cons of consolidating credit card debt through a HELOC. Along the way, the hosts share valuable insights on making informed financial decisions while navigating the complexities of consumer rights and homeownership.

This week dives into the fascinating world of personal finance, tackling topics like the rising costs of concert merchandise amidst inflation. It discusses the pressing challenges of student loan forgiveness and the shifting perceptions of college degrees. The risks of dipping into 401k funds for emergencies are explored, coupled with cautionary tales about money transfer apps. Plus, learn how to capitalize on tax credits for green home upgrades and why understanding basic financial technology matters more than complex features.

Brian Vines, an expert from Consumer Reports specializing in grocery pricing, shares valuable insights on saving money at the supermarket. He discusses the alarming 26% rise in grocery prices since 2019 and offers smart shopping tips, such as using rebate apps and exploring discount grocery chains like Aldi. The conversation also touches on the emotional ties consumers have with brands and the challenges of navigating pet care costs, including pet insurance and affordable dog food options. Get ready to rethink your grocery game!

Let’s dive into the week with some fresh listener questions we have lined up for you! And don't just stand on the sidelines- if you have a question you’d like us to answer, toss your voice memo our way. It only takes about 90 seconds to record and you can find a step by step guide over at HowToMoney.com/ask . Regardless of how random or bizarre you might think it is, we want to hear it!   1 - Is my car mechanic ripping me off? If not, then what’s the best way to manage those expenses? 2 - How much should we set aside for retirement if we’re going to receive a pension? 3 - Is my work sponsored retirement account which happens to be a Roth, inclusive of the overall Roth contribution limits? 4 - Can I take advantage of the Mrs. Murphy exemption in order to steer clear of any potential litigation against me as a landlord?   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 Champion Ground by Jackie O's! 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 little 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: waffling on Rivian, huge sales for small cars, warranty warnings, Wells Fargo under fire, rocketing your rizz, money mores, stocks get smashed, dropshippers false bill of goods, & renting your assets by the hour.   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.

Don’t let short term thinking and a myopic view of your retirement investments derail your financial future! Our guest today puts it succinctly: your IRA is an IOU to the IRS. What would you owe the government now compared to in the future? Will tax brackets return to the heights we saw in the 1940s? Will the government continue to allow Roth IRAs to grow and be drawn upon tax-free? These are just a few of the topics we discuss today. “It would be tough to find anyone who knows more about IRAs than Ed Slott” – and that’s not a quote from us here at How To Money about our guest, but from USA Today. Ed Slott’s company is the nation’s leading source of accurate, timely IRA expertise, and analysis which they provide to financial advisors, institutions, consumers, and media. He’s often quoted in the New York Times, Forbes, Kiplinger, and countless other publications. He’s appeared on virtually all the TV networks, and he's the author of the new book “The Retirement Savings Time Bomb Ticks Louder” which we get into today. Thanks for listening!   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. Don’t be cheap and forego getting a life insurance policy. Compare rates with Policygenius.   During this episode we enjoyed a Velo by Halfway Crooks Beer! 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.

Let’s dive into the week with some fresh listener questions we have lined up for you! And don't just stand on the sidelines- if you have a question you’d like us to answer, toss your voice memo our way. It only takes about 90 seconds to record and you can find a step by step guide over at HowToMoney.com/ask . Regardless of how random or bizarre you might think it is, we want to hear it!   1 - Who actually owns the house if you buy a place with your friend? 2 - Should I dollar cost average back into the market after I roll over my 401k? 3 - Does it make sense to use some equity from the sale of my house to pay off some debts? 4 - How should I invest the money I’m saving up for a new car purchase in a few years?   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 Garden Salad by Variant 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 little 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: paying for the Olympics, uninsured drivers ruining the party, pay per mile insurance, Social Security fears, centenarian CDs, kiddo credit scores, increasing financial anxiety, more money more happiness, bundling is back, and an all-sports streaming app.   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.

How would you like a completely paid-for college?! That sounds like an absurd pipe dream, but our guest today did it herself. In fact, she would receive a cash check each semester for any additional expenses she might’ve incurred as well! ALSO, scholarships paid for six months studying abroad in Spain – she’s not messing around! We’re joined by Jocelyn Pearson, the founder of The Scholarship System, which is an online resource that offers training sessions and online courses to teach folks how to find, apply for, and win valuable scholarships that can allow you to graduate debt free. To date, The Scholarship System has helped families secure over $13 million in scholarships by teaching them how to find the scholarships that are winnable (including specific search terms), to avoid the more scammy types of scholarships, utilizing AI to help you snag free money, how you can even create your own scholarship just by asking, the optimal timing for highschool students to begin applying for scholarships, 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. 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. Don’t be cheap and forego getting a life insurance policy. Compare rates with Policygenius.   During this episode we enjoyed a Tart Strawberry M43 by Old Nation 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.

Let’s dive into the week with some fresh listener questions we have lined up for you! And don't just stand on the sidelines- if you have a question you’d like us to answer, toss your voice memo our way. It only takes about 90 seconds to record and you can find a step by step guide over at HowToMoney.com/ask . Regardless of how random or bizarre you might think it is, we want to hear it!   1 - How do I increase my 401k contributions by the same percentage of the raise I just received? 2 - Where should I open a brokerage account for my single stocks that I trade fo the dopamine hit? 3 - My CD is about to mature – what should I do with that $75,000? 4 - Will paying down my mortgage or making home improvements give me a bigger ROI?   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 Super Megabite by Hop Butcher for the World! 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.