How to Money

Shark attacks, plane crashes, and lightning strikes… these are the dramatic and headline-grabbing events that are terrifying but incredibly rare. The odds you’ll ever experience those unfortunate events are tiny, so is it technically risky? Meanwhile, something as ordinary as driving to work should be considered more often since in the US, there are 6 million car accidents a year! When you start looking closely, risk and reward show up everywhere in our lives. And for investors especially, understanding the REAL risks we face, not the ones that dominate headlines, is essential to building a strategy that truly works. Our guest today has made it his mission to bring common sense back to finance. Ben Carlson is the Director of Institutional Asset Management at Ritholtz Wealth Management, where he focuses on managing portfolios for institutions and individuals. He is the creator of the widely read blog A Wealth of Common Sense and the author of several books on investing, including his new release, Risk and Reward. Today we discuss:
Over-indexing on existential risk vs personal risk
“When do you need your money?”
Stress testing your investments
International’s spot in a portfolio
Timing the AI “bubble”
Role of cash in investments, but also in personal finance
Protecting your wealth from inflation
Bonds for younger investors
Adopting a long term investing mindset
Treating “future you” like a bill
And much more!

Can’t get enough How To Money? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances:
Ben: Check out Ben’s new book, Risk & Reward: How to handle market volatility and build long-term wealth.
Cashback credit cards: Check out our favorite credit cards that we use to maximize rewards and optimize our spending.
Other money nerds: Find a thriving community of fellow money nerds by joining the HTM Facebook group!
Newsletter: Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical.
Money Gears: knowing what to do with your money is crucial to your personal finance journey.
MG7: and maybe you’re well on your way to financial independence but you’re looking for some financial reassurance, that’s when heading over to HowToMoney.com/Advisor and getting matched with a highly vetted financial advisor makes sense.

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 your 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 - Debt-fueled lifestyle inflation: Should I sell a rental property to pay off my 401k loan used to install a pool?
2 - Car financing: Does it make more sense to pay for a new/used car in cash or make payments and invest the difference?
3 - Military service/VA loans: What are the pros and cons of going with a VA loan for a new home we’d like to purchase?
4 - 403b: Leave it, transfer it, roll it, or convert it? (or maybe even BOP it?!... Capitalize could be a part of the solution)
5 - 529 plans: How should I sort through all the options available?! (Virginia's direct-sold site is Invest529.com)

Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances:
Credit card perks: Check out our favorite credit cards that we use to maximize rewards and optimize our spending.
Other money nerds: Find a thriving community of fellow money nerds by joining the HTM Facebook group!
Newsletter: Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical.
Money Gears: knowing what to do with your money is crucial to your personal finance journey.
MG7: and maybe you’re well on your way to financial independence but you’re looking for some financial reassurance, that’s when heading over to HowToMoney.com/Advisor and getting matched with a highly vetted financial advisor makes sense.

During this episode we enjoyed a DDH Cosmik Debris by Creature Comforts… thanks for donating this one to the pod Nick! 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 best 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-year bachelor’s degrees and degree hacking
Private student loans around 3%
Insurance premium factors
Predictive credit scores
APR reduction scams
Phishing for zoomers
Work perk pruning
Swapping iPhones for icedreams
Combatting food waste
Pre-gaming to avoid high priced booze
$50 movie tix
Booking on a Tuesday!


Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances:
Credit card perks: Check out our favorite credit cards that we use to maximize rewards and optimize our spending.
Other money nerds: Find a thriving community of fellow money nerds by joining the HTM Facebook group!
Newsletter: Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical.
Money Gears: knowing what to do with your money is crucial to your personal finance journey.
MG7: and maybe you’re well on your way to financial independence but you’re looking for some financial reassurance, that’s when heading over to HowToMoney.com/Advisor and getting matched with a highly vetted financial advisor makes sense.

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.

Most of our best memories (and stories) come from trips we’ve taken. Some were incredible international adventures while others were ridiculously cheap road trips across different parts of the U.S. It’s been said that travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer, and we’re inclined to agree. Our guest today does too. Kyle Potter is the Executive Editor at Thrifty Traveler, a site dedicated to helping people travel more for less. He’s been to more than 30 countries, and his passion is helping people navigate the confusing world of airlines, travel points, and miles. We don’t even want to know how many miles Kyle’s got sitting around, but we do know he’s willing to spend a few of them on a nice bottle of champagne from time to time. Today we discuss:
How fuel prices, supply & demand, and competition impact ticket prices
Saving the most by being flexible and following the deals
Why you should plan to splurge
Booking a more expensive ticket allows you to save
Researching fares after booking
Packing smarter and traveling lighter to save
How Kyle saves when renting cars
Roundtrip tickets to Dublin for $134
And much more!
Can’t get enough How To Money? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances:
Cashback credit cards: Check out our favorite credit cards that we use to maximize rewards and optimize our spending.
Other money nerds: Find a thriving community of fellow money nerds by joining the HTM Facebook group!
Newsletter: Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical.
Money Gears: knowing what to do with your money is crucial to your personal finance journey.
MG7: and maybe you’re well on your way to financial independence but you’re looking for some financial reassurance, that’s when heading over to HowToMoney.com/Advisor and getting matched with a highly vetted financial advisor makes sense.

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 your 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 - Torn: We’re behind when it comes to investing but it seems silly when we don’t have enough liquid savings… what do we do?!
2 - Pension: How aggressively should I invest my Roth IRA dollars when I have a safe pension to fall back on?
3 - Mortgage recast: What’s a good rule of thumb when I’m considering recasting my mortgage to shrink my monthly payment?
4 - Social Security: Why do y’all always say to delay and wait to draw on Social Security?
5 - Work-provided insurance: Should I pay extra for accidental death and dismemberment insurance or stick with the free option?

Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances:
Credit card perks: Check out our favorite credit cards that we use to maximize rewards and optimize our spending.
Other money nerds: Find a thriving community of fellow money nerds by joining the HTM Facebook group!
Newsletter: Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical.
Money Gears: knowing what to do with your money is crucial to your personal finance journey.
MG7: and maybe you’re well on your way to financial independence but you’re looking for some financial reassurance, that’s when heading over to HowToMoney.com/Advisor and getting matched with a highly vetted financial advisor makes sense.

During this episode we enjoyed a Comeback Sauce by Creature Comforts and Edmund’s Oast… thanks for donating this one to the pod Nick! 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.