Financial Freedom Podcast

We all hope to retire some day. The thought of being able to do what you want with your life without having to worry about having the money to pay the bills is the very essence of financial freedom. But figuring out the path to get there is often the hard part. Where (and how) do you start? When should you start (and what if you're starting later in life)? To answer these questions, I talk with certified financial planner Stephen Kates on how you should lay out your retirement plan. In this episode you will learn: - Where to start putting together your plan - The most common mistakes people make - How risk tolerance affects your plan - How to diversify your investments

Many people dream of starting their own business and being their own boss. It is something they built and can be their legacy. But most businesses fail at some point; it's only a matter of time. To increase your chances of success, you need the right money mindset, not only for your business, but yourself as well. That's why in this episode of the podcast I talk with Justin Buonomo of Journey to Financial Freedom about how to form those mindsets and be successful! In this episode you will learn: - How your money mindset impacts things other than your financial stability - Unconventional strategies for achieving financial independence - How to build a business that will support your lifestyle - How to align your lifestyle with your business goals

A big part of achieving financial freedom is having the right mindset about money. If you don't think about money in a way that aligns with your financial goals, you will find it difficult to succeed. That's why on this episode of the podcast I talk with financial advisor Amy Cook about what she calls your money narrative and how the right one can help you achieve your financial goals and, ultimately, financial freedom. In this episode you will learn: What a money narrative is How it influences your financial decisions The common money narratives that hold people back How early life experiences shape our approach to money How to reshape a negative money narrative

Social Security is still an important part of any retirement plan. It acts as a good supplement to a pension or other income from IRAs or 401Ks. But how it fits in to your particular plan and when is also important. That's why in this episode of the podcast I talk with financial planner and Social Security guru Devin Carroll about how to make the right choices when you are a few years out and when you are ready to walk out the door and go home for good. In this episode you will learn: How to decide when to claim benefits What you should know about benefits before retiring The biggest mistakes people make About survivor benefits About ex-spouse benefits

You may have heard about stock options in financial news articles, especially in the context of tech companies and startups. They act as a form of compensation or a benefit for employees.  But what are they? How do they work, and if your employer offers them, how can you use them to your best advantage in your financial plan? To answer these questions, I talk with Landon Loveall of KB Financial Advisors on how stock options can help you with your short and long term financial plans. In this episode you will learn: - What stock options are - The types of stock options and their tax ramifications - How you can leverage them to your benefit - How to minimize your tax liability

Most people wait until they reach age 65 or older to retire. One of the reasons is that you can maximize your social security benefit. This makes retirement something that is far into the future. But what if you don't want to wait that long? What if you want to have more time to enjoy it? That's why in this episode of the podcast I talk to engineer, real estate professional and CEO of Dirty Boots Capital Tony Lopes on how it can be done. In this episode you will learn: - How to solve the job experience to get a job conundrum - The importance of getting a Return on Life (ROL) - About building wealth with passive income - The importance of having more than one source of income

The word "wealthy" means different things to different people. It's more than the numbers in people's bank accounts or necessarily being a millionaire. It's more about financial independence and having a healthy relationship with money. That's why on this episode of the podcast I talk with Rob Souza about what wealth is, how you can reimagine it, and how you can achieve what he calls Uthentic Wealth. In this episode you will learn: - Why money mindfulness is foundational to financial freedom - Why a healthy relationship with money is important - How your finances are interconnected with other areas of your life - How you can reimagine wealth

Life insurance is an important part of any financial plan. Your death can bring about financial hardship to those you leave behind without it. Term life provides a nice benefit for a lower premium (although it goes up as you get older), while whole or universal life provides coverage for a higher premium, but it grows in cash value over time to provide an asset. But apparently that whole life policy is worth more than its cash surrender value! You can actually sell it! To tell you more about this, I talked with Rob Haynie about life settlements and how they work. In this episode you will learn: - What a life insurance settlement is - What some of the most compelling reasons are for considering one - How they can  aid in estate planning - How they can help you achieve financial freedom in retirement - How they can help you overcome debt and avoid foreclosure

Millennials are somewhat the "middle child" generation when it comes to saving for retirement. Although, on average, they began saving 10 years earlier than Baby Boomers, Gen Z started at the age of 19, which is 16 years earlier than the average baby boomer, and 6 years earlier than millennials. As such, they do have an edge over Boomers, they do have to play catch-up vis a vis the Gen Zers. That's why in this episode of the podcast I talk with retired attorney and investment guy Dan Solin on what millennials can do to get to the retirement finish line successfully. In this episode you will learn: - Whether Retirement Should Be Your Investing Goal - How Your Behavior Will Determine Whether You Reach Your Retirement Goals - What "Consumer Smoothing" Is - Whether Adjustable Rate Mortgages are Better Than Fixed Rate Ones - Should You Pay Off, or Keep, Your Mortgage

Although student loans continue to be a hot topic in personal finance news, there are many interesting articles and tips out there that can help you on your path to financial freedom.  These include Gen Z investment strategies that seem to be working, the cooling of the housing market competition, whether you should leverage the equity in your home, and how to maximize your vacation time. Thant's why in this episode of the podcast I wanted to talk about these various news items, in hopes that they can give you some investing ideas, help you decide whether to buy or sell a home, whether to do something with your home equity, or get you the most time off from work. In this episode you will learn: - How Gen Z Investment Strategies Can Help You - About the Cooling of Housing Market Competition and What It Means for You - About If, When, and How You Should Tap Into Your Home Equity - How to Maximize Vacation Days  

One of the things that many couples and individuals think about, know they need, and fully intend to get one day, is an estate plan. But what is it? Is it just a will? What can happen if you put it off too long? That's why in this episode of the podcast I talk with estate planning attorney Adam Zuckerman to get a good idea of what an estate plan is, why you need one, and why you shouldn't wait to get one. In this episode you will learn: - What an Estate Plan Is - How It Differs from a Will - About the Downsides of Not Having One - What You Need to Think About in Making One - About Revocable Living Trusts

One of the more mystifying subjects in personal finance is cryptocurrency (what most people identify as Bitcoin). The concepts behind digital currency are not obvious and can lead to people being hesitant to get involved in it. That's why in this episode of the podcast I talk to former truck driver and cryptocurrency enthusiast Bitcoin Ben to tell us about what it is, how you can get some, and why you should consider doing so. In this episode you will learn: - What Cryptocurrency Is - About the Easiest Way to Get It - How to Store Cryptocurrency - Whether You Should Invest in It

For my 100th episode, I did a look back on 9 of those guests and highlighted some of the great information they had for listeners. Now that I have reached the milestone of 200 episodes I wanted to do that again with guests from Episodes 101 forward. I will leave links in the show notes to the full episodes if you haven’t already listened to them and want to hear more. In addition, due to the length of this episode, I will also be leaving chapter markings (so you can skip ahead if you wish) and time codes in the show notes. In this episode you will learn: - How to Deal with Financial Stress - About Budgeting and Reducing Spending - Alternative Ways to Pay Down Debt - How to Look for a Better Job to Increase Income - About Getting Started in the Stock Market - About Forming a Millionaire Mindset - How to Define Retirement for Yourself - How to Talk to Your Kids About Money - Strategies for an Affordable College Education for Your Kids Chapter Markings 02:11   Dealing with Financial Stress (Dr. David Weiman) 08:

Eliminating debt is one of the first steps on the path to financial freedom. Controlling your living expenses and spending within your means allows you to work towards short and longterm savings goals. But that's not always easy while raising a family. That's why in this episode of the podcast I talk with Brad Nelson, the Debt-Free Dad, to talk about how it can be done! In this episode you will learn: - Budgeting Tips for Beginners - How to Improve Your Financial Habits - How to Reduce Impulsive & Wasteful Spending - How to Talk About Money in a Relationship - The Best Method to Pay Off Debt

As a bankruptcy attorney, I help lots of people to save their homes from foreclosure by filing a chapter 13 bankruptcy to make catch-up payments on their mortgage. But there are other ways to do it. That's why in this episode of the podcast I talk to DJ Olojo about how he helps people to save their homes without filing bankruptcy. In this episode you will learn: - Telling Foreclosure Myth from Fact - About the Mortgage Bank's Foreclosure Playbook - Foreclosure Prevention Tactics - The 12 Step Program to Save Your Home

There are many ways to save and invest for retirement (or just to build wealth) and most are recommended by traditional financial advisers. But sometimes it's a good idea to explore some non-traditional ways to do it that might be better suited to your situation. That's why in this episode of the podcast I talk to Chris Miles, a self-described anti-financial advisor who walks that road less traveled with his clients to help them reach their own financial freedom. In this episode you will learn: - What an Anti-Financial Advisor Is - Why You Need to "Get Your Money Out of Prison" - How Passive Income Can Help Build Wealth - How to Come Up with Money to Invest

The student loan crisis has made parents and students more cautious when it comes to taking out student loans. But even then, the average student debt is $30,000, which is a lot to owe fresh out of college with no job. But what if you could graduate debt free and into a job you love? To answer that question I talked with academic strategist Jeannie Burlowski on how it can be done! In this episode you will learn: - Strategies for when you're not in a position to save money - How to leverage more need-based aid from schools - How private schools can be a better deal than state ones - Talking to teens about career goals before they apply

Achieving financial freedom means getting your personal finances in order, so that you are living within your means and have money at the end of the month. But to have true financial freedom long term, with long term goals like retirement, you have to have a financial plan. That's why in this episode of the podcast I talk with fellow personal finance podcaster Curtis May on attaining what he calls Practical Wealth. In this episode you will learn about: - Practical Wealth - Cash Flow Mapping - Accumulation Theory - Velocity of Money Strategy - Privatized Banking

Stocks are a key part of any retirement savings portfolio. Their potential to grow over the course of your working life with a rate of return, despite ups and downs, that can't be beat by CDs or a savings account. But bonds are also important to a well balanced portfolio. To find out the particulars in this episode of the podcast, I bring back Certified Financial Planner Michael Karwic for a talk on bonds and how they can be key to a successful retirement.  In this episode you will learn: - What Kinds of Bonds There Are - How Bonds Balance Risk Tolerance - About the Tax Advantages of Certain Bonds - How Interest Rates Can Vary on Bonds

As I've said in previous episodes, the earlier you start saving and investing for retirement, the better. As soon as you graduate with your degree and get a job, you should start on your path to long term financial freedom. But how do you get started? How do you put together a plan for retirement investment that will work long term? That's why in this episode of the podcast I talked with retirement expert Anne Lester to get answers to this question. In this episode you will learn about: What your "money type" is Creating a retirement plan in your 20s & 30s How to find money to invest Retirement planning for the self-employed