Couple Money Podcast

Around 82% of Americans said their finances were affected by the pandemic and the fallout according to a recent Fidelity survey. If you're planning on retiring in a few years, that can be a really scary thing. Today I want to share a resource that can help you get back on track with your retirement plan!  The 5 Years Before You Retire: Retirement Planning When You Need It the Most How comfortable...

Many families are looking for a getaway this year, but also want to stay on budget. We'll go over some great family vacation ideas and ways to plan a wonderful trip! Planning a Family Vacation in 2021 How do you plan for a year where you don't know exactly what to expect?  I think that's been the unofficial theme this season. We've been talking about how to create a budget that's flexible enough?...

Need a boost with your income? Learn how to find the best paying side hustles for you!  Finding the Best Side Hustles That Pay Well Sometimes to hit your goal faster, you just have to earn extra mone. Of course that's not the only thing you're doing. If you've taken my Free  5 Days to $5K course , then you know we look at three pillars when it comes to 'finding' money.  First we optimize your budg...

Getting ready to start house hunting? Get tips on how you find and buy a house you love that is still affordable!  Are You Ready to Buy a House? Right now with the  national median listing price in December was $340,000 , chances are buying a house – it's typically the biggest purchase a family makes. Depending on where you live it can be a hot seller's market, making it even more difficult to fin...

Thinking of selling your house? Today we'll go over how to prepare your place so you can get the best price for it! What You Need to Know to Sell Your House for More Selling a house, especially when it is your first place, can be overwhelming. Even in a seller's market like we have here in Raleigh, you have work to do.   You have to fix up your space, stage your house, and have it ready for showin...

Who doesn't love a good DIY home project? But how do you take what you see online or on television and translate that into your home, especially when you are not naturally handy? Today, we'll look at what you need to know to get started and build up your DIY skills! Getting Started with DIY home Projects Last week we were talking about being a frugal foodie, home brewing,  and having a garden at y...

Just because we're at home doesn't mean we can't still be frugal foodies. Today, we'll look at how you can jumpstart a garden and start making craft brews at home! Frugal Foodie at Home Frugal foodie is back! If you're new to this series, it's where we explore ways you can eat well without breaking the budget. For some though, when you hear frugal. It means cheap. I get it. Maybe, you know, someon...

Tax season is here. How prepared are you? Today we'll go over how to make filing your taxes easier and less stressful!  How to Make Taxes Less Stressful Between the paperwork you need to track, tax terms that are dry, and the eye-opening nature of going through your finances for the year, taxes can understandably make you anxious.  If you're looking to optimize your finances, you have to get your...

How can you plan and budget for a year when there are so many things up in the air? Today we'll go over how the two of you can create a plan and budget so you can hit your goals while being flexible enough to switch gears if needed! How to Hit Your Money Goals During a Uncertain Year This first month of 2021 is just about wrapped up and already it's been an eventful year! A huge challenge we faced...

For many families, 2020 threw us for a loop. Today we'll look at how you can revamp and build your budget so you can hit your financial goals faster! Revamping Your Budget I think it's fair to say that last year did not go as any of us planned. I'm not going to recap the year – we were all there- but honestly, we had a lot curve balls thrown at us.  Because we had to make so many changes with how...

Dealing with debt can be a grind, especially if you have a ton of debt or if it is high interest. Today we're going to see how the debt lasso method can speed things up with credit card debts and we'll get tips on how to pay off over six figures of debt without sacrificing fun! Creating a Plan to Pay Off Your Debts One of the most popular goals families make when it comes to money is paying off th...

Most parents have their hands full and too many times our finances, health, and homes don't get the attention they should.  We go over how you can reset your habits so you simplify your finances, home, and lives to enjoy some big wins this year!  Reworking Your Habits For multiple reasons, 2020 was a challenging year.  Even if you weren't directly affected by the pandemic or managed to avoid the f...

Get a peek into how we did with our goals for this year and see how you can do your year review and set yourself up for an incredible 2021!  Year-End Review and Planning for 2021 What a year, what a year! We still have another month, but most people I know are kind of winding down. As we wrap up this 10th season, I thought I'd share a bit of our year-end review. We started 2020 with three big goal...

How well is your money working  for you ? Today we're looking at how personal finance can be more holistic and reflective of what most to you through financial wellness! Financial Wellness: A Holistic Approach to Money How did this year go for you?  I have not met one person yet who has had it go as they expected.  Even if you were financially prepared – emergency fund, debts are paid off are in t...

We've brought back the reader mailbag. Today we're answering your questions about marriage and money!  Reader Mailbag One of my favorite parts of Couple Money is the community. Having you be a part of this has definitely made the work more enjoyable. Whenever I hear from you about what you're working on, questions you have, or ideas you think will be helpful, I'm happy.   When I started Couple Mon...

Learn how you can move your money and switch to a new bank or credit union! Ready to Switch to a New Bank? A bad bank or credit union can not only be a headache, but it can also slow you down as you try to build your finances.  Between the excessive/hidden fees, bad customer service, and low-interest rates on savings, it's understandable if you're frustrated.  You may be wondering, what's the poin...

If you think talking about money with each other is hard, try talking to your parents. Today we're getting into one of the money sensitive situations when it comes to marriage and money – making sure your parents are in a good spot during their golden years.  Taking Care of Parents Family and finances can be stressful. But typically makes it so difficult is how easily our emotions get involved. Ta...

One of the biggest game-changers with our finances was shifting things so we could live on one income. However, that's not always an easy thing to do. Today I'll break down strategies and tactics that we and other couples have used to make it easier!  Living on One Income I'm serious; if we had to identify the one habit that changed the trajectory of our finances, it's moving finances in such a wa...

Have you paid off your debts and are looking to grow your money beyond savings? Learn how to create a strategy and plan so you can open and invest in your brokerage account! Ready to Open and Invest in a Brokerage Account? If you would've met us when we were first married and told me that we'd get to a point where we were investing besides for retirement, I probably would've laughed at you.  Consi...

'All Investment Mistakes Are Investor Mistakes' Is that really true? Today we'll dig in and see how to avoid making the most common mistakes with your investments!   Avoiding Big Mistakes with Investments ' All Investment Mistakes Are Investor Mistakes ' I saw that headline in an older article in The NY Times. Based on personal experience when I first started out, speaking with others on the podca...

Want to maximize your 401(k) this year? The first step to doing that is figuring out how much to contribute. Today we discuss how much you need to put in to retire!  Getting the Most Out of Your 401(k) We're wrapping our open enrollment series. The past couple of episodes we've discussed what you need to know with your benefits so you can make the right choices for you and your family.  Health ins...

Are you two dealing with a ton of debt? Hear how Brian and his wife have managed to pay off $100,000 in debt while raising their three kids! How to Pay Off a Ton of Debt Together After all the prep, sweat, and tears, the first episode of the  Couple Money Podcast  is up! For the premiere show, it's all about debt, specifically  getting out of debt faster and getting rid of massive amounts of debt....

Learn how you can navigate open enrollment season and maximize your benefits to their fullest potential! Making the Most of Your Benefits When we began our series about open enrollment last week, we got into some key things to consider when weighing the pros and cons of different health insurance options.  While health insurance is typically the biggest decision couples and families make during op...

Feel like your premiums are too expensive? Learn how you can significantly save money and find an affordable health insurance plan for your family! Choosing an Affordable Health Insurance Plan Like many families, we want affordable health insurance. Unfortunately, it's not always easy. In 2019, the average  annual premium for a family was over $20,000 !  That's quite a bit of money so it's absolut...

Today we'll go over how the two of you can boost your savings rate while still enjoying some fun now!  Why Your Savings Rate Matters Last week we talked about  three key numbers to track and master your money  and one of them was your  savings rate .  How much you save on your income can have an incredible impact on how fast you reach your big financial goals. Here's the thing, though, unless you...