Catholic Money Mastermind - Financial Planning conversations with Catholic CFP® Practitioners

The nature of the sin called usury has its proper place and origin in a mutuum contract. Jerod Frank, a financial advisor and recent Catholic convert, shares his personal journey of grappling with the concept of usury within the context of ethical and moral investing. We answer questions such as should there be limits to profits? Jerod delves into the distinction between mutuum and societas loans,...

Sarah Kang is a Certified Financial Planner with UAK Diversified, a firm she runs with her husband. With a focus on the personal side of financial planning, Sarah brings her experience as a music teacher to planning in a way that allows her to break things down in a way that just makes sense. In this episode, Ben and Sarah discuss how helping people can be meaningful and how, even with uncertainty...

With 9 years in the finance industry, Michael Acosta returns to the show with some insights on homeownership. Michael is driven to work for his clients with the guidance of his tag line “Prepare, Perform, Prosper”. Questions discussed in this episode include: Should you pursue homeownership? Is a home a good investment? And is renting bad? All that, and more on this episode of Catholic Money Maste...

Bryan Smalley is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) with a BA from the University of Toledo and an MA from Bowling Green State University. With a focus on “taking the scary out of retirement planning”, Bryan helps his clients focus on all the joys of retirement. Living in New Jersey with his wife and their 4 children, Bryan brings to this episode his perspective on having a single income househol...

With over 30 years of experience as a financial planner, Lance is one of the most experienced people in the Catholic Financial Planners Network. Lance is the Founder and CEO of Nautical Star Financial, whose name echoes Lance’s time in the Navy. In this episode, Lance tells Ben how he brings a Christian approach to financial planning - even praying with clients! If you’re looking for deeper insigh...

Anthony specializes in holistic family planning with focus on early career and family, retirement transition, tax preparation, and real estate investing. Having always wanted to help as many people as possible, Anthony became a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) helping his clients with financial literacy - regardless of their wealth. In this episode, Ben and Anthony discuss holistic life planning,...

Phil joins us from Foundation Wealth Planning in Salina, Kansas. He’s also a member of the Catholic Financial Planner Network, integrating his faith with his financial practice. With 8 years experience at a large financial firm, Phil left to start his own practice about 2 years ago. One of his major focuses has been to help families and businesses break the paycheck to paycheck cycle by tackling d...

In this episode, we explore the challenging and rewarding journey of Kevin Reardon, a seasoned financial advisor who started his career in 1992. Through the highs and lows of his career, Kevin opens up about the hardships he faced during the early 2000s and how having faith, persevering through difficulties, and focusing on service can help navigate life's ups and downs in a spiritually fulfi...

Today, Deb Meyer, CFP®, CPA/PFS, CEPA​, joins us to chat about women balancing motherhood with their professional careers. Throughout history, there has been a prevailing belief that women should primarily fulfill their roles within the household. Deb’s journey in being a mom and business owner has led her to address certain concerns within the Catholic faith regarding gender roles. After raising...

Some small changes can make a big difference. Tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars are at stake in getting that one decision right like with social security. You really will impact your quality of life as these decisions start to compound. So, let’s get ahead of the decisions that’ll most drastically affect our retirement. Today, Tyler’s going to share what areas in our personal and finan...

You might have your kids saving up in piggy banks, but how do you get them ready to tackle money in the real world? Today’s guest, Robert Franer, has a ton of actionable advice when it comes to instilling the foundation money skills your kids need to master. Of course, parenting looks different for everyone, but this episode will have you thinking about a framework to building your children's...

Ben Martinek and Charlie Horonzy talk about how to bring prayer into your finances, the insecurity that's associated with it, and the specific methods that they use. Amidst uncertainty, prayer plays a crucial role in helping us stay grounded, seek guidance and find the strength to fulfill our responsibilities. "I think God wants us to be saints.. and everything in our life is helping us...

Ben Martinek and Andy Flattery delve into generational wealth, family dynamics and inheritance, and the inferred responsibility of those who have wealth to act with generosity toward those who are less privileged. The discussion unravels the power dynamics that shape society. Explore the contrasting responses, from the trad Catholic movement to Catholic homesteaders and the Postliberals, as they n...

Ben Martinek and Joe Ibarra discuss how building wealth is tangential to growing in virtue. Most people wouldn’t consider building wealth as an opportunity to refine the virtues of patience, discipline and generosity. In this episode, Joe Ibarra deliberates how the journey to generating wealth comes with a testament of these skills.  Joe graduated first in his class from Rockhurst University in Ka...

Ben Martinek and Tyler Hackenberg provide an insightful discussion on how Catholic social teaching can be integrated into financial planning and decision-making. We hear the story of Tyler Hackenberg, a former Westminster Theological Seminary student who is now a Catholic financial advisor located in the greater Philadelphia area. Tyler's journey to Catholicism started at Vanguard with a clie...

Ben Martinek and Michael Acosta discuss goal setting in 2023. "I love goal setting. I have to say, when I first got started setting goals, it's kinda like, uh, do I really need to do this? Is it necessary? And I have to say, after being in business for many years and working with clients for many years, yes! Goal setting is important. At the end of the day, on a practical level, if we wa...

Ben Martinek and Joe Ibarra host Trent Horn – Apologist for Catholic Answers and host of The Counsel of Trent podcast – to discuss money principals regarding retirement as a Catholic, Trent’s recent debate with New Polity’s Jacob Imam on Pints with Aquinas, everyday money habits, as well as how Trent got into the world of Catholic apologetics. This episode includes universal principals and specifi...

Andy Flattery visits with Mother Abbess Cecelia of the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of the Apostles in Gower, MO. They talk about restoring civilization, growing your own food, the life of a traditional nun, the latin mass, and the munificence of supporting the building of new monasteries. Read the article: Meet the Catholic Nuns Who Are Building a New Church with Bitcoin If you would like to help...

This month on the Podcast, we talk with Matthew Pinto to discuss how the emerging space of Crypto is relevant to the Catholic Faith. We also discussed his current venture: The Catholic/Crypto Conference 2022, which will bring together Catholic thought leaders, technologists, crypto enthusiasts, and evangelists-at-heart for two full days of seminars, Meet-ups, strategy sessions, networking, and fun...

There have been important changes within the Federal Student Loan landscape with the recent announcement in late August regarding Federal Forgiveness opportunities for borrowers.  In this episode our very own Ben Martinek and Michael R. Acosta discuss what borrowers need to be aware of as the prepare for student loan payments to resume in January of 2023. As Certified Student Loan Professionals wi...

Ben Martinek, Deb Meyer and Tyler Hackenberg of Catholic Financial Planners Network discuss the recent Pints with Aquinas debate between Jacob Imam and Trent Horn about the morality of investing in 401(k) plans for retirement.  Jacob Imam argues that 401(k) investing is immoral because of its speculative nature, while Trent Horn points to magisterial authority that we are permitted as Catholics to...

Today’s episode of Catholic Money Mastermind discusses a controversial topic: the overturning of Roe v Wade and its implications for Catholics who wish to invest in alignment with their moral values.  After the Supreme Court decision, some sizable companies declared that they would pay for employees’ medical care to obtain abortions in states where it is still allowed.  Should we automatically exc...

Financial headlines are overly pessimistic. Tyler Hackenberg of Drexel Day Financial, Joe Ibarra of Falcon Wealth Advisors and Deb Meyer of WorthyNest® discuss the current bear market and hidden opportunities for a variety of Catholics -- from young professionals to pre-retirees.  We also touch on Pope Francis’ recent advice to retirees to “leave a legacy of good.” Please join us for this timely e...

On this episode of Catholic Money Mastermind podcast, Deb Meyer of WorthyNest®, Ben Martinek of Bona Fide Finance and Michael R. Acosta of Consolidated Planning, Inc. discuss the impacts of #inflation on households and how it is playing a role in the short-term financial decisions we make.  Be sure to listen to the end when the group provides thoughtful insights on how to better manage your emotio...

Catholic Money Mastermind hosts Deb Meyer of WorthyNest® and Ben Martinek of Bona Fide Finance are joined by two very special guests today. Amanda and Jonathan Teixeira are the duo and happily married couple behind WalletWin, where they help everyday people create the life of their dreams by getting intentional with money. Additionally, the Teixeira’s share smart money principles from their first...