Check Your Balances

Dr. Terri Friedline is the author of Banking on a Revolution  and a professor at University of Michigan. She joins Ross and Dan to talk about underbanked and unbanked communities and structural reform that is needed in the banking system. To submit questions or topics for the show, email us at checkyourbalances@outlook.com ! Send us Fan Mail Send your questions for upcoming show to checkyourbalanc...

The blog post Go Big, Then Stop by Nick Maggiulli inspired Ross and Dan to think about advice they would give to their younger selves.  They reflect on the early days of their careers, the power of compounding, and the risks of faking it until you make it. Submit questions or feedback to the show using checkyourbalances@outlook.com ! Send us Fan Mail Send your questions for upcoming show to checky...

A mailbag episode, Ross and Dan read listener responses to how they'd spend lottery winnings and answer questions on net worth and 401(k) rollovers. There's a lot to unpack this week! Submit questions or feedback to the show using checkyourbalances@outlook.com ! Send us Fan Mail Send your questions for upcoming show to checkyourbalances@outlook.com @checkyourbalances on Instagram

We examine the math on how lottery payouts are actually made and then apply those same fundamentals to a much more likely scenario... pension planning! Check out this week's episode whether you're thinking about your pension or the Powerball. Receive a Check Your Balances mug by sending in great questions for the show at checkyourbalances@outlook.com (while supplies last!). Send us Fan M...

At the end of 2019 a major piece of tax legislation was signed into law.  The SECURE Act may have flown under the radar of many Americans as our focus quickly shifted towards a global pandemic.  On this episode Ross and Dan review some major provisions of the SECURE Act and what they might mean for you. E-mail us at checkyourbalances@outlook.com with your questions or feedback for the show! Send u...

How much cash is too much in your portfolio? Ross and Dan launch from a listener question into their theory about allocation bands and how you choose to treat risk in your portfolio. They also react to Malcom Gladwell's enthusiasm for self-driving cars. E-mail us at checkyourbalances@outlook.com with your questions or feedback for the show! Send us Fan Mail Send your questions for upcoming sh...

Kimberly Palmer, author of "Smart Mom, Rich Mom" and personal finance expert at NerdWallet, joins the show to talk about budgeting.  Ross and Dan have historically considered themselves "anti-budgeters", but Kimberly flips them by offering a simple and practical framework for regaining control of your spending. E-mail us your personal finance questions or topics at checkyourbal...

Ross and Dan ambitiously try to tackle life insurance, disability insurance, and long-term care insurance in a single episode. How to think about what you really need, and what products get sold in all the wrong ways. E-mail checkyourbalances@outlook.com to submit questions or feedback to the show! Send us Fan Mail Send your questions for upcoming show to checkyourbalances@outlook.com @checkyourba...

Ross and Dan answer a listener question on relocation, provide a helpful (free) resource for estimating your costs, and unpack what the bond market is currently telling us to expect in terms of inflation. Shoot us an email at checkyourbalances@outlook.com to let us know where you're thinking of relocating to in retirement or with other questions for the show! Send us Fan Mail Send your questi...

Ross and Dan compile a list of 10 of the most powerful concepts, mantras, and lessons they have learned about investing. Whether they help with your mindset, developing good habits, or combating a dangerous bias, we hope you take something positive from this week's show. Shoot an email to checkyourblaances@outlook.com to share your favorite investing lesson or a question you'd like Ross...

Dr. Michelle Fritsch, author of Preventative Maintenance for a High Mileage Life, joins the show to talk about health when making the transition into retirement. Her background as a pharmacist uncovered gaps that need addressing in the medical field that she is actively working to solve. Learn more about Michelle at retirewellness.com or email her at michelle@retirewellness.com . E-mail us your pe...

Ross and Dan weigh in on one of the biggest debates in the investing world: active versus passive investing.   E-mail us at checkyourbalances@outlook.com with questions for the show or anything you'd like us to weigh in on! Send us Fan Mail Send your questions for upcoming show to checkyourbalances@outlook.com @checkyourbalances on Instagram

A new Dalbar study suggests that investors with variable annuities did better in 2020. Ross and Dan unpack some of the possible reasons and discuss whether data like this  would alter our traditional thinking around retirement income. E-mail us at checkyourbalances@outlook.com  with questions for the show or anything you'd like us to weigh in on! Send us Fan Mail Send your questions for upcom...

Ross and Dan receive an email from a "listener" in need of assistance.  This spurs a conversation about common scams and some preventative measures people should be taking. Send us what you're excited to do with your free time to checkyourbalances@outlook.com or submit questions or topics you'd like to hear us cover on our show! Send us Fan Mail Send your questions for upcoming...

Could a new framework around what retirement means let you get to the fun stuff early? Ross and Dan discuss different ways to think about what retirement could be and what they learned in starting their business about financially preparing for mini-retirements. Send us what you're excited to do with your free time to  checkyourbalances@outlook.com  or submit questions or topics you'd lik...

How realistic are TV shows like Ballers and Entourage?  This week we invited Jordan Josephs to answer that question and more as he gives us a glimpse into his life.  Jordan has been named as one of Billboard's top business managers for 2021 and awarded Variety's "Business Manager Elite" title. Email us at checkyourbalances@outlook.com for questions or topics you want us to cove...

Taylor Swift is in the process of recording fresh versions of her first six studio albums.  She is doing this because she does not own the master recordings of those original tracks, and hopes to regain control of her music by creating new versions ("Taylor's Versions" as she calls them).  To learn more about Taylor Swift's efforts, and to more broadly explore intellectual prop...

Ross and Daniel discuss side hustles, offer their thoughts on rental real estate, and share why you should beware if you happen upon raccoons in your attic.   Email us at checkyourbalances@outlook.com to submit questions or topics for discussion on the show! Send us Fan Mail Send your questions for upcoming show to checkyourbalances@outlook.com @checkyourbalances on Instagram

Ross and Dan unpack some of the financial statements on a single deli that trades as a public company with an eye popping valuation, as well as review an incredibly prominent financial product that you may have in your 401(k) right now. Email us at checkyourbalances@outlook.com to submit questions or topics for discussion on the show! Send us Fan Mail Send your questions for upcoming show to check...

The "Credit Card Queen," as we appointed her, Sara Rathner from Nerd Wallet joins the show this week to talk all things credit cards! We also dive into the importance of bringing nuance to financial media. Email us at checkyourbalances@outlook.com for questions or topics you want us to cover on our show! Send us Fan Mail Send your questions for upcoming show to checkyourbalances@outlook....

We are thrilled to welcome Together We Bake to our show to share some of the great work they are doing in the Northern Virginia community to support women in the area. We also kick off financial literacy month with some shortcuts for math and quick tips that we use as planners. Email us at checkyourbalances@outlook.com with questions or ideas that you want us to share on the show! Send us Fan Mail...

The founders of Crooked Crab Brewing join our show to tell the story of how three friends put their combined skills together to create an award winning up-and-comer of a craft brewery. Email us at checkyourbalances@outlook.com  if you've got feedback, finance questions, or topics you want to hear us cover! Send us Fan Mail Send your questions for upcoming show to checkyourbalances@outlook.com...

The language of investing is constantly changing - are you keeping up to date? Join Ross and Dan as they explore a few acronyms showing up more frequently in the world of finance. Be sure to stick around until the end for their rapid fire "meme-talk" round. E-mail us at checkyourbalances@outlook.com to submit your questions for the show! Send us Fan Mail Send your questions for upcoming...

It has been shown that people hate losing money about twice as much more than they like making it.  How does that translate to the way you look at your portfolio during turbulent markets?  Ross and Dan discuss their philosophy on managing the downside in this week's show.  E-mail us at checkyourbalances@outlook.com to submit your questions for the show! Send us Fan Mail Send your questions fo...

Is the Roth IRA for you? When should you file Social Security? When does it make sense to accelerate your taxable income? Ross and Dan talk through three common planning issues in this week's show. E-mail us at checkyourbalances@outlook.com to submit your questions for the show! Send us Fan Mail Send your questions for upcoming show to checkyourbalances@outlook.com @checkyourbalances on Insta...