Crushing Debt

What in the heck does "Spaving" mean?  Should you buy the BOGO? Should you buy something just because it is on sale? Buy 3, get the fourth free - good deal or no? This is a week of returns for the Crushing Debt Podcast.  George is back after a one-week hiatus. And we welcome back a former sponsor - Magic Mind!  I'm sipping my Magic Mind as I post today's show. I drink it with my morning coffee and...

Do you enjoy paying taxes to the government? Do you want to keep more of your profit or gain from the sale of assets? Do you know the Tax Code Section, that has been in existence for a little more than 100 years to help (at first) farmers to defer gains on the sale of assets? This week's guest on the Crushing Debt Podcast is Dave Foster, a nationwide qualified intermediary for 1031 exchanges. Dave...

Can you spot a scam? Do you know when someone is trying to hack your accounts? Have you ever been a victim of fraud and how can you avoid it? This week's episode starts with a letter that Shawn received from the Social Security Administration. Shawn has been getting a lot of mail lately from the SSA because of benefits for his late wife. However, this letter was address to Shawn's son (red flag),...

This is a question I get quite often - "How much debt do I need to have in order to file bankruptcy?" The answer might surprise you - it depends! Are you self-employed? Have you had a drop in income? What type of debt do you have? Business debt? Medical? IRS? Typically, our answer is that you need to have more debt than you can repay over a reasonable period of time.  So someone with $30,000 in de...

What are the benefits of owning your commercial building? What are the drawbacks of owning your commercial building? Are you a small business owner, worried about how you're going to fit in your current lease space? Maybe it's too small, maybe it's too big, and maybe your space could provide an additional source of revenue to your business! Finally, what special milestone is the Crushing Debt Podc...

What factors make up your credit score? How does your score increase and decrease? What are some credit myths? What does FICO stand for? There are five factors that make up your credit score: Payment history (35%) Credit Utilization (30%) Length of Credit History (15%) Credit Mix (10%) New Credit (10%) In this week's episode, George and Shawn talk about your credit score, the way the five factors...

Where do you shop for everyday necessities? Can you save money by switching to an online shopping club? Can you save money by switching stores? Can you generate money by shopping? Can you use shopping to get out of debt? This week George and Shawn talk to Mark Roth with The Patriot Shopping Club. Mark works with the largest online shopping club in North America and can help you to save money and g...

How long would it take to pay off $141,000 in debt? How would you do it?  What would you do first? Is it okay to invest while still in debt? This week's guest is Amanda Sharratt.  Amanda and her husband found themselves in over $141,000 in debt from student loans, credit cards, and other obligations, and they PAID IT OFF in THREE YEARS!!  In this week's episode, we talk about how they got into deb...

Can you become debt free with just a few hundred dollars left at the end of the month? If you could eliminate the payment of interest, would that help you to be debt free? Would you want to be out of debt in five to ten years? How is the payment of debt more like a GPS than a paper map? This week, Shawn & George talk to Brian Nates and Tammy Gardner about the Money Max Account system of paying off...

What is the "Cash Stuffing" method? What is Home Equity Sharing, or a Home Equity Appreciation Agreement? Should you get a HELOC? How can you become a gazillionaire overnight? Are there any useful tips on Tik Tok? This week Shawn & George are reviewing advice from Tik Tok because, everything on the internet is true! In this week's episode, we play a clip from Tik Tok and then talk about whether th...

"Sign, sign, everywhere a sign." -Five Man Electrical Band What are the signs that you might need some financial help? What are some things to look for or listen for to determine whether you might want to talk to a financial coach? Signs that you might need to seek legal counsel? On this week's episode of the Crushing Debt Podcast, George and Shawn talk about the various signs that someone might n...

How does debt play a role in different ages and milestones? How do we minimize the negative impact of debt during each stage of our life? In there a difference in how debt during young adulthood, mid-life, and retirement? What is the average debt per person in the US, versus the average salary in the US (hint, visit www. USADebtClock.com )? In this week's episode, George and Shawn talk about the d...

Happy Spring Break! How did you spend your Spring Break? On this week's episode of The Crushing Debt Podcast, Shawn & George talk about: Vacation spending Vacation technology Reverse Mortgage issues When to start planning Housing rates & Interest rates Let us know if you enjoy this episode and, if so, please share it with your friends! Please also visit our sponsor, Sam Cohen of Attorneys First In...

What are some financial stressors out there? What triggers your financial stress? What is Surge Pricing?  Dynamic Pricing? In this week's episode, Shawn & George talk about the various things that can cause financial stress.  Situations like: bankruptcy & foreclosure, job loss, reduced work hours or income, lack of savings, debt, health care costs, separation or divorce, the loss of a spouse, taxe...

If you have adult kids living with you, do you charge them rent? If you are living with your parents, do you pay or contribute to household expenses? Do you support your friends or family financially? Are you a part of the sandwich generation? This week, George and Shawn tackle the topic of contributing to household expenses. Nearly 1/3 of 18 - 34 year olds are living at home with mom and dad, and...

Should you lease or buy? What happens when your lease is over? Should you buy out your lease?  Buy a new car?  Lease a new car?  Buy a pre-owned car? Shawn was recently faced with these questions when his lease was at the end of its term. Find out what Shawn did and some of the questions he faced in this week's episode of the Crushing Debt Podcast. Let us know if you enjoy this episode and, if so,...

Should your partner get a second job, when you both make over six-figures? Where was the world's first paper money created? What is the origin of the "greenback" nickname? What is the origin of the $ symbol for the US dollar? Each week, George and Shawn (mostly George) finds interesting articles on the internet discussing various topics, questions, advice or other information.  This week, it's a f...

What are the signs of financial anxiety? How does financial anxiety affect you? How can you handle financial anxiety? We apologize for the audio quality of last week's episode. Apparently, taking a month hiatus also impacted our recording equipment! That issue has been fixed, and the quality of Shawn's voice this week is all mother nature's fault.  George takes the lead this week, talking about fi...

After a one-month hiatus, we are back with new episodes of The Crushing Debt Podcast! Have you experienced any life changes recently? How did those changes impact your budget? Our apologies for our silence during the month of January. In this epsidoe, we explain our absence and how it relates to both the Podcast, our daily lives, budgets, debts, medical bills, and other issues related to major lif...

Welcome to the first episode of 2024 - which should have been the last of 2023 except for a technical glitch. Why is a wholistic approach to health insurance, life insurance and wealth building important? How can you create a healthy money mindset? George is solo this week, speaking with Paola Rodriguez, a wealth building and insurance expert. She is a proud native of Dominican Republic, a graduat...

Why are homeowner insurance premiums on the rise? What happened to the insurance market? What is reinsurance and how does it affect your premiums? On this week's episode, Shawn and George welcome back Rich Ficca, owner of Advanced Rick Consultants and Director of Risk Management for Florida Coastal and Aureat Group. Rich has been on four episodes previously: Episodes 221 and 220 - Business Interru...

Why do some people go broke? Better yet, how can someone avoid going broke? Or even better, if broke, how can someone dig theirself out of it? On today's episode, Shawn & George talk about the top 15 reasons why people may go broke, and how to avoid those things. Some of them are obvious - not making enough money, burying your head in the sand.  Some of them are not so obvious - penny wise and pou...

WOW!  Four Hundred Episodes! Who knew way back in 2015 that eight years later, we would be 400 episodes in! So what is the sleeping giant of the senior real estate world?  What is a HECM and can it be used to purchase a home? How can a HECM actually INCREASE the commission paid to an agent? How can a senior use the equity in their previous home to upsize or downsize into a new home? On this week's...

Looking back a few years, what trends did you see coming?  What trends did you miss? Looking forward a few years, what trends do you think are coming? In this week's episode, Shawn & George talk about financial trends that they see coming, including: Investing Marriage College Planning Side Hustles Crypto Digital or Virtual Money Finance Apps AI Loyalty Programs Judgments Do you think we're off on...

What do you talk about on Thanksgiving?  Typically, we try to avoid topics like politics and money at the Thanksgiving table, but it possible to talk about your investments while passing the gravy? In this week's episode, Shawn & George discuss some conversations starters that may appear taboo for the Thanksgiving table, but could result is some positive interactions with family, such as: Gratitud...