Growing Money with Sean Trace

I sat down with financial planner Taylor Stewart to do something nobody asked for but everyone needed: break down the financial disasters of Dumb and Dumber and find out why Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne might actually be the most relatable money story ever put on screen.  We kicked things off with the IOU suitcase scene, which honestly hits different when you realize it's just a funnier ve...

In this episode of Growing Money with Sean Trace, I sit down with Colin Page, a CFP and flat-fee retirement planning advisor based in Charlottesville, Virginia, whose path into the financial world is anything but conventional. Colin brings a perspective on money that you genuinely do not hear anywhere else, and the insight he walked away with after years on the inside of professional investing com...

Most people don’t stay broke because of coffee.  They stay broke because nobody ever taught them how money actually works. In this episode of Growing Money with Sean Trace, Sean breaks down practical, real-world strategies to help you save more money, even when life feels expensive and overwhelming. We talk about:  Why automating savings changes everything   How “pay yourself first” rewires your m...

I sat down with Brendan O'Rourke, Managing Partner at Greenway Financial Advisors, and this conversation is one of those that quietly shifts the way you think about money. Brendan works primarily with retirees and pre-retirees, and the wisdom he's gathered from sitting across from hundreds of families comes through in every answer he gives. We got into why so many people feel financially...

I sat down with Geoff Bruskin, founder of White Tiger Connections, to break down one of the most overlooked wealth-building tools available to business owners - mergers and acquisitions. Geoff specializes in M&A advisory, recruiting, and management consulting for professional services firms. We get into what mergers and acquisitions actually mean in plain terms, why your business valuation can...

In this episode of Growing Money with Sean Trace , I sit down with Demonay Moss from Rooted Financial Coaching for a powerful conversation about faith, finance, financial stability, and building a legacy that actually lasts. We talk about why so many people work hard but still feel trapped living paycheck to paycheck, how survival mode affects the way we spend, save, and make decisions, and why cr...

I sat down with Skee Orr, fee-only fiduciary and co-founder of Kinetic Wealth in Knoxville, Tennessee, and this conversation shifted something for me.  We grew up in similar places - Western North Carolina, not a lot of money, not a lot of financial guidance, and that shared background made this one feel real. Skee breaks down what it actually means to be a steward of your money, why fee-only fina...

I sat down with Erin Botsford and her story completely reframed how I think about money, resilience, and building something that actually lasts.  From losing everything early on to building and selling a seven-figure firm, this conversation breaks down why most people stay stuck doing everything themselves and how real freedom comes from systems, people, and thinking long-term.  What would your li...

In this episode of Growing Money with Sean Trace, I sat down with Rand Selig - investment banker turned author of Thriving: How to Create a Healthier, Happier and More Prosperous Life - for one of the most honest conversations I've had about money, meaning, and what we're really chasing.  Rand spent decades at the highest levels of finance, helping people build serious wealth, and what h...

I sat down with certified financial planner Jeffrey Panik - 26 years in the industry, former Army officer, and author, to talk about the personal finance education most of us never received and what to actually do about it.  We get into why financial literacy is still missing from most school curriculums, why high earners can feel just as stressed about money as someone starting out, and why the a...

In this episode, I sat down with Zee Barfoot to unpack one of the toughest lessons in entrepreneurship: just because you can do everything doesn’t mean you should . We get into the real difference between owning a business and just owning a high-stress job, and why so many skilled technicians struggle when they step into the founder role without the systems or support to match.  We talk about how...

I sat down with Vince Hockett, president of XY Planning Network, to unpack why so many people feel anxious about money and how independent financial planners are flipping that script.  We talked about why you don’t need to be wealthy to get real financial advice, how your relationship with money starts earlier than you think, and why finding someone who actually understands your life can completel...

In this episode, I sat down with Maya Middlemiss, founder of Remote Work Europe, to talk about why remote work is much bigger than just working from home. We got into how location independence can reshape not only your income, but also your lifestyle, your time, your energy, and the kind of life you are actually able to build.  We talked about the future of remote work, digital nomad life, hybrid...

This episode got personal in the best way.  Talking with Daniel Yerger, I kept coming back to this idea that nobody actually wants money for the sake of money. What we really want is the life it allows us to live. We broke down why financial anxiety often has nothing to do with numbers and everything to do with deeper fears, and why even people who “have enough” still struggle to feel secure. The...

In this episode of Growing Money with Sean Trace , I sit down with repeat guest Hamilton Brandenburg to talk about one of the biggest mindset shifts around wealth, retirement, and fulfillment: money can reduce stress, but it cannot create purpose.  We get into why more income does not automatically fix bad habits, broken relationships, insecurity, or the need for validation, and why so much financ...

Most people grow up learning algebra, history, and science… but almost nothing about money. In this episode of Growing Money, I went back to my hometown in Napa Valley and started thinking about where my own understanding of money really came from, and what actually matters. Because the truth is, money isn’t just about numbers. It’s about habits, mindset, and the “seeds” you plant over time. We ta...

Starting a business often feels like a far-fetched dream until you're actually in the trenches dealing with CRMs and cash flow runways.  In this conversation, Brock Buckles joins me to pull back the curtain on the "glamorized" version of entrepreneurship seen on shows like Shark Tank. We dive deep into the reality of the "art of the pivot" - from launching a business right...

In this episode of Growing Money, I sit down with Brian Feroldi to break down investing in a way that actually makes sense.  We talk about why so many people feel overwhelmed by the stock market, how to stop seeing stocks as random letters on a screen, and why the real key is understanding the business behind the ticker. Brian shares how he teaches people to read financial statements, spot red fla...

I sat down with financial relationship and wealth building coach Dee Zimmerman to get into something nobody talks about honestly - why couples can't seem to get on the same page about money, and what it actually takes to fix it.  Dee breaks down how we each carry these deeply ingrained money scripts from childhood that quietly drive every financial decision we make, and how when two people wi...

In this episode, I sit down with CFP and registered life planner Lillian Turner to talk about the deeper side of money, from financial literacy and money trauma to debt, happiness, values, and what it really means to build wealth.  We get into why so many people think they are bad with money when they were simply never taught, how coaching and financial planning can work together, and why true fin...

In this episode, I sit down with financial educator Sarah Brady to break down one of the biggest questions people face with money: should you pay off debt or start investing? What we uncover goes way deeper than numbers.  We talk about how most people never learn basic financial principles, why high-interest debt quietly destroys your wealth, and how emotional habits like guilt, fear, and avoidanc...

In this episode, I sat down with Albania Espinal to talk about a side of money that does not get enough attention: how to build a financial life that actually feels good while still preparing for the future.  We got into why so many people are taught to obsess over retirement without thinking about what brings them joy right now, how financial stress often comes from avoidance and emotional patter...

In this episode of Growing Money with Sean Trace , I sit down with returning guest David Houston, financial coach, speaker, and small business consultant, to talk about the real money habits that shape our lives long before wealth ever shows up.  We get into why so many young people still make the same financial mistakes, how social media and broke advice keep people stuck, and why knowing where y...

In this episode, I sit down with Drew Boyer, CFP and founder of Boyer Financial Group, to talk about the powerful connection between music, money, fatherhood, and what real wealth actually means.  We dive into how Drew went from being a drummer to becoming a financial advisor, why rhythm and repetition matter in personal finance, and how good habits shape everything from saving money to raising re...

In this episode of Growing Money with Sean Trace, I sit down with financial and career coach David Gibbs for a real conversation about money habits, debt, budgeting, financial literacy, behavior change, and why so many people stay stuck even when they want better for themselves and their families.  We get into why I started this podcast, how trying to teach my daughter about money pushed me to get...