Jill on Money with Jill Schlesinger

Surprise, surprise...it's a BONUS call on a Saturday! Since we haven't had any calls on the last few episodes, we thought we'd throw you guys a bone :) So sit back and enjoy our chat with Rod about whether or not he should pay off his mortgage. Better Off is sponsored by Betterment. Please let us know what you think by leaving a rating or review in iTunes. Connect with me at these places for all m...

We all fall into at least one of four personality categories: We’re either Upholders, Questioners, Obligers or Rebels, according to our guest Gretchen Rubin. Her latest book, The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How to Make Your Life Better, is already a bestseller. Rubin says that understanding which category defines you, can transform what you do at home, at wo...

Imagine that you have a very cheap mortgage but the rate is adjustable and not fixed. Also imagine that you have the cashflow to lock it in. Should you do it? That's the scenario on the latest BONUS call as we're chatting with Matt in Pennsylvania. Better Off is sponsored by Betterment. Please let us know what you think by leaving a rating or review in iTunes. Connect with me at these places for a...

Maybe I’m dating myself, but there was a time that whenever I would hear the “Big Four,” I would always think of the big four accounting firms...Ernst & Young, KPMG, Deloitte and PwC. Well, it’s now 2017, and the new, much bigger, Big Four are Facebook, Amazon, Google and Apple. Given their outsized share of the marketplace, not to mention our lives, are these companies monopolizing our lives...

This week on the BONUS call it's Chipper from Atlanta with the age-old question of renting vs. buying. There is no rule that says it's always better to own. For some, renting can be a better long-term option. Chipper, currently a renter who despises debt, is wondering if he can make more in the stock market instead of tying up his cash in a house? Good question! Better Off is sponsored by Betterme...

Ask some Wall Street veterans where they were on October 19, 1987 and they will likely regale you with details of any crisis. My life changed that day in ways that often creep up on me. Indeed, Black Monday was the single worst day in Wall Street history, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunging by more than 22 percent in one session--that’s the equivalent of the blue chip index diving by mo...

Does having a job with a great pension mean you should stay there no matter what? That's what Nathan from Upstate New York is trying to decide. Nathan has a solid job with an awesome pension but was recently offered a new job without a pension. As I like to say, money makes life easier, but doesn't guarantee happiness. Better Off is sponsored by Betterment. Please let us know what you think by lea...

How many of you were impacted by the recent Equifax data breach? I was, Mark was, and considering 145.5 million other Americans were impacted, I’m going to guess that includes many of you too. Now that the news is out, heads have rolled (CEO Richard Smith has stepped down), Congressional hearings have taken place, where do things stand? More importantly, what should you do? Who should you trust? I...

Nowadays it's becoming more and more common for employers to offer a traditional 401(k) as well as a Roth 401(k). Our BONUS caller today, Andrea from Minnesota, has both options and is wondering which one she should use? Or should she use both? Have a finance question? We want to hear from you! Email us at askjill@betteroffpodcast.com and we'll arrange to get you on. Don't forget, a brand new epis...

So often on this podcast, and on my radio show, we field questions from recent grads with insane amounts of student loan debt. Sometimes it’s enough debt to wreck a life. There’s enough blame to go around, but so often it’s a case of students feeling the pressure to go to fancy, high priced colleges to study what seems like an obscure major. But before you think that I am about to argue that every...

I love when we get calls from young people, and that's the case on the latest BONUS call with Ruth from Cleveland. Ruth, just 24 years old, is already a great saver but she's wondering if there's a better alternative to a plain old savings account? Have a finance question? We want to hear from you! Email us at askjill@betteroffpodcast.com and we'll arrange to get you on. Don't forget, a brand new...

How many of you rode an elevator today? Or Googled something? Or use index funds in your financial lives? I’m going to guess all of you did at least one of those things.  I’m also going to guess that you probably didn’t realize that those three things are among the 50 inventions that shaped the modern economy. That’s according to the list compiled by BBC and Financial Times journalist Tim Harford,...

This week on the BONUS call we've got Samantha from North Carolina. Samantha, who is currently in grad school at Duke University, will be entering the real world in May of 2018 and wants to know what steps she should take to immediately pay off her student loans. The good news is that Samantha had some soccer scholarships along the way so the damage isn't too severe. Have a finance question? We wa...

As you’ll recall, we did our fair share of explaining why Wall Street matters, on the episode featuring Bill Cohan. Today we’re doing a 180 with financial journalist and author Rana Foroohar.  Rana’s book, Maker and Takers: How Wall Street Destroyed Main Street, doesn’t exactly paint our economic system in the best light.   The book, just released in paperback, explores how the misguided financial...

This week we have our longest BONUS call yet from Chris in Minnesota. Why was it on the longer side? Because Chris had some questions about the tricky world of life insurance products. Chris is currently using a product to save for college education and wanted to know if he should keep on doing what he's doing or if it's time to mix things up. Have a finance question? We want to hear from you! Ema...

It’s September and by now, the kids are back to school. Not surprisingly, I used to love this time of year. What can I say...you guys know I’m a total geek. Whether you’re sending your little ones off for the first time or your kid is entering the final chapter of high school, the most expensive part of their education is yet to come! I know, I’m such a Debbie Downer. But the cost of college is no...

This week on the BONUS call we're going to Bend, Oregon where we received a real estate question from Neil. Only 25 years old, Neil is wondering if it makes sense for him to buy a house. Because the housing market is hot where he lives, he's worried he'll be priced out if he waits much longer. Have a finance question? We want to hear from you! Email us at askjill@betteroffpodcast.com and we'll arr...

This week on the Better Off podcast it’s yet another example of my geekiness. I love math and statistics...but I am nothing compared to the brilliant Cathy O’Neil. I have been a fan girl of Cathy’s since discovering her blog, mathbabe.org and then hearing her on the Slate Money podcast. Cathy, whose New York Times bestselling book Weapons of Math Destruction is now out in paperback, is the ultimat...

I loved this latest BONUS call from Brianne in Oakland, CA. Brianne wasn't looking to help herself...instead she got in touch with us because she wants to help her parents. For the last several years she has been trying to help them get their financial lives in order. Although she has made progress, there's still a lot of work to do. After this call I'm ready to give Brianne the "Daughter of the Y...

I’m going to let you guys in on a little secret.  I’m a total nerd when it comes to the brain and behavior. Why we choose to do the things we do or behave in certain ways has always fascinated me.   So a few months ago when today’s guest, Friederike Fabritius, was in town from Germany, I jumped at the chance to interview her.   Friederike is a leading expert in the field of Neuroleadership. In oth...

This week on the BONUS call we're going to the beautiful Pacific Northwest to chat with Diane from Portland, Oregon. Diane and her husband, in their early 40s, have some considerable assets and are now wondering if it's worth paying a fee to meet with a financial advisor. Have a finance question? We want to hear from you! Email us at askjill@betteroffpodcast.com and we'll arrange to get you on. Do...

I’ve been in the podcasting world for a few years now and one thing I’ve discovered is that the podcasting world really is like a small fraternity/sorority where hosts form bonds and even appear on each other’s shows. We’re no different. And this week we’re doing it again with Joe Saul-Sehy, host of the Stacking Benjamins podcast. I’ve been a guest on Joe’s pod so I figured it was time to return t...

This week on the BONUS call we've got Ari from New York City. Ari, a physician, has been accumulating assets for several years and recently realized that the bulk of his money is in stocks. Now Ari is thinking his portfolio should be more balanced but he's worried about the tax hit if he starts moving things around. Have a finance question? We want to hear from you! Email us at askjill@betteroffpo...

It’s hard to believe that we’re coming up on the ninth anniversary of the financial crisis that contributed to the Great Recession. What’s frustrating and mystifying is how many people, or lack thereof, actually faced the music for contributing to the debacle. The anemic response from the Department of Justice sparked today’s guest, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Jesse Eisinger, to write The Ch...

This week on the BONUS call it's yet again the all too familiar question about heavy, heavy student loan debt. This time it was Alida in Florida looking for some advice as to how she and her husband can attack roughly 200k in loans. Even though that is a serious amount of debt, I have a pretty good feeling about these guys. Have a finance question? We want to hear from you! Email us at askjill@bet...