Marriage Kids and Money: Personal Finance for Families

Wouldn't it be awesome to only have a 3-day workweek? Well, a debt-free Coast FIRE life can provide that for a lot of families. I share 3-day workweek ideas to consider for those who are pursuing that Coast FIRE lifestyle. COAST FIRE FAMILY SEGMENT: Lauren Boland from Virginia, shares how she and her wife achieved Coast FIRE in their early 40s. We discuss how this huge investing milestone of $1.7...

In today’s Marriage Kids And Money episode, Manisha Thakor, 30-year finance industry veteran and founder of MoneyZen, a company focused on “empowering women to achieve financial wellbeing,” joins us to discuss why society thinks more is always the answer to our financial problems, the toxic “honor” of being busy, and the “never enough” cult. We also discuss identifying how trauma informs your perc...

In today’s episode, I go over 8 simple steps to creating an effective and lasting budget for your family. 2 in 3 households don’t keep a budget! If you’re part of this statistic, this episode is FOR YOU! I go over how to celebrate your financial wins, what categories you may want to include in your budget, what easy budgeting tools to use, and more! FINTECH SPOTLIGHT SEGMENT:  Marty Evans from our...

Student loan payments are resuming after a three-year hiatus. Ever since news of the ending student loan payment pause, there have been rumblings on the internet: “I’m not paying my student loan anymore. I’m forgiving them myself.”  While most of these comments are made in jest, what would actually happen if you just… stopped paying your student loan debt?   We’re joined by Robert Farrington, Mill...

In today’s episode, I answer the age-old question: “Should you pay off your mortgage or invest?”  I go over the exact steps my family took to pay off our mortgage and build up a significant investment portfolio that allowed us to reach Coast FIRE and transition to part-time employment. I also discuss the benefits of couples therapy, resting when you need to, and prioritizing living in the present....

Does your job feel like your entire identity? Do you struggle with work/life balance? Today we’re joined by Simone Stolzoff, author, designer, and workplace expert, to discuss how and why American’s careers have become central to our identities and how we can start to separate the two.  We talk about the marriage of productivity and worth in our culture, why you need to diversify your identity and...

In today’s “Best of Marriage Kids And Money” episode, Brian Preston, CPA, CFP®, PFS, founder of Abound Wealth Management, and host of The Money Guy Show, joins us to discuss why you shouldn't pay off your mortgage early!  We talk about what you should do before you consider paying off your house, the importance of investing (especially in your youth), and a financial order of operations that makes...

Are there actually financial advantages to getting married? What about negatives? Today we’re joined by Jesse Cramer, content creator, host of award-winning podcast The Best Interest, and Associate Relationship Manager at Cobblestone Capital Advisors, a fiduciary wealth management firm, to discuss the legal and financial bond that is modern-day marriage. We talk about how to decrease financial con...

When you’re starting out on your debt free journey it can be overwhelming deciding which debt payoff method to choose. In today’s episode, I chat with you about the two most popular debt payoff methods, the Debt Snowball Method and the Debt Avalanche Method. We talk about which one is right for you, debt consolidation pros and cons, and why 0% APR credit cards may be a strategy to consider (with c...

Author, Professor, and Zen Priest, Dr. Robert Waldinger, joins us to discuss the concept of money and happiness.  Dr. Waldinger is a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, where he is Director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, the longest scientific study of happiness ever conducted.  We discuss how relationships and physical health affect ha...

401k matching is an investing option that is often overlooked, but it can be a powerful tool in building long-term wealth. In today’s episode, I chat with you about how maxing out my 401k over six years propelled me to more financial success and security.  While maxing out my 401k wasn't absolutely necessary to meet our family financial goals, it has allowed me to relax more, work less and rest ea...

In today’s “Best of Marriage Kids And Money” episode, Faith and Leo Jean-Louis, join us to discuss how they paid off over $200,000 of debt.  We talk about the importance of your "why" on your financial freedom journey, the sacrifices they made to make debt freedom happen, tools to build generational wealth, and why you need to prioritize earning compound interest instead of paying it! RESOURCES: S...

In today’s episode of Marriage Kids and Money, Damian Dunn, VP of advice of Your Money Line, the financial help line serving Pete the Planner® and Certified Financial Planner™, joins us to discuss saving for your child’s student loan debt-free future.  We talk about the pros and cons of state sponsored 529 plans, the new details outlined in the Secure Act 2.0, and tax advantages of different colle...

Investing can do wonders if you have time and patience on your side. I’ve seen this firsthand with investing for my kids over the past decade. Here are 5 lessons I’ve learned from investing for our kids over the last decade. Second, our Coast FIRE segment will feature Kyra and Danielle from the ScrunchyFI Podcast! Last, my son Calvin is back for another Good Word! SHOW RESOURCES **Sponsors + Partn...

Are you dealing with a money imbalance in your relationship? Erin Lowry, Author of the Broke Millennial Series, shares how to navigate the tensions and difficulties that can come when one spouse earns or spends more than the other. RESOURCES Sponsors + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Broke Millennial Books: https://amzn.to/42nZRJT (affiliate link) Broke Millennial (...

Technology has done a lot of wonderful things for us over the last decade. Tasks that were once extremely time-consuming or monotonous are now a lot more simple. On the flip side, we can become extremely distracted by technology and it can keep us from focusing on what matters most. And for me, that’s family. In this BEST OF MKM episode from 2022, Author Nir Eyal, shares how parents, like me, can...

Can you disagree financially in marriage and still become a millionaire couple? Well, I'm excited to introduce to Ericka Young and Chris Young ... because that description fits them perfectly! Also, we're back with our Net Worth Win segment. We're featuring Lawrence Delva-Gonzalez from the Financial Griot Podcast. He's sharing how he grew his net worth by $500k in just 3 years! RESOURCES **Sponsor...

Unconditional love is love no matter what.  But in marriage, aren't there conditions where your love fades? Or not? In this Bread & Wine episode, Andy and Nicole discuss if love in marriage can be unconditional or not.   MKM RESOURCES **Sponsors + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Nicole's Rubik's Cube: https://amzn.to/3qLmQ4n (affiliate link) Leave a Review: Apple Po...

What is my purpose? And am I really pursuing that purpose to the best of my ability? To help us answer these difficult questions, I’ve invited John Strelecky on the show today. John is the #1 Bestselling inspirational author of many books including one that I recently loved called The Cafe on the Edge of the World RESOURCES Sponsors + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors...

As parents, it is our responsibility to raise financially responsible and independent kids. Chores at home can help with that mission. Here's why I like chores and how parents can get started! Second, our Fintech Spotlight segment features Monarch Money's Natalie Taylor who shares the importance of financial planning for couples. Last, Zoey is back for another money quiz! We're talking chores, you...

Why do marriages fail? More importantly, how can we prevent our marriages from failing? In this BEST OF MKM episode from 2020, CEO of Marriage Helper, Kimberly Holmes, shares the top 3 reasons marriages end. Also, she gives practical tips on how we can make our marriages the best they can be. RESOURCES **Sponsors + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors Marriage Helper (We...

We just bought a brand-new car! Now before you take away my personal finance card, hear me out. In today's episode, I share how and why we bought this new car and why I don't regret it for a minute. Second, we're hosting Jade Warshaw from Ramsey Solutions. She shares how she and her husband Sam paid off nearly $500k in debt in 10 years! Last but not least, Calvin is back with another Good Word! We...

How can we take back our time? And how can we work this magic while being married with kids? To help us answer this difficult question, I’ve invited Author and Decluttering Expert Tracy McCubbin on the show today. RESOURCES ** Sponsors + Partners + Deals: https://www.marriagekidsandmoney.com/sponsors ** Tracy McCubbin (Website): https://www.dclutterfly.com/ Make Space for Happiness (Book): https:/...

With multiple high-profile banks failing as of late, a lot of people are wondering … “Is My Bank Going to Fail?” or more importantly, “Is My Money Safe?” Big questions like this are always better with really smart friends so I thought I’d answer this one with former financial analyst, Meghan Rabuse! Also, Emily and James Lowery manage Airbnbs remotely … while traveling the world together! Today, w...

Few topics leave people in the personal finance community more divided than the subject of joint bank accounts. In this episode, we discuss the pros and cons of joint bank accounts. Use these benefits and drawbacks to help you make the money moves that are right for you and your partner. Also, for our Be the Change segment, we're featuring Sherifah Munis from Newwave Foundation. She's going to sha...