Meaning Over Money

There's a new crisis brewing with student loan debt. Amidst the recent pause (and potential unraveling) of the Federal government's student loan forgiveness program, many Americans are receiving student loan refund checks. As a result, they are unknowingly putting themselves back into student loan debt. This is a tragedy waiting to happen. In today's episode, host Travis Shelton explai...

We all have things in our life we're experts in. We have insights, knowledge, skills, and a number of other things that give us expertise in various areas of life. Then, there are our blind spots. The things we don't know. However, most of us don't necessarily know what some of our blind spots are.....for one specific reason. We don't know what we don't know. We don't know...

When it comes to our spending habits, we like to spend money on good things. And if spending a certain amount on that good thing is good, then spending even more is surely better, right?  In today's episode, host Travis Shelton discusses the law of diminishing returns and why/how we unknowingly sabotage our finances and enjoyment of good things because of it. If thought about intentionally, an...

The desire for perfection is oftentimes our biggest enemy. In today's (fully raw and unedited) episode, we discuss the risk, ramifications, tragedy, and opportunity cost of the pursuit of perfection. The idea that done is better than perfect is the only reason this podcast exists. If it were up to host Travis Shelton and his perfectionist ways, we'd still be thinking about maybe someday st...

As the year comes to a close, Cole and Travis sit down to reflect on 2022, look ahead to 2023, and discuss the idea of goals. We hope you enjoy! If you have questions or would like to connect with us outside of the podcast, here's where you can find us: Podcast website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.travisshelton.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   Daily Blog: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠...

Whoa! This is our 106th episode of the year. With 2023 quickly approaching, we thought it would be fun to dive into the analytics and see what our most downloaded/played episodes were this year. In today's episode, Meaning Over Money Co-Founder Cole Netten joins Travis to discuss our top 10 episodes. We also share the top 5 troll moments of the year.  Top 10 Most Downloaded Episodes of 2022: 1...

What would you do if you won the lottery? It's a hypothetical question that has deep ramifications depending on your answer. In today's episode, host Travis Shelton discusses this idea and why we should seriously consider our answer. We believe it's a tell to a much bigger issue, and one that's very much relevant in our lives.  The question may be theoretical, but the implications...

Do you see yourself as a creative person? Many people don't. However, creativity comes in many forms. Some people create art, and others content. Some people create businesses, and others something entirely different. In today's episode, host Travis Shelton explains how each person has something to offer the world, and the importance of pushing it into the world. When we do, we benefit.......

In our opinion, one of the trends we dislike the most in the personal finance space is the celebration and encouragement of selfish hoarding. By selfish hoarding, we are referring to the people who save a very high percentage of their income. Saving in and of itself certainly isn't bad, but it comes at a cost: generosity and enjoyment. In today's episode, host Travis Shelton discusses the...

In today's episode, host Travis Shelton discusses a phenomenon he's seeing more and more these days. Many small business owners are carving their niche and finding success, while at the same time not always getting support from the people they'd expect to support them most. This is an interesting dynamic, and one worth discussing. We think it comes down to one key thing: jealousy. Some...

When we have goals, whether they are financial, fitness, spiritual, career, or something else, we focus on the outcome......the destination. Yes, the destination is important. However, we believe the journey is even more important than the destination. In today's episode, host Travis Shelton discusses why the journey is so important and how we often rob ourselves of something important by dwel...

It's inevitable. At some point, we're going to mess up our finances. It happens.....life happens. When that moment comes, it's a fork in the road. In today's episode, host Travis Shelton explains how we can/should approach our finances in the aftermath of a screw-up. It doesn't have to be the end of the world. If done well, we can turn a fiery car crash into a mere bump in the...

As life unfolds and we experience new and unique things, our perspectives change. In many ways, we become wiser over time as we gain the benefit of hindsight, relationships, experience, and new skills. Most of us look back on our earlier years and wish we knew then what we know now. In today's episode, host Travis Shelton shares ten things we wish we knew when we were 21. This idea stemmed fro...

We're commonly taught to dream out our specific goals, then work, work, work to achieve them. This isn't inherently bad, but it can also lead us down the road of being inflexible. What if something changes and those original goals aren't the best path forward? When we lock in so hard on something, it can be difficult to deviate from that plan. In today's episode, host Travis Shelto...

We as a culture tend to draw a hard line between needs and wants. If it's a need, we should buy it. If it's a want, we shouldn't. We make it black and white and we try to demonize want spending. In today's episode, host Travis Shelton explains why he believes this narrative can be toxic in our financial lives. Needs are ok, but it's also not always so black and white. When we a...

This is the best time of the year.....and perhaps the most stressful time as well. Gifts, travel, food, hosting.....it all adds up. It's all too common for people to experience the holidays with a layer of stress, then get hit with a financial hangover for the weeks and months to follow. In today's episode, host Travis Shelton explains how we can better prepare financially for Christmas. T...

Do you scroll past ad after ad after ad while scrolling through social media? More importantly, do you ever see something and think to yourself, "wow, that's really cool! I should buy it!"? Me, too! This was a recent debate in our office, where Cole asked if we could do an episode about how to stop buying from social media ads. In a twist, this episode is about why we shouldn't s...

People in the personal financial space are obsessed with high-yield savings accounts. First, there's nothing wrong with them. We've been using them for nearly two decades and there's a place for them in our financial lives. But the current narrative around them has a few danger zones we need to be mindful of. In today's episode, host Travis Shelton attempts to fill in the gaps not...

What goes through your mind when you're about to leave on vacation? The answer to this question can be a tell when it comes to your work/career. Vacations are awesome, but they mean different things to different people.  In today's episode, host Travis Shelton discusses how our perspective of vacation can tell us a lot about our work.....and what (if anything) we should do about it. If you...

Hard to believe the year is quickly coming to a close. The weather starts turning, basketball is starting, and the holiday season is upon us. It's also a great time to start thinking about getting our finances in order for the coming year. Just a few key decisions and simple actions can make all the difference in the world. In today's episode, host Travis Shelton shares 10 things we should...

As a culture, we're taught to make whatever decision is best for us. The most profitable decision, the most comfortable decision, or the most promising decision. On the surface, this sounds practical and appropriate.  However, it can easily lead us down a road where our decisions are at the expense of doing the right thing, honoring others, and being ethical/moral. In today's episode, host...

We all make mistakes....it's inevitable. We've made them in the past and we'll surely make them in the future. But all mistakes are not created equal. Some mistakes hurt us for an instant, then we move on. Other types of mistakes will haunt us for months or years to come. In today's episode, host Travis Shelton discusses this through the lens of our finances and why it's so imp...

The first step to making a move is knowing we need to make a move. But when that light bulb goes off, that's when it starts to get scary. A career transition can be terrifying and uncertain. In today's episode, host Travis Shelton discusses some key things you can do to help move from where you are today to where you need/want to be tomorrow. It's not easy, but it can be simpler than w...

We're back for the second episode of Behind the Meaning, the show behind the show where we have no idea what we're doing. In this episode, we talk about listener feedback, our desire to be authentic and genuine, our favorite podcasts not named Meaning Over Money, how we create content and stay on schedule (or not), and the possibility of bringing in more guests in the future.   If you have...

Statistics show most Americans are significantly behind pace when it comes to preparing for retirement. There are a lot of reasons for this phenomenon. Today, we're going to discuss one of the big contributing factors. We humans tend to grossly underestimate how much we'll need to one day retire. In a lot of ways, this makes sense. A lot of money is a lot of money, so it can be difficult t...