Radical Personal Finance

I received a question from a listner which I decided to answer for you on today's show: Joshua: So, this is a "fun question" that everyone loves to fantasize about. I hope it will be fun for you to answer, but it could have a really boring answer, but I'm sure you'll surprise me somehow!  What would you do if you won the lottery? As a financial planner, what advice would you give to a client who h...

Today, I have a tightly focused show for you with a few key points from the CFP® Board curriculum. You will need this information on the CFP® Board exam and it will be useful for you as an individual. First, I share with you how to choose between needing a 3-month emergency fund and a 6-month emergency fund. Next, I share with you the manageable percentages of your income which you can allocate to...

Today, I'm cleaning out the voicemail inbox for my Friday Q&A show. Here are the questions for today: What strategies for student loan payoff did I forget last week? How do we help our young kids without enabling them? Thoughts on consolidating retirement accounts. What are the limits on retirement accounts for a stay-at-home spouse? Thoughts on various retirement income distribution strategies. D...

How much do you spend each year on fuel costs for your car? What is your current mileage per gallon? Before you rush out and buy a new hybrid to save money on gas, consider improving your driving techniques. It doesn't cost you anything except attention and focus and it can make a substantial difference. As an example, check out this guy  who got his 3/4 ton pickup truck from an EPA estimate of 15...

Today, we finish out the 3-part series on preparing for layoffs in the coming recession. Today's show will be useful to you, even if you just got notice of your layoff and didn't do anything to prepare for it beforehand. The major theme of today's show is that you need to take appropriate action with appropriate speed. If you're stuck with little savings and no preparation, that means take massive...

Yesterday, we talked about ways to avoid losing your job in the coming recession. But obviously there are factors beyond your control which might result in your being laid off, even though you've done everything "right." So, you need a backup plan. Don't wait and wonder what you'll do. Make a simple plan now for what you'll do. Think about some different scenarios and play some mental games with y...

For most of us, our jobs are the economic engine that drive every aspect of our financial plan. One of the worst things that can happen is to lose a job. If the engine on your car dies, you're going to be stuck by the side of the road for a while. That's not pleasant for anyone, even if you're stuck in a safe area. But, if you're driving up a mountain (paying off debt and digging yourself out of a...

Today, I handle these four questions: 3:02 Joshua, I just started listening to your show and I've learned a lot already. I originally started listening because I have an interest in one day becoming a personal finance consultant, but that's a long way off, for now I just need help with a crazy student loan issue! I am currently paying almost $600 a month for a $102k student loan at 7%, couple of k...

Today we dig into the topic of trading stocks. And who better to speak with than the guy who started a "university" to teach the subject? My guest today is Steve Burns, founder of www. NewTraderU.com .  Here's some background about Steve, directly from his About page :  "After a lifelong fascination with financial markets, Steve Burns started investing in 1993, and trading his own accounts in 1995...

Today we continue our life insurance series dig into the topic of term life insurance. Term life insurance is an incredible financial product and extremely useful. It also has some options that are not commonly understood or explored. We discuss: What is term life insurance useful for? Normal life insurance policy designs: level term insurance annual renewable term insurance decreasing term insura...

I'm not able to record and release a show for you today so I'm releasing an interview that I gave on the Work Strong America podcast with Rick Seigmund. This interview was originally released on Rick's show on February 4, 2015. Enjoy the show! Joshua Links: Rick's Work Strong America site:  http://workstrongamerica.com The original post of this interview on Rick's site:  http://workstrongamerica.c...

Years ago, I learned an extremely valuable thinking process from Brian Tracy called Zero-Based Thinking. Today, I share it with you. Here's the question: Is there anything in your life that, knowning what you now know, you wouldn't get into again today if you had to do it over? If the answer is yes, then you follow up with these questions: How do I get out? How fast do I get out? By consistently a...

Today, we continue the Q&A blitz! Here are the questions I cover today: Do you have any tips or feedback about how to factor a special needs child  when planning for retirement, college, etc?. The typical advice usually is that, typical, once you have a special needs child things change as you dwell into the wonderful world of early intervention, therapies, IEPs, tax planning, etc,  I used to thin...

I'm continuing my Q&A blitz today. I set out to answer five questions and wound up answering two. Oh well. At least I think you'll enjoy them! Here are the two questions I cover: What are your opinions regarding real estate investing? Should people invest in real estate? What percentage of the portfolio should it be? Thoughts on wholesaling? Flipping? Etc.? My question is can you walk us through y...

Today, I do Q&A and answer these four questions: Joshua, I absolutely cannot get enough of your show. Thank you very much for the effort you put in and the thought provoking product you create! It is worth the voluntary money! I've got a very open ended question: You often talk about journaling and writing to help develop thoughts, ideas, and plans. How does one get started doing this? What should...

I enjoy looking for financial planning tips from odd corners of the world. Recently, I stumbled across the book  Financial Freedom aFloat: How to Pocket a Paycheck in Paradise by Charles Tuller as I was browsing the finance section in my local library. Written for the cruising community, the book lays out some specific ideas and strategies for sailors who either need or want to earn some money to...

Today I handle your questions and comments. Right off the bat, I respond to some of the sharp criticism of Episode 181. Perhaps it will be useful to clarify my intention with the show material. Then, I answer these questions: 35:48  Dear Joshua, I have a question regarding a specific method for paying for my children's college education.  Putting aside the merits of a college education in general;...

I'm fascinated by the topic of asset protection planning. It engages my personal enjoyment of complicated, intricate planning. It's in important area of planning. But it's also one of the most over-hyped areas filled with sleazy marketing and sleazy business practices. How do we work through this? Today, I introduce the topic to you in a down-to-earth, accessible way. We'll keep a healthy sense of...

Every single aspect of personal finance is influenced politics, religion, and philosophy. Every law and every decision has a moral and ethical component to it. In modern conversation, we're unaccustomed to talking about philosophy and ethics. We steer away from discussing politics and religion because we're uncomfortable with how we can have a positive relationship with another person even when we...

Today, I share with you the framework knowledge of how life insurnace policies actually work. Once you understand these basic concepts you'll be able to look at any type of insurance policy and more easily understand its use. Topics include: Assessment life insurance Yearly renewable term life insuance Level premium life insurance The factors that affect life insurance policy pricing The five type...

I'm not able to record and release a new show for you today due to the rather pressing deadline of the April 15 tax filing date. I'm finishing up my return today so I'm releasing an interview I gave on the Anarcho-Yakitalism Podcast with Nick Hazelton. Nick is a young man who raises yaks and pigs on his farm in the Pacific Northwest. He is 16 years old. I shared a bit of my story with him and gave...

This morning, I put out a note on the Patreon page for questions from the patrons and I received four: 02:38 I'm currently in the "Financial Stability" stage of building wealth. Where do you recommend keeping an emergency fund &/or savings for large purchases? 17:36  My only major financial goal is to buy a small condo in Hollywood in about 6-7 years. I am 33 years old, single and don't plan on st...

Today's show gives you the tools you need to sit down and calculate an appropriate amount of life insurance coverage for you to own. On Episode 173 , I discussed the three primary ways of calculating an appropriate amount of insurance: Human Life Value approach Needs Analysis approach (the best) Rule of Thumb approach This show teaches you how to calculate a Needs Analysis. The process is simple:...

By popular request, I've invited Meb Faber on the show for an interview. Meb is well known in the investment world for his contributions on tactical asset allocation and trend-following. In the interview we cover: Meb's background and accidental path into the investment world The philosophy of business behind Cambria Funds How to construct an investment process for individuals True historical rate...

Today I want to share a very simple concept with you regarding practical asset allocation. If you plot your goals on a simple matrix and plot all of your investments on the same matrix, you'll more easily be able to select an appropriate investment to fund each goal. Here's the matrix:  home-run dollars aggressive dollars safer dollars -------------------> short-term -----> mid-term -----> long-te...