Real Personal Finance

Scott and James reflect on the first 100 episodes of the Real Personal Finance Podcast. Planning Points Discussed Retirement Planning Utilizing Time Efficiently Capital Appreciation Purchasing Power Other issues (IRAs, Inflation, Financial Goals, etc.) Episodes Mentioned: Episode 83: 4 Things You Can Invest In Episode 16: Budgeting Sucks, Do This Instead Timestamps: 1:30 - Introduction 4:15 - The...

Scott and James discuss how to save for a home in this crazy real estate market. Planning Points Discussed Retirement Planning Utilizing Time Efficiently Capital Appreciation Purchasing Power Other issues (IRAs, Inflation, Financial Goals, etc.) Timestamps: 1:30 - Listener Question 3:30 - Retirement Accounts 5:25 - Cost Basis Example 7:50 -  Diversification of Investing 10:20 - Cash v. Bonds 13:00...

Scott and James discuss the pros and cons of moving to another state to save money in order to retire early. Planning Points Discussed Retirement Planning Capital Appreciation Purchasing Power Other issues (IRAs, Inflation, Financial Goals, etc.) Timestamps: 1:30 - Listener Question 2:25 - Savings Rates 3:30 - Moving For Financial Reasons 7:00 -  Longevity v. Financial Impacts (short-term) 9:50 -...

Scott and James discuss how best to balance debt paydown, savings, and long-term investing. Planning Points Discussed Retirement Planning Capital Appreciation Purchasing Power Other issues (IRAs, Inflation, Financial Goals, etc.) Episodes mentioned: Episode 72: Better Investor Series: Understanding Asset Allocation Episode 93: Should I Front Load Retirement Accounts When I'm Young? Timestamps...

Scott and James discuss whether or not you should give your 4 year old a credit card. Planning Points Discussed Retirement Planning Utilizing Time Efficiently Capital Appreciation Purchasing Power Other issues (IRAs, Inflation, Financial Goals, etc.) Timestamps: 1:30 - Listener Question 3:05 - Determining Your Credit Score 6:20 - Credit Utilization 7:00 -  10 years vs. 34 years of Saving 9:24 - Wh...

Scott and James discuss what to do when you have "too much cash". Planning Points Discussed Retirement Planning Utilizing Time Efficiently Capital Appreciation Purchasing Power Other issues (IRAs, Inflation, Financial Goals, etc.) Timestamps: 1:30 - Celebration of 100,000 downloads 3:30 - Rationality of Investing 5:45 - What's The Right Solution For You? 7:50 -  Determining Your Eme...

Scott and James discuss when it's best for people to consider hiring a financial planner. Planning Points Discussed Retirement Planning Tax Planning Capital Appreciation Purchasing Power Other issues (IRAs, Inflation, Financial Goals, etc.) Episodes Mentioned Episode 56: What Is The Value Of Working With A Financial Planner? Episode 57: What Questions Should I Ask When Hiring A Financial Plan...

Scott and James discuss whether or not you should front load retirement accounts while you're young. Planning Points Discussed Retirement Planning Utilizing Time Efficiently Capital Appreciation Purchasing Power Other issues (IRAs, Inflation, Financial Goals, etc.) Timestamps: 1:30 - Listener Question 3:30 - Retirement Accounts 5:45 - Front-Loading Retirement Accounts 7:00 -  10 years vs. 34...

Listener Question: I'm a US citizen living abroad. I started listening to your podcast when I hit 30. Alas, it was time to get my ducks in a row. I've followed your advice to open an IRA and a few online CDs, I appreciate the gentle mindset shift your podcast has on me. Recently, when I told a friend I planned to contribute to my IRA, he warned me not to do that. He warned that if I cont...

Listener Question How do immigrants should strategize investing when there is a real possibility of going back to home country because of work visa denial? Should we continue to invest in the states or invest offshore where we would retire? Thank you. I have been living in the United States for 11 plus years now. Because I am an immigrant, I did not invest in 401k until 2015. But again, I was just...

In this episode James and Scott discuss how to determine taxes owed on RSUs and ESPPs. Questions discussed: What are the tax implications of my stock options? When is the best time to exercise my options? How do I maximize my options? What is the best approach for my individual situation? Planning Points Discussed Tax Planning Retirement Planning Portfolio Management Aligning Your Investments with...

In this episode James and Scott discuss whether or not it's possible to overfund retirement, and what you can do to avoid doing so. Questions discussed: How much is enough when it comes to funding for retirement? When can I stop funding for retirement? What is the best approach for my individual situation? Planning Points Discussed Tax Planning Retirement Planning Portfolio Management Alignin...

In this episode James and Scott discuss whether or not an MBA is worth it and how best to prepare financially. Questions discussed: Is an MBA worth it? What's the best way to prepare financially for an MBA? What are the benefits of an MBA? What do I want my MBA to do for me?  Planning Points Discussed Personal Development Portfolio Management Aligning Your Investments with Financial Goals Tim...

In this episode James and Scott discuss whether or not you should invest all at once (lump-sum) or invest smaller amounts over a period of time (dollar-cost average). Questions discussed: Should I invest when the market is at all-time highs? When is the best time to invest? What is the best approach for my individual situation? Articles Mentioned: Article Reference- Dollar-Cost Averaging vs. Lump-...

In this episode James and Scott discuss whether or not you should apply extra cash to paying down the mortgage. Questions discussed: What should I do with extra cash? Should I apply extra cash to my mortgage or should I invest the cash? Is paying down the principal of my mortgage the most wise use of extra cash? How does paying down my mortgage impact my overall financial situation? Planning Point...

In this episode James and Scott discuss Gamestop Stock, AMC, Reddit, Hedge Funds, and how to think about "hot" stocks as an investor. Questions discussed: Should I invest in GameStop, AMC, etc.? When do I know it's best to buy or sell? What does the halt of trading in Robinhood mean for the financial services industry? How much of my portfolio should I allocate to investing in indiv...

In this episode James and Scott discuss the difference between a Traditional IRA & Roth IRA and which may be ideal for you based on your individual situation. Questions discussed: Are you hoping to lower your taxable income today? Do you think your income will rise over the course of your lifetime? When does it make most sense to use a Roth IRA vs. Traditional IRA? How should I invest in my Ro...

Scott and James discuss 4 things you can do to invest in your personal and financial growth and outline the steps involved to reach them. Planning Points Discussed Retirement Planning Utilizing Time Efficiently Capital Appreciation Purchasing Power Other issues (IRAs, Inflation, Financial Goals, etc.) Timestamps: 3:35 - Investing: Time Horizon 5:54 - Timeblocking 8:30 - Time & Financial Journe...

What is a sustainable withdrawal rate in retirement? To put it in simple terms, it depends. Today we explain where the 4% withdrawal rate comes from and how it may apply to you and your ability to retire without worry. From new investors to those more well-seasoned, we discuss which factors you should consider when deciding what withdrawal rate will ensure you have a comfortable retirement. Planni...

In this episode of the podcast, we have a listener question: I am about to come into a decent sum of money from selling a rental property. I’m 30 years old, invest 22 percent into my 401k (that has a balance of 45k currently). My plan was to invest this money in a total market index fund and an international index fund. Is this my best option? I also have a house that I owe about 215k on. Thank yo...

In this episode of the podcast, we have a listener question: Just heard your podcast on the target date funds and really appreciate the insight as I'd just rebalanced my 401k and pulled out of them because of the fees and my level of attention to my portfolio. From a financial management perspective, I'm a DIY-er with a blend of Boglehead and FIRE, philosophically. Currently 1/3 of my we...

In this episode James and Scott discuss their thoughts on how they implement change in both their personal and financial lives. It’s well known that just because something is simple doesn’t mean it will be easy. There are four questions to ask yourself when it comes to achieving your goals, both personally and financially. 1) What can you do? 2) How will you do it?  3) When will you do it? 4) Who...

In this podcast episode, we have a listener question: Since interest rates are so low and the bond market is so much bigger than the equity market, what are a good mix of bonds for a portfolio with a lot of bonds?  Should it only be high quality corporate or should it be some TIPS, CMO, or anything else?  There are a lot of options for bonds. Planning Points Discussed Interest Rates, Credit Rating...

In this podcast episode, we have a listener question: I just recently found your podcast when I was looking for some info on mega-backdoor roths. Thanks for all the info, you guys really are a wealth of knowledge. In an older episode, where you guys were talking about asset locations, one of you mentioned that if you have dividend-paying stocks, you should hold them in a retirement account, so you...

In this week’s episode of Real Personal Finance, James and Scott discuss end of year tax planning. As the year comes to an end, we want to make sure your income and investments are in order. Whether you had a year of financial gain or financial loss we help you use that to your advantage, no matter your tax bracket.   Time Stamps: 00:28 - Year-end tax planning 01:00 - Core concepts to focus on for...