The 3rd Decade Podcast

Nikita is joined by Co-Hosts Mary Rossi & Nolan DiFrancesco from Your World, Your Money , a podcast produced by the Global Thinking Foundation, which is a nonprofit focused on building a world free from economic abuses, where accessible, informed, and equitable economic participation is available to all. In this episode, we cover: How economic abuse is defined Who we see suffering from it most...

Nikita is joined by Co-Hosts of Black & Brown Make Green Podcast, Natasha & Damian Carrillo. In this episode, we learn more about their own finance story, talk about what generational wealth can mean, and discuss how to talk to your children about finances. 

Joe'Mar Hooper is 3rd Decade's new Executive Director. He joins our team with 20 years of leadership experience in government and the non-profit sector.  In his role with 3rd Decade, he will be charged with overseeing the delivery of 3rd Decade's mission, while ensuring the overall health of the organization.   Together, Joe'Mar & Nikita discuss his journey here, the vision...

Welcome to Season 2! Join our new host Nikita Wolff & Co-Worker Nicole as they discuss behavioral finance; particularly what the main components of it are and how we can avoid falling into common psychological traps.  In this episode, they discuss: Mental Accounting Herd Behavior The Emotional Gap Anchoring Self-Attribution Confirmation Bias The Relativity Trap Irrational Exuberance The Superi...

Join Scott Bennett & Jennifer Edwards as they discuss some of the expected changes with PSLF (Public Service Loan Forgiveness).  In this episode, they go over: Who this does and doesn't apply to. The types of loans that can apply for PSLF. What the specific (positive) changes are. This is the final episode in this season, as well as Scott Bennett's final podcast episode as our host,...

Join Scott & Nikita for this off-beat episode, sharing some of the best & worst financial advice received by those who are part of the 3rd Decade community.  Some topics covered in this episode pertain to: Student Loans Paying down debt vs investing Credit Cards "Looking" rich Speculative investments Social Security FIRE Setting it & forgetting it Paying for cars in cash Maxi...

In this episode, Scott & Nikita discuss at a high level what the differences are between "Term" and "Whole" Life Insurance policies. This episode covers: Larger-scale differences Who might benefit from Whole Life Insurance The premium differences between "Term" & "Whole" Why most of our students are better suited for "Term Life Insurance" p...

In this short solo episode, Nikita goes over the topic of combining (or not combining) finances in a relationship. She goes over common approaches to navigating finances in a partnership, and what experts tend to agree on as the "best approach". Additionally, Nikita covers how to navigate joint finances if one partner isn't working (especially in cases of raising children), when inc...

In this episode, Scott discusses what 529 Plans are.  Some topics covered: Benefits Limitations How to navigate your options

3rd Decade Program Manager, Nikita Wolff & Lead Financial Mentor, Jennifer Edwards discuss the dilemma between renting or buying (depending on your situation). In this episode, they cover: Tax benefits (or the myth of them to the common tax payer) Hidden costs The 5% rule as an easy way to find equivalent rents/mortgages Recommended Debt to Income Ratios (that are more sensible than industry s...

In this episode, Scott & Nikita discuss refinancing. Often times refinancing is sold as a "no brainer" if you can lower your monthly payment. There are, however, some additional aspects to consider. Including, but not limited to: If you used a first-time home buyers program with special clauses What your closing costs on the new loan will be How long you want to be in the house If yo...

In this episode, Scott discusses Rollover IRAs: what they are, when they're relevant, & their benefits.  Common reasons for establishing a Rollover IRA are: Consolidating where your accounts are held Lower fees than 401ks More control over your money If you have an old retirement account from a previous job, you may want to consider this for yourself. Scott points out some of the things t...

Join Scott Bennett & Dan Otter for today's episode on 403bwise; an organization that Dan founded to help K-12 educators navigate and make the best of a very flawed 403b system. In this episode, they discuss different resources available, things to look out for in your plan, and questions to ask your plan administrators - insights that can be applied to not just 403b's, but all employ...

Join Scott Bennett & veterinarian Dr. Sarah Neuser as they discuss some of the costs associated with owning pets, in addition to how you can minimize certain expenses through preventative care. Additionally, Dr. Neuser goes over some of the benefits of holding Pet Insurance, as well as what to look for when price shopping and selecting your plan. 

As a sequel to our last episode, Part 2 focuses on a conversation between Jennifer Edwards & Nikki Wolff. They discuss how she addressed these subjects in her own home, when she introduced certain concepts, and what she learned along the way. 

Join us today for part one of a two-part podcast on Financially Literate Homes. 3rd Decade's Lead Financial Mentor, Jennifer Edwards, made financially literacy a big part of her children's upbringing. For this episode, her 3 children came on to discuss what this looked like for them growing up, how it's shaped them, and what they plan to implement in their own families some day.  Fo...

Join Scott and Nikki as they converse with 3rd Decade team member, Nicole, about how she's incorporated no-spend challenges into her life, as well as other ways she and her husband have financially, mentally, and physically challenged themselves and made discretion a huge part of their lives.  A few notes from Nicole: A no-spend month isn’t a replacement for tracking your spending and setting...

Join Nikki for a short episode on Grocery Budgeting; a common topic that comes up in financial discussions. Topics covered in this episode include: general guidelines for how much to spend on food, reducing food waste, and ways to reduce costs. Resources: Mr. Money Mustache - Killing Your $1000 Grocery Bill USDA Cost of Food Chart How Much Should I Budget for Groceries Each Month? Budget Friendly...

Join Scott Bennett & Sam Swift as they reflect on this last year. Sam shares openly how even he had a moment of doubt in 2020, and how he was able to get his mind back on course and look at the data to ease the anxiety many of us were experiencing. Ultimately proving once again that staying the course serves the patient people well. 

Join Scott Bennett & Nikki Wolff as they discuss the intersection between minimalism and finances. Nikki discusses how she defines minimalism, as well as a few of the misconceptions about it. They share their team member Nicole's philosophy surrounding goal setting and discuss how someone might be able to determine what their values are and how that might affect the way they spend their m...

Scott, Nikki & Bob discuss current trending events in the stock market to bring clarity to what’s happening, as well as to answer some questions many of us might be asking ourselves.

Join Scott Bennett & Nikita Wolff as they discuss negotiating bills, including: ways to prepare for it, personal stories, and strategies for doing so. 

Join Nikita Wolff & Scott Bennett as they discuss having children and how to financially plan for it. Nikita takes over as host for this episode to give Scott an opportunity to share his first-hand experience as a parent to 2 children. In this episode, they discuss: -What they had in place beforehand that made them feel ready -Saving up ahead of time -The surprising expenses -Ways to reduce so...

Join Scott Bennett (Executive Director at 3rd Decade) and Ashley Ilardo (Regional Director at Dimensional Fund Advisors) as they discuss 3rd Decade's new partnership with Dimensional Fund Advisors. In this episode, Ashley & Scott discuss the history of Dimensional, how this partnership will roll out, why we decided to partner together, how we align, and where we're expanding to in th...

Join Scott Bennett and Jennifer Edwards as they discuss ways to approach the decision of furthering your education, especially as it pertains to taking out student debt. Jennifer suggests different ways to help hone in on the direction you'd like to go, as well as if it's experience and knowledge, or a specific credential that will help you meet your goals. Audio correction: 29:13 "...