Your Next Dollar: Money Management for High Earners

Learn how to calculate your Coast FIRE number and when umbrella insurance could protect your assets as a high earner. Host Andrew Giancola and NerdWallet Wealth Partners CEO Ryan Sterling break down what Coast FIRE — a financial strategy where you save and invest aggressively early in life until your retirement portfolio reaches a milestone amount — means for high earners. They discuss how to calc...

Learn how high earners can rethink old money rules on budgeting, spending, real estate, and building lasting wealth. Host Andrew Giancola and NerdWallet Wealth Partners CEO Ryan Sterling walk through eight personal finance rules that are worth questioning for high earners, including should you replace traditional budgeting with an automated pay-yourself-first approach? And how can simplifying your...

Learn how high earners could prioritize their money across seven steps, from income growth to backdoor Roth strategies. Host Andrew Giancola and NerdWallet Wealth Partners CEO Ryan Sterling walk through the seven-step Your Next Dollar Blueprint — an order of operations high earners could follow to prioritize their savings across accounts, from growing income and building an emergency fund to maxin...

Learn how to plan for early retirement, bridge healthcare gaps, and build a portfolio that lasts. Host Andrew Giancola breaks down the top myths around early retirement with NerdWallet Wealth Partners CEO, Ryan Sterling. They cover how to calculate your financial independence number, structure your portfolio, and navigate healthcare costs before you can qualify for Medicare. They also rank some of...

Learn how high earners can budget for vacations, spend on what they love, and prioritize experiences while they still can. Host Andrew Giancola and NerdWallet Wealth Partners CEO Ryan Sterling explore how high earners can approach vacation spending with intention. They cover how to set a vacation budget using a percentage of your income, the financial boxes worth checking before you book, and how...

Learn whether combining, separating, or splitting finances with your partner is the right move for building wealth together. Host Andrew Giancola breaks down the practical and psychological case for combining finances, keeping them separate, or taking a hybrid approach. Then, he plays Red Flag, Green Flag: Relationship Edition with the team, reacting to real-life financial behaviors in couples. In...

Discover what you could aim to save at every age — from your 20s through your 60s —and where your net worth stands. Host Andrew Giancola breaks down how much high earners could target saving across every decade, using a three-tier framework — "on pace," "ahead of the curve," and "elite" — to help you gauge where you stand. He discusses strategies like maxing a 401(k), funding a backdoor Roth IRA,...

Learn what really goes into the rent versus buy decision beyond comparing your mortgage to a rent check. Host Andrew Giancola walks through a step-by-step total cost of ownership framework to help you weigh the real numbers behind renting versus buying a home. Then, he reacts to two videos that take very different sides of the rent versus buy debate. Reaction video 1: https://www.youtube.com/short...

Which money lessons still work for high earners, and how can a backdoor Roth help when income limits get in the way? Host Andrew Giancola walks through eight money lessons from your parents that may need an update if you want to grow serious wealth as a high earner. Then, he reacts to a video on how a backdoor Roth IRA helps high earners save tax free even when their income is too high to contribu...

Find out why a high income doesn't always build wealth and which traps tend to catch high earners. Host Andrew Giancola breaks down ten money traps that can quietly drain high earners in their 30s and 40s, from lifestyle inflation and the luxury car trap to delegating finances entirely to a partner. Then, Andrew reacts to two trending social videos debating whether 401(k)s are really worth it and...

Meet Your Next Dollar. This is the podcast for you if you are a high earner learning how to build wealth, navigate money trade-offs, and spend on what you actually value. At this stage, you can afford anything, but not everything. When is it okay to splurge on your dream vacation or luxury gym? And how do you grow your wealth while doing it? Host Andrew Giancola digs into the decisions that come w...