Jill On Money With Jill Schlesinger

A colleague recently asked me how he might be able to finally stick to a budget. For years, he had tried to create and adhere to a specific annual spending plan, only to blow a hole through it at some point during the year. "What's wrong with me?" He said. "I know that I should do it, but there's always something that comes up." Let me be the first to admit that I am not a fan of budgets. In the same way that I think most crash diets lead to failure, the majority of budgets or new year's resolutions fall by the wayside within months of being made, as life interrupts our best intentions. Part of the reason is that we sometimes make the whole process more onerous than necessary. Budgeting should not be an end but rather the means by which we can accomplish our financial goals. Of course, that fact means that you need to start by establishing those goals. Here are my top five to help get you started in 2018, though you’ll have to listen for the details on each...and to hear the other three: Pay down consumer

Raise your hand if you know what SIPC stands for? That's what I thought :) Thanks to Jim, our first BONUS caller of 2018, you're all going to get educated a bit! Have a finance question? We want to hear from you! Email us at askjill@betteroffpodcast.com and we'll arrange to get you on. Don't forget, a brand new episode of the Better Off podcast comes out Thursday so stay tuned for more listener questions plus an informative interview. Better Off is sponsored by Betterment. Please let us know what you think by leaving a rating or review in iTunes. Connect with me at these places for all my content: http://www.jillonmoney.com/  https://twitter.com/jillonmoney  https://www.facebook.com/JillonMoney  https://www.instagram.com/jillonmoney/  https://www.youtube.com/c/JillSchlesinger  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillonmoney/  https://soundcloud.com/jill-schlesinger  http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/jill-on-money  http://betteroffpodcast.com/  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/better-off-jill-schlesi

‘Twas the week between Christmas and New Year’s, and not a soul was paying attention to their finances…except everyone scrambling to make year-end tax moves! Even with the tax bill looming, this is also the week when you should unplug (except from this podcast!), relax, eat, have a glass of wine, forget about all your worries and recharge for 2018.   That’s why we’re keeping it short and sweet this week with Jeff Fager, executive producer of 60 Minutes and author of the new book, Fifty Years of 60 Minutes: The Inside Story of Television’s Most Influential News Broadcast. When you think about it, the Sunday staple of 60 Minutes has tracked and shaped the biggest moments in post-war American history. The show has profiled every major leader, artist, and movement of the past five decades, perfecting the news-making interview and inventing the groundbreaking TV expose. From recent profiles of Michael Bloomberg and the CEO of Chobani to the investigation of the multibillion dollar industry that collects, analy

Welcome to the post-Christmas edition of the BONUS call! Only in his early 50s, Jeff from Georgia already has well over a million dollars and wanted to run his longterm game plan by us. Is this a good time to try some market timing?? Have a finance question? We want to hear from you! Email us at askjill@betteroffpodcast.com and we'll arrange to get you on. Don't forget, a brand new episode of the Better Off podcast comes out Thursday so stay tuned for more listener questions plus an informative interview. Better Off is sponsored by Betterment. Please let us know what you think by leaving a rating or review in iTunes. Connect with me at these places for all my content: http://www.jillonmoney.com/  https://twitter.com/jillonmoney  https://www.facebook.com/JillonMoney  https://www.instagram.com/jillonmoney/  https://www.youtube.com/c/JillSchlesinger  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillonmoney/  https://soundcloud.com/jill-schlesinger  http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/jill-on-money  http://betteroffpod

Big changes are coming to the U.S. tax code, but how will it impact YOUR bottom line?  This week we’re doing something a bit different. No guest! Just me diving deep and offering up my two cents on the GOP’s plan to remake the tax system for the first time in over three decades. Given the historic nature of the event, I wanted to break it down and mull over some of these questions:What will change for most Americans?How does geography play into the calculation?What happens to homeowners?How will corporations deploy their tax windfalls?What will the near term and long term economic impact of this reform be?Thanks for allowing me to hog the mic and rant! Depending on how it goes, you may be hearing a bit more of that in 2018! “Better Off” is sponsored by Betterment. We love feedback so please leave us a rating or review in iTunes. "Better Off" theme music is by Joel Goodman, www.joelgoodman.com. For a recap of every episode, visit https://www.betterment.com/resources/topics/inside-betterment/better-off-p

If you ever take a look at the investments in your retirement plan chances are you'll see a bunch of target-date fund options. Sometimes people think they're the best option...kind of like one stop shopping. And sometimes they are. But sometimes they aren't, which is what Suzen from Chicago found out on the latest BONUS call. Have a finance question? We want to hear from you! Email us at askjill@betteroffpodcast.com and we'll arrange to get you on. Don't forget, a brand new episode of the Better Off podcast comes out Thursday so stay tuned for more listener questions plus an informative interview. Better Off is sponsored by Betterment. Please let us know what you think by leaving a rating or review in iTunes. Connect with me at these places for all my content: http://www.jillonmoney.com/  https://twitter.com/jillonmoney  https://www.facebook.com/JillonMoney  https://www.instagram.com/jillonmoney/  https://www.youtube.com/c/JillSchlesinger  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillonmoney/  https://soundclo

What’s a portfolio without a bond position? It’s incomplete and potentially riskier than necessary. We field so many questions about your portfolios and asset allocation and while stocks may seem sexier because of their upside potential, you always hear me stress that everyone needs exposure to bonds as well. We rarely dive into bonds in great detail--what they are, how they work, and why you absolutely need them, which is why I thought it would be time for a little Bond Boot Camp. Our leader for this mission on today’s podcast is Justin Land, aka the ultimate bond guru. Justin is the Director of Tax Exempt Portfolio Management at Wasmer, Schroeder & Company, an investment advisory firm based in Naples, FL. In the current environment where it seems like the Dow is setting records on a daily basis, there’s probably a lot of people out there who want to be 100% invested in stocks. But what happens when the Bull turns into a Bear -- what will help protect you then? What if I told you that by owning a bond

This week on the BONUS call it's the age-old question about big city living...should I buy or keep on renting? Have a finance question? We want to hear from you! Email us at askjill@betteroffpodcast.com and we'll arrange to get you on. Don't forget, a brand new episode of the Better Off podcast comes out Thursday so stay tuned for more listener questions plus an informative interview. Better Off is sponsored by Betterment. Please let us know what you think by leaving a rating or review in iTunes. Connect with me at these places for all my content: http://www.jillonmoney.com/  https://twitter.com/jillonmoney  https://www.facebook.com/JillonMoney  https://www.instagram.com/jillonmoney/  https://www.youtube.com/c/JillSchlesinger  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillonmoney/  https://soundcloud.com/jill-schlesinger  http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/jill-on-money  http://betteroffpodcast.com/  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/better-off-jill-schlesinger/id431167790?mt=2 Learn more about your ad choice

This week is another example of how the podcasting world really is like a small fraternity/sorority where hosts often appear on each other’s shows. Today it’s Felix Salmon, host of the Slate Money podcast, joining us on Better Off. If you’re not familiar with Felix, I think the best way to describe him is as a contrarian and/or curmudgeon...something he happily admits! I’m a big Felix fan and have been reading (he did stints at Reuters, Portfolio Magazine and Euromoney) and listening to him for quite some time so I had a list of topics to cover, including: Corporate responsibility Active versus passive investing His ongoing relationship with Anthony ScaramucciThe student loan crisisWhat’s next for the US economyIn addition to hosting Slate Money, Felix is currently the editor of Cause and Effect. Because we had so much fun, the interview went a bit long which means no caller this episode.  But fear not!  We’ll be back to our regular format next week. If you want some good laughs and top notch commentary,

This week we have what I believe is our first call ever from Alabama as we welcome Katrina to the show. Katrina and her husband have a lot of money in traditional retirement accounts and are now wondering if it makes sense to start using the Roth 401(k) function through their jobs? Have a finance question? We want to hear from you! Email us at askjill@betteroffpodcast.com and we'll arrange to get you on. Don't forget, a brand new episode of the Better Off podcast comes out Thursday so stay tuned for more listener questions plus an informative interview. Better Off is sponsored by Betterment. Please let us know what you think by leaving a rating or review in iTunes. Connect with me at these places for all my content: http://www.jillonmoney.com/  https://twitter.com/jillonmoney  https://www.facebook.com/JillonMoney  https://www.instagram.com/jillonmoney/  https://www.youtube.com/c/JillSchlesinger  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillonmoney/  https://soundcloud.com/jill-schlesinger  http://www.stitcher

Mom always said, ”money can’t buy happiness,” but it sure can make life easier. So it was with some skepticism that I invited this week’s guest Rachel Sherman, associate professor of sociology at the New School in New York City, on the show. Sherman’s recent book, Uneasy Street: The Anxieties of Affluence, explores what’s going on inside the heads of the one percent. I know, I know...who wants to hear unhappy, wealthy people whine about all their problems? Cue the sarcastic “Oh those poor things...” But Sherman wants to know why so many wealthy people have a hard time accepting the fact that they’re financially secure. To find out what it’s really like for people living on “easy street,” Rachel conducted interviews with fifty affluent New Yorkers, including hedge fund financiers and corporate lawyers, professors and artists, and stay-at-home mothers, to examine their lifestyle choices and their understanding of privilege. The findings were enlightening, and include the subjects wishing to be “normal,” d

Instead of the usual Tuesday BONUS call, we’re doing something different for this week only.   Today is “Giving Tuesday”, a global day of charitable giving, which was created to balance the vast consumerism that flourishes during Black Friday weekend through the end of December. To help explain the importance of philanthropy and how to maximize your annual giving, we’re fortunate have Michael Thatcher, the CEO of Charity Navigator as our guest. Founded in 2001, Charity Navigator has become the nation's largest and most-utilized evaluator of charities. Their team of professional analysts has examined tens of thousands of nonprofit financial documents. Using the information they’ve gathered, they have developed an unbiased, objective, numbers-based rating system to assess over 8,000 of America's best-known and some lesser known, but worthy, charities. The timing is perfect, because our sponsor, Betterment, is now offering a service that will allow customers to donate shares from taxable accounts to charitab

Since this episode is dropping on Thanksgiving we thought we’d do something a bit different. Instead of focusing on bettering ourselves financially, we wanted to introduce you to StoryCorps, a non-profit organization that strives to make the world better off by preserving and sharing stories, build connections and create a more just and compassionate world. In short, it serves as a good reminder of the things that matter most. And who better to help us stay in the giving thanks spirit than our guest Dave Isay, the founder and president of StoryCorps. His goal is simple: to use stories to remind us of our shared humanity, to strengthen and build the connections between people, to teach the value of listening, and to weave into the fabric of our culture the understanding that everyone’s story matters. At the same time, StoryCorps is creating an invaluable archive for future generations--every interview is housed at the Library of Congress. So as you’re sitting around this Thanksgiving weekend with family

Today on the BONUS call we're discussing my favorite topic of annuities with Roland who has a sneaking suspicion that his financial advisor may not be steering him in the right direction. Have a finance question? We want to hear from you! Email us at askjill@betteroffpodcast.com and we'll arrange to get you on. Don't forget, a brand new episode of the Better Off podcast comes out Thursday so stay tuned for more listener questions plus an informative interview. Better Off is sponsored by Betterment. Please let us know what you think by leaving a rating or review in iTunes. Connect with me at these places for all my content: http://www.jillonmoney.com/  https://twitter.com/jillonmoney  https://www.facebook.com/JillonMoney  https://www.instagram.com/jillonmoney/  https://www.youtube.com/c/JillSchlesinger  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillonmoney/  https://soundcloud.com/jill-schlesinger  http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/jill-on-money  http://betteroffpodcast.com/  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast

For the second time this year we have a repeat guest on Better Off. When you have a chance to grab Michael Lewis, you grab him, and that’s what we did! In early June, Michael was on the pod to discuss his latest book, The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds. (He’s a prolific writer and chances are you’ve picked up at least one of his books, including Moneyball, The Big Short or Flash Boys.) Since the Undoing Project is now out in paperback, and Richard Thaler was just awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, it made for a perfect opportunity to revisit the topic of behavioral economics. But that was only part of this interview. The bulk of it was spent talking to Michael about his current work, which is penning articles for Vanity Fair. His latest piece, Inside Trump’s Cruel Campaign Against the U.S.D.A.’s Scientists, is a wild tale about various Department of Agriculture programs that are under siege.   From food stamps to meat inspection, to grants and loans for rural developm

A 401(k) or a Roth 401(k)...which one is right for you? That's what Pat from Virginia wanted to know on the latest BONUS call. Have a finance question? We want to hear from you! Email us at askjill@betteroffpodcast.com and we'll arrange to get you on. Don't forget, a brand new episode of the Better Off podcast comes out Thursday so stay tuned for more listener questions plus an informative interview. Better Off is sponsored by Betterment. Please let us know what you think by leaving a rating or review in iTunes. Connect with me at these places for all my content: http://www.jillonmoney.com/  https://twitter.com/jillonmoney  https://www.facebook.com/JillonMoney  https://www.instagram.com/jillonmoney/  https://www.youtube.com/c/JillSchlesinger  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillonmoney/  https://soundcloud.com/jill-schlesinger  http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/jill-on-money  http://betteroffpodcast.com/  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/better-off-jill-schlesinger/id431167790?mt=2 Learn more abo

Do you have to be an “entrepreneur,” replete with a big, fat business plan in hand, to make a little extra cash on the side? What if I told you that in 27 days you can come up with an idea, implement it, and potentially start making some extra income on the side? That is what you call a Side Hustle, which also happens to be the title of the latest book from Chris Guillebeau, this week’s guest on Better Off. While the thought of quitting your day job to pursue a business of your own may be intoxicating and even escapist, it may also be a bit unrealistic. Most of us can’t just up and quit a job that delivers a regular paycheck and benefits, to boot. But what if you could quickly and easily create an additional stream of income without giving up the security of a full-time job? Enter Chris and the Side Hustle. As someone who has launched more than a dozen side hustles over his career, Chris is more than qualified to help you select, launch and refine your new side hustle. Some of the things you’ll learn in

On the latest BONUS call it's Ralph from Missouri who may win the 2017 Father of the Year Award! Being the nice guy that he is, Ralph wanted to know the pros and cons of helping his daughter pay off a student loan. So nice! Have a finance question? We want to hear from you! Email us at askjill@betteroffpodcast.com and we'll arrange to get you on. Don't forget, a brand new episode of the Better Off podcast comes out Thursday so stay tuned for more listener questions plus an informative interview. Better Off is sponsored by Betterment. Please let us know what you think by leaving a rating or review in iTunes. Connect with me at these places for all my content: http://www.jillonmoney.com/  https://twitter.com/jillonmoney  https://www.facebook.com/JillonMoney  https://www.instagram.com/jillonmoney/  https://www.youtube.com/c/JillSchlesinger  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillonmoney/  https://soundcloud.com/jill-schlesinger  http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/jill-on-money  http://betteroffpodcast.com/ 

Surprise, surprise...it's a BONUS call on a Saturday! Since we haven't had any calls on the last few episodes, we thought we'd throw you guys a bone :) So sit back and enjoy our chat with Rod about whether or not he should pay off his mortgage. Better Off is sponsored by Betterment. Please let us know what you think by leaving a rating or review in iTunes. Connect with me at these places for all my content: http://www.jillonmoney.com/  https://twitter.com/jillonmoney  https://www.facebook.com/JillonMoney  https://www.instagram.com/jillonmoney/  https://www.youtube.com/c/JillSchlesinger  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillonmoney/  https://soundcloud.com/jill-schlesinger  http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/jill-on-money  http://betteroffpodcast.com/  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/better-off-jill-schlesinger/id431167790?mt=2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We all fall into at least one of four personality categories: We’re either Upholders, Questioners, Obligers or Rebels, according to our guest Gretchen Rubin. Her latest book, The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How to Make Your Life Better, is already a bestseller. Rubin says that understanding which category defines you, can transform what you do at home, at work, and in life by helping you make better decisions, meet deadlines, suffer less stress, and engage more effectively. [FYI, I’m an Upholder, as is Mark, which may explain why we work so well together!] The Four Tendencies hold practical answers if you’ve ever thought…People can rely on me, but I can’t rely on myself?How can I help someone to follow good advice?People say I ask too many questions.How do I work with someone who refuses to do what I ask—or who keeps telling me what to do?If you’re having trouble figuring out which tendency best describes you, fear not, as Gretchen has developed a very easy quiz for y