Jill On Money With Jill Schlesinger

Sometimes a host has to do what a host has to do to land the interview. You could say that was the case with the one and only Michael Lewis, our guest this week on Better Off. It was a few months back that I ran into Michael in the CBS This Morning Green Room and immediately started working my mojo to get him on the podcast. Although it took weeks and weeks of emails to finally make it happen, it was worth the wait. Lewis is such a prolific writer that you’ve probably picked up at least one of his books, including Moneyball, The Blind Side, The Big Short or Flash Boys. In this interview, we discuss his latest work, The Undoing Project. The Undoing Project explores the roots of behavioral economics, a topic that has always fascinated me. I love trying to understand why people make the decisions they do. Trying to figure out how the human mind works. And that’s what this book is all about. It’s starts with the partnership between Israeli psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky. Forty

This week on the BONUS call we’re talking to Chris from Florida who recently inherited 30k from his grandmother. By the way, can I just say what a nice lady his grandma was! Okay, back to Chris…his first move was a smart one as he paid off the remainder of his student loans, about 12k. So now he has 18k and isn’t quite sure what his next move should be. Here’s a hint…he badly needs a car… 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/JillSchlesinge

By now you may have seen or heard an interview with Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg discussing her recently released new book, Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy. Although she is the headliner, Sandberg had a co-author on the project -- the incredible Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist, professor and accomplished author in his own right. We were lucky enough to land Adam as this week’s Better Off guest. Adam, named Wharton’s top-rated professor for five straight years, has already authored two New York Times bestselling books. Originals explores how individuals champion new ideas and leaders fight groupthink and Give and Take examines why helping others drives our success. His latest project with Sandberg focuses on resilience and how to use it in everyday life to become better off, a core theme of our podcast. Life isn’t always a smooth ride and inevitably you’re going to have to deal with some bumps in the road. Whether it’s the loss of a lo

This week on the BONUS call we're going to the Pacific Northwest where we found Chris from Spokane, Washington. Chris, who is only 40 years old, is maxing out his 401(k) and his Roth IRA and also has an emergency reserve. On top of all that, he has an extra 2k each month and isn't sure what to do with it. Should he keep saving for retirement or can he ease up a bit and do something else with the extra cash? Nice problem to have, huh? 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/jillonm

Bernie Madoff is perhaps the most notorious name in the history of Wall Street. By now we all know the story. Madoff conducted a Ponzi scheme that is considered to be the largest in U.S. history. Over the course of decades, Madoff stole billions of dollars from his clients and finally, amid the financial crisis of 2008, the crime came to a screeching halt. How on earth was he able to pull it off for so long, when there were plenty of warning signs and whistleblowers who tried to alert regulators that something was amiss? One of the journalists covering the scandal was Diana Henriques, then a staff reporter at The New York Times, who specialized in investigative reporting on white-collar crime, market regulation and corporate governance. Diana used her countless hours of work as the lead reporter on the story as a catalyst to write the bestselleing book, The Wizard of Lies: Bernie Madoff and the Death of Trust. Diana had incredible access, including the first interview with an imprisoned Madoff. I was

Nowadays it's a common occurrence to change jobs every few years, if not every few months. That means at some point you're going to have at least one, likely more, retirement accounts from past jobs. What should you do with them? Should you consolidate? That's what Andrew from Chicago was calling about on the latest BONUS call. He has about 100k in an old retirement account and was wondering if he should roll it into something new or just leave it where it is. The answer may surprise you... 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.f

It’s officially that time of year when college grads throw their caps high into the air and prepare to enter the real world. Just a few short years ago, these graduates were among the four million students who began their journeys at the nation’s colleges and universities. While those four years are supposed to be the best years of your life, for many, they turn out to be the most stressful they’ll experience. They can be so stressful that, by the end of freshman year, 30% of students drop out. That’s where today’s guests enter the picture. Dan Lerner and Alan Schlechter team-teach a course at New York University called The Science of Happiness. From this wildly successful class, they recently released the book, “U Thrive: How to Succeed in College (and Life).” Let me stress that last part of the title…”and life.” This is not a book just for students—it’s for everyone. Using fascinating science and real-life stories, Dan and Alan bring a similar focus to the Better Off podcast: They try to help you bet

Today on the BONUS call we're chatting with Doug in Miami who initially called to ask about an old 401(k) plan and what he should do with it. As you'll hear, the call quickly turned into Doug, 35 years old, wanting to retire at 50. Can he do it? Does he have enough saved? Is it a smart move? 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.

Technology has made our financial lives better and simpler. From banking and investing to shopping and planning a vacation, many of our daily necessities are just a click away. Thanks to Haven Life, you can now add life insurance to the mix. If you’ve ever applied for life insurance coverage, you know that it can be painful. From the multi-page applications to medical exams and records, it used to take weeks, if you were lucky. Founded by our guest, Yaron Ben-Zvi, Haven Life is leveraging technology in order to disrupt the life insurance process and experience. Mark, our producer here at “Better Off,” recently became a customer and couldn’t believe how easy and painless the process was: “I just calculated how much coverage I needed and was covered in about 20 minutes. No joke!” Yaron says that the company's goal is to provide an easier, faster, just plain better way to provide coverage of up to $1 million, by offering: -Simple online application process -No medical exam for qualified, healthy applicants

On the BONUS call this week we talked to John from Houston who had some questions about reducing his tax liability once retirement rolls around. John and his wife are in great shape...these guys are serious savers which has allowed them to sock away $700k in retirement savings with many years left to add to the pot. It was a success as we were able to open John's eyes about the benefits of using his Roth 401(k) plan at work. 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:

I never take it for granted how fortunate I am to have my job. Let’s be honest, it’s not really a job when you’re doing what you love. And that’s what I get to do as a journalist covering personal finance and economics. With the “job” comes the opportunity to meet many smart, interesting and influential people, some of whom are legit heavyweights within their specific industries and in the world at large. Today’s Better Off guest, the esteemed Dr. Mohamed El-Erian, falls into that category. Of all of the economists and financial services executives that I have been privileged to interview, Mohamed is one of the few who can distill and communicate complicated ideas in a way that all of us can understand. That’s why we’re keeping him around for two episodes...there’s just too much knowledge in his brain to squeeze into one show. While you may have seen or read Dr. El-Erian before—as a guest on CNBC, a LinkedIn Influencer, a columnist for “Bloomberg View,” a contributing editor to the “Financial Times,”

You're getting ready to buy a new home and have the cash to purchase it outright...should you? Or should you take on a mortgage? That's what Dwayne from Illinois was wondering and we answered his question on the latest BONUS call of the week. 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/channel/UC_4j5YsSRTE6PuY0ZNhBFcQ/videos https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillonmoney/ https://soundcloud.com/jill-schlesinger http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/jill-on-money http:/

I never take it for granted how fortunate I am to have my job. Let’s be honest, it’s not really a job when you’re doing what you love. And that’s what I get to do as a journalist covering personal finance and economics. With the “job” comes the opportunity to meet many smart, interesting and influential people, some of whom are legit heavyweights within their specific industries and in the world at large. Today’s Better Off guest, the esteemed Dr. Mohamed El-Erian, falls into that category. Of all of the economists and financial services executives that I have been privileged to interview, Mohamed is one of the few who can distill and communicate complicated ideas in a way that all of us can understand. That’s why we’re keeping him around for two episodes...there’s just too much knowledge in his brain to squeeze into one show. While you may have seen or read Dr. El-Erian before—as a guest on CNBC, a LinkedIn Influencer, a columnist for “Bloomberg View,” a contributing editor to the “Financial Times,”

This week on the BONUS call we once again chatted student loans with Andrea from New York City...but this time it wasn't about how to pay them off. After many years Andrea is finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and will soon be throwing a party to celebrate. FYI, Mark and I are still waiting for our invite. Anyway, now that the loan will soon be gone, Andrea is wondering what she should do next. I love talking to young people who are interested in bettering their financial lives! 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 in iTunes. Have a question? Email us at askjill@betteroffpodcast.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Human Capital: It’s more valuable than any other investment you have and that’s why we often discuss career development and management on Better Off. If you’re one of the lucky ones like me, then you’re doing what you want to do, but it took me some time to get here… Many of you may want to change careers and do something that’s more in line with your passions. There are those who have been laid off, often after spending several years at the same company, and now suddenly have to launch a job search process. Thankfully we live in a day and age where there’s plenty of career finder and guidance websites available to assist. Enter The Muse, founded in 2011 by Alexandra Cavoulacos and Kathryn Minshew. Alex and Kathryn, both millennials, decided to launch the site after working together in the consulting world and realizing it wasn’t what they wanted out of life. Fast forward to present day -- 50 million people visit The Muse each year to determine what they want to do with their lives. The success and popu

On April 10th, the Department of Labor's Fiduciary Rule was scheduled to go into effect. It didn't happen. Instead, there's now at least a 60 day delay. What does this mean and what should consumers expect going forward? Will this rule ever be implemented? To discuss these questions and more, I held a brief round-table discussion with Jon Stein, the CEO of Betterment, Maureen Thompson, Vice President of Public Policy at the CFP Board and Micah Hauptman, Financial Services Counsel at the Consumer Federation of America. Our BONUS call of the week will return next Tuesday, so if you have a question, email us at askjill@betteroffpodcast.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

By now you know that on the Better Off podcast we talk about more than just the nuts and bolts of investments and economics. Our mission is to help you take control of your financial life, and that includes helping you better yourself, invest in yourself, and ultimately, become an all around better off individual. One of the amazing byproducts of leaving a full time career in investment management and entering the news business is that I now meet (and have the privilege to interview) a wide range of incredibly smart people. While at times I can take that for granted, every once in awhile, I host a guest who helps me realize just how lucky I have it. That’s what happened when Retired Admiral William “Bill” McRaven walked into the studio last week and talked to me for about 45 minutes. It happened to be the day after the U.S. had launched airstrikes against Syria, which made the visit timely. If Bill’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he presided over the 2011 Navy SEAL raid that resulted in the killing

We like to keep investing as simple as possible on the Better Off podcast. It's really not rocket science...in many ways, less truly is more. However, one tricky thing that can be confusing and one thing that you really need to keep an eye on is the tax implications of your various investments. That's what Brandon from San Antonio was struggling with. We're pretty sure we helped him out on the latest BONUS call of the week. 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 in iTunes. Have a question? Email us at askjill@betteroffpodcast.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One of the goals of the Better Off podcast is to make the daunting seem doable. And there is no more daunting topic than college. From saving for it, going through the selection process and the heavy lifting of paying for it (whether out of pocket or through financial aid and student loans), the whole subject produces anxiety for students and their families. But it doesn’t have to be that way, according to our guest Kelly Peeler, founder and CEO of NextGenVest, a free text message service to help students navigate the college selection and financial aid and student loan processes. It’s the busy time of year for Kelly and her team, as college acceptances are rolling in and families are trying to figure what to do with all the various forms. And those forms are KEY. Can you believe that more than $2.7 billion dollars, yes billion with a B, of unclaimed financial aid money is left on the table every single year primarily because people don’t fill out the FAFSA form. That blows my mind. By using NextGenVe

Are you retired? Retiring soon? Perhaps are younger and wondering if you'll have enough money when the time comes? That's what the latest BONUS call with Alison from California is all about. Alison is only in her 50s but already decided to call it quits and is now wondering if she made a mistake. Considering life expectancy is much longer these days, especially for women, she has many, many years to plan for. Let us know what you think with a comment and rating in iTunes! 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. Have a question? Email us at askjill@betteroffpodcast.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices