Couple Money Podcast

Are you looking for a way to stay motivated with your goals for the year? Michelle Jackson walks us through how vision boards can help you achieve more!  How to Use Vision Boards to Achieve More t's the second day of the 2017 and I'm betting that you're probably flooded with a ton of goal setting tips, hacks, and trips. On one hand, I think taking a step back and having some clarity on what you want to accomplish is a wonderful first step, but I'm not a New Year's Resolutions woman. Whenever you decide to build your marriage and wealth, go for it. However with so many people's attention focused on goals I think now's a good opportunity to jump-start things. So for today's episode we're going to be focused on that first-step – defining your what and why for the year. And my guest for today is Michelle Jackson, host of Girl Gone Frugal, creator of Colorado Love Hub, and Shop My Closet Project. She's also the co-founder of the New Year, New You Financial Summit. We're going to talk a little about how you can ach

Stressed and overwhelmed by debt? Learn how you can rebuild your finances and life. Miss Mazuma shares how she overcame $500k of debt, short sales, and found happiness!   Rebuild Your Finances It's the beginning of a new year and while so many right now are all jazzed up about knocking down their debts, saving more, or spending less, that enthusiasm will die down. And if you still have a huge amount of debt or just a big goal you want to tackle when that happens, you can discourage. And in some cases, understandably depressed. It's normal. But what do you then? How can you stay focused and climb out? Today's guest, Miss Mazuma, is kind and brave enough to share her story. In this episode we get into: how she got into so much debt, have a look into the painful and frustrating process of a short sale see how she work through this and came to a healthier spot Her story is both encouraging and real. If you want to hear from someone else who has dug out from a mountain of debt, please check out my interview with

Looking for a less stressful way to handle your business' finances? Learn what mistakes to avoid and the tools that will help you master money even if you're a busy entrepreneur! Small Business Finances Around 27 million working-age Americans began or are running a business you may be one of them. I remember when I started freelancing it was a supplemental income. Eventually, though, it transitioned into my main work. I knew I needed to step it up and run it like a business. So I took care of the paperwork and started educating myself. There are days those deadlines get tight and I'm stressed but I enjoy doing the work I'm doing and spending more time with my family. Win-win in my book. Whether you're freelancing, doing a side hustle, or launching a business, it will take work. Not only do you have to work on the front end- so to speak  – producing the product or service you're selling, but you also have to be smart about the back end stuff. One key component? Finances. Quite simply getting the money squar

Are you two stressed over money? Do your talks more often than not end up in fights? Learn how money dates can be effective and fun way you get on the same page and talk about money! The Money Talk vs Money Dates One of the most popular questions I get is, when should we talk about money? Having THE money talk is not only intimidating but unproductive. Find out a better, less stressful option in today's episode. In this episode, we'll get into: why talking about money matters how you two can make money talks less stressful how money dates can help you build up your marriage and money Let's get started! Resources to Make Managing Money Together Easier Want to stay on top of your money without stressing over the small stuff? Here are some key resources and tools to check out! Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint, Honeyfi, and Zeta Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money How to Talk About Money Without Starting a Fight We’re going to discuss the ins and outs building your credit in o

Ready to take a last minute getaway or weekend trip? Use these travel apps and get the best deals! Going away for the weekend doesn't mean you break your budget. With a little planning and the right resources, you two can score some nice trips and still save money. So if you're looking at getting away from it all for a few days, save this post. Travel Sites to Bookmark for Your Weekend Getaways There are more sites than ever for travelers. Besides snagging last minute deals on popular tourist spots, you can also discover some awesome destinations. Airbnb: If you want to live like a local, Airbnb can help you find a bed or whole house for your next trip. We used the site when we went away for an anniversary trip and had a beautiful riverfront apt in Wilmington, NC for a fraction of the price of a hotel. Priceline: I'm a huge fan of their Name Your Own Price feature, which has helped us score plane tickets, hotel rooms, and car rental half off the advertised prices. Better Bidding: Speaking of bids, there are

Merging families and finances can be especially tricky with blended families, but you two can succeed and thrive. Get tips on how you can make this big transition go a lot smoother!  Blended Families and Finances Anytime you're merging lives, there are so many things to talk about and discuss. When you're blending your families that's another layer of complexity. If you have kids, you two are figuring out what the house rules apply now with things like curfew, chores, that you're under one roof. But you also have your exes. They may have rules which are completely opposite of yours. As you're juggling things as a family, it can be tricky navigating things. And finances can be just as messy. Thankfully, Melissa Brown, creator of Blended Family Podcast, is on the show today. She going to discuss her own family's transition and how they manage things plus offer practical tips to make the transition smoother. Hope you enjoy! Special thanks to Melissa for coming on and share her thoughts and story! Please reach ou

Tired of your debt restricting your options? Learn how Claudia & Garrett from Two Cup House dumped $200k in two years by simplifying their lives and moving into a tiny house! Achieving Financial Freedom By Dumping Debt Whenever I hear neighbors, friends, and family talk about their debt, there are a couple of reactions. Some are frustrated being trapped with certain things because of debt. Maybe they'd love to switch jobs to start a new career, but can't because they got bills to pay. Others kind of throw up their hands, accept debt as a part of life. “You'll always have a mortgage.” And then there's this third group. They're are sick and tired, but they are ready to do something. That's where Claudia and Garrett were two years ago. On April 7, 2015 the Penningtons started the journey lead them to eliminate all their debt last month. The grand total? Just over $200,000! Simplifying Finances and Lives  You've probably seen tiny homes in magazines, online, or maybe on TV (thank you HGTV!). Those small s

Ron Lieber,  NYTimes columnist and author of The Opposite of Spoiled, discusses how to raise money smart kids who are generous.  Talking About Money with Our Kids Whether we plan to or not our kids will pick up their financial habits based on what we say and do around them. We can look back at our parents and get an idea of how they shaped us. So how can we make sure we’re giving our kids a good start with money? In this episode Ron Lieber, NY Times columnist and author of the newly released The Opposite of Spoiled, will share the latest research to help parents raise kids who generous and smart about money. As a bonus, Ron offers listeners a special opportunity to make a difference and show your kids the power of giving. The first 20 listeners who purchase his book and email him a copy of the receipt to ron@ronlieber will get a free $27 DonorsChoose gift card. Resources and Links from the Episode If you want to learn more, I highly recommend that you check out The Opposite of Spoiled as it does a thorough

We're doing a listener Q and a, and we're answering two big marriage and money-related questions: finding better banking options and how to decide whether or not to loan money to friends or family! Answering Your Marriage and Money Questions Last Q&A we covered getting back on track with financial goals, raising credit scores, and jumpstarting your financial cushion.  So what’s on your minds now?  For one, it looks like you’re looking for a better banking option. That’s a smart move as many of us realize how key our checking and savings are in family finances. Getting hit with needless fees not only is draining your account, but most times it’s not for your benefit, but instead about growing their profit.  We’ll also look at how to help out a friend financially without hurting your own finances. We got a lot to cover, so let's get started! Resources to Tackle Your Money Together Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank Jumpstart Y

Ever dream of getting away from it? Learn how to prepare and plan your own adventure as Mike shares how he and his wife took their family on an RV trip across the Americas! Family Adventure: How to Plan for an Epic RV Trip We've been talking in a series of episodes about travel all this month- how to plan these different types of trips for your family that you'll enjoy and remember for a long time. But have you thought about doing something bigger?  Something where you don't just go away for a week on a vacation or a cruise, but actually take a break from your job, your house, and explore a different part of the world for a while? Sounds pretty crazy, right? I think most people would have a few things. That immediately come to mind about why it wouldn't work. How would we pay for this? Would we be able to find a job after we return? Could we sell your house? If you have kids, how would they deal with things? They're normal questions and concerns to have. I'd take it as a sign that you're someone who thin

Want to see more of the world, but are limited by budget? Learn how one couple used travel hacking so their entire family could take fantastic trips!  Travel Hacking as a Family While, I know many families are eager to get out there and traveled to summer. I also know that one of the holdups they have is their budget. Whether you're flying, renting cars. Staying at an Airbnb hotel. Everything has gotten more expensive. Traveling as a couple can be pricey, but still feasible. But it can be a financial challenge when you add kids to the mix. That's why I want to share from the archive and interview I had with Dan Miller, founder of Points With a Crew. Dan's managed to score some wonderful deals on his trips including getting plane tickets for his entire family to lake Tahoe and a cross country train ride. Did I mention they're a family of eight? Hopefully we'll show how you can keep more money in your pocket and still have your family seeing the world around them. In today's episode he shares: how to choose

Want to Take Cross Country Road Trip Together? How many times have you guys thought about traveling? Not just a weekend getaway or a vacation, but really seeing another place? What's stopping you?  These last few years with the pandemic have been..well, alot. We’ve had lockdowns, restrictions, and having to adjust work for the norm. On top of that, if you have kids, school looked completely different.  While we’re understandably cautious and keeping an eye on things, I believe many of us are also hoping not just to travel like before but want to try something different.  That Trip Advisor survey I mentioned last week about travel trends highlighted that more people wanted to explore different locations. It was less about visiting tourist traps and more about embracing their destination’s uniqueness. That’s why I’d think you enjoyed my interview with Derek and Carrie Olsen. Years ago, they, along with their then toddler, took a cross-country trip with their trusty travel trailer.  Even now, it’s one of my favo

Want to get out and travel more this year without breaking your budget? Learn how you can use travel hacking as a couple to get great deals on your trips!   Travel Hacking Together As we move into May, I’m hearing more and more couples talk about travel. With better weather and after an unprecedented - yeah I said it - two years, many are looking for a change in scenery.  According to Trip Advisor, 68% of Americans are looking to travel domestically and 29% are considering a trip abroad. Travel can be a fantastic way to shift our perspectives and rest a bit.  Because many in our community are trying to work toward financial goals as well, it’s even more important to find ways to get deals on vacations.  That’s why I want to pull from the archives and share an interview I had with Peter and Ruby, from  A Journey We Love. They had some wonderful travel hacking tips on how to keep your trips low stress, fun, and affordable.  During our chat, we got into:  their process for finding deals with their trips how th

Thinking of selling your house? Today we’ll go over how to prepare your place so you can get the best price for it! What You Need to Know to Sell Your House for More So far this month, we’ve been focused on buying a house. We looked at mortgages last week, discussed how to find some hidden gems in your city, and what mistakes to avoid during your house hunt. Now we’re looking at the other side: selling your place.  Right now in Raleigh, it’s a seller’s market. On the plus side, houses are selling faster and for more. Still, it can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re also trying to find your next place at the same time.   So how can you prepare your place to maximize your sales price? Which updates can attract more interest and which can hurt? Is there a good time to list your house? These are a few questions that can pop up so that’s why I’m thrilled to share from the vault an interview I had with Mariella Guillama is here today. She’s an award -winning Real Estate Broker at Daymark Realty. We used Daym

Buying a house is typically the biggest purchase couples make so you want to have your numbers line up with your goals and budget. Learn how you can find the best mortgage rates when you house hunt!  Finding the Best Mortgages Rates Are you two getting ready to start house hunting? Congratulations! When we were looking for our now current house, I remember the excitement of visiting and touring places. I also remember the other side of the house hunt: getting paperwork for the preapproval letter, running the numbers to figure out our budget, and reviewing mortgage documents.  At the time, it was a bit intimidating. Knowing that this was a huge purchase, we really wanted to get it right.  Thankfully we had a great team that answered all of our questions. Now years later, we are still happy with how things turned out. We have a home that we love that's also affordable enough that we can take care of other goals and dreams. I want you to feel the same way about the home you buy and a key part of that is find

Looking to buy a house you can comfortably afford? Today we’re going over how you can find a hidden gem and not a money pit!  How to Find and Buy a House You Can Afford I don’t know how things are in your area, but here in the Triangle, the housing market is hot. Prices have shot up. The median price of homes currently listed in Raleigh is $379,000.  To give you some context, a townhouse on our street went for more than double what we paid for our single-family house a few years ago. Just the other week, I caught a story on the local news about how unaffordable the Raleigh Durham area is getting.  If you want to buy a house you have to be a savvy house hunter.  Now you may have heard that you can snag a deal with a fixer-upper, but how do you know which houses are diamonds in the rough and which ones are money pits?   If you’re thinking of or are planning on buying a house soon, you may be facing these same questions and challenges. That’s why I’m pulling from the archives my interview with  Louis Guillama. 

Are you house hunting or about to start? Learn how you can buy the right house for you and your budget.  Mistakes Home Buyers Make Buying a house is usually one of the biggest purchases you can make and the financial paperwork of getting a mortgage gets complicated quickly.  Besides having a down payment ready, you have other costs like  Home inspection Lender fees Appraisal Title search and insurance fees And so forth If you’re buying a $300,000 home, you’re looking at paying anywhere from $6,000 to $15,000 in closing costs. If you’re living in an HCOL area, those numbers leap up.  It's really important to make sure you're ready for this leap before you signed the papers. You rush into it and you’re stuck with a mortgage you can’t comfortably afford, making your home a burden, not a blessing.  If you live in a hot real estate market it’s even more of a challenge. You’re dealing with multiple bids, some of them being much higher than the listing price. Here in Raleigh, it’s not uncommon to be competing with

Carla Titus shares the realities of running a profitable business from home and how she and her husband created a system that fits their goals and family life! The Realities of Starting a Side Hustle from Home Nowadays it’s become more common for couples and families to diversify their income. Whether it’s because they looking to knock out some debt, save up for a house or another goal, or they want to pivot their career, couples are looking at side hustles.  We’ve had several episodes about the essentials of starting a side business, but one of the biggest struggles many have is sustaining it.  Whether it’s working around your family or day job, the reality is you only have so much time. How do you make it work? How can you start and build a business?  Carla Titus is on the show today to share her expertise and her story.  She is the CEO of Wealth and Worth where she uses her over ten years of corporate financial planning, analysis, strategy, and startup CFO experience to help entrepreneurs take control of t

Feeling trapped by debt? Get the strategies, tactics, and resources to help you pay yours off faster!  Using Side Hustles to Pay Off Your Student Loans and Other Debts Faster Depending on where you are with your financial journey you may be dealing with debt. In some cases, a mountain of it.  Right now people are keeping an eye out on student loans and understandably so. It’s been estimated that 62% of college seniors who graduated from nonprofit colleges in 2019 had student loan debt. It’s a burden on many budgets and can feel even heavier if you have other debts like car payments and credit cards. Did you know that the average payment for a used car is over $400?  It may be that earning more is a necessity if you’re trying to get out of debt as soon as possible.  This is why I wanted to share from the archives a discussion I had with Kevin, attorney, side hustler, and the creator of Financial Panther. Years ago, he used side hustles to pay off $87,000 in student loans in less than 3 years! In this episode w