Couple Money Podcast

Learn how you can prepare and save for the costs of retirement!

How Much Do We Need to Save for Retirement?

If you’ve used those free online calculator to find your retirement number, you probably were amazed at how much they say you need.

A million, two million, maybe more for just one of you.

How do you feel when you see those numbers?

Considering that 1 in 3 Americans has less than $5,000 saved for retirement, chances are there’s room for improvement.

Unless you’re living in denial about retirement, you’re probably dealing many of the hurdles couples deal with when it comes to saving and investing for retirement.

1- You have a full plate right now. As parents with two little ones, we always have something to do. We’re not complaining – this is really a fun season of life right now – but realistically our time and attention are focused around them.

2- Bills and debts. You may not be able to save more because there’s not much to give right now. If you have to pay credit cards, car loan, student loans and have a mortgage, your money is pretty much spent already.

3 – You’re not a financial planner. Hop online and you’’ll quickly see that there is endless free advice about what you should be doing. And it can be overwhelming at best and wrong for you at worst. Sifting through all that can be a mess.

Running the numbers is also difficult. Especially with one area of retirement that we have to deal with now – healthcare costs and insurance.

How do you know how much you’ll need years, decades down the line?

The answer is there is no way to perfect predict how much you need. But there are ways you can start drawing a plan that fits your circumstances and your goals.

Which is I’m happy Danielle Kunkle Roberts is here on today’s episode.

Danielle is the co-founder of Boomer Benefits. Boomer Benefits specializes in Medicare supplement and Medicare Advantage insurance.

Which you may be thinking, I’m too young for Medicare, but I think she’s perfect because she has a close up of view of how prepared people really are for retirement.

She’s going to offer suggestions, ideas, and tips on what you can do now so you can be better equipped to handle the costs of retirement.

And how your health insurance choices now can help or harm you later.

In this episode, we’ll discuss:

  • Prioritizing your finances
  • How HDHP and HSAs work and when they are right for you
  • How HSAs can help with healthcare costs during retirement

Hope you enjoy!

Resources to Win with Your Money

Want to go ahead and tackle your big marriage and money goals? Here are the resources we mentioned in today’s episode along with some extras!

Support the Podcast!

Thank you so much for listening to the podcast!

  • Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share.
  • Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher.
  • Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together!

Music Credit

Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional music by Lee Rosevere.

 
Direct download: S8E6_How_to_Prepare_for_Retirement_and_Healthcare_Expenses.mp3
Category:personal finance -- posted at: 1:06pm EDT

Today I’m answering your biggest tax questions. We’re doing a quick and easy take covering what you need to know this year when you file, how to maximize your refund, and set yourselves up with your finances for next year!

How to Maximize Your Tax Refunds with Credit and Deductions

There are some people in this world who are giddy right now because it’s tax season.

Yeah, this is like the SuperBowl for some money nerds.

And while I admit to being a number cruncher at times, I have to say taxes aren’t really that exciting for me.

Yep, guilty as charged.

However, I’ve seen how important getting our tax done has been for our finances. Both with planning throughout the year as well as using our refunds to reach our financial goals faster.

And I want you to see taxes in a better, maybe less stressful light so today I’ll tackle the big questions.

Heads up, even though I enjoy covering personal finances, I’m not a tax expert. There will be plenty of resources in today’s show notes for sure.

But this episode I will do my best to break things down and talk like a normal, non-money nerd.

In this episode, we’ll discuss:

  • The difference between tax deductions and credits
  • Major difference we noticed with the new tax law
  • Making the most of your tax refund

Hope you enjoy!

Resources to Tackle Your Taxes

Looking to make taxes less stressful? Here are some of my favorite resources!

Support the Podcast

Thank you so much for listening!

  • Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share.
  • Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. I’d love for more couples to work together to dump their debt and pursue their dreams together! Please leave your review on Apple or Stitcher.
  • Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together!

I appreciate your help. Let’s make talking about marriage and money fun!

Music Credit

Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional music by Lee Rosevere

 


Can you have nice things when you're paying off debt? What millionaire habits can you pick up today? Personal finance author and money expert Anthony O'Neal shares his tips and thoughts!

Busting Common Money Myths

 

Many times we mismanage our money because we’ve developed ideas and habits that are harmful to our financial health.

If we want to change or help our spouse to change, it means we have to examine those money myths and habits.

And it can be hard to change.

That's why I’m really happy to have personal finance author and millennial money expert Anthony O'Neal on today. He’s made the leap himself.

At age 19, Anthony ONeal was deep in debt and short on hope with no direction of where his life was headed. But after hitting rock bottom, he turned his life around and committed to helping students find and pursue their passions.

We met up over at the NC State University's bell-tower before his Smart Money event last week for a chat about money myths and habits.

In this episode we get into:

  • how you can have nice stuff while paying off debt
  • what millionaires do differently
  • how to financially prepare your kids for the real world

Hope you enjoy!

Resources to Build Good Money Habits

Looking to become debt free and build wealth? Here are some resources to help you build smart money habits.

Support the Podcast

Thank you so much for listening!

  • Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share.
  • Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. I’d love for more couples to work together to dump their debt and pursue their dreams together! Please leave your review on Apple or Stitcher.
  • Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together!

I appreciate your help. Let’s make talking about marriage and money fun!

Music Credit

Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional music by Lee Rosevere


Think your home is an investment? For most people, it's not. 

Learn how to rethink real estate so you can build your wealth and become financially independent!

Buying a house is usually the biggest purchase we make.

Right now in the United States, the median price of homes that sold is $225,900.

For those living in high cost of living areas like California and DC, you’re looking at closer to 350k to $400k respectively.

Just considering the numbers, you can see that you really need to do your homework when it comes to buying your house.

A misstep or mistake can cost you a significant amount of money.

I don't want that to happen to you. When \ever you buy your home I want it to feel like a blessing and a burden.

We’ve had several episodes about the house hunting, getting a mortgage, and finding the best home for you.

Today, though, I want to get into the root of every bad decision we made when it comes to real estate - how we approach it.

I can’t even count how many people had such strong opinions when we were house hunting.

And not all of them were right.

There so many justifications for buying any house.

  • ‘You’re throwing away money when you rent’
  • ‘Take advantage of the tax savings’
  • And my favorite - ‘real estate is an investment’

People were saying this and they no idea what kind of house or neighborhood we were looking at.

That’s not to say buying a house is a mistake.

It can actually be a smart move when done right. And if you’re looking at investing and are willing to put in the work, real estate can be an income stream.

But how you approach it makes all the difference.

Which is why I asked Julien and Kiersten, the creators and the couple behind Rich and Regular to come on today.

They are not only are homeowners, but they are also real investors who are working towards financial independence.

Their properties are a part of their plan so I thought they would be perfect to talk about how to approach real estate wisely.

In this episode we’ll discuss:

  • Why they don’t consider their home an investment
  • How they got into investing in real estate
  • Their strategy around real estate to reach financial independence

Hope you enjoy!

Resources for Buying a House

If you two are ready to get the balll rolling with buying a house or start looking at real estate investing, here are some resources to check out:

Support the Podcast

Thank you so much for listening!

  • Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share.
  • Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. I’d love for more couples to work together to dump their debt and pursue their dreams together! Please leave your review on Apple or Stitcher.
  • Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together!

I appreciate your help. Let’s make talking about marriage and money fun!

Music Credit

Like the music in this episode? Our theme song is by Gentle Regime. Additional music by Lee Rosevere


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