Life is Life

Traveling in itself can be expensive. Of course airline tickets have been on the higher side these days and inflation isn't helping the cost of everything we do and stay while visiting somewhere away from home. But airports have gotten very good at creating experiences of their own as we wait to get to our ultimate destinations. In this episode we discuss the many ways we can fork out a lot of our hard earned cash at our worlds airports.

We are offered them for cars, plane tickets, and electronics. You might even have gotten a hundred calls to let you know that yours is about to expire even though you never purchased it. Warranties, protection plans and service plans are everywhere. But are they worth it?

Felipe shares his story of trying to get a windshield replaced by a warranty and how those events unfolded.  Three years and a cracked windshield later was it a good deal? Or did he forget a very important component to personal finances.  Always read the fine print!

Regardless if you are one of Kim Kardashian's 250 million followers or not this week she may have found a way into your feed. On Oct. 3rd the SEC announced a $1.26 million penalty for an Instagram post where she was paid to share information on a crypto currency. The full team sits down and shares their thoughts on influencers like Kardashian or Floyd "Money" Mayweather promoting Cryptocurrencies. Is it morally any different than promoting other products? We also share what influencers are more likely to get us to spend our money while we are on social media. 

So queue up some hashtags, post on your social media that you're listening to Talk Wealth To Me and enjoy.     

In today's world the trend is more and more venues becoming cashless. From buying beer and hot dogs to retail merchandise the ways of paying for your goods and services is ever expanding in our digital world. 

Today the crew discusses what they think of this new phenomena and whether or not it's a good thing for society.

In  all the years we have been working with individuals to get a handle on their debt and finances medical debt has been a large part of it. Not just the huge bills that we hear about but even the simple co-pays or co-insurance that can throw a families budget out of whack. 

Dr. Virgie Bright Ellington, MD an internal medicine physician and medical billing expert. With more than 20 years experience in primary care, psychiatric settings, and as a health insurance executive, Virgie has made it her life goal to help patients navigate the conundrum that is the U.S healthcare system.

Chase very recently navigated the healthcare system as his wife, Keri went through treatment for stage 4 colon cancer. This episode is a very personal one and one we all need to hear.

The passing of Queen Elizabeth II last week was worldwide news. Now, with King Charles III on the throne what does that mean for currency around the world that featured the portrait of the late Queen? In this episode the full team talks a little royalty before switching from the pound to one of our favorite topics, food. 

What is considered fine dining for you? Are there restaurants you enjoy that others might be quick to write off? Does a restaurant need to be local or authentic to have to be added to your budget? Grab a snack or drive to the place with the longest drive thru line and enjoy this episode. 

There is no one size fits all solution to personal finances. So as you can imagine disagreements amongst professionals happen all the time. What happens when most professionals agree and the people disagreeing happen to be economists and mathematicians? Can we be right and wrong at the same time?

In this episode we discus an article Chase came across in Inc. Magazine that covered three popular financial tips that don't add up according to mathematicians and economist. Yes, we are looking at you snowball method! We know that "numbers never lie," but do they sometimes fail to tell the whole story?  

Take a listen and let us know what you think? ?re we wrong? Should the math always add up?  

Children's birthday parties, anyone with kids and even those without, have attended. Parents sit around and have a drink or grab a bite to eat as kids run around with their friends and enjoy being the center of attention. But how memorable are they? Do you remember your ninth or tenth birthday party? More importantly, how much do they cost? Are there better ways to spend your money and time on your kids? 

In this episode Felipe shares his idea for doing away with the parties and giving control to his kids. All while saving money, reducing stress and making it more about the birthday kid again. He borrows a page from Chase’s “experience over things” playbook and hopes he has found a more budget friendly and memorable alternative to kid birthday parties. 

Please reach out and let us know what you do for your kid’s birthday or share a memorable birthday experience with us.

It's that time of year when parents drop off their  little ones at college campuses near and far. Did they pack their socks? Will they remember to call home? Or at least add you on Instagram so you can see that they are safe?

Some of the big questions parents are asking themselves are all about money. Are they ready to handle their own money? Will they be asking for a mommy or daddy bailout before the semester's end? Will student loans and credit cards lead to years of debt?

In this episode Chase returns and updates us on his personal life. Then joins Felipe to continue the conversation Felipe started on the local news. Listen as they talk young people and money. What can you look out for and what you can do today even if your little ones are still in elementary school.    

The world has changed since Steinbeck took Charley in search of America. I know my life has changed drastically since my 7,715.8 mile adventure across America in college, that was just 15 years ago!  

Some think the idea of the Great American Road Trip is dying. I'm here to ask you, please start a budget and hit the road again! Katie sits down with me as I go over, things to look out for when venturing out for a 2022 (or 2023) road trip. With or without little ones, or fur babies. 

Even after more than 30 thousand road trip miles (not counting any drive less than 1,000 miles) and over a thousand budgeting pretentions I miscalculated my budget. You don't have to.  -Felipe Arevalo

In the personal finance world, there's been a long-running debate on whether buying a home or renting for life is better for your money long-term.  But unlike rent, a mortgage comes with many other expenses, like taxes, maintenance, and upgrades. So is it more accurate to say that homeownership is more comparable to an auto loan than it is to paying rent?

In Episode #146,  Katie joins Felipe for a conversation about surprise expenses they experienced during the first year of homeownership, including a surprise tax bill that hit both households.

We love personal finances, that's no secret. Should you be thinking about personal finances all day every day? Should you find a circle of friends that only wants to talk business and finance? We think not we also want to talk about The Real Housewives or soccer. This episode Katie joins Felipe and they talk about viral tweets and other trends they see on the personal finance social media world. 

Mega Millions Lottery jackpot moved over the billion mark for the fourth time since it was introduced in 1996 in five states. Now in 45 states Mega Millions is one of the two largest lottery's in the nation. Is playing the lottery a smart move? chances of winning aren't great yet millions of people play each year.

Today Felipe and Chase discuss the lottery phenomena and whether it is smart to throw a few dollars on a ticket from time to time.

Water is the most important natural resource we have. Life cannot go on without it. Water can be consumed in many different ways these days and we Americans sure do consume a lot. But most of us don't get this important resource out of our taps any longer, oh no, we actually buy it and buy it in many different sizes, shapes, types and now even flavors.

The Talk Wealth to Me Crew discusses how we consume water and whether or not how we consume makes a difference to both our bank accounts and our planet.

Card declined! It has happened to all of us, the moment your card is declined and you feel the entire store is just watching you. Or maybe you forgot your money on the way to the store or you missed the "cash only" sign at the door? Embarrassing money situations come up and it doesn't always mean your finances are in trouble. This week Felipe shares a few embarrassing stories of his, one of his wife, and even of of Chase.   

We discuss shopping and over spending a lot on this podcast and of course budgets. That being said we are all human and retailers and their marketing pros know this. Fall lines, winter, spring and of course summer lines always come out in the middle of the prior season. We have all the big holidays but did you know there is a calendar with all kinds special (national) days that retailers can market products and services to us? The Talk Wealth To Me crew discuss the fun, obvious and the odd days that are marketed to us on an almost daily basis.

Happy 4th everyone!

Content warning: This episode contains conversations related to abortion and miscarriage.

One of the most influential laws in the U.S. in the 20th century was Roe v. Wade. Giving women the right to choose and making abortion legal. 

I the 21st century that law has been overturned giving the power back to States to decide whether it is legal or not. The talk Wealth To Me crew is joined by our colleague and frequent co-host to discus not only the personal, emotional and humanitarian aspect of this but of course the financial implications of this historic ruling.

When presenting in the community one of the most common questions we get is “what about crypto?” To kick off season six we talked to our top Certified Financial Planner (CFP) volunteer Paul Lim and asked him to breakdown cryptocurrency. This week, in part two of the  Cryptocurrency series we dive into what crypto and blockchain is, how they work, and what is the rationale behind creating a new currency.

When presenting in the community one of the most common questions we get is “what about crypto?” To kick off season six we reached out to our top Certified Financial Planner (CFP) volunteer Paul Lim and asked him to breakdown cryptocurrency. The result, a two episode special on everything crypto.  

Before one can understand why cryptocurrency was invented and how it gets its value we need to look back at the early days of currency. In part one we take it back to the days of kings and gold coins with a history of currency. Paul explains some of the fundamentals of all currencies and how they gain, or lose, value. If you like this episode stick around for part two next week.     

We as consumers have many choices when we choose the products and services we use on a daily basis. Some we choose because of affordability, ease of purchase or that our parents used so now we do. How often do we really know how the products we use are made or how they treat their suppliers. Well we found a company that is determined to change the way the world does business and is dedicated to creating and expanding a model of trade based on transparency, human dignity and environmental sustainability.

Just Coffee is an owner-based cooperative based in Madison, Wisconsin.  Robert McClure joins Talk Wealth to Me to talk about the history of the company and the innovative way they bring their incredible coffee's to our kitchens.