The Plain Wealth

8 Smart Money Habits for Financial Stability and Long-Term Wealth

Check out my book on Amazon: https://a.co/d/64uMw2m

In this podcast, I share 8 powerful strategies to help you manage your money more effectively and build lasting wealth. Whether you're just starting out or looking to improve your financial habits, these tips will guide you toward greater financial stability and long-term success.

Key topics covered:

1. Create and Stick to a Budget: Track your spending and stay within your means.
2. Build an Emergency Fund: Save 3-6 months of living expenses for unexpected events.
3. Automate Savings and Investments: Make saving and investing a consistent habit.
4. Minimize High-Interest Debt: Pay off high-interest debt to free up money for saving and investing.
5. Invest for the Long Term: Focus on growing wealth through diversified, long-term investments.
6. Shop Smart and Avoid Impulse Purchases: Use strategies to make the most of your spending.
7. Improve Financial Literacy: Continuously learn about personal finance to make better decisions.
8. Review and Adjust Regularly: Regularly assess your financial plan and adjust as needed.

By adopting these smart money habits, you can reduce financial stress, improve your financial health, and build a secure future.

End of Life Care Considerations

Check out my book on Amazon: https://a.co/d/a6Dk80X

In this podcast, I discuss 10 essential financial considerations for effective end-of-life planning, ensuring that both you and your family are well-prepared for the future. From estate planning to healthcare directives, we cover everything you need to know to make informed decisions and reduce the financial burden on your loved ones.

Key topics include:

1. Estate Planning: Wills, trusts, and choosing an executor
2. Power of Attorney (POA): Appointing someone to manage your finances if you're incapacitated
3. Healthcare Directives: Living wills and designating a healthcare proxy
4. Life Insurance: Ensuring your policy covers debts, expenses, and dependents
5. Long-Term Care Planning: Preparing for potential care needs
6. Tax Planning: Minimizing taxes on your estate and inheritance
7. Funeral and Burial Expenses: Pre-planning and funding funeral costs
8. Debt Management: Addressing outstanding debts before passing
9. Beneficiary Designations: Aligning account beneficiaries with your estate plan
10. Asset Distribution: Ensuring fair and clear distribution of your assets among heirs

By addressing these critical areas, you can create a comprehensive plan that ensures your wishes are honored and minimizes the financial strain on your family. Don’t wait—take control of your end-of-life planning today.

8 Reasons to Start Investing

In this episode, we dive into 8 compelling reasons why you should start investing now—no matter where you are in your financial journey. From the power of compound interest to building wealth over time, we’ll explore how investing can help you achieve your financial goals, secure your future, and protect against inflation. You’ll learn why investing is crucial for growing your money, creating financial independence, and preparing for retirement. We also touch on the benefits of starting early, even with small amounts, and how investing can give you a hedge against market uncertainty. If you’ve been on the fence about investing, this episode is packed with practical insights to motivate you to take that first step.

 

Check out my book: https://a.co/d/5BkVizK

5 Reasons to Keep Investing Expenses Low

In this episode, we break down 5 key reasons why keeping your investing expenses low is crucial for long-term financial success. From reducing fees and boosting returns to minimizing the impact of taxes and staying disciplined during market fluctuations, we’ll cover the important role that costs play in wealth-building. We’ll also discuss how high fees can erode your portfolio over time and why choosing low-cost investment options, like index funds and ETFs, can help maximize your financial gains. Whether you're just starting out or looking to optimize your investment strategy, this episode offers actionable insights for keeping your investing expenses in check.

Check out my book on Amazon: https://a.co/d/2uieRae

How to Build Wealth with Index Funds

In this episode, we explore how to build long-term wealth using index funds—one of the most effective and low-cost investment strategies. We’ll cover the basics of index funds, how they work, and why they’re a popular choice for both beginners and seasoned investors. You’ll learn about diversification, the power of compounding, and how to develop a strategy that aligns with your financial goals. We’ll also discuss the benefits of passive investing, the historical performance of major indexes, and tips for staying disciplined in a fluctuating market. Whether you’re just starting your investing journey or looking to optimize your portfolio, this episode provides practical advice on growing wealth with index funds.

 

Check out my book on Amazon: https://a.co/d/fQvM4nO

What is the 4% Rule?

In this episode, we dive into the 4% Rule in investing—a popular strategy for retirement planning. We'll break down how the rule works, its historical context, and why many investors use it to determine how much they can safely withdraw from their retirement savings each year. We also explore the potential risks, variations, and updates to the 4% Rule in light of market changes, inflation, and longer life expectancies. Whether you're planning for retirement or just curious about sustainable withdrawal strategies, this episode offers valuable insights to help guide your financial future.

 

Check out my book on Amazon: https://a.co/d/fTitErc

How Stoics Invest

I discuss how stoics might approach investing in this episode.  I talk about how a stoic would approach modern markets, market volatility and asset allocation.

The Psychology of Money - A Deep Dive

Morgan Housel has written one of the most important books on money and investing in the last decade. He's the New York Times Bestselling author of The Psychology of Money and Same As Ever.  

In this episode I do a deep dive on The Psychology of Money.  I originally recored this in four parts.  I combined them into one long episode for your listening enjoyment.

Reasons to Invest Early

Have you started investing yet?  Why not?  In this episode I discuss some of the reasons why you should start your investing journey as soon as possible. 

10 Tips for Money

Back with another fun pod to discuss how to get started thinking about your money and investing.  This pod gets into the fundamentals of wealth building.