Money for Life with Eric Roberge, CFP

Latest Episodes:

How to Get a Great Deal on a New Car Aug 23, 2019

Show notes

20: After 12 years, 130,000 miles, and many seasons sitting out on the streets of Boston being pelted by salt trucks and/or really bad parallel parking jobs, it was time to trade in our old Mazda and upgrade. So we bought a new car!

But first, we had to figure out how to do it and not spend This process brought up a WHOLE lot of questions for us, like:

How do you determine when you really need a new car... and when it's just a luxury?
Is it better to buy new or used?
Pay in cash or get a loan? (Spoiler alert: we paid in cash and saved up before we seriously thought about buying.)
Are you an idiot if you buy a new car even though you know how much they depreciate the nanosecond you sign the paperwork and claim it as yours?
How do you avoid getting screwed at a dealership?

...and more, including the most important question of all: How do I get a great deal on a new car?

We did the research, went through the process ourselves, and snagged the exact car we wanted at a verified "great" price (according to the pros at sites like CarGurus).

In this episode of the show, we're sharing exactly what we learned so you can leverage this knowledge for yourself and score your next car at not just at a low price, but for an overall good deal on what you actually want.

3 Paths to Become a Self Made Millionaire Aug 09, 2019

Show notes

19: You don't have to be born into money to have money now. Today, we lay out a few different paths to explore if you want to become a self-made millionaire. We cover:

-- Becoming a high-income earner with a company or employer -- Starting a business or freelancing -- The importance of investing (and multiple ways to do it).

We'll tell you which path we're on, discuss the pros/cons of each, and provide some insight on how you can make more money now.

Full show notes at www.beyondyourhammock.com/19

How to Deal with Your Student Debt Jul 26, 2019

Show notes

18: In Part II of our series on student loan debt, we look beyond the topic of general student loan forgiveness and explore what you can do right NOW to better manage the burden of the student debt you have to carry.

In this episode, we cover:

-- How to make a debt repayment plan (and implement it) -- What makes up a customized plan, including looking at your complete financial situation, evaluating your options, developing the best financial strategy for dealing with your loans without sacrificing your goals or future financial success, and giving you an objective plan to follow -- The factors that indicate you need to work with a professional to help you get the BEST plan for you in place -- Potential options like refinancing or consolidating your student debt (and why they're NOT the same thing!) -- Resources you can use to help you better manage your student debt

As always, full show notes at www.beyondyourhammock.com/18

Total Student Loan Forgiveness - Yay or Nay? (Part 1) Jul 12, 2019

Show notes

17: Total student loan forgiveness is a hot topic right now and everyone has an opinion about whether it's good or bad. But what should you actually DO about it -- and the loans you have right now?

In PART ONE of this two-part episode series on student loans, we talk about:

The current headlines and what people are chatting about
What student loan forgiveness already exist and are available for you to use (as well as if it makes sense for you to take advantage of these)
The differences between forgiveness and discharge
What you need to understand about federal versus private loans
Things you should think about before you feel swayed, one way or another, about the current news surrounding total student loan forgiveness
What you can do right now to improve your financial situation and reduce the burden of your student loan debt -- regardless of whatever happens in the political arena
Why, ultimately, total student loan forgiveness doesn't even matter if you're not going to work on your money mindsets and habits NOW

For links and more resources, check out the full show notes at www.beyondyourhammock.com/17

Money and Market Misconceptions That Can Cost You Jun 28, 2019

Show notes

16: What you only think you know can definitely hurt you -- and cause you to lose a lot of money in the market.

The reality is most of us do not consistently make excellent financial choices on our own, in a vacuum. Part of the problem is that we're plagued by misconceptions around money and the market, and we act on faulty information.

Start to solve this problem by educating yourself on the real deal and understand what's really going on when we talk about things like diversification, index funds, the S&P 500, portfolio performance, and more...

...including what might be the biggest misconception of them all: that you definitely know what you're doing and make great financial decisions all the time.

How to See the (Money) Forest for the Trees Jun 14, 2019

Show notes

15: Most people make short-term and limited decisions without considering how these choices impact things to the right when you're only looking left. Here's how to solve that problem

If we could compare life to walking through a forest, we could say that you pass a lot of trees along the way. And most people tend to obsess over the nearest tree.

It's just human nature: you focus on the tree nearest to you and you lose sigh of that entire forest that is your life.

In this episode of the podcast, we explore how proper planning, deliberation, and insight allows you to step back, see more, and better understand where you are now in relation to where you want to go.

The decisions you make right now should be in the context of everything that's happening now and the future. You need to understand that the way in which you use your money and the choices you make impact you life now and down the road.

Looking at the forest means taking a step back and understanding how everything is interconnected — and how to make decisions around that.

Don't obsess over tactics. This show will explain how to take a step back and build a strategy first.

Your Money Questions Answered: Student Loans, IPOs, Credit Cards, and More May 31, 2019

Show notes

14: You asked us about student loans, credit cards, IPOs, retirement savings, and budgeting. Here are our answers.

A few podcast episodes ago, we asked for you to send us some of your money questions that you wanted our perspective on -- now we're answering!

We cover the following questions in this first "ask me anything" styled show:

How much do I need to save for retirement?
What's the best credit card to use?
How do you budget?
What should I do if my company is about to go through an IPO?
Is student loan forgiveness going to last?

Big thank you to everyone who submitted questions. You are always welcome to send in your money question, too!

Email us at team@beyondyourhammock.com with your questions -- about money or even more. Ask us anything and if we get enough of your Qs, we'll do another AMA-type episode to answer.

How Much Average People Spend May 17, 2019

Show notes

13: Ever wondered how much most people spend on housing, travel, restaurants, and more? And have you ever wondered how YOU compare?

We dive into some of these numbers in this episode, sharing what the average person spends, what we think you need to save, and how to fit YOUR spending around these data points.

We also talk about how to set up a budget in a way that feels freeing, not restrictive, and explain a 3-step process for cash flow management to help you reach your goals without depriving yourself of enjoying using your money today.

Thoughts on Planning and Paying for a Wedding May 03, 2019

Show notes

12: Getting married and planning your wedding is a big deal. But that doesn't justify spending more than you can afford... or sabotaging all your other savings goals for the sake of throwing one giant party for hundreds of people.

People were really interested to know how much Eric, as a financial planner, would spend on his own wedding -- so we decided to start talking about it to give people a new perspective on how much to spend and the WHY behind that rational.

In this episode, Kali and Eric both shared some of their thoughts on how they planned their wedding, how much they spent on it, and why they determined the budget they set was the right one for them.

Pair this podcast with the blog post that gets into these details too: www.beyondyourhammock.com/spending-on-a-wedding/

Or check out full show notes at www.beyondyourhammock.com/12

Stocks, Bonds, and Mutual Funds, Oh My! Apr 19, 2019

Show notes

11: Get some guidelines that will help you invest smarter so you can make your money work for you (while avoiding silly mistakes along the way).

"…but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes," wrote Ben Franklin. He could have added something like "and the fact that inflation will eat away the buying power of your cash over time" and likely still would have had a point.

It's this fact that makes investing — especially when you're young and have a long time horizon to when you need to start tapping the nest egg you can begin building today — a critical step to take if you want to walk the path to wealth.

In this episode, we lead an investing 101 conversation and cover some of the most important topics you need to think about before you invest, including:

How to set up a truly diversified portfolio
What to think about when it comes to risk
Ways to set up your asset allocation (and keep it in balance)
The right mindset to have around your investments
How to manage your emotions around the markets

…and more. Full show notes at www.beyondyourhammock.com/11

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Money for Life with Eric Roberge, CFP

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected