Joe Brumm knew his approach to children's television didn't conform to conventional ideas. But he didn't care. He created the show Bluey to meet his own desired outcomes.   Kevin Mahoney, CFP®, who specializes in financial planning for Millennials, discusses what we might learn from Joe Brumm and Bluey. The biggest lesson lies in a willingness to embrace flexibility over structure.   Welcome to Financially Well, the finance podcast for Millennials.

It’s hard for anyone to figure out how and when we should actually use the money we’ve saved.   Kevin Mahoney, CFP®, who specializes in financial planning for Millennials, explains how we can stick to our preferences. Even when short-term trends and distracting technology compete for our attention.   Welcome to Financially Well, the finance podcast for Millennials.

Have you ever felt stressed out when you're struggling with one particular aspect of your finances? Kevin Mahoney, CFP®, who specializes in financial planning for Millennials, proposes a solution: stay focused on the aggregate. Welcome to Financially Well, the finance podcast for Millennials.

What would happen if we aimed to make the majority of our financial decisions within 15 minutes? Kevin Mahoney, CFP®, who specializes in financial planning for Millennials, discusses how this is possible if you accept a simple premise: the most basic foundational financial decisions will determine whether you achieve the outcomes you seek. Welcome to Financially Well, the finance podcast for Millennials.

Natural wine, which lacks the mysterious additives that most conventional wines contain, continues to grow in popularity. It's a response to winemaking moving too far away from its simple, transparent, and natural origins. In this episode, Kevin Mahoney, CFP®, who specializes in financial planning for Millennials, discusses why, like winemakers, we have a choice to opt for simplicity over financial complexity. Too often, we admire complexity in money, particularly new technology, and popular trends. But to what end? Making your finances more complex does not mean you’re making financial progress.  You risk moving too far away from simple, easy-to-understand, and flexible finances. You risk losing sight of the essential point: turning your income into savings and investments that make your life better. Welcome to Financially Well, the finance podcast for Millennials.

After we set an ambitious financial goal, such as retiring at a specific age, we often feel stuck.    In this episode, Kevin Mahoney, CFP®, who specializes in financial planning for Millennials,  discusses why, with money, most of the time, a good-enough solution is fine. But by setting arbitrary stupid goals, we can experience more immediate, and enduring, benefits. And avoid that feeling of being stuck.   Welcome to Financially Well, the finance podcast for Millennials.

Taylor Swift's fourth studio album, Red, was the fastest-selling country music album ever. But one common critique of Red made Swift wince: it wasn't "sonically cohesive." The reason? Swift was stuck trying to please country music executives, despite her interests in pop music.   In this episode, Kevin Mahoney, CFP®, who specializes in financial planning for Millennials, discusses how we become more empowered with our money once we stop trying to please others.  Swift ultimately parted ways with country music to pursue what was important to her. And at certain points in our financial lives, we also need to be willing to part ways — with the consensus for what we’re “supposed to do” with our money.   Welcome to Financially Well, the finance podcast for Millennials.

In 1975, Pepsi announced the “Pepsi Challenge.” The marketing idea involved a simple blind taste test to determine the best soda in the country.   In this episode, Kevin Mahoney, CFP®, who specializes in financial planning for Millennials, explains why we wish our financial decisions could work like the Pepsi Challenge. No context. No peer influence or status implications. Only one variable, like sweetness, to consider. But the Pepsi Challenge revealed the importance of keeping in mind the context. In personal finance (as with soda preferences), context matters. Status pressure is real. And our financial lives are full of different variables. With money, we need more than calculations that, in theory, might maximize our wealth. We also need to understand the circumstances in which we're making these decisions.   Welcome to Financially Well, the finance podcast for Millennials.

A "third place" is a place that is outside home (first place) and work (second place), where people gather and interact. The first coffee shop in England opened in 1652, served this purpose. As have bars, libraries, and public squares.   In this episode, Kevin Mahoney, CFP®, who specializes in financial planning for Millennials, discusses why our money needs, but lacks a third place.   We have our checking and savings accounts for our daily cash flow needs. And we have tax-advantaged retirement accounts, like a 401(k), to work toward long-term goals. But what about a more flexible, multi-purpose investment option for that space in between?   Without a third financial place, we're willingly surrendering money that we might want to use before retirement. And we’re essentially skipping over the next 5-15 years of our financial lives.     Welcome to Financially Well, the finance podcast for Millennials.

More than 400,000 children around the world have learned to play the violin through the Suzuki Method. But Suzuki wasn’t trying to produce world-class musicians. Instead, he viewed the violin as a means to an end.   In this episode, Kevin Mahoney, CFP®, who specializes in financial planning for Millennials, discusses how Suzuki's experience with the violin mirrors our own experiences with money.   Like many childhood violin practices, the environment in which we make financial decisions often makes us miserable. We’re taught to focus on numbers at the exclusion of almost everything else. But most of us aren’t trying to reach the end of our lives with as much wealth as possible. Instead, we view our money as a means to an end.   And we can learn from Suzuki how to use our money to create the lives that we dream about for ourselves and our family.   Welcome to Financially Well, the finance podcast for Millennials.