The S&P 500 has become the default investment for millions of Americans, but what exactly are you buying when you buy “the market”? We break down how the index actually works, why a handful of enormous companies increasingly determine its performance, how the S&P 500 has transformed over the decades, and whether owning 500 companies really makes you as diversified as you think.

Some financial decisions feel productive without actually making much of a difference. We obsess over coffee, credit scores, investment returns, subscriptions, and finding the perfect savings account while much bigger financial levers go untouched. This week, we identify the financial distractions that steal our attention from the decisions that actually determine our trajectory. Because being busy with your money isn't the same as making progress. A financial priority changes the outcome. A financial distraction merely feels like progress.

A 1% contribution increase doesn’t sound life-changing. Neither does a slightly higher investment fee or a small piece of an employer match. But over an entire career, these tiny percentages can become six-figure decisions. This week, Pete reveals the flashy math hiding inside your company-sponsored retirement plan. You’ll discover how an extra 1% could become more than $70,000, how one misunderstanding could cause you to miss thousands in employer money, and how an invisible fee difference could consume over $100,000 of future wealth. Your retirement plan is filled with small levers attached to surprisingly large outcomes. It’s time to find out which ones you should pull.

Every financial company wants your attention. To get it, they rely on polished language, compelling statistics, and phrases that sound reassuring—but often leave out the context that actually matters. In Financial Marketing, Translated, we decode the ads, websites, brochures, and sales pitches that shape financial decisions every day. We explain what the jargon really means, what assumptions are hiding beneath the claims, and the questions every consumer should ask before saying yes. This isn't about calling financial marketing dishonest. It's about making sure you understand the language well enough to separate meaningful information from persuasive messaging. Because once you can translate the marketing, you can make better financial decisions with confidence.

A listener clicked on one of those irresistible CNBC headlines claiming a family of four in Indiana needs more than $220,000 a year to live comfortably. Is that actually true... or is it another example of statistics being stretched beyond recognition? This week, we unpack the difference between a living wage, a comfortable lifestyle, and wealth. We'll explain why national headlines often create more anxiety than clarity, why "comfortable" means something different to everyone, and how to determine whether your income is enough—without comparing yourself to an internet calculator.

Your house is probably the biggest purchase you'll ever make—but for most people, it's the least managed asset they own. This week, Pete and NeighborServe CEO Dan Hanrahan break down what every homeowner should know: what your home needs, when it needs it, what it should cost, and who you should call before a small problem becomes a financial disaster. You'll learn why experts recommend budgeting 1–4% of your home's value every year for maintenance, why deferred maintenance behaves like high-interest debt, and how America's aging housing stock is quietly creating expensive surprises for millions of homeowners. Plus, we'll share practical advice on building your own home maintenance playbook so you're never caught off guard. Whether you've owned your home for six months or 30 years, this episode could save you thousands.

Most people measure their financial lives by the wrong numbers. Income. Net worth. Debt. Credit score. Those numbers tell you where you are—but they don't tell you whether you're actually moving toward financial freedom. In this solo episode of Worth with Pete the Planner, Pete revisits one of his favorite financial concepts: Power Percentage. Created years ago to answer the question, "Am I doing okay?", Power Percentage measures something far more important than wealth—it measures behavior. Pete explains why two people with identical incomes can have completely different financial futures, why net worth can be misleading, and why the habits behind your money matter more than the money itself. If you've ever wondered whether you're really making progress, this episode will give you a different scoreboard—and maybe a better way to think about your financial life. Because the goal isn't to look wealthy. It's to build freedom.

You spend years making smart financial decisions. You save aggressively, live below your means, and watch your retirement accounts grow. Then life happens. The family grows, the starter home no longer works, and suddenly your mortgage payment triples. Even when you can afford it, why does it feel like you've made a terrible mistake? This week, we answer an email from a listener who isn't really asking whether he should pay down his mortgage or save for retirement. He's asking a much deeper question: How do you adjust your financial plan when your entire financial reality changes?

This week, we tackle one of the biggest financial dilemmas facing homeowners today: what do you do when your life outgrows your house, but your mortgage rate is too good to give up? A listener and her husband are raising two kids, both working from home, caring for aging parents, and trying to decide whether moving from a $600,000 home into a $750,000 home makes financial sense. The challenge? Their current mortgage rate is an almost mythical 2.75%, with just 14 years remaining until payoff. On paper, the move appears affordable. A larger home would increase their monthly payment from roughly $2,200 to $3,500, but an upcoming increase in income could largely offset the difference. Still, walking away from a low-rate mortgage feels financially painful. In this episode, we break down: Whether their math actually works Why "can we afford it?" and "should we do it?" are different questions The psychological power of a low mortgage rate How to think about future interest rates without trying to predict them The hidden cost of staying in a house that no longer fits your life Why some homeowners have become prisoners of their own great refinancing decisions When remodeling makes sense—and when it's just a way to avoid making a decision Plus, Pete explores the concept of the "mortgage trap": the strange modern reality where millions of Americans have become financially anchored to homes they may have otherwise outgrown. Is giving up a 2.75% mortgage rate a financial mistake—or is it simply the price of moving into the next stage of life? This week's episode is about the tension between optimizing money and optimizing your life. Sometimes those two things aren't the same.

The government wants to give newborns a $1,000 investment account. Depending on who you ask, it's either a bold step toward building generational wealth or a cleverly branded headline with limited real-world impact. This week, we're breaking down the new Trump Accounts: who qualifies, how they work, and whether they're actually a game changer for American families. We'll run the numbers to see what a single $1,000 investment at birth can become over a lifetime, examine whether the accounts help close the wealth gap or widen it, and compare them to existing options like 529 plans and Roth IRAs. Most importantly, we'll ask a bigger question: Is the real value of this program the money itself, or the idea that every child should begin life as an investor? Politics aside, this episode is about ownership, opportunity, and the power of time. Because when it comes to building wealth, a head start may be worth more than a handout. Plus: If someone gave your child $1,000 to invest tomorrow, would it actually change your financial behavior? We think the answer reveals a lot more than the account itself.