The Stacking Benjamins Show

Most investors spend their energy asking the wrong question. It's not which fund is best -- it's which combination of funds gets you to your actual goal at a cost and complexity level you'll actually maintain. Joe and OG break down the full index investing playbook: where to start, when to add complexity, what Wall Street calls indexing that really isn't, and the one number that should change how you think about your entire portfolio. What You'll Walk Away With Why the real argument for index investing isn't that nobody beats the market -- it's that you can't predict who will do it next The crockpot principle of index investing -- and why the self-cleaning oven analogy might be even better Why the S&P 500 and the total stock market index are closer than most people think -- and which one Joe is increasingly favoring for the long run The $100,000 turning point: what changes about your investment strategy when the portfolio gets big enough to get scientific The first two additions most Stackers should consider beyond their core index -- and why OG would actually add more than two Why mixing index funds from different companies can quietly undermine your diversification without you ever knowing it How to replace the word "index" with "list" to instantly identify whether a product is actually doing what you think it is The buffered ETFs, factor ETFs, and active ETFs that call themselves indexes -- and why most Stackers should walk right past them Why you're not racing against the index -- you're on a road trip -- and what that shift in framing changes about every investing decision The season one recap from OG and Anna's financial planning basics series -- plus the free workbook that ties all seven episodes together Why This Matters Now In your 40s, the portfolio is finally big enough to matter -- and that's exactly when the temptation to complicate things gets strongest. New products, new strategies, and new buzzwords show up constantly, each promising a smarter approach. The investors who come out ahead aren't the ones who found the best fund. They're the ones who built something simple enough to maintain, scientific enough to optimize, and sturdy enough to hold through the moments when everything feels like it's falling apart. From the Basement Joe and OG dig into the full index investing playbook -- from the first fund a beginner should buy to the asset class combinations that actually improve long-term outcomes once the portfolio gets big enough to warrant it. OG and Anna close out their seven-week financial planning basics series with a full recap and the surprise release of a free downloadable workbook at stackingbenjamins.com/basicsguide. Doug arrives with Nolan Ryan trivia that connects strikeout records to index investing in a way that only the basement could pull off. Whether the analogy fully lands is a question best answered with your earbuds in. Resources Mentioned The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins -- referenced as the foundational text for beginner index investors; stackingbenjamins.com links to prior interview Paul Merriman's annual asset class research -- referenced for data on adding small cap value and international to a core S&P portfolio; paulmerriman.com iShares -- referenced as an example of a consistent index fund family worth staying within JP Morgan Guide to the Markets -- referenced in prior episode; available at jpmorgan.com Stacking Benjamins Basics Guide -- free seven-episode workbook at stackingbenjamins.com/basicsguide Stacking Benjamins Newsletter (The 201) -- weekly investing hot takes from Kevin Bailey at stackingbenjamins.com/201 Stacking Benjamins Vault -- stackingbenjamins.com/vault Stacking Benjamins Meetups -- stackingbenjamins.com/bad Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Most people glance at their balance and move on. Joe Saul-Sehy, OG, Paula Pant, and Jesse Cramer argue that's exactly where the money quietly disappears. This week they go statement by statement, credit card through brokerage, and share what actually deserves your attention and what you can safely ignore. In this episode: The one thing on your credit card statement that trips up even careful spenders, why focusing on your 401k rate of return is the wrong move, the underinsured coverage gap most homeowners and drivers don't know they have, and the tax planning opportunities hiding inside your brokerage account. Biggest takeaways: Sort your credit card transactions highest to lowest. The leak with a comma in it will find you faster than you'll find it. Your 401k contributions matter more than your returns. Contributions are within your control. Returns aren't. Check that your payroll deductions are actually landing in the account, because the IRS does not look kindly on companies that miss that. Check your homeowner's insurance rebuild value every few years. Labor and material costs have changed dramatically. If you bought your policy when you bought your house and never revisited it, there is a good chance you are significantly underinsured. In a taxable brokerage account, understand whether you're holding short-term or long-term gains before you make any moves. The difference in what you'll owe can be substantial. Also in this episode: Jesse Cramer previews an upcoming episode of Personal Finance for Long-Term Investors on why target date funds may be underperforming by more than you think. Resources mentioned: Jesse Cramer's podcast: Personal Finance for Long-Term Investors Paula Pant's podcast: Afford Anything The Stacking Benjamins scorecard: stackingbenjamins.com/scorecard The Vault: stackingbenjamins.com/vault Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Blockchain. Stablecoins. Wallets. Staking. Halvings. If you've spent the last few years nodding confidently through crypto conversations while quietly hoping nobody asks a follow-up question -- this episode is for you. Retired anesthesiologist and trading veteran Joe Duarte went from crypto skeptic to informed pragmatist, and today he brings the plain-English breakdown that most crypto content assumes you don't need. No hype. No moon talk. Just the vocabulary, the mechanics, and the honest risks. What You'll Walk Away With What blockchain actually is -- stripped of the jargon and explained in one sentence that actually sticks The real difference between Bitcoin and Ethereum -- and why understanding those two unlocks everything else What a stablecoin is, why it exists, and the one comparison that finally makes it click The three crypto exchanges worth knowing -- and why starting with the big names isn't just convenient, it's genuinely safer Hot wallets, cold wallets, and mobile wallets explained -- and which one makes the most sense if you're just getting started What staking is, what mining is, and why neither one is your first move as a beginner How crypto actually moves -- the liquidity connection most investors miss entirely The tax trap that catches crypto beginners off guard -- and why your record keeping has to be airtight from day one Why ETFs might be the smartest way for most Stackers to get crypto exposure without the operational headaches The long-term care reality hiding in this episode -- and why 80% of people will eventually face a cost their current plan doesn't account for Why This Matters Now Whether you've been crypto-curious for years or you've actively avoided the conversation, the landscape has changed enough that staying completely uninformed carries its own risk. Regulation is arriving, major brokerages now offer access, and the vocabulary has leaked into mainstream financial planning. You don't have to become a believer -- but understanding what you're looking at puts you in a much better position to decide whether any of it belongs in your financial life. From the Basement Joe Duarte joins Joe and OG to translate the crypto dictionary for everyone who's been faking it at dinner parties for the last decade. In the headline segment, Joe and OG dig into a sobering new AARP report on long-term care costs -- and the conversation gets uncomfortably real about what most retirement plans are quietly missing. Doug arrives with trivia about the Bitcoin halving process, which turns out to have a name that required approximately zero creativity to invent. Whether the basement scoreboard reflects informed decision-making or something closer to Doug's personal net worth is a question best answered with your earbuds in. Resources Mentioned Cryptocurrency 101 by Joe Duarte -- available wherever books are sold, with deals currently running on Amazon Coinbase -- coinbase.com, recommended starting point for US-based crypto beginners Kraken -- kraken.com, noted for advanced trading tools alongside beginner access Binance -- binance.com, largest global exchange; noted history with US regulators worth researching NFCI Index -- Chicago Fed's National Financial Conditions Index, useful for tracking crypto-correlated liquidity at chicagofed.org Genworth Cost of Care Study -- annual long-term care cost data by state at genworth.com AARP Long-Term Care Report -- linked in show notes at stackingbenjamins.com Stacking Benjamins Scorecard -- stackingbenjamins.com/scorecard Stacking Benjamins Vault -- stackingbenjamins.com/vault Stacking Benjamins Newsletter (The 201) -- stackingbenjamins.com Hegemony board game -- referenced by Joe post-show; details at hegemonyproject.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Most people think about investing in terms of what to buy. Joe Saul-Sehy, OG, and CFP Anna Allem argue the more important question is where you put it. This week they break down the three-bucket tax triangle that could save you thousands in retirement, plus answer listener questions on Trump accounts, UTMAs, and how to pull together a home down payment when your money is locked up in all the wrong places. In this episode: The difference between pre-tax, brokerage, and tax-free investing and why you need all three, what the new Trump account actually does and who it makes sense for, how to build a home down payment when your assets are tied up in retirement accounts, and why flexibility in your tax strategy matters as much as the investments themselves. Biggest takeaways: Draw a triangle. Label each corner pre-tax, brokerage, and tax-free. Then draw your buckets to scale based on where your money actually sits. If one bucket dwarfs the others, that's your problem to solve before you touch anything else. The Trump account is not a traditional IRA, despite what the website implies. Money goes in after tax, grows tax deferred, and comes out taxable. For most people with a 529 and an UTMA already in place, keep going with what you have. When your money is locked in retirement accounts and you need a down payment, the math has two sides. What does pulling it out cost you today in taxes and penalties, and what does it cost you in thirty years of lost compounding? Know both numbers before you decide. Resources mentioned: Episode 1808 on help eliminating hospital bills (on navigating medical bills and hospital assistance programs) The Stacking Benjamins scorecard: stackingbenjamins.com/scorecard The Vault: stackingbenjamins.com/vault Submit your question: stackingbenjamins.com/yelldownstairs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What would you ask about money if you had the mic? Live from Texas A&M Texarkana, Joe Saul-Sehy, Paula Pant, and financial educator Jay Davis take questions from students facing real-world money decisions—like choosing between passion and paycheck, avoiding lifestyle creep, investing safely, and building a financial future from scratch. If you're in your 20s—or wish you could do them over—this episode is packed with the advice we wish we knew earlier. Plus: Doug climbs into the rafters (again) for a trivia showdown you won’t forget. 💡 What We Cover in Today’s Episode Passion vs paycheck vs peace: How do you actually choose a career without regretting it later? Why “follow your passion” might be terrible advice—and what to do instead How to avoid lifestyle inflation when your income jumps The easiest way to “hide money from yourself” (and why it works) The real difference between 401(k)s, IRAs, stocks, and gold (finally explained clearly) What “safe investing” actually means (hint: it depends on time) The biggest money mistakes college students make—and how to avoid them Why systems beat discipline every single time Smart ways to manage student loans after graduation The underrated power of an emergency fund (aka your freedom fund) How networking—not your resume—can shape your financial future 🧠 The Big Takeaways You don’t need perfect discipline—you need better systems Your first few years out of school can change everything financially “Safe” depends on when you need the money The earlier you start, the more your money works (hello, compounding) Most people don’t fail from lack of knowledge—they fail from lack of action 🎤 Special Guests Paula Pant – Host of the Afford Anything Podcast Jay Davis – Executive Director of Financial & Entrepreneurship Engagement, Texas A&M Texarkana Thank you to Red River Credit Union for underwriting this live show! FULL SHOW NOTES: https://stackingbenjamins.com/live-q-and-a-with-paula-pant-1830 Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are in our newsletter, The 201, available at https://www.StackingBenjamins.com/201 Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The same mental patterns that cause investors to panic-sell during a downturn, chase validation through status purchases, or freeze up when facing big financial decisions -- those are the exact patterns performance coach Jim Murphy has spent decades helping elite athletes overcome. His framework isn't about trying harder. It's about getting aligned. And today he brings it down to the basement to help Stackers apply it to the one game that matters most -- the one you play with your own money and your own life. What You'll Walk Away With The three pillars of extraordinary performance -- belief, freedom, and focus -- and why chasing results instead of these three things is costing you more than you know Why the score, the portfolio balance, and the quarterly statement are all distractions -- and what elite performers focus on instead The resonance framework that helps you recognize when you're making decisions from alignment versus anxiety Four daily goals that reorient your attention from outcomes you can't control to the process that actually produces them Why the same ego patterns that derail pro athletes -- always comparing, never satisfied -- show up identically in how most people handle money The homeless harpist story: what Jim did with his last $100 when he was $90,000 in debt -- and what happened next Why retiring from a career you've tied your identity to can feel exactly like getting cut from a team -- and how to prepare for it before it happens Five questions to ask yourself before any high-stakes decision to know whether you're operating from fear or from genuine conviction The AI warning hiding in this episode -- why an assistant that never disagrees with you might be the most financially dangerous tool in your arsenal What a cancer diagnosis in January taught a performance coach about what the best possible life actually looks like Why This Matters Now In your 40s, the financial pressure is real -- but so is a quieter kind of pressure that rarely gets named. Am I building the right life? Am I making decisions because they matter to me, or because of what other people will think? Jim Murphy's work sits at the intersection of those two questions, and the answer he keeps arriving at is the same one the best investors, the best athletes, and the most contented people share: stop optimizing for the scoreboard and start arranging your days around what actually makes you feel fully alive. From the Basement Jim Murphy joins Joe and OG to walk through the framework behind his new book, The Best Possible Life -- including the desert solitude, the FedEx job, the homeless harpist, and the cancer diagnosis that field-tested everything he teaches. Joe and OG close out the episode with a Psychology Today headline on AI and financial trust -- and OG's story about nearly committing accidental tax fraud because Claude was being extremely encouraging about a box he absolutely should not have checked. Doug arrives with McDonald's trivia in honor of Tax Day and Ray Kroc's first store. Whether the basement scoreboard survived the week is a question best answered with your earbuds in. Resources Mentioned The Best Possible Life by Jim Murphy -- available wherever books are sold Inner Excellence by Jim Murphy -- also available wherever books are sold Jim Murphy on Substack -- live Q&A coaching sessions and weekly newsletter; find him at interexcellence.com Jim Murphy on Instagram -- @InterExcellence Mental Toughness Training for Sports by Dr. Jim Loehr -- referenced by Jim as a foundational influence Psychology Today article on AI and financial trust -- linked in show notes at stackingbenjamins.com Stacking Benjamins Guides -- updated monthly at stackingbenjamins.com/guides Stacking Benjamins Vault -- budget and net worth tracking at stackingbenjamins.com/vault Stacking Benjamins Meetups -- find a group at stackingbenjamins.com/bad FULL SHOW NOTES: https://stackingbenjamins.com/achieve-your-inner-excellence-with-jim-murphy-1829 Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are in our newsletter, The 201, available at https://www.stackingbenjamins.com/201 Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oil prices up. Tariffs in the headlines. Markets bouncing. Your phone serving you a fresh reason to panic every 10 seconds. This week Joe Saul-Sehy and OG break down why everything you're feeling right now is normal, why acting on it is the mistake, and how to think about your portfolio when the world feels like it's on fire. Plus CFP Anna Allem joins OG for the basics segment, walking through the three-bucket investing framework that makes it easier to ignore the noise. In this episode: Why volatility is the price of admission, not a warning sign, how the news business and your investing strategy are working against each other, why a broadening market is actually a healthy sign, and the foundation, bridge, engine framework for goals-based investing. Biggest takeaways: In a normal year the market drops 14% from its high watermark at some point during that year. Then it recovers. That's not a crisis. That's Tuesday. The media's job is to keep you on the platform. Your job is to stay in the market. Those two goals are not compatible. When you tie your money to a specific goal with a specific timeline, the day-to-day noise becomes almost irrelevant. Know which bucket your money is in and why. Resources mentioned: The Stacking Benjamins scorecard: stackingbenjamins.com/scorecard The Vault: stackingbenjamins.com/vault Stacking Benjamins guides (taxes, college planning, HR): stackingbenjamins.com/guides FULL SHOW NOTES: https://stackingbenjamins.com/how-to-manage-geopolitical-risk-1828 Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are in our newsletter, The 201, available at https://www.stackingbenjamins.com/201 Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Most people don't start thinking seriously about retirement until their forties. If that's you, the good news is you're not behind. You're normal. And this week three CFPs, Jackie Cummings Koski, Roger Whitney, and OG break down exactly what to do, in what order, starting right now. In this episode: Why panic is the enemy of a good retirement plan, the first place your money should go before anything else, why your savings rate matters more than finding the perfect investment, and the one investing mistake people make when they feel behind. Biggest takeaways: Give yourself grace first. This stuff isn't taught in school. The two years Jackie spent just processing her situation before taking action weren't wasted. That clarity is what made everything else stick. Increase your savings rate by 1% every six months. Going from 3% to 13% over five years feels like a non-event the entire time. Automation makes it invisible. Simple beats clever. Index funds, low cost, diversified, and boring. When you feel behind, the temptation is to swing for the fences. That's exactly when boring saves you. Real estate and dividend strategies are tactics. Tactics come after you have a strategy. For a 40-year-old starting from zero, the strategy is build the habit and save more. Resources mentioned: Jackie Cummings Koski's book Fire for Dummies and podcast Catching Up to FI at catchinguptofi.com Roger Whitney's Retirement Answer Man podcast at rogerwhitney.com The Stacking Benjamins scorecard: stackingbenjamins.com/scorecard The Vault: stackingbenjamins.com/vault FULL SHOW NOTES: https://stackingbenjamins.com/how-to-start-saving-for-retirement-at-40-1827 Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are in our newsletter, The 201, available at https://www.StackingBenjamins.com/201 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Retirement expert Jamie Hopkins has spent 20 years helping people plan for retirement, and his most counterintuitive advice stops most savers cold: in the final years before you retire, putting more money away might actually be hurting you. This week he joins Joe and OG to explain why, and what to do instead. In this episode: Why financially prepared retirees still end up miserable, how to practice spending before you retire, the home bias that quietly tanks your portfolio and your quality of life at the same time, and what to actually do with all that home equity when the time comes. Biggest takeaways: The last three to five years of extra contributions barely move the needle on your retirement portfolio. Working six months longer matters more. So does learning to spend. Take that money and actually use it, so you're not hitting retirement having never practiced. Retirement isn't a math problem, it's an identity problem. The people who struggle most aren't broke. They never figured out where their purpose and community would come from once work disappeared. Over half of Americans are forced into retirement earlier than expected. You need a plan for that scenario now, not when it happens. Resources mentioned: Jamie Hopkins' Retirement Sketchbook wherever books are sold The Stacking Benjamins scorecard: stackingbenjamins.com/scorecard The Vault: stackingbenjamins.com/vault Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A Kiplinger study of 1,000+ everyday millionaires found four traits that kept showing up. None of them involve a big salary, a hot stock tip, or a lucky break. This week Len Penzo, OG, and Joe dig into what those habits actually look like in practice, how to train yourself to spend with intention, and how to find a financial advisor who does what you actually need. In this episode: The "Midwest millionaire" traits anyone can adopt, why becoming a great saver can make you a terrible spender, the monthly money habit that takes 20 minutes and changes everything, and exactly what to say when you're interviewing financial advisors. Biggest takeaways: Frugality without intention is just suffering. The millionaires in this study were the last to spend on themselves and the first to give generously to others. Not cheap. Intentional. Set a money goal big enough to compete with impulse spending. Once you have a real why, "I deserve this" stops winning. When looking for a financial advisor, lead with exactly what you want in the first five minutes. A real professional will tell you if it's not their specialty. Resources mentioned: Len Penzo's blog and book True Money Stories at lenpenso.com The Stacking Benjamins scorecard: stackingbenjamins.com/scorecard The Vault (budget and net worth tracker): stackingbenjamins.com/vault FULL SHOW NOTES: https://stackingbenjamins.com/how-to-live-like-a-midwestern-millionaire-1825 Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are in our newsletter, The 201, available at https://www.stackingbenjamins.com/201 Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices