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Asset Allocation, Annuities and The Truth Behind the GDP

First up this week was Alan in Florida who has 80% of his whole portfolio in one stock. Believe it or not, this factoid does not have Alan freaked out! I, however, am not too excited about this strategy.

Next we went to the Bay Area and chatted with Linda who just inherited a variable, non-qualified annuity. Since Linda and her husband don't really need the money, they want to redirect it to a family member. Is there an easy way to do it? 

In hour two we chatted with journalist and author David Pilling about a subject that's near and dear to my heart...our endless obsession with economic growth and the Gross Domestic Product. 

In his latest book, The Growth Delusion: Wealth, Poverty, and the Well-Being of Nations, Pilling reveals the hidden biases of economic orthodoxy and explores the alternatives to GDP, from measures of wealth, equality, and sustainability to measures of subjective wellbeing. 

We live in a world where economists basically set the framework for public debate. Ultimately, it is the perceived health of the economy which determines how much we can spend on our schools, highways, and defense; economists decide how much unemployment is acceptable and whether it is right to print money or bail out the banks. 

The current backlash might suggest that people are turning against the experts and their faulty understanding of our lives. Despite decades of steady economic growth, many citizens feel more pessimistic than ever and are using their votes to have their voices heard.

For too long, economics has relied on a language which fails to resonate with people’s actual experience, and the pages of this book outline why we may now be living with the consequences.

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#345 How Wall Street Destroyed Main Street with Rana Foroohar

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Yes, this is still here, and it will be for a while to serve as a reminder that there's a new place for Jill on Money content - YouTube!  Seems like a no-brainer, but sometimes it takes a little outside help (h/t to JOM friend, Joe A!) to recognize the obvious.  So don't freak out.  Going forward, we're going to put all our radio and podcast content on YouTube! It'll be easier for you to navigate and listen to past shows, because everything will be in one place.  Just click any of the links below and you'll be able to listen to this week's show as well as anything else you see that might interest you, including all the Better Off podcast content if you haven't been listening. Let us know what you think by emailing us at askjill@jillonmoney.com.

CLICK HERE FOR LATEST SHOW ON YOUTUBE

Oct 14 Download Hour One Here

Maybe I'm stating the obvious here, but life doesn't always unfold the way we want or think it will.  Things come up, and more often than not it's health related, just like with our first caller this week, Daniel from Atlanta. Daniel, a federal employee, was rolling right along until he was diagnosed with Parkinson's and eventually had to retire.  Now he's tasked with making his money last a lot longer than he was anticipating and wants to make sure his asset allocation is in good shape.  Here's a tease: it wasn't!

CLICK HERE FOR LATEST SHOW ON YOUTUBE

Oct 14 Download Hour Two Here

We recently covered why Wall Street matters, on the show featuring Bill Cohan.

In hour two we’re doing a 180 with financial journalist and author Rana Foroohar. Rana’s book, "Maker and Takers: How Wall Street Destroyed Main Street", doesn’t exactly paint our economic system in the best light.

Rana explores how the misguided financial practices and philosophies that nearly toppled the global financial system have infiltrated many US businesses and discusses how the “financialization of America,” the trend by which finance and its way of thinking have come to reign supreme, is perpetuating Wall Street’s reign over Main Street. The ultimate result? A widening of the gap between rich and poor, which Rana argues, threatens the future of the American Dream. It's not all doom and gloom, because Rana lays out how we can reverse these trends and find a better path forward.

And since it’s not everyday that we have a Financial Times columnist in the studio, we also talked a good bit about the global economy, including Germany, Brexit, and China.

Thanks to everyone who participated this week, especially Mark, the Best Producer/Music Curator in the World. Here's how to contact us:

  • Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 

Ep. 039 - Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy with Tim Harford

How many of you rode an elevator today? Or Googled something? Or use index funds in your financial lives? I'm going to guess all of you did at least one of those things. I'm also going to guess that you probably didn't realize that those three things are among the 50 inventions that shaped the modern economy.

How many of you rode an elevator today? Or Googled something? Or use index funds in your financial lives?

I’m going to guess all of you did at least one of those things. I’m also going to guess that you probably didn’t realize that those three things are among the 50 inventions that shaped the modern economy.

That’s according to the list compiled by BBC and Financial Times journalist Tim Harford, our guest this week on Better Off and author of the new book, Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy.

The book paints a picture of change by telling fascinating and compelling stories of the tools, people, and ideas that had far-reaching consequences for the global economy. From the plough to air conditioning, from Gillette’s disposable razor to IKEA’s Billy bookcase, Tim is able to recount each invention’s own curious, surprising, and memorable journey.

We also touched on Tim’s previous book, Messy: The Power of Disorder to Transform Our Lives, which comes out in paperback this October. As someone who could be described as a bit compulsive, especially when it comes to my email inbox, I loved this book because it celebrates the benefits of messiness in our lives: why it’s important, why we resist it, and why we should embrace it.

Little did I know that a bit of mess lies at the core of how we innovate, how we achieve, how we reach each other – in short, how we succeed.

I enjoyed this interview so much that, yep, you guessed it, no call this week! I don’t think you’ll mind...this was a fun one.

“Better Off” is sponsored by Betterment.

Have a finance related question? Email us here or call 855-411-JILL.

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"Better Off" theme music is by Joel Goodman, www.joelgoodman.com.

Ep. 038 - How Wall Street Destroyed Main Street with Rana Foroohar

As you'll recall, we did our fair share of explaining why Wall Street matters, on the episode featuring Bill Cohan. Today we're doing a 180 with financial journalist and author Rana Foroohar. Rana's book, Maker and Takers: How Wall Street Destroyed Main Street, doesn't exactly paint our economic system in the best light.

As you’ll recall, we did our fair share of explaining why Wall Street matters, on the episode featuring Bill Cohan.

Today we’re doing a 180 with financial journalist and author Rana Foroohar. Rana’s book, Maker and Takers: How Wall Street Destroyed Main Street, doesn’t exactly paint our economic system in the best light.

The book, just released in paperback, explores how the misguided financial practices and philosophies that nearly toppled the global financial system have infiltrated many US businesses.

Rana shows how the “financialization of America,” the trend by which finance and its way of thinking have come to reign supreme, is perpetuating Wall Street’s reign over Main Street, widening the gap between rich and poor, and threatening the future of the American Dream.

And since it’s not everyday that we have a Financial Times columnist in the studio, we also talked a good bit about the global economy, including Germany, Brexit, and China.

Rana is a great storyteller, and it’s through stories of both “Takers,” those stifling job creation while lining their own pockets, and “Makers,” businesses serving the real economy, that she shows how we can reverse these trends for a better path forward.

“Better Off” is sponsored by Betterment.

Have a finance related question? Email us here or call 855-411-JILL.

We love feedback so please subscribe and leave us a rating or review in iTunes!

Connect with me at these places for all my content:

https://twitter.com/jillonmoney

https://www.facebook.com/JillonMoney

https://www.instagram.com/jillonmoney/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillonmoney/ 

http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/jill-... 

http://betteroffpodcast.com/

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/b...

"Better Off" theme music is by Joel Goodman, www.joelgoodman.com.