RothIRA

Universal Basic Income with Rutger Bregman and Roth IRA

Despite the fact that we are nearing the ninth year of a global economic recovery, poverty remains a problem.  

In the United States alone, recent numbers from the Census Bureau show the rate to be just under 13% with more than 40 million people considered to be living in poverty.

Globally, more than 1.3 billion live in extreme poverty, meaning they subsist on less than $1.25 a day.

While there are no easy fixes, there are a few ideas that have been tossed around. Some that have been tried and proven, at least on a small scale, like the concept of Universal Basic Income (UBI), something that has very much interested me over the last couple years, as well as our guest this week, author, historian and TED speaker Rutger Bregman. 

The basic concept revolves around the idea of all citizens of a country receiving a regular, livable and unconditional sum of money, from the government. You may think that this is a dressed up welfare program that will only encourage people not to work.  

On the contrary, dozens of successful basic income experiments around the globe have proven that the vast majority of us actually want to do something with our lives -- we just need the means to get on our feet.

Check your negative knee-jerk reaction at the door and open yourself up to at least learning about UBI, which can be an investment that pays for itself.  

After all, poverty in its current state is incredibly expensive and ineffective.  

“Better Off” is sponsored by Betterment.

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

Ep. 011 - Tax Prep with Ed Slott

With Tax Day right around the corner, our guest, Ed Slott, CPA, is in the house to review some last-minute tips, dos and don'ts, and provide sage advice about which IRA might be right for you. Ed is not only a tax guru, he's also a total character.

With Tax Day right around the corner, our guest, Ed Slott, CPA, is in the house to review some last-minute tips, dos and don’ts, and provide sage advice about which IRA might be right for you.

Ed is not only a tax guru, he’s also a total character. He skillfully presents what is usually dry advice in just the way we like on “Better Off”: with attitude and humor!

Considered one of the foremost authorities on all things regarding taxes, retirement, IRAs, Ed is regularly quoted in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Money, Kiplinger’s, USA Today, Investment News and a host of additional national magazines and financial publications. You may have also seen Ed on your local public television station on one of his numerous specials.

I realize paying taxes can be a sore subject, but as much as everyone complains, Ed says that tax rates are still relatively low. That means that now could be a good time to move funds from tax-deferred vehicles, like 401(k)s and IRAs into tax free Roth IRAs.

Ed also notes that the very best retirement strategy is to work as long as you can. Extra income can prevent you from dipping into your nest egg; allow you to make Roth and spousal Roth IRA contributions (though once you turn 70 1/2, you can NOT make traditional IRA contributions); and most importantly, working longer will help you combat the reality of longevity!

See, it’s not all bad news around tax time…and as Ed says, the key to the entire tax preparation process is to keep flawless records and documentation throughout the year!

“Better Off” is sponsored by Betterment.

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

Ep. 010 - Become an Intelligent Investor with Jason Zweig (Part Two)

If you don't know the name Jason Zweig, as a listener of the Better Off podcast, chances are you know his work. The "Intelligent Investor" column that you read every Saturday in the Wall Street Journal...yep, that's his awesome work.

If you don’t know the name Jason Zweig, as a listener of the Better Off podcast, chances are you know his work. The “Intelligent Investor” column that you read every Saturday in the Wall Street Journal…yep, that’s his awesome work.

I’ve been a fan of Jason’s for a long time, so it’s a no brainer that he’s on one of the early episodes of “Better Off.” And let me just say, it was no easy get! We, and when I say we I really mean Mark, the best producer in the world, have been going back and forth with Jason since last October trying to nail down a date.

Was it worth it? Let’s just say that when we do interviews, Mark and I are acutely aware of how long they’re running. We try to keep them 30 minutes or less. Well, Jason was so good we kept him for nearly an hour. His knowledge and insight of the financial industry is so wide and deep that we decided that we needed to feature him in back-to-back episodes, a “Better Off” first!

In part two of this interview we cover the decreasing cost of investing and why it may eventually cost the customer absolutely nothing, the role of brokers as the industry continues to evolve, and finally, what encourages Jason about the future of the financial services industry.

If you like Jason’s column, you should also check out his books. His latest work, The Devil’s Financial Dictionary, skewers the plutocrats and bureaucrats who gave us exploding mortgages, freakish risks, and banks that are too big to fail. It also distills the complexities, absurdities, and pomposities of Wall Street into plain truths and aphorisms anyone can understand.

“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. 009 Become an Intelligent Investor with Jason Zweig (Part One)

If you don't know the name Jason Zweig, as a listener of the Better Off podcast, chances are you know his work. The "Intelligent Investor" column that you read every Saturday in the Wall Street Journal...yep, that's his awesome work.

If you don’t know the name Jason Zweig, as a listener of the Better Off podcast, chances are you know his work. The “Intelligent Investor” column that you read every Saturday in the Wall Street Journal…yep, that’s his awesome work.

I’ve been a fan of Jason’s for a long time, so it’s a no brainer that he’s on one of the early episodes of “Better Off.” And let me just say, it was no easy get! We, and when I say we I really mean Mark, the best producer in the world, have been going back and forth with Jason since last October trying to nail down a date.

Was it worth it? Let’s just say that when we do interviews, Mark and I are acutely aware of how long they’re running. We try to keep them 30 minutes or less. Well, Jason was so good we kept him for nearly an hour. His knowledge and insight of the financial industry is so wide and deep that we decided that we needed to feature him in back-to-back episodes, a “Better Off” first!

In part one of the interview we cover the power of index funds, the importance of having rules in your financial life, the beauty of passive investing and the importance of technology and humans working together. We also talk about the evil F-word (fiduciary) and why such a simple concept of putting clients first, is such a controversial issue for a conflict-ridden industry.

If you like Jason’s column, you should also check out his books. His latest work, The Devil’s Financial Dictionary, skewers the plutocrats and bureaucrats who gave us exploding mortgages, freakish risks, and banks that are too big to fail. It also distills the complexities, absurdities, and pomposities of Wall Street into plain truths and aphorisms anyone can understand.

“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:

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http://betteroffpodcast.com/

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

Ep. 008 - Silicon Valley Disrupters with Brad Stone

I'm going to assume that a good portion of you subscribed to the Better Off podcast have used either Uber or Airbnb. I use Uber all the time and it seems like everyone I know has used Airbnb. My producer Mark just used Airbnb for a week in Tokyo and loved it.

I’m going to assume that a good portion of you subscribed to the Better Off podcast have used either Uber or Airbnb. I use Uber all the time and it seems like everyone I know has used Airbnb. My producer Mark just used Airbnb for a week in Tokyo and loved it. James Altucher, our guest from the second episode, basically lives full-time in various Airbnb locations.

It’s no exaggeration to say that these companies have almost single-handedly disrupted stodgy industries (taxi/limousine and hotel), become stars of the Silicon Valley venture capital world and made their impact felt across the globe. That’s why we were delighted to have a great conversation with Brad Stone, Bloomberg journalist and author of “The Upstarts: How Uber, Airbnb, and the Killer Companies of the New Silicon Valley are Changing the World.”

Brad defines an upstart as either “a newly successful person” or “someone who does not show proper respect to the established way of doing things” — you’ll need to decide whether or not Travis Kalanick of Uber and Brian Chesky fall into one or both of those categories. They certainly were brash survivors who didn’t create the ideas that made each company successful, but somehow they were able to execute better (more ruthlessly?) than their competitors.

Unlike in his previous book about Amazon, “The Everything Store”, where CEO Jeff Bezos would not talk to him, this time Brad had access to all the key players and he writes a compelling page-turner. He opens the story with the 2008 Obama Inauguration, which founders of both companies were attending.

What lessons have these wildly successful upstarts learned over the past nine years? How have they matured and become better leaders? After reading this book, you’ll have a whole new perspective the next time you ride in an Uber or make an Airbnb reservation.

“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. 007 - Fiduciary Rule with Jon Stein

A couple weeks ago, we devoted the entire interview portion of the podcast to the hotly debated Department of Labor fiduciary rule, which was set to begin implementation on April 10.

A couple weeks ago, we devoted the entire interview portion of the podcast to the hotly debated Department of Labor fiduciary rule, which was set to begin implementation on April 10. We taped that interview just days before President Trump signed a Memorandum that instructs the DOL to examine the rule “to determine whether it may adversely affect the ability of Americans to gain access to retirement information and financial advice.”

In other words, the fiduciary rule could be toast. Well, not on this show–it’s going to be a running theme on Better Off because as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, fiduciary is an issue about which I’m deeply passionate. So is our guest this week, Betterment CEO Jon Stein.

By now it’s no secret that Betterment is the sponsor of Better Off. But that’s not the reason why we’re having Jon on today. Jon has been an industry leader on the issue of fiduciary, publishing an open letter to President Trump, and voicing his company’s support for the rule.

Jon’s take is simple and one that should resonate: U.S. investors should be able to trust that the financial advice they’re getting is in their best interest. As he stated in the letter, “Investing can be made intentionally complicated, and salesmen are clever. Left to its own devices, the investment industry for decades sold bad products to Americans.”

The good news is that Jon and I are not alone. There’s support out there from plenty of high-profile people, including U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who penned a letter to the DOL highlighting support for the fiduciary rule from several financial institutions, including Betterment, adding that a delay “would be a slap in the face to the companies that have invested, in good faith, for a deadline that has stood for the past year — and to the everyday worker deserving of the assurance that their retirement adviser is working in their best interest.”

Safe to say Jon and I have plenty to discuss!

“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!

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

Ep. 006 - Kids and Financial Literacy with Beth Kobliner

You will often hear me say that before you worry about the financial future of your kids, you need to make sure you're taking care of yourself first. But that doesn't take you off the hook for discussing money with your kids.

You will often hear me say that before you worry about the financial future of your kids, you need to make sure you’re taking care of yourself first. But that doesn’t take you off the hook for discussing money with your kids.

Think of it as another one of the talks…so now in addition to the sex talk, the drug and alcohol talk, we can add the money talk. All of these conversations must occur at every stage of your child’s development, with age-appropriate messaging that the kids can absorb.

To help with your effort, this week we’re talking to Beth Kobliner, author of Make Your Kid A Money Genius (Even If You’re Not): A Parents’ Guide for Kids 3 to 23. Okay, okay, full disclosure, she’s also a friend of mine.

But that’s not why Beth is on “Better Off.” She’s on because it’s an important topic. I know there are a lot of you out there subscribed to this podcast, with kids or thinking about starting a family, wondering how to have such conversations:

  • How much debt should we take on for college?
  • Should I give my teen a debit or credit card?
  • Should I give my child an allowance?
  • My kid wants to move back home…should I charge rent?

Those are just some examples and there’s plenty more in the book. Whether you’re a rookie in the parenting game or a veteran, this book will help. As Beth says, “Think of it as a guide for parents that offers the financial facts of life for kids 3 to 23.”

And FYI, Beth is the real deal. In 2010, she was selected by President Obama to be a member of the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability, where she created MoneyAsYouGrow.org. The site attracted more than 1.4 million visitors and was adopted by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in 2016.

So whether you have kids, are planning on it or know someone with kids, I encourage you to check it out. It’s never too soon to start the money talk with your children.

For more financial literacy tips with Beth, you can connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.

“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:

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