Ep. 022 - Option B with Adam Grant

By now you may have seen or heard an interview with Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg discussing her recently released new book, Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy. Although she is the headliner, Sandberg had a co-author on the project -- the incredible Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist, professor and accomplished author in his own right.

By now you may have seen or heard an interview with Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg discussing her recently released new book, Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy.

Although she is the headliner, Sandberg had a co-author on the project — the incredible Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist, professor and accomplished author in his own right. We were lucky enough to land Adam as this week’s Better Off guest.

Adam, named Wharton’s top-rated professor for five straight years, has already authored two New York Times bestselling books.  Originals explores how individuals champion new ideas and leaders fight groupthink and Give and Take examines why helping others drives our success.

His latest project with Sandberg focuses on resilience and how to use it in everyday life to become better off, a core theme of our podcast.

Life isn’t always a smooth ride and inevitably you’re going to have to deal with some bumps in the road.  Whether it’s the loss of a loved one, the loss of a job or a bad financial decision, at some point along the way there are going to be tough times that you will face.

For Sheryl this moment came after the sudden death of her husband Dave Goldberg.  Stuck in a deep void, she felt that she and her children would never again experience joy.  It was Adam who helped her realize that there are concrete steps she could take to recover and rebound from the life-shattering experience.

Adam notes that deep down inside all of us, we all have resilience — and combined with a support system, it’s possible for of us to grow and find even greater appreciation in our lives.  I think this book with help you prepare for the next hurdle you encounter.

Quick side note…it’s always our goal to get our guests with us in-studio but due to conflicting schedules, we conducted this interview on the phone.  Because Adam we was so good and the topic so important, we decided the phone shouldn’t stop us from running it.  We hope you agree!

You can connect with Adam on Twitter for more advice and tips on how to deal with those unavoidable tough times in life.

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Better Off BONUS call 015 - Retirement Planning

This week on the BONUS call we're going to the Pacific Northwest where we found Chris from Spokane, Washington. Chris, who is only 40 years old, is maxing out his 401(k) and his Roth IRA and also has an emergency reserve.

This week on the BONUS call we’re going to the Pacific Northwest where we found Chris from Spokane, Washington. Chris, who is only 40 years old, is maxing out his 401(k) and his Roth IRA and also has an emergency reserve. On top of all that, he has an extra 2k each month and isn’t sure what to do with it. Should he keep saving for retirement or can he ease up a bit and do something else with the extra cash? Nice problem to have, huh?

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

Ep. 021 - The Wizard of Lies with Diana Henriques

Bernie Madoff is perhaps the most notorious name in the history of Wall Street. By now we all know the story. Madoff conducted a Ponzi scheme that is considered to be the largest in U.S. history. Over the course of decades, Madoff stole billions of dollars from his clients and finally, amid the financial crisis of 2008, the crime came to a screeching halt.

Bernie Madoff is perhaps the most notorious name in the history of Wall Street.  

By now we all know the story. Madoff conducted a Ponzi scheme that is considered to be the largest in U.S. history. Over the course of decades, Madoff stole billions of dollars from his clients and finally, amid the financial crisis of 2008, the crime came to a screeching halt.

How on earth was he able to pull it off for so long, when there were plenty of warning signs and whistleblowers who tried to alert regulators that something was amiss?

One of the journalists covering the scandal was Diana Henriques, then a staff reporter at The New York Times, who specialized in investigative reporting on white-collar crime, market regulation and corporate governance. Diana used her countless hours of work as the lead reporter on the story as a catalyst to write the bestselling book, The Wizard of Lies: Bernie Madoff and the Death of Trust.

Diana had incredible access, including the first interview with an imprisoned Madoff. I was fortunate enough to interview her in 2011, just as the book was becoming a bestseller. I remember thinking at the time that the tale of Bernie Madoff was not just a financial story, but a Shakespearean tragedy.

Robert De Niro was so drawn to the character of Bernie Madoff as Henriques depicted him, that he bought the film rights to “The Wizard of Lies.” Six years later, HBO films released the movie version of “The Wizard of Lies” – it debuted this past Sunday.  

If you’ve yet to see “The Wizard of Lies,” go watch it.  DVR it, stream it, whatever the method, just watch it.  It’s incredibly well done and stars Robert De Niro as Bernie Madoff and Michelle Pfeiffer as Ruth Madoff.  

Diana is an amazing storyteller, from her dogged pursuit of the Madoff prison interview to her describing the phone call she got from Robert De Niro saying he wanted to play Madoff…just an incredible story. We wanted to give you as much of Diana as possible,  so for this week only, we’re skipping the caller of the week…don’t freak out, it’ll return next week.

Always sharing good stories and always working on a book, Diana is someone worth connecting with on Twitter.

“Better Off” is sponsored by Betterment.

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

Better Off BONUS call 014 - 401(k)

Nowadays it's a common occurrence to change jobs every few years, if not every few months. That means at some point you're going to have at least one, likely more, retirement accounts from past jobs. What should you do with them? Should you consolidate?

Nowadays it’s a common occurrence to change jobs every few years, if not every few months. That means at some point you’re going to have at least one, likely more, retirement accounts from past jobs. What should you do with them? Should you consolidate? That’s what Andrew from Chicago was calling about on the latest BONUS call. He has about 100k in an old retirement account and was wondering if he should roll it into something new or just leave it where it is. The answer may surprise you…

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

Ep. 020 - Succeeding in College and Life with Daniel Lerner and Alan Schlechter

It's officially that time of year when college grads throw their caps high into the air and prepare to enter the real world. Just a few short years ago, these graduates were among the four million students who began their journeys at the nation's colleges and universities.

It’s officially that time of year when college grads throw their caps high into the air and prepare to enter the real world. Just a few short years ago, these graduates were among the four million students who began their journeys at the nation’s colleges and universities.

While those four years are supposed to be the best years of your life, for many, they turn out to be the most stressful they’ll experience. They can be so stressful that, by the end of freshman year, 30% of students drop out.

That’s where today’s guests enter the picture. Dan Lerner and Alan Schlechter team-teach a course at New York University called The Science of Happiness. From this wildly successful class, they recently released the book, “U Thrive: How to Succeed in College (and Life).”

Let me stress that last part of the title…”and life.” This is not a book just for students—it’s for everyone. Using fascinating science and real-life stories, Dan and Alan bring a similar focus to the Better Off podcast: They try to help you better your life.

Whether it’s for yourself, you have a kid starting college or one that is graduating right now, this book will provide tips for building positive habits that will last a lifetime.

“Better Off” is sponsored by Betterment.

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

Better Off BONUS call 013 - Retirement Planning

Today on the BONUS call we're chatting with Doug in Miami who initially called to ask about an old 401(k) plan and what he should do with it. As you'll hear, the call quickly turned into Doug, 35 years old, wanting to retire at 50. Can he do it?

Today on the BONUS call we’re chatting with Doug in Miami who initially called to ask about an old 401(k) plan and what he should do with it. As you’ll hear, the call quickly turned into Doug, 35 years old, wanting to retire at 50. Can he do it? Does he have enough saved? Is it a smart move?

“Better Off” is sponsored by Betterment.

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

Ep. 019 - Life Insurance Made Simple with Yaron Ben-Zvi

Technology has made our financial lives better and simpler. From banking and investing to shopping and planning a vacation, many of our daily necessities are just a click away. Thanks to Haven Life, you can now add life insurance to the mix. If you've ever applied for life insurance coverage, you know that it can be painful.

Technology has made our financial lives better and simpler. From banking and investing to shopping and planning a vacation, many of our daily necessities are just a click away.

Thanks to Haven Life, you can now add life insurance to the mix. If you’ve ever applied for life insurance coverage, you know that it can be painful. From the multi-page applications to medical exams and records, it used to take weeks, if you were lucky.

Founded by our guest, Yaron Ben-Zvi, Haven Life is leveraging technology in order to disrupt the life insurance process and experience. Mark, our producer here at “Better Off,” recently became a customer and couldn’t believe how easy and painless the process was: “I just calculated how much coverage I needed and was covered in about 20 minutes. No joke!”

Yaron says that the company’s goal is to provide an easier, faster, just plain better way to provide coverage of up to $1 million, by offering:

• Simple online application process
• No medical exam for qualified, healthy applicants
• Easy price and policy comparisons
• An immediate decision with InstantTerm
• Backing of MassMutual, a 160-year-old life insurer
• A plain language no commission policy

Just enter the basics, like gender, age, health condition, city, etc. and you’re on your way. Check out Haven Life’s calculators and see what makes sense for you.

“Better Off” is sponsored by Betterment.

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

Better Off BONUS call 012 - Roth 401(k)

On the BONUS call this week we talked to John from Houston who had some questions about reducing his tax liability once retirement rolls around. John and his wife are in great shape...these guys are serious savers which has allowed them to sock away $700k in retirement savings with many years left to add to the pot.

On the BONUS call this week we talked to John from Houston who had some questions about reducing his tax liability once retirement rolls around. John and his wife are in great shape…these guys are serious savers which has allowed them to sock away $700k in retirement savings with many years left to add to the pot. It was a success as we were able to open John’s eyes about the benefits of using his Roth 401(k) plan at work.

“Better Off” is sponsored by Betterment.

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

Ep. 018 - Global Economics with Mohamed El-Erian (Part Two)

I never take it for granted how fortunate I am to have my job. Let's be honest, it's not really a job when you're doing what you love. And that's what I get to do as a journalist covering personal finance and economics.

I never take it for granted how fortunate I am to have my job. Let’s be honest, it’s not really a job when you’re doing what you love. And that’s what I get to do as a journalist covering personal finance and economics.

With the “job” comes the opportunity to meet many smart, interesting and influential people, some of whom are legit heavyweights within their specific industries and in the world at large. Today’s Better Off guest, the esteemed Dr. Mohamed El-Erian, falls into that category. Of all of the economists and financial services executives that I have been privileged to interview, Mohamed is one of the few who can distill and communicate complicated ideas in a way that all of us can understand. That’s why we’re keeping him around for two episodes…there’s just too much knowledge in his brain to squeeze into one show.

While you may have seen or read Dr. El-Erian before—as a guest on CNBC, a LinkedIn Influencer, a columnist for “Bloomberg View,” a contributing editor to the “Financial Times,” and the chief economic advisor for Allianz—our conversations on “Better Off” are rare opportunities where he can delve into a myriad of big picture economic topics for more than the three minutes usually allotted to his appearances.

Mohamed’s bestselling book, “The Only Game in Town: Central Banks, Instability, and Avoiding the Next Collapse,” will be released in paperback next month. I encourage everyone to read it, because it was one of my top picks for economics/business books last year.

In part two of the interview we talk to Mohamed about the financial concerns keeping him up at night. We also continue our discussion on Brexit and the ongoing crisis in Greece and why that country faces the risk of a lost generation.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. Before leaving us, Mohamed touched on the three reasons why he continues to remain optimistic about the global economy.

“Better Off” is sponsored by Betterment.

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

Better Off BONUS call 011 - Mortgage Payoff

You're getting ready to buy a new home and have the cash to purchase it outright...should you? Or should you take on a mortgage? That's what Dwayne from Illinois was wondering and we answered his question on the latest BONUS call of the week. Have a finance question?

You’re getting ready to buy a new home and have the cash to purchase it outright…should you? Or should you take on a mortgage? That’s what Dwayne from Illinois was wondering and we answered his question on the latest BONUS call of the week.

“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.