Earnest Money

Today Carolyn and Maroun are talking about mentors. What should you look for in a mentor, how to start the relationship, and how to be a good mentee.

Today Carolyn and Maroun are talking about interview tips and tricks that have worked in the past. How to best prepare, what to do during the interview, and how to stand out from the crowd even after your interview is over.

Today we are talking to Matt, a member of the Earnest family about his own journey to improve his credit score. How did he find out it needed to get better, what he did to make it happen, and his advice for others looking to do the same.

Today Carolyn and Maroun are talking about ways to support charities and not-for-profit organizations when your budget is tight. What is the best way to give, and what else can you donate besides money?

Today Carolyn and Maroun are talking about how to make the most of networking events. Whether they are online or in-person, networking can play a key role in advancing your career and growing your reach.

Today we are talking to Ash, a member of the Earnest family, and her experience working with victims of identity theft. What you can do to protect your personal and financial information, and the steps to take if you think your identity might have been stolen.

Today Carolyn is talking to Jack, a member of the Earnest family about securing your personal information when banking online. What are some mistakes we see all the time in finance, and simple steps anyone can take to protect themselves.

In honor of Valentine's Day, we are talking about how we handle money in our relationships. How long should you be together before sharing your stats, combining finances, and how our parents shaped how we talk about money now.

This is part two of our conversation with Pam, a member of the Earnest family and a first generation college grad. Today we are talking about her experience in college and as a first generation student, and the resource groups she has found a community in after graduation.

In this two part series, Carolyn is talking to Pam, a member of the Earnest family and a first generation college grad. Today we are talking about her own experience with the college application process, the challenges that first generation high school students can face, and resources she and her parents found useful as they went through this journey together.

Today Carolyn and Maroun are talking about strategies for asking for the raise you deserve. When to have the conversation with your manager, what to do ahead of that meeting, and what to do if the conversation doesn’t end with the pay bump you were hoping for.

Welcome back to Season Two of Earnest Money! To kick off 2021, Carolyn and Maroun are talking about Financial New Year’s Resolutions. What are our goals for 2021, and effective ways to make and keep a financial goal.

Today is our last episode of 2020, and we are talking about the financial lessons we learned this year, and our goals for 2021.

Today Carolyn and Maroun are getting into the holiday spirit and talking about giving! How do you balance your financial plans for gifting, who do you gift to, and what are our favorite budget-friendly gifts to give.

Today we are talking about when you should be reevaluating your financial goals. What big life events should cause you to take another look vs how often it is good to do some financial housekeeping.

Today Carolyn is talking to Delaney, a member of the Earnest family about the cost of adopting a pet. How did we budget for this new family member, and what costs have surprised us since?

Welcome to Earnest Money, where we get personal about personal finance. As always, we are your hosts, Carolyn Pairitz Morris, and I'm Maroun Najjar. Today we are talking about conscious consumerism. How does the way we spend our money reflect our values, and advice for those wanting to do the same.

Welcome to Earnest Money, where we get personal about personal finance. As always, we are your hosts, Carolyn Pairitz Morris, and I'm Maroun Najjar. Today we are talking about the times we have lost our jobs, either by being fired or being furloughed, and what we did to get that next job.

Welcome to Earnest Money, where we get personal about personal finance. As always, we are your hosts, Carolyn Pairitz Morris, and I'm Maroun Najjar. In this episode, we are talking about the things we splurge on. What don’t we restrict with a budget?

Welcome to Earnest Money, where we get personal about personal finance. I’m your host, Carolyn Pairitz Morris, and today I’m talking to Kevin, a member of the Earnest family whose son is a senior in high school this year. We will be talking about how he will be working with his son over the next few months to help him decide where to go to school next year, when COVID has made it harder than ever to get to know a school.

In this episode, we are talking about how we decided where to go to college. How big a role did finances play in our decision process at 17, and advice for anyone making that decision today.

Welcome to Earnest Money, where we get personal about personal finance. As always, we are your hosts, Carolyn Pairitz Morris, and I'm Maroun Najjar. In this episode, we are talking about buying a car. How did we approach this big purchase the first time compared to now, and what have we learned since that first purchase.

Today Carolyn is joined by Madison, a member of our Client Happiness team at Earnest and mother of her amazing 18 month old daughter. In this episode we are talking about the cost of having a child, from finding out you are expecting, to hospital fees, to the cost of care for the first few months.

In this episode, we talk about how to trick your brain into getting excited about spending less and saving more.

In this episode, we talk about college minors, if we got one ourselves, what we minored in, why, and if it’s ever helped in our careers.

In this episode, we talk about how to start thinking about your long-term savings, the questions we had when starting a retirement account, and how to juggle saving when you still have debt.

Today we are talking about our financial regrets, what we wish we could go back and redo, and how to avoid getting stuck in past decisions.

In this episode, we are talking about credit cards and how this little piece of plastic can play a major role in our financial system. How old were we when we got our first cards, what is our approach to credit spending, and any advice for those opening a first or new card.

Today we are talking about the financial mistakes we made our freshman year. How costly were they, and what we could have done differently in hindsight.

Even though we aren’t going anywhere fast this summer, we are still dreaming about our future travel plans, and how to budget for them. Today we are discussing how we spend when traveling, and budgeting tips for travelers.

Today we are talking about first jobs. That step from dream degree to real-world application. What were our first jobs like, and the advice we have for those entering the workforce now.

Today’s focus is the timely topic of working remote. Does the option to work from home mean that you will save money, or do you miss out on economic opportunities by not being on location?

In this episode of Earnest Money, we are talking about the money you should sock away for a rainy day, your emergency fund. How much is enough, and how to get one started before you need it.

Today we wanted to cover what fair lending is, what lending looked like before fair lending laws were in place, and the ripple effect that unfair lending practices cause. With June being Pride month and racial equality protests currently taking place across the country, we hope you enjoy our dive into this timely subject.

Debt can really mess with your mind, especially if you have been living with debt for years. It can be hard to change your mindset even after your debt is under control. How to channel your debt mindset to be more productive and focused on tackling your debt, and how to adjust your thinking after that final payment is made.

Today we are looking at one of the first big financial decisions we made. How should you pick your major in college, and how we picked our own. Should you look at income potential, or go with your passion when picking a major? We talk about this and more on this episode of Earnest Money.

When it comes to money you’re doing your best each month, but how do you know if you’re really on the right track? We look at two simple options to use for checking in with your finances, without having to open an overwhelming spreadsheet or get lost in an endless amount of financial jargon.

Has the coronavirus completely changed how you view your budget and spend? Today we're talking about our finances during COVID-19. What are we buying during shelter in place and what we are learning about our spending habits during a pandemic.

Do you cringe every time you hand over your rent check to your landlord each month? Or do you miss the days when you could call a super when the AC broke down? In this episode of Earnest Money, we break down the pros and cons of renting vs. owning, and if owning is a tangible goal for us.