Money Curious

"The first $100k is a b*!#% but you gotta do it." - Charlie Munger We finally did it! When we started this podcast we promised that we would be very transparent about our own financial journeys. This month we want to talk about a very important milestone: $100,000 net worth. It's been a very long road to get here and we recognize that we both have a VERY long journey ahead of us, but this is still very exciting! This just proves that everything that we're doing is working so far and headed in the right direction. In this week's episode, we'll share with you guys what our portfolios look like and what the key factors were in achieving a six-figure net worth at an early age. There's going to be a lot to relate to in this one and a lot of gems that you'll be able to take away for your own life. You won't want to miss it! Follow us on Instagram: @moneycuriouspodcast

Our first guest of season 2, is Adam Craig, a real estate investor based out of Cleveland, OH. After earning a B.A. in finance from Kent State University, Adam began to peruse his passion for real estate investing. Since 2013, Adam has closed more than 70 deals and accumulated a rental portfolio topping 8 million dollars in residential and commercial real estate. In this episode, Adam shares his experiences utilizing the BRRRR (Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat) strategy to expand his RE portfolio and lessons he's learned in his nine and a half years as an investor. Follow Adam on Instagram: @adamtheinvestor Follow us on Instagram: @MoneyCuriousPodcast

Welcome to a new season of the Money Curious Podcast! Get to know the hosts, Laura and Essien, and have a casual chat with them on everything money. Take a quick listen to check out what's in store for future content. Have questions? Reach out to us at moneycuriouspodcast@gmail.com.

Taking a big leap from the safety net of a 9 to 5 job into entrepreneurship can be so scary! Our guests today are Izzy and Tommy from @freedombyfi. They are one of the few people that trusted their guts and took a leap of faith into the entrepreneurship world. In this episode we talk about the ins and outs of their business and how they were able to prepare themselves to take on this journey. We also talk about their debt pay down journey, how they discovered the FIRE movement, and their big plans for the future! Follow Izzy and Tommy on Instagram: @freedombyfi Follow us on Instagram: @MoneyCuriousPodcast

Have you ever been in massive amounts of debt and had no idea how to get out of it? Does that journey seem impossible? Baafi was in a similar situation coming out of school with $150,000 of debt! After school he was on a mission to pay this off so he could live his best life. Through that journey he learned more about himself and educate himself on financial literacy. After 3 long years, he was able to pay off ALL of his debt and start investing in the stock market. He has had so much success in building a six figure stock portfolio and becoming debt free, all while in his twenties, that now he is committed to helping others do the same thing through his platform @Blacktycoontalk. Get ready for some gems in this episode! Follow Baafi on Instagram: @Blacktycoontalk Follow Baafi on Twitter: @TycoonTalk_ Follow Money Curious on Instagram: @MoneyCuriousPodcast

With less than 24 hours after graduating college, Chris Hanna began traveling the country counting cards as a professional blackjack player. Woah! Two years later, he worked 5 simultaneous gig-jobs to continue pursuing his dreams as an entrepreneur. Today, Chris brings all his experiences to financial coaching by helping UFC fighters and entrepreneurs manage their money to gain peace of mind, spend more time doing what they love, and build wealth with confidence. Join us in this episode to learn the difference between gambling vs investing and how to build 3 powerful financial habits to improve your life. Follow Chris Hanna on: Instagram: @chrisallenhanna Website: chrisallenhanna.com Follow Money Curious Podcast on Instagram: @moneycuriouspodcast

Real Estate and Stocks are the some of the most common assets that people can choose to invest in. But which one is better? Or a better question is, which one is better for YOU? Well, look no further as we get into a showdown between the two big players of the finance game! They both have great attributes that make them lucrative investments for everyone, but they also come with their fair share of risk as well. Today we'll cover a few of those characteristics that come with each. If you ever want to invest, but not sure which one to get started with, here is a great place to start! Follow us on Instagram: @moneycuriouspodcast

Join us in our last episode of 2021 as we share our biggest lessoned learned since discovering Financial Independence (FI). We cover misconceptions and new realizations that broke down those views and gave us the opportunity to kickstart our journeys. Here are the misconceptions we breakdown, and we hope can shatter these too: You need A LOT of money to retire early Rich and wealthy are the same thing All debt is bad debt You can only access your wealth/money at retirement The best way to save is to pinch every penny You can only get rich if you save your money and not risk it Remember to leave a review and rating on your favorite listening platform, and give us a follow on Instagram at @moneycuriouspodcast See you in 2022!

Got a promotion? Raise? New job? Great! All of this comes with more opportunity, recognition, and validation that you're on the right track! But what else does this come with? Money. Hopefully with this new opportunity you're going to be getting a higher pay. Now the question is, what are you supposed to do with all of that money? Don't worry because we have just recently been through this. In this week's episode, we'll describe how we like to think about this new raise and how to approach our finances. We'll provide an easy framework that will help you get the most out of the extra money you have coming in, so you can watch your wealth grow! Follow us on Instagram: @moneycuriouspodcast

From pro wrestler, to line cook, to gym trainer and now full-time stock trader, Kenneth Suna joins us this week to discuss stock trading. Kenneth is a self-taught trader and learned his way to create this income stream through reading and experience. He uses the concept of minimalism to trade, invest, and simplify the crazy world of the stock market. Kenneth covers day trading, swing trading, and shares great advice on how to get started! Follow Kenneth on TikTok or Instagram at TradeInvestSimplify Follow Money Curious on Instagram: Money Curious Podcast

Attention all money nerds! Here at Money Curious we like to learn from a variety of different sources, especially books. Set for Life is a book that the both of us have read and think that it's one of the best books out there for those trying to achieve financial independence. In today's episode, we're going to talk about some of the key takeaways that from Set for Life and how it has helped us so far in our financial independence journey. Notes: Difference between Frugal and Cheap. Follow us on Instagram @moneycuriouspodcast

Its all about the HUSTLE! On this week's episode, we invited Brandyn Rodriguez to share with us on the 5 different side hustles she and her husband took on to pay off $137,000 of debt in under 5 years. Brandyn discusses how they balanced their finances, faith, and family to make it all happen. With setbacks along the way, Brandyn showcases how teamwork, compromise, and extreme motivation allowed her to become debt-free . Follow Brandyn on Instagram: @debt_free_2020 Check out Brandyn's Blog: www.positivelyb.com Follow Money Curious Podcast: @moneycuriouspodcast

It's no secret that healthcare workers are a vital part of our society as a whole. They are extremely skilled and intelligent people who have to go through years of difficult schooling to get to where they want to be. However, during this time of developing their skills, who's teaching them about personal finance? That's where Ashley Van Veen comes in! She has figured out her own personal finances and made them a priority when she started he job. Going through her own personal finance journey she knew that she had to let more people know about these concepts, especially her fellow healthcare professionals. With this passion came her platform Bankable Facts where she educates her followers on everything finance. She is also a money coach for individuals in the healthcare industry helping them through their personal finance journey! You won't want to miss this one! Follow Ashley's Instagram page: Bankable Facts Follow Money Curious on Instagram: Money Curious Podcast

Let's have a shameless conversion about money! Join us as we speak on common money challenges women face and actionable steps they can take to prepare themselves financially with integrity and renewed determination. This week's guest, Nicholle Overkamp, MBA, ChFC®, is a personal finance expert and business coach for women. She's the Founder & CEO of both Wilcox Financial Group and PowHERhouse Money Coaching. She has tackled the overwhelmingly male-dominated finance industry to share her money mastery skills that foster no-judgement environments where women can be open and shameless about their finances and habits. She knows that a critical factor in growing wealth is one's mindset and sense of self-worth – it's about setting boundaries, having discipline, and knowing you're worth every dollar you invest in yourself, your future, and your life. She has also co-written the best-selling book, Money Bitch! A No-BS Guide for Smart Women Who Want to Own Their Financial Future. Follow PowHERhouse Money Coaching on Instagram: PowHERhouse Money Nicholle's Financial Planning business: Wilcox Financial Group Follow Money Curious on Social Media: Money Curious Podcast

Have you ever wondered why your perspective on money is the way it is? Why is it that we all tend to make some decisions that seem to be automatic with our finances? Today we discuss how our relationship with money is directly correlated with our outer circumstances. Specifically with our family. Laura grew up being the oldest sibling of her family while Essien grew up as the youngest of his family. Learn in this week's Back to Basics episode how your approach to finances can be completely different just based on when you were born relative to the rest of your siblings. Follow us on Instagram: @moneycuriouspodcast

Have you ever thought of how much you can debt you can pay off in 2 years? What if you could pay down 6 FIGURES worth in that time? Joining us in this week's episode is Mel, also known as @fckdebt on Instagram, to share with us her debt-free journey where she and her husband were able to eliminate $127,868.99 in 2 years! To become debt-free, Mel had to make several sacrifices such as moving in with her mother-in law, cutting back expenses, and grinding day in and day out to make massive headway in on 6 figures of debt. Tune in to learn how she is investing, saving, and staying the FCK out of debt. Follow Mel on Instagram @fckdebt Follow Money Curious Podcast on Instagram @moneycuriouspodcast

Your 20s is a great time to find yourself and figure out who and what you want to be in your life. Developing the right habits at an early age can seriously set the trajectory for the rest of your life. Today's guest, Calvin Pringles (yes, like the chips), started off just like the rest of us: lost, not sure what to do or who to become. Then he stumbled onto real estate after talking with his future mentor and he was hooked. Now he's killing it as a full time real estate agent and investor out in Florida and he's only getting started! Calvin drops some major bombs on how he got started with his humble beginnings to where he is now and is excited about the future ahead of him. You won't want to miss this one! Follow Calvin on Instagram: Calvin Pringles Follow us on Instagram: Money Curious Podcast Catch us on TikTok as well: Money Curious Podcast

From podcast host to founder of a non-profit, Nicole Parchani joins us as this week's guest! Nicole is extremely ambitious...Why you ask? Aside from her engineering role at Microsoft, Nicole is the host of her own podcast, The Chatta Box, blogger for The Renaissance Society, and founder of EmpowerU. As an international student from the Saint Martin, Nicole quickly learned to manage her personal finances. Tune in to hear her cool approach on why and how she tracks her budget, and to learn why she began her various business ventures. Follow Nicole on social media Follow The Chatta Box podcast Subscribe & Follow Money Curious Podcast for more great money content!

Here at Money Curious, we're big believers in the concept of house hacking. It's one of the best financial decisions anyone can make. Tune into this week's episode with Ikenna Okoye, where he talks in detail about how he was able to get 2 house hacks right out of college. In this episode we also talk about the importance of confidence, mentorship, and education, and why these play such a huge role in your financial decisions. Don't miss this week's episode! Check out Ikenna's Instagram here @kele_ooo Follow us on Instagram @moneycuriouspodcast Follow us on TikTok @moneycurious

So you've done it! You have started learning about personal finance, the FIRE community and excited to get started. But as you're going through this journey, how do you know you're on the right track? What exactly do you look at to make sure you can reach your personal finance goals? Tune into this week's episode where we talk about just that. Today we have a conversation about 3 financial metrics that we track every month that give us a clear picture of our overall financial health: Savings Rate, Credit Score, and Net Worth. We realized that optimizing these 3 areas will help the rest of our finances fall into place. You won't want to miss this one! Follow us on Instagram @moneycuriouspodcast Follow us on TikTok @moneycurious

Join us this week as we have a great conversation with Kwadwo (Kojo) Banahene. He is an electrical engineer by day and an entrepreneur by night. Kojo started a company called Banahene Enterprises in order to help students prepare for the workforce. He also has a show that drops every Wednesday on Instagram called #MindYourBusiness where he interviews other entrepreneurs and small business owners across multiple different industries. Today we turn the tables on him and get to know him, his business, real estate investments, and so much more! You don't want to miss this conversation. Follow Kojo in Instagram @banaheneenterprises and visit his website banaheneenterprises.com Remember to subscribe and leave a review! Follow us on Instagram @moneycuriouspodcast and Tiktok @moneycurious

In this episode we welcome Andrés Bustamante, a real estate agent and investor in Austin, TX. While in college Andrés became a leasing agent at just 19 years old, which allowed him to pay for his tuition and living expenses all on his own. Andrés shares with us how he invested in his 3 properties utilizing a new construction strategy. Tune in to find out how he did this and more while house-hacking! But that's not all, Andrés also gives us insight into his mindset preparation and morning routine that helps him achieve productive and successful days. Follow Andrés on Instagram @andresbustatx Subscribe and leave a review! Follow us on Instagram @moneycuriouspodcast and Tiktok @moneycurious

Join us in this one-of-a-kind episode with Mindset Coach, Christina Spinazola. She is an entrepreneur impacting the lives of her clients all while also navigating the corporate world. We may not always think about our relationship between our minds and our money, but Christina provides great insight into some deeper level thinking we can all do to strength our thoughts for a more fulfilling life. Interested more in mindset coaching? Contact Christina on Instagram @christinaspinazola or on her website at happinesscompass.com Subscribe and leave a review! Follow us on Instagram @moneycuriouspodcast and Tiktok @moneycurious

Got student loans? How about a credit card balance? Wouldn't it be so great if you were rewarded to pay off your debt by learning all about financial literacy? That's where DebtGo comes in. DebtGo is an app that teaches you the language of money by turning challenging financial subjects into straight forward short videos that allows you to learn, earn, and win (money)! In this episode we dive deep into all things debt with founder and CEO Ernest Pereira. If you're interested in the best debt pay-down strategy, listen in as we and Ernest share our thoughts on this topic! Download the DebtGo App today on the App Store or Google Play! Follow DebtGo on Instagram @debtgo_app and follow their other social media @DebtGo Follow Money Curious Podcast for more!

Ever wonder what it takes to find, buy, and manage a property all while living in another state? Our guest, Scott Sherin, discusses what criteria he used to select his real estate market (Indiana) while living in New Jersey. Scott shares with us how he financed his first 2 properties and how he is looking to BRRRR his 3rd! BRRRR stands for buy, rehab, rent, refinance, repeat. His investing journey has taken him to great success in part due to some great habits he's built. In making his habits as convenient as possible and reducing the amount of friction between him and his habits, Scott has seen massive self improvements. Follow Scott on Instagram @scottsherin Follow Money Curious on Instagram @moneycuriouspodcast Take a look the habit tracking app Scott uses: Productive - Habit Tracker

Fellow Podcaster Briana Whitaker joins our guest list to share her debt-free journey. Briana is the host of Yea Thats Me podcast where she and her husband talk lifestyle, family, and finances. Are you wondering how this young couple tackles their personal finances? Does one person handle all the money or is the responsibility shared? Briana provides a great breakdown of how she budgets and strategizes for her family. Did you know that one of the top reasons for divorce is money problems? We're talking disagreements on overspending or saving habits, issues with power dynamics due to different incomes, financial instability, one spouse/partner holding control of all finances, and the list goes on! So, let's not fall into the common statistic and learn Briana's approach to marital and familial finances. Follow Briana on Instagram @yeathatsme_bri Follow Money Curious Podcast on Instagram @moneycuriouspodcast

Reality TV star, attorney, and investor Justin Reese joins our podcast for this week's episode! From Morehouse College to living in NOLA, Justin shares his experience on how he's developed and succeeded in his multiples roles, all in different industries. Whether you're looking to branch into a new opportunity or develop your curiosity, listen in to hear Justin's perspective on tackling his endeavors outside of his primary profession, law. He also share with us how his experience has been like on reality TV show, Southern Charm New Orleans. Still doubting that reality TV is real? Tune into find out! Follow Justin Reese on Instagram @thejustinreese Follow Money Curious Podcast on Instagram @moneycuriouspodcast

In the years since graduating college, we've celebrated a lot of milestones, however, we still have a long way to go. We've decided to share a little bit of on the knowledge we've acquired during our “freshman year of life.” Tune in to listen to the top 4 shockers we came to experience. We talk through defining new goals, becoming independent, discovering hobbies and our identities, and taking control of our finances.  Follow us for more great insight and content on Instagram @moneycuriouspodcast

Ever wonder how Airbnb Arbitrage works? Well, tune in to this week's episode to learn how Norman Hamilton from Comfy Living has grown a short term rental business using Airbnb. The Comfy Living team has scaled their business from 1 to 21 properties in just 4 years! Norman discusses with us the in's and out's of selecting a property and how he and his team began their amazing entrepreneurial journey. Have questions for Norman or Comfy Living? Follow Comfy Living on Instagram at @comfylivingforall and visit their website at comfylivings.com Follow Norman at @norm.hamilton. We would really appreciate if you left us a review! Give us a follow on Instagram at @moneycuriouspodcast

We are bringing you yet another foundational concept to build your financial literacy, this time on credit. From our personal experiences, we've learned that there is good debt and bad debt, that student loans suck big time, and credit card rewards are gold (if used wisely). How did Essien get 55% off suits at Men's Warehouse and $600 off his flight to Thailand? You don't want to miss this insider scoop! While managing our spending well below our means, we both have found great value in exclusively using credit cards to pay for almost anything. Tune in to find out why and how! Follow us on Instagram @moneycuriouspodcast

Most people love to travel and for many its a year-round hobby. But the high costs of flights, accommodations, and food sometimes make us think twice. What if you could turn that hobby into a full-blown business that generates an income?! Well, listen no further than this week's episode as we chat with businesswoman and entrepreneur, Gaëtane Garçon. She caught the travel bug while studying abroad during her undergrad and was able to utilize her experiences to create travel agency that takes her around the globe. Head over to Gaëtane's Travel Business Instagram @stellatravelllc and personal Instagram @gaetanevoyage. For great flight prices checkout skyscanner.com Don't forget to follow us on Instagram! @moneycuriouspodcast

As a female working in finance, Adaora Nwogbo has been able to leverage her experience working for one of the top brokerage firms to see big returns on her investments. This week's episode focuses on the financial markets including stocks vs index funds, and how to plan your next investment. If you're wondering how to evaluate risk or where to find the basics on a specific stock, tune in to get insight straight from someone who managed portfolios ranging up to $50 million in just her mid 20s! Follow us on Instagram @moneycuriouspodcast

2 years! That's the time it took Alex Flores to exponentially grow his investments after graduating college. From grinding as a dishwasher to an engineer in the aerospace industry, Alex delivers on hard work, curiosity, and leveraging his money's power. If you don't feel motivated to set your financial foundation, you will after this episode. Today we talk to Alex who is an owner of two investment properties and is using 4 strategies to plan his next move. Follow Alex on Instagram @monsieurfleur Follow us on Instagram @moneycuriouspodcast

Join co-host Essien as he shares his wealth-building journey through real estate! At just 24 years old, Essien used the power of house hacking to reduce his housing expense and started paying off his student loans. Now with his second property secured a year later, he's building massive equity and developing his RE business. Curious to know how and why he did it? Tune in to find out how he stays motivated, and how he creates efficient and sustainable systems to keep his investments running smoothly. Follow us on instagram @moneycurioupodcast

Why plan for something that seems lightyears away? While retirement does seem far off, planning for it can never start too early! In this week's episode we discuss a step-by-step process to open a retirement account and provide an overview of the types of accounts available. Whether you're a W2 employee, an entrepreneur, or anyone in between, there is a retirement account for you. Take advantage of compound interest, employer matching contributions, and tax benefits to secure your financial future. There is no time to start like the present and any amount you can contribute will have massive effects! Follow us on Instagram: @moneycuriouspodcast

Have you ever wanted to take a big risk in your life, but too afraid to make the jump? In this week's episode, we interview Adrien Salvador, who went into real estate full time after working as an engineer for only a year after graduating college! Even though he was burdened with student loan debt, he thought it was more risky to NOT start a business now, in his early twenties. In just a year after switching from W-2 earner to business owner, his company has done 7 deals during the COVID-19 pandemic. His perspective on 'risk' may change the way you think about the moves you're making in your own life. If you need motivation to take your next big step, then tune into this week's episode with Adrien Salvador. Adrien's Personal Instagram: @adriendsalvador Adrien's Real Estate Company: @_salvadoors Follow us on Instagram: @moneycuriouspodcast

Have you ever felt like you weren't doing enough? Have you ever felt that you're not getting to where you want to be fast enough? We sure have. In this week's episode we talk about how stressful making certain decisions can be, especially regarding finances. We explain why these feelings of impatience are actually normal and what you can do about them. It's ok to feel impatient about getting ahead, that just means you're a person with ambition and goals! Tune in to this week's episode to learn how you can take the right steps to gain more confidence in where you are in your financial journey! Follow us on Instagram: @moneycuriouspodcast

Making money in this country can be difficult especially if you immigrated from another country. But John and his family wouldn't let that fact stop them. John's mother immigrated from Vietnam at an early age and got right to work. While making $30,000, she was able to build a sizable real estate portfolio, raise 3 kids, and sent one of them to college to get a Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering. Oh, and did we mention that she doesn't even have a high school education? If you think that you can't make money in this country, tune into this week's episode of the Money Curious Podcast to learn how John's family took a 'no excuses' mindset to build generational wealth for themselves. Make sure to follow us on Instagram @moneycuriouspodcast Contact Us - moneycuriouspodcast@gmail.com

Creating and maintaining healthy habits help you reach your goals and help you become the person you most want to be. Now let's take that and apply it to your financial life while you're a young adult. We have gathered a list of habits we've developed as a result of trial and error with our finances. In this episode we discuss 6 habits that have benefited us and can help you too. We also included a BONUS habit...Take a listen! Make sure to follow us on Instagram @moneycuriouspodcast Contact Us - moneycuriouspodcast@gmail.com

Financial literacy education is key to setting up for a successful future. Did your high school teach you this? Most states in the U.S. don't offer a course in personal finance or economics! Only 21 states require high school students to take a course in personal finance...hmmm...that's not 50. More info on these statistics can be found on the Council For Economic Education's website where you can download the latest report. In this episode, we discuss 5 teaching points we wished we learned as teens. We go into: 1. Credit Cards & Loans 2. Investing 3. Retirement Plans 4. Real Estate & Homebuying Process 5. The College Education Decision Make sure to follow us on Instagram @moneycuriouspodcast Contact Us - moneycuriouspodcast@gmail.com

Don't sweat the small stuff...instead take a look at where most of your money is going. These top 3 expenses account for approximately 63% of your household budget! Aren't you curious to learn how you can cut back? In this episode, we provide personal examples and actions we've taken to minimize these costs. Here are links to the books, articles, and sites mentioned in this episode: Bureau of Labor Statistics Set For Life by Scott Trench Smart Grocery Shopping The Latte Factor Mealime App Hello Fresh Recipes Make sure to subscribe to our podcast and follow us on Instagram @moneycuriouspodcast!

#01 - Whether you're grocery shopping or finding the best travel deal, think twice before you skimp out. Both of us have chosen to live a frugal lifestyle because we've learned to identify that value and quality is more important than cost. In this week's episode, we discuss how being cheap wastes your time, how prioritizing your wants and needs are key, and steps you can take to live a more frugal life. Follow us on Instagram: @moneycuriouspodcast

#00 - Welcome to our premier episode of the Money Curious Podcast! Get to know the hosts, Laura and Essien, and have a casual chat with them on everything money. Take a quick listen to check out what's in store for future content. Have questions? Reach out to us at moneycuriouspodcast@gmail.com.