The Financial Mentor Podcast

Get FIRE! Discover Chris Mamula's failures and wins to achieve financial independence early retirement in just 5 years. It's easier than you think.

Paying for your kids college is one of the biggest expenses you'll face. Many schools are so expensive that you could give your child a paid-off home and a secure retirement for what the education will cost. To make matters worse, the chances are good you won't qualify for need-based aid to help with the bill. So what are the strategies you can use to make college affordable? In this podcast interview, I provide proven strategies from two separate experts in back-to-back interviews providing a complete guide to making college affordable when you don't qualify for need-based financial aid...

Business entrepreneurship is the most common path to wealth, but also the least discussed. It gives you many unexpected benefits including community, connection, contribution, a sense of purpose, and a creative outlet. You can also achieve your freedom goals through business entrepreneurship long before you hit your financial goals because passive income isn't connected to equity like in real estate or paper assets. In addition, business entrepreneurship is a great way to catch-up on your retirement goals if you're behind on savings. But business entrepreneurship isn't for everyone despite all the benefits. That why Brennan Dunn and I explore in this podcast episode the tricks and traps to this critically important asset class you may want to consider using in your wealth plan. Learn from our experience so you can decide what works for you. Brennan has developed several businesses in the six to seven figure range and will show you how to use this asset class to achieve your financial goals.

Post-career life is not what you expect. The pro-leisure circuit of living an endless vacation in permanent bliss is a myth. Many early retirees face a rude awakening without a career that gives purpose and defines your identity. In this interview I talk with Tess Vigeland, author of Leap and former host for NPR's Marketplace Money, as we reveal case studies and research giving actionable advice on how to manage the post-career transition smoothly and find happiness on the other side. Preparation is the key to navigating the change smoothly, and this podcast will show you how...

Your spouse can make or break you financially. That's no surprise, given how money is one of the leading causes of divorce. But there is much more to the relationship and money question than just divorce or marital bliss. In this episode of the Financial Mentor podcast Farnoosh Torabi and I take taboo subjects and gender biases head-on so you can avoid the landmines hiding under the financial side of your relationship...

The difference between debt and wealth is large in life, but small in terms of the life habits required to actually make the difference. J.D. Roth, founder of Get Rich Slowly, shares how he transformed his financial situation from debt to wealth in just a few short years by simply changing his life habits. These are principles everyone can implement to build a rock-solid financial foundation that will help you achieve your financial goals...

Wealth is math. That's bad news for math phobics, but it's great news for the rest of us because it means there are rules and science behind how wealth building works. The process isn't random luck. In Episode 19 of the Financial Mentor podcast we'll explore the most essential math principle to wealth building - the expected value formula - so that you know how to put it to work in your wealth plans starting today...

Achieving any goal isn't about how-to instruction. It's about people. Don't waste your time on tips and tricks. After all, if how-to's were enough then we would all be thin, rich, and happy because all the knowledge you need to attain anything you want in life already exists. You just have to learn it and implement it. And therein lies the rub. Something is keeping you from implementing as well as you might like. The cause is limiting beliefs and the solution is far easier than you probably realize. Discover how in episode #18 of the Financial Mentor podcast...

You've heard it repeated so many times that you no longer question if it is true. What is it, you ask? It's called "the passion hypothesis". The premise is you should do what you love and the money will follow. If you want to succeed then you should follow your passion. The only problem is it's wrong. In this episode I take you beyond the superficial knowledge to a deeper layer of knowledge showing you how career development connects to wealth building so you can enjoy the freedom you desire long before your assets will support it...

It's hard to know how to choose a financial advisor. There is so much value at stake; yet, how can you tell the experts from the charlatans? Who can you trust? How do you really know? In this latest episode of the Financial Mentor Podcast I'll give you a step-by-step due diligence checklist for how to choose a financial advisor that perfectly fits your needs. You'll discover how to sort through the maze of confusion so that you can get the expert help you need to reach your financial goals - without getting ripped off...

Sure, you want early financial independence. But how do you achieve it? What are the necessary action steps to reach the goal, and how can you expect your life to change afterward? Surprisingly, it doesn't work like most people think. In this latest addition to our podcast series, Luke Landes shares how he achieved freedom from day-to-day financial worries at such an early age, and what his life experience has been like since reaching the goal. Surprisingly, it's not what most people would expect...

The "New Retirement" is gathering momentum and catching major media attention. In fact, no less than AARP has gotten behind the initiative with a new book titled "Life Reimagined" by Richard Leider. If you have any interest in retiring with financial security and enjoying a happy life (who doesn't?) then this interview is a must listen. Richard and I reveal new insights to help you...

As I sat with 3,000 fellow entrepreneurs waiting for the next speaker to enter the stage, the beauty of Portland's antique theater overwhelmed me. Wrought iron railings, ornate tapestries, brass fixtures, and gold inset wood designs set the mood for Tess Vigelund from NPR's "MarketPlace Money" (9 million weekly listeners) to take the stage. After thunderous applause, she stunned me with her bold statement. Everything you need to know about financial planning is just 6 stories, and everything else written on the subject merely rehashes those core 6 stories over and over again to make them look different. Could it be true? Was financial planning really that simple? Just 6 core ideas? I was intrigued...

If you think retirement is about old age and endless rounds of golf then think again. Increasing longevity has changed all the old rules for retirement planning. When you understand the new rules you can retire younger with less money, greater financial security, and greater life fulfillment. This isn't your father's or grandfather's retirement. It is a whole new definition of what it means to "retire" and explains how you can completely redesign your life for fulfillment far earlier than you ever imagined possible...

What is the easiest, most certain way to achieve anything? Daily habits. Any goal you want in life can be attained with a few carefully chosen habits and sufficient time. It's really quite simple. Habits compound your daily actions into automatic wealth just like regular savings compounds daily deposits into wealth. It is the most certain and reliable way to achieve any goal when you know how to work the system. In Financial Mentor podcast episode #11, James Clear and I will show you how...

Retirement calculators are powerful tools when used properly, but they are weapons of mass deception when used incorrectly. In episode #10 of the Financial Mentor podcast, Darrow Kirkpatrick and I reveal the tricks and traps to using retirement calculators right. This topic is much bigger than just retirement planning. This is about engineering your way to wealth and using retirement calculators as a handy tool to make the math easy. There are many nuances and little-known creative strategies that can help you achieve financial security much earlier than you ever imagined possible. And there are many potholes you must avoid so you don't make foolish decisions...

How do you convert a volatile portfolio into a stable, automatic income stream? After all, your investment portfolio goes up and down like a roller coaster, but your retirement spending requires a reliable income that you will never outlive. Traditional financial planning provides an oversimplified answer in the 4% Rule, but the latest research into safe withdrawal rates has revealed surprisingly different conclusions that can dramatically impact how you plan your retirement savings strategy...

The financial advice business is riddled with conflicts of interest, hidden fees, and financial incentives that can cost you dearly if you don't know how to protect yourself. Get the inside scoop showing you how the various investment product sales models work - warts, blemishes and all - so you can improve your investment performance and manage risk more effectively...

Jonathan Clements reveals universal financial truths developed over his 17 years as a featured columnist for the Wall Street Journal (and more recently with Citi Personal Wealth Management for 5 years). His most recent work involved combing his decades long collection of writings and distilling them down to just the essential core "notions" that every wealth builder must understand. Now you can benefit from this unusual depth of knowledge in this exclusive interview with one of the true veterans of Wall Street personal finance journalism...

Habits are the easiest, most secure way to achieve any goal - including wealth. Whether you want to learn how to invest smarter, grow your net worth, lose weight, or get in great shape - habits are the key. The right habits literally pull you toward the goal. In this podcast we reveal all the tricks and tips you must know to change your habits and proactively design your life to achieve any outcome you desire - including wealth...

Your budget is the foundation of your wealth plan. In fact, it is so important it's the cornerstone. Unfortunately, most people don't understand budgeting and falsely believe it is about sacrifice and discipline. Nothing could be further from the truth. In this fifth episode of the FinancialMentor podcast Jesse Mecham explains why budgeting is the cornerstone of your wealth plan and how you can make it work for you. Surprisingly, it is probably not what you think...

Early retirement is simple. Discover how to do it with confidence and security in this interview with Doug Nordman illustrating the essential principles nearly everyone must follow. Doug's story is a great example because his path was unusual, but the principles he followed are not. They are timeless and essential to achieving the goal. Discover how...

In this third session of the Financial Mentor Podcast, Jaime Tardy from EventualMillionaire.com shares unique insights into how to build wealth using the business/entrepreneurial path. Jaime has interviewed more than 100 self-made millionaires and discovered specific patterns that lead to success in business which she reveals as a core set of actionable principles in this podcast. These are real insights from real millionaires that replace common myths taught elsewhere and is essential learning for anyone seeking to achieve wealth...

Discover how to retire at 50 in our second podcast interview featuring Darrow Kirkpatrick. You'll learn proven investment strategy, the key savings principles that work reliably, and surprising insights explaining why frugality is more important than commonly understood and why security is less important. This is the "Everyman's" path to wealth that just plain works if you listen and implement the lessons...

In this first episode of the Financial Mentor podcast, professor Wade Pfau reveals the truth about retirement income and investment return assumptions so you can plan your financial future with confidence. All research and facts are contrasted with Dave Ramsey's unsupportable claims that you can realistically expect 12% investment returns and an 8% safe withdrawal rate in retirement. The result is deep knowledge about sound retirement planning strategy practices so you can build your financial security with confidence and peace of mind...