Jill On Money With Jill Schlesinger

Prices are up, inventories are down which means the housing market is hot again. It’s not like the crazy days of 2005, but conditions are a bit frenzied. To prepare for what is likely to be the biggest asset purchase or sale you’ll make in life, we turn to Stephen Gasque, host of Real Estate Today, a weekly radio program presented by the National Association of Realtors. Whether you’re a first-time buyer or seller, Steven is full of tips to help you navigate the process. One of the topics we spent some time on is the current inventory crisis and why it’s seemingly harder than ever for potential buyers to get the home they want. Why is the competition among buyers more intense than ever? Some of the other topics we discussed: What are the most common mistakes people make when buying or selling? What’s the most important step for a potential buyer? How to successfully invest in real estate as a rental propertyThe future of mortgage interest deductions Renting versus buyingIf you’re planning on going to an

This week on the BONUS call we're talking asset allocation with David from Virginia. For years David has been saving and not really paying attention to his various accounts. Now that he's a little older, he recently checked in on them and was pleasantly surprised to see how much his accounts have grown. Up until now everything David has saved has been 100% invested in stocks. Now that he's in his 30s is it time to start diversifying? Have a finance question? We want to hear from you! Email us at askjill@betteroffpodcast.com and we'll arrange to get you on. Don't forget, a brand new episode of the Better Off podcast comes out Thursday so stay tuned for more listener questions plus an informative interview. Better Off is sponsored by Betterment. Please let us know what you think by leaving a rating or review in iTunes. Connect with me at these places for all my content: http://www.jillonmoney.com/  https://twitter.com/jillonmoney  https://www.facebook.com/JillonMoney  https://www.instagram.com/jillonmo

When it comes to money and personal finance, I like to think I know a thing or two. But when it comes to technology and gadgets, I turn to experts Jeff Bakalar and Russ Frushtick. Jeff and Russ host The 404 Show, a popular CNET podcast that focuses on pop-culture, tech, movies, comics, video games and more. It’s a good arrangement: When Jeff and Russ have questions regarding their financial lives, they know who to call—and they really do, from time to time. When I need help purchasing a new phone or want to understand what lies ahead on the tech landscape, I return the favor. The technology world changes so fast it’s almost impossible to keep up with it. Every month it seems, there’s some new announcement—a hot new app, a popular gadget, a hopeful tech IPO, a disruptive innovation—it’s never ending. In this latest episode of “Better Off,” we touched on a variety of topics that we once thought we’d only see in a Hollywood movie:Artificial intelligence (AI)Virtual reality (VR)Self-driving vehicles UPS using

This week on the BONUS call we're talking to Brian from Los Angeles. Brian and his wife have lived overseas for a while and in the process built up a nest egg of about 600k. Now back in the States they have to find a house and are wondering how to do it without blowing through all the money they've accumulated. Have a finance question? We want to hear from you! Email us at askjill@betteroffpodcast.com and we'll arrange to get you on. Don't forget, a brand new episode of the Better Off podcast comes out Thursday so stay tuned for more listener questions plus an informative interview. Better Off is sponsored by Betterment. Please let us know what you think by leaving a rating or review in iTunes. Connect with me at these places for all my content: http://www.jillonmoney.com/  https://twitter.com/jillonmoney  https://www.facebook.com/JillonMoney  https://www.instagram.com/jillonmoney/  https://www.youtube.com/c/JillSchlesinger  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillonmoney/  https://soundcloud.com/jill-s

On June 29th, 2007 Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled a new product, which he described as “a revolutionary mobile phone,” and a “breakthrough Internet communications device.” Indeed, the iPhone has changed our lives. We do EVERYTHING on our phones. We text, we surf the web, we bank, we book vacations, we get directions, we book cars, we play games, and we even make the occasional phone call. In the process, Apple has become the most profitable public company in the world, with a market cap of about three quarters of a trillion dollars – that’s more than twice as much as Exxon Mobil and three times as much as General Electric. Over the past ten years, Apple’s business has grown by 10 times and its stock price has increased by nearly 720 percent, dwarfing the 134 percent rise in the NASDAQ Composite Index. But just how close did we come to not having the iPhone? How did it actually happen? Our guest Brian Merchant, technology journalist and author of the new book, The One Device: The Secret History of the iPhon

This week on the BONUS call we chatted with John from Philadelphia. The call started with John wanting to know how he and his wife can find a financial advisor. By the time the call was over, let's just say the game plan changed for John. Remember folks, there are certain things that need to be happening before you're ready to take the next step. This call will help walk you through the process. Have a finance question? We want to hear from you! Email us at askjill@betteroffpodcast.com and we'll arrange to get you on. Don't forget, a brand new episode of the Better Off podcast comes out Thursday so stay tuned for more listener questions plus an informative interview. Better Off is sponsored by Betterment. Please let us know what you think by leaving a rating or review in iTunes. Connect with me at these places for all my content: http://www.jillonmoney.com/  https://twitter.com/jillonmoney  https://www.facebook.com/JillonMoney  https://www.instagram.com/jillonmoney/  https://www.youtube.com/c/JillSc

If you live in a big city, it can be easy to forget what it’s like to depend on a car. Urbanites tend to walk, take the subway or bus, ride a bicycle, or hop in a cab to get virtually everywhere. But I grew up in the suburbs and know the vast majority of you listening to this podcast have a deep, personal relationship with your car. After all, next to your home, your car is one of the biggest assets you’ll purchase in life, which is why you are likely to have a ton of questions that need to be answered.  Where does one turn to learn the best car buying tips? Maybe you have used the Consumer Reports Annual Auto Issue, but, today on Better Off, we go one better... we have Mike Quincy, Automotive Specialist at Consumer Reports, one of the pros behind all things car-related at the magazine.  Mike may have the coolest job in the world. He gets to race, I mean drive, basically every car imaginable around a test track and then write the reviews you read...a dream job for a total car geek. With almost 30 years und

It's so great and satisfying when we're able to expose people to the world of finance through the podcast. That's the case with Joe from Arizona, our latest BONUS call, who after listening to us, is now interested in pursuing a career as a CFP. Since Joe doesn't have a background in finance he was looking for some advice as he prepares to start this new chapter of his professional life. Have a finance question? We want to hear from you! Email us at askjill@betteroffpodcast.com and we'll arrange to get you on. Don't forget, a brand new episode of the Better Off podcast comes out Thursday so stay tuned for more listener questions plus an informative interview. Better Off is sponsored by Betterment. Please let us know what you think by leaving a rating or review in iTunes. Connect with me at these places for all my content: http://www.jillonmoney.com/  https://twitter.com/jillonmoney  https://www.facebook.com/JillonMoney  https://www.instagram.com/jillonmoney/  https://www.youtube.com/c/JillSchlesing

Summertime is officially upon us which means millions of Americans will be hitting the roads and taking to the skies to enjoy their summer vacations. Whether you want to hit the beach, blaze a trail off the beaten path or explore one of the major tourist destinations, there’s a smart way to do it.  That’s where Peter Greenberg, this week’s guest on Better Off, enters the picture. Peter, the Travel Editor for CBS News, is full of tips and suggestions to help you get the most bang for your buck as you plan and book your trip.   Where to go? Where not to go? Drive, train or fly? From South Africa to Chile to Tokyo and Thailand, as well as hidden gems here in the States, we circle the globe with Peter and provide you with useful tips to easily reach your destination, with a few bucks left in your pocket.   Give recent attacks in London, Paris and Istanbul, is there any reason to think twice before booking vacations to those cities? How should we think about places where the Zika virus remains prevalent? What’

This week on the BONUS call I had to pick a side. I was either going to side with our caller, Dustin from Minnesota, or his wife. Only in their 30s, these guys are in great shape. They already have a good nest egg going and are able to save a solid amount each year. Dustin is all about contributing to their retirement accounts. His wife on the other hand thinks they should pull back on the retirement accounts and beef up their liquid assets. Have a guess as to which way I'm leaning? Have a finance question? We want to hear from you! Email us at askjill@betteroffpodcast.com and we'll arrange to get you on. Don't forget, a brand new episode of the Better Off podcast comes out Thursday so stay tuned for more listener questions plus an informative interview. Better Off is sponsored by Betterment. Please let us know what you think by leaving a rating or review in iTunes. Connect with me at these places for all my content: http://www.jillonmoney.com/  https://twitter.com/jillonmoney  https://www.facebook.

While it’s always fun talking to authors, CEOs and you on the Better Off podcast, I also enjoy chatting with fellow financial industry journalism colleagues. Doing so allows me to get their take on the state of the industry and to talk about what they’ve been covering, what has them jazzed and what they see coming in the weeks and months ahead. Our guest this week, Liz Weston, is a total financial nerd, so I guess it’s fitting that Liz works as a columnist for NerdWallet, a personal finance website that offers financial tools and advice to help people understand their options when making financial decisions.  Liz is also a CFP® and has been covering the industry for many years. She started her career on the politics beat but that got old quickly. She transitioned into personal finance and has been writing full-time since 1994.  Even though Liz knows her stuff, it was very interesting to hear her talk about how she has used an insurance agent, a tax pro, an estate planner and even has her own financial plan

We love starting them young on Better Off, and that's certainly the case with Kevin from Maryland, our latest BONUS call. Kevin, just 23 years old, want's to make sure he has all his finances in order before starting medical school later this summer. His main question is what he should do with an old 401(k) plan. What criteria should he consider before rolling it over? Can he do it on his own or does he need a financial planner? All very good and common questions that will likely apply to some of you listening. Have a finance question? We want to hear from you! Email us at askjill@betteroffpodcast.com and we'll arrange to get you on. Don't forget, a brand new episode of the Better Off podcast comes out Thursday so stay tuned for more listener questions plus an informative interview. Better Off is sponsored by Betterment. Please let us know what you think by leaving a rating or review in iTunes. Connect with me at these places for all my content: http://www.jillonmoney.com/  https://twitter.com/jillonm

Imagine a world without companies like Apple, or media outlets such as CBS or NBC, without all of the cars and trucks crisscrossing the country, without food provided by the farmer...that’s what would happen if Wall Street did not exist...it would all go away, according to this week’s Better Off guest, writer William “Bill” Cohan. If you’ve read some of his previous books, like "House of Cards," or “Money and Power”, you know Bill is usually not one to shy away from going after Wall Street and its shortcomings. But in an interesting twist, Bill’s recent book, "Why Wall Street Matters," is a defense of the industry that he has pilloried. In our interview, Bill describes a poor decision by Elizabeth Warren as the catalyst that propelled him to write this latest book. He tells us what Wall Street has done well, like providing the necessary capital to companies, which in turn allows them to invest, expand and hire, thus propelling overall economic growth. Don’t be mistaken: Bill knows that Wall Street and t

This week we have one of the more interesting BONUS calls that we've taken on Better Off. You know, life isn't always as we plan it...it's not always a simple, straight line. Things come up, especially health related items that can make it difficult when doing a financial plan. Mike from Tennessee falls into this category. Given some recent poor test scores, and the fact that his father died of a heart attack at 59, Mike, currently 49, wants to retire early. The good news is that Mike and his wife have a nest egg of about $2.5 million. Given that Mike is asymptomatic, we hope he lives a long life and is able to reap the rewards in retirement. Have a finance question? We want to hear from you! Email us at askjill@betteroffpodcast.com and we'll arrange to get you on. Don't forget, a brand new episode of the Better Off podcast comes out Thursday so stay tuned for more listener questions plus an informative interview. Better Off is sponsored by Betterment. Please let us know what you think by leaving a

It seems everyday there’s a story in the news that involves hacking. Whether it’s a big box retailer, the IRS or Russians hacking the DNC, cyber warfare has become one of the biggest threats in the 21st century and we are all vulnerable. To help you understand the current environment and to learn some of the simple steps we should take to prevent ourselves from becoming a victim, we had to find an expert...a professional hacker. I’m not talking about some random hack...I’m talking about the hacker of all hackers, Kevin Mitnick. This guy is the real deal. So real that after a well publicized pursuit back in the 1990s, he was arrested by the FBI and spent five years in prison, including eight months in solitary confinement. Now a free man, he does consulting work for Fortune 500 companies and the government. Though I should point out that for business cards he uses metal lock pick sets with his name and number on them. Really. In his latest book, The Art of Invisibility, Kevin uses true-life stories to s

Summer is just about upon us which means all those hardworking teachers out there will get a well deserved break. That includes our BONUS caller this week, James from Illinois. What's different about James is that he doesn't necessarily want to take the whole summer off...he actually wants to find a side gig to make some extra cash. Because he lives in a rural area he's not quite sure how to make it happen so he decided to call us for some advice. Have a finance question? We want to hear from you! Email us at askjill@betteroffpodcast.com and we'll arrange to get you on. Don't forget, a brand new episode of the Better Off podcast comes out Thursday so stay tuned for more listener questions plus an informative interview. Better Off is sponsored by Betterment. Please let us know what you think by leaving a rating or review in iTunes. Connect with me at these places for all my content: http://www.jillonmoney.com/ https://twitter.com/jillonmoney https://www.facebook.com/JillonMoney https://www.instag

Sometimes a host has to do what a host has to do to land the interview. You could say that was the case with the one and only Michael Lewis, our guest this week on Better Off. It was a few months back that I ran into Michael in the CBS This Morning Green Room and immediately started working my mojo to get him on the podcast. Although it took weeks and weeks of emails to finally make it happen, it was worth the wait. Lewis is such a prolific writer that you’ve probably picked up at least one of his books, including Moneyball, The Blind Side, The Big Short or Flash Boys. In this interview, we discuss his latest work, The Undoing Project. The Undoing Project explores the roots of behavioral economics, a topic that has always fascinated me. I love trying to understand why people make the decisions they do. Trying to figure out how the human mind works. And that’s what this book is all about. It’s starts with the partnership between Israeli psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky. Forty

This week on the BONUS call we’re talking to Chris from Florida who recently inherited 30k from his grandmother. By the way, can I just say what a nice lady his grandma was! Okay, back to Chris…his first move was a smart one as he paid off the remainder of his student loans, about 12k. So now he has 18k and isn’t quite sure what his next move should be. Here’s a hint…he badly needs a car… Have a finance question? We want to hear from you! Email us at askjill@betteroffpodcast.com and we'll arrange to get you on. Don't forget, a brand new episode of the Better Off podcast comes out Thursday so stay tuned for more listener questions plus an informative interview. Better Off is sponsored by Betterment. Please let us know what you think by leaving a rating or review in iTunes. Connect with me at these places for all my content: http://www.jillonmoney.com/ https://twitter.com/jillonmoney https://www.facebook.com/JillonMoney https://www.instagram.com/jillonmoney/ https://www.youtube.com/c/JillSchlesinge

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 lo

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? Have a finance question? We want to hear from you! Email us at askjill@betteroffpodcast.com and we'll arrange to get you on. Don't forget, a brand new episode of the Better Off podcast comes out Thursday so stay tuned for more listener questions plus an informative interview. Better Off is sponsored by Betterment. Please let us know what you think by leaving a rating or review in iTunes. Connect with me at these places for all my content: http://www.jillonmoney.com/ https://twitter.com/jillonmoney https://www.facebook.com/JillonMoney https://www.instagram.com/jillonm