Things I Love :: Financial Literacy

A round-up of personal finance podcasts and other free content

April is Financial Literacy Month, so I’m squeaking in a post about a topic I’ve been immersing myself in for about two years. I don’t know if it was because the world was changing or I was getting older – or some combination of the two – but about two years ago, I started thinking about all I didn’t know that I felt I should about personal finance.

While I’ve been putting money away in my 401(k) for years, I had never really taken a good look at how we were spending and saving – much less, what we should be spending and saving. Luckily, I’m married to a natural saver who has made sure that we lived below our means. So, when I started this learning journey, we had been saving for years, had good financial habits (like paying our credit cards in full every month) and other than our mortgage, we didn’t have any debt.

Even so, I wanted to learn more. I wanted to learn about investing, preparing for retirement, managing expenses, and all the other things that come along with being financially responsible. What I found was an enormous amount of FREE personal finance education – especially from podcasts. And after two years of really paying attention, these are the ones I currently like the best, somewhat listed in order of preference.

Your Money, Your Wealth – Hosted by a CFP and a CPA, I’ve found this weekly podcast to be the perfect balance of information and entertainment (humor). Primarily based on listener questions, each show typically has a theme. People with questions are asked to tell what they drive, what they drink and about any four-legged fur babies – perhaps to give a little context to their situation.

The Retirement Answer Man – Roger Whitney hosts this show with the aim of helping listeners rock retirement – both financially and personally. The show is a combination of tools, tips and tricks, and listener questions. And, it was recently listed as a Best Retirement Podcast here.

DIY Money – Hosted primarily by Quint and Daniel (CFP) who lead a financial advisory firm, this short-form podcast (about 12-15 minutes per episode) dives into one listener question at a time and covers all areas of personal finance.

Friends on FIRE – The FIRE movement is hot right now (Financial Independence, Retire Early), and while I’m not completely on the bandwagon, this show is co-hosted by the wife of a work colleague (soon to be a former work colleague), so I’ve found the show interesting for that reason.

Your Money Briefing – A 6-8 minute quick hit from the Wall Street Journal that covers a ton of different finance topics.

Jill on Money – Hosted by Jill Schlesinger, CFP and CBS News Business Analysts, this is also a shorter form podcast (less than 20 minutes) that you can make even shorter by skipping through the first three minutes where she delivers a long commercial about her sponsor. She answers listener questions but also has interesting guests at times. I like her background on WallStreet, experience as an advisor, and no-nonsense take on personal finances.

Here are some others that I’ve listened to in the past but have given up for one reason or another. You still might like them.

Her Money with Jean Chatzky – I used to love Jean’s segments when I was a loyal Today Show viewer. She can be a little “all over the place” which many may love for the variety. It got old for me because I wanted to hear about Roth conversions and she’s talking about shoe shopping.

Retire Sooner with Wes Moss – I’ve been aware of Wes for a while because he’s been the local “money guy” for two of Atlanta’s news outlets – WSB and the AJC. I love his mission – to help 1 million retire sooner – and his personality. He took a hiatus in the fall, and I wasn’t crazy about the format or host they used to fill in. That said, I think he’s back, so I’ll likely start tuning in again soon.

The Money Guy Show – Great personal finance information. They have a helpful “order of operations” that you might like or you may feel it’s a bit complicated (I lean a little this way). They also are also very perky, which got old for me.

Ramsey Solutions – It is impossible to talk about financial literacy without some nod to Dave Ramsey. His advocacy and influence are undeniable. And, I actually highly recommend him if you’re in debt or have demonstrated a pattern of not being able to manage finances responsibly. His 8 Baby Steps are clear, concise, and will lead you to “Financial Freedom.” But if you have a strong history of financial responsibility, you might get frustrated with the rigidity. (PS – I do use the free tools he has on his website on a regular basis. They are also straightforward & easy to use.)

There are many, many more podcasts out there! If you have a favorite, let me know by commenting. And, I’d be a bit remiss if I didn’t give a shout-out to Morning Brew’s Money Scoop newsletter which may have been partly responsible for piquing my interest from the start.

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