The Pete the Planner® Show

A surge in oil prices tied to rising tensions involving Iran has economists and investors whispering a word we haven’t heard much since the 1970s: stagflation. But what exactly is it—and should you be worried? In this episode, Pete breaks down why spikes in oil prices can ripple through the entire economy, how stagflation happens when inflation and economic slowdown collide, and why energy shocks have historically been the trigger. More importantly, he explains what this moment actually means for households, your budget, and the broader economy. Is stagflation coming… or is this just another scary economic headline? Pete separates the signal from the noise.

This week’s listener question comes from a self-described “Type-A podcast listener girlie” who—financially speaking—is absolutely crushing it. At 32 years old, she’s earning about $100,000, saving 25% for retirement, and has already built roughly $450,000 in Roth accounts, plus a brokerage account and cash savings. Her partner, the same age, entered the workforce later after earning an advanced degree and currently makes about $60,000 while saving 12%. They’re planning to get married soon, combine finances, buy a home in the next few years, and maybe even retire early someday. But here’s the twist. She’s comfortable with the idea that her early savings created a large portion of their future financial security. Her partner isn’t so sure. Coming from a blue-collar, dual-income household built around pensions and Social Security, he feels uneasy about benefiting from wealth that largely came from her earlier discipline and opportunity. In other words: When the traditional earning dynamic flips, how do couples navigate the psychology of fairness, partnership, and shared success?

They’re 42. They’re doing everything right. $185,000 household income. 15% to retirement. Emergency fund solid. Almost no debt. And yet… they’re exhausted. This week’s email comes from a couple who can absolutely afford help — but still live like they’re one missed paycheck away from disaster. They mow their own lawn. Scrub their own bathrooms. Meal prep every Sunday. Fix everything themselves. They optimize every dollar. Then a simple debate changes everything. A cleaning service would cost $4,200 a year. Invested for 20 years? Roughly $100,000. Or… 40 Saturdays back with their kids. That question hits hard: At what point does buying time become wiser than squeezing every dollar? In this episode, Pete, Dame, and Kristen tackle one of the most uncomfortable financial transitions of midlife — shifting from survival mode to optimization mode. You’ll hear: • Why scarcity mindset can linger long after you’re financially secure • The three currencies of life: money, time, and energy • When convenience spending is actually smart leverage • How to tell the difference between efficiency and lifestyle creep • The “Regret Test” that instantly clarifies big decisions Is hiring help irresponsible… or strategic? Is frugality always virtuous… or sometimes just fear in disguise? If you’ve ever calculated the future value of skipping Starbucks while secretly wishing for one less thing on your weekend to-do list, this one is for you. Because the goal isn’t to die with the highest net worth. The goal is to use money in a way that honors your finite time. You can always earn more money. You cannot earn another Tuesday.

Lauren and her husband are 35. Two kids. Solid income. No credit card debt. $70,000 saved. They’re doing everything right. And now their landlord just dropped the bomb: he’s probably selling the house. They’ve been paying $2,750 a month in rent. Buying a similar home would run about $2,900 a month with taxes, insurance, and PMI. On paper, that’s only a $150 jump. In reality? It feels like stepping into a financial thunderstorm. Because everywhere they turn, they hear the same thing: “Terrible time to buy.” “Wait for rates to drop.” “The market’s about to shift.” So the question becomes: Are they crazy for even considering it? This week, Pete, Dame, and Cricket break down what Americans everywhere are wrestling with in 2026: Is this actually a “bad” housing market — or just an uncomfortable one? What does 8% down really mean in terms of risk and flexibility? How much emergency savings should a young family protect at all costs? Is a $2,900 payment on $155,000 income responsible… or reckless? And most importantly — what’s the real cost of waiting? We’ll walk through the math, but we’ll also unpack the psychology. Because this isn’t just about interest rates. It’s about stability. Kids. Lifestyle. Career mobility. And whether owning a home still means what it used to mean. Plus, we’ll tackle the dangerous myth floating around right now: that there’s some magical “perfect time” to buy. If you’re renting and wondering whether to jump into the market… If you’re watching rates like they’re a playoff game… If you’re scared to move but scared to stay… This episode is for you. Because sometimes the smartest financial decision isn’t about timing the market. It’s about knowing your own numbers — and your own tolerance for risk. Are Lauren and her husband crazy? Or are they just standing at the most normal financial crossroads of their generation? Let’s find out.

You can now bet on inflation, elections, interest rates, wars, and whether the Fed blinks—and people are calling it “information,” not gambling. This week on The Pete the Planner Show, we dig into prediction markets: what they are, why they’ve exploded in popularity, and what they really tell us about the economy, politics, and our collective anxiety about the future. Platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi claim that markets can forecast the future better than polls, experts, or pundits. But can they actually predict what’s going to happen—or are they just pricing fear, confidence, and narrative momentum? In this episode, we break down: How prediction markets work (in plain English) Why they sometimes outperform polls—and when they completely fall apart The role of incentives, emotion, and thin liquidity Why “probability” often gets mistaken for “certainty” What prediction markets get dangerously wrong during volatile moments Most importantly, we translate all of this into real life. Because while betting on the future can feel productive, it often replaces the boring, effective work of financial planning. If your financial plan requires you to correctly predict elections, rate cuts, or recessions… your plan is already broken. This episode isn’t about whether prediction markets are legal, smart, or fun. It’s about what they reveal: not about the future—but about us. Because fear has always been a terrible financial advisor.

Gold is pulling back. Silver is getting smacked. Tech stocks feel heavy, crypto feels frozen, and investors everywhere are asking the same question: If things are so uncertain, why aren’t the “safe” assets working? This week, Pete breaks down the psychology of a cranky market — one that isn’t panicking or crashing, but is deeply skeptical and increasingly impatient. We’ll explain why gold can fall even when people are uneasy, why silver drops harder when growth expectations soften, and how rising real yields, industrial demand, and investor fatigue all collide at the same time. This isn’t fear-driven selling. It’s narrative exhaustion. And understanding the difference matters for how you invest, rebalance, and stay disciplined when markets stop being exciting. If you’re feeling uneasy, bored, or quietly annoyed by your portfolio right now, this episode is for you.

Did retirement get harder — or did it just change? A listener writes in with a question a lot of people are quietly asking: Is the kind of retirement our parents and grandparents had even possible anymore? They remember a time when retirement felt automatic — pensions, Social Security, paid-off homes, and far less anxiety about markets or running out of money. Today, even people doing “everything right” feel like retirement is something they have to constantly manage and second-guess. In this episode, Pete breaks down what actually changed, why retirement feels more fragile now, and what we’re really chasing when we say we want “that kind of retirement.” This isn’t a nostalgia tour or a lecture about saving more — it’s a clear, honest look at how responsibility shifted from institutions to individuals, and what that means for modern households. If you’ve ever felt like you’re behind despite being responsible — or wondered whether peace of mind is still attainable — this episode is for you. Because retirement didn’t disappear. The system did.

Jobs are still there. Markets are still standing. Inflation isn’t spiraling. So why does everything feel… off? In this episode, Pete the Planner tackles the growing disconnect between what the economic data says and how people actually feel about their money. This isn’t a recession episode—but it’s definitely not a “everything’s great” episode either. We dig into why households feel financially exhausted even as incomes rise, why good headlines don’t translate into confidence, and how higher prices, frozen decisions, and lingering uncertainty are quietly changing behavior. People aren’t panicking—but they are pulling back. Less splurging. More hesitation. A constant sense of “we’re fine, but only barely.” The show explores whether this tension is temporary or if we’re entering a new era of permanent caution—where trust takes longer to rebuild than balance sheets, and reassurance alone doesn’t calm nerves. Because maybe the real question isn’t whether a recession is coming… It’s whether people believe things will actually get easier. Plus, we close with BWOM and the latest news shaping how all of this plays out in real life.

Nobody wants debt. But sometimes life forces the issue. In this episode, Pete, Damian, and Kristen tackle a reality most people face at some point: needing cash quickly. This isn’t an endorsement of borrowing and it’s definitely not a how-to. It’s a ranking of consequences—a clear-eyed look at which debt options hurt the least, which ones quietly wreck your future, and which should be avoided almost entirely. The conversation starts with why people reach for the fastest money instead of the smartest option. Stress, fear, and urgency push otherwise rational people into bad decisions—especially during emergencies, income gaps, or unexpected medical or home expenses. The goal here isn’t perfection; it’s minimizing damage when options are limited. From there, the team works through a tiered ranking: The least bad (situational) options, like already-open HELOCs and family loans—tools that can work, but only with serious guardrails and clear boundaries. The middle ground, including personal loans and 401(k) loans, where predictability and structure help—but behavioral traps and long-term costs still loom. The high-risk zone, where credit cards, payday loans, and title loans turn short-term problems into long-term financial pain. Along the way, they break down why “easy” money is usually the most expensive, how minimum payments create dangerous illusions, and why slowing the decision—even briefly—can be the biggest financial win. If you’ve ever thought, “I just need some cash to get through this,” this episode helps you ask a better question: Which mistake does the least damage—and which ones should never be on the table? Plus, the episode wraps with BWOM and the latest financial news.

Most Americans believe retirement is just a math problem: invest consistently, ride the market, and everything will work out. The data says otherwise. In this episode, Pete digs into new retirement research that reveals a hard truth—retirement success isn’t being derailed by bad investing, it’s being quietly sabotaged by behavior, debt, and timing . You’ll learn why the vast majority of workers never save enough (even when they think they are), how credit card debt and 401(k) loans silently drain long-term wealth, and why two-thirds of retirees cash out their retirement plans far sooner than expected. Pete also explains why retirement spending is far more unpredictable than most plans assume—and how fear, not extravagance, causes many people to make their most damaging financial decisions right at the finish line. This isn’t a lecture about stock picking or beating the market. It’s a reality check about how real people actually behave with money—and what you can do now to avoid the most common retirement traps. If you’ve ever thought, “I’m doing everything right… I think,” this episode is for you.

Pete the Planner's predictions for housing, higher ed, energy and a potential tariff mess We’re in the midst of the holidays—always a good time for reflection. And this week that means holding Pete the Planner accountable for bold predictions he made in January about the economy and U.S. fiscal policy in 2025. Pete hit a bunch of these out of the park—especially those related to Trumponomics—and he whiffed on several others. Because he’s a big-hearted guy not afraid of making mistakes, Pete this week presents his predictions for 2026, including positive portents for nuclear energy, his advance whiff of a stale housing market and a tough prognosis for higher education. His pick for the biggest story of 2026 might require some advance explanation. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to decide soon whether President Trump’s emergency tariffs levied earlier this year are invalid. If the justices find that the president exceeded his authority by using emergency powers to impose tariffs on nearly every U.S. trading partner—which, to review, were paid by the companies that imported the products, not the countries or companies from which they came—the importers could be entitled to big refunds. As The Washington Post has reported, unwinding almost a year of Trump’s core economic policy likely could have serious consequences for the government’s finances and on the bottom linesof companies throughout the U.S. economy. It’s impossible to know how much money ultimately would be in play, but estimates of how much the U.S. had collected in emergency tariffs were close to $90 billion when the court heard arguments in early November.

Pete the Planner on Humor, Habits and the Psychology of Money On this episode of Off the Record, host Nate Feltman sits down with Peter Dunn, better known as Pete the Planner, one of America’s most trusted voices on personal finance. Dunn shares how a sixth-grade stock market contest launched his career, how he blends comedy and financial coaching to help people build better habits, and why the psychology of money matters more than math. He opens up about building Your Money Line, a fast-growing financial technology company using AI to deliver personalized advice to more than 800,000 people, and how leading a startup taught him hard-earned lessons about leadership, responsibility and giving back. A former columnist for USA Today and author of 10 books, Dunn discusses his national media presence, his roots in Indianapolis, and why financial wellness is critical in today’s workplace.

Let’s be honest: most New Year’s resolutions don’t make it to Valentine’s Day. So instead of pretending this year will be different, we’re drafting financial resolutions that actually survive real life. In this episode, we run The Financial Resolution Draft—fantasy-football style—selecting the smartest, most realistic financial moves for three life stages: your 20s, your 40s with kids, and your 60s nearing retirement. No vague goals. No financial TikTok nonsense. No personality changes required. Just one system per life stage that reduces stress, works with the money you already make, and doesn’t fall apart the first time something goes wrong. Because if your resolution needs motivation, it’s already dead.

In this week’s episode, Pete breaks down the ten biggest financial mistakes Americans are making right now — from investing too little and too late, to overspending on housing, to making car decisions that haunt their budgets for years. With the economy shifting under everyone’s feet, these missteps are more common (and more costly) than ever. Pete walks through why these mistakes happen, what they really cost you over time, and the simple, practical changes that can keep your financial life from drifting off-course. If you’ve ever wondered whether your biggest threat is debt, bad timing, or Future You procrastinating… this is the episode to reset your path. Bite-sized, honest, and packed with clarity — this is your roadmap to avoiding the pitfalls that hold most households back.

This week on The Pete the Planner Show, we tackle a classic early-retirement temptation: what happens when you want out of the workforce before 59½, but almost all your money is locked inside qualified retirement accounts? A listener from Dayton writes in with solid savings, a paid-off home, and a serious case of “I can’t do this job anymore.” The problem? He wants $80,000 a year in retirement income, but he’s only 54 — and bridging those five and a half years before penalty-free withdrawals is tougher than people think. We break down his real numbers, explore strategies like 72(t) distributions and Roth conversion ladders, and explain why early retirement is often less about “Can I quit?” and more about “Can I cash-flow the gap years without blowing up my future?” If you’ve ever dreamed of early retirement (or Googled ‘how bad is the 10% penalty really?’), this episode is for you.

Pete and Kristen read a listener email who seems to indicate they greatly regret their recent home purchase

This week on The Pete the Planner Show, Pete, Damian, and Kristen dive into one of the most universal workplace mysteries: why everyone treats HR like a certified financial planner… even though HR can barely tell you which parking pass to choose without checking a binder. Open enrollment, confusing benefits forms, retirement questions—employees fire all of it straight at HR hoping for guidance, clarity, or honestly just someone to make the decision for them. And while HR can walk you to the forms, they definitely cannot walk you through your medical history, risk tolerance, or whether your spouse is accident-prone. In this episode, we break down: Why HR gets stuck with financial questions in the first place The top “Please do not ask HR this” questions (yes, including the 401(k) ones) What HR is actually allowed to help you with How to get real answers without putting your HR team in legal jeopardy If you’ve ever stared at a PPO vs. HDHP page like it was ancient hieroglyphics—or asked HR which investments you should pick—this one’s for you. And for HR professionals everywhere: you’re welcome.

As the calendar barrels toward its final pages, Pete sits down for a solo episode to talk about the strange, sloppy, wonderful chaos of the year’s final weeks. From an economy that can’t decide what mood it’s in, to holiday spending that threatens to turn December joy into January regret, Pete breaks down what Americans are really wrestling with right now — and how to keep your financial head on straight while everything else gets weird. In classic Pete fashion, he mixes practical advice with self-deprecating humor, heartfelt reminders, and a gentle nudge toward sanity. If you're feeling behind on your goals, confused by the markets, or tempted to buy your nephew a $400 gaming headset “because it’s the holidays,” this is your permission to slow down, reset, and approach the end of the year with clarity instead of chaos. A funny, grounding, down-to-earth episode for anyone trying to finish the year strong — or at least finish it without crying into their January bank statement.

On this week’s episode of The Pete the Planner Show, Pete tackles what might be the most misguided “solution” to housing affordability ever pitched: the 50-year mortgage. On the surface, it sounds like a clever way to make homes more affordable — smaller payments, easier approval, and a chance for more people to buy. But dig a little deeper, and it’s clear this “innovation” is really a long-term financial trap. Pete breaks down the math, explores who really benefits, and explains why stretching your loan to half a century could make you the bank’s favorite customer — and your future self’s worst enemy.

This week, Pete is joined by veteran podcaster and political enthusiast Chris Spangle to wrestle with the myth and the muscle of willpower. Why do we think it’s the key to every success story—money, fitness, food, or habits—when in reality, it often lets us down? Pete and Chris explore how environment, emotion, and even exhaustion can overpower our best intentions. From political discipline to personal finance, from calorie tracking to credit card restraint, they break down what really drives behavior—and why relying on sheer willpower alone is like trying to bench press your way out of bad decision-making. Funny, honest, and occasionally self-incriminating, this episode will make you rethink how you “control yourself” and maybe show a little more grace when you can’t.