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Your REAL personal finance questions answered by CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals, Scott Frank and Nick Covyeau. With all of the misinformation and jargon in the financial industry, it's no wonder most people are confused about how to best manage their money. Scott and Nick are here to give clear answers to the important questions they hear most often. If you're ready to use your finances to create a more secure financial future, this show is for you.
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Curious about your retirement savings? Our How Much Do I Need To Retire? quiz gives you an idea of where you stand and a starting point to think about your long-term planning. — You did everything right. You maxed your 401(k) for decades, watched the balance grow, and felt good about where you were headed. Then someone showed you a tax projection for retirement and it was a lot bigger than you expected. In this episode, Scott walks through why a large, traditional 401(k) balance can qui...
Curious about your retirement savings? Our How Much Do I Need To Retire? quiz gives you an idea of where you stand and a starting point to think about your long-term planning. — Most people don’t actually want retirement, but they do want relief. Relief from the schedule. Relief from the pressure. Relief from feeling like they can’t step off the treadmill. But what if the question isn’t “When can I retire?” and it’s “What would I do if I knew I wasn’t trapped?” In this conversation, Sco...
There’s a common belief people have about money: you build it, you protect it, and whatever’s left gets passed on at the end. But what if the timing matters more than the total? As lifespans stretch into the 90s and portfolios grow beyond what many families will realistically spend, the question starts to change. Would a gift mean more when your kids are buying their first home, raising young children, or launching something meaningful? Would you rather see the impact while you’re here to exp...
Curious about your retirement savings? Our How Much Do I Need To Retire? quiz gives you an idea of where you stand and a starting point to think about your long-term planning. — Deferred compensation tends to enter the picture when work is going well and income has outgrown the basics. Cash flow feels stable, taxes start to sting, and suddenly there’s a new option on the table that promises flexibility later. Scott and Nick explore what sits underneath that promise. Deferred comp change...
Curious about your retirement savings? Our How Much Do I Need To Retire? quiz gives you an idea of where you stand and a starting point to think about your long-term planning. — Taxes tend to fade into the background until something feels off, like a larger bill than expected, a penalty you didn’t see coming or a moment where you wonder whether you handled the year correctly or just got lucky. In this episode of Real Personal Finance, Scott and Nick talk about how the tax system actuall...
Curious about your retirement savings? Our How Much Do I Need To Retire? quiz gives you an idea of where you stand and a starting point to think about your long-term planning. — There’s a moment many people reach at the start of a new year where the question shifts. It’s no longer just about saving more, earning more, or optimizing the plan, but it becomes something deeper. Is the life you’re building actually working for you? In this episode of Real Personal Finance, Scott and Nick ste...
Curious about your retirement savings? Our How Much Do I Need To Retire? quiz gives you an idea of where you stand and a starting point to think about your long-term planning. — Retiring early sounds simple when you only look at the balance sheet… until it doesn’t. In this episode of Real Personal Finance, Scott and Nick walk through why the real question isn’t “Is two million enough?” but “What does your life actually cost?” They use a clear and approachable framework to cover the spen...
It’s wild how fast a year goes by, and when you finally look back, the gap between what you meant to do and what actually happened is bigger than anticipated. The trick is that most financial progress relies less on skill and more on removing willpower from the equation. In this episode of Real Personal Finance, Scott and Nick sit down to talk through the small systems that can move your money in the right direction, even on the busiest weeks. They walk through the everyday automations that m...
The holidays have a way of bringing money and meaning into the same conversation. In this episode of Real Personal Finance, Scott and Nick lean right into that. Between family gifting, charitable giving, donor-advised funds, and changes to deduction rules, this episode walks you through the most practical ways to support the people and causes you care about. It’s a great moment to pause, think about what matters, and check in on how generosity fits into your financial life. Key Takeaways &nbs...
Most people wait until tax season to think about taxes, but by then, the window’s closed. Scott and Nick talk about how the best planning happens now, when there’s still time to adjust what’s already in motion. They get into some of the details that help shape your future: RMD timing, Roth conversions in the “golden window,” how bunching charitable gifts really works, and what happens when you accidentally nudge your income above a Medicare bracket. A friendly reminder that a little attention...
A lot of people are under-utilizing their corporate benefits, unintentionally leaving money on the table. Open enrollment is a great opportunity to review your company’s benefits plan to ensure that you’re taking full advantage of everything they offer. In this episode, we walk through some of the most common areas you can optimize your benefits, such as HSAs, FSAs, life insurance, disability, ESPPs, and more. Curious about your retirement savings? Our How Much Do I Need To Retire...
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act has some pretty great enhancements for business owners, but you have to know what you’re looking for in order to get them. Whether it’s the extension of Qualified Business Income, the 100% Bonus Depreciation, or Enhanced Qualified Small Business Stock, the bill has something for businesses of any size. In this episode, we walk you through six key provisions of the OBBBA that every business owner should be aware of, then we look at how you can take action now to ...
“How much money do I need to save in order to retire – what’s my number?” It’s one of the most common questions financial advisors get, and we understand why. People want a goal, something they can work toward to help them feel more at peace about how they’re saving. As is often the case in financial planning, when people ask for their number, the answer goes deeper than dollars and cents. It’s not just how much you save, but where you save and what you prepare for. Tune in as we look beneath...
People often think of their 401(k) as the set-it-and-forget-it retirement account. You set your contribution amount, get your employer match, and leave it alone. But what if your company gives you pre-tax, after-tax, and Roth IRA options? It’s a nice problem to have, but things can get complicated pretty quickly. In this episode, we’re answering a listener question from someone in just such a predicament, which is pretty common in the world of tech. Listen in as we get practical and break dow...
Whether you know him as “The Sketch Guy” from his decade-long run as a NY Times columnist or you’ve heard him on a podcast, if you’re interested in the world of finance, you probably know who Carl Richards is. He has also written multiple books, including The Behavior Gap, The One-page Financial Plan, and his forthcoming book of sketches, titled simply Your Money. In this episode, we sit down to talk through a few of Carl’s favorite sketches, how he came up with the ideas, and what he h...
Disclaimer: At approximately 12:09 in this episode, the income thresholds were misstated. The correct information is that the phase-out applies to incomes above $500,000 for single and married filing jointly, and $250,000 for married filing separately. With the OBBBA now signed into law, we’re sitting down to walk through the good, the bad, and the ugly. The biggest takeaway is that the new bill has opened the door to some great tax planning opportunities, but you have to act soon! Most of th...
Do you ever feel like you're behind on retirement? A 41-year-old listener with over $230,000 saved and a 50%+ savings rate, certainly did. In this episode, we explain why starting late doesn't mean finishing last, especially when you're making such incredible strides! We dive into the numbers, the idea of being "behind" and the importance of the right mindset during this prep-for-retirement journey. You will hear a little debate about Roth versus traditional 401(k), how your tax bracket shoul...
We all know we should probably save some more, but when we pass the piggy bank phase and have larger amounts of money, things get a little more complicated than just dropping some coins every once in a while. In this episode of Real Personal Finance, Scott and Nick get into a little detail that most people skip: “where” and “how” matter as much as “how much” when it comes to saving. Key takeaways: The emergency fund is not optional; it’s the foundation of savingThe 401K match is free money yo...
Retirement is supposed to be the reward after decades of hard work, but for many, the hardest part is learning how to actually spend the money they’ve saved. In this episode, we explore why that transition feels so uncomfortable and how creating a retirement paycheck can help make spending feel safe and sustainable. We talk through the natural phases of retirement spending, the risks of being too conservative, and how to align your money with what really matters to you. Key takeaways: Retirem...
Why do some people delay retirement when they’re more than ready, while others want out the moment they hit the financial edge? In this episode, we explore the emotional weight behind retirement decisions, from the fear of losing identity to the overlooked value of early, healthy retirement years. You’ll hear how flexible paths like consulting or “dialing down” can offer purpose and freedom without the pressure of full-time work. If you’ve ever asked yourself whether to push through one more ...
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one point not touched on is that most people don't have a million dollars in cash to put in all at once. even not talking about a million dollars, most people don't even have $6k to max out a Roth IRA at the beginning of the year or $19,000 to max out a 401k at the beginning of the year. so another reason for DCA is investing the money as you get it.