The Money Millhouse

What is Financial Feminism and should it mean something to me? Bethany and Ellie are joined this week in the Millhouse by Tanja Hester, author of Work Optional and creator of Our Next Life blog and The Fairer Cents podcast in a special two part series on Financial Feminism. This week they focus on Women and money in the home--specifically the roles women normally take when it comes to money. Tanja started her podcast because she felt like there were conversations that were not being had in the financial space when it comes to the unloved playing field and economic inequality. Tanja defines feminism as women and men are equal and that we are going to create a society and systems that uphold equality, even though the word often comes with unnecessary baggage. There are so many connections between finances and feminizes, and Tanja identifies a few of them. One of them is that men are often entrusted with "high finances" decisions, like where to invest their money, and women are often entrusted with the "low finance" decisions like how to stretch the grocery budget or how to clip coupons. They also talk about the stigma associated with women making major financial decisions and the idea of who is the bread winner. Tanja gives words for Ellie and Bethany to use when in situations where they may need to push back on perceived sexist comments and conversations without coming across overly bossy or dominant as a woman. Bethany and Ellie end the discussion talking about how stay at home moms have as much right and access to the money eared by their family even though they aren't the ones bringing in the money. Ellie shares how when she was a SAHM, she never felt like it was "his money" and "her money," but always "our money." Join the conversation next week as Tanja is in the Millhouse again talking about women in business. For more information, visit the show notes at https://themoneymillhouse.com/financial-feminism-tanja-hester-our-nextz-life-fairer-cents-part-1

Join Bethany and Ellie as they celebrate their 100th episode of original content. To commemorate this special occasion, they invited their other halves, Bob Kay and Travis Bayless, to the kitchen table to hear their thoughts on the podcast, their wives, and behind the scenes secrets the audience may not know. For more information, visit the show notes at http://themoneymillhouse.com/special-100th-episode-celebration-meet-the-husbands

Social Media has changed the way businesses market. It accompanies businesses in every marketing plan in order to stay relevant. In the Millhouse today, we have Monica Louie who talks about how small businesses can take out ads on Facebook and Instagram at a small business budget. She shares her story about she came to be a Facebook and Instagram Ads Strategist and the benefits of using this in a marketing plan. Monica talks about how it is a relatively low cost marketing plan for small businesses where you also have more control over who you put your ad in front of. She advises to get clear on who specifically it is that you help and to find strategies around how to meet them. She also talks about all the ways people use Facebook and Instagram ads wether it is to build an email list, sell products, or drive traffic to monetized blog posts. For more information, visit the show notes at https://themoneymillhouse.com/social-media-marketing-with-ads-monica-louie-flouirsh-seven-figures

We took a break in our regular content to address the Corona Virus and some things to keep in mind when it comes to your finances. This episode was recorded during a FaceBook Live as Bethany and Ellie talk about ways we are handling the pandemic both personally and financially. For more information, visit the show notes at https://themoneymillhouse.com/what-to-focus-on-during-a-pandemic

Sharon Epperson joins The Money Millhouse discussing how she got started in journalism and how that lead to where she is today in her career. She shares about when she was at the top of her game then had an unexpected brain aneurism that could have ended her life. She also talked about her recovery and relearning walking, talking, and even balancing a checkbook. She is learning how to say no and how to not run on fumes. It is also important to be present in the moment—wether it is sitting across the table from friends or working on your career. Sharon also talks about her family and what part they play in her life. She shows how she stays engaged with them and manages her work/life balance. She also gives advice to Bethany as she is about to become a new mom. For more information, visit the show notes at http://themoneymillhouse.com/remaining-resilient-in-times-of-uncertainty

There seem to be a lot of things that we feel hold us back in business as women. Whether it be a lack of skillset, internal struggles with confidence or fear of failure, or even practical day to day things like starting a family or juggling all the things outside work. Today in the Money Millhouse, we have Amira Alvarez of The Unstoppable Woman talking about just that. Amira says that the voice in your head, fear of failure, is the reason TO do something and not the reason not to. Bethany shares how she feels about how her business is shifting as she gets ready to have a baby, and she gets practical insight from Ellie from when she raised 5 children. Amira reminds us that the desire to achieve what you want needs to be bigger than the fear and negative voices in your head. It is reminding yourself of your “why” and finding the accountability of other women in business. It is important to surround yourself with a community who want to make an impact in the world. She also gives practical tips on how to find freedom in business through her Freedom Factors: —Look at what you want and make giant, shoot-for-the-moon goals. —Take a look at where are you now —Figure out the gap between your goals and where you are now —Figure out what going to get you to those goals —Come up with a plan to get there For more information, visit the show notes at https://themoneymillhouse.com/how-to-be-unstoppable-amira-alvarez-the-unstoppable-woman

We are so stoked to have Glen James from @mymillennialmoney on a special FIELD TRIP episode of The Money Millhouse! Recently, Bethany ventured out of the Millhouse and went to Podcast Movement Evolutions in Downtown Los Angeles. While she was there, she got to catch up with our friend Glen in a fancy DTLA coffee shop whilst sipping on some delicious coffee. As you might be able to tell from the conversation, Glen is from Australia and makes time to come to the States every year for some specific conferences. As an entrepreneur, it may be difficult to justify an expense of a conference, especially if you aren't making money. In fact, once you add up the conference ticket, hotel, airfare, food, etc, going to a conference can be quite pricy. It also might be difficult to justify that expense to family members who might not understand. Glen gives great insight into WHY he chooses to spend so much money to attend these events and the returns conferences can have, including gaining knowledge about a particular field that can further your business, setting aside time to dedicate to developing your business or skill, as well as the invaluable relationships that you are able to walk away with. For more information, visit the show notes at https://themoneymillhouse.com/conferences-glen-james-my-millennial-money

It is a special episode of The Money Millhouse discussing The Simple Dollar Awards of 2020, in which The Money Millhouse won Best Personal Finance Podcast. On this topic, Ellie and Bethany discuss some of their favorite personal ‘wins’ in the personal finance space in the last year and celebrating those little wins along the way. Bethany shares that one of her personal finance wins was traveling to 30 countries before she turned 30 completely debt free. Ellie’s personal finance little win was the “crop of babies” her children have been having and the personal finance precedence she set for them. Adam Morgan, the Senior Editor of The Simple Dollar, joins the Millhouse team. They discuss why it is important to address personal finance as well as making it accessible for everyone. They also chat about the history of The Simple Dollar and how it emerged as a leading personal finance content provider. Recently, The Simple Dollar Awards for 2020 Awards, and Bethany and Ellie ask about a few specific awards and what The Simple Dollar was looking for when it came to awarding the Best of. The conversation comes back around to personal wins when Adam leaves the Millhouse. Bethany explains ways they have been saving for a baby and how they were purposeful about how they asked for money from family, but she also knows not everyone is able to have the luxury of help from family. Bethany and Ellie then discuss the financial responsibility of parents and children giving/receiving gifts. For more information, visit the show notes at https://themoneymillhouse.com/winning-in-personal-finance-with-adam-morgan-of-the-simple-dollar

We are super excited for a new episode this week with Todd Tresidder from Financial Mentor who retired at the age of 35. Todd comes into the Milllhouse to talk about how much money we need to retire and what retirement could mean for people (both good and bad). We also talk about what we would like to do when we retire one day and how the definition of retirement is changing. For more information, visit the show notes at http://themoneymillhouse.com/how-much-money-retire-todd-tresidder-financial-mentor-2

Do you have goals you are reaching for? What will it take to get there? Bethany and Ellie start the show discussing their guest, Don Mann, who is a retired Navy SEAL and has accomplished a great deal in his life. That leads them to discuss the kind of adventures they have done. They also discuss how they handle scary situations--wether it is bungee jumping or riding the subway in a foreign city somewhere. Don Mann comes into the Millhouse discussing reaching beyond boundaries. He discusses his story from the very beginning--including how he knew he wanted to become a SEAL as a young man. They also talk about where people start to begin a legacy and if it is something everyone has access to. Don also gives advice about how to use that energy to reach goals--both macro and micro. He suggests looking at the big goal (macro goals), then setting a series of smaller, micro goals that will help you get to the big, macro goal. He gives advice to those who hope to achieve the goals and reaching beyond boundaries, including having the mindset to reach the goal and staying motivated along the way. He suggests doing something every day of your life to make you faster, stronger, smarter, and most importantly, do something good for somebody. Bethany and Ellie end the show discussing how these lessons from Don apply to finances. They ask listeners for their latest tips and stories about how they are getting faster, stronger, and smarter in their finances. For more information, visit the show notes at https://themoneymillhouse.com/reaching-beyond-boundaries-seal-team-six-don-mann

Are you worming towards a massive goal? How are your finances helping (or hurting) the realization of that dream? Bethany and Ellie start the show talking about their future goals and (house) dreams. Ellie wants to eventually downsize their home and move to another state, because California is expensive. Bethany discusses how difficult living in So Cal can be and how she and friends from the Personal Finance community want to make a tiny house community. Ellie points out that major events can help hasten dreams. Brandy Baxter, founder of Live Abundantly and author of The Three Little Divas™ Reach Your Money Goals in 3 Steps Before You Huff and Puff and Blow Your Next Paycheck Away joins the conversation giving practical steps to work towards those big-sized goals. She talks about Grandma Diva, a character in her book that is a person that everyone looks to for wisdom and Grandma Diva believe everyone deserves to buy a house. She explained how Grandma Diva believed owning a home is a legacy and a place of comfort and stability. There is a major emotional aspect associated to that dream of owning a home. Brandi walks through an activity she created where she uses the example of a house and how it can be used as the next step in reaching goals. For the entire worksheet, visit the show notes at http://themoneymillhouse.com/housing-future-dreams-brandy-baxter-live-abundantly

Women around the world are able to maintain successful businesses while also being a full time mom. With Bethany's first child on the way, she has a few questions for Ellie, who was able to maintain a business while raising 5 kids at home. They are joined by another expert on the subject, Caroline Vencil, mompreneur, blogger, mother of four and serial side-hustler. They discuss ways to find creative places to work during the day as well as teaching kids by also owning a business. For more information, visit the show notes at http://themoneymillhouse.com/mom-and-ceo

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have famously exited the royal family to pursue financial independence. In this special episode of The Money Millhouse, Bethany and Ellie discuss why their decision was important and what it can teach us about the importance of Financial Freedom.  Trigger Warning: reference to abusive relationship situations and toxic workplaces  For more information, visit the show notes at https://themoneymillhouse.com/what-harry-and-meghan-taught-us-about-financial-freedom

2020 is a great time for women to start businesses! Gerri Detweiler, the Education Director for NAV, joins the Millhouse to discuss female entrepreneurship in 2020. According to The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2016-17 Women’s Report, things are getting better and better for female business owners. Gerri says that women are starting businesses more than ever before. What is exciting is that we are seeing more and more women starting innovation based businesses, as well as a growth in businesses owned by women of color. Gerri also says now more than ever, women are starting businesses because they want to instead of because they have to. Research has shown that North American women are less likely to have confidence in starting a business than that of women in other countries, but are more likely to start innovative businesses. Gerri emphasizes that women are more willing to test the waters and try out a business because it is relatively inexpensive to do so in today's technological age. Seeing everything as an experiment, women are more inclined to try businesses, wether it is part time, full time, or even a side-hustle.  Many women are willing to seek out the information they need in order to be successful and build those relationships needed. In most businesses, there is plenty of opportunity to get a slice.  When it comes to the financial aspect of business, it is always important to keep in mind to keep a margin in your business because sometimes you won’t get paid. Gerri encourages business owners to use a small business credit card because some of those cards do not report to your personal credit. Having a small business card helps manages the high balances needed for running and business, and because the debt from a business can drag down a personal credit score. For more information, visit the show notes at https://themoneymillhouse.com/women-owned-businesses-in-2020-with-gerri-detweiler-of-nav

In the first new episode of the year, Ellie and Bethany discuss their New Year’s goals. Rod Griffin from Experian joins them to discuss why buying a new car at the beginning of the year could be beneficial. They also discuss average car payments for new vs. used cars, and Bethany and Ellie share why they only buy used cars. For more information, visit the show notes at https://themoneymillhouse.com/new-year-new-car-with-rod-griffin-of-experian