Episodes

We've all heard of those people who launch online businesses and make a million dollars, and yet it all still seems a bit unbelievable. Almost on accident, Melyssa Griffin transformed her once website design job into a multi-million dollar online business teaching others how to transform their own business...but at the end of the day, she felt a bit purposeless. Something I think we all can relate to, no matter our career.  On This Podcast Episode: If you're thinking this whole making money online thing is not realistic, then you need to meet Melyssa. She's not only incredibly successful at her own business, but she spends her day helping others find their own Pursuit With Purpose (that's even the name of her podcast). However, the money lessons that Melyssa has learned along the way might shock you (and you need to hear no matter what your career is).  Ask Shannah - How can I get my partner (soon to be spouse) on the same money page with me? Shout Out to Our Sponsor: Audib…

Whatever career path or life choices we take with our lives may often time require a backup plan if something does not work out how we envision. But, what if we have one vision for our lives and no matter how long it takes or how much hard work comes with that dream this is exactly the direction we are headed and nothing will stop us or get in our way? Frontman of the power pop/rock band Jukebox the Ghost Ben Thornewill, always knew music was part of his life plan, from growing up playing classical music to getting a college degree in music and now ten years on as a successful chart-topping band. On This Podcast Episode: Jukebox the Ghost is bringing power pop/rock back with their blend of monster piano jams, hard rock guitar licks, and epically powerful vocals. Now, the Brooklyn-based trio of Thornewill on vocals/piano, Tommy Siegel guitar/vocals, and Jesse Kristin on drums/vocals have a sonically layered new album out right now, “Off to the Races.” We caught up with Thornewil…

So how do you exactly build wealth? That is the trillion dollar question. While there isn't one way to answer that question, there are some steps that you can take to begin to build your own definition of wealth (and I'm not talking about having millions of dollars in your bank account). The art of building wealth starts with thinking about your money in a different way than you have in the past and maximizing what you do have. On This Podcast Episode: I'm sharing some of the smart money moves for building wealth that I've seen working with hundreds of people over the last twelve years. Regardless of income, the real question remains, what does true wealth look like to you (hint, it's different for everyone). Let's meet Gary Zimmerman from Max - the company that helps you "Max My Interest" so your cash is growing and always positioned with the best interest rate. Don't think it matters? What're a few dollars here or there? Gary is going to demystify this myth and show you why ma…

Even though much of the U.S. has been blanketed with snow, rain and cold weather it’s actually spring right now – many are spring breaking as we listen to this episode. On This Podcast Episode: It is never too early or too late for that matter to start planning your epic summer vacation plans or maybe a fall/winter escape in the offseason. Whatever travel plans that may float your boat, we want you to make smarter travel money moves right now! Start your smart travel moves right now by listening to this escape-worthy episode as we talk about finding cheaper Europe deals, using social media to your advantage and where you can hop on the tequila train. Ask Shannah - this is a great question about the future cost of education and whether contributions to a 529 plan make sense if education is free in the future. Since I don't have a crystal ball, I'm only able to make some educated guesses.  Links Mentioned:Roomer TravelNorwegian AirHotel TonightKayak My co-host for the podcast is …

It’s 2018, and if you ask me, it’s time to do things better and definitely more affordable. Thanks to technology, we’re seeing a lot of our money transactions transform before our eyes. Think about how we save money with apps like Acorns, invest online with companies like Betterment, and on this podcast episode we’re talking about redefining the banking and mortgage process with two companies (BankMobile and Better Mortgage) that are using technology to do it better! On This Podcast Episode: This episode is dedicated to doing money things better. We’re introducing you to Luvleen Sidhu from BankMobile and Vishal Garg from Better Mortgage to unlock your thinking about two industries that were in dire need of some serious modernizing. Luvleen Sidhu had enough with big banking fees and wanted to do it differently. In 2013, Americans spent $32 billion on overdraft fees, which is three times as much as they spent on breast cancer and lung cancer combined and more than they spent on ve…

You're at work, doing your job, day in and day out, and the struggle is real. You've got a crazy co-worker that you share a cubicle with who is always telling you stories of their latest adventures and a boss who is completely unapproachable. Or maybe you're just trying to figure out how in the heck to ask for a promotion. We're calling in Matt Ritter from the Safe For Work podcast to answer all your questions. On This Podcast Episode: Matt Ritter went from Lawyer to Comedian to Executive Recruiter to Podcast host - a journey I can totally relate to. In his new podcast, Safe For Work, Matt, and co-host Liz Dolan are dishing answers to questions that you've always wanted to ask. On this episode, Matt and I are dishing some of his favs.How to ask for a raiseWhen to ask for a promotionHow to weigh salary vs. other concerns between two job offersHow do you value perks (comp for travel, relocation, free meals, etc) Getting pay less than co-workersWhen to leave a job for dream job vs.…

Sometimes the workplace can get crazy and messy, there's where the podcast Safe For Work comes in. Join the former head of marketing for Nike, NatGeo, and the Oprah Winfrey Network, Liz Dolan and recovering lawyer turned comedian and executive recruiter, Matt Ritter as they take your calls about the workplace and help you get through Monday to Friday with a little less stress, more confidence and a little more fun. Subscribe to Safe For Work on Apple Podcast, wherever you listen to podcasts or click wondery.fm/safeforwork See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Have you ever found yourself asking baffling questions like:How do I grab fear by the ears and snarl at it?What is my anxiety telling me?What are the pivotal plot points of my life? You and me both! We're going to get answers to some of those questions on this podcast episode and hopefully inspire you to continue being the best version of yourself. On This Podcast Episode: Paul Angone, the author of 101 Questions You Need to Ask in Your Twenties, is joining us to dish some of his favorite questions from the book as well as wisdom he found to answers some of those often difficult questions.  Paul is the creator of allgroanup.com and read by millions in 190 countries. He is the author of the best-selling book 101 Secrets for Your Twenties, All Groan Up, and his newest book 101 Questions You Need to Ask in Your Twenties. Ask Shannah question: How should I best divvy up my savings if I'm already a good saver? Shout Out To Our Sponsor: Audible is offering Millennial Money lis…

Recently we went to see one of our favorite Irish singers, Glen Hansard and he was telling about his first visit to Los Angeles. He had a quote about how to really get to know a place or culture, “If you want to learn about a place, read the history books. If you want to get to know a place, listen to their songs.” This is so true and we love exploring so many genres of music. These days it seems like we’re all reading more about history, watching documentaries about historic events and of course listening to podcasts about the history of so many things, people and places. On This Podcast Episode: This episode's Ask Shannah question is from Allison who is curious about student loan consolidation and whether it makes sense or not. Thanks Allison for the question! This week we wanted to explore the history of country music because just like your own money journey through life, history tells us a lot about where we've been and where we're going. For that reason, we also want to ce…

Saving up potentially a lot of money for the down payment to buy your home can seem like a very daunting process. I know when I bought my first home it felt like I was scraping money together in every direction just to find enough to "make it work." Unfortunately, in many cities, the cost of entry for buying your first home has only become more and more expensive - hello San Francisco, New York, LA and even places like Chicago. The good news is the three companies we're talking to today are in the business of reinventing how you can actually afford that hefty down payment. On This Podcast Episode: Ask Shannah: Our question comes from Caitlin today who is trying to find ways to supercharge their savings to buy their first home in a really expensive market. Although there aren't any secret tricks, when you're trying to save for a big purchase you must know your numbers - where every penny is going and why to try to find excess savings. Take a listen as I offer some other tips for …

Today's country music has been transformed, as the influence of hip-hop, rap, pop, and even EDM have become the new mainstream of popular music around the globe. Now, a young Canadian band of actual brothers, Beyond the Sun are breaking down more barriers with their brand of “shuffle-mode” style of country music and a new generation of fans are taking notice of one of Nashville’s most innovative bands. Beyond the Sun, Phil on guitar, Colin on vocals, and Dalton on drums hail from Ontario, Canada where they ingested a wide variety of music from Coldplay to Florida Georgia Line to My Chemical Romance to Ed Sheeran and Bruce Springsteen. Bands like Beyond the Sun are thinking outside the big box of country music and are carving their own path. On This Podcast Episode: We caught up with Beyond the Sun in Nashville as they chatted about their new song, “Dance Floor” and the music they’ll be releasing later in 2018, how their version of country music today fits with today’s fans and h…

There are a lot of taboos when it comes to investing. I must be rich to start investing, or I’ll lose all my money if I start investing, or I don’t have a clue where to start investing…so I’ll be fine if I never do. Those may seem silly, but we all have our own taboos when it comes to investing – the good and not-so-good ones. So, let’s dig in and see if we can’t demystify some of those common taboos and help you find your own sweet spot when it comes to investing. On This Podcast Episode: Taylor R. Schulte, Founder of Define Financial, podcast host of Stay Wealthy San Diego and a fellow CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ is joining me in this episode to talk about– no, completely and utterly demystify- the five most common investing taboos: Taboo 1 - I can’t invest in the stock market if I have other debt (student loan, credit card, etc.) Taboo 2 - I must invest too much of my salary each month to make a difference - so why invest Taboo 3 - The market is at all-time highs. I'm goin…

Money thing is about so much more than what’s in your paycheck every week," says the brilliant Liz Dolan, who together with her sisters Lian and Julie Dolan host the popular Satellite Sisters podcast each week. This episode is jam-packed with serious and silly advice and wisdom for how you can find your true self in a crowded space, and as they say, #staynoisy in all areas of your life. On This Podcast Episode:  I had a chance to sit down with the Satellite Sisters recently and dive deep into this topic of finding your true self and understand how we can all stay noisy. Both Liz and Lian have backgrounds that will blow your mind. Liz is the former Chief Marketing Officer for 20th Century Fox, Nike and OWN to name a few, while Lian is a best-selling author. We talked about their award-winning podcast, and how they made the leap from successful radio show to podcast before podcasting was even a "thing."  Ask Shannah - We tackled a question from Praveen who was trying to figure out ho…

Today on Millennial Money we're doing a podcast swap with one of my favorite podcasters, Farnoosh Torabi. You may know her from her podcast, So Money where she shares stories of personal finance, entrepreneurship, financial success and money strategy. She's got everyone from celebrities to everyday people on her show and each episode packs a serious punch of inspiration and education. On This Podcast Episode: Farnoosh is dishing some of her own stories of financial success and struggle as she's made her way from journalist to acclaimed author to podcast host...and so much more. This was a super fun episode as I got to go behind the scenes with Farnoosh as she talked about her career journey, managing money in a relationship (this isn't easy for anyone) and what keeps her inspired and focused on always creating great content on So Money. Today, we're doing a podcast swap too. You can check out my interview with Farnoosh on So Money after you've listened to this episode. Ask Shan…

We all have talents - some may be already tapped talents and some may yet to be extracted from inside of us. What if you never discover the talents you have inside of you and never chase your dreams? Singer/songwriter Mat Kearney did not discover his amazing musical talents until he was midway through college at Chico State in California. Now, this Oregon-born singer-songwriter continues to break down musical barriers with his soulful genre-bending blend of hip-hop infused style of music with his new self-titled EP and upcoming album. On This Podcast Episode: Mat Kearney stopped by the Millennial Money podcast as was in the middle recent rehearsals in Nashville for his upcoming national tour to chat with Jeff. We loved hanging out with one of the all-around great guys in music today, as we chatted about his upcoming CRAZYTALK album and current tour, stories of opening for John Mayer early in his career and how fatherhood has changed his songwriting. Also, today's Ask Shannah qu…

Getting laid off can feel like the worst thing to ever happen to you, but what if it's the best thing that ever happened to you? When Chris Hutchins, CEO, and co-founder of Grove got laid off he realized he had two choices - 1) wallow in his unemployment, or 2) take a risk and try to leverage unemployment into future success.  On This Podcast Episode: Check out the latest Ask Shannah question from two listeners about saving money and strategies to grow that savings for first-time homebuyers. Chris shares his journey of being laid off and the evolution of building his new company, Grove aimed at making personalized financial advice both affordable and accessible for everyone. He's also sharing some gems about saving money while not sacrificing your lifestyle (yes, it's possible). Shout Out to Our Sponsors: For $30 off your first week of HelloFresh, visit HelloFresh and enter code "mymoney30" at checkout.  Audible is offering listeners a free audiobook with a 30-day trial membersh…

Unplugging is not something we do well in our warp-speed these days - but we should. In fact, there are scientific studies that suggest that being able to truly relax and rest has been shown to boost productivity, increase creativity, and reduce the long-term risks of potentially fatal ailments. So we decided to do just that - unplug a bit, reconnect, increase our creativity, and visit a place that many haven't even heard of - Texas Hill Country River Region. On This Podcast Episode: Sometimes we all need to escape the hustle and bustle of our daily lives to find a place where the pace is not so frantic, the locals are a lot friendlier, and the beauty of nature envelopes your soul with a warm Earth Day-esque hug. My co-host, Jeff Game, discuss how unplugging vacations can be one of the best investments you can make (not only as a couple but also in helping us get back in touch with what matters most in life). We recently decided to leave our city slicker lives behind for a few …

Everyone wants to be smart with their money, and yet, it's hard sometimes to figure out what money moves we should actually be making. The irony is, most smart money moves you should make in your 20's are the same ones you should also make in your 30's and 40's. Instead, the smartest money move you can make is to figure out something I call your happiness plan and then figure out the money moves you need to make to fund that plan. On This Podcast Episode:Ask Shannah segment on how to avoid online romance scamsFind out why savings is always going to be a smart money moveWe'll chat about the building phase of your 20'sWe'll chat about the building and protecting phase of your 30'sDiscover what your happiness plan is and how to make moves to fund that Links Mentioned:Sign up for the Sunday Email Brunch ClubSubmit a question for an Ask Shannah segment Shout Out To Our Sponsor: Thanks to ZipRecruiter for sponsoring this episode. Right now, my listeners can try ZipRecruiter for fre…

This episode was inspired by a listener question sent in by Dezmond. He and his father had a bit of a disagreement over whether you should pay your credit card off in full each month or leave a balance to build a strong credit score. I'm so happy to answer this question definitively - no, you're not a fool to pay off that card each month. On This Podcast Episode:Let's review the five factors that influence your credit scoreI'm explaining why you don't need to keep a credit card balanceSo what do you do if you can't pay that card off in full each monthHow does not using your credit card actually hurt your credit score Thanks for Tuning In: Thanks for tuning in to listen to this episode of Millennial Money. Every listen means so much to us. If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please share it on social media using the hashtag #millennialmoneypodcast. Also, please leave an honest review for Millennial Money on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and much appreciated! You…

We all know that Valentine’s Day is a made up, Hallmark holiday that forces us to spend more money than we intended or should spend. It’s also a holiday that says this one day a year you have to be in love, and of course, spend more money. So not true! On This Podcast Episode: Valentine’s Day is the third largest consumer holiday of the year, as we spend over $19 Billion in the name of Cupid. The average person will spend $143.56 for their Valentine. Instead of spending money on stuff you or your Valentine may or may not use (probably not), spend your hard-earned cash on an escape plan and getaway for love. This is a great plan whether you’re in love or not. Travel this Valentine’s Day! My co-host for this podcast episode is my husband, Jeff Game, a travel, and music journalist that's always on the hunt for a good story to tell.  Links Mentioned:Hotel Tonight DealsTravel Zoo DealsJucy RV RentalsCheap O Air Deals Songs: “No One’s Gonna Love You” - Band of Horses “Somebod…

You're young and probably not too excited about talking retirement - but you should be. You see, thinking about retirement at an early age only sets you up for success in the future. How much success...well that's anyone's guess...but if we look at math alone, starting to save early allows more time for your money to compound. This is a very good thing. However, there's a real retirement crisis on the horizon not just for millennials but for Gen X'ers and other generations and it's sadly not improving. On This Podcast Episode: Jeffrey Small, President of, "Arbor Financial” and author of new book, Turning Financial Planning, Right-Side Up, is our guest on this podcast episode. He's sharing some nuggets of information about the retirement crisis that you don't want to miss.We're talking about why millennials should be thinking about retirement nowHow to frame your thinking about picking stocks and fundsReal ways that you can think about your savings for retirementWhat does the fu…

Netflix vs. HBO. Nike vs. Adidas. Business is war. Sometimes the prize is your wallet, or your attention. Sometimes, it’s just the fun of beating the other guy. The outcome of these battles shapes what we buy and how we live.  Business Wars gives you the unauthorized, real story of what drives these companies and their leaders, inventors, investors and executives to new heights -- or to ruin. Hosted by David Brown, former anchor of Marketplace. From Wondery, the network behind Dirty John and American History Tellers. Don’t forget to subscribe at wondery.fm/businesswars See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There's a lot of mystery around budgeting but it's really a super simple process of keeping track of your income and more importantly, your expenses. Whether you hate to budget or are looking for a new system, the super easy three ingredient budget is a good place to start. On This Podcast Episode: Focusing on simplicity, learn super easy ways to create a three ingredient budget in a matter of minutes that you can keep track of without all the stress.Ingredient 1 - What's the cash you're working withIngredient 2 - What do you gotta pay and what are you doing with the restIngredient 3 - How much do you have to put towards your goals (hint, can you find better ways to lower your 'rest' expenses) Thanks for Tuning In: Thanks for tuning in to listen to this episode of Millennial Money. Every listen means so much to us. If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please share it on social media using the hashtag #millennialmoneypodcast. Also, please leave an honest review for Millennial Money…

It's that time of year again (and the Patriots are once again in the Super Bowl) for the big game day. Did you know there are lots of savings to be had around Super Bowl Sunday? You thought it was just about wings and cheese dip - wrong - it's also a great time to buy a new TV, cut the cord, and order out. On This Podcast Episode: It's the Friday before the Super Bowl so let's have a little fun with this episode. We're dishing some of the hottest deals this Super Bowl Sunday including TVs that are at the lowest price (even lower than Black Friday deals). So don't blow all your cash on your blow out Super Bowl party and feel free to be a rebel and call in sick on Monday.  Links Mentioned:Rich on TechThrillist TV DealsLendEDU Thanks for Tuning In: Thanks for tuning in to listen to this episode of Millennial Money. Every listen means so much to us. If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please share it on social media using the hashtag #millennialmoneypodcast. Also, please leave an…