Real Personal Finance

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.

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It's open enrollment season, and the temptation to click "same as last year" is real. But your employee benefits are a form of compensation, and small tweaks can add up to real money, even for high earners in tech and biotech.

In this episode, Scott walks through the biggest choices on your enrollment form. He compares PPO and high-deductible health plans usi...

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.

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Paying taxes is no one’s favorite activity, but did you know it is possible to significantly lower your tax liability in retirement? Sometimes all the way down to zero?

In this episode, Scott and Nick break down how progressive tax brackets, capital gains, and standard deductions work together to create opportunities for tax-free income. They explore how combining standard deductions with...

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.

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Most savings accounts for kids sit in low-yield cash or come with restrictions on how the money can be used. With the rollout of the new "Trump account,” a tax-deferred savings vehicle for minors that allows parents, grandparents, employers, and friends to contribute a combined maximum of $5,000 annually. But is it worth jumping on right away?

In this episode, Scott and Nick...

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.

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Nobody wakes up eager to hand extra money over to the IRS, but what if taking a deliberate tax hit today could protect tens of thousands of dollars for your family later?

In this episode, Scott and Nick unpack the real purpose behind Roth conversions: stripping away the jargon to look at taxes not as a yearly chore, but as a man...

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.

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Most midyear reviews feel backward-looking: a scorecard designed to trigger judgment or guilt over what hasn't been accomplished since January. But what if checking in on your goals wasn't about grading your past, but renewing your direction for the future?

In this episode, Scott and Nick break down why traditional "reviews" fall short and why viewing your goals through the...

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.

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Your investments are there and your retirement accounts are growing, but do you still feel a lingering anxiety about cash flow?

In this episode, Scott and Nick dive into why traditional budgeting feels like a chore and why high earners often struggle with "lumpy" income like bonuses and RSUs. By shifting the conversation away from rigid, restrictive spreadsheets and toward automated cas...

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.

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Your financial plan might be able to hit a specific retirement number, but can it handle two completely different timelines?

In this episode, Scott and Nick explore a nuanced situation facing many couples: what happens when one spouse is completely ready to step away from work, while the other still finds energy, purpose, and identity in a career? Using real-world client sce...

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.

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There’s a specific kind of excitement that takes over the markets when a company promises to change the world. It starts with an article shared between colleagues, moves to a text message to your financial advisor, and ends with a very simple question: "How many shares can I buy?" Because when a company is talking about colonizing Mars, building out next-generation AI, and d...

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.

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A layoff often feels like a sudden explosion, leaving a wake of disorientation and immediate worry about how to sustain your household. While the initial shock can feel paralyzing, the path to regaining control starts by allowing yourself to process the change before diving into the mechanics of your severance package.

In this episode of Real Personal Finance, Scott and Nick wal...

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.

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Most people nearing retirement have heard of the famous "4% rule," but few actually understand how to apply it to a shifting financial landscape. It’s easy to look at a static portfolio balance and assume you're set, only to close your eyes to the real-world friction of pre-tax calculations, health insurance gaps, and compounding inflation.

In this episode, Scott and Nick break...

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.

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Most tech and biotech executives we know have too much of their net worth in one stock. They know they should do something about it, but they usually end up just closing the tab on their stock comp page.

In this episode, Scott and Nick break down the framework for moving from a "home run" mindset to a "nest egg" reality. Usi...

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.

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There's a tab a lot of tech professionals have open right now. It's from Fidelity or E-Trade, it shows how much company stock they're sitting on, and most of them close it without doing a thing. Because the moment you start thinking about selling, it gets complicated.

In this episode, Scott and Nick break down what to actually do when a big...

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.

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Your plan might be able to handle market volatility, but it might not handle your income disappearing.

In this episode, Scott breaks down the uncomfortable blind spot facing many high earners—what happens if your paycheck stops sooner than expected. Using a real-world scenario of someone with nearly $3M saved and a large amount of unvested RSUs, he walks through the quest...

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.

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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 quietly become a future tax trap. He breaks dow...

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.

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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, Sc...

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 experience it? And how do taxes, fairness, and family...

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.

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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 changes the timing of income, but it also ties future choic...

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.

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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 actually works and why the idea...

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.

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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 step back from tactics and sprea...

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.

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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 spending patterns, healthcare realities, tax traps, Social Security t...

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 meaningfully change how much you save, ho...

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

 • How gift tax exclusion limits really work when supporting family and loved ones
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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 before December 31 can go a long way toward starting next year...

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? quiz gives you an idea of where you stand and a starting point to think about...

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 reduce tax liability and boost cash flow.

Curi...

“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 your number to...

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 down the max contributions, pre-tax vs after-tax vs Roth, and much more. 

Rea...

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 hoped to communicate with each. Whether it’s learni...

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 the OBBBA’s changes expire in four years, so you have a little time and spac...

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 should guide your choices, and why leaning too heavily on dividend funds might hold back your growth in the long term...

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:

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:

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 year or step into your next chapter, this conversation is your guide.

Key takeaways:

What should you do with extra cash when markets feel shaky? In this episode, we break down why your savings rate is the real engine of wealth, and how understanding the purpose behind your money brings clarity to every financial decision. You’ll learn why market downturns can be golden opportunities, but only if your foundation is solid and your timeline matches the risk. We also share how investment certainty grows with time, helping you shift your mindset from fear to long-term confidence.

Key takeaways:

Is market volatility really all about tariffs? In the wake of the unexpectedly aggressive “Liberation Day,” headlines would have you believe so. But the bigger culprit isn’t trade policy—it’s uncertainty. While U.S. markets have taken a noticeable hit, international developed markets are down only about 1.3% as of this recording. So what’s really going on? In this episode, we break down what investors need to keep in mind when the market gets shaky, including:

Balancing today’s lifestyle with tomorrow’s goals isn’t easy, but it’s doable. In this episode, we answer a listener's question about 401(k) contribution limits and employer matching, which opens up a broader conversation about financial flexibility and smart savings strategies.

We break down 2025 contribution limits, including catch-up provisions for those over 50, and clarify what counts toward those limits. Nathan, who works in higher ed and saves 21% of his income, offers a great example of blending tax-advantaged retirement accounts with a brokerage account for added flexibility.

This episode offers practical insights to help you buil...

Major financial transitions don't have to be binary choices – testing your assumptions before making big moves can prevent costly mistakes and regrets. In this episode, Nick and Scott talk about test-driving potential life transitions to help guide your decisions. 

• Looking at buying a home? Try setting aside the difference between rent and projected homeownership costs

• Practice living on expected retirement income while still employed

• Try extended stays in potential retirement locations during different seasons

Break down big transitions into small, actionable steps, and remember that major life goals often involve both financial...

In the face of the uncertainty of life, it’s difficult knowing that many things are out of your control. Focusing on your financial well-being can often feel daunting, especially with the unpredictability of markets. In this episode, we discuss aspects of your financial journey that you can control, like…

- The importance of having a structured financial plan

- Cash flow: savings, spending, debt, and taxes

- Strategies for managing investments and understanding risk

- An emergency fund in your financial security

- A personal financial roadmap that adap...

This week, we welcome new co-host Nick Covyeau, a Certified Financial Planner and owner of Swell Financial Partners, to discuss safe retirement spending strategies. We talk about the different approaches to withdrawal rates and the factors that can impact these decisions including retirement timing, portfolio balance, navigating market changes and planning for big purchases. We cover all this and more to give you the tools for a worry-free, fulfilling retirement!

Ready to learn more? 

Leave us a question! 

Money can be c...

The S&P 500 was up 25% in 2024, so is that all you need for a strong financial future? Not so fast. Putting all your money in one place—even a good one—is risky.

Smart investors look beyond the U.S. to global markets, small-value stocks, and international giants like Toyota and Taiwan Semiconductor. More variety = less risk.

Join us to see just how staying broadly diversified means so much more than simply investing in the S&P 500.

Ready to learn more?