BiggerPockets Money Podcast

Is college worth it? For the first time in history, we may have a definitive answer to whether or not your specific degree and school choice provides a positive ROI. We know that ROI isn’t the only thing that matters when choosing a degree, but when looking at higher education through a financial independence lens, it’s definitely the highest value. Looking through census, employment, and Department of Education data is number crunching crusader, Preston Cooper...

Everyone knows that tech salaries tend to be on the higher end. In tech, you could be working as an engineer, programmer, or statistician, like today’s guest Matthew. But, Matthew never planned to go to school for this type of work. Half a decade ago, Matthew was wearing a chef’s apron, working forty to sixty-hour weeks, making slightly above minimum wage. He loved the work (and the food) but realized he couldn’t keep living with the long hours, low wages, and high stress...

You’ve heard the old statistic “nine out of ten businesses fail”, but why is that? If there are so many people willing to risk their livelihood to pursue a great idea, why do so many end up broke and back at a job? Gabe Nelson, certified financial planner and business advisor, has an idea. Gabe advises many business owners and solopreneurs through building their businesses with maximum cash flow and minimum time commitment...

Your late 20s through early 30s can be a financially troubling part of life. You aren’t making the most money you ever will, but you’re tackling big expenses. A wedding, a down payment, and trying to max out retirement accounts can put you in a financial tizzy. But, it doesn’t have to be so complicated, especially if you stick to a scalable investment strategy. Today’s guest Louise is in this position. She recently changed employers and found herself with a big uptick in monthly income...

There are few people on this earth that can make Mindy laugh as much as Alex Felice. He’s been around the block with BiggerPockets a few times, appearing on episode 301 of the BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast. Alex has a growing rental property portfolio, a flipping business, and is a professional photographer/videographer. But, beneath his success, was thirty-one years of financial struggle. Alex was taught financial skills growing up...

“Should I cash out my 401k?” That’s a question you never want to ask in an online financial independence forum. It’s been a well-known rule to never cash out retirement accounts due to withdrawal penalties, tax implications, and the possibility of throwing away your retirement plans...

Brad Finn was raised with a strong work ethic that follows him to this day. He always knew he should be working hard, and that’s exactly what he did. Brad worked throughout high school, college, and started multiple businesses in adulthood. While his work ethic was strong, his financial skills were lacking. When Brad went to college, he remembers using almost a third of his student loans on partying alone...

Retirement planning can be complicated when you have so many options to choose from. Do you stick with the Roth IRA, the 401k, the Roth 401k, your employee pension plan, or solely invest in stocks and real estate? With all these different types of accounts and their numerous benefits and drawbacks, it’s easy to get stuck financially stalling.  One person who has been able to optimize his retirement plans, is Matt, pilot and soon-to-be captain, delivering cargo around the United States...

If you’re part of the FI community, you’re probably a saver. Heck, if you’re listening to this podcast you’re probably a saver. While we all are busy optimizing our budget, reinvesting dividends, and contributing to our retirement accounts, do we ever take a step back and ask, “why are we saving so much?” Maybe you have a simplistic answer for this: your kids, your spouse, your “future”...

A few weeks ago, Mindy was asked by a listener of BiggerPockets Money, “when are you going to do a Finance Friday follow-up?” Well, listener, your wish has come true! Today we talk to three past guests of the BiggerPockets Money Show, Sarah from episodes 6 and 178, Brian from episode 180, and Erik from episode 170. In Sarah’s most recent episode, she spoke about having large safety reserves and sinking funds for her new property...