Trump just released his plan for individual and corporate tax reform. Here are the details.

Today we interview Mark Zoril, who offers financial planning for just $96 a year.

Today we look at adoption, Tesla's valuation, index fund investing, budgeting with quicken, Roth 403b accounts, and more.

We talk about taking responsibility for our finances, the best budgeting apps, mortgages, real estate, and forming an LLC

We interview Chris White, author of Working with the Emotional Investor, Financial Psychology for Wealth Managers

Today we look at EE Savings Bonds and how to deal with the minimum investment requirement of mutual funds.

Today we talk about childhood money stories that affect how we handle money as adults, EE Bonds, asset allocation, and of course chess.

We interview certified financial planner Jeanne Fisher about asset and wealth management, including fees

Today we cover more healthcare, investment expenses, Schwab index funds, Motif Investing, investment returns, and what makes us happy.

Today we cover health care, COBRA benefits, commodities, tracking investments, and setting financial priorities.

We discuss health care, savings account rates, American Funds, retirement accounts, multiple streams of income, and hiring a CPA.

Today we answer your investing questions, including the relevance of past performance and backdoor Roths.

We evaluate Snap's recent IPO to determine whether it's a good investment.

We answer your questions ranging from bad 401k options to paying off a mortgage early.

Today we look at 401k and 403b fees, and I share a mistake I made and how I'm going to correct it.

Today we answer your questions about everything from moving investment accounts to modified insurance policies.

Today we talk about the rise of robots, passive investing, and acorns (a FinTech investment service)

Today we answer some great questions by podcast listeners about investing. We cover RMD, asset allocation, asset location, free brokers, the fiduciary rule and a whole lot more.

In the final installment in our series of How to Build Wealth on Any Income we look at bond investing.

In our series on How to Build Wealth on Any Income, today we look at investing in REITs and commodity funds.

In our series on How to Build Wealth on Any Income, today we look at the benefits of investing in foreign stocks.

In our series on how to build wealth on any income, today we look at tiling an investment portfolio toward value funds

In our series on How to Build Wealth on Any Income, we look at how to leverage small companies in an investment portfolio.

In our continuing series on How to Build Wealth on Any Income, today we start a deep dive into asset allocation and how to build a solid investment plan.

In our series on How to Build Wealth on Any Income, today we look at what drives stock prices. So often investors see the market as a game, at best. The reality is that behind every stock mutual fund or ETF are real live businesses working to earn a profit. And it's ultimately profits that drive the direction of stock prices.

In our series on How to Build Wealth on Any Income, we look at the 7 things that affect investment returns.

We look at the importance of investment returns for generating wealth, and how even small differences in returns can have a huge difference on your wealth.

In our continuing series on How to Build Wealth on Any Income, we look at time, and the importance of investing as early as possible.

We cover six ideas on how to spend less than you make, including the value of life experiments and the spending audit.

Continuing our series on how to build wealth on any income, today we look at the important question of how much should you save.

Today in our series on how to build wealth on any income, we answer your questions on everything from 401ks to future stock market returns

Continuing our series on how to build wealth on any income, today we explore the incredible power of small amounts of money if invested over time.

Continuing our series on how to build wealth on any income, we look at the power of compounding.

In part one of our series on how to build wealth on any income, we look at the importance of the net worth statement. We explore how our monthly budget affects our net worth, and the importance of compounding.

We talk about 2016, a BHAG for 2017, net worth updates, your most frequently asked questions, and what to look forward to in 2017.

One percent doesn't seem like much. But pay an investment advisor 1% a year and it could easily cost your more than $1 million over a lifetime of investing. In this podcast, we look at why investment fees matter.

We respond to a listener's question about credit card debt. She wants to know if it makes sense to take out a personal loan to pay off four credit cards. We talk about why it can be a good move, but also a significant risk.

A listener named Steve is making some important investment decisions in his 401k. While we can't give him any specific advice, we use his choices to talk about common issues facing all retirement investors.

We look at credit card merchant category codes and how they affect cash back rewards. We also talk about 4 cash back card strategies.

Health Savings Accounts offer a tax advantaged way to pay for medical expenses. They only apply with high deductible health insurance plans. But if you have one, they can be used for everything from emergencies to retirement. We explain how in this episode.

With interest rates on the rise, we respond to a listener's question about bond investing. Specifically, should we avoid bonds now until we are comfortable that rates won't rise further.

Refinancing a mortgage can be a great way to save money. While falling interest rates often spark a refi frenzy, there are other reasons to refinance a mortgage. We look at the 4 key times refinancing can make sense and how to evaluate the cost savings.

If you’re a first-time homebuyer, shopping for a mortgage can be scary. There are just so many options out there, and you may not understand what all the terminology means. Before you apply for a mortgage, you should be sure that you understand what’s available. There are literally thousands of specific mortgage products on the […]

The post What Types of Mortgages Are There and Which One Is Right for You? appeared first on The Dough Roller.

Welcome back to our eighth – and  final – installment of the How to Start an Online Business series. We’ve covered what you need (and don’t need) to make money online, how to set up a WordPress site, what you need to do to drive traffic to your business, and now, we’re going to talk […]

The post How to Make Money With Your Blog appeared first on The Dough Roller.

Welcome to the 7th installment of our podcast series on launching your own, profitable website or blog. I’m glad you’ve stuck around and hope you’re learning a lot. In past posts, we’ve talked about picking the right domain name, setting up your WordPress site, and content strategy. Today, we are going to talk about driving […]

The post How to Drive Traffic to Your Online Business appeared first on The Dough Roller.

I received my initial financial education, particularly as it relates to investing, courtesy of the school of hard knocks. My wife and I spent the first decade of our careers investing with an advisor, one who was paid by commissions on the products we were sold. In the process, we made many massive and expensive […]

The post Variable Annuities: What They Are and Why They’re a Bad Idea for Most Investors appeared first on The Dough Roller.

Welcome to Podcast 223, which is the 6th installment of our How to Start an Online Business series. I’m glad you’ve made it this far. If you’re just jumping in, we have covered picking a topic, getting a domain, and setting up a WordPress site in recent weeks. Today, we will be covering your content […]

The post How to Plan the Content for Your New Blog appeared first on The Dough Roller.

I‘ve recently received a couple of emails from readers about Health Savings Accounts. One comes from Robert, who writes: I would like you to cover HSAs in the future podcast. We just started using one, and we are getting confused and occasionally tripped up by some of the rules. And a podcast listener named Patrick […]

The post How to Use a Health Savings Accounts to Save For Retirement appeared first on The Dough Roller.

Hello, again! Glad to see you back for the 5th installment of our How to Run an Online Business series. Last week we talked about Launching Your WordPress Site and the week before, Picking Your Domain Name. Today, we will be covering Content. So, you wanted to start a profitable blog. You’ve followed along with […]

The post A Guide to Publishing Content for Your Online Business appeared first on The Dough Roller.

Welcome to the fourth installment of our Dough Roller podcast series, How to Start an Online Business. If you are just joining us, be sure to check out the first three installments, covering what it takes to run one, how to pick a topic, and picking your domain name. This week, I’m going to be […]

The post How to Set Up Your WordPress Website appeared first on The Dough Roller.

This is part 3 of our podcast series, How to Start Your Online Business. If you haven’t been following along, be sure to check out part 1 (the big picture) and part 2 (picking a topic). Welcome back to another week of our Dough Roller series on starting your very own online business. Did you […]

The post How to Pick a Domain for Your New Online Business appeared first on The Dough Roller.

Welcome back for week 2! In last week’s podcast, DR 218, we covered a 100,000 foot level view of what it takes to start your own online business. At the end, I assigned some homework: figure out what your business is going to be about. Did you decide? Well, if you had trouble, no worries. […]

The post How to Pick a Blog Topic for Your Online Business appeared first on The Dough Roller.

This is Part 1 of 10 in our newest series, How to Start Your Own Online Business. One of the questions I receive most regularly is,”How do you make money online?” After all, who wouldn’t want the opportunity to work for themselves, on their own time? And the freedom to work anywhere you can find […]

The post What It Takes to Run An Online Business (Part 1) appeared first on The Dough Roller.

In my weekly Forbes column, I published an article on how to become a millionaire in under 20 years. There’s no mystery to it. Save a reasonable amount of money each month (maxing out a 401k will get the job done) and invest it wisely in low cost index funds. Done and done. And then […]

The post How to Become a Millionaire the Hard Way appeared first on The Dough Roller.

The Wall Street Journal had a report this weekend on how to snag the best mortgage rates. While some of the tips you’ve probably heard before, I thought it was still worth sharing. With rates at historic lows and real estate prices ready to rebound, it seemed like a good time to review the basics. […]

The post How to Get the Best Mortgage Rates appeared first on The Dough Roller.

Yesterday Britain voted to leave the European Union. Called BREXIT, the vote sent stock markets into turmoil. As of this writing, markets are down as much as nearly 8%: FTSE 100 (London): -4.24% NIKKEI (Japan): -7.92% DAX (Germany): -7.22% HANG SENG (Hong Kong): -2.95% The U.S. futures are also lower, with the DOW down nearly […]

The post What BREXIT Means for Long Term Investors–Nothing appeared first on The Dough Roller.

Type ‘broke athletes’ into Google and you’ll see a hall of fame that no athlete wants to be in. For example, boxer Mike Tyson’s career earnings of $300 million were gone by the time he filed for bankruptcy in 2003. NBA star Jason Caffey, who earned $35 million, filed for bankruptcy in 2007. Footballer Warren Sapp […]

The post 4 Budget Types and the Best Tools for Each One appeared first on The Dough Roller.

Taking out a mortgage is one of the biggest financial commitments you’ll ever make. It gives you the means to own your own home, but it’s also a decision you have to stick with for years. Some people call it “good” debt because it could increase your net worth. That said, it’s still debt, which […]

The post How to Make a 30-Year Mortgage Just as Smart as a 15-Year appeared first on The Dough Roller.

As your parents get older, they might appreciate a bit of help with managing their finances. Of course, many seniors are content to look after their finances by themselves and are more than capable of doing so. In some cases, however, aging parents need assistance paying bills and monitoring investments. If a parent does ask […]

The post 7 Free Tools to Help Aging Parents with Their Money appeared first on The Dough Roller.

Note: This article is written by R.C. Thornton. He runs a tax relief company, and I had the chance to interview R.C. on the podcast. You can listen to the interview here: Did you know that 13 million Americans owe the IRS money right now? It’s a sad story that has played out millions of […]

The post Owe the IRS Big Money? Learn How to Solve Your Problem Here appeared first on The Dough Roller.

Evaluating your investment portfolio is a critical task for DIY investors. That’s particularly true if you have an investment advisor manage your money and are now considering taking over the reins. That’s exactly the situation of a reader named Dave who emailed me recently. He’s five to 10 years away from retirement. His investments are […]

The post How to Evaluate an Investment Portfolio appeared first on The Dough Roller.

Think of the last personal finance book you read. What did you get out of it? How did it change your life? What are you doing differently today with your finances as a result of reading the book? These are some of the questions I started asking myself as looked through my large collection of […]

The post How to Read a Personal Finance Book the Right Way appeared first on The Dough Roller.

The Department of Labor released its final regulation on what’s known as the Fiduciary Rule. The rule requires those offering paid financial advice on retirement accounts to put their client’s interests first. While at first glance the rule seems anything but objectionable, it raises some concerns. One key concern is cost. While fee-only advisors promote the […]

The post Finally, Investment Advice That Won’t Rob You Blind appeared first on The Dough Roller.

In many families one person handles the finances. In our case, I handle everything about our money from budgeting to investing. My wife has no interest in taking over this responsibility. And that presents a potential problem. What would my wife do should I get hit by a truck? How would she handle our investments? […]

The post The Money Binder: How to Prepare Your Finances For Your Death appeared first on The Dough Roller.

We recently received the following question from a reader named Sam: My question: As a first time home buyer, is it possible to leverage retirement accounts as a down payment? Is this a good idea? Does it matter whether its a TSP, Roth IRA, IRA, etc? I seem to be finding conflicting opinions/statements. The answer is not […]

The post Can You Use Retirement Accounts to Buy Your First Home? appeared first on The Dough Roller.

We look at YNAB 5, the new budget software, and evaluate both the good and bad changes to this excellent money management tool. We also talk about the 2015 letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders and how you can get an estimate of your future social security retirement benefits.

The post Review of YNAB 5 from You Need a Budget appeared first on The Dough Roller.

In this podcast we look at repayment plan options for those with federal student loans. Picking the best plan can lower your payments, and potentially save you a bundle.

The post How to Pick the Best Student Loan Repayment Plan appeared first on The Dough Roller.

Recently I had the chance to speak with Brad Lawler and Jason St. Peter, founders of DraftApp.com. This app enables investors to evaluate the asset allocation of their portfolio and compare it to other portfolios of like-minded investors. Think of it as crowdsourcing your investment portfolio analysis. As described by the company, “The app allows […]

The post Interview with Founders of Investment Portfolio Analysis App–Draft appeared first on The Dough Roller.

Cable TV costs a fortune. According to Leichtman Research Group, Inc., the average household pays $99.10 a month for TV. This represents at 39% increase over 2010 figures. With streaming options growing, however, many families have started to cut the cord. We even wrote a guide on how to get rid of cable while still […]

The post Cutting the Cord – How to Get Rid of Cable appeared first on The Dough Roller.

How did you do financially in 2015? It’s a curious question to ask entering a new year, wouldn’t you say? But only by measuring your progress in the most recent year can you get yourself mentally and financially prepared for progress in the year that’s now upon us. For that reason, we’ve prepared a 2015 […]

The post 2015 Annual Financial Checkup appeared first on The Dough Roller.

If you enjoy writing, starting a blog is a fun way to meet new people and release some of your creative energy. It can also be a great way to make a little money on the side. While few bloggers are able to turn their hobby into a career, most of them are able to earn a little […]

The post How to Start a Blog and Earn Extra Money appeared first on The Dough Roller.

My wife and I opened a donor-advised fund several years ago. We chose Vanguard because it’s fees are some of the lowest available anywhere. Having made our charitable contributions through the fund, including donating appreciated stock and mutual fund shares, I thought it was time to cover this unique way to make donations. In addition, […]

The post Is a Donor-Advised Fund Right for You? appeared first on The Dough Roller.

Building wealth isn’t rocket science. Sure it can be hard to spend less than you make. And investing can be a bit overwhelming at first. But the math behind wealth is really simple. It only has three ingredients. And that’s true whether you’re Warren Buffett or a school teacher. It doesn’t matter how much you […]

The post The 3 Ingredients to Building Lasting Wealth appeared first on The Dough Roller.

Income investing in retirement has a lot of initial appeal. Rather than selling shares of a mutual fund or stock, one can instead live off of dividends from stocks and interest from bonds. This approach feels much safer than actually selling part of your investment. The reality of income or dividend investing, however, is not […]

The post Income Investing in Retirement — The Pros and Cons appeared first on The Dough Roller.

Here is one of the most frequently asked questions in all of personal finance: “How do I get out of debt?” At one level, eliminating debt is simply about following a few steps: Stop going into more debt Spend less than you make Pay off debt with the difference If you follow these steps, eventually […]

The post 23 Powerful Tips and Tools to Eliminate Debt appeared first on The Dough Roller.

Everywhere you look, experts are telling you to contribute to your retirement accounts. Whether it’s advice from newspapers, blogs, financial planners, or friends, any advice that is worth taking must include planning for retirement. Why? Because it’s that important! Over time, setting aside a small portion of your monthly income can mean the difference between living a comfortable retirement and […]

The post Maxing Out Retirement Accounts: How Rich Could You Be? appeared first on The Dough Roller.

Retiring early is a dream held by many, but few people understand what it takes to make it happen. Even worse, many people don’t realize how much money they’ll need to retire early, so they hold out hope when their chances are slim. Still, it’s important to note that early retirement is absolutely achievable. With a commitment […]

The post Is Early Retirement Still Achievable? appeared first on The Dough Roller.

When it comes to credit reports and credit scores, the term “credit utilization” is a popular yet mysterious term that is thrown around frequently. If you have spent much time reading about credit, you probably have at least a vague concept of what credit utilization is. What is Credit Utilization In simple terms, credit utilization […]

The post All About Credit Utilization appeared first on The Dough Roller.

Taking care of your money can be exhausting. Budgeting, paying bills, and making deposits takes time, and it all adds up. It isn’t uncommon to spend several hours each week sorting through your bills and monthly statements. And if you’re like most people, it just causes you stress and takes up time that would be […]

The post The Complete Guide to Automating Your Finances appeared first on The Dough Roller.

According to credit behemoth Discover, 82% of U.S. customers used online banking in the last 30 days. But they aren’t just using a standalone computer for their banking needs; they’re turning to smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices to get the job done. In fact, according to recent data, the number of people banking on […]

The post Online vs. Traditional Banking: Which is Better? appeared first on The Dough Roller.

The stock market has been on a roller coaster ride this month. Just over a week ago the S&P 500 fell from over 2,100 to below 1,900, a drop of more than 10%. Then it recovered to finish last week at just under 2,000. What a ride! The financial press had a field day. Here […]

The post 3 Reasons to Cheer a Stock Market Crash appeared first on The Dough Roller.

One of the conundrums faced by anyone who wants to retire early is the 10% additional tax on certain early distributions from many retirement accounts.  For example, if you retire at 50, you won’t be able to access pre-tax retirement accounts without incurring the 10% additional tax, unless you qualify for one of the exceptions […]

The post 5 Ways Early Retirees Can Avoid the 10% Penalty on Early Distributions appeared first on The Dough Roller.

All to often we make investing far more complicated than it really is. I was guilty of this when I first started investing back in 1993. Like the search for the Holy Grail, I was convinced that there was a perfect asset allocation plan. And I searched for it. I spent hours upon hours trying […]

The post The Perfect Asset Allocation Plan appeared first on The Dough Roller.

Imagine you spend 30 or 40 years saving and investing for retirement. With a long investing horizon, you stick with an aggressive asset allocation of 70% or more in equities. Now it’s time to retire and start spending some of your wealth. How should you invest? It’s a tricky issue. On the one hand you […]

The post How to Invest During Retirement – An Interview with Dr. Wade Pfau appeared first on The Dough Roller.

Not everybody has the luxury to make a down payment of a home of more than 20%. But if you do, how do you decide just how big of a down payment to make? That’s the question we received recently from a reader named Kevin: Here’s the email: Hi Rob, My wife and I are […]

The post How Much Money Should You Put Down on a House? appeared first on The Dough Roller.

Recently I read the 2015 edition of David Allen’s widely popular book, Getting Things Done—The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. The previous edition was an eye-opener for me, although to be honest, I didn’t implement his system. This time is different. I’ve jumped head first into the GTD cult. In this article I’m going to walk […]

The post How To Apply ‘Getting Things Done’ To Your Finances appeared first on The Dough Roller.

Personal Capital first introduced what is by far the best financial dashboard I’ve used. It’s a free online tool that tracks everything from your bank accounts to your investments. It comes with great graphs and charts that show your asset allocation, investing costs, and cash flow. Now they’ve introduced an equally impressive retirement calculator. I […]

The post The Ultimate Retirement Calculator (and it’s free) appeared first on The Dough Roller.

I’m of two minds when it comes to the world of free travel. On the one hand we can travel for free if we have the miles or points. And free is hard to beat. On the other hand, it takes a lot of time to build up the miles, mileage award tickets aren’t always […]

The post How One Guy Traveled Around the World (21 flights) for Free appeared first on The Dough Roller.

In this podcast, we look at how you can increase your returns without increasing the overall risk to your portfolio. I call it the asset class swap, and it’s incredibly easy to do. Here’s how it works. From time to time an asset class becomes significantly overvalued or undervalued. This happened last year with REITs. […]

The post A Simple Way to Increase Your Returns Without Increasing Risk appeared first on The Dough Roller.

A reader named Jen recently sent me an email about 401k retirement accounts. James Altucher, a former hedge fund manager, had posted a video on Business Insider on why you shouldn’t invest in a 401k. When I first saw the video, I thought it was a parody. I didn’t realize he was being serious! Here’s […]

The post Calculating the Value of a 401k or IRA Retirement Account appeared first on The Dough Roller.

My brother and I were playing chess they other day. He had a winning move that we both missed. After the game we found it, and why we both missed is the inspiration for this article. The move we missed involved moving his Rook next to my King. My King would have been in check, […]

The post What if . . . appeared first on The Dough Roller.

There are a lot of tools out there to track your investments. One of my favorites is Personal Capital. It offers a free online financial dashboard that automatically tracks your investments and your spending. Today I have another option for you–a free spreadsheet that tracks your investments and tells you when it’s time to rebalance […]

The post An Awesome (and Free) Investment Tracking Spreadsheet appeared first on The Dough Roller.

Several friends have recently contacted me about their retirement accounts. They are planning to retire and want to rollover their 401k to an IRA. So far, so good. While they managed their 401k for decades, however, they are uncomfortable managing the rollover IRA. The combination of a lot of money to manage and the consequences […]

The post How Advisors Kill Your Retirement Like The Walking Dead appeared first on The Dough Roller.

A listener to the Dough Roller Money Podcast recently emailed me about online security. He wanted to know whether our online financial lives—think banking, investing, credit cards, and the like—are safe. And what happens if a hacker does manage to compromise are accounts? Are just out of luck? To begin answering this question, I interviewed […]

The post Interview with Green Dot’s Founder and CEO, Steven Streit appeared first on The Dough Roller.

Over the last decade, motivated individuals have invented plenty of creative ways to make money on the internet. One of the most popular strategies involves the online auction site, eBay. All over the web, you can find countless examples of people who have used eBay to build fortunes and even long-term sustainable businesses.   Many people […]

The post This Mom Created a 5-Figure eBay Business in Her Spare Time appeared first on The Dough Roller.

Imagine if you could increase your investment returns without increasing your risk? Now imagine you can do this with very little effort – and at no cost. I know, it sounds like the start of a late night infomercial. It’s not; it’s what’s called asset location. Recently I received a voice mail message from a listener named […]

The post A Simple Trick to Increase Your Investment Returns Without Risk appeared first on The Dough Roller.

Investing is an emotional experience. With so much at stake, it can be an emotional roller coaster to watch the stock market gyrate from day to day. The topic of emotional investing came up in a recent email from a listener named Joe. He asked the following question: I’m a big fan of your newsletter and […]

The post 8 Ways to Avoid Emotional Investing appeared first on The Dough Roller.

A listener to the Dough Roller Money Podcast recently sent in a question about credit scores. He wanted to know how canceling a credit card can affect a person’s credit score. The question comes from a listener named Travis: I was curious how much closing a credit card can hurt your credit score? I understand that […]

The post How to Cancel a Credit Card Without Crushing Your FICO Score appeared first on The Dough Roller.

Have you ever tallied up what it costs to own a car? I don’t mean on a year-to-year basis, but the total cost of owning a car over a lifetime? According to the American Automobile Association (AAA) it costs $8,876 per year to own and operate an average car. Now if you add that up […]

The post The Surprising Lifetime Cost of Car Ownership appeared first on The Dough Roller.

Since launching the podcast in 2013, I’ve had the chance to interview folks about early retirement. It started with Mr. Money Mustache, who retired at the ripe old age of 30. Then we had Todd Tresidder on the show, a former hedge fund manager who retired at 35. More recently, we talked to Jason of […]

The post DR 171: How to Retire at 40 – Interview With Chris of Eat the Financial Elephant appeared first on The Dough Roller.