Let's Talk Money

Definition 
A broker-dealer is any person or firm engaged in the business of buying and selling securities for the accounts of others or its own account. 

Why It's Important
You may be thinking that is an expansive definition. Well, it is and for a good reason! A brokerage acts as a broker when it buys and sells for its customers and as a dealer when it buys and sells for itself. Broker-dealers can range from small, independent, boutique firms to subsidiaries of big banks and investment companies. There are over 3,700 broker-dealers in the US to choose from! 

The big three (as of October 2018) are:

1. Fidelity Investments ($6.85 trillion under management)
2. Charles Schwab ($1.85 trillion under management)
3. Wells Fargo ($1.6 trillion under management)

One role of a broker-dealer is to underwrite (distribute) new securities for issuers. Broker-dealers are powerful entities and essential for the flow of the market! A lot of financial advisors work under a broker-dealer, which is...

Oh, investing!  This is Tiffany's absolute favorite topic to talk about.  Angela Matthews sits down with her to discuss how she got started and some strategies she uses to make smarter investment decisions.  Definitely have a pen and paper ready because they dropped so many gems!

About our Guest
Angela E. Matthews is a thought leader and expert in the Personal Finance space, particularly investing. She is the founder of the Happy Investor Method, which has a mission to impact millions by helping them create millions. With the goal of achieving financial freedom for everyone through investing in the stock market, Angela has single-handedly created a movement. For people who strive to be happier with their money and their achievements, Angela is your go-to.

Follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAngelaEMatthews/

Follow her on Instagram: https://instagram.com/Happyinvestormethod

Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/angelaematthews

Links...

Definition 
The FIRE movement is a school of thought where you aim to become debt-free (financially independent) and retire as early as possible, typically before age 35. 

Why It's Important
The FIRE movement is a trendy movement in the financial blog and influencer circles because who doesn't want to become debt-free and not HAVE to work?! I capitalized HAVE because the movement is not saying to sit around and wait to die. It just makes it so you don't have to rely on worrying about money and can do more fulfilling work. The motivation behind the movement came from Americans being able to live longer than before, the inaccessibility of pensions from jobs, and the shorter job tenure. 

Last year, I read "Your Money or Your Life" by Vicki Robin, one of the pioneers of the modern FIRE movement. She makes the argument that every moment in your life is worth money, and jobs are more expensive than what meets the eye. She urges people to track every expense even down to the...

Have you ever wanted to take a year off from work to just travel?  Join Tiffany as she talks to Stephanie Perry, who did just that and now shows others how to do the same.  Learn about why she did it and her favorite travel destinations.  She dropped so many gems in this episode!

About our Guest
At age 41, Stephanie Perry quit her job as a hospital pharmacy technician to travel the world for a year on her savings. She visited 12 countries in 12 months, all on just $1200 per month. Now she's a year-round house sitter and pet sitter who helps other women take a career break on a budget.

Follow her on Facebook: https://facebook.com/vaycarious

Follow her on Instagram: https://instagram.com/vaycarious

Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/vaycarious

Links
Visit Stephanie's site: https://www.vaycarious.com

Link to Essence article with the awesome picture of Stephanie in Cambodia: ...

Definition 
Philanthropy is the desire to promote the welfare of others, typically in the form of monetary gifts and donations.

Why It's Important
Yesterday was Giving Tuesday! If you don't know what that is, it is a national holiday the Tuesday after Thanksgiving to promote giving back to the community. Thanksgiving is typically enjoyed with families and friends eating until your heart is content. Black Friday is usually spent spending (see what I did there) until your heart is content. Now, it is time to give until your heart is content! 

I want to stress the importance of making sure you give back to your community. But, giving doesn't always have to be monetary (money). You can give time, skills, ideas, etc. Even though I don't have a lot of money to spend, I consider myself very philanthropic. I donate a lot of time to causes and initiatives that I am passionate about. The exciting thing is what you give out comes back tenfold in many cases. Not having money is not an...

In this episode, Tiffany interviews two guests!  Krista Goodrich and Grace Everitt talk about the tough topic of divorce.  Find out how these two ladies made it through some financially nasty divorces and strategies they had to apply to get their financial life back on track.

About our Guests
Krista Goodrich lives in Daytona Beach, Florida with her husband, Colin, and their dogs. She is momma to her daughter, Kiki (name changed to protect privacy), who is currently in college for hospitality. A lifelong serial entrepreneur, Krista continues to invest in real estate and companies, always looking for new opportunities. She currently owns or is partner in 17 companies including real estate investment companies, art studios, a bar and a tourist experience company. She loves presenting at corporate conferences and for women’s groups, and actively participates in organizations that help and empower women. As a community activist, Krista is involved in her local government...

Definition 
A portfolio's turnover rate measures the level of buying and selling of investments. You will typically see a turnover ratio when analyzing mutual and index funds. They are the same thing.

Why It's Important
High turnover rates can lead to higher portfolio expenses. Not only that but usually, if a portfolio has a high turnover rate or ratio, the more taxes you will potentially have to pay. Once a position is sold out of the portfolio, you will either have a capital gain or a capital loss. A good advisor will attempt to make sure your gains and losses offset so that you will not have additional tax implications. But this is not always possible. Paying attention to the turnover rate is super important to avoid a tax headache later.

If you are investing in a taxable account, it is best to look for tax-advantaged funds or ones with low turnover. Tax-deferred or tax-free accounts (such as IRAs and 401ks) do not matter quite as much since you are not...

Insurance, insurance, insurance!  Join Tiffany as she talks insurance with Acquania Escarne, a licensed insurance agent.  They discuss everything from term life to whole life and even long term care.  Get your pen and paper ready for these gems!

About our Guest
Acquania Escarne is a financial coach, freelance blogger, and real estate investor committed to helping people find financial freedom and build generational wealth. As a financial coach, she equips her clients with "outside the box" finance tips and tricks people can incorporate in their daily lives in order to meet and exceed their financial and personal goals. Her coaching is individually tailored to address all financial situations. Also, through her website, The Purpose of Money, she shows women how to invest and save more so they can live a more fulfilling and prosperous life.

Her passion for personal finance and investing began when she was in high school and her father gave her a copy of Rich Dad,...

Definition
A transaction fee is a fee charged by a brokerage firm for every trade that takes place. These fees can range from $0 to $9.95, depending on the firm.

Why It's Important
Transaction fees are significant because anytime you make a buy or sell trade in your account, you're charged that fee. So, let's say you need to sell out of investments and invest in something different. You will have to pay that fee not once but twice for each investment. Let's say the fee is $4.95 per transaction; you would have to pay $9.90 per investment to sell then subsequently buy a new security. Multiply that by how many investments you are trying to get rid of, and it could be quite expensive. I have seen situations where an investor paid hundreds of dollars just in fees to get out of bad investments!

Transaction fees are becoming a little less important because most of the brokerage firms have moved to $0 fees this year. Among the firms that have made the change are Ally Invest, Charles Schwab, TD...

The military offers a lot of perks, but sometimes those perks can lead to irresponsibility when it comes to money.  Join Tiffany as she speaks with former soldier Janeil Pierre as they unpack what it is like, financially, to be in the military and making smart decisions while enrolled.  Also, they discuss buying cars and their budget killers aka vices.

About our Guest
Janeil Pierre is a financial success coach and owner of The Wealth Factor, a blog dedicated to financial independence.

Like her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewealthfactor1/

Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheWealthFactor

Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewealthfactor1/

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