It's been 15 years since the launch of this podcast, and 25 years since my wife and I started doing life together.

A lot has changed in 25 years!

In this episode, I share:

1. How compounding has made my wife & I millionaires despite crashes
2. How we qualified for a big honkin' mortgage on only my self-employed income and WITHOUT a traditional credit score or manual underwriting
3. And the 1 thing I should have done better

For full show notes and resources mentioned, go to https://moneyplansos.com/202

Welcome! If you are new to the Money Plan SOS podcast then sit back. I'll share with you the 20 best episodes, 10 "staple" episodes, and the 13 worst episodes.

I also share my journey through money over the past two decades.

The full show notes are at https://moneyplansos.com/best-and-worst-of-money-plan-sos

#200: The MoneyPlan SOS podcast is now retired with this final episode. It was recorded LIVE at FinCon15 with nine bloggers who learned about money while blogging about money.

In this final episode, nine financial bloggers answer the question, "Have you learned anything about money since blogging about money?"

• Eric Rosenberg (Narrow Bridge Media)
• Emily Guy Birken (Wisebread, Book: 5 Years Before You Retire)
• Katie Austin (Writes for ActiveHours.com)
• Todd Tresidder (FinancialMentor.com)
• Stefanie O'Connell (The Broke and Beautiful Life)
• Athena Lent (Being Fabulous Has No Price Tag)
• Miranda Marquit (Planting Money Seeds)
• JD Roth (Get Rich Slowly, new blog MoneyBoss.com)
• Eva Baker (TeensGotCents.com)

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#tear

This was the final episode of the Money Plan SOS podcast. Why?

Somehow, I became known in the FinCon community as a podcast guru (they even gave me a shirt that said FinCon Podcast Guru on the front).

This pivot into a new career allows me to help others who podcast about financial literacy topics by editing/engineering their recordings.

My new home-base is SteveStewart.me

Thank you for being a listener. It's been a true honor to host this show and help anyone who will listen PAY ATTENTION - NOT INTEREST!

#199: Is tithing mandatory for Christians? Chris Brown and I discuss this to get to the root of the problem - which has little to do with ten percent.

Chris Brown has been a pastor for several years, speaking to congregations and audiences all over the United States.

In this episode, Chris and I tackle this touchy subject of tithing:

• What is a tithe?
• Who is called to give a tithe?
• What about the "Old Testament vs New Testament" argument around giving a tithe?
• Are we asked to give a tithe based on the gross or net of our paychecks?

Full show notes at https://moneyplansos.com/chris-brown-from-true-stewardship-is-tithing-mandatory-for-christians

Connect with Chris Brown online:

• http://Twitter.com/chrisbrownonair
• http://Facebook.com/chrisbrownonair
• http://Instagram.com/chrisbrownonair

Also in this episode:

Ponda from the Honda: If a Billionaire doesn't have to buy a new car then why do we?

UPDATE: The MoneyPlan SOS podcast retired after episode 200. Steve is now editing podcasts for others in the personal finance genre, and he's still paying attention - not interest!

#198: OG (aka The Other Guy from Stacking Benjamins) joins me to share the 8 Great Mistakes in Investing

Full show notes at https://moneyplansos.com/8-great-mistakes-of-investing-and-fractional-savings-accounts/

The 8 Great Mistakes of Investing are:

1. Under-diversification
2. Over-diversification
3. Euphoria
4. Panic
5. Leverage
6. Speculating
7. Investing for yield and not total return
8. Cost basis dictating decision

Thanks to OG for coming over. You can find him at http://StackingBenjamins.com - my favorite podcast.

Also mentioned in this episode:

The Great Beanie Baby Bubble by Zac Bissonnette. Amazing stuff! Here's the Stacking Benjamins affiliate link: http://amazon.com/dp/B00INIXVPW/?tag=thefreefinanc-20

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Steve Stewart's Budget Coaching Course on video: Http://moneyplansos.com/start

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Ponda from the Honda: SPEND IT ALL (sort of)

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Deanna Richardson from Richardson Accounting and Consulting, PLLC @ theCPA-4U.com asked

"Have you heard of Digit? Seems like a great way to build up an emergency fund and....it says it is free. Then their are bonuses for keeping $100 in it over 3 months. If I did my math right, the bonuses are over 2.5% interest (5 cents / week per $100). Would love to hear what you think."

I tackle these new fractional, or automatic, savings accounts: Acorns, Digit and Betterment's SmartDollar

Links:

Open an account: https://www.acorns.com or install the free IOS or Android app

Listen to my interview with the creators of Acorns http://SteveStewart.me/161

Open an account: https://digit.co

Testimony from Paula Pant (which kinda concerns me) http://blog.digit.co/post/126333490654/we-are-digit-featuring-paula-pant-meet-our

Open an account: http://moneyplansos.com/betterment

More information: https://www.betterment.com/resources/inside-betterment/product-news/smartdeposit-auto-deposit-but-smarter

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#197: Matt Ham is an author, speaker, and small business owner. Five words uttered by a nurse changed the way he looks at life - and inspired him to redefine rich.

Full notes with links at https://moneyplansos.com/matt-ham-has-redefined-rich/

It's not how much you give - it's how you give it (The Widow's Mite)

We shouldn't feel guilty to spend and, surprisingly enough, we feel richer when we give.

Whole Life Matters Podcast: http://www.mattham.com/itunes

Redefine Rich book - Available on Amazon.com in Kindle and paperback

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This post first appeared on LibertyInvestor.com

Transportation is the third largest budgeting expense for most people. Housing and taxes can consume up to half of the average American's income, with cars sucking up between 5-20 percent - depending on number of vehicles and if the consumer is carrying auto loans.

However, you can greatly reduce your vehicle costs by remembering these three things when buying a car:

1. It's transportation
2. It's a depreciating asset
3. It's not forever

The way we get the biggest bang for our buck when we buy a car right is when we buy it outright.

Pay off your current car loan quickly, save what used to be your car payment for the next one, and pay attention - not a lease payment.

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Free chips, salsa and bread sticks. What do they have to do with rising prices at local restaurants?

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Do you want to get control of your finances?

Schedule a 30 minute consultation and let me help you make informed decisions on how you spend your values

http://SteveStewart.me/coaching

#196: Jon Stein from Betterment and I discuss robo-advisors, why Betterment is so different, and what it takes to open an account.

Use http://SteveStewart.me/Betterment to receive 30 days FEE FREE investing at Betterment

Full show notes at https://moneyplansos.com/ins-and-outs-of-robo-investing-interview-with-betterments-jon-stein/

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M.J. Cossel wrote in about an article she read in the Dallas Morning News: Bad credit score can double insurance premiums in Texas

My response:

Yes. Poor credit scores equal higher insurance premiums - but that's only one consequence of not paying bills and debts on time. Make it a priority today to get your checkbook balanced, organize your finances, and pay attention - not ___________.

If you want a sure-fire way to make every dollar work harder then get on a budget

http://SteveStewart.me/ynab

https://moneyplansos.com/virtual-budget-coaching-course-by-steve-stewart/

#195: Do you know why stories of people with $.32 refund checks are in the news? Because they are so rare!

Most people want to get a big tax refund. Getting a huge refund is an extremely inefficient use of money - both for you and for the government.

I recommend adjusting your withholding so you can bring more money home and put it towards your goals:

• High-interest rate debt
• Building up reserves
• Saving or investing

Run a mid-year income tax assessment

Making course corrections in August helps steer your tax withholdings closer to the target - which is to owe nothing or get a small refund.

It's almost impossible to be exact, there are too many moving parts, but you can bring your tax-boat closer to the dock in the last few months of the year.

Gather together the following items:

• Last year's tax return
• Last year's Schedule A (if you itemized deductions)
• Your last two pay stubs (include your spouse's as well)

Note: If you have a small business or are an entrepreneur then you will need to run a Schedule-C calculation to estimate self-employment income. You may also want to see a tax professional.

Also, you will want to estimate any:

• Child/Dependent Care expenses
• Expected bonuses
• Expected interest, dividends, etc

I use tax preparation software to run my calculation but you could follow the prompts at the IRS website to complete a mid-year tax assessment:

http://apps.irs.gov/app/withholdingcalculator/

If you expect a huge refund:

You could choose to do nothing and continue giving the government more of your money, interest free, and get a huge refund April 15th.

However, I recommend you increase the number of allowances on your W-4 and give it to your benefits department or HR person. They will adjust your withholding to get you closer to zero.

If you would like help running this calculation then contact me and we will run through it together.

Federal forms and resources mentioned in this episode:

http://apps.irs.gov/app/withholdingcalculator/

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw4.pdf

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1040sa.pdf

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1040sc.pdf

In the Ponda from the Honda segment

Only 5.5 more payments to go

$5 a week for 45 years at 10% growth is $228,000

See a chart in the show notes at http://SteveStewart.me/195

Try YNAB (You Need A Budget) for 34 days and receive 10% off if you keep it http://SteveStewart.me/YNAB