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On this episode of the Get Ready Before Life Happens Podcast, I spoke with Brandon Lovingier, Founder of Military Money, about the tactics financial predators use and how military members (and all of us) can stay one step ahead.

Key Takeaways:

🔹Start with your goals, then decide if a product helps you get there.

🔹 Ask questions, until you understand what you’re investing in or purchasing

🔹 Understand your benefits. For example, you don’t need to pay anyone to “unlock” your VA benefits.

🔹 Slow down, time pressure lends to suboptimal decision making

🔹 Understand how someone gets paid and their underlying incentives.

🔹 How military members (and all of us) guard against financial predators.

🔹 Be wary of pitches that lean on military status or shared connections.

🔹 Learn how a Military Qualified Financial Planner can help protect you.

Connect with Brandon Lovingier:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonlovingier/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@enlistedmoney
• Website: https://enlistedmoney.com/
• Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/enlistedmoneyguy
• Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/enlistedmoneyguy/

Resources mentioned:

• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/
• Military Qualified Financial Planner designation: https://mqfp.org

Bio:

Brandon Lovingier, ChFC®, AFC®, MQFP®, wasn’t born into money. He joined the Army right out of high school and has served for over 20 years on active duty – including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. When he was younger, he wasted money on trucks, beer, cigarettes, energy drinks, and everything in between. At one point, he and his wife had to put rent on a credit card just to get by.

Fast forward, they’re debt-free and building wealth. He established his blog, Enlisted Money, to help enlisted service members avoid the same mistakes he made. He earned his Chartered Financial Consultant – ChFC® designation in 2022 and is one of the first Military Qualified Financial Planner – MQFP® designation holders. He was awarded The American College of Financial Services NextGen Financial Professional Award for 2024. He’s been a speaker at MilMoneyCon and loves mentoring other service members on their own financial freedom journey.

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The Get Ready Money Podcast and its guests do not provide investment advice. All content is for educational purposes. Guest opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Get Ready Money Podcast and Tony Steuer.

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On this episode of The Get Ready Before Life Happens Podcast, I spoke with Melana Carbary, Private Wealth Manager at Burning River Advisory Group and founder of EnlightenHer to talk about how confidence, authenticity, and action can change the way women engage with money.

Key Takeaways:

🔹 Listen with intention, rather than just thinking about the next thing you’ll say.

🔹 If we care enough, we will take the right action.

🔹 Be authentic and focus on helping, not selling.

🔹 Your history doesn’t define you, but you have to take action to move forward

🔹 Work through shame or trauma so it doesn’t hold you back.

🔹 Include women in money conversations as equal partners.

🔹 Speak to women in ways that make them feel seen and respected.

🔹 Most women will be in charge of their money at some point in their life.

Connect with Melana Carbary:

• LinkedIn: (here)

• EnlightenHer Website (here)
• EnlightenHer Resources: (here)
• EnlightenHer Coaching: (here)
• EnlighterHer Instagram: @enlightenHerofficial (here)
• EnlightenHer LinkedIn: (here)
• EnlightenHer Facebook: @enlightenHer | (here)

• Burning River Advisory Group website: (here)

Bio:

Melana Carbary, CFP®, CLU®, CDFA®, grew up in a small Ohio town, the daughter of a second-generation railroading family. While extremely close with all of her family, Melana shared a special bond and relationship with her mother. Her mom’s strong role within the family led Melana to be the strong, independent woman she is today and

helped shape her career and passion for working with women.

Melana strives to live simply, be a prudent steward of her money, and create a life full of meaningful experiences. Her journey is about collecting memories, not “things.”

She is most proud of the role she served in supporting her mom during her battle with cancer. She is also now the proud auntie of two beautiful nieces.

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The Get Ready Money Podcast and its guests do not provide investment advice. All content is for educational purposes. Guest opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Get Ready Money Podcast and Tony Steuer.

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On this episode of The Get Ready Before Life Happens Podcast, I spoke with Justyn Makarewycz, about how financial fluency fuels better career choices—and a more intentional life.

💡 Key Takeaways

• Invest in financial fluency. Understanding money helps you make smarter career moves.
• Clarify what matters. Define your values and long-term goals before chasing the next title.
• Plan backward. Start with your vision, then create the action steps to reach it.
• Network strategically. Relationships open more doors than résumés.
• Stay adaptable. Careers evolve, keep learning and adjusting.
• Compare offers wisely. Evaluate benefits, growth, and balance, not just salary.
• Keep your purpose in sight. Every move should advance what success means to you.

💭 Tony’s Take
Financial fluency isn’t only about budgets—it’s about making intentional choices that align your work, your money, and your purpose.

Connect with Justyn Makarewycz:

• LinkedIn (here)

Podcast:

• Host of the Zicklin GCMC Podcast (here)

Bio:

Justyn Makarewycz is Deputy Director of Employer Relations at Baruch College's Zicklin School of Business. He has over 15 years' experience in university career services, employer relations, alumni engagement, as well as contingency recruitment and staffing. His work is focused on developing and implementing employer-relations strategies that open up hiring opportunities for MBA and specialty Masters students, while maintaining the strong brand of Baruch College with employers. Before his work in university career services, Justyn worked in digital marketing on the brand, agency, and publisher sides for a decade.

Justyn became interested in financial literacy from an early age when his parents gifted him The Wealthy Barber at age 11. Plenty of additional financial-literacy books later, and in his own work and research in financial topics, he has become invested in how important financial literacy is in people's lives and how much it can impact the choices they make and ideas they dream about their careers.

Support the show

The Get Ready Money Podcast and its guests do not provide investment advice. All content is for educational purposes. Guest opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Get Ready Money Podcast and Tony Steuer.