Money Matters With Wes Moss

In this episode, Wes Moss talks about a top core pursuit that many happy retirees enjoy, golf. He covers the current controversy of why the US PGA is battling with Saudi Arabia's LIV and the economics of professional golf. Listen as he explains the details behind the LIV Tour and what is being offered to golfers on the tour along with his insight and the insights of fellow golfing colleagues surrounding the subject. Wes also reveals certain controversies behind the rules and regulations of LIV, the differences between European golf and golfing in the United States, and how inflation relates to golf. Lastly, he covers the Amazon split, defines a stock split with examples, and talks through the market psychology that overlays stock splits. This information is provided to you as a resource for informational purposes only and is not to be viewed as investment advice or recommendations. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. There is no guarantee offered that investment return, yield, o

Traveling is inspiring, exciting, and takes us out of our comfort zone. As funny as it sounds, there are numerous benefits to hopping on a plane to a new, unknown destination. So isn’t it time that you stop putting your travels on hold and start packing your suitcase? Mike and Anne Howard, the World’s Longest Honeymooners and founders of the popular travel site, HoneyTrek.com, join this episode to discuss why you should never put travel on hold. Mike and Anne share how they kickstarted their travel journey with the help of savings from their nest egg, the evolution of their website HoneyTrek.com, along with some of their favorite travel destinations. The pair also shares budgeting resources for booking a stay and finding specific foods when traveling, how they fund their trips, and describe what it means to travel hack. Furthermore, Mike and Anne provide advice for traveling couples, discuss how longer trips deepen your experience, uncover details from their recent book and describe why people should not only

Wes dives into the history of stock market recoveries and the DNA behind them during this episode. Wes explains bear markets and recovering markets along with how each is perceived by investors. He also talks about how long it takes markets to recover, reveals the average recovery time for all bear markets, and what percentages of recoveries happen. To wrap up the episode, Wes reveals how it takes 30 days for 30% of market recovery, what to do to avoid missing out on recoveries, and a helpful strategy surrounding dividend investing. Listen to hear more of this original research that the Retire Sooner team was able to find using Bloomberg and historical data. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are numerous benefits to practicing meditation and mindfulness. Some may even say that it helps to relieve stress and pain, enhance the connection with your emotions, deepen your thoughts, as well as other positive and powerful perks. But with a practice that reaps so many benefits, where do you start? Sharon Salzberg, New York Times bestselling author, podcast host of the Metta Hour Podcast, meditation teacher, and co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society, drops by this episode to talk through the advantages of meditation and getting started. Sharon provides advice on how to kick start your meditation practice journey and why you should consider doing so, along with sharing how she got into meditation herself. Additionally, Sharon defines mindfulness, provides an example of meditation leading to increased connectedness, and discusses how meditation can be done from anywhere. To wrap up the episode, Sharon explains how meditation can increase levels of happiness and fluctuate our happiness set point

What impact do your judgments and decisions have on your happiness and fulfillment? Award-winning professor, blogger, author, and teacher of a successful online happiness course on Coursera titled A Life of Happiness And Fulfillment, Raj Raghunathan, has the answer! During the episode, Raj shares the biggest happiness mistakes we make along with how to change this behavior. He also reveals his theory of happiness missing from the list of things that people want, why he started his research and strategies for finding what makes us happy. Later in the episode, Raj explains what a person needs to be happy, how focusing on being the best you can be can take you further in life, the correlation between money and happiness, and what actions to take to boost your happiness level. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When it comes to finances and investing, we've found that women tend to take a backseat in decision-making while their husband or partner does all of the steering. However, women should be reminded that they are an essential part of the financial equation as well. That said, it’s crucial for women to increase their financial and investing knowledge. Kristin Curcio, Investment Advisor at Capital Investment Advisors, joins Wes Moss to shed light on women and finance. Kristin shares how often she sees financial meetings with only the husband present and why women seem intimidated by the subject at times. She also explains that unexpected circumstances can happen leading to why preparation is key, what women should know about family finances, and why couples need to have important conversations to be on the same page. Kristin and Wes also discuss the financial habits of happy retirees regarding their children, Kristin provides financial advice for single women, brings up women outliving their husbands, and how sh

People continuously postpone traveling because they presume that the “perfect time” will come, but what if we told you the best time to travel is always now? Wes is joined by Pauline Frommer, The Co-President of FrommerMedia, Editorial Director of Frommer's Guidebooks, author of the best-selling "Frommer's EasyGuide to New York City" and "Frommer's New York City Day by Day", co-host of The Frommer's Travel Show podcast and keynote speaker, to tackle the finer points of traveling. During the episode, Pauline shares her family history in the travel industry, resources for budgeting travel stays along with why travel guides can be useful tools for your trips. Pauline also touches base on COVID traveling regulations and recommends getting travel insurance accompanied with details on the range of coverage. Later in the episode, Pauline weighs in on cruises, utilizing a travel agent, and beautiful places to visit regardless of their outdated exterior. Pauline also reveals tips for getting a good sleep during your v

The start of 2022 has led the market into a rough patch. As many of us feel the pain of market volatility, we can’t help but wonder if there’s any relief in sight for stocks, bonds, the economy, interest rates, inflation, and additional factors that influence the success of our investment portfolios. In this episode, Wes discusses the market volatility that many investors have faced so far in 2022 and shares his perception of what the rest of the year could look like. He also reveals how a highly diversified, stable portfolio allows you to overcome decline, shares statistics surrounding market volatility, and reviews declines in history to unveil the impact on bonds and stocks. Finally, Wes describes the importance of not selling out to trade short-term relief for long-term regret, weighs in on if he sees another recession on the horizon, and uncovers the best armor as an investor to help families work towards their retirement goals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wes is joined by Maggie Doyne, philanthropist, author, Founder of BlinkNow, and 2015’s CNN Hero of the Year Award recipient, to address discovering your philanthropic pursuits and how you can give back. Maggie talks about finding herself in Nepal at a young age, how she felt the urge to make a change in the country based on an eye-opening experience, and her motivation for building a children’s home, women’s center, and school there. She provides updates about raising numerous children in Nepal and their success stories, along with why she believes there is something to be done everywhere in every community. The episode concludes with Maggie revealing tips for finding what gives you purpose and formulating ways to give back based on the change you want to see in the world. She also unveils details from her recent book, “Between the Mountain and the Sky,” her nonprofit BlinkNow, and how listeners can show support. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wes Moss sits down with Retire Sooner Podcast Producer, Mallory Boggs, to review the newly updated Money and Happiness Quiz; a short, online quiz designed to provide the insight you need to work toward a happy retirement, as well as several suggestions that might help you tune up your money happiness quotient. During the episode, Mallory reveals her answers to the quiz as Wes breaks down and compares each answer to his research on the happiest retirees. Wes also provides his insight and advice on how listeners can improve their answers with the aim of getting one step closer to landing in the happy retiree camp. Find out if you’re on track to becoming a happy retiree! Take the new and improved quiz here:  Will you retire happy? Take the Money & Happiness Quiz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Medicines help to treat illness within the body, but what if we replaced filling a prescription with filling our bags at the farmer’s market with foods that can heal our bodies from the inside out? Dr. William Li, world-renowned physician, scientist, TED speaker, and author of “Eat To Beat Disease," joins this episode to share just how much food can impact our health. Dr. William Li provides his definition of being healthy, tips for kickstarting your health journey, and how there are five health defense systems that are crucial to our bodies. He also explains why we should explore new foods, especially in retirement, and lists foods and beverages that can be toxic to our diet. Additionally, Dr. Li shares an in-depth explanation of angiogenesis and why it’s vital to the maintenance of our body and defending our health. We wrap up with Dr. Li sharing how he takes a scientific approach to unlocking foods' nutrients as medicine and he reveals what the future looks like for discovering these healthy foods. Learn m

Knowing the fundamental habits of happy retirees can be beneficial. In fact, if we implement those habits into our own lives, we can also become some of the happiest retirees on the block. We’re back with part two of this episode, where Wes Moss introduces the remaining money and lifestyle habits of the happiest retirees that he compiled while researching for his latest book, “What The Happiest Retirees Know." Wes also reviews the money habits of happy retirees from part one and highlights an email from a podcast listener. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Internationally renowned and best-selling author, journalist, screenwriter, playwright, radio and television broadcaster and musician, Mitch Albom, joins this episode to talk through the impact of giving to others and discovering your marginal propensity for happiness. Mitch provides details about his book, “Five People You Meet In Heaven,” and how it relates to the life of his uncle, along with his secret for balancing living life without regret. Mitch shares takeaways from his time with Morrie Schwartz and his book “Tuesdays with Morrie,” debunks quitting work to find happiness, explains the concept of marginal propensity to save and spend, as well as how we have a marginal propensity toward happiness. He also shares Morrie Schwartz’s giving makes me feel like I’m living principle and how he’s implemented this into his life. To wrap up the episode, Mitch talks about his experiences from his involvement at the orphanage in Haiti and reveals details about his latest book, “The Stranger In The Lifeboat.” Learn

In part one of this two-part podcast, Wes Moss compiles research from his latest book “What The Happiest Retirees Know," to provide listeners with a list of money and lifestyle habits of happy retirees. After all, if we know the fundamental habits of happy retirees, then perhaps we can translate those habits back into the smaller decisions we make on a daily basis; leading us to the ideal balance between retirement and happiness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Divorce rates have doubled for those aged 50 and over since 1990, and tripled for those 65 and over. It’s shocking to think what once seemed like your happily ever after, could possibly turn out to be the downfall of your family, finances, and overall happiness. For that reason, many couples are left asking, “How did we get here?” Meredith Shirey, Founder and Practice Director at Meredith Shirey Marriage & Family Therapy, provides her insight on that question and more in this week’s episode. Meredith reviews the biggest catalysts leading to divorce and how marriage is perceived in different cultures and throughout history. Furthermore, she reveals what to consider when divorcing, as well as how this can impact your family and children. Later in the episode, Wes mentions his findings regarding marriage mulligans for Happy Retirees, Meredith dives into the touchy subject of affairs, marrying for happiness, and describes divorce patterns along with how to repair them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit mega

Dan Abramowitz and Joel Dean join this episode of Retire Sooner to talk through The Great Wealth Transfer. Dan Abramowitz is a Regional Business Development Manager and Investment Advisor at CIA, and Joel Dean, CFP® is an Investment Advisor and Director of Investment Associates at CIA. During this episode, we discuss how to prepare for The Great Wealth Transfer, as well as why Generation X and Millennials are most likely to benefit and what wealth looks like for these generations in the future. Dan and Joel also touch base on The FIRE Movement and how people are now preparing children for wealth and not their wealth for their children. This episode wrapped up with Wes, Dan, and Joel discussing the spending habits of Happy Retirees, transferring finances into a Donor Advised Fund along with how inflation can impact transferred wealth, and tips for your own Great Wealth Transfer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Technology is constantly evolving, but for older generations this can be scary and seeking help can feel paralyzing. In this episode, Wes sits down with Trish Lopez, Founder of Teeniors, a business created to connect tech savvy teens with tech hungry adults and seniors, to discuss mending this digital divide. Trish shares her journey and the history behind Teeniors, her process for hiring employees, making her business lucrative, and the technological learning curve that came with the pandemic. She also addresses the impact of her business on seniors and shares Teeniors success stories. Additionally, Wes and Trish analyze when we start getting “bad” at technology and why it’s important to never stop learning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've all heard about housing prices increasing dramatically over the past few years. Several new factors are not only increasing housing prices but impacting the affordability of homes for buyers. In fact, a recent cover story in Barron's shared data from the National Association of Realtors indicating that 1.9 million first-time homebuyers will be shut out of the housing market this year. In this episode, Wes addresses historic fluctuations in the housing economy due to oversupply, undersupply, and the unexpected impact of Covid. He discusses today's housing shortage coupled with increasing interest rates that will continue to rise throughout the rest of this year. He also addresses the advantages of paying off your mortgage, the correlation between paying off your mortgage to levels of happiness in retirement, what homeowners can do to pay down or pay off a mortgage, and what first-time homebuyers should consider when it comes to the reality of buying a home. This episode also wraps up with a few call-in

As humans, happiness is important to us all. There are numerous variables that dial into what generates this emotion, but does happiness mimic our growing age? Will we be as happy at 65 as we were at 25, or will we find ourselves even happier? Wes sits down with Professor of Psychology and Public Policy and the Director of the Stanford Center on Longevity, Laura Carstensen to discuss the correlation between aging and happiness. In the episode, Laura describes the U-shape of happiness, takes us through the concept of on balance, along with the experience study that showed people feel negative emotions less frequently when they’re older. Laura and her group of colleagues developed the social, emotional, and selectivity theory that accounts for seeing rates of positive emotions staying stable and shares where time horizons come into play. Later in the episode, she stresses why close connections are magic, especially in retirement, and puts a slightly different spin on retiring sooner. To wrap up, Laura reveals v

Wes Moss responds to listener questions and talks through the concept of yield at cost during this episode. He also provides examples of dividend growth, generating retirement income from your investment sources, and why it’s essential to have a plan and investment policy that aligns with your goals. Furthermore, Wes explains how modest yields can turn to significant yields, shares advice for young investors, and discusses the inverted yield curve along with what it means for the economy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices