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  • man sitting on brown wooden bench thinking about how he invested for retirement early on while also saving for college.
    Investing for Retirement and Your Kid’s College
    Choosing between investing for retirement or college is tough. While the decision can be emotional, using simple math can help you strike the right balance.
  • In a bear market, the hardest thing to do is the best thing: nothing.
    Money on My Mind: Bears, Net Worth and Exercise
    On my journey to financial freedom, I’m consistently striving to learn as much as I can from other bloggers and writers who have done it before me.
  • Whether to invest while in debt is a tricky question. I like to do both for 4 main reasons, allocating 75% of my available funds to debt and 25% to investments. You don't have to choose one door or the other.
    A Tricky Money Question: Should You Invest While in Debt?
    Whether to invest while in debt is a tricky question. I like to do both for these reasons, using 75% of my available funds for debt and 25% for investments.
  • Reading a money mindset book on a Dock to help appreciate the balance between life and money.
    Best Money Mindset Book? My 8 Favorite Picks
    A great money mindset book will motivate you to use money to build a life you’re proud of. These are my favorites from my journey to financial freedom.
  • Keep an eye on your targeted goal. It might seem far away, but if you keep your focus, you will achieve it, which reflects the exact idea behind target date funds.
    Why Target Date Funds: The Easy Way to Invest
    The easiest option can also be the best option. That’s why I invest with target date funds. My portfolio is diversified and automatically rebalances over time.
  • Woman relaxing on water in sunlight because she invests in index funds so doesn't worry about the markets.
    7 Things I Love About Index Funds
    My 7 reasons I love index funds range from the low costs and automatic diversification to the minimal mental effort required to generate long-term wealth.
  • Four beach huts, each painted in the four primary colours, of yellow, green, blue and red representing my four favorite investment accounts: 401(k), Roth IRA, HSA, and 529.
    My 4 Favorite Investment Accounts for Long-term Wealth
    My 4 favorite investment accounts maximize tax benefits and match my evolving priorities, which gives me a better chance of reaching financial freedom.
  • magic playing cards representing someone's magic retirement number using the 4% Rule.
    What is Your Magic Retirement Number?
    Using the 4% Rule, you can easily calculate your magic retirement number and determine if you need to make any changes to your current spending and savings.
  • Watching the sun set beyond the mountains never gets old and illustrates that starting to invest is really as simple as taking two steps.
    2 Easy Steps to Start Investing
    If you’ve ever been nervous about how to start investing, don’t worry. There are only two steps: 1. Open an account. 2. Pick your investments. It’s that easy.
  • person writing learn on white paper because learning basic stock market terminology make investing in the stock market less intimidating.
    Learn the Language to Make Investing Easier
    Investing can seem intimidating when you hear phrases like “asset allocation.” Once you learn the language, you’ll realize investing is actually not that hard.
  • Sam Dogen's new book, Millionaire Milestones is the Goldilocks of personal finance books.
    Money on My Mind: Read Millionaire Milestones
    Millionaire Milestones by Sam Dogen is the Goldilocks of personal finance books. He’s not only done it all in personal finance, he’s still doing it.
  • Baby Blue Spruce is the best thing I've spent money on recently
    Great Talk: Money, Baby Blue, and Friends
    The best money I’ve spent lately was on a tree and a friend. I felt a triple happiness boost each time, which reminded me of the tie between money and emotions.
  • A sign saying we want you, requesting people to join a club reminds me of financial advisors who want to manage your money for only 1%
    What a 1% Fee Really Costs You
    One of the few things we can control when we invest is what we choose to pay in fees. Lets’s look at what a fee of only 1% can do to your long term gains.
  • Organic eggs in a basket symbolizing that eggs are the poster child for inflation and that we need to invest to counteract inflation.
    Investing is Playing Offense and Defense
    Investing is about playing offense and defense. Investing to do fun things later on is playing offense. Investing to counteract inflation is playing defense.
  • Purple crocuses in grass illustrating April is personal finance month, which Think and Talk Money readers don't need to be reminded to think about their finances.
    Money on My Mind: Financial Literacy Month
    April is National Financial Literacy Month. Think and Talk Money readers don’t need a recognized money month. We think and talk about money throughout the year.
  • woman playing with wooden blocks illustrating the cost of investing is risk.
    Risk is the Cost to Invest
    Risk is the cost to invest. Look at the different outcomes for 2 pretend friends: one was afraid to invest and the other was comfortable with reasonable risk.
  • The famous Chicago theater shot with a long exposure at night, right across the street from the redline subway stop depicting the new Chicago way to invest early and often to benefit from compound interest.
    New Chicago: Invest Early and Often
    Forget the old Chicago slogan, “Vote early and often.” Instead, I prefer, “Invest early and often” to take advantage of the power of compound interest.
  • a person stacking coins on top of a table illustrating that investing does not have to be complicated if your mindset is in the right place.
    Investing is Actually the Easy Part
    On the journey to financial independence, investing is actually the easy part. The hard part is consistently generating money to invest in the first place.
  • Money fire burn dollar paper illustrating how to set money on fire by taking money out of the market instead of investing.
    How to Set $93,000 on Fire
    Even if you work with an advisor, you need to learn the basics of investing. It’s your future. I lost out on $93,000 by failing to educate myself.
  • Standing on a sheer ledge 3,200 feet above Yosemite Valley, looking at this vista, one can’t help but be in awe. It reminds you of what’s really important, like delaying financial independence.
    Happy that I Delayed Financial Independence
    I’m happy that I delayed financial independence to build the life that I truly want. By house hacking for seven years, I can now clearly see the finish line.
  • Pivot concept with hand illustrating the ability to choose what comes next with Financial Independence, Pivot Early.
    Financial Independence Pivot Early (FIPE)
    Instead of FIRE, I believe in FIPE: Financial Independence Pivot Early. With FIPE, the goal is not to withdraw, but to pivot to more meaningful work.
  • Matthew Adair, founder of Think and Talk Money, holding his baby and recalling that he started his journey to financial freedom more than a decade ago and learned that the journey to financial freedom for lawyers and professionals does not happen over night.
    My Journey to Financial Freedom
    My journey to financial freedom began 15 years ago. I’ve learned that the journey to financial freedom for lawyers and professionals does not happen over night.
  • Matthew Adair, founder of Think and Talk Money, holding his baby girl and reminded of his Money Why, which is to be good with money for his family.
    What is Your Money Why?
    Have you thought about what it could mean for you and your family if you are good with money? I was recently reminded of why I want to be good with money.
  • Dollar banknotes and student graduation hat on white wooden background illustrating Think and Talk Money's 10 student loan tips for lawyers and professionals.
    10 Student Loan Tips for Lawyers and Professionals
    Student loans are just heavy. To help get rid of that weight as efficiently as possible, here are my 10 student loan tips for lawyers and professionals.
  • Senior woman enjoying a skydiving experience, freefalling through the sky with a look of exhilaration, illustrating the calm required to get through times of market uncertainty like this.
    Money Questions: Markets in Free Fall
    When markets are in free fall, it’s important to talk to your people for support. Since time is on my side, I’m holding steady with my investments.
  • Dollar bills in glass jar isolated on wooden background. Saving money for college using a 529 plan is one of the best ways to accomplish your goals.
    529 Plans for Sky High College Costs
    529 plans are a great way to save for college because of the potential triple tax benefits. Learn how to estimate how much to save today to pay for college.
  • Picture of piggy bank on desk with person working on Student Loan options as learned on Think and Talk Money.
    The Time is Now: Student Loan Basics
    With student loans, don’t let outside factors stop your progress towards financial freedom. Learn the basics about student loans so you can make a plan.
  • Money and graduation hat illustrating that debt from student loans and financial freedom go hand-in-hand for professionals.
    Student Loans and Financial Freedom
    Debt from student loans and financial freedom go hand-in-hand. My wife and I talked about paying off my student loans before marriage. I’m so glad we did.
  • paying cash instead of credit is sometimes the right decision because of credit card processing fees as learned on Think and Talk Money.
    When to Think Cash Instead of Credit
    I prefer using credit cards to earn points and to track my spending, but I am using cash more than ever nowadays because of high credit card processing fees.
  • Wman paying for her order with a credit card in a restaurant so she can easily stay on budget tracking two simple numbers.
    Good Credit Card Perks Besides Points
    Besides credit card reward points, my favorite perk of using credit cards is to help me stay on budget by easily tracking my monthly spending.
  • Paying for coffee with a credit card after learning ten credit card tips for lawyers and professionals on Think and Talk Money.
    10 Credit Card Tips for Lawyers and Professionals
    Here, we discuss ten credit card tips for lawyers and professionals so you can benefit from the perks of credit cards without suffering from the penalties.
  • Happy man jumping for joy on the peak of the mountain representing a high ranking on the global happiness report.
    Money on My Mind: Global Happiness
    Happiness is tied to the freedom to choose what you do with your life. This is why financial freedom is so important when striving for a happy life.
  • Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) Banner. Letter Tiles on Yellow Background. Minimal Aesthetics. A HELOC to buy an investment property can be a useful strategy in personal finance to scale your real estate portfolio if used responsibly.
    How to Use HELOC to Buy Investment Property
    Using a HELOC to buy investment property is one way real estate investors scale quickly. I’ve used a HELOC to buy investment property three separate times.
  • Adorable Sloth Napping Peacefully on a Lush Green Tree Branch because he is not obsessed with his credit score as learned on Think and Talk Money.
    No Need to Obsess Over Credit Score
    Your credit score is important, but it is not worth obsessing over. If you practice strong personal finance habits, your credit score will naturally be high.
  • Woman sitting on haunches and painting fence representing the big financial decisions ahead of each of us and how talking about those decisions can only help us as learned on Think and Talk Money.
    Great Talk: Money and Fences
    Talking to your people is a great way to help make financial decisions, whether you’re replacing a fence or starting a budget.
  • Snowboarding on a beautiful sunny day which taught me on Think and Talk Money the lesson of why it's important to know your credit history and check your credit report.
    Why Credit Reports are So Important
    Your credit report tracks your history with repaying current and former loans. It’s crucial to maintain good credit for a healthy financial life.
  • Rainbow Unicorn birthday cake symbolizing that too much of a good thing can be bad, like using credit responsibly.
    Good Credit with Unicorn Cake
    Using credit the right way is an important step in a healthy financial life. When used correctly, credit can accelerate your path to financial freedom.
  • Camp fire symbolizing the show Alone and the lessons we can learn from survival experts and apply to our own personal finance lives.
    Powerful Money Lessons from Alone
    We can learn about personal finance by watching Alone. Not all dollars are created equal, attitude is everything, and family is so important.
  • Snowball effect illustration, growing momentum down snowy hill, financial growth metaphor with rolling ball, increasing investment concept, winter economy, increase development, illustrating paying off debt using either the Debt Snowball or Debt Avalanche method.
    Debt Snowball or Avalanche Better?
    Debt Snowball and Debt Avalanche are the two most best strategies to efficiently pay down multiple debts. I prefer Debt Snowball for the faster emotional wins.
  • Eliminate or get rid of debt concept , Silhouette man pushed off debt wording a cliff with blue cloud sky and sunlight, illustrating the top 10 strategies for how to pay off debt on a budget.
    How to Pay Off Debt on a Budget
    Paying off debt takes patience and a plan. Here are my Top 10 strategies for how to pay off debt on a budget as efficiently and painlessly as possible.
  • A handsome man relaxing on a beach reading a book and thinking about what he would do with financial freedom.
    Financial Freedom and Tiara Goals
    Have you ever asked yourself what you would do with financial freedom? Thinking about that question on a beach in 2017 opened my eyes to what truly mattered.
  • Editing with a View and wondering why he works so much as learned on Think and Talk Money.
    Money on My Mind: Always Working?
    Do you work too much? It’s a simple question that most of us don’t want to answer. Let’s discuss the potential consequences of always working.
  • Saint Patricks Day lucky charms as green shamrock and a horse shoe as a clover leaf background as a St Patrick celebration symbol and seasonal spring icon of Irish tradition celebration illustrating that there's nothing wrong with benefiting from luck when it comes to personal finance and Think and Talk Money.
    How to Responsibly Use Good Debt
    There may not be a more polarizing debate in personal finance than the concept of Good Debt vs. Bad Debt. Learn why I believe in the power of Good Debt.
  • Young happy couple talking with real estate agent and buying a new house after reading Think and Talk Money and not waiting for mortgage rates to drop.
    Better to Ignore Mortgage Rates
    Why you shouldn’t wait on interest rates to buy a home and why I personally wouldn’t hesitate to buy the most expensive home in a neighborhood.
  • A beautiful young woman blogger, vlogger or influencer is receiving emoji and emoticon reactions in her mobile smart phone device while making a post, sharing or video logging on social media which has the consequence of us spending money we don't have and falling into debt as learned on Think and Talk Money.
    Three Big Reasons Why You’re in Debt
    Too many of us are in debt. Looking at my three main theories why people get into debt can help us understand and avoid these common pitfalls.
  • People raising hands in a meeting in response to a question illustrating that 8 out of 10 people have debt as learned on Think and Talk Money.
    Scary Stats to Know about Debt
    8 out of 10 of us have some form of debt. That’s why learning to effectively deal with debt is a core personal finance concept.
  • Silhouette skydiver parachutist landing, illustrating the concept of Parachute Money as learned on Think and Talk Money.
    Big Decisions are Easier with Parachute Money
    Parachute Money is a powerful personal finance concept. When you have Parachute Money, you are financially free to control your life, not the other way around.
  • Bacon Cheeseburger and Fries, illustrating two friends talking about if money was no obstacle as learned on Think and Talk Money
    Great Talk: Money and Cheeseburgers
    Talking about money is not taboo. Learn from the personal finance conversations I’m currently having. Including, one empowering chat over cheeseburgers.
  • ER doctor and patient talking, illustrating that doctors are very smart and also need to learn personal finance education on Think and Talk Money.
    Why it’s Not Taboo to Talk Money
    I’m flipping the script with personal finance. Talking about money is not taboo. The only thing that’s taboo is avoiding your personal finances.
  • Excited young adult businesswoman feeling happy after receiving good news that she got a raise, which she learned how to use by tracking her savings rate on Think and Talk Money.
    Better Results with a Savings Rate
    Get ahead in life by making more money, and spending about the same. Learn how to measure your personal finance progress by tracking your savings rate.
  • Happy couple working as pet sitters and walking group of dogs as a side hustle to earn extra money learned on Think and Talk Money.
    Q&A: Look for a Valuable Side Hustle
    In this week’s Q&A, we discuss how the timing was right to launch Think and Talk Money, why you should consider a side hustle, and what comes next.
  • Close up of man taking mug with morning coffee. Man is dressed in pajamas and is easily tracking his net worth as learned on Think and Talk Money.
    Why You Need to Track Your Net Worth
    Learn how to track your net worth in less than 30 minutes each month. This is the easiest way to measure your progress towards financial independence.
  • Extra news about financial wellness topics covered in the Think and Talk Money blog.
    Money on My Mind: Capital One Edition
    Here, we discuss Capital One’s alleged deceptive practices, rising credit card balances, and how life experiences may impact the amount we save for retirement.
  • Man putting money in separate savings buckets that he learned from Think and Talk Money
    How to Best Optimize your Savings
    Optimizing your savings is about protecting yourself during emergencies and achieving your short term goals, even if you have debt.
  • Save word text on red glossy hanging etiquette symbolizing saving money on Think and Talk Money
    Why You Need to Fuel Your Savings
    Actively saving money is the first step towards financial independence. Without adequate savings, you risk losing all you have worked for.
  • Group of young people practicing yoga symbolizing good money habits learned on Think and Talk Money.
    Strong Motivation to Talk Money with Friends
    Talking about money with your friends is no different than talking about exercise, travel, books, or food. No need to talk numbers, focus on strategy.
  • Architect working on blueprint with team to keep her money not just make it.
    Better at Making or Keeping Money?
    To invest, you need available money. To have available money, you need a budget that actually works combined with honest life motivations.
  • Satisfied young woman holding hand behind head and drinking coffee because she has any easy budgeting plan with Think and Talk Money.
    How to Stay on Budget with Two Simple Numbers
    There’s an alternative to tracking every penny. You’ll only track two numbers. It works if you’re honestly dedicated to fueling your life goals.
  • Woman raised up hands and arms to ask a question about money to the financial wellness professor
    Help a Professor Out: Ask Your Money Questions Here
    Think and Talk Money’s motto is “Money Wellness Together.” The more we all talk, the more we all benefit. Ask questions so we can keep the conversation going!
  • Wrigley Field Home of Chicago Cubs where I easily knew and felt it was money well spent
    You will Easily Know and Feel Money Well Spent
    Talking money is really just talking life. I would not trade my Cubs memories for anything. Learn to keep the experiences without the worries.
  • A map of the world with money showing you can travel on a budget if you think and talk money
    10 Tips to Win the Budget Game
    In Part 3 on budgeting, we’ll take a deep dive into my top 10 strategies for making thoughtful adjustments so we can consistently win the budget game.
  • Lost in fog before learning to budget and pay off credit card debt.
    How to Budget with a Real Life, Really Lost, Boy
    In Part 2 of our series on budgeting, we’ll use real numbers to create a Budget After Thinking to better align our spending with our true motivations in life.
  • a piggy bank to help with budgeting and saving on the way to financial independence.
    How to Make a Budget After Thinking
    In Part 1 of our budgeting series, we aim for planning ahead of time with a budget that stops the disappearing dollar and fuels our ultimate life goals.
  • people dining out and thinking about budgeting and financial independence.
    You Should Want to be Good with Money
    You should want to be good with money. Money can give you choices. Money can give you personal power. Money can give you time.
  • Italian beef sandwich on a wooden board for lunch for people who budget and think and talk about money
    How to Think About Money and Italian Beef
    Instead of convincing ourselves that we’re not worried about money, let’s get energized thinking about what money can do for us.
  • beach sunset possible through reading a financial freedom blog like Think and Talk Money.
    A New Financial Freedom Blog
    I started a financial freedom blog because I want us to go to our people to talk about money, just as we would talk about anything else.
  • Chicago skyline with rental property investments because personal finance for lawyers and professionals is crucial to reach financial freedom.
    Personal Finance for Lawyers and Professionals
    There are a lot of smart people who need to actively think and talk about money. That’s why I teach personal finance for lawyers and professionals.

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