We’re kicking off the week by answering listener questions! And if you have a question that you’d like for us to answer on the show, we’d love for you to submit your own via HowToMoney.com/ask , send us your voice memo. Regardless of how random or bizarre you might think it is, we want to hear it!

1. How detailed should we get with our monthly budget – should we break out individual items on receipts?
2. What kind of pre-tax-post-tax balance should I strike when contributing to retirement accounts?
3. Should I seek higher returns by investing more into my side business?
4. For my retirement – should I continue building up towards my state pension or switch to a 401k with a match?
5. Is it a good idea to tap equity in my current home for a down payment on an investment property?

Additional links:

• Consumption – Seriously, get a load of these fancy fridges. Would this be your craft beer equivalent?
• Budgeting – Start a budget, or at the very least begin tracking with YNAB or Mint.
  • And it can be a really great idea to figure out how little it would take to live on with a bare bones budget, especially if you happen to have a variable income.
  • As we’ve talked about before, here’s a stripped down template of our family’s budget in Excel. It may not make sense for some, but I hope it can get most started down the right path! (once you’re in Google Drive, click: File -> download to get the file on your computer). The best budget is the one can stick with.
  • Here’s another guide to different ways to budget.
• Investing – And of course we touched on investing during this episode- listen back to how we invest our money with brokerage houses like Fidelity, M1 Finance, and Vanguard.
  • Head to TreasuryDirect.gov and snag you some i bonds paying close to double digits!
  • If you happen to be a employed by a school or non-profit and you have a 403b, then head to 403bwise.org to learn the specifics so you can determine if you have a good one or not.

• Credit Card Tool – Looking for the right credit card for you? Then check out our new credit card tool that’ll help you to easily filter through all the cards based on your preferred airline, whether or not they have an annual fee, or simply by the cashback offer! Just toggle the sliders and you’ll know which card to consider.

During this episode we enjoyed a Taras Boulba by Brasserie De La Senne! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money!

Best friends out!