“Looking to the long-term upside potential of changing jobs” and “the ways that an overly pessimistic point of view can derail your life”, were just a couple of our big takeaways from talking with our friend Jesse Cramer, from The Best Interest. At his core, Jesse is a financial educator who strives to break down the bigger and nerdier personal finance topics into nuggets of wisdom that all can learn from. In fact, he loves personal finances so much that he stepped away from a lucrative and stable job as an aerospace engineer, in order to join a fiduciary fee-only wealth management firm. We discuss what kind of cojones it takes to start your own business, his alternative to a pure 529 approach to saving for college, how and why an overly conservative portfolio will crush you, what percentage of Social Security he thinks we can count on, and much more!

Additional links:

• The Best Interest – Keep in touch with Jesse…
  • The Best Interest website and blog
  • Best Interest weekly newsletter!

• College Savings – We talked about having kids and 529 Plans, here are some ways you can maximize your 529 college savings accounts. And for those of you opposed to 529s, here are some alternate ways to save for your kids’ college.

• Social Security – Jesse put out a great article on how to value SS as a part of your overall retirement. Check it out!

• Money Gears – Knowing your ‘money gear’ is a crucial part of your personal finance journey. Start here

• 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 When We Swung From Rafters And Danced Upon Bars by Burial! 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!