Capital Adulting

Hosted by Grant Gardner

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May 2024

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About the show

You go through school, leaving with a diploma or degree, but are worried about your financial future. You weren't taught how to budget, do taxes, save and invest money, or pay off your debt. You don't have much money so you have to be extra careful with how you use it. This is the current reality for many young adults, but it doesn't have to be. Host Grant Gardner dives into the basic fundamentals of personal finance and discusses how to not only avoid the common mistakes, but overcome them to enhance your financial position. More information available at: https://capitaladulting.com/

Listen to episodes

33 recent

May 20, 202437 min

33. Creating a Healthy Money Relationship

Oftentimes, the financial conversation centers around the individuals who aren't responsible with their resources, but that overlooks another group: Those who are "over-savers", or folks who are worried about not having enough. They tend to be ultra-conservative financially and often shortchange the enjoyment they could have in life by being overly future focused. If that's you, today's episode is for you. It's not bad to save/be protective in general, but remember, money is designed to help you live life, not drive you to live for money!

April 8, 202438 min

32. Is the American Dream Dead?

A recent WSJ survey indicated that Gen Z considers themselves the most hopeless generation in recorded American history. A significant portion of respondents answered no when asked if they thought their lives would be better than their parents. In a slightly different style episode, I delve further into the current mental state of young Americans, the reasons to feel hopeless, but more importantly, the compelling case for why we should be more hopeful than ever. While certain things are more difficult, the reality is there has never been more opportunity to find success than there is today. It takes creative thinking and hard work, but a path to achieving our goals in modern day America is available. On top of that, it's easier than ever for each of us to find "success" in a way that's meaningful at the individual level, rather than trying to match a societal stereotype.Give it a listen and take some time to think through how you can capitalize on the opportunities in your life today.

March 21, 202433 min

31. Laid Off? How to Survive Financial Disasters

There's a lot of doom and gloom on the news today: Despite strong economic signs, layoffs are happening, inflation is stabilizing higher, and folks feel generally discouraged. While life is extremely unpredictable, there are clear steps to start taking today to protect yourself from any downside risk.In today's episode, I dive into some general ideas/tips on ensuring you're well-positioned to weather unexpected financial crises. The most important component is being proactive and planning ahead. When a disaster occurs, it's too late to make the changes necessary to stay afloat. While it requires discipline and sacrifice, it's critical to make prudent financial decisions today to build your own safety net for the future.

March 3, 202434 min

30. The Foundation of Personal Finance | Capital Adulting

Ever been overwhelmed with your financial situation? Unsure of where to start on a plan? In today's episode, we zero in on a framework for better understanding yourself and how to parlay that knowledge into devising the right financial strategy for you.

February 13, 202435 min

29. The Dangers of Being Results Oriented | Capital Adulting

Ever made a bad decision in your life? What did that look like? If you look closer, was it really a bad decision, or just a bad outcome?In today's episode, I dig into the difference between good and bad process, how that impacts the outcome, and how we should psychologically approach our decision making and analysis.

August 28, 202245 min

28. Why This Loan Forgiveness Plan is a Failure | Capital Adulting

From an economic perspective, President Biden's loan forgiveness policy is a complete failure. Yes, student debt has ballooned, but without solving the core issues that led to the crisis in the first place, this plan is simply an expensive band-aid. Instead, we should tackle:Government lending practicesRising costs of educationFinancial illiteracy of the 17-18 year old kids making six figure decisionsWithout tackling the root problems, we're only jeopardizing future generations of students across the country.

August 14, 202246 min

27. Forging Your Own Path | Capital Adulting

There's a reason the path to an average life is well traveled, average is average for a reason after all. Do you want to look back on life with regrets, or be proud of what you were able to do?In today's episode, I lay out my personal perspective for understanding/defining your end goals, establishing a framework to achieve them, and a new mentality around embracing failure.

August 7, 202238 min

26. Inflation and interest rates | Capital Adulting

Inflation and interest rates, two things we're hearing about constantly. What do they mean and why are they important? How are these concepts affecting my everyday life? In today's episode, I give a basic rundown of inflation, the factors that play into it, and the action the Federal Reserve is taking to counter it. Let me know what you think!

August 2, 202235 min

25. What in the world is going on?? | Capital Adulting

I'm back! It's been awhile and a lot has changed in the world. In today's episode, I dive into the events that have upended 2022 and what this means moving forward. I give my insights into what I think may happen economically in the near term and how to best prepare yourself for what's to come.As always, let me know your thoughts!

October 6, 202134 min

24. Personal Finance Starter Pack | Capital Adulting

For non-finance folks, it's hard to know how to start managing your personal finances. Questions like what do I do with my money, should I get a credit card, how do I invest commonly arise. Because of that, I wanted to revisit my starting tips for those looking for answers.Six starting points to ensure a strong financial future:Understand current obligations/expenses and short/long term financial goalsBudget carefullyBuild creditFund an emergency reserves accountStart investingAvoid bad debt!