Emotional Balance Sheet with Paul Fenner

Hosted by Paul Fenner

Business Kids Family

Website RSS feed LinkedIn YouTube

Episodes

258

Latest episode

Jun 2026

Language

About the show

Welcome to the Emotional Balance Sheet, the financial planning podcast for working parents who are building careers and raising kids at the same time. If you and your spouse are both senior-level professionals, raising kids in school or college, and are tired of stitching together four different specialists to run your financial life, this show is built for you. Each conversation tackles the planning conversations real families are having: education costs, retirement timing, equity compensation, career transitions, estate coordination, and the emotional weight that lies beneath it all. Hosted by Paul Fenner, Certified Financial Planner®, Enrolled Agent, and founder of TAMMA Capital. Paul is also a parent to four kids, including a set of triplets, so he knows the pace firsthand. TAMMA Capital is a private family office that brings financial planning, tax, and investments under one umbrella. To schedule a conversation, visit www.tammacapital.com or email pfenner@tammacapital.com.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

June 11, 2026Episode 2429 min

Who Gets Your Best Patience

Work with Paul: Schedule a 30-minute conversation What happens when you spend all your patience at work and come home with nothing left for the conversations that actually matter? If you're a senior professional managing a demanding career and a growing family, you know this tension. You hold complexity all day. By evening, you're running on fumes. Today, I unpack Morgan Housel's idea of saving like a pessimist and investing like an optimist, and why the real challenge for busy parents isn't choosing between optimism and pessimism. It's having the energy left to hold both at the same time when it counts. I share a personal confession about becoming more patient with my TAMMA families and less patient with my own family, and what that pattern looks like in the dual-income households I work with every day. This week's action step: before your next financial or logistical conversation at home, ask yourself whether you're showing up with the patience it deserves, or whether you're running on what's left. If it's fumes, reschedule. The conversation matters too much to rush. Connect with Paul If you're a working parent juggling a senior-level career and a growing family, and are tired of coordinating four different advisors to run your financial life, I do complimentary 30-minute conversations. Schedule one here. For resources discussed in this episode, visit tammacapital.com/podcast. Follow Paul on LinkedIn. Resources Featured in This Episode: Staying the Course: How Long-Term Investing Builds Wealth Through Market Cycles Funded Contentment: Am I Going to Be Okay? Case Study: How A Growing Family Designed a Wealth Management Plan for Now and for Life

June 4, 2026Episode 2417 min

The Decisions You Keep Not Making

Work with Paul: Schedule a 30-minute conversation What's the difference between being busy and being afraid? For many families who earn well and work hard, the two look identical from the outside. Today, I share something that's been sitting with me since losing a client earlier this year. It changed how I think about the financial decisions that busy families keep not making, and why the problem usually isn't information, time, or money. It's fear, just showing up in two very different ways. One fear keeps you moving without asking why. The other keeps you from making decisions you know you need to make. This week, I'm asking you to notice which one is running your financial life right now, and whether it's actually taking you somewhere you want to go. Connect with Paul If you're a working parent juggling a senior-level career and a growing family, and are tired of coordinating four different advisors to run your financial life, I do complimentary 30-minute conversations. Schedule one here. For resources discussed in this episode, visit tammacapital.com/podcast. Follow Paul on LinkedIn. Resources Featured in This Episode: Estate Planning: Details That You Need to Know to Protect Your Family & Assets Funded Contentment: Am I Going to Be Okay?

May 28, 2026Episode 2408 min

Your Spending Doesn't Lie

Work with Paul: Schedule a 30-minute conversation Have you ever looked at where your money actually goes and felt a little uncomfortable? Not because you were irresponsible — but because the numbers didn't match the values you'd say out loud? That gap is what this episode is about. Morgan Housel draws a line between the science of spending and the art of spending. The science is teachable — budgets, bargains, automation. The art is harder: figuring out whether your spending reflects who you actually are or who you've been conditioned to be. I share what I've seen with clients and what I've lived in my own household — and why the most important financial question isn't 'how much' but 'what for.' Before your next few purchases this week, pause and ask: does this reflect what I actually value, or what I'm trying to signal? You don't need to change anything yet. Just notice what the answer tells you. Connect with Paul If you're a working parent juggling a senior-level career and a growing family, and are tired of coordinating four different advisors to run your financial life, I do complimentary 30-minute conversations. Schedule one here. For resources discussed in this episode, visit tammacapital.com/podcast. Follow Paul on LinkedIn. Resources Featured in This Episode: Optimize Your Spending to Increase Your Happiness Aligning Personal Interests with Financial Objectives

May 21, 2026Episode 23911 min

The Financial Case for Doing Nothing

Work with Paul: Schedule a 30-minute conversation When is the last time you had an uninterrupted thought? Not about logistics. Not about money. About your actual life and whether the direction you're running is still the direction you chose? Today, I want to explore why the most productive thinking rarely happens when we're at full speed, and what that costs us as parents and as people trying to make good financial decisions. I share a conversation with a family who named something most busy families feel but rarely say out loud, and reflects on what a pandemic parking lot moment taught me and Theresa about the pace they'd built into their lives. The action step is simple: ten minutes of intentional nothing this week. One question to sit with. No journaling required. Connect with Paul If you're a working parent juggling a senior-level career and a growing family, and are tired of coordinating four different advisors to run your financial life, I do complimentary 30-minute conversations. Schedule one here. For resources discussed in this episode, visit tammacapital.com/podcast. Follow Paul on LinkedIn. Resources Featured in This Episode: How to Recognize When to Take a Break and When to Seek Support You Can Always Make More Money, But You Can't Make More Time Creating Balance With Tech, Money, and Family Life

May 14, 2026Episode 23811 min

The Financial Story You Keep Telling Yourself

Have you ever noticed that when things feel uncertain, you already seem to know how it's going to turn out? You're not predicting. You're confirming. In this episode, I explore why the story you're already telling about your financial life shapes every piece of information you take in and how that filter quietly drives some of the most expensive decisions families make. I walk through two real family situations where fear and overconfidence each created blind spots, and why the problem isn't the information available to us. It's what we choose to look at. This week, I'm asking you to name the story you're currently telling about your finances: fear-based or confidence-based. Spend ten minutes with one source that doesn't confirm it. You don't have to change your mind. Just widen the filter. Connect with Paul If you're a family with multiple kids who feel like your money should be working harder but aren't sure where to start, I do complimentary 30-minute financial reviews. Schedule a meeting here. For resources discussed in this episode, visit tammacapital.com/podcast. Follow Paul on LinkedIn. Resources Featured in This Episode: What Game Are You Playing Why Behavior Beats Spreadsheets Places to Hide Aren't Roadblocks

May 7, 2026Episode 2378 min

The Scoreboard We Never Chose

Why do so many people feel financially behind — even when the numbers say they're not? Often, the problem isn't the plan. It's the expectation. Charlie Munger, near the end of his life, gave a one-sentence answer that cuts straight to the point: reasonable expectations. In this conversation, I look at the gap between the life we imagined and the life we're living, and what happens when we never examine where our financial expectations came from in the first place, which may be one of the most underrated financial insights there is. I share the story of a family that had done almost everything right but couldn't shake the feeling of being behind because the scoreboard they were measuring against had been set decades earlier. The action step this week is small but not easy: pick one area where you feel financially behind and ask where that expectation actually came from. Not to fix it. Just to notice it. Because you can't rewrite a story you haven't read yet. Connect with Paul If you're a family with multiple kids who feel like your money should be working harder but aren't sure where to start, I do complimentary 30-minute financial reviews. Schedule a meeting here. For resources discussed in this episode, visit tammacapital.com/podcast. Follow Paul on LinkedIn. Resources Featured in This Episode: Optimize Your Spending to Increase Your Happiness Wealth Planning is For Everyone

April 30, 2026Episode 2369 min

The Story That Spent Your Money

Why did a three-minute sideline conversation with another parent almost make me rethink my entire financial plan? This week, I'm digging into why the financial stories we absorb from the people around us, the casual mentions, the social media posts, the dinner table comments, are doing more to shape our decisions than any spreadsheet or data point ever could. I share what I see when families come into my office feeling behind, even though their numbers say otherwise. I talk about how stories hijack our sense of enough and keep moving the goalpost, and why Theresa and I wrestle with the exact same thing. This one is about recognizing whose narrative is actually running your financial life. Your action step: This week, notice one financial story that gets under your skin, a post, a conversation, a comparison, and ask yourself: Is this my story, or someone else's story trying to rewrite my plan? Connect with Paul If you're a family with multiple kids who feel like your money should be working harder but aren't sure where to start, I do complimentary 30-minute financial reviews. Schedule a meeting here. For resources discussed in this episode, visit tammacapital.com/podcast. Follow Paul on LinkedIn. Resources Featured in This Episode: Inflated Expectations: The Hidden Force Undermining Financial Peace Are You Rich Yet? Why Families Still Struggle to Feel Wealthy

April 23, 2026Episode 23511 min

The Questions We Forget to Ask Ourselves

How much of what you believe about money, success, and parenting is actually true, and how much is just where and when you happened to grow up? This week's episode digs into the uncomfortable questions we rarely ask ourselves about our own blind spots, and gives you a practical filter to sort values worth protecting from scripts worth questioning. I share stories about the gap between what we think we know and what we've actually experienced. From parents struggling to accept their kids' different paths to the life transitions that revealed how little we understood, this episode is about getting honest with ourselves without getting paralyzed by second-guessing. This week, when you feel a strong "should" about money or your kids, ask yourself: is this my value, or someone else's script? Use the "says who?" test to check whether your certainty is based on what actually matters to your family, or on something you inherited without realizing it. Connect with Paul If you're a family with multiple kids who feel like your money should be working harder but aren't sure where to start, I do complimentary 30-minute financial reviews. Schedule a meeting here. For resources discussed in this episode, visit tammacapital.com/podcast. Follow Paul on LinkedIn. Resources Featured in This Episode: Not All Struggles Are Due to Laziness Why Your Goals Keep Failing Why "Just Waiting" Is Holding You Back in Life and Finance

April 16, 2026Episode 2348 min

Pessimism Sounds Smart, Optimism Builds Wealth

Why does bad news feel so convincing while good news feels like a sales pitch? If you've ever caught yourself doom-scrolling financial headlines and then second-guessing your entire plan, you're not alone. In this episode, I explore why pessimism sounds smart, why optimism has been the better long-term bet, and how busy parents can filter out the noise without burying their heads in the sand. I share a story about a client who almost made a fear-driven decision and talk about my own battle with pessimistic thinking. This week's action: notice where your financial anxiety is actually coming from. Is it your own analysis, or someone else's headline? Connect with Paul If you're a family with multiple kids who feel like your money should be working harder but aren't sure where to start, I do complimentary 30-minute financial reviews. Schedule a meeting here. For resources discussed in this episode, visit tammacapital.com/podcast. Follow Paul on LinkedIn. Resources Featured in This Episode: Staying the Course - How Long-Term Investing Builds Wealth Through Market Cycles Parenting and Portfolios: How Life's Chaos Brings Unexpected Calm Wealth Planning is For Everyone

April 9, 2026Episode 2339 min

What To Do When The Plan Stops Working

You made the plan. You ran the numbers. You did everything right. So why does it feel like you're one unexpected expense away from starting over? This week, I am focusing on what happens when the plan stops working, and why that might not be the disaster you think it is. I share a story about a family whose perfect five-year projection fell apart after an unexpected health diagnosis, and what they discovered in the rebuilding. I also cover my own experience navigating career changes and raising triplets +1 when plans rarely survive contact with reality. Your action step: Look at your current financial plan and ask yourself what happens when it breaks. What would you protect? What would you let go? That awareness is the beginning of real resilience. Connect with Paul If you're a family with multiple kids who feel like your money should be working harder but aren't sure where to start, I do complimentary 30-minute financial reviews. Schedule a meeting here. For resources discussed in this episode, visit tammacapital.com/podcast. Follow Paul on LinkedIn. Resources Featured in This Episode: Wealth Planning is For Everyone Funded Contentment: Am I Going To Be Okay The Longest Relationship You Will Ever Have