Podcasts are a great way to consume content. It allows you to multitask by enabling you to increase your knowledge while doing manual, repetitive tasks. Personally I listen to podcasts while washing dishes, cleaning baby bottles, or while cleaning the house. This makes sure that I continue my learning and make those seemingly tedious tasks more “productive”.
There are many personal finance podcasts out there, but here are the ones that stood out with me. This list may be updated in the future as I am exposed to more podcasts.
Radical Personal Finance
https://radicalpersonalfinance.com/archive/
Joshua Sheats, MSFS, CFP®, CLU®, ChFC®, CASL®, CAP®, RHU®, REBC® is a former financial advisor turned personal finance podcast host. He has acquired many certifications and is very knowledgable about topics related to finance. His podcasts cover a wide breadth and depth of topics and he is an effective interviewer as well.
A big difference between Radical Personal Finance (RPF) and other podcasts are the length of the shows, usually lasting for more than an hour. Joshua’s speaking style is engaging though, so it is not hard to listen to it for an extended period of time.
He also has strong opinions about some topics particularly regarding education, which he says is just a tool of the government in order to control the people. Because of this he is an advocate of independent educational programs like homeschooling. Being a Christian, he is also aligning his financial decisions with Christian values, but he is also taking into account good financial habits coming from other beliefs, like Judaism.
MadFIentist
http://www.madfientist.com/podcast/
Brandon is a software developer, and I heard he is specifically a Ruby on Rails developer like me! He has an interesting take on early retirement and has a deep technical background on the tips and tricks you can employ if you are aspiring for early retirement. He is an excellent interviewer as well and all of the people that he interviews on his show are big names in the field of personal finance.
The techniques and formulas that he describe in his website and podcast apply mostly to a US audience, like mega-backdoor Roth, Roth conversion ladders, and so forth. If you are listening outside the US, these may not be specifically applicable to you, however the general concepts regarding frugality and finances are very much applicable.
Brandon is limiting his podcasts to less than an hour, which may be a good fit for most people, however personally I find that there should probably more depth in his shows if he allowed his time freely for discussion.
Money for the Rest of Us
http://moneyfortherestofus.net/episodes/
David Stein is a retired investment manager and unlike some of the podcast hosts about personal finance, has actually achieved early retirement and financial independence using his skills in investment.
The podcast is very useful for beginners, especially the first few episodes, as David makes complex economic and financial topics more accessible and easy to understood for normal people, hence the podcast title. After many years working on the investment space he has deep technical knowledge on how money and the economy works, and guides you on how you can use this knowledge in your own financial journey.
David talks somewhat slowly and I had gotten feedback that it makes them go to sleep, which is a shame since I find the topics and the way he explains it really interesting if you can get past the speaking style. Also as the podcast episodes go on, it becomes more about him citing specific examples in his life that apply to the current topic, and can sometimes seem too general and not practical. For more practical discussion he has set up a separate (paid) service in https://moneyfortherestofushub.com.
You Need a Budget (YNAB)
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/you-need-a-budget-ynab/id477248343
http://youneedabudget.libsyn.com/
Jesse Mecham, the podcast host, is also the CEO of the company YNAB (You Need a Budget). His budgeting software tool started out as a spreadsheet that they personally used to manage their own money and get out of their difficult financial situation. Since then it has evolved into a desktop, web and a mobile application and has helped users around the world to manage and budget their money. I have read only positive reviews of the YNAB software although I have not personally tried it.
Their philosophy is summarized as follows:
- Give every dollar a job
- Save for a rainy day
- Roll with the punches
- Live on last month’s income
The podcast focuses on each of the four principles and Jesse provides practical tips and tricks on how to apply these principles in your personal budget. Each episode is only around 15 minutes long, so this is suitable for quick breaks, quick commutes, or whenever you have a bit of a free time. These bite-sized episodes maintain the focus of each topic and prevents it from branching out into several topics.
Side Hustle Show
http://www.sidehustlenation.com/side-hustle-show/
Nick Loper is the founder of Side Hustle Nation, a great resource for people who want to set up their own personal projects or side hustle, with the purpose of generating income from those projects. Nick is also the host of the podcast Side Hustle Show where he interviews successful side hustlers and extracts their experience so that listeners can also generate ideas for their own side businesses.
The interviews come from all different types of projects and different methods, and you may find that you need to personally choose which ones you want to listen to that fits your personality.
Leapreneur Insights (Philippines)
http://www.leapreneur.com/leapreneur-insights/
Jerry Ilao is an entrepreneur that interviews other Philippine entrepreneurs on how they have achieved success and what are the trials that they faced.
This is a Philippine-based show so the language is in Filipino. The interviews are also done in a conversational format which often sounds informal, and so it has a different style than most of the existing podcasts relating to finance.