It's official: "Equity" is a now my new favorite movie about Wall Street. Sure, "Trading Places" was a classic, but there has never been a film about Wall Street where not only are women the main characters, but they also populate every role behind the camera. Guest Alysia Reiner (she plays Fig on "Orange is the New Black" and starred in the movie "Sideways") is the co-star and co-producer (with Sarah Megan Thomas) of "Equity" and explained why the movie felt so real: they spoke to REAL women who worked on Wall Street, some of whom became investors in the film.

• Download the podcast on iTunes
• Download the podcast on feedburner
• Download this week's show (MP3)

"Equity," which takes place in the post-financial crisis era, explores both gender and generational roles in finance in an entertaining and provocative way. As the financial thriller unfolds, we see ambitious women trying to walk the tightrope between being too nice or being accused of "having sharp elbows" or "rubbing people the wrong way."

There is also an interesting take on mentorship, which can be tricky in a male dominated field. Naomi, the main character played by Anna Gunn of "Breaking Bad" fame, advises young professional women, "Don't let money be a dirty word" -- a sentiment that we wholeheartedly embrace on this show!

Women also adapt by using what they have to their advantage. Alysia plays "Sam," the assistant US attorney who is a college acquaintance of Naomi. Sam uses her sexuality to her advantage as she investigates Naomi's firm for insider trading. Meanwhile, Naomi's associate Erin (played by Sarah Megan Thomas), who is juggling her husband and recent pregnancy with the desire to advance her career, finds herself asked to treat a twenty-something tech entrepreneur "very, very gently."

I don't want to give too much away--just listen to the interview and GO SEE THE MOVIE!

Here are some of the articles that I mentioned earlier in the show:

• Why You Should Work Longer
• Social Security Refresher
• Bad Trade: College for Retirement

Thanks to everyone who participated this week, especially Mark, the Best Producer/Music Curator in the World. Here's how to contact us:

• Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 

• Send an email: askjill@jillonmoney.com 

• Tweet us: @jillonmoney and @MTalercio

Inspired by her own kids, investment advisor Rachel Gottlieb, CFP has written a new book "Zac's Dollar Dilemma," which can help you teach your kids about money. The book is aimed at preschool and elementary school children and helps parents introduce the topic of managing money in a fun and engaging way that kids can understand. Rachel also discussed how she became involved in financial services instead of pursuing a future in musical theater!

• Download the podcast on iTunes
• Download the podcast on feedburner
• Download this week's show (MP3)

Thanks to everyone who participated this week, especially Mark, the Best Producer/Music Curator in the World. Here's how to contact us:

• Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 

• Send an email: askjill@jillonmoney.com 

• Tweet us: @jillonmoney and @MTalercio

Former NY Knick/Toronto Raptor John Wallace joins the show to discuss his amazing career, what it takes to succeed as a pro athlete and why he hates investment risk. After playing in the pros in the nineties, John now works for the Knicks, does public and motivational speaking, but his true love is philanthropy. John works with Winning Because I Tried, a youth mentoring program. A big thanks to James Altucher for connecting us to John!

• Download the podcast on iTunes
• Download the podcast on feedburner
• Download this week's show (MP3)

Thanks to everyone who participated this week, especially Mark, the Best Producer/Music Curator in the World. Here's how to contact us:

• Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 

• Send an email: askjill@jillonmoney.com 

• Tweet us: @jillonmoney and @MTalercio

We all need to earn a living, but some are fortunate enough to find purpose and passion in our work. You don't need to be saving lives to find those qualities, says our guest Dave Isay, the founder and president of the nonprofit StoryCorps, an organization devoted to recording and archiving humanity’s wisdom through facilitated interviews. I serve on the Board of Directors of StoryCorps, which is how I have come to know Dave.

• Download the podcast on iTunes
• Download the podcast on feedburner
• Download this week's show (MP3)

You may have heard StoryCorp stories on National Public Radio, which airs a slimmed down version of the forty-minute interviews on Fridays. The mission of the organization is to preserve and share humanity’s stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world. (Check out Dave's TED talk here)

I invited Dave on the show to discuss his new book, “Callings: The Purpose and Passion of Work”, which presents stories that celebrate the passion, determination, and courage it takes to pursue the work we feel called to do. As I read the book, I thought back to the opening of the 1990 book "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience," by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: "Despite the fact that even the least affluent among us are surrounded by material luxuries undreamed of even a few decades ago…people often end up feeling that their lives have been wasted, that instead of being filled with happiness their years were spent in anxiety and boredom." In the stories that Dave recounts, we meet people from an array of occupations who are anything but bored.

If you want to hear more StoryCorps stories, check out the podcast and if you want to record your own story, download the StoryCorps app!

Thanks to everyone who participated this week, especially Mark, the Best Producer/Music Curator in the World. Here's how to contact us:

• Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 

• Send an email: askjill@jillonmoney.com 

• Tweet us: @jillonmoney and @MTalercio

Have you ever tried to correct an error on your credit report? If so, there is good news: the credit reporting industry is about to change dramatically. Earlier this year, the three main credit reporting agencies -- Equifax, Experian and Transunion -- agreed to a multi-phase settlement with the New York Attorney General. This fall, the agencies begin phase one of being more proactive in resolving disputes and changing the way they report on unpaid medical bills. To help untangle the new reform measures, we asked nationally-recognized credit expert John Ulzheimer to come back on the show to tell us what's going on.

• Download the podcast on iTunes
• Download the podcast on feedburner
• Download this week's show (MP3)

Formerly of FICO, Equifax and Credit.com, John is the only recognized credit expert who actually comes from the credit industry. He has served as a credit expert witness in more than 230 cases and has been qualified to testify in both Federal and State court on the topic of consumer credit.

As a reminder, the three main agencies report your information to the scoring companies. According to FICO, the company behind the most widely used credit score, the most important factors are:

• 35% Payment History
• 30% Total debt outstanding, which takes into account how many accounts you have and how close you are to your credit limit
• 15% Credit history
• 10% Credit Mix
• 10% Number of inquiries—specifically those generated when you are seeking to increase your borrowing, perhaps because you’re shopping for a mortgage, car loan, or student loan.

John also reminds us that identity theft is the NUMBER ONE white collar crime. Criminals are looking for your name, address, date of birth and social security number. With that information, they can wreak havoc on your financial life. To help defend yourself, John recommends the following steps:

1. Minimize broadcasting your personal information online
2. Check your credit report monthly
3. Sign up for free credit monitoring

Thanks to everyone who participated this week, especially Mark, the Best Producer/Music Curator in the World. Here's how to contact us:

• Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 

• Send an email: askjill@jillonmoney.com 

• Tweet us: @jillonmoney and @MTalercio

The fiduciary duty entails asking an important question: Does your financial advisor put you first? That's what our guest Mary A. Malgoire, CFP helped explain. Mary is the founder of The Family Firm Inc, a fee-only financial advisory firm in Bethesda, Maryland and believes in the client-first, fee-only model, because there are “too many conflicts that exist.” As the past President and Chairman of the Board of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA), she is fee-only true and blue!

• Download the podcast on iTunes
• Download the podcast on feedburner
• Download this week's show (MP3)

Mary joined the board of the Institute for the Fiduciary Standard in January 2015 and has been instrumental in developing the Campaign for Investors website. The Institute is a not-for-profit organization that formed to advance objective and competent financial advice, by educating investors about their rights and promoting best practices among financial advisors. In short, the Institute seeks to change the financial services industry and improve investor outcomes. The web site has lots of resources for investors including: How to find out if your current advisor is a fiduciary, how to calculate your investing costs and to know your rights as an investor.  The six duties of a Fiduciary are: Serve the client’s best interest; Act in utmost good faith; Act prudently -- with the care, skill and judgment of a professional; Avoid conflicts of interest; Disclose all material facts and Control investment expenses

 Callers/Listener E-Mails/References:

Here's the article I referenced: Financial Threats you CAN Control

We fielded retirement account questions from Henry, Dev, Shirley; debt issues from Matt and Jean (check out the NYT and ProPubica NJ Loan Program article that outlines some of the ridiculous rules around education debt); and investment strategy questions from Pete and Beatrice.

Thanks to everyone who participated this week, especially Mark, the Best Producer/Music Curator in the World. Here's how to contact us:

• Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 

• Send an email: askjill@jillonmoney.com 

• Tweet us: @jillonmoney and @MTalercio

Despite stock market indexes reaching all-time highs, American businesses are falling to new lows. The reason is that the golden age of US innovation and capitalism has given way to what our guest Rana Foroohar calls "financialization.” Rana is the Time business and economics columnist and author of "Makers and Takers: The Rise of Finance and the Fall of American Business." The book divides the American business world into "Makers," those companies that serve the real economy by providing capital and investing in long-term growth and "Takers," those who use financial engineering to juice short-term profits and as a result, enrich their shareholders and themselves.

• Download the podcast on iTunes
• Download the podcast on feedburner
• Download this week's show (MP3)

How did we go from the simple explanation of banking that Jimmy Stewart provided in "It's A Wonderful Life" ("The money's not here [in the bank]. Your money is in Joe's house that's right next to yours. And in the Kennedy house and Mrs. Macklin's house and a hundred others") to a world where only about 15 percent of all the money in our system actually ends up in the real economy?  Rana notes that the 40-year process has culminated in the financial sector holding "a disproportionate amount of power in sheer economic terms. It represents about 7 percent of our economy but takes around 25 percent of our economy of all corporate profits, while creating only 4 percent of all jobs."

And if you have an MBA or are thinking of getting one, you might be interested in knowing that "an increasing number of business educators at top schools are concerned that MBA programs are churning out number crunchers without a conscience." Before you get too depressed, listen to the whole interview, because Rana notes "Despite all our problems, America is still the prettiest house on the ugly block that is the global economy." There are also some interesting policy shifts that could occur that would remedy the trend.

Callers/Listener E-Mails:

If you are interested in starting your own business, check out my conversation with Barbara, who is trying to decide whether or not to start a private practice. We discuss the Social Security Windfall Elimination for Scott, the use of fixed annuity for Deanna and robo advisors for Andrew.

Thanks to everyone who participated this week, especially Mark, the Best Producer/Music Curator in the World. Here's how to contact us:

• Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 

• Send an email: askjill@jillonmoney.com 

• Tweet us: @jillonmoney and @MTalercio

Making money in a low return world is tough. Last week, the yield on 10-year US government bonds touched an all-time low and stocks have been stuck in neutral for two years. Given the current environment, return caller Ryan asked whether one asset allocation fits all portfolios? In other words, should you put those investments which are likely to appreciate the most in a Roth IRA, where you will never have to pay taxes on the gains? It may take some some work, but the idea has merit.

• Download the podcast on iTunes
• Download the podcast on feedburner
• Download this week's show (MP3)

Heather Long, CNNMoney's senior markets and economy writer, joins the show to weigh in how you can make money in the current low return era. Heather notes that most forecasters now expect below average returns for the major asset classes over the next five years. She helps us decide what to do about it. Heather also discussed politics, diving into the question: Who’s better for your money: Trump or Clinton?

Thanks to everyone who participated this week, especially Mark, the Best Producer/Music Curator in the World. Here's how to contact us:

• Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 

• Send an email: askjill@jillonmoney.com 

• Tweet us: @jillonmoney and @MTalercio

Mark Miller, the editor and publisher of RetirementRevised and nationally recognized expert on trends in retirement and aging, returns to the show to offer his unique perspective. Mark offers a holistic view of retirement security, including healthcare and Medicare, Social Security, retirement investing, midlife careers and housing.  He also writes frequently about retirement-related public policy issues, including Social Security, Medicare and workplace retirement plans.

• Download the podcast on iTunes
• Download the podcast on feedburner
• Download this week's show (MP3)

We started the conversation discussing Mark's next book, “Jolt: From Trauma to Transformation,” which examines what makes some of us able to bounce back from trauma and others not so much.

Mark weighed in on the Department of Labor's Fiduciary rule and completely dismissed the industry's push back against the changes. (Check out his post: Is the fiduciary rule fight really about the little guy?) With trillions of dollars in assets set to leave big firms, it's no wonder they fought so hard against putting clients' interests first. We finished up with tips on Social Security and Mark's take on the possibility of Social Security expansion.

Thanks to everyone who participated this week, especially Mark, the Best Producer/Music Curator in the World. Here's how to contact us:

• Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 

• Send an email: askjill@jillonmoney.com 

• Tweet us: @jillonmoney and @MTalercio

Here's the perfect antidote to Brexit Blues: Talking travel with Peter Greenberg. Peter, a multiple Emmy-winning investigative reporter and producer, is the travel editor for CBS News, appearing on CBS This Morning, CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley, and Sunday Morning, among other broadcast platforms. He is also the host of  the public television show, “The Travel Detective with Peter Greenberg”.

• Download the podcast on iTunes
• Download the podcast on feedburner
• Download this week's show (MP3)

We started with the basics that every traveler needs to know about Zika virus. Although fear is dominating, Peter says travelers need to practice common sense and be sensitive to germs. Because of the Zika fears, there are still deals for the Olympics in Rio! Peter advises that if you are interested in heading down to Rio, call hotel and ask which organization is controlling the block and leave your name. He also said that economic problems in Puerto Rico are presenting travelers with good options.

Last year, Peter told us to get to Cuba before it becomes Miami Beach South. He reiterates that advice and says that there is even more access to Cuba now, because six airlines are flying there. "Go now." says Greenberg, because before long, there will be price gauging when all of the tourists get there. Spend a week, but remember that the island-nation is still primarily a cash-only country. Peter's big tip: Change US dollars into euros, because there is a 30 percent premium on USD exchanges!

Peter's current favorite European destination is Malta, which is 1.5-hour flight from Rome. He said that you will find history, art and architecture, as well as a classic hotel in the Corinthian. For exotic or faraway destinations, Peter likes the Faroe Islands (between Greenland and Europe) and Indi, which he says is too big to do as one trip. Peter's two favorite hotels in NYC are The Mandarin Oriental and The Lowell, which has the last working fireplaces in New York!

You may want to check out Peter's book, “Don’t Go There,” which helps travelers avoid some common pitfalls. He advises avoiding places with high pollution, crime and alcohol consumption. His hot list of places to avoid includes: Syria, Chechnya and the Congo.

As a reminder, Peter warns not to confine your search for airfare to the web–only 52% of inventory is available there! Amazingly, calling still works, as does using alternate airports, which can also help limit airport security craziness/lines.

FOLLOW UP: I mentioned that previous guest Mark Cortazzo has an Annuity Review service…the website is www.annuityreview.com.

Thanks to everyone who participated this week, especially Mark, the Best Producer/Music Curator in the World. Here's how to contact us:

• Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 

• Send an email: askjill@jillonmoney.com 

• Tweet us: @jillonmoney and @MTalercio

We celebrate Father's Day with guest Mark Cortazzo of Macro Consulting Group. Mark says retirement investing requires a big shift in thinking, especially when it comes to risk. While growing your portfolio, time and volatility can be your friend but once you start withdrawing from the portfolio, they become your enemy and market hits have a much greater impact. Mark's perspective on how to manage the transition from accumulating wealth to withdrawing during retirement is valuable.

• Download the podcast on iTunes
• Download the podcast on feedburner
• Download this week's show (MP3)

In honor of Father's Day, check out this post, where I review some of the valuable lessons Albie (also known on this show as "Big Al") imparted to me.

You might think that as a former options trader on the floor of the American Stock Exchange (AMEX), my father would have been a big risk-taker, but Dad developed a healthy respect for risk. He compared investing to swimming in the ocean. When the water is calm, you feel brave and alive, but when a wave sweeps you off your feet, you are humbled.

 Here are some of Dad's pearls of investing wisdom:

• “Every asset class stinks, but cash is the best of the worst.”
• Sarcastically referring to big investment firms’ opposition to the DOL’s Fiduciary Rule: “Only these geniuses think that NOT putting the client first is a smart business proposition.”
• About investors who pile into expensive, but poor performing hedge funds: “Just because they have money does not make them smart.”

If you missed the great episode with James Altucher, check it out here.

Thanks to everyone who participated this week, especially Mark, the Best Producer/Music Curator in the World. Here's how to contact us:

• Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 

• Send an email: askjill@jillonmoney.com 

• Tweet us: @jillonmoney and @MTalercio

Coach Barbara Russo has sound career advice for every worker: Use your gums, not your thumbs! In other words, stop texting and e-mailing and instead seek to create face to face relationships in your work life, if you want to succeed. Barbara says there are usually three types of clients that she encounters: those who want to get in, move up or move on. In each phase, she offers common sense ways that we can advance our careers.

• Download the podcast on iTunes
• Download the podcast on feedburner
• Download this week's show (MP3)

In many of her engagements, Barbara asks her clients to look within themselves to answer some important questions:

What do you want more or less of in your work and personal life? What is working right now/what isn't? What do you want your life to look like in the next 10-20 years? Are there co-workers or bosses who you need to better manage in order to be happier? For those who are risk-averse,  Barbara says,  "Sometimes you jump off a cliff and land paradise."

If you missed the great episode with James Altucher, check it out here.

Thanks to everyone who participated this week, especially Mark, the Best Producer/Music Curator in the World. Here's how to contact us:

• Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 

• Send an email: askjill@jillonmoney.com 

• Tweet us: @jillonmoney and @MTalercio

It's that time of the year...when all of your questions need attention! In addition to hearing your voices, we also love your e-mails. Unfortunately, they can start to pile up awfully quickly. That's why from time to time, we need to plough through them. If we went too fast, just nudge us again with another note. We also want to hear about your wedding guest etiquette!

• Download the podcast on iTunes
• Download the podcast on feedburner
• Download this week's show (MP3)

If you missed the great episode with James Altucher, check it out here.

Thanks to everyone who participated this week, especially Mark, the Best Producer/Music Curator in the World. Here's how to contact us:

• Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 

• Send an email: askjill@jillonmoney.com 

• Tweet us: @jillonmoney and @MTalercio

I recently listened to a podcast that prompted me to say aloud, “I need to interview this guy!” Thankfully in the social media age, I was able to tweet the host, James Altucher to let him know: Apr 30, 11:29am via Twitter for iPhone

@jaltucher I just listened to your minimalist podcast and it blew me away...would you consider being a guest on my podcast?

• Download the podcast on iTunes
• Download the podcast on feedburner
• Download this week's show (MP3)

From that tweet, “Jill on Money” history was made…for the first time in over five years of doing the show, we decided to have just one guest – James Altucher – for the ENTIRE show.

Even jaded Mark fell in love with James--here's a selfie we took in the studio.

If you are not familiar with James, you are in for a treat. He is a serial entrepreneur, investor, trader, writer and now podcaster. What drew me to James was his authenticity and willingness to talk about not just success, but also his failures. As you hear about his life, you may think, “How can I be more like this guy?” If so, you should read James’ book, “Choose Yourself”. You should also check out this post about minimalism as well as these posts that I think will be of great interest:

How to Be the Luckiest Guy on the Planet in 4 Easy Steps

How I screwed Yasser Arafat out of $2mm (and lost another $100mm in the process)

It’s Your Fault:

I’m Guilty of Torturing Women

The Girl Whose Name Was a Curse

The 100 Rules for Being a Good Entrepreneur:

The Easiest Way to Succeed as an Entrepreneur.

Thanks to everyone who participated this week, especially Mark, the Best Producer/Music Curator in the World. Here's how to contact us:

• Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 

• Send an email: askjill@jillonmoney.com 

• Tweet us: @jillonmoney and @MTalercio

Financial journalist, author and speaker Kimberly Palmer joins the show to discuss her new book "Smart Mom, Rich Mom" (order it here!). Kimberly says that the biggest problem families face is not preparing for the financial impact of kids. That’s amazing considering that raising a child costs $250,000-- not including college! How will you pay for it?

• Download the podcast on iTunes
• Download the podcast on feedburner
• Download this week's show (MP3)

Kimberly is the Features Editor of AARP and throughout her career, she has been covering the issues that confront women of her own generation. Our conversation highlighted many of the themes of her new book, including how women are navigating the financially challenging career/parenting years.

"Smart Mom, Rich Mom" is filled with relevant stories, checklists, action steps and planning tools to help moms (and dads!) prepare financially for parenthood, like balancing college saving and retirement saving, despite increased expenses; planning for unexpected events, like a layoff or illness; and adopting healthy habits--and making hard decisions--that pay off in abundance.

Thanks to everyone who participated this week, especially Mark, the Best Producer/Music Curator in the World. Here's how to contact us:

• Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 

• Send an email: askjill@jillonmoney.com 

• Tweet us: @jillonmoney and @MTalercio

Investors spend a lot of time worrying about the market implications of the political season. Guest Taylor Tepper, who is a writer at Money, says that's a mistake. Despite all of the worries about a Trump presidency, Taylor says that the stock market will NOT crash if Donald Trump were elected president. That's just one of the topics we covered in a great conversation that ranged from market implications of elections to the national debt, to a lightning round on how to reform the U.S. tax code.

• Download the podcast on iTunes
• Download the podcast on feedburner
• Download this week's show (MP3)

I met Taylor through my work at Money, where we have shot some great videos, including this one on the Department of Labor Fiduciary rule, this one about working in retirement and the one about bonds can be riskier than you think, which is when I discovered that Taylor likes this money and investing stuff as much as I do!

Here are Taylor's two recent articles that we reference during our interview:

"No, the Stock Market Won’t Crash if Trump Is Elected President"

"5 Things Most People Don't Understand about the National Debt" 

Thanks to everyone who participated this week, especially Mark, the Best Producer/Music Curator in the World. Here's how to contact us:

• Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 

• Send an email: askjill@jillonmoney.com 

• Tweet us: @jillonmoney and @MTalercio

We are wired to be lousy investors, says guest Dan Egan, the Director of Behavioral Finance and Investments at Betterment. Dan explained that the very cognitive behaviors that distinguish human beings from other forms of life, can lead us astray. Unlike traditional economists, who believe that incentives, along with logical thought processes, will ultimately dominate our decisions, behavioral economists acknowledge that human beings are not always rational and want to help people make better decisions by using their emotions to their advantage.

• Download the podcast on iTunes
• Download the podcast on feedburner
• Download this week's show (MP3)

Behavioral economists want to make it easier for us to do virtuous things, like saving for retirement and harder to do harmful things, like blowing our paychecks on fleeting, short-term pleasures.And if you ever wondered why it's so hard to stay on your diet, go to the gym or adhere to a financial plan, it is because willpower is actually a deplete-able resource - and making virtuous decisions can actually cause fatigue. The answer is to automate as much as possible. “Doing the right thing should be effortless,” says Egan, which is why Betterment uses behavioral science concepts to help people overcome their very natures.

Thanks to everyone who participated this week, especially Mark, the Best Producer/Music Curator in the World. Here's how to contact us:

• Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 

• Send an email: askjill@jillonmoney.com 

• Tweet us: @jillonmoney and @MTalercio

What's behind the curtain at those often-discussed, murky hedge funds? According to our guest Mark Spindel, the managers of these risky investment vehicles for the rich pretty much do what we do: try to figure out what's going on in the world (aka assess the macro economic outlook), weigh the risks that exists and put money to work. In addition to being one of my oldest friends in the world, Spindel is the founder, Managing Member, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer for Potomac River Capital, LLC.

• Download the podcast on iTunes
• Download the podcast on feedburner
• Download this week's show (MP3)

Prior to launching the firm a decade a ago, Mark spent nearly ten years at the World Bank where he was Deputy Treasurer and Chief Investment Officer of the International Finance Corporation managing $15 billion in fixed income reserves and was also a member of the Board of Trustees of the World Bank’s $14 billion pension fund where he oversaw strategic asset allocation across investment classes including equities, bonds and alternative investments (hedge funds, private equity and real estate).

Mark described where he thinks the economy stands right now: we are in a slow growth world, where the U.S. looks better than most of the alternatives. He says that being an investor in the post-crisis era is harder than it used to be--primarily because central banks are taking such unusual steps to spur their economies and it is hard to know what the impact of unwinding the policies will be. His recommendation for any investor? Own a large US stock index fund along with a bond fund that invests in inflation protected bonds or "TIPS".

Thanks to everyone who participated this week, especially Mark, the Best Producer/Music Curator in the World. Here's how to contact us:

• Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 

• Send an email: askjill@jillonmoney.com 

• Tweet us: @jillonmoney and @MTalercio

When Ted Benna, aka The Father of the 401(k), examined Section 401(k) of the tax code after it became effective in 1980, he realized that there could be a way for workers to save more money for retirement on a tax-deferred basis. The extra benefit that he saw was that employers could add a match, which would be a perfect way to incentivize all employees to forego some of their weekly pay and divert it towards retirement. The largest companies started the trend, but soon smaller companies, which previously had not offered any retirement savings vehicles, also got into the act. You know what happened after that--deferred savings plans replaced most pension plans and retirement savings became just one more thing that Americans had to do on their own.

• Download the podcast on iTunes
• Download the podcast on feedburner
• Download this week's show (MP3)

The first iteration of the 401(k) was pretty simple--just a couple of investment choices. Benna said that as plans introduced lots of investment choices, they became more confusing. Unfortunately, that opened the door for the financial services industry to pile on fees and also to make itself indispensable in the process. Benna believes that with the DOL's new fiduciary rule, participants should hopefully see a return to simpler plans with far more reasonable fees.

Thanks to everyone who participated this week, especially Mark, the Best Producer/Music Curator in the World, except when he picks Rod Stewart (#NeverAgain). Here's how to contact us:

• Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 

• Send an email: askjill@jillonmoney.com 

• Tweet us: @jillonmoney and @MTalercio

It's spring real estate season and if you're preparing to sell your house, don't miss this episode! Our guest Denise Rothberg, a realtor at Julie B. Fee/Sotheby's International Reality in New York discusses how to transform the emotional process of selling a home into a business transaction.

• Download the podcast on iTunes
• Download the podcast on feedburner
• Download this week's show (MP3)

As you start the process of listing your home, you need to choose the right realtor, who has experience with your neighborhood and price range. During the realtor interview process (you should talk to three agents), determine who has leapt into the digital age with a variety of ways to reach potential buyers.

Once you have your realtor, Denise says setting the right price is essential. The first three weeks of a home’s entrance on the market are the most critical for creating interest and attracting buyers. She also said that buyers often dismiss a listing that is “old and stale”, which means that the longer the home stays on the market, chances are the selling price will be lower, both in absolute dollars and as a percentage of list price. The corollary to overpricing is not recognizing when you need to reduce the price. Generally speaking, if there hasn’t been a bite for three to four weeks, it’s probably time for a price cut.

Additionally, first impressions matter, so identify the important home improvements that must occur before the open house. If you haven’t done so in a while, you will probably have to paint the house, replace the broken windows, clean or replace old carpets, cut the lawn, plant the flowers and tend to the garden. Even the small stuff counts, so make sure all light bulbs in the house are working, remove all clutter from closets and surface areas, fix leaky faucets, re-caulk the showers and tubs. If all of this prep sounds like too much work, you can hire someone to “stage” your home, which takes the process to a more professional level. Some sellers, especially those with older homes are choosing to schedule a pre-inspection for their own benefit. While this increases the costs associated with the sale, it may identify a potential problem earlier in the process.

If you are fortunate enough to get a bid, lean on your realtor to skillfully and calmly handle the negotiations. Your reactive or emotional responses can impede the process or worse, kill a deal.

Thanks to everyone who participated this week, especially Mark, the Best Producer/Music Curator in the World. Mark is back in the US and makes another appearance on the show. Here's how to contact us:

• Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 

• Send an email: askjill@jillonmoney.com 

• Tweet us: @jillonmoney and @MTalercio