Joe Saul-Sehy Interview: "Stacking Benjamins" in his Mom's Basement!
Diana Landau | September 02, 2024
Carl interviews "Stacking Benjamins" host Joe Saul-Sehy. Joe is a former financial advisor and has represented American Express and Ameriprise in media. He was "Money Man" on WXYZ-TV in Detroit and has appeared in countless newspapers and magazines, including the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Sun-Times, Detroit News and more. Joe left his financial advising career at age 40 and never looked back. His award-winning podcast is one of the most listened to in the personal finance sphere. Plus, he's really funny! (Full disclosure: Carl is a total fanboy of the show.)
Joe grew up in Michigan in a hard-working middle-class family. He tells us that whenever his parents would discuss money, as kids they had to leave the room, which was like a lot of families back then. "So I end up going to college with zero understanding of how money worked, how credit cards worked." His financial lesson came when he went to a military college in South Carolina and with no money, no income and no job, he somehow secured a credit card. He bought things, not thinking about how he was going to pay for them. "I burned my credit right out of college."
Joe worked at a call center for a water treatment plant and decided he needed to make a change. He eventually became a financial advisor. He loved helping people, while not taking his own advice. "The lie that I lived, that people still live today, is that if I just make more money, I don't need to budget. All my problems are solved if I just make a little more." Over time he realized that he should start taking the advice he was giving other people and did well in his 16-year career.
AHA moment: At age 40, a fellow employee was leaving the firm, saying he felt like he had "...other mountains to climb." Those words had a huge impact on several people at the office, including Joe. "Why spend your life doing something that's a 6 or 7 outta 10 for you?" he says.
Joe sold his business and pursued one of his dreams--to be a high school teacher and track coach. He figured out quickly that dealing with administration wasn't going to work for him. He said that sometimes, "you just have to go down the path to see what opens you up, what lights you up." Joe pivoted to consulting for financial planners, ghost-writing for them in various media, becoming the Money Man on TV and working as a radio host.
"My favorite radio guest Josh Bannerman (AKA OG) and I decided to start a podcast different from the others, about making personal finance more approachable, interesting and fun. We had no idea how to do it!" Thirteen years later, the Stacking Benjamins podcast is a huge success, one of the top listened-to podcasts in the financial realm. He currently lives with his wife in Texarkana, and when not working on the podcast, one of Joe's other passions is board games.
What's with Joe's Mom's basement? You'll need to listen...
Joe Saul-Sehy's Unretirement advice:
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"Stop spending time online. Go to conferences on whatever interests you. Go and meet people!"
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"If you join and volunteer with local clubs, you actually find your real-life community."
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"It's a truth: You are a product of who you surround yourself with."
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"It ain't about retirement. It's about the journey we're on." 
Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Pickleball Media After 15 years in corporate marketing, in 2012 she pivoted to write and wrangle content for Niche Media's weekly blog. She now manages the "I Used to be Somebody" blog
Mark Linsz: Top Bank of America Exec now a Second Act Guru
Diana Landau | December 07, 2021
Carl interviews Mark Linsz, the Co-Founder and Senior Managing Partner of My Next Season, an organization that helps companies and individuals with important career transitions and ensures they happen well. Mark was formerly the CFO Risk Executive for Bank of America—in the top tier of leadership. He’s had 27 years of holding key corporate leadership roles on three continents.
Mark’s childhood was unique—since his father was a minister and professor, he grew up in Asheville, NC, lived on Long Island, NY, and then spent years living in Africa. “I always loved numbers and figuring things out—even as a little kid.” In college, he became intrigued by two possible careers: 1) a trader on the stock market floor, and 2) a real estate developer. He ended up in a very big-time career in risk management, helping businesses assess financial, lending, and even reputation risks. “The benchmark was if it was too embarrassing for my mother to read, that it probably isn't good.”
Mark and his family lived in Hong Kong and London before being called back to the United States right before the recession. “Both experiences were fantastic for our family, experiencing different cultures.” At the end of 2007, Mark was commuting between work in NYC and his family still in London, then the whole family moved to Charlotte and he took yet another position with B of A. It was a very stressful time for Mark and the entire world when the recession hit. You’ll have to listen to the podcast to hear what it was like from Mark’s top position in banking.
About 2013, Mark started thinking about what he wanted to do next. “I needed to do something different,” he tells us. At first, he thought he would go into some type of financial advising. But then he talked with his future business partner, Dr. Leslie Braksick about people in executive roles and how to help them with transitioning to the life they want in their second, or third act. They started My Next Season in 2014. “It’s been a fantastic ride!” he says. Mark and his family now live in Charlotte, North Carolina. He loves his work but also makes time for family and nurturing friendships. “Seeing people transition with purpose is really exciting and so rewarding. You can have more impact and influence than you ever had before.”
Mark Linsz’s (un)retirement tips:
• “If I had to do it all over again, I wish I’d taken more time off.” (In between career and new venture).
• “Take time to think through what you really want to do next. Take 6 months to a year to find your passion, it’s extremely important.”
• “Be open to a new purpose. Think outside that box. This is your opportunity to try new things.”
• “The three most important things to focus on in (un)retirement are your relationships (family, friends, work), your purpose and to make sure you are intellectually challenged.”
Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Pickleball Media. After 15 years in corporate marketing, in 2012 she pivoted to write and wrangle content for Niche Media's weekly blog. She now manages the “I Used to Be Somebody” weekly blog.
Kerry Hannon Interview: The Power of Curiosity!
Diana Landau | May 25, 2021
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Carl interviewed author, speaker, radio & TV commentator Kerry Hannon this week. In addition to writing 14 best-selling books, Kerry is a nationally recognized expert, spokesperson and strategist on career transitions, personal finance and retirement. She has covered all aspects of careers, business and personal finance as a columnist, editor and writer for The New York Times, Forbes, Money, U.S. News & World Report and USA today, as well as appearances on Dr. Phil, all the major networks, including CNBC, NPR and PBS. Kerry’s latest book is “Great Pajama Jobs.” We think the best way to describe Kerry is probably “prolific dynamo.”
Kerry grew up in Pittsburgh with her parents and three siblings. Her father had an entrepreneurial spirit as a consultant to large corporations to work on efficiency and management training. Dinner conversations were engaging, as her father was always taking on new clients in various businesses with new kinds of challenges. Her mother eventually worked with her father after the kids were raised. This love of meeting new people and taking on new challenges inspired Kerry. She knew at a very young age she wanted to be a writer and wrote her first book at age 12.
Kerry started writing for Duke University while a student there, as well as Pittsburgh Magazine and various horse-related magazines. “I’m a horse freak!” she says. After graduating she wrote for Business Times, Business Week, Advertising Age, even a column about alternative dance. Kerry has always loved diving into new subjects. Her dream job at the time was to write for Forbes, because her father was a devoted subscriber. At 24, she asked for an interview, eventually the job, moved to NYC. “I never looked back,” Kerry adds.
Not just a writer but a passionate spokesperson for people over 50, Kerry has testified before Congress about the importance of older workers. Before she takes on each job, she asks, “Is this something that is going to make a difference in someone’s life? I want to help people!” Kerry currently lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband, a documentary producer and her Labrador Retriever, Zena. She is still horse-crazy.
Kerry’s Tips for Preparing for UnRetirement
Soul search: “Take a couple of years to plan and think about it. I call it an inner MRI,” Kerry says. “Think about what you really want to do. Take baby steps. It (your path) is not necessarily linear, it’s more like a patchwork quilt, with different areas of interest.”
Get lean and mean: “The other piece of this (your unretirement plan) is you might want to work on getting financially fit. Pay down your debt, get control of your spending and credit cards, maybe downsize. Debt is the biggest dream-killer!”
Consider your options: “Then, when you are financially fit, you can do lots of things that are not so dependent on that paycheck. You can take a job that is enjoyable to you, or even start your own business. Working from home is great for older people, because there is little ageism, the focus is on performance.”
Embrace being a beginner: “Let your ego go. You’ve already accomplished a lot. It’s okay to be the person in the corner, not knowing how to do something, asking lots of questions. It’s good for you psyche. Be curious!”.png)
• More information about Kerry Hannon and her books: https://kerryhannon.com/
Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Pickleball Media. After 15 years in corporate marketing, in 2012 she pivoted to write and wrangle content for Niche Media's weekly blog. She now manages the “I Used to Be Somebody” weekly blog.
