Grown-Up Stuff: How to Adult

There’s something incredibly appealing about having the freedom to move seamlessly throughout the world in your very own car. Nowadays, there are a lot of car options to choose from and all at very different price points.

With the help of CarTalk Editor-in-Chief Jamie Page Deaton, Matt and Molly figure out how to choose the right car based on needs and cost. Discover the best ways to calculate a budget for acquiring a car, the different types of fuel-efficient and electric vehicle options on the road, and the latest safety features in cars and how to use them.

Plus learn about how you can avoid becoming upside down on your car loan.

Sources Cited:

• The Zebra - Car Ownership Statistics
• Pew Research Center - “Car, bike or motorcycle? Depends on where you live"
• AA Newsroom - Annual Cost of New Car Ownership Crosses $10K Mark
• U.S. Department of Transportation - NHTSA Announces Final Rule Requiring Rear Visibility Technology
• J.D. Power - Electric Vehicle Trends for 2023

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In our previous episode, we learned all about how to pay and save for college with a 529 savings plan. But a bachelor’s degree program isn’t the only path to take when it comes to higher education.

In this special episode of “Grown-Up Stuff: How to Adult,” sponsored by EdVest of Wisconsin and the Michigan Education Savings Program, Molly and Matt will explore all of the options people have after graduating high school – and beyond a bachelor’s degree.

With the help of return guests Robin Lott and Jackie James, we’re discussing the value of all types of degrees and certificates with the goal of helping you determine your own personal path. The best part? You can use a 529 savings account to pay for any of them!

Sources Cited:

• National Center for Education Statistics
• US Department of Labor and Bureau of Labor Statistics

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This just in: college is freaking expensive! But pursuing any kind of education after high school – whether a bachelor’s degree, associate’s, or trade certification – can make a huge difference in your career. In this special episode of “Grown-Up Stuff: How to Adult,” sponsored by EdVest of Wisconsin and the Michigan Education Savings Program, Matt and Molly speak with college savings experts Robin Lott and Jackie James about the best ways to save and pay for higher education as a parent or student. (Spoiler alert: start saving now.) If you have children – or plan on it down the road – it’s never too early or too late to start saving for college.

Learn about the best student loan options, how often you can reapply for financial aid, and the many benefits to opening a 529 college savings plan.

Sources Cited:

• National Center for Education Statistics
• “A Look at College Tuition Growth Over 20 Years” - US News & World Report
• Federal Student Aid Data for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With all the intense heat experienced globally this summer, utility bills have been rising right along with the temperatures. So how can we better understand things like our energy and water usage to keep our utility bills as low as possible? In this episode of “Grown-Up Stuff: How to Adult,” Molly and Matt talk with Lucas Hall, founder of Landlordology, about all things Utilities. 

Find out what’s considered an essential utility, which utilities you’re responsible for as a renter, and how we can keep our bills down during the peak of summer and the dead of winter. 

Sources Cited:

• Scientific America - “July 2023 Is the Hottest Month Ever Recorded on Earth”
• EPA - Climate Change Indicators: Heat Waves
• National Energy Assistance Directors Association - Families Spend More on Summer Cooling

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last episode we learned all about how to find and lease an apartment, but in this episode, we’re leveling up with how to buy and finance a home. We’re talking about mortgages, escrow, and HOAs with Vanessa Aragon, a licensed real estate agent in Scottsdale, Arizona. Did you know you could put down less than six percent to buy a home?? (Thanks, Vanessa.)

Discover if you’re ready for home-buying – and if your budget is, too. Plus, find out why you really don’t want to skip a home inspection during the buying process.  

Sources Cited: 

• Housing Market Predictions for 2023 from Banke Rate
• NAR Research Group’s Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report
• 2022 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers
• Best Lenders for FHA Loans in July 2023 from Nerd Wallet

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There are a lot of pros and cons to renting an apartment. On one hand, there’s no freer feeling than being able to pick up and move to anywhere your heart desires at the end of your lease. On the other hand – good luck if you want to customize that space with anything more than a paint job…. In this episode of Grown-Up Stuff: How to Adult, we’re talking to New York real estate broker Mark Metzger from the Corcoran Group to learn some tips on how to find an apartment and the terms we need to know to better understand our lease. Plus, discover the best strategies for how to negotiate your lease terms and lock in a lower rent. 

Learn about your rights as a renter by checking out your city’s or state’s Department of Housing website: 

• New York City, NY- https://hcr.ny.gov/division-housing-and-community-renewal 
• Boston, MA - https://www.boston.gov/departments/housing 
• Los Angeles, CA - https://housing.lacity.org/ 
• San Francisco, CA - https://sf.gov/topics/housing 
• Chicago - https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/doh.html 
• Austin, TX - https://www.austintexas.gov/page/tenant-stabilization-and-renters-rights 
• Minneapolis, MN - https://www.minneapolismn.gov/resident-services/property-housing/ 

Cited Sources: 

• 2021 Census Data on Renting
• Changes in New York State Rent Law 
• City of Boston Rent Stabilization
• “Portland Voters Reject Rent Control Changes” (H/T NBC News Center: Maine)
• “Rent Control Versus Rent Stabilization: What it All Means for Landlords” (Forbes)

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From credit cards to credit scores and everything in between, “Grown-Up Stuff: How to Adult” digs into the good, bad, and prudent ways to build and use credit. We talk to Sara Rathner, a senior writer, travel, and credit card expert at NerdWallet, about why making purchases with a credit card (instead of a debit card) is safer, how we can build our credit back up from a less-than-perfect past, and how to effectively use your credit card to build up a personal rewards savings account!

Cited Sources: 

• Board of Governors of The Federal Reserve Sustem - Economic Well Bing of U.S. Households in 2021

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Watching TikToks of home cleaning and organizing hacks are some of our favorite things to do; it’s like a squeegee for our brains. But how can we apply the lessons of the internet to the way we clean our own homes, and should we? Join us on a cleaning journey with our “TikTok Auntie”  and author of the book, “How to Clean Everything: A Practical, Down to Earth Guide for Anyone Who Doesn’t Know Where to Start,” Ann Russell. Ann tells us the essentials for a home cleaning kit and explains how often we should be tidying our kitchens, bathrooms, and bedsheets without getting overwhelmed by it all. Plus learn how you might be using anti-bacterial sprays wrong.

Cited Sources: 

• Journal of Neuroscience (Via National Library of Medicine): "Interactions of Top-down and bottom-up mechanisms in human visual cortex" 
• "The Clutter Culture" UCLA's Center on Everday Lives of Families' study of contemporary Suburban America

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Wedding season is officially upon us – which means it’s time to struggle with overwhelming gift registries and confusing dress codes (what the hell is “cocktail semi-casual??”). To help us sort through all of the madness, we’re chatting with Lizzie Post, author of “Emily Post’s Etiquette - the Centennial Edition” and co-host of the podcast “Awesome Etiquette” (also Emily Post’s great-great-grandaughter!). Learn about the importance of RSVP cards, whether or not it’s okay to buy a gift off-registry, and why wearing all white to a wedding as a guest is the ultimate faux pas. 

Cited Sources: 

• The Wedding Report - "2021 Covid-19 Wedding Market Update"
• Bankrate - "Survey: Americans can expect to spend over $600 to attend a wedding in 2023" 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the very first episode of “Grown-Up Stuff: How to Adult,” we’re gonna get down to the basics of a very adult matter: retirement. Joined by CPA and Asset and Wealth Management Assurance Senior Manager Jonah Batista, Molly learns it’s never too early to start thinking and saving for retirement and another important lesson about which types of retirement accounts you should be investing. 

Cited Sources: 

• 2020 US Census Data - "New Data Reveal Inequality in Retirement Account Ownership"
• Social Security Administration - "Are Americans Financially Educated on Retirement Savings" 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.