đź Open Enrollment: The Annual Game of âGuess What These Benefits Actually Meanâ
Every fall, HR drops that mysterious email: âItâs time for open enrollment!â And suddenly, youâre scrolling through options that sound like they were written by a committee of lawyers and robots.
â ď¸ âHigh-Deductible Health Planâ sounds scary. đ° âHealth Savings Accountâ sounds like a trap. đĄ And âFlexible Spending Accountâ? Not flexible enough when you forget to use it by December. Thatâs where planning actually pays off. In this weekâs video, I break down how to make smart benefit elections that fit your financial plan, not just your employerâs brochure. Because open enrollment shouldnât feel like a pop quiz you didnât study for.
đŽââď¸ In the Retirement Unit, financially-motivated crimes against common sense are considered especially heinousâŚ
These are their stories. DUN DUN.
Hi, Iâm Nick St. George, CFPÂŽ, and in todayâs episode of Retirement & Order, we meet Rob and Jen Langston. (Not their real names, of courseâthe names and some details have been changed to protect the financially innocent.)
Theyâre retired. Living the good life. Then BOOM đĽâcurveball. One of their adult kids hits a financial snag.
Rather than torch their retirement plan with capital gains or mortgage stress, we got creative. No, not “hide your money in a coffee can” creativeâstrategic creative.
We used an asset-backed loan against their taxable investment account. â No closing costs â No tax returns or underwriting drama â No capital gains â No disruption to their portfolio
Just fast, flexible helpâwith structure, boundaries, and peace of mind.
đŻ Moral of the story: You can be generous without going broke.
If you’re in the same boat, donât play financial detective solo. Book a quick callâletâs protect your retirement and your sanity.
Then you might be playing a dangerous game of financial Jenga â and Uncle Sam is just waiting to topple your tower.
In my latest video, I break down two real-life families navigating college costs, RSUs, and the ever-persistent tax goblin that shows up uninvited (and never brings snacks).
đ¨âđŠâđŚ The Daltons? College bills are now. đś The Simmons? Planning way ahead. Different stages. Different strategies. One simple truth: planning always wins.
And yes â in the spirit of Law & Order â the stories are real, but the names have been changed to protect the innocent (and the occasionally tax-confused).
If youâve got RSUs vesting and arenât sure whether to sell, hold, or hide⌠Watch this before you let the tax tail wag your financial dog.
đŚ Bonus: I explain RSUs in plain English â no CPA required.
đĽ Watch the full video or catch the podcast version â your future self (and your accountant) will thank you.
Weâve all been there: đš Debating if your adult kids need another “loan” or just a reality check. đš Arguing about who inherits grandmaâs prized casserole dish. đš Rolling your eyes at yet another Amazon box mysteriously appearing at your doorstep.
Money fights happen. But they donât have to turn your relationship into a Netflix drama.
Here are 5 common money battles couples faceâand how to fix them:
1ď¸âŁ Supporting Adult Kids: They’re adults, but somehow your payroll keeps growing. Time to draw some boundaries before your home turns into a wildlife preserve (you know, “Donât feed the animals,” right?).
2ď¸âŁ Inheritance Drama: Decide together who gets what before your kids decide with lawyers. (Spoiler alert: No one enjoys a family feud sequel).
3ď¸âŁ Opposite Spending Styles: Whether you’re the “budget wizard” or the “flash sale aficionado,” create space for BOTH styles. A little compromise = fewer glares at dinner.
4ď¸âŁ Hidden Spending: If youâre hiding packages or credit card statements, you’re not hiding moneyâyouâre hiding trust issues. Pour some bourbon, and have the talk regularly. No judgment, just honesty.
5ď¸âŁ Conflicting Goals: Camper vs. 401(k)? Retirement vs. adventure? Itâs not “either/or,” itâs “yes, and.” Dream together, plan together, thrive together.
đŹ If you believe retirement is just about having enough money, then you’re missing the bigger picture.
Sure, money matters, but retirement isnât just numbers on a spreadsheetâit’s about experiences. It’s trading your morning commute for sunrise tee times, swapping endless meetings for endless adventures, and replacing your daily grind with checking off your bucket list. đď¸ââď¸đ´âľ
Retirement is the freedom to choose how you spend your daysâmaking memories, traveling, and finally taking the time to truly enjoy what you’ve earned.
I’d love to hear what’s at the top of YOUR retirement bucket list. Skydiving? A month in Italy? Finally beating your personal best on the golf course?
đ Share your dream retirement experience below! đ
Volatility Isnât the VillainâYour Reaction Might Be
â ď¸ Breaking news: The market went down. đ Also breaking: It went back up. And down again. And⌠you get the idea.
If market swings give you anxiety and make you want to cash out faster than a kid with birthday money at Targetâthis one’s for you.
Because here’s the truth: Volatility isnât the enemy. Panic is.
đ The Market Is a Roller CoasterâNot a Death Trap
Yes, it goes up and down. But like a roller coaster, unless you jump off mid-ride, youâll end up back on solid ground. Investors who stay buckled in, even through the loops and dips, historically come out ahead.
đ§ The Cost of Freaking Out
Missing just a handful of the best market days can crush your long-term returns. And spoiler alert: those âbest daysâ often come right after the worst ones. Selling out during chaos feels safe⌠until you realize you locked in your losses and missed the rebound party.
đ What Should You Do Instead?
Stick to your plan.
Donât try to outsmart the headlines.
And for the love of compounding interestâdonât turn your portfolio into a panic button.
đď¸ In the latest Real Talk audio, I break down exactly why staying invested matters, how volatility can actually be your friend (yep), and why your financial future deserves more than emotional decision-making.
Bottom line: The market will swing. Thatâs its job. Your job? Stay grounded. Stay invested. Stay smart.
Letâs un-eff your financesâone mindset shift at a time.
How to Save for Your Kids and Your Retirement (Without Losing Your Mind or Your Money)
Letâs play a game: Youâve got one dollar.
đź Your kid wants to go to college (and preferably not be buried under student loan debt). đ§ Youâd like to retire someday without eating cat food.
So… who gets the dollar?
Welcome to one of the most commonâand emotionalâfinancial dilemmas: Do I save for my kidâs future or secure my own retirement?
Hereâs the answer: đ You can do both. You just need a strategy that doesnât come from the back of a cereal box.
1. Secure Your Oxygen Mask First
You know the airplane analogyâand itâs true. If youâre not okay financially, your kidâs future isnât either. Prioritize building your retirement foundation first. Your kids can get scholarships, part-time jobs, or choose a more affordable school. But thereâs no financial aid for retirement (unless your kid becomes a billionaire and returns the favor).
2. Automate Both Goals (Even If It’s Uneven)
Donât overthink perfection. Set up automatic contributions to your retirement and a 529 or custodial account for your child. Even small, consistent contributions compound over timeâand you wonât have to decide which goal wins every month. Youâre funding the future on autopilot.
3. Donât Guilt-Trip Yourself
This isnât a competition of love. Choosing to prioritize your long-term stability doesnât mean you donât care about your kids. It means you want to avoid becoming a financial burden on them later. (And letâs be honestâtheyâre already going to blame you for something, might as well not add âfinancial stressâ to the list.)
đď¸ Give the full audio a listenâI unpack this balancing act with a dose of real talk, some strategy, and a little humor (because letâs face it, finances can be stressful enough without sounding like a spreadsheet).
Remember: đĄ Youâre not choosing between your future and theirs. Youâre building a plan where everyone wins.
Letâs un-eff your financesâone smart move at a time.
3 Creative Ways to Teach Your Kids About Money (Without Putting Them to Sleep)
Letâs be honest: most kids think money just comes out of the wall. Or worseââCanât you just use the card?â
If youâve ever watched your child blow through their birthday cash like itâs Monopoly money, this post (and video đ) is for you.
We want to raise Game Changers and Wealth Buildersânot future adults who learn the hard way that â0% interest for 12 monthsâ is not free money.
1. Gamify the Basics
Kids love games. So make saving and budgeting one.
Set up a âfamily bankâ where they earn interest on savings.
Match their savings like a 401(k) for chores.
Let them âinvestâ in snack stocksâbuy Goldfish at 10 cents today, sell at 15 cents next week.
Suddenly, compound interest is cooler than Roblox coins.
2. Use Real-Life Scenarios (a.k.a. Donât Be Boring)
Skip the PowerPoint presentation. Teach money in the wild:
Grocery shopping? Show them unit pricing.
Eating out? Let them help calculate the tip.
Road trip? Hand them a gas budget and let them play CFO.
Theyâll absorb way more from hands-on money moments than any lecture.
3. Give Them ControlâAnd Let Them Mess Up
Yep, you read that right. Let. Them. Blow. It.
Nothing drives home the value of money like watching $20 vanish in a flash on the worst claw machine in America. It’s a lesson in budgeting, buyerâs remorse, and decision-making all in one go.
Youâre not raising perfection. Youâre raising confidence. And confidence comes from experienceâeven the oops kind.
đĽ Watch the full video for more tips and a few laughs along the way. Iâll show you how to plant the seeds for financial literacy that actually stick.
Because letâs face itâyour kid knows 84 YouTubers by name. Itâs time they learn who Warren Buffett is, too.
Ready to raise a money-smart kid (and maybe brush up on your own skills too)? Letâs un-eff the next generationâs finances, one piggy bank at a time. đŞđˇđ¸
đ¸ Your kid can explain Minecraft strategy in painstaking detailâŚ
But ask them what a Roth IRA is, and itâs đŚđŚđŚ.
đ Itâs time we taught our kids more than just how to swipe a debit card.
In this episode of Un Eff Your Finances, I break down how to get your kids started with real-world money smartsâwithout boring them to tears (or making it feel like detention).
đ Letâs raise the first generation that actually understands compound interest before they sign for student loans.
What can market pullbacks teach us about investing?
Tune into this round of Un Eff Your Finances, Nicholas St. George dives into the intricacies of market pullbacks. Buckle up as Nick unravels the chaos and gets to the heart of why these pullbacks aren’t just unavoidable but can actually work in your favor!
Nick discusses:
(00:03:00) The normalcy of market pullbacks and how history shows they’re nothing to fear
(00:06:04) Strategies to use pullbacks to your advantage through smart planning
(00:08:16). Keeping emotions in check during volatile times and sticking to your plan
(00:14:3) The impact of inflation on spending power and why long-term growth is vital
(00:25:20) The importance of having a solid and adaptable financial plan in place
