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Bloomberg Radio is so yesterday. And how many of us can actually say we sit down and read the Wall Street Journal every day? Podcasts have become one of the most popular ways for consumers to ingest information on just about anything–so why not get your daily dose of finance medicine through one of these hand-picked podcasts we have cultivated!

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1. ChooseFI Podcast

chooseFI podcastPhoto Credit: ChooseFI.com

Co-hosts Jonathan Mendonsa and Brad Barrett discuss all things personal finance with a focus on helping listeners achieve financial independence. Some of their popular topics include reducing expenses, tackling debt, tax optimization, side hustles, and other great tips! In their most recent episode, I learned that you can ask a hospital for a discount on paying your bill in full. And guess what, most of the time they will allow it! With a 5 star rating on iTunes along with a listing as one of their Top 25 business podcasts since its creation only three years ago, ChooseFI is definitely an essential!

2. Bad With Money Podcast

bad with money podcastPhoto Credit: Bad With Money

New York Times best selling author, Gabby Dunn, started the Bad With Money podcast in 2016 to research and discuss economic topics with a social justice view, as she considered herself to be "bad with money" and wanted to start a journey to better understand how it affects our day-to-day lives. Ex-writer and producer for Buzzfeed, Gabby now focuses on discussing money topics from the point of view of POC, women, and the LGBTQ+ community and asks often neglected but important questions that are important to people identifying with these groups. One of her recent episodes discusses the costs of living abroad as an LGBTQ+ or black person. iTunes gives Bad With Money a 4.5-star rating, but I give it a solid 5!

3. Millennial Money Podcast

millennial money podcastPhoto Credit: Millennial Money

Shannah Compton Game, a Certified Financial Planner, started the Millennial Money podcast in 2018 to help make talking money less taboo. With a connection to her listeners declaring she is "just like you," Shannah aims not to necessarily teach, but to empower people to take the reins on their financial future. Many episodes focus on money mental fitness, a pillar of mental fitness in which people learn not how to necessarily have more money but feel more in control of their money, which has a huge impact on overall mental well-being. Shannah is considered fairly new to the podcast world and currently has a 4-star rating on iTunes, but I believe she has the potential to become one of the biggest financial podcasts out there.


4. Planet Money Podcast

NPR Planet Money podcastPhoto Credit: Planet Money

This long-established podcast that's sponsored by NPR has been in the podcast world since 2008. Current hosts Amanda Aronczyk, Mary Childs, Karen Duffin, Jacob Goldstein, Sarah Gonzalez, and Kenny Malone bring the perfect amount of comical banter to the money world to make every episode interesting. Check out the twitter account they created for their stock-market bot created to follow Donald Trump's business tweets and make stock-market trades accordingly, ironically handled @BOTUS. The Planet Money podcast currently has a 4.5-star rating on iTunes and boasts a Peabody award and the 2017 Edward R Murrow award for the investigations into Wells Fargo's retaliation against whistleblowers.

5. Millennial Investing Podcast

millennial investing podcast from the investor's podcast networkPhoto Credit: The Investor's Podcast Network

The Millennial Investing podcast is part of The Investors Podcast Network. This fairly new podcast is hosted by accounting and finance professional, Robert Leonard. The lead focus is covering all the basics for millennials to get into the world of investing. Robert interviews experts in the field, such as Scott Young, author of the bestselling Wall Street Journal book, Ultalearning, and Greg Smith, CEO of Thinkific to uncover their tips to help young millennials get into the investing world. For a newer podcast, Millennial Investing impressively holds a five-star rating on iTunes.

We use social media to keep up with the latest in the worlds of pop culture, politics, fashion, and music, so why not the world of finance? Whether you want to keep up with financial trends or get some quick money advice, we've gathered a list of five of the best personal finance influencers you need to follow.

1. J Money, Budgets Are Sexy

J. Money is a Mohawk rockin' husband and father who has been in the blogging business since 2008. His casual and easy to comprehend writing style makes learning about the financial world easy for anyone. J has received 12 industry awards and recently posted about his achievement of reaching a net worth over $1 million. If nothing else, you should at least follow him for his "dad worthy" money jokes!

Website / Twitter

2. Michele Schroeder-Gardner, Making Sense of Cents

Michele Schroeder-Gardner has been writing for her blog, Making Sense of Cents, since 2011 and has over 20 awards to show for it. She started her blog sharing how she paid off $38,000 in student loan debt in only 7 months. She now travels full-time. She's currently living on a sailboat with her husband. She shares best practices for paying off student loan debt along with some great tips for making money online. Plus, following her travel journeys is worth the follow alone!

Website / Twitter / Instagram

3. Erin Lowry, Broke Millennial

When I discovered Erin on Twitter, the first thing I noticed was her coined hashtag, #GYFLT (get your financial life together), which I naturally thought meant get your f***ing life together. The author of two books in the financial industry, Erin graduated from college debt-free and has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning, CNBC, and Fox and Friends. Upfront and hilarious, she breaks down the often confusing and scary finance world for Millennials.

Website / Twitter / Instagram

4. Tina Hay, Napkin Finance

What better way to guide you through the financial world than through pictures drawn on napkins? Tina is the founder and CEO of Napkin Finance, a site that makes money easy to understand through visualizations drawn on yes, you heard right, napkins! As their website so bluntly puts it, Napkin Finance is "everything you need to know about money in 30 seconds or less." Napkin Finance has collaborated with companies like JP Morgan, UBS, Michele Obama's Better Make Room Initiative, and the United States Olympic Committee. These bite-sized lessons make learning about money fun and quick.

Website / Twitter / Instagram

5. Lily, The Frugal Gene

Lily and her husband write for their blog, The Frugal Gene. She is a first-generation immigrant from China who was raised in San Francisco. Lily shares how her journey out of a life of poverty was the key motivator in attaining FIRE (financially independent, retiring early). Lily was able to pay off all of her student loan debt with only a part-time job in eight months! She shares interesting and unique tips on saving money, and she has been featured on The Cut, Rockstar Finance, Tiller Money, and Money.

Website / Twitter / Instagram

"I'm living so far beyond my income," wrote e.e. cummings, "that we may almost be said to be living apart."

If you find yourself in a similar financial predicament, it's likely time to stop making poetic quips and take a hard look at your financial reality. Is it time to ask for help? Asking for money from friends and family can be a dicey proposition, but if it's the difference between you and the poorhouse, it's time to put your pride aside and ask for help. How do you do it? Take our best advice.

Step 1: Get Real

The Mint appYalantis

"You can't ask for help when you're still going out on weekends and blowing a couple hundred bucks on cocktails and breakfast," writes Puckermob. "You have to go through your expenses with a fine tooth comb and see where you can really be saving and what's just nonsense."

Weekend warrior fun might be the tip of the iceberg. Are you spending $9.99 per month on apps you don't use? Do you subscribe to magazines that hit the recycling bin before your bedside table? When's the last time you actually went to the gym that costs $89 a month?

A site like Mint can help you see trends in your spending, where you're overspending, and where to cut back. It can be tempting to stick your head in the sand, but when it comes to finances, knowledge is power; being more aware can help you set a budget you can stick to.

Financial responsibility is not just about slashing costs. Can you make more money by driving Lyft after work or asking for a raise?

"Before you ask for a loan, make sure you've already taken positive steps towards improving your finances," advises Consumerism Commentary. "You aren't ready to take the responsibility of a loan from a friend or relative before improving your financial situation."

Step 2: If You Need Help, Don't Wait

"It is easier to admit that you need help than it is to deal with the consequences of being too prideful and allowing a situation to get too far out of hand," writes Eric Nisall. "The worst time to accept the fact that you need assistance is when it is too late."

Don't wait until the bank has started foreclosure proceedings and your bank accounts are so empty that they're incurring overdraft fees upon overdraft fees.

Step 3: Ask the Right Person

Ask someone who has money to give and isn't in a financially perilous position themselves. If they're retired and on a fixed budget, out of a job, or dealing with stacks of their own bills to contend with, your request may seem inconsiderate and tone deaf.

Step 4: Come Prepared

Create a document that shows how exactly how much money you need and what it will go toward. Not only will this demonstrate your competence and responsibility, it will help give the person you're asking a clear vision of what this money is for.

Step 5: Come Up With the Terms for Repayment

If you were to approach a bank or financial institution for a loan, terms of repayment would be outlined out the outset. Give your friend or family member the same clear-cut vision for how they'll get their money back. How long will it take you to pay back the loan? How often will you send them payments? Even small payments, made regularly, will establish trust.

Step 6: Pay Interest

This offer demonstrates that you're not just casually hitting someone up for cash because you can. By offering to pay interest, you're not only showing your responsibility, you're also expressing a form of respect. "Hey," your offer says. "I know you could be racking up compound interest on this money, but you're helping me out instead. Thanks." Insist on paying interest at the minimum rate they'd be able to earn from a high-yield savings account, about 2 percent.

Step 7: Put It All In Writing

Promissorynote templates designed specifically for loaning money to family and friends are available online. Putting the agreement in writing is another way to make the loan official and not just some loosey goosey handshake agreement.

Step 8: Pay the Loan Off Early

If your financial situation improves sooner than anticipated, pay the loan off early. "It will be a nice surprise, and on the personal relationship side, it might win you back 'points' you may have lost," says Consumerism Commentary. "At the very least it shows that you are not only a man or woman of your word, but you make extraordinary efforts not only to meet your obligations but outperform."