Don't Believe The Hype: College Financial Planning with Jason Slone, PhD, CCFC®

Don't Believe The Hype: College Financial Planning with Jason Slone, PhD, CCFC®

From Ivy League myths to the hidden mechanics behind college rankings, this episode is a masterclass in what families actually need to know before making one of their biggest financial decisions. Barbara sits down with Jason Slone, PhD, CCFC®, Wealth Advisor and Head of College Planning at Etch Financial, and author of the Amazon number-one book Too Rich For Aid, Too Poor To Pay. Jason breaks down the four financial fit categories, the real cost of prestige, and the tools families can use to shop smart for college without derailing their retirement. What’s in This Episode: * Why today's parents are caught off guard by rising college costs * The selection bias behind Ivy League success and why prestige may not be worth the price * The biggest mistakes families make, including skipping a budget and assuming they won't qualify for aid * How Jason used a real-money exercise with his own son to choose a debt-free path * Why Jason calls a college degree a commodity and what rankings aren't telling families * How universities manipulate selectivity rankings using test-optional admissions policies * The Chivas Regal effect and why colleges raise prices on purpose to signal prestige * The four financial fit categories and how to match your family's profile to the right school * How College Aid Pro helps families estimate true net cost across thousands of schools for free Visit: Get Jason Slone's book: Too Rich For Aid, Too Poor To Pay? [https://www.amazon.com/Too-Rich-Aid-Poor-Pay-ebook/dp/B0GS3RBBYX] Connect with Jason Slone, PhD, CCFC® [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-slone-phd-ccfc-578601231/] on LinkedIn Learn more about College Aid Pro [https://collegeaidpro.com/] Learn more about Etch Financial [https://etchfinancial.com/] Learn more about Barbara Treadwell and future episodes at BarbaraTreadwell.com [http://barbaratreadwell.com] Follow on Instagram @LoveAndMoneyPodcast and on Facebook Love & Money with Barbara Treadwell [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578680085414] Securities offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc. member FINRA [https://www.finra.org/]/SIPC [https://www.sipc.org/]. Osaic Wealth is separately owned and other entities and/or marketing names, products or services referenced here are independent of Osaic Wealth.

Digital POA: Electronic Communications

Most estate planning documents cover the basics - but one critical piece is often missing. In this short video, Barbara Treadwell walks through the importance of digital power of attorney, or access to electronic communications, and what it means for your family's financial security. Using a real client story, she explains why making sure your loved ones can access your passwords and digital accounts could make all the difference. What’s in This Episode: * What digital power of attorney is and how the name varies by state * The difference between DocuSign capability and accessing passwords and digital accounts * A real-life example showing why estate planning needs to account for digital accounts and passwords * Why storing all passwords in one person's head creates a financial crisis for survivors * The importance of each spouse having money accessible in their own accounts * What digital POA covers: social media, online banking, cryptocurrency, and credit cards * Why digital access planning matters beyond emergencies, including everyday travel scenarios * Key components: listing email, social media, banking, and credit card accounts * How to identify digital assets and choose a trusted agent to carry out your wishes * Barbara's recommendation to review estate planning documents with your attorney Visit: Learn more about Barbara Treadwell and future episodes at BarbaraTreadwell.com [http://barbaratreadwell.com] Follow on Instagram @LoveAndMoneyPodcast and on Facebook Love & Money with Barbara Treadwell [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578680085414] Securities offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc. member FINRA [https://www.finra.org/]/SIPC [https://www.sipc.org/]. Osaic Wealth is separately owned and other entities and/or marketing names, products or services referenced here are independent of Osaic Wealth.

Lifetime Income for the Adult Disabled Child

What does it take to secure lifetime income for an adult disabled child after their parents are gone? This episode is a sequel to the Adult Disabled Child episode, where Barbara Treadwell identifies a wonderful resource and walks through a detailed discussion of how to set up a plan for guaranteed lifetime income for the adult disabled child. Drawing from her own experience as a mother and a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®), Barbara shares what she wishes she had known sooner. What’s in This Episode: * Barbara's personal experience raising her son Terry and the long-standing concern about who would care for him and how after her death * How watching her own podcast episode about a couple with a 37-year-old disabled son prompted a middle-of-the-night breakthrough * The 72T provision - a section of the tax code that waives early withdrawal penalties for persons who are totally and permanently disabled * How lifetime income annuities can be structured with the disabled adult as the annuitant, not the parent as the owner * Using affordable term insurance to bridge the gap between a disabled person's current age and age 50, when annuity income could begin * The key differences between qualified, non-qualified, and Roth accounts, and why this distinction matters for disability planning * Why qualified money placed into a trust triggers an immediate tax, and why non-qualified money works better in a trust structure * The difference between a special needs trust and a revocable trust, and how each affects eligibility for government assistance programs * The EDB (Eligible Disabled Beneficiary) provision, which allows a totally and permanently disabled person to receive lifetime IRA distributions rather than the standard 10-year rule * Testamentary trusts as a no-cost planning option for families whose primary asset is a 401k plan Visit: Learn more about Barbara Treadwell and future episodes at BarbaraTreadwell.com [http://barbaratreadwell.com] Follow on Instagram @LoveAndMoneyPodcast and on Facebook Love & Money with Barbara Treadwell [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578680085414] Securities offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc. member FINRA [https://www.finra.org/]/SIPC [https://www.sipc.org/]. Osaic Wealth is separately owned and other entities and/or marketing names, products or services referenced here are independent of Osaic Wealth.

JOY Mental Performance: Finding the Joy Within

What happens when fear of failure becomes the thing standing between a person and their best performance? Katie Large knows that answer firsthand. A mental performance coach and the first All-American in University of Chicago lacrosse history as a sophomore, Katie joins Barbara for this episode of the "health for a long life" mini-series to talk about overcoming fear, self-doubt, and anxiety in high-pressure roles from sports to medicine to financial advising. What’s in This Episode: * Katie's early athletic life as a shy, fearful competitor, and how anxiety prevented her from performing at the level she trained for * How undiagnosed celiac disease, a hyper-competitive youth sports environment, and tough coaches shaped her self-doubt * Being recruited to the University of Chicago's brand-new lacrosse program, and her determination to prove herself * How COVID cut short her freshman season, and how the pressure of returning brought her anxiety to a breaking point * The introduction to mental performance coach Chris Thomas and how his guidance changed everything for Katie * Becoming the first All-American in program history at just her sophomore year after rediscovering the joy of playing * The important distinction between happiness (external) and joy (internal), and how that difference became the backbone of her practice * Her 90-day coaching program: taking high performers from overwhelming anxiety to feeling their best in high-pressure situations * The Joy community subscription model, offering ongoing support, shared goals, and connection with others on the same journey * Why seeking mental performance help is a sign of bravery, and how this care applies far beyond sports to doctors, executives, first responders, and more Visit: Connect with Katie Large [KatherineLarge11@outlook.com] Learn more about Barbara Treadwell and future episodes at BarbaraTreadwell.com [http://barbaratreadwell.com] Follow on Instagram @LoveAndMoneyPodcast and on Facebook Love & Money with Barbara Treadwell [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578680085414] Securities offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc. member FINRA [https://www.finra.org/]/SIPC [https://www.sipc.org/]. Osaic Wealth is separately owned and other entities and/or marketing names, products or services referenced here are independent of Osaic Wealth.

Modern Nutrition: Trends, Technology and Truth

Food is medicine, but navigating the noise around nutrition can feel overwhelming.  As part of the "Health for a Long Life" mini-series, Barbara sits down with Madeline Mills, a highly credentialed registered dietician and certified personal trainer, for a grounded conversation about what we eat, why it matters, and how to make better choices at any age. Madeline brings both clinical expertise and refreshing common sense to some of the most talked-about topics in nutrition today. What’s in This Episode: * How Madeline's upbringing, adventurous palate, and early exposure to diet culture shaped her path to becoming a registered dietician * Fiber diversity explained: why feeding different gut bacteria with a variety of plant foods builds a stronger, more resilient microbiome * Why both protein and fiber deserve the spotlight, and how each supports long-term health in different ways * Building and maintaining muscle mass as we age, and why that foundation has to start earlier than most people think * Supplements decoded: a food-first philosophy and what the research says about creatine, magnesium, and omega-3s * How AI can serve as a useful nutrition tool for meal planning and research without replacing professional guidance * Lifespan vs. health span: the growing gap between how long we live and how well we actually feel during those years * Why Madeline focuses on prevention over reversal when it comes to chronic disease and biological age * Organic food labels demystified: the spectrum from 100% organic to "made with organic ingredients" and what it means for your choices * Madeline's closing message: simplify, build balanced meals, and aim for 30 different types of plants each week Visit: Connect with Madeline Mills at usenourish.com [http://usenourish.com]Learn more about Barbara Treadwell and future episodes at BarbaraTreadwell.com [http://barbaratreadwell.com] Follow on Instagram @LoveAndMoneyPodcast and on Facebook Love & Money with Barbara Treadwell [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578680085414] Securities offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc. member FINRA [https://www.finra.org/]/SIPC [https://www.sipc.org/]. Osaic Wealth is separately owned and other entities and/or marketing names, products or services referenced here are independent of Osaic Wealth.