Growing Money with Sean Trace

Dumb Money Lessons | Taylor Stewart | Growing Money with Sean Trace

I sat down with financial planner Taylor Stewart to do something nobody asked for but everyone needed: break down the financial disasters of Dumb and Dumber and find out why Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne might actually be the most relatable money story ever put on screen.  We kicked things off with the IOU suitcase scene, which honestly hits different when you realize it's just a funnier version of swiping a credit card you can't pay off. Taylor made the point that borrowing is always stealing from your future self, and spending a lump sum feels like having all the time in the world right up until the hourglass is empty.  That's the trap. Money that doesn't replenish itself disappears faster than you think, and no amount of optimism changes the math. What would you actually do if you found a suitcase with $1 million? Would you invest it, spend it, or something in between, and be honest with yourself about whether your answer changes if nobody was watching?

The Math of Enough | Colin Page | Growing Money with Sean Trace

In this episode of Growing Money with Sean Trace, I sit down with Colin Page, a CFP and flat-fee retirement planning advisor based in Charlottesville, Virginia, whose path into the financial world is anything but conventional. Colin brings a perspective on money that you genuinely do not hear anywhere else, and the insight he walked away with after years on the inside of professional investing completely changed how he advises clients today. We get into why so many smart, high-achieving people still struggle with their finances, what it actually means to take risk versus avoid it, and how to build a financial plan that bends with real life instead of breaking under it.  What is one thing you wish someone had taught you about money before you had to figure it out on your own, and how did not knowing it affect you?

How To Save More Money Even If You Feel Broke | Growing Money with Sean Trace

Most people don’t stay broke because of coffee.  They stay broke because nobody ever taught them how money actually works. In this episode of Growing Money with Sean Trace, Sean breaks down practical, real-world strategies to help you save more money, even when life feels expensive and overwhelming. We talk about: *  Why automating savings changes everything  *  How “pay yourself first” rewires your mindset  *  The real expenses secretly draining your money  *  Why flashy cars and lifestyle traps keep people stuck  *  How to create friction that stops impulse spending  *  Why increasing your income matters just as much as cutting expenses  *  The psychology behind saving money successfully  This isn’t financial guru nonsense.  It’s practical advice from someone who’s struggled with saving too, and is still learning, building, and improving every day. If you’ve ever felt like:  “I make money… so why do I still feel broke?” This episode is for you.

Audit Your Life Vision | Brendan O'Rourke | Growing Money with Sean Trace

I sat down with Brendan O'Rourke, Managing Partner at Greenway Financial Advisors, and this conversation is one of those that quietly shifts the way you think about money. Brendan works primarily with retirees and pre-retirees, and the wisdom he's gathered from sitting across from hundreds of families comes through in every answer he gives. We got into why so many people feel financially stuck even when things look fine on paper, and his answer has nothing to do with income. We talked about the difference between having a rigid plan and simply moving in the right direction, why telling people to follow their passion is often terrible advice, and how wealthy families think about money in ways most people never get exposed to. He also broke down the three-bucket framework he'd give his younger self: spend, protect, and grow - simple, boring, and genuinely powerful. When it comes to your money, are you more of a detailed planner or a "pick a direction and course correct" type, and has that approach actually worked for you?

The "Devil’s Kiss" Trap | Geoff Bruskin | Growing Money with Sean Trace

I sat down with Geoff Bruskin, founder of White Tiger Connections, to break down one of the most overlooked wealth-building tools available to business owners - mergers and acquisitions. Geoff specializes in M&A advisory, recruiting, and management consulting for professional services firms. We get into what mergers and acquisitions actually mean in plain terms, why your business valuation can look completely different depending on whether a traditional buyer or private equity is at the table, and what EBITDA really is and why it matters more than your gross revenue when serious buyers are involved. Geoff also explains why the single most valuable thing a business owner can do, years before they even think about selling, is to remove themselves from day-to-day operations and build a company that runs without them. If you found out you could sell your business today, do you think a buyer could run it without you, or are you still the business?