In this episode of Growing Money with Sean Trace, I sit down with tax planner and financial pro Felicia Greenwald to talk about how to stop being reactive with money and start getting intentional, especially with taxes, spending, and retirement planning.

We dig into why so many people fall for viral money tips and tax “hacks,” why “it’s a write off” can still be a terrible decision, and how simple habits like actually looking at your expenses can change everything. We also get real about financial anxiety, how it hits people at every income level, and why having a trusted guide like a CFP, tax planner, or advisor can help you turn the chaos into a clear plan.

Along the way we talk Profit First, lifestyle creep, keeping up with the Joneses in the Instagram era, and how shifting your spending toward experiences and your real values can lower stress and build long term wealth without feeling deprived.

In this episode, I sit down with financial planner Taylor Stewart for one of the most honest conversations I’ve had about money, uncertainty, and what real financial planning should look like. We talk about the messy reality of life, diapers, dogs, spilled coffee, bad first dates, and why those imperfect moments actually mirror how most of us handle money. Taylor shares how growing up around financial planning gave him one vision of the profession, only to discover later that much of the industry is built around selling products instead of giving real advice. That realization pushed him to build a new approach to planning, write a book on embracing uncertainty, and even create software that helps advisors focus on action instead of pointless precision.

We dig into why people get paralyzed trying to make perfect financial decisions, how optimization anxiety keeps us stuck, and why progress always beats perfection. Taylor explains why investments are overemphasized, liquidity is ignored, and why staying alive financially matters more than chasing home runs. We explore uncertainty as a necessary part of growth, from saying yes to scary opportunities to increasing the surface area for luck in life and business. Along the way, we talk credit cards, behavioral traps, gamified finance, building healthy money habits, and teaching kids financial principles through zombie apocalypse survival planning.

This episode is for anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed by money, frozen by too many choices, or frustrated with traditional financial advice. It’s about stepping back, focusing on what you can control, and building a life where your money supports your goals instead of stressing you out.

In this episode of Growing Money with Sean Trace, I sit down with financial coach Hannah Newberry from Map Your Money to talk about the real foundation of personal finance, budgeting, debt payoff, saving, and starting to invest without getting sucked into market panic or the nonstop noise of social media.

We break down why “confident advice” from friends or family can still be wrong, how to spot the difference between helpful guidance and loud opinions, and what it actually looks like to stay calm when your 401(k) drops or you feel crushed by a mountain of debt. Hannah shares practical ways to build financial resilience, including focusing on small wins, building consistent habits, using clear goals and visuals to stay motivated, and learning the rules of the money game, tax basics, and smart spending so you can make decisions with control instead of emotion.

If you’re trying to get out of consumer debt, improve money management, and build long-term wealth through steady saving and investing, this conversation is a reset for your mindset and a simple path forward when everything feels chaotic.

In this episode of Growing Money with Sean Trace, I sit down with Steven Fox, a former Marine turned CFP who built, scaled, and sold his financial planning firm, and is now reshaping how financial advice works.

We dig into the uncomfortable truth behind traditional financial planning, why so many advisors are really salespeople in disguise, and how everyday people get stuck buying products they do not actually need. Steven breaks down what real financial planning should look like, why advice only models remove hidden incentives, and how to spot whether someone is truly helping you or just making money off you. We talk about money anxiety, decision making, life planning, and why most people are not as far behind as they think.

This is a conversation about cutting through the noise, finding clarity with your finances, and building a money strategy that actually fits your life.

In this episode of Growing Money with Sean Trace, I sit down with Michigan State finance professor and registered investment advisor Steve Schiestel to talk about personal finance basics that actually stick, especially saving habits, wants versus needs, building an emergency fund, and why most people do better being consistent savers than trying to be genius investors.

We start with kid level money questions like what money is, how to save even a little, what to do with ten dollars, and how kids can earn money, then we zoom out into the real gaps in financial education, the psychology behind spending and investing, and why money behavior is often simple but not easy. I share a real dad moment trying to explain banks, limits, and saving to my daughter when she wants a gaming PC, and we get practical about budgeting rules of thumb, how much to save, housing cost targets, and why emergency funds can save a family when life hits. Steve breaks down common money mistakes like not saving early and trying to time the market, explains why low cost index investing and long term discipline beat chasing hype, and we connect it all to the casino style dopamine loops that make investing feel like a game.

We close with a clear guide for choosing a financial advisor, including fiduciary duty, fees versus commissions, credentials like CFP, and the trust factor, plus Steve’s advice to his younger self about taking smart career risks while still building long term financial security.

In this episode of Growing Money with Sean Trace, I sit down with Steve Heinemann, a financial planner in Southern California who helps busy mid-career professionals and families create financial clarity, reduce money anxiety, and make confident decisions even when real life is messy.

We talk honestly about how chaos at home can spill into your money life, why an emergency fund matters more than people think, and how high earners still get stuck when they do not have a clear view of cash flow and priorities. Steve breaks down how to stop drifting financially by keeping things simple, focusing on values first, and using practical check ins to make sure spending matches what you actually care about. I share my own journey paying off credit card debt, using credit cards as tools, and building a system that makes money management easier instead of overwhelming.

If you want a straightforward way to build financial confidence, align your money with your values, and create flexibility for the storms you cannot predict, this conversation will help you take the first intentional step.

In this episode of Growing Money with Sean Trace, I sit down with Ron Kmetovicz, a 78 year old dad, grandpa, and great grandpa who built his life as an engineer and entrepreneur, and now wants to pass down a simple, real-world pathway to financial independence.

Ron breaks financial freedom down into something you can actually remember and actually do, a five step process he teaches using nothing but his hand, abandon destructive behaviors, adopt effective behaviors, engage in meaningful work, invest wisely, and become financially independent. We talk about why most people feel behind, especially younger generations dealing with inflation, social media noise, and get rich quick myths, and why the real problem is usually a lack of role models and a lack of structure. Ron shares his practical definition of financial independence, minimal debt plus multiple revenue streams, and explains how to build that over 10 to 25 years without needing an MBA or fancy investing knowledge. We get into the foundation work that matters before investing makes sense, how habits compound the same way fitness does, and why his “ghost account” concept, consistent monthly investing in stable long-term funds, can become a parallel income stream that supports you later in life.

If you want a clear financial plan, a mindset reset, and a simple system for building wealth steadily, this conversation is a grounded guide to budgeting, debt payoff, long-term investing, and building multiple income streams the right way.

In this episode, I sit down with Randy Gage for one of those conversations that just goes deep: talking about prosperity, what it actually takes to build something, and the mindset shifts that change everything. We get into why entrepreneurs are really just artists, why money isn't the point (it's just a tool), and why most people are playing the money game with the wrong rulebook. Spoiler: cutting out your daily coffee isn't the strategy.

Randy opens up about his journey from poverty and failure to building multiple multimillion-dollar businesses, and we dig into how health, relationships, contribution, and mindset all tie into real wealth. This conversation is about expanding what you think is possible, unlearning the toxic money beliefs you didn't even know you had, and understanding that abundance comes from solving problems and adding real value, not from playing it safe.

If you've ever felt stuck, played small, or wondered why some people keep winning while others are just trying not to lose, this one's going to challenge how you think about money, success, and what a prosperous life actually looks like.