10 STEP TO FINANCIAL FREEDOM WITH THE BUDGETNISTA

0:00This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed Human.

0:31Can you hypnotize someone into sleeping with you? Can you get someone to join your cult? NLP was used on me to access my subconscious. Mind Games, a new podcast exploring NLP, a.k.a. neurolinguistic programming. Is it a self-help miracle, a shady hypnosis scam, or both? Listen to Mind Games on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello, hello, all my people. What's up? It's Questlove. Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with the one and only A$AP Rocky. He reflects on his journey from Harlem roots to global icon status and discovering the hip-hop origin of his name.

1:14The ledge was on the TV. Rakim had the Buckethead Kangol join on. Pops was like, that's Rakim. That's who you named after. I just, damn the f***ing f***ing swag. But listen to the Questlove show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. A new year doesn't ask us to become someone new. It invites us back home to ourselves. I'm Mike Della Rocha, host of Sacred Lessons, a space for men to pause, reflect, and heal. This year, we're talking honestly about mental health, relationships, and the patterns we're ready to release. If you're looking for clarity, connection, and healthier ways to show up in your life, Sacred Lessons is here for you.

1:58Listen to Sacred Lessons with Mike Delaroach on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's Joel. And Matt. From HowToMoney. If your New Year's resolution is to finally get your finances in shape, we've got your back. Prices, they're still high, and the economy is all over the place. But 2026 is the year for you to get intentional and make real progress. That's right. Each week we break down what's happening with your money, the most important issues to focus on, and the small moves that make a big difference. Kick off the year with confidence. Listen to How to Money on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

2:36This episode is brought to you by PNC Bank. A lot of people think podcasts about work are boring. And sure, they definitely can be. But understanding a professional's routine shows us how they achieve their success little by little, day after day. It's like banking with PNC Bank. It might seem boring to save, plan, and make calculated decisions with your bank. But keeping your money boring is what helps you live a more happily fulfilled life. PNC Bank, brilliantly boring since 1865. Brilliantly boring since 1865 is a service mark of the PNC Financial Service Group, Inc. PNC Bank, National Association member FDIC.

3:18One thing that like I see like as my role, I feel like everybody has like a role in whatever, like let's just talk about like the financial like space, financial education space, right? So I see my role the same way I saw my role when I used to teach Sunday school, like as a teenager, preschool, as like 20, early 30s, and the budget needs to now that, you know like i'm here to provide you with the financial fundamentals because i don't care how much money you make if you don't have the fundamentals you can be wiped out just like that i've seen this wiped out i'll give an example i remember i was at speaking at this um speaking engagement this woman came up to me and said i don't know what i do i don't know what i should do i owe over a million dollars and i was like what and she had had cancer and that was her that was her medical bill when it was all said and done so how how you how how you out earning that you know what i mean like you out earn the cancer so like those are the financial fundamentals are this i actually call it financial wholeness right so these are the fundamentals it's budgeting people don't want to talk about like it's not sexy like game stop options right like because now the caveat is this sis is wealthy i have multiple my net worth is multiple seven figures I'm not talking about like theoretically in stuff.

4:39I'm talking about cash. I'm talking about investments. I'm talking about real estate. Like I have money just to preface it with that. Because you know, people hear about - Don't play it now. Don't play yourself. Don't ever play yourself. No, because - She speaks about herself. Third person. No, because sometimes people hear - Bro is wealthy. Bro is wealthy. First and foremost, don't ever play yourself. No, I share that because when people hear the fundamentals, they're like, wah, wah, broke. No, there's nothing broke here. Not only am I wealthy, I'm debt-free like a five-year-old. I don't owe nobody nothing, not even my businesses.

5:09I have five businesses. We made eight figures last year, just over 10 million. I'm not saying that to brag. I'm saying that to set the stage for, I'm talking about fundamentals from a place of, you can grow wealth from a place of fundamentals and wealth that you can actually keep. So let's go over the 10 financial fundamentals. I like to call it financial wholeness. It's a holistic view of your finances. One, budgeting, two, savings, three, debt. You have to manage debt. You don't have be debt free you know i know people like debt free debt free guess who else is debt free i i told y 'all like my literally today is my niece's birthday right and she don't have no mortgage no car no no no nothing and she's four happy birthday shout out to you girl but you're still broke you know because debt freedom doesn't equal we mentioned that before debt freedom does not equal wealth right so three debt four credit right credit is a lever i don't think people understand that like like think about a door a door is a lever this small knob can can twist a big door that's what credit is able to do it is this a small amount of money that's able to give you access to large amounts of money right this is what what credit is five learning to earn increasing your income i hope you're writing this down okay um you have to learn to earn you know like it's not just enough to budget and save you're not going to budget and save your way to wealth it's great foundational stuff but you have to know how to bring money into your household.

6:30Six, investing for both retirement and wealth. I make the distinction because to me, investing for retirement is really investing in a way that will help you to maintain your current lifestyle. That's the bare minimum. Minimum, yes. Like, are we trying to eat cat food? What are we doing? Run a business and not thinking about podcasting? Think again. More Americans listen to podcasts than ad-supported streaming music from Spotify and Pandora. And as the number one podcaster, iHeart's twice as large as the next two combined. So whatever your customers listen to, they'll hear your message. Plus, only iHeart can extend your message to audiences across broadcast radio.

7:06Think podcasting can help your business? Think iHeart. Streaming, radio, and podcasting. Call 844-844-iHeart to get started. That's 844-844-iHeart. A new year doesn't mean erasing who you were. It means honoring what you've survived and choosing how you want to grow. It means giving ourselves permission to feel what we've been holding and knowing that it's okay to ask for help. I'm Mike Dallarocha, host of Sacred Lessons. This podcast is a space for men to talk openly about mental health, grief, relationships, and the patterns we inherit, but don't have to repeat. Here, we slow down. We listen.

7:48We learn how vulnerability becomes strength and how healing happens in community. not in isolation. If you're ready to let go of what no longer serves you and step into the year with clarity, compassion, and purpose, Sacred Lessons is your companion on your healing journey. Listen to Sacred Lessons with Mike DeLaRocca on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Follow Sacred Lessons with Mike DeLaRocca and start listening on the free iHeart radio app today. New year, new goals, and in this economy, a better money plan is more necessary than ever. I am Matt. And I'm Joel. We are from the How to Money podcast.

8:26And every week we help you to spend smarter, save more, and make sense of what's going on out there. If you want 2026 to be the year you finally feel in control of your money, we're here to give you the tools and advice to help you make it happen. Listen to How to Money on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's up, y 'all? This is Questlove. Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with A$AP Rocky ahead of his album release, Don't Be Dump. He reflects on his journey from his Harlem roots to global icon status, discovering the hip-hop origin of his name.

8:59The ledge was on the TV. Rakim had the bucket hat Kangol during the podcast. That's Rakim. That's who you named after. I just was like, damn, that was a f***ing guy swag. Rocky offers a window into not only a boundary-breaking artist, but as a man committed to fusing creative ideas, community, and remaining unapologetically himself. Have you ever gotten roasted for any of your outfits? For sure. Some people don't be getting the vision. Look, they can roast me, they can cook me, they can deep fry me, they can saute, whatever they want. There's nobody who can f*** with my fashion sense and my taste is impeccable.

9:36I'm just like, I impress myself a lot. It's an amazing conversation. One you definitely don't want to miss. So listen to the Questlove show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

9:53What if mind control is real? If you could control the behavior of anybody around you, what kind of life would you have? Can you hypnotically persuade someone to buy a car? When you look at your car, you're going to become overwhelmed with such good feelings. Can you hypnotize someone into sleeping with you? I gave her some suggestions to be sexually aroused. Can you get someone to join your cult? NLP was used on me to access my subconscious. NLP, aka Neuro Linguistic Programming, is a blend of hypnosis, linguistics, and psychology. Fans say it's like finally getting a user manual for your brain.

10:29It's about engineering consciousness. Mind Games is the story of NLP. It's crazy cast of disciples and the fake doctor who invented it at a new age commune and sold it to guys in suits. He stood trial for murder and got acquitted. The biggest mind game of all? NLP might actually work. This is wild. Listen to Mind Games on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. No, you know, but investing for wealth is being able to increase your current lifestyle and leave money for your heirs. So I like to separate retirement and wealth. So that is six. Seven, insurance. It is super important.

11:11health insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, right? Property and casualty insurance. Think of like home and auto. Are you insured? Insurance is a risk management tool. Insurance is there to protect you and your assets just in case you need it. Most people are underinsured. I know I was like, I thought I was good. I'm like, oh, I'm good out here in these streets. I sat down with a friend of mine who's a CFP and she's like, let me see your stuff. She was like, okay, everything's good, Tiffany, but you're insured like you're 20. I was like, I look 20. She's like, but you're not 20. Right?

11:43And so she was like, you need an umbrella policy. I was like, oh, how much does that been to cost me? Because sis is really the budget needs. Talk about that. Can you talk about that? Yeah, cover that, please. Yes. And so the umbrella policy, it's like the low key secret. I was like, okay. She said, let's start off. This was like maybe two years ago. Let's start off with, so you have your normal basic insurance. Like, you know, I have homeowner's insurance. I've got car insurance, But I also have business insurance and she's like, just in case those things are maxed out because something happened.

12:10Someone falls and they see you for more than this other insurance can cover. You have this umbrella policy. Right. And so for me, an additional one million dollars, which I was like, oh, sounds pricey. It was four hundred dollars a year. It's cheap. I said, what? They don't tell you these things in the streets. Yes. An umbrella policy is is just a great way to make sure. So then I increase it as my wealth increases. I increase that umbrella policy and it like it's a lever to a little bit of money gives you access to all this coverage. So seven get good with insurance, eight grow rich is your net worth.

12:46Don't tell me how much you made, how much you keep. Right. So that's cute. They're like, oh, I made seven million dollars last year. They won't tell you that they spent eight million in marketing. right net worth is what you own minus what you owe if you owe a whole lot it doesn't matter if you own a whole lot because at the end of the day if all the people that you owe come a calling you're broke right so maintaining a positive net worth that's important nine picking your money team y 'all already doing it y 'all listen to these fellows right here you want to have financial professionals in your life I believe in having the accountability partner because I think money as a team sport but i also believe like you might look into you might look to insurance broker but you want to have people on your financial team and last but not least estate planning you know planning your legacy it doesn't make sense to do all of this and not to pass on that's the problem that we've had a hard time i've known black folks that have grown wealth i've known brown people that have grown wealth but sometimes the passing on is what we have a hard time with the passing on of knowledge the passing on of wealth you know from one generation to the next that's your 10 components like here's the thing about financial freedom right i'm not a big fan of that phrase here's why because you can be financially free and not be financially whole you can have all the money you would have all those things but you could be missing like for example prince financially free we can all agree man was wealthy was he financially whole no he didn't have an estate plan.

14:19So when Prince died, he, he used to give a lot of money to, um, to like music programs because he believed it saved them as a kid. So when he died, his closest relative was his sister. We don't know if she's big on music programs, you know, his money is going to do what she wants it to do. So I say that not to say don't go after financial freedom, but I'll go for a holistic view of your money. And so literally that's why, you know, cause the fellows. Hello. That's why I wrote Get Good With Money. 10 simple steps to becoming financially whole. It's available at getgoodwithmoney.com. Now for real, I, I see myself like as like the school teacher of personal finance, like I want you to get the fundamentals.

15:01So that way, that way, no matter what you build on this fund, this financial foundation, yo, like when this last, like the last recession, 2008, 2009, 2010 hit, you'll rock me to the core i lost everything i said never again this time when it hit i made money you know like i made money my business tripled because i said i'm going to position myself to have a such a strong foundation that when things happen it's the difference between being a tree and being a um an electric pole some of y 'all out here not y 'all but some of y 'all out here You're so interested in being as big and tall and obvious as possible.

15:43Like, look at me, look at me. And you're this pole, this electric pole. And it looks dope because it looks so high, right? It flung up quickly and you're laughing at the tree. Tree is going slow. You're like, ah, look at the tree. Then earthquake comes. That pole is this deep in the ground. Pole falls over. Tree got what? Roots, right? And so that's what I'm wanting for you. I'm wanting for all of us to have like this deep financial foundation So everything you're learning in EYL, everything you're learning in Market Mondays, these are things that you're building on top of your financial foundation so the house can stand.

16:18So you can gift that house to someone else. My graduates from my school being Forbes. Bag drop. Bag drop. F*** a mic drop. Bag drop. Bag drop.

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17:56It's not just about payments. It's about giving you time back so you can focus on what matters most. Ready to see how Square can transform your business? Visit square.com backslash go backslash E-Y-L to learn more. That's square.com backslash go backslash E-Y-L. Don't wait. Don't hesitate. Let Square handle the back end so you can keep pushing your vision forward. What if mind control is real? If you could control the behavior of anybody around you, what kind of life would you have? Can you hypnotically persuade someone to buy a car? When you look at your car, you're going to become overwhelmed with such good feelings.

18:33Can you hypnotize someone into sleeping with you? I gave her some suggestions to be sexually aroused. Can you get someone to join your cult? NLP was used on me to access my subconscious. Mind Games, a new podcast exploring NLP, a.k.a. neurolinguistic programming. Is it a self-help miracle, a shady hypnosis scam, or both? Listen to Mind Games on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

19:24Just damn the f***ing f***ing swag. Listen to The Questlove Show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. A new year doesn't ask us to become someone new. It invites us back home to ourselves. I'm Mike Della Rocha, host of Sacred Lessons, a space for men to pause, reflect, and heal. This year we're talking honestly about mental health, relationships, and the patterns we're ready to release. If you're looking for clarity, connection, and healthier ways to show up in your life, Sacred Lessons is here for you. Listen to Sacred Lessons with Mike Delaroach on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

20:05This is Dr. Jesse Mills, host of the Mailroom Podcast. Each January, men promise to get stronger, work harder, and fix what's broken. But what if the real work isn't physical at all? I sat down with psychologist Dr. Steve Poulter to unpack shame, anxiety, and the emotional pain men were never taught how to name. Part of the way through the valley of despair is realizing this has happened, and you have to make a choice whether you're going to stay in it or move forward. Our two-part conversation is available now. Listen to The Mailroom on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your favorite shows.

20:38Hey, it's Joel. And Matt. From How To Money. If your New Year's resolution is to finally get your finances in shape, we've got your back. Prices, they're still high, and the economy is all over the place. But 2026 is the year for you to get intentional and make real progress. That's right. Each week we break down what's happening with your money, the most important issues to focus on, and the small moves that make a big difference. Kick off the year with confidence. Listen to How to Money on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human.