{"podcast":{"title":"The Stacking Benjamins Show","slug":"the-stacking-benjamins-show-745268","podcast_index_feed_id":745268,"rss_url":"https://rss.art19.com/stacking-benjamins","website_url":"https://art19.com/shows/stacking-benjamins","image_url":"https://content.production.cdn.art19.com/images/87/54/4a/99/87544a99-93b0-43d7-ab5a-85740bd3c717/71bf0e7a9549bbb1bd6387061e4babe7de5f5f69871c51df6cacfb170f26c893bd355e9bb2fdd3aa95cab86caf5780843b407fb86f6bfd21137c7217811f3de5.jpeg","author":"Joe Saul-Sehy and Josh ‘OG’ Bannerman, CFP","episode_count":1501,"summary":"Named Best Personal Finance Podcast by Bankrate.com and Kiplinger — and the only podcast the Plutus Awards retired from competition after winning twice — The Stacking Benjamins Show is personal finance that doesn’t put you to sleep. Hosts Joe Saul-Sehy (former 16-year financial advisor, ex-WXYZ-TV “Money Man”) and Josh “OG” Bannerman, CFP (Certified Financial Planner, Bannerman Wealth) sit around the card table in Joe’s mom’s half-finished basement in Texarkana and talk money with the smartest guests in personal finance, investing, and behavioral economics. As Fast Company wrote, the show “strikes a great balance of fun and functional.” Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: expert guests, real headlines, listener questions, and Doug’s trivia. Topics include investing, retirement planning, budgeting, real estate, behavioral finance, taxes, and financial independence — for anyone who wants to be smarter about money without being talked down to. Subscribe to The 201 — the free newsletter that goes deeper than the show — at stackingbenjamins.com/201","last_synced_at":"2026-07-20T16:21:40.778249+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-stacking-benjamins-show-745268"},"episode":{"title":"How to Save Your First $25,000 -- The Roadmap Most People Get Wrong (SB1838)","slug":"how-to-save-your-first-25-000-the-roadmap-most-people-get-wrong-sb1838","published_at":"2026-05-06T07:01:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-stacking-benjamins-show-745268/how-to-save-your-first-25-000-the-roadmap-most-people-get-wrong-sb1838","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-stacking-benjamins-show-745268","url":"https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/mgln.ai/e/345/rss.art19.com/episodes/482be773-a28b-42ce-bd6c-50237a7bcade.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIg90cmFuc2NyaWJyBjoGRVQ%3D--952c5701c84ad333c69d5faa668f8177091704f0","audio_url":"https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/mgln.ai/e/345/rss.art19.com/episodes/482be773-a28b-42ce-bd6c-50237a7bcade.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIg90cmFuc2NyaWJyBjoGRVQ%3D--952c5701c84ad333c69d5faa668f8177091704f0","summary":"Getting to your first $25,000 saved is harder than anything that comes after it. Not because the math is complicated -- because the habits aren't built yet, the fixed expenses are already set, and the standard advice about cutting small treats completely misses where the real leverage is. Scott Trench, VP of Operations at BiggerPockets and author of Set for Life, brings a roadmap that challenges almost everything you've heard about getting started -- and it begins with a decision most people aren't willing to make. What You'll Walk Away With Why the first $25,000 is the hardest milestone -- and why cutting lattes and happy hours won't get you there The three budget categories that actually matter -- and why they account for two thirds of what most people spend Why saving your next $1,000 is more valuable than earning your next $1,000 -- and the tax math that proves it The house hacking strategy that can eliminate your largest monthly expense entirely -- even if you never want to be a full-time landlord Why stocks are less risky than bonds for long-term investors -- and the age-based argument Scott makes that most people miss The counterintuitive case for spending more on fun -- once you've handled the big fixed expenses first Why developing a specialty may actually be riskier than being adaptable -- and what that means for your career strategy The retirement account trap that catches early savers off guard -- and when maxing out isn't the right first move How to actually vet a financial advisor before handing over your money -- and why the problem is often as much the client as the advisor Why international stocks belong in your portfolio even when they've underperformed -- and the rebalancing math that changes the picture Why This Matters Now This conversation was ori…","meta_description":"Getting to your first $25,000 saved is harder than anything that comes after it. Not because the math is complicated -- because the habits aren't built ye…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3982,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-stacking-benjamins-show-745268/episodes/how-to-save-your-first-25-000-the-roadmap-most-people-get-wrong-sb1838/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-stacking-benjamins-show-745268/how-to-save-your-first-25-000-the-roadmap-most-people-get-wrong-sb1838.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}