Better Off with Jill Schlesinger

So here you are, listening to, or about to listen to the second episode of the “Better Off” podcast. Like you, I love podcasts. I subscribe to many, probably too many. But that’s how I found our guest this week, the one and only James Altucher. Last spring, I was walking on an isolated Long Island beach, picking up trash on Earth Day, listening to his podcast, The James Altucher Show, and was so blown away that I said out loud, “I need to interview this guy!” And that’s exactly what I did. After getting in touch via Twitter, James was a guest on my radio show and we’ve been pals ever since, hence his appearance on the podcast today. Aside from hosting his own successful podcast, James is also a serial entrepreneur and investor. How smart is this guy? As you’ll hear right off the bat, he’s smart enough to know that when it comes to investing, he’s not smarter than the market, which is why these days, he prefers the robo-advisor model, which essentially prevents him (and the rest of us) from making stupid decisions. Makes sense since he’s a lover of technology. One day we’ll get his thoughts on virtual reality and artificial intelligence. James is also an accomplished author with more than a dozen books under his belt. You can now add another one to the list with the recently released Reinvent Yourself. More than anything else, that’s exactly what initially drew me to James: his ability to continually reinvent himself, as well as his authenticity and his willingness to talk about it. He really is an open book. And he’s not just talking about his successes, of which he’s had many, but also his failures, of which he’s probably had more. This guy has made millions and lost it all, more than once! More than twice! Yet he somehow continues to reinvent himself and come out on top. As you hear this interview I suspect you may think, “How can I be more like this guy?” If so, you should definitely check out his book, Choose Yourself and his newest release, Reinvent Yourself. And one more thing...ratings and reviews matter a lot in the podcasting world. So if you have a free minute it'd mean a lot if you can rate me in iTunes. Thank you! “Better Off” is sponsored by Betterment. "Better Off" theme music is by Joel Goodman, www.joelgoodman.com.

How does it feel to have nine consecutive books make the New York Times bestsellers list? Or to be on the Oprah Winfrey Show six times? Well, I have no idea, but our “Better Off” guest, David Bach, does! Let me back up...this is the first-ever episode of “Better Off” where I tackle sometimes uncomfortable -- and even controversial -- money and investing issues. For the show premiere, I talked with David Bach, who has written eleven national bestsellers, with over seven million books in print. He’s best known for “The Automatic Millionaire.” It was so popular the first time around that he just released an expanded and updated version. Of course, there’s no secret recipe to becoming an automatic millionaire. There’s no magic formula. It’s something that takes time, work and discipline. If it were that easy we’d all be millionaires...and Mark probably wouldn’t be my producer. You’ll get to know Mark in subsequent episodes. He’s the guy that makes the show appear in your feed every week. As you’ll hear, I don’t agree with David that skipping a latte a day will help you become rich, but we also discuss many topics in the book upon which we both agree—perhaps none more important than becoming an “automatic investor.” Research shows that we have more positive outcomes when we take emotions and self-discipline out of the equation and put our financial lives on autopilot. That may be the biggest takeaway from the book. Whether it’s a retirement plan at work, an IRA, or a service such as Betterment, set it, forget it and let the magic of compounding interest go to work. It’s the beginning of a new year, a time when we reassess our financial situations and maybe even make some resolutions. Listen to this podcast, read the book and I have no doubt you’ll pick up some useful tips that will help you achieve your goals in 2017. “Better Off” is sponsored by Betterment. "Better Off" theme music is by Joel Goodman, www.joelgoodman.com.

Better Off with Jill Schlesinger launches January 5th!

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