The Palisades, Eaton, and Hughes fires have affected 59 square miles of land in Southern California. Combined, they have consumed more than 16,000 homes and buildings and an uncounted number of automobiles.

This natural disaster comes hot off the heels of two hurricanes that wreaked havoc in Florida and North Carolina, from which residents are still recovering. Those who have been through the home building or remodeling process should have more than a modicum of empathy.

It’s difficult enough to find a good home builder. Now imagine doing this reactively without adequate funds and under intense competition for scant capable contractors. Distressed land sales are inevitable.

A tragedy for the victims of these natural disasters who are already reeling from immense personal loss. Some will be indemnified by insurers, many will not. Insurance is one of those easy to neglect aspects of your financial life because it feels like a waste of money.

I hope you do waste your money on insurance because that is the best of possible outcomes. If you file a claim, that means Newton & Murphy’s Laws ganged up on you.

Most of us don’t even know where to start when it comes to assessing insurance needs, and we’re allergic to the greasy tactics the insurance industry uses to maximize profits at our expense. So what do we do?

That’s exactly what we brought our guest and insurance guru, Sean Cohen, into the studio to discuss.

______

About your Hosts

Ben Jones

Managing Director, National Wealth Management Group

www.nwmgadvisors.com

Sign up for Ben’s newsletter at www.karastick.com

Follow him on X @thekaratstick

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-nwmg/

____

Brent Gargano, CFPⓇ

Founder & Advisor, Infinite Wealth Planning

www.infinitewealthplanning.com

linkedin.com/in/brent-gargano-cfp®-2067b573

Learn more about Brent and follow his newsletter --> https://infinitewealthplanning.net/about-us/#founder

____

Guest:

Sean Cohen

Owner of S. Cohen Insurance Agency

https://scoheninsurance.com/

(859)443-4466

(859)694-2284 for quotes

______

Editor

Trevor Gargano

Financial Advisor Marketer

Trevor@nwmgadvisors.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-gargano-72727b67/

______

Follow our socials to support the podcast; see extra clips and announcements!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moneyalchemistpod/

X: https://twitter.com/moneyalchpod

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556458987483

______

Disclosure:

The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.

Advisors associated with National Wealth Management Group may be either (1) registered representatives with, and securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC, and investment advisor representatives of National Wealth Management Group; or (2) solely investment advisor representatives of National Wealth Management Group, and not affiliated with LPL Financial. Investment advice offered through National Wealth Management Group, a registered investment advisor and separate entity from LPL Financial.

​The information presented is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a recommendation or specific advice.

Why you have it and what to do about it.

Financial stress is a response to a specific, often temporary, financial problem that can be resolved through specific action. As an example, you are about to close on a home purchase and are uncertain if loan underwriting will be completed in time. These stressors can be quickly alleviated with the right course of action and often resolve themselves in time.

Financial anxiety involves more pervasive worry that can paralyze action, making it difficult to address the core of a financial issue. We may not even be conscious of our anxiety, but it manifests itself through a general discomfort that can lead to suboptimal decision making.

Think of someone desperate to earn the approval of another, and in doing so unnaturally acquaint themselves with avarice. While not necessarily financially devastating, it can lead someone down a path into personal ruin.

It’s important to confront your anxiety to address its genesis. Only then can you begin to improve the quality of your life and move on to the next stage of your development.

This is the topic of discussion in today’s episode. Ben and Brent talk about how they’ve addressed financial anxiety and what to do when you inevitably face this ubiquitous force.

Sources:

https://www.kitces.com/blog/distinguish-financial-stress-from-anxiety-and-client-communication-strategies-to-help/

______

About your Hosts

Ben Jones

Managing Director, National Wealth Management Group

www.nwmgadvisors.com

Sign up for Ben’s newsletter at www.karastick.com

Follow him on X @thekaratstick

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-nwmg/

Brent Gargano, CFPⓇ

Founder & Advisor, Infinite Wealth Planning

www.infinitewealthplanning.com

linkedin.com/in/brent-gargano-cfp®-2067b573

Learn more about Brent and follow his newsletter --> https://infinitewealthplanning.net/about-us/#founder

______

Editor

Trevor Gargano

Financial Advisor Marketer

Trevor@nwmgadvisors.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-gargano-72727b67/

______

Follow our socials to support the podcast; see extra clips and announcements!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moneyalchemistpod/

X: https://twitter.com/moneyalchpod

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556458987483

______

Disclosure:

The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.

Advisors associated with National Wealth Management Group may be either (1) registered representatives with, and securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC, and investment advisor representatives of National Wealth Management Group; or (2) solely investment advisor representatives of National Wealth Management Group, and not affiliated with LPL Financial. Investment advice offered through National Wealth Management Group, a registered investment advisor and separate entity from LPL Financial.

​The information presented is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a recommendation or specific advice.

Another year, different in how you make it.

2025 is here and so are the renewed pressures of the ego to break through yet another motivational barrier. The root of the word sublime stems from Latin to mean, roughly, high threshold. The things that are most worth doing are not easy.

Sublime is a subjective word. It’s true meaning found at that point where your aspirations meet the outset edge of your competency. To find it, you need to be introspective and self-aware.

This is the ethos of effective goal setting. Goals are not fun to set because they invite discomfort through a tolerable degree of invitational suffering. But through them we discover that extraordinary things can be achieved through incremental efforts.

While setting goals starts with an honestly aware self, meeting those goals requires consistent action of the most ordinary kind. Almost mundane, really, which is what can make accomplishment so tough.

In 2025’s first MAP episode, Brent and Ben discuss their thoughts on the subject with the hope that some can find encouragement. It also serves to hold ourselves accountable to our goals for the content they deliver.

Happy New Year and may you discover your own personal sublimity through this new 12-month journey in time!

______

About your Hosts

Ben Jones

Managing Director, National Wealth Management Group

www.nwmgadvisors.com

Sign up for Ben’s newsletter at www.karastick.com

Follow him on X @thekaratstick

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-nwmg/

Brent Gargano, CFPⓇ

Founder & Advisor, Infinite Wealth Planning

www.infinitewealthplanning.com

linkedin.com/in/brent-gargano-cfp®-2067b573

Learn more about Brent and follow his newsletter --> https://infinitewealthplanning.net/about-us/#founder

______

Editor

Trevor Gargano

Financial Advisor Marketer

Trevor@nwmgadvisors.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-gargano-72727b67/

______

Follow our socials to support the podcast; see extra clips and announcements!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moneyalchemistpod/

X: https://twitter.com/moneyalchpod

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556458987483

______

Disclosure:

The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.

Securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA & SIPC.. Advisory services offered through National Wealth Management Group, LLC a registered investment advisor and separate entity from LPL Financial.

Brent Gargano is solely an investment advisor representative of National Wealth Management Group, LLC, and not affiliated with LPL Financial. Any opinions or views expressed by Brent Gargano are his own and are not those of LPL Financial

Ben and Brent wrap up 2024 with a conversation on the state of the housing market. Prices of single family homes continue to edge higher, being up 6% year over year. This is on top of a record increase in median single family home prices over the past decade which now totals 102% according to Freddie Mac.

While unaffordability infects already strained budgets, forcing some households to quarantine in low rate mortgages or rents, we continue to see enough demand on low inventories push prices higher. Homes are still selling quickly and people are moving despite 7% mortgage rates.

The same irresistible natural force that drives birds to their nesting habitats recently drove Brent and his family from the inner 275 loop to the suburbs of Northern Cincy. Ben is in the midst of buying a home and about to list his family’s West Chester home of 11 years in search of status and garage space.

Are they making mistakes abandoning their sub 3% mortgage rates in pursuit of quality of life improvements? Or are they moving with the natural flow of the market incentives as part of the “great capitulation”?

Listen in to find out the answers to these questions and much more!

______

About your Hosts

Ben Jones

Managing Director, National Wealth Management Group

www.nwmgadvisors.com

Sign up for Ben’s newsletter at www.karastick.com

Follow him on X @thekaratstick

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-nwmg/

Brent Gargano, CFPⓇ

Founder & Advisor, Infinite Wealth Planning

www.infinitewealthplanning.com

linkedin.com/in/brent-gargano-cfp®-2067b573

Learn more about Brent and follow his newsletter --> https://infinitewealthplanning.net/about-us/#founder

______

Sources:

Lending Tree, Mortgage Statistics: 2025

https://www.lendingtree.com/home/mortgage/u-s-mortgage-market-statistics/

Redfin, 12/12/2024 Homebuyer Press Release

https://investors.redfin.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/1233/redfin-reports-homebuying-demand-sitting-near-highest-level

Redfin, 2025 Predictions

https://investors.redfin.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/1228/redfins-2025-predictions-pent-up-demand-will-lead-to

______

Editor

Trevor Gargano

Financial Advisor Marketer

Trevor@nwmgadvisors.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-gargano-72727b67/

______

Follow our socials to support the podcast; see extra clips and announcements!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moneyalchemistpod/

X: https://twitter.com/moneyalchpod

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556458987483

______

Disclosure:

The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.

Securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA & SIPC.. Advisory services offered through National Wealth Management Group, LLC a registered investment advisor and separate entity from LPL Financial.

Brent Gargano is solely an investment advisor representative of National Wealth Management Group, LLC, and not affiliated with LPL Financial. Any opinions or views expressed by Brent Gargano are his own and are not those of LPL Financial

There was a lot to discuss with family this Thanksgiving. The election, stocks ripping, the return of crypto mania, and, of course, the evergreen subject of ‘the culture war’. In many households, Thanksgiving takes its shape as thoughtsgiving as outspoken opinions crowd out any notion of contentment.

Few things can be as goading as that one relative who works in their trading fortunes into any conversation, conflating luck with genius. You’ll definitely know by the end of the conversation how much they claim to be worth. You’ll also know who will be the least generous person come gift giving season in a month’s time.

This begs the question, what money topics are appropriate to discuss with friends and family? When should you be cautious, and when is a good time to disclose? These are not simple questions and the answers require nuance to address.

______

About your Hosts

Ben Jones

Managing Director, National Wealth Management Group

www.nwmgadvisors.com

Author, www.karastick.com

@thekaratstick

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-nwmg/

Follow Ben's Financial Newsletter 'Karat Stick' - https://www.karatstick.com/

__

Brent Gargano, CFPⓇ

Founder & Advisor, Infinite Wealth Planning

www.infinitewealthplanning.com

linkedin.com/in/brent-gargano-cfp®-2067b573

Read Brent's latest blog post, 'Election Update: What To Expect For Investments,' and follow his newsletter for more content --> https://infinitewealthplanning.net/election-update-what-to-expect-for-investments/

______

Follow our socials to support the podcast; see extra clips and announcements!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moneyalchemistpod/

X: https://twitter.com/moneyalchpod

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556458987483

______

Editor

Trevor Gargano

Financial Advisor Marketer

Trevor@nwmgadvisors.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-gargano-72727b67/

______

Disclosure

The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.

Please consult with a qualified legal professional to find out if any of the strategies discussed are right for you. Neither Ben or Brent are licensed attorneys and cannot provide legal advice.

Securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA & SIPC.. Advisory services offered through National Wealth Management Group, LLC a registered investment advisor and separate entity from LPL Financial.

In this episode, Ben and Brent discuss some of the possible economic implications of the election along with common year-end best tax optimization practices. As we approach the end of the year and the start of 2025, one thing becomes clear: change is on the horizon. Like viewing a hurricane from the shoreline, it’s tough to gauge the strength of its winds and the endurance of the force, but we know it is coming.

Download Our 2024 Year End Checklist - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LoVkEDMscu6Lo-u91u-NxVh2cYdeQdKL/view?usp=sharing

______

About your Hosts

Ben Jones

Managing Director, National Wealth Management Group

www.nwmgadvisors.com

Author, www.karastick.com

@thekaratstick

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-nwmg/

Follow Ben's Financial Newsletter 'Karat Stick' - https://www.karatstick.com/

__

Brent Gargano, CFPⓇ

Founder & Advisor, Infinite Wealth Planning

www.infinitewealthplanning.com

linkedin.com/in/brent-gargano-cfp®-2067b573

Read Brent's latest blog post, 'Election Update: What To Expect For Investments,' and follow his newsletter for more content --> https://infinitewealthplanning.net/election-update-what-to-expect-for-investments/

______

Follow our socials to support the podcast; see extra clips and announcements!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moneyalchemistpod/

X: https://twitter.com/moneyalchpod

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556458987483

______

Editor

Trevor Gargano

Financial Advisor Marketer

Trevor@nwmgadvisors.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-gargano-72727b67/

______

Disclosure

The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.

Please consult with a qualified legal professional to find out if any of the strategies discussed are right for you. Neither Ben or Brent are licensed attorneys and cannot provide legal advice.

Securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA & SIPC.. Advisory services offered through National Wealth Management Group, LLC a registered investment advisor and separate entity from LPL Financial.

As we approach the end of the year and the season of generosity, it is appropriate to address the topic of gifting. Gifting money and assets is not as straightforward as it may seem. Assuming you will receive a tax deduction for charitable contributions is often incorrect and can result in a reduced charitable contribution than otherwise intended.

Also, there’s no hard and fast rule that you must give to 501(c)(3) organizations. Sometimes effective giving means looking beyond the tax savings so see how you can effect the most good for the people around you. Join Ben and Brent as they delve into this subject and we hope you glean a thing or two from the conversation.

______

About your Hosts

Ben Jones

Managing Director, National Wealth Management Group

www.nwmgadvisors.com

Author, www.karastick.com

@thekaratstick

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-nwmg/

__

Brent Gargano, CFPⓇ

Founder & Advisor, Infinite Wealth Planning

www.infinitewealthplanning.com

linkedin.com/in/brent-gargano-cfp®-2067b573

______

Follow our socials to support the podcast; see extra clips and announcements!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moneyalchemistpod/

X: https://twitter.com/moneyalchpod

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556458987483

______

Editor

Trevor Gargano

Trevor@nwmgadvisors.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-gargano-72727b67/

______

Disclosure:

The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.

Securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA & SIPC.. Advisory services offered through National Wealth Management Group, LLC a registered investment advisor and separate entity from LPL Financial.