Hello, loyal listeners! We wanted to let you know that we have a quick update on the podcast and a few things that are happening over at Toujours Planning right now. As you may know, we are a Lake Charles-based business and family, and our community, homes, and offices were devastated by Hurricane Laura in August.

We often think “the stock market” is synonymous with Wall Street. Stressed out stockbrokers yelling and wearing blazers. New York City. Right? Not necessarily. There are other stock markets all around the world, and they all have different degrees of influence on everything else. That’s how a global economy works. And that’s what Dustin and Joseph discuss in this new episode.

Do you need a financial planner? A financial advisor? An investment professional? A money coach? And what are those initials after their names?! In this minisode, Dustin briefly describes the different types of financial professionals and designations you may see and explains when you’ll want to call a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional.

Every purchase you make has a ripple effect. That’s why it’s important to understand that impact. In our newest episode, Dustin and Joseph discuss the idea of “voting with your dollars” — what it means and how you can start practicing it through spending and investing.

In this minisode, Dustin breaks down the Sir Templeton’s quote: “Bull markets are born on pessimism, grown on skepticism, mature on optimism, and die on euphoria.”. He also discusses timing the stock market, why it’s a bad idea, and what you should do instead.

Dustin and Joseph do a deep dive into the concept of money in our latest episode. They also cover how financial systems evolved from thousands of years ago into what it is now to support a global economy. Tune in to learn about the power of money, how it can be used as a weapon, and how the world seems to revolve around the American dollar.

We’ll keep the intrigue to a minimum. In our opinion, the answer to this question is a resounding yes. Sharing your finances with your partner builds trust. Keeping them separate can breed suspicion and worry.

The idea of a wealth tax has been kicked around lately, especially as we draw nearer to the 2020 election. Senators Elizabeth Warren & Bernie Sanders both proposed a wealth tax, and billionaires like Warren Buffet have even spoken in favor of a wealth tax.  But what is a wealth tax, and how does it work? Listen to our latest Wealth by Design episode to find out. 

In this minisode, Dustin recaps what a stock actually is and how stocks are bought and sold. He discusses how people’s emotions cause those peaks and valleys in the stock market, and how you can avoid that dangerous herd mentality when it comes to your own investing.

Katell and Jon, a husband and wife design team, are founders of Reverielane, a purpose-driven brand and web design firm. We were so excited to talk to Katell and Jon about Reverielane, their thoughts on investing and building wealth, and their long-term goals for their business and personal lives.

We talk about fear a lot on our podcast. Fear is natural and, TBH, necessary. But fear can also make you focus on the wrong thing when it comes to your net worth. Paying down debt rather than building up your assets, to be specific. And that’s what we discuss in this week’s episode: where our fear of the “debt boogeyman” comes from, our three-step strategy on how to overcome it, and what part of your finances you should be focusing on instead.

The robots have taken over. Just kidding. But, they have taken over a major chunk of the financial industry in the form of robo-advisors. But the truth is, we think robo-advisors are actually pretty useful. Of course, there’s a time and a place to use them, which is exactly what we cover in this episode of Wealth by Design.

There are a lot of misconceptions about investing in the stock market, thanks to fear-mongering in the news, horror stories from family and friends, and a lack of education about the stock market in general. Your fears may also be why high yield savings seems like the better option for your money. In this episode, we talked about the differences between high yield savings and stocks. We know you’re probably a big fan of saving because it’s “safe,” right? Well, we’re about to rock your world.

The concept of a punch clock — punching in to start a shift and punching out when it ends — is ingrained in many of us, even as business owners who write our own checks and make our own schedules. But it doesn’t have to stay that way! On this episode of Wealth By Design, we talk about how you can start changing your mindset and your life right now.

If the pandemic hasn’t pushed you to at least think about what’s important to you… well, we’re calling you to think about it now. In this episode of Wealth by Design, we’re also helping you figure out what’s important to you so you can start living your most ideal life.

Say the term “estate planning” and people assume it’s only meant for people with kids, or that it’s used to pass on wealth and possessions. But it’s much more than that, and we know that everyone benefits from an estate plan. We talk about why in our latest podcast episode.

How many times have you heard “Save for an emergency!” and “Save for retirement!” … but what about the rest of your life? Things like buying a house some day, or having kids. Starting another business. You don’t just have the cash sitting around for that, do you?? Probably not, which is why you need a savings goal for them, too.

Some of the most popular money gurus out there (we won’t name names) have a process called “baby steps,” designed to get you started with your financial education. But we have a little bit of a problem with those baby steps. We break down every step in this method, talk about the pros and cons of each, and share our own insight — including what we think you should be doing instead.

This week, Danielle shares some quick tips and stories about the stock market, the 2007-2009 financial crisis, and the best kind of investment strategy you can use, pandemic or no pandemic.

Do you know your numbers? By “numbers,” we mean the three numbers that can help you ride out this COVID-19 crisis… or any big unexpected life change that comes your way. (1) How much money you really need to make (2) Your emergency fund number (3) Your BULB threshold In our latest Wealth by Design episode, we talk about calculating those three numbers and how you can actually reach them.

Preparing yourself is especially important if you’re a business owner. In our latest COVID-19 Crisis Series, Dustin shares three actionable tips you can take to protect your biz, your finances, and your family.

Dollar-cost averaging. It’s probably the most boring financial term ever. Snooze-inducing as it sounds, dollar-cost averaging is a super important technique that everyone should be using to invest.

News outlets and public figures are warning us that we’re heading for a depression that rivals the Great one. If you’re looking for advice on handling your retirement accounts, Dustin breaks it down in our latest minisode.

You may have heard the terms “monetary policy” and “fiscal policy” thrown around a lot on the news in regard to the upcoming stimulus package, but what do those terms even mean? But there are big differences between the two, and we explain those differences (and how it affects YOU) in this minisode.