Influences

Navigating the world of personal finance can feel overwhelming, with countless valuable voices offering advice. To cut through the noise, I've found it incredibly helpful to understand the core resources that have shaped someone's financial strategy and education. This approach offers deeper insights and greater clarity into their decisions. For that very reason, I wanted to pull back the curtain and share the key influences that have guided my financial education, along with the most impactful takeaways from each.

My early influences came from:

• Farnoosh Torabi's Podcast (@farnooshtorabi): This was the very first financial podcast I ever tuned into. While I wasn't her primary target audience at the time – she focused mainly on women and finance – I immediately connected with her style and guidance. Farnoosh's format was incredibly engaging: she'd begin by reading a listener's question, which I'd mentally try to answer myself, before she delved into her insightful response. It was an excellent way for me to learn and build my financial knowledge.

• Dave Ramsey - I also dove into Dave Ramsey's world, listening to his popular radio show and reading The Total Money Makeover, Updated and Expanded (I read it in 2020 before it was “updated and expanded”). His clear, no-nonsense approach to debt elimination resonated with me, and I’m now debt-free for the second time. The first time lasted for a hot minute; this one should stick.

  • “[explaining the average family debt]… if this family were to invest that instead of sending it to the creditors, they would be cash mutual-fund millionaires in just fifteen years! (After fifteen years, it gets really exciting.) They’ll have $2 million in five more years, $3 million in three more years, $4 million in two and a half more years, and $5.5 million in two more years.” -The Total Money Makeover (Classic Edition) by Dave Ramsey

  • Most guidance I have read about mortgage debt argues that if your mortgage interest rate is below a certain percentage, you are better off investing the money instead of making additional principal payments. I disagree and here’s why. If you make extra principal payments, defer additional savings, and pay off the debt in, say, five years, in year six, you can start investing aggressively the amount that was your mortgage plus the additional principal. This investment can be made in long-term, higher-yield investments because you do not require this money to pay your current debt, and therefore have more risk capacity. Investing this way, for whatever the remaining mortgage period would have been, will outperform the smaller, low-risk investment that you could make for that same period while carrying mortgage debt.

• BiggerPockets Money podcast - While BiggerPockets is widely known for its extensive real estate advice (much of which wasn't directly relevant to my situation), their financial guidance within the Money podcast proved incredibly valuable. I also gained a ton of insights and practical knowledge from their active online community.

I moved away from the resources above as my financial knowledge continued to grow, and over time, I've started exploring new voices. These days, you'll find me tuning into these podcasts daily or weekly.

• The Long View: I never miss an episode of this Morningstar-presented podcast. I consider Christine Benz (@christine_benz on X), one of the hosts, an absolute rockstar. It was through her insightful interviews and articles that I first discovered the "bucket strategy," a method I've since adopted for my own finances. (More on that when I cover allocation strategies in a future post!). Christine's book, How to Retire, is an absolute must-read – in fact, I've bought multiple copies to share with friends.

• Clark Howard - A great source for saving money and guidance to “avoid getting ripped off”. His website is also loaded with free content to help consumers find the best deals for cellphone plans, streaming subscriptions, travel… While his main podcast delivers consistent consumer advice, I'm particularly excited that his team recently introduced a weekly personal finance episode. Although not hosted by Clark himself, its content is a fantastic complement to his established show.

• The AI Daily Brief: Yes, this one might seem out of place on a personal finance list! However, I'm a firm believer that Artificial Intelligence is poised to fundamentally reshape our world, and staying informed about its rapid advancements is essential. This daily podcast is perfectly suited for that: it's consistently brief, concise, and incredibly relevant. I listen daily.

I also subscribe to a few newsletters that I find helpful.

• HumbleDollar - Delivered weekly with articles by community authors, curated by Jonathan Clements.

• 1440 Business & Finance - Delivered weekly with unique financial topics each week. Educational topics like bonds overview, the IRS, annuities explained, etc.

• Barfield Financial - Delivered monthly. If you are not in the military or a federal employee, you will have no interest in this. He covers details on the TSP (Thrift Savings Plan) and other federal government savings options. My wife retired from the federal government; therefore, this content is relevant to us.

Here are the books that have made the biggest impact on me over the years. This is not an exhaustive list of everything I have read, just the ones that resonated with me the most.

• The Simple Path to Wealth - This book, which I first devoured in 2020, has had a profound and lasting impact on my financial journey. I recently revisited it when I bought a copy for my daughter last Christmas, and I was genuinely struck by just how many of JL Collins's straightforward strategies I had already implemented. There is an updated version, The-Simple-Path-to-Wealth-2025-Edition, that is on my list to read. I recently heard an interview with the author, JL Collins, on The Long View. I appreciate his pragmatic and straightforward approach to investing.

  • In the afterword of his book, he writes, “You’re young, smart, healthy and tough. By your thirties you’ll have F-You money and you should have a blast getting there. Once you’ve got it, it will continue to expand, as will your personal options. Your future is so bright it hurts my eyes to look at it.” -The Simple Path to Wealth, JL Collins

• Supercommunicators, The Purpose Code, and The Alchemist

  • I stumbled into this trifecta completely by accident. Each book on its own is fantastic. I just happened to read them in the order listed, and I found a relationship and deeper meaning across them.

    • “Our goal, for the most meaningful discussions, should be to have a ‘learning conversation.’ Specifically, we want to learn how the people around us see the world and help them understand our perspectives in turn.” -Supercommunicators, Charles Duhigg

    • “We feel fulfilled when we help people and are helped by them. When we nurture others and are nurtured by them. When we smile and laugh and teach and learn.” -The Purpose Code, Jordan Grumet, MD

    • “You can’t earn the type of life you want to live, you have to create it.” -The Purpose Code, Jordan Grumet, MD

    • “…there is a language in the world that everyone understood… It was the language of enthusiasm, of things accomplished with love and purpose, and as part of a search for something believed in and desired.” -The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho

• How to Retire

  • This book is a collection of interviews and is filled with retirement strategies and discussions on different retirement topics. As I noted above, a must-read. Here are a couple of quotes from the book:

    • “Money is, starting at age 40, the number one thing that people worry about. Yet if you talk to the average person, they have never read a single book about personal finance.” -How to Retire, Christine Benz

    • “Life is too short to float through without doing the things that fuel our passions. A life without passion and meaning is not living. Take the time to design a retirement that is full of passion and meaning.” -How to Retire, Christine Benz

• The Wealthy Gardner

  • Financial advice told through the lens of fictional characters. I put off reading this book for some time as I didn’t think I would like the fictional story. I was wrong; it was engaging and insightful.

    • “God gives every bird its food… but He does not throw it into its nest.” -The Wealthy Gardener, John Soforic

    • “If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you… if you are determined to learn, no one can stop you.” -The Wealthy Gardener, John Soforic

• The Richest Man in Babylon

  • This is another book I put off reading, mostly because of the title, I think. What could I learn from Babylonian times? Again, I was wrong, and this book was fun to read and explains important financial practices.

    • “A part of all you earn is yours to keep. It should be not less than a tenth no matter how little you earn.” -The Richest Man in Babylon, George S. Clason

    • “That what each of us calls our ‘necessary expenses’ will always grow to equal our incomes unless we protest to the contrary.” -The Richest Man in Babylon, George S. Clason

• Your Money or Your Life

  • The focus of this book is on work-life balance, and it does a great job of breaking this down into measurable details. The authors’ perspective helps you think in very real ways about the tradeoffs made for work.

    • “You have about eighty-eight hundred hours in a year. Maybe six hundred and fifty thousand hours before you die.” -Your Money or Your Life, Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez

    • “How much of my life am I willing to sell to have money in my pocket?” -Your Money or Your Life, Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez

    • “To be frugal means to have a high joy-to-stuff ratio.” -Your Money or Your Life, Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez

And there you have it: a snapshot of the resources that have profoundly shaped my financial perspective. I'm genuinely curious to turn the question to you: What voices in the personal finance space do you gravitate toward? Perhaps you've encountered some of the books or podcasts I mentioned – if so, I'd love to hear your take on them, or any insights you've gleaned. Please share in the comments below!