Time for a Friday Flight- our little sampling of the week’s best financial news and what it means for your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we boil them down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to get ahead with your money. In this episode we explain some relevant and helpful stories like:
Dry January is still costing you
Background (credit) checks
Garnished student loan wages
Points for paying your mortgage
If the juice is still worth the squeeze
Credit card consultants
Smaller weddings saving money
Paying for guru chatbots (should we launch our own new AI or do traditional one-on-one coaching?)
Hey siri, reduce my medical bill by 80%
AI UBI
Tapping a 401k early
Greenland and the future of investing in US stocks

 

Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances:
Credit card perks: Check out our favorite credit cards that we use to maximize rewards and optimize our spending.
Other money nerds: Find a thriving community of fellow money nerds by joining the HTM Facebook group!
Newsletter: Sign up for the weekly HTM newsletter. It’s fun, free, & practical.
Money Gears: knowing what to do with your money is crucial to your personal finance journey.
MG7: and maybe you’re well on your way to financial independence but you’re looking for some financial reassurance, that’s when heading over to HowToMoney.com/Advisor and getting matched with a highly vetted financial advisor makes sense.

 

And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money!

 

Best friends out!

Time for a Friday Flight- our little sampling of the week&rsquo;s best financial news and what it means for your personal finances. There are a lot of headlines out there, but we boil them down to specific takeaways that will allow you to kick off the weekend informed and help you to get ahead with your money. In this episode we explain some relevant and helpful stories like:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://investorsobserver.com/research/dry-january-math-how-long-it-really-takes-to-save-1000-going-sober-on-nights-out-in-major-u-s-cities/">Dry January is still costing you</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/16/business/credit-report-job-background-check">Background (credit) checks</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-delays-involuntary-collections-amid-ongoing-student-loan-repayment-improvements">Garnished student loan wages</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/credit-cards/news/bilt-launches-blue-obsidian-palladium?">Points for paying your mortgage</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/life-is-too-short-for-frequent-flyer-miles-9b167c35?st=vgNFRR&amp;reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink">If the juice is still worth the squeeze</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/want-a-free-luxury-trip-talk-to-a-credit-card-rewards-consultant-05589b44?">Credit card consultants</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/17/wedding-party-bridesmaid-groomsmen-cost?">Smaller weddings saving money</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.wsj.com/style/ai-self-help-chat-bots-tony-robbins-gabby-bernstein-0cf8b3b0?mod=hp_featst_pos4">Paying for guru chatbots</a> (should we launch our own new AI or do traditional one-on-one coaching?)</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://medium.com/write-a-catalyst/a-grieving-family-uses-ai-to-slash-hospital-bill-from-195-000-to-33-000-87fd01db790e">Hey siri, reduce my medical bill by 80%</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-retirement-saving-abundance-ai-tech-tesla-spacex-billionaires-2026-1?">AI UBI</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-plan-would-let-americans-use-401-k-s-for-down-payments-on-homes-official-says-64eb4375?mod=hp_lead_pos3">Tapping a 401k early</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/homebuyers-now-have-a-greenland-problem-mortgage-rates-jump-on-geopolitical-tariff-turmoil-181720233.html">Greenland and the future of investing in US stocks</a></li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Credit card perks: Check out <a href="https://go.nextcard.com/shau19-htmomny">our favorite credit cards</a> that we use to maximize rewards and optimize our spending.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Other money nerds: Find a thriving community of fellow money nerds by joining the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1623670287732189">HTM Facebook group!</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Newsletter: Sign up for the weekly <a href="https://www.howtomoney.com/newsletter/">HTM newsletter</a>. It&rsquo;s fun, free, &amp; practical.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Money Gears: knowing <a href="https://www.howtomoney.com/start-here/">what to do with your money</a> is crucial to your personal finance journey.</li>
<li aria-level="1">MG7: and maybe you&rsquo;re well on your way to financial independence but you&rsquo;re looking for some financial reassurance, that&rsquo;s when heading over to <a href="http://www.howtomoney.com/advisor">HowToMoney.com/Advisor</a> and getting matched with a highly vetted financial advisor makes sense.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you&rsquo;re not already a regular listener, and <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-money/id1337718773?mt=2">give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts</a> or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money!
&nbsp;
Best friends out!

Best friends Joel and Matt are the co-hosts of How to Money which is all about providing the knowledge & tools that normal folks need to thrive in areas like debt payoff, DIY investing, and crucial money tricks that will provide continuous help along your journey. We believe that access to unbiased and jargon-free personal finance guidance is more necessary than ever before. When you handle your money in a purposeful, thoughtful way that works for your lifestyle, you can really start living a rich life.

How to Money

Friday Flight - Points for Paying your Mortgage, Credit Card Consultants, & AI UBI (to each according to his need!) #1092

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/52896a2b-3cbd-407f-9cec-b3da015385b4/transcript