One Good Thing: Gamifying Your Budget, Playing Financial Tetris, and Learning to Laugh at Money with Emily Guy Birken

Welcome back to Don’t Retire... Graduate! We have a very fun episode today and couldn’t be more excited to have Emily Guy Birken here. She is a lifelong money nerd, award-winning writer, and the co-author of STACKED: Your Super Serious Guide to Modern Money Management, written with longtime DRG friend, Joe Saul-Sehy. Emily joined us to talk about how to look at your money like a game of Tetris, the way gamification can be a powerful tool for change, and, of course, to set the record for the number of times “hemorrhoid” has ever been said on this show. 

In this episode we’ll talk about:
• Emily’s goals for every day
• How to see your finances as a Tetris game and use it to help with budgeting 
• How an emergency fund is the Easy Spin of budgeting 
• Taking control of your money rather than seeing it as something out of your control
• Gamification of money and when it is good versus when it can be harmful
• The mental activation that comes with gamification and identifying what behavior is being rewarded 
• Hiring an advisor who won’t bleed you dry and the three questions you should ask a financial advisor  
• How to know if your advisor is actively doing the work to help you meet your goals and recognize your money values
• Why you want an advisor who works with people similar to you
•  Paying attention to professional designations and understanding the regulations and standards that come with them
• Why a CFP (Certified Financial Planner) is the gold standard of financial advisors
• Understanding what an advisor does for his/her clients
• Who the perfect Stacked reader is
• Emily’s retirement readiness checklist and the things you should be thinking about to be ready to retire
• Identifying one good thing everyday   

No Stacking Benjamins hosts were harmed in the making of this episode. 

Visit dontretiregraduate.com for a full transcript of this episode.

Download Emily's Retirement Readiness Checklist at emilyguybirken.com/DRG

About Emily Guy Birken

Emily Guy Birken is a former educator, lifelong money nerd, and a Plutus Award-winning freelance writer who specializes in the scientific research behind irrational money behaviors. Her background in education allows her to make complex financial topics relatable and easily understood by the layperson.  

She is the author of several books, including The 5 Years Before You Retire, End Financial Stress Now, and the brand new book Stacked: Your Super Serious Guide to Modern Money Management, written with Joe Saul-Sehy.   

Emily lives in Milwaukee with her family. 

www.emilyguybirken.com

Facebook: Emily Guy Birken

Twitter: @EmilyGuyBirken

Instagram: @EmilyGuyBirken 

LinkedIn: Emily Guy Birken

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