The holiday
s are a notorious time for throwing the budget out the window. Larger than life meals, parties, travel – not to mention the presents, make it easy to forget about long term financial goals and live in the moment. My boss, Bob Crane (yes he is a real person that exists) has always said that radio is an excellent source of information on any topic you want to know about including money. As with life, every person has different ideas of what that long term financial goal looks like. Fortunately, there are a variety of shows that provide different ideas and paths to get there so you can find one that resonates with you. Some of the most popular (and our favorites) are shown below along with a quick synopsis on their focus.
Bob Brinker – MoneyTalk: Weekend show focusing on investment strategies, personal finance and general money management. Stock market timing, current investment related issues and how they might impact your strategies.
Dave Ramsey – The Dave Ramsey Show: Weekday show with real talk about life and money. Common sense approach to getting out of debt and building wealth.
Clark Howard – The Clark Howard Show: Weekday show that teaches you how to save more, spend less and avoid rip offs. Clark is a consumer advocate who also helps people find the best deals on everything.
While I won’t divulge who, there are folks here at C. Crane who have subscribed to Bob Brinker’s Market Timer newsletter, who use Dave Ramsey’s financial peace programs and who regularly tune into Clark Howard’s show.
There’s never been a better time to use radio for learning more about your money. As with anything in life, do your due diligence before taking anyone’s advice in regard to your finances. The shows listed above are not a comprehensive list of all that’s available. They have been on air for a long time and have real stories for and against so you can make up your own mind (yay freedom!). But there are other shows that pop up now and again that want to take you for a ride. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is (especially if it involves betting in Vegas).
Bob’s Tip: If you have never invested before try using “make believe money” for a few years and see where their advice takes you. It is a great way to learn.
The Kim Komando Show isn’t about finances, but her tech topics are potential money savers, if you are thinking about buying a PC, laptop, tablet, smartphone, or Internet access, as well as about security concerns and other tech-related issues. Her show is weekly on am radio around here.
The Kim Komando Show, on information technology topics, is another great information resource available on AM radio.
Besides being a shortwave radio geek, I’m also a personal finance geek. I couldn’t agree with you more: radio is a wonderful medium for financial empowerment. I’m quite a big fan of Clark Howard–his show really covers the scope of all things financial, travel and security (avoiding scams, rip-offs, etc.). While my wife and I have been debt free since 1996, I love listening to the Dave Ramsey show as well. Sometimes I even listen to the podcast or live show via AM while mountain biking. Imagine me in the middle of the woods, climbing the side of a mountain on my bike and yelling, “Of course you pay off the credit cards!!!” I can’t help myself. In this wonderful country we often talk about freedom, but so many have never thought of enjoying some of the most liberating freedom: financial freedom.
I put my money where my mouth is, too (or is that mouth where my money is?). For several years I co-hosted a program called “Credit Talk” on an FM station here in NC. I’m still a regular guest on the WWNC show, “Money Matters.”
Anyway, thanks for bringing up the financial topic–something we all need to remember during the holiday shopping season.
Best,
Thomas
I enjoy Dave Ramsey and Bob Brinker has made some fairly accurate financial forecasts. Great advice!
Yes, it is funny how one advisor says “buy gold”, another “buy bonds, another “investigate in the stock market”.