Having Financial Independence so you can Retire Early (FIRE) is achievable, if you know the right formula.  Aaron Clark, owner of The Accounting Nerd, LLC says the first thing you need to do is change your mindset.  Then invest in relatively safe, Index Funds.

Susan Speirs, the CEO of Utah Association of CPAs, says money is a very psychological and behavorial aspect to our being.  So there must be discipline in order to live a FIRE lifestyle. And do you know the difference between 'Coast FIRE and Barista FIRE?'

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The CDC says domestic violence is the number 1 public health issue in America.  Research confirms 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men are victims of abuse in their relationships.  Kim Scouller, author of How Money Works for Women, says one of the first things an abusive partner does is take control of the finances so their spouse feels like they can't leave. Start by stashing away cash -- even very small amounts will help.

National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233
Domestic Shelters -- find a shelter near you

Kim says communication is key and both partners need to step up and take responsibility for the finances in the relationship.  It can be equally dividing up who pays which bills or have a joint account where only a part of each person's income goes into the same account and pay everything from there.

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 Chronic inflammation from diabetes, obesitity and other long term illnesses play a bigger role in heart disease than we realize.  Dr. Andrew Freeman, the Director of Cardiovascular Prevention and Wellness at National Jewish Health in Denver, says changing your lifestyle is much more cost effective than surviving a heart attack or dying from one. 

Dr. Freeman says a plant based diet, brisk exercise everyday, reducing stress, at least 7-hours of sleep each night and have a good support system around you.  ALL five of these tips -- along with not smoking are the best way to reduce your risk of a heart attack.  Go to CVDInflammation.com for more information. 

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Having tough conversations about how your aging family members are doing with bill paying or spending before things get out of hand is much easier than having a talk after their money is gone.  That's according to Nico Pesci, founder and CEO of Momemtum Wealth.  He says having a fiduciary advisor is an important ally in safe guarding your parents money because they have a LEGAL obligation to work for their clients best interests.

He also discusses how more family members try to take financial advantage of aging loved ones than do parents making bad decisions because of memory loss.  

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Now that we know who our next President will be, a lower inflation rate is not a guarantee.  That's according to Senior Economist Robert Spendlove with Zions Bank.  He says ecoomic theory dictates increasing tariffs -- which President-elect Donald Trump plans to do -- means higher inflation.  He does say one of the biggest issues for next year's Congress will be taxation.

Susan Speirs, the CEO of Utah Association of CPAs, says the hope Trump has is that manufacturers will return the United States if tariffs are imposed, but right now they appear to be leaving China and going to Vietnam.

You can follow this show on Instagram and on Facebook. And to see what Heather does when she's not talking money, go to her personal X (Twitter) page.

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If you truly want to support veterans, buy from their business or use their services.  That's from Aikta Marcoulier, Regional Administrator for the Small Business Administration, who says veteran owned companies employee 5-Million people across the U.S.  She says show your support using small, veteran owned business along with displaying  a flag.

Veterans who are transitioning out of the military have lots of resources to help them, or family members, start a business in every state of the Union.  SBA.gov/vetbiz is a great place to start.  Here are other websites for vets or their families go from "boots to business."
Utah Veteran Business Resource Center
Veterans Business Outreach Center

You can follow this show on Instagram and Facebook.  And to see what Heather does when she's not talking money, go to her personal X (Twitter) page.

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Politicians on both sides of the aisle are raising campaign funds faster than ever before.  Boyd Matheson, political consultant, says Super Pacs are a big part of that revenue stream.  He says the pacs are where almost all the negative ads come from.

Boyd says people need to be humble about what they think they know and look outside their normal sources of information in order to find out if what they are being fed is true or not.  The first borometer is -- if it sounds 'out there' it's probably not correct.  Please remember to "Disagree Better."

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Retirement is all about your cash flow.  Jason Parker of Parker Financial and Sound Retirement Radio, has a formula to make sure you've saved enough for 'the golden years.'  But, he says money isn't the most important item to have in order to gain wealth.

Hint:  It's all about your relationships.

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Ticket Master/Live Nation makes $130 BILLION a year on fees selling tickets.  The Ticket Act would remove Junk fees from live event ticket purchases.  That's from Sally Greenberg, executive director of the National Consumers League, who also says there would be 'no more jumping through hoops on websites to see the actual price of a ticket and fake ticketing websites would go away.'

The Bill already passed the U.S. House of Representatives 388 to 24.  Now it goes to the Senate for a vote.  Please contact the Senators in your state to let them know how you want them to vote.

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*After this episode was recorded, the Utah Education Association sued the state of Utah over the wording of Amendment A,*
A bill to remove the state sales tax from grocery store food has been approved.  But it won't go into effect unless Amendment A passes in this year's election.

The brief from Gardner Institute states Amendment A would allow legislators to re-allocate where monies collected from your Income Tax would go.  Phil Dean, the Senior Economist at the Kem C. Gardner Institute says lawmakers want to shift some of the income tax away from education to the general state fund.  Susan Speirs, the CEO of Utah Association of CPAs says some educators are worried their peice of the tax pie will get smaller.

Phil Dean says he believes the amount of money spent per pupil will actually increase under the proposed Amendment and Companion Bill.  Also, find out what happens if the initiative doesn't pass.

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Too often women are made the caregivers of not only their children, but also their elderly parents.  Lisa Peel, head of financial planning with Edward Jones, says this can greatly affect the amount of time they spend in the workforce, thus limiting their income.

Lisa says it is important to work closely with a financial planner to maximize the amount of income available both currently and for the future. She says it is extremely important to interview 2 or 3 advisors minimum, to find the right fit.

You can follow this show on Instagram and on Facebook. And to see what Heather does when she's not talking money, go to her personal X (Twitter) page.

Be sure to email Heather your questions and request topics you'd like her to cover here.