NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast - Will New Tariffs and Tax Rules Cost You? (Plus: Travel Rewards & Roth IRA Tips)

Episode Date: February 6, 2025

Get the latest on tariffs, federal spending and the CFPB shake-up — plus answers to your travel credit card and Roth IRA questions. What tariffs has President Trump implemented? What’s the best t...ravel credit card for earning rewards and perks? How do you open a Roth IRA and choose investments? Hosts Sean Pyles and Elizabeth Ayoola discuss the latest financial news, including new tariffs, federal spending changes, and what’s happening with the CFPB under the Trump administration. They begin with a discussion of how tariffs may raise prices for consumers, how government funding uncertainties could affect personal finances, and what to know about potential changes to financial protections. Then, host Sara Rathner joins Sean to answer a “lightning round” of listener questions, including questions about travel credit cards and Roth IRAs. They cover top travel credit cards and their perks, how to decide if a travel rewards card is right for you, and what to consider when opening a Roth IRA. NerdWallet’s roundup of the best brokers for beginner investors: https://www.nerdwallet.com/best/investing/online-brokers-for-beginners  In their conversation, the Nerds discuss: best travel credit cards, how to open a Roth IRA, travel rewards cards, Roth IRA step-by-step, tariffs impact on prices, federal spending freeze, CFPB changes, financial protections, Chase Sapphire Reserve review, American Express Gold Card benefits, best credit card for travel perks, how to choose a credit card, travel credit card comparison, investment accounts for kids, best brokerage accounts, best 529 college savings plan, credit freeze explained, credit card points vs. cash back, pros and cons of travel credit cards, Roth IRA tax benefits, how to pick a Roth IRA provider, best robo-advisors for retirement, what is a custodial account, UTMA vs. 529 plan, how to invest for grandkids, personal finance news, money tips, financial literacy, best tax-advantaged accounts, step-by-step Roth IRA guide, best credit card welcome bonuses, tax implications of travel rewards, how tariffs affect your wallet, how to budget for travel, how to avoid credit card debt, and how to maximize credit card rewards. To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend.

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 Well, Elizabeth, would you say it's been a slow news week? I would not say that, Sean, not even remotely. In fact, it's dizzying trying to keep up with everything that's happening right now with the new administration. And some of it could affect all of our finances. So let's try to summarize and then get to the fun part, a lightning round of listener questions. Welcome to NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast, where you send us your money questions and
Starting point is 00:00:30 we answer them with the help of our genius nerds. I'm Sean Piles. And I'm Elizabeth Ayola. This episode, we're featuring a speed round of your questions, including favorite travel credit cards and how exactly to open a Roth IRA, a question for which we turn to fairy tales. But first, our weekly money news roundup, where we break down the latest in the world of finance to help you be smarter with your money.
Starting point is 00:00:53 So Sean, as we just mentioned, the news in the last couple of weeks has been a lot. Yeah, Elizabeth, I'd describe it as unprecedented, to say the least, but also chaotic and confusing. So let's try to clear up as much as we can. Today we're breaking down some of the key recent actions by the Trump administration that could affect your finances and the economy. Our news colleague, Anna Helhosky is here to help with that. Anna, thanks for stopping by. Yeah, you got it.
Starting point is 00:01:21 All right, so let's start with tariffs, a topic we've talked about on the podcast in the past, but more hypothetically. Now it seems this tariff business is starting to become a reality. Yeah, that's right. So President Trump has made a number of tariff promises, but only one has come to fruition so far. As of Tuesday, there is a 10% tariff on all goods from China. Now, there are existing tariffs on certain products from China, but this is an across-the-% tariff on all goods from China. Now, there are existing tariffs on certain products
Starting point is 00:01:45 from China, but this is an across the board tariff. And there's two other tariffs that Trump announced that have been delayed. Those were much bigger, 25% on all goods from Mexico, 25% on all goods from Canada, except for energy exports, which would have a 10% tariff. Now, those were supposed to go into effect on February 4th, but implementation will be delayed for a month. So what's the rationale behind the tariffs? Why is this a priority for Trump? Trump has cited a few reasons for his tariffs.
Starting point is 00:02:15 First off, they're punitive. He blames Canada and Mexico and to a lesser extent China for the influx of fentanyl and undocumented immigrants into the country. He also says he wants to bring US manufacturing back home, but whether or not the tariffs lead to that kind of change is uncertain. I also want to put it out there that tariffs placed on one country often lead to retaliatory tariffs in response, and that's what we saw this week too.
Starting point is 00:02:40 Yeah, China is enacting tariffs on the US, including a 15% tariff on certain natural gas products and a 10% tariff on about 80 different products, including crude oil, agricultural machinery and large engine car imports. And before the Canadian tariffs were paused, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had announced 25% tariffs on billions of dollars of American goods. Trump has floated a number of other tariff plans on specific products, including steel, pharmaceuticals, copper, aluminum, computer chips, and semiconductors.
Starting point is 00:03:12 With more tariffs likely to come, what's the takeaway for consumers? All in all, tariffs usually end up costing consumers more money. That means consumers will likely see higher prices on goods from China, and that'll extend to products from Mexico and Canada if those tariffs are enacted. And here's one other thing that I want to point out. Products made in the US quite often require parts produced in other countries, like cars.
Starting point is 00:03:37 So even prices of made in USA goods could get more expensive for Americans. All right. So another big topic in the headlines lately is the federal spending pause, or should I say the federal spending pause pause? Yeah, this is a particularly confusing one, but I'll try and give it a go. So let's go back to January 27th, when the Office of Management and Budget called for a pause of all federal spending, grants, and other financial assistance programs. Yeah, what did that pause include? So that was the problem, really.
Starting point is 00:04:06 There were some apparent exceptions – Medicare, Social Security, food assistance, and student loans. But it was completely unclear what would happen to other federal funding programs, including Medicaid. Suffice to say, the order produced a lot of chaos. Fundamentally, it isn't clear whether the memo was legal, since the Constitution gives Congress the power to fund programs, and each year after it approves spending, funding for those programs are made legal obligations.
Starting point is 00:04:33 So then what was the response on them? Well the next day, a federal judge in DC granted an administrative stay that blocked the spending freeze for a few days. Then on January 29th, the White House issued a memo rescinding the original order, which would have wrapped up this debacle until White House Press Secretary Carolyn Levitt posted that the funding freeze was still in place. So here's where things stand. Last Friday, a federal judge in Rhode Island granted a temporary restraining order blocking the pause, and then a similar restraining order was made by the DC judge.
Starting point is 00:05:05 So to sum it all up, Trump's federal spending pause is pause while we wait for the legal system to work this thing out one way or the other. Okay, well let's turn to a few actions by Trump's so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOJ. It's led by Elon Musk, the literal richest man on the planet and an unelected official. I'd like to note that DOJ. It's led by Elon Musk, the literal richest man on the planet, and an unelected official. I'd like to note that DOJ is not an actual government department, it is a department in name only, and we all expected it to serve in an advisory capacity, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Yeah, in the last week DOJ has seized information, begun dismantling departments, and fired federal
Starting point is 00:05:44 employees. But there was one particular action that might especially concern Americans. On Friday, Musk was given access to the Treasury Department's federal payment system, which makes $6 trillion in federal payments to Americans. And I'll note that those payments are approved by Congress. So those payments would include things like Social Security and Medicare benefits? Yeah, as well as tax refunds, payments to federal employees, payments to government contractors, and so on.
Starting point is 00:06:11 In the process, a career Treasury official who oversaw the system was even placed on administrative leave after he refused to let Musk's associates access the system. And by the way, that system holds a ton of personal information on millions of Americans. So what does that actually mean for people? Well, it means that Musk, who is neither an elected official or an appointee approved by Congress, can access everyone's personal information. And beyond that, the concern is if Doge can now block or change payments.
Starting point is 00:06:42 So since we don't know what could happen, if anything, to that personal information now that Doge has access, we can't give specific advice on what to do next. But what we can say is that we recommend freezing your credit in general because it blocks scammers from accessing your credit reports and also opening fraudulent accounts. Yeah, we have more information on how to freeze your credit
Starting point is 00:07:02 at the NerdWallet website. Just search NerdWallet, how to freeze your credit at the NerdWallet website. Just search NerdWallet how to freeze your credit. Beyond the Treasury, it seems like the Trump administration has been pretty busy with other departments too. On the last day of January, CFPB Director Rohit Chopra was fired, and Scott Besson, who is the new Treasury Secretary, was named Acting Director. For those who don't know, the CFPB is an independent agency that oversees the consumer finance industry. So that includes banks, lenders and other financial institutions.
Starting point is 00:07:32 Its main job is, as the name suggests, to protect consumers often through enforcement actions. Over the last 13 years, the CFPB has recouped $19.7 billion for consumers. Well, it seems that unfortunately, the CFPB is not gonna get much done anytime soon. Shortly after Besant was appointed, he quickly halted operations at the agency, saying the CFPB needed to align its actions with the new administration.
Starting point is 00:07:59 This wasn't entirely unexpected, of course. Trump, as well as Musk, are no fans of the CFPB. They also don't seem to be fans of the Education Department. Yeah, that's an understatement, Sean. After dismantling the US Agency for International Development, or USAID, and purging other departments, it looks like the US Department of Education could be next. And the Education Department is in charge of overseeing all federal education policy along with managing financial aid and student loans.
Starting point is 00:08:28 So it has a laundry list of duties and yet... And yet Trump has long promised to get rid of the Education Department. And now there are reports that he may soon issue an executive order to dismantle it. Can he do that, Ana? I mean, getting rid of the department entirely isn't up to a president. That power lies with Congress. Then again, Doge has shuttered USAID. So is it possible?
Starting point is 00:08:51 Maybe. I would note that Doge has reportedly already gained access to internal ED systems, including people's financial aid information. So there's more personal information that Musk has access to. Another good opportunity to repeat our House view on phrasing credit. So, Ana, if Trump doesn't get rid of the Education Department, he could still dwindle its power, right? Yeah, that's right.
Starting point is 00:09:12 He could still fire more employees and divert department responsibilities, both financial and practical, to other federal agencies and probably to the states. All right. That was a lot of information to digest, and there's likely to be a lot of new actions coming out of the White House in the coming days. So, listener, let us know what you have questions about. In the meantime, Ana, thanks for walking us through all of that. Yeah, sure thing.
Starting point is 00:09:36 Up next, Sean and Sarah Rathner answer not one, not two, but three listener questions about travel credit cards, opening investment accounts for grandkids, and more. But before we move on, a quick note, listener. I'm betting you have a pile of tax documents burning a hole in your desk right now, and maybe you're wondering how to approach your taxes this year. Well, we are putting together an episode
Starting point is 00:09:58 all about your tax questions, so send them our way. Leave us a voicemail or text us on the Nerd Hotline at 901-730-6373, that's 901-730-NERD, or email us at podcast at nerdwallet.com. Maybe you're wondering if you should itemize or claim the standard deduction, or if there will even be an IRS to send your tax return to. Whatever your tax questions, send it our way. One more time, leave us a voicemail or text us on the Nerd Hotline at 901-730-6373. That's 901-730-NERD. You can also email us at podcast at nerdwallet.com.
Starting point is 00:10:39 All right. Now let's move on to this episode's Money Question segment. That's coming up in a moment. Stay with us. We're back and answering your money questions to help you make smarter financial decisions. This episode, we're taking on a number of your questions in a lightning round. Here's the first question which comes from a listener's text message.
Starting point is 00:11:03 They asked, what's your favorite travel credit card? So okay, a simple enough question, but before we dive in, I just want to give listeners a heads up that we will be talking about some companies that are NerdWallet partners, but that does not influence how we talk about them as ever. And as we talk about specific benefits of each card, know that terms and conditions apply and the benefits that we'll discuss are active as of this recording and may change at a later date. Okay, with all of that said, Sarah, lay it on us, what is your favorite travel credit card?
Starting point is 00:11:34 Is this what it's like to admit to yourself that you actually like one of your kids best of all? I would imagine so, having not any kids of my own. Well, I only have one kid, so I like him best of all. But I do have three pets, so maybe I could just apply that situation to this. If I had to go with just one, I would go with the Chase Sapphire Reserve. But my answer comes with an asterisk that leads to a footnote. Okay, and go on about that asterisk slash footnote.
Starting point is 00:12:01 So what's great about the card on its own is that it earns what are called Chase Ultimate Rewards points, that's its rewards currency. And when you redeem those points for travel through Chase, then they're worth one and a half cents a piece. And that's a good thing because the average value of points is typically around one cent a piece, so it's 50% higher. But that is also what makes the Chase Sapphire Reserve even better when you carry multiple Chase cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points. And how this works is if you
Starting point is 00:12:31 have multiple Chase cards that earn this rewards currency, you can move all of those points over to your Reserve card, and then you could redeem for travel at that higher rate. And if you have a spouse or partner who also carries chase cards that earn these types of rewards They can transfer points to you if you're carrying the reserve card because chase allows you to transfer points to another member of your household So both of you can earn a whole bunch of points and then redeem them for travel through your chase Sapphire Reserve account That is pretty sweet and I might add my own asterisk or maybe that little dagger thing you sometimes see in publications and that's that you have to pay a pretty hefty annual fee to be able to earn the points at this rate with the reserve card, right? Yes, so the Chase Sapphire Reserve has an annual fee of $550, which is nothing to sneeze
Starting point is 00:13:19 at. You definitely want to think long and hard about how you're going to use this card before you apply because that's a lot of money. Yeah, but that said, if you can make it work, you can get a lot of value out of these cards. And I feel like the Chase Sapphire cards, whether the Reserve or the Preferred, are the gateway credit cards for a lot of people that get them into the points game. Because once you learn about transferring points, I mean, all bets are off for some folks. They get totally hooked on maximizing their points to get free or highly discounted travel. So I get why you like that card Yeah, and it has some other benefits too. It's got a $300 annual travel credit last year
Starting point is 00:13:54 I use that to buy tickets on high-speed rail on a trip to Spain with my family So I like to think that I got a lot of joy out of that travel credit fun You also get access to certain types of airport lounges. It comes with travel insurance, which can be a really helpful benefit if your trip does not go according to plan. So those are all things that could have monetary value if you choose to take advantage of them.
Starting point is 00:14:18 And that can also help chip away at that, once again, $550 annual fee. Yeah. All right, Sean, what is your favorite travel card? I think I have an easier choice here, at that once again $550 annual fee. Yeah. All right, Sean, what is your favorite travel card? I think I have an easier choice here because my favorite travel credit card would have to be the only travel credit card
Starting point is 00:14:32 that I currently use, which is the American Express gold card. So you're definitely not the only nerd who's a fan of that card. And it's not just because you can get the card in classic yellow gold or trendy rose gold. And for a limited time they had a white gold option that I don't think is available anymore. Yeah I have the yellow gold
Starting point is 00:14:50 and I feel very fancy whenever I use it even if I'm just at the Taco Bell drive-thru whipping out my fancy metal card. I'm not huge into travel credit cards because I just don't want to have to play that game transferring points and I'm just kind of lazy with it. I tend to use my cash back card more than anything else but when it comes to my that game transferring points. And I'm just kind of lazy with it. I tend to use my cash back card more than anything else. But when it comes to my travel credit card, I like it, I guess, for all the reasons that folks typically like any travel credit card. I got a really sweet sign up bonus. The rewards rate is nice on purchases that I make frequently, like going out to restaurants.
Starting point is 00:15:19 And when it comes to travel related perks, I do really like that it has baggage insurance. Yeah. The card also offers quite a few statement credits for specific merchants like Duncan and Rezzy. And there's a monthly allotment of Uber cash that gets added to your Uber account. Terms apply. If you take advantage of these perks, you can get more value out of the card
Starting point is 00:15:38 because it also has a pretty high annual fee. So just because Sarah and I like these cards, listener, that doesn't mean that they would be right for you. Sarah, you've been writing about credit cards for a while now. Can you enlighten us about what someone should consider if they are hoping to find a new favorite travel credit card? The first thing you have to ask yourself is, is the travel card even right for you? And the answer might be no, and that's totally fine.
Starting point is 00:16:01 Now, the more you travel each year, especially if you travel internationally, the more sense it makes to use travel rewards credit cards. But if you tend to travel domestically and not that often, you probably will get more value out of a cash back card. If you are a frequent enough traveler, then you wanna look at the cost of the card compared to the dollar value of the perks that it offers that you're actually going to use. One last thing to think about is how you travel. If you're loyal to a specific airline or
Starting point is 00:16:31 you always stay at a hotel property that's under the umbrella of a specific brand like Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott Bonvoy, then airline and hotel cards could be a better fit for you. But if you want flexibility to book on any airline or stay at any hotel, even independent hotels that are not part of a chain, then a general travel rewards card might be a better option for you. Okay, all good things to consider. And I'll also add this.
Starting point is 00:16:55 If you currently have credit card debt, know that the amount that you pay in interest can wipe out the value of your travel rewards pretty quickly. So before you apply for a high-end card, focus on paying down that debt first. Now let's get to our next listener question, totally different topic. This one comes from Cheryl, who wrote us an email. I have a question about opening investment accounts for my grandchildren. I would like to open the accounts with a small amount, say a hundred plus plus, and then contribute on birthdays and Christmas.
Starting point is 00:17:25 Many of the Vanguard funds require a large investment of $3,000. Is there anywhere I can get started with smaller amounts? All right, Sean, you're Mr. CFP, so I'm gonna let you start this one. What would you tell Cheryl? Well, first, I'm gonna tell Cheryl that this is not personalized investment advice.
Starting point is 00:17:41 This is just for general educational and entertainment purposes, as we always say. But then I would also tell Cheryl that your grandchildren are super lucky to have you because investing for them is a really generous gift. But first I wanna back up and ask Cheryl hypothetically, or anyone else who wants to invest for a loved one, what are they investing for?
Starting point is 00:18:02 Like what do they hope their grandchildren will use this money for? Is it for college? Is it so they can have a gap year galvancing around Europe after high school or college? What this money is going to be used for can determine what kind of account might be best for them. I will also say this before you open any sort of account, talk to your grandchildren's parents or guardians, whoever is raising them day to day, because they might already have some accounts set up for their kids that you can contribute to.
Starting point is 00:18:29 Let's break this down by different goals. So if Cheryl wants to invest for their grandchildren's future education, a 529 college savings plan can be a great investment vehicle. The funds don't have to be used for college. They could be used for a trade school or other types of education, like private school. When the investment money is used for qualified educational expenses, it's tax free, which is a big plus. And it's really common for folks to fund or open a 529 for relatives. In fact, I just opened one for my nephew as a Christmas gift. And like Cheryl,
Starting point is 00:19:01 I'm planning to contribute to that on birthdays and for Christmas. My husband and I have a 529 for our son, and we both contribute to it. Both of our sets of parents have also contributed by giving us checks. And then we deposit them into the savings account that's linked to the 529. And then we move the money over and invest it. But what if Cheryl isn't so much the 529 kind of grandparent, but is more the YOLO kind of grandparent who wants to fund their grandchildren's, I don't know, experience going to like a
Starting point is 00:19:28 yurt in the desert. Well, if Cheryl wants to give their grandchildren money just to do whatever they want with and find themselves, there are a few options to consider, but I'm just going to focus on two. An UTMA account and a standard taxable brokerage account. Starting with UTMA. UTMA is a pretty ugly sounding acronym that just means Uniform Transfers to Miners Act, and it's what's known as a custodial account. There are also things called UGMA accounts, which is a similar, even uglier sounding acronym, but many people prefer UTMAs so I'm just going to focus on those.
Starting point is 00:20:02 So UTMAs are essentially ways for miners to own investment assets when they generally would be unable to do so. When the grandchild is a miner, Cheryl would manage the assets in the account and the grandchild would eventually take active ownership of the account when they're an adult. There are a couple of catches with UTMAs though. Now remember that the child is considered to own the assets in these accounts. That means they would be considered the child's for student aid purposes, which could mean that they could qualify for less assistance. The second is that the child could be responsible for taxes on growth within the account.
Starting point is 00:20:37 And I don't want to go too far down the tax rabbit hole here, but depending on how much the account earns in a year, the child's earnings could be taxed at their parents' marginal tax rate, which a lot of folks want to avoid. Yeah, that is a lot to consider. So would it be simpler to go with a taxable brokerage account then? Yes and no. So remember that miners aren't generally allowed to own investments or taxable brokerage accounts unless it's in something like an UTMA. If Cheryl wants to pursue the taxable brokerage account route for their investments with their grandchildren,
Starting point is 00:21:11 but avoid the sticky student aid and tax stuff that I mentioned earlier, they could just open one of these accounts for each of their grandchildren, make contributions, and then gift the grandchild the money from that account when they want to. Yeah, but I'm gonna go ahead and assume that there is some sort of tax hang up here too. You are correct, Sarah, because there is no escaping taxes.
Starting point is 00:21:31 In this case, Cheryl would likely have to pay long-term capital gains on the earnings in their brokerage account if they hold the investments for more than a year. But the grandchildren wouldn't owe any taxes on the money they get, which is nice. And people often worry about having to pay gift tax, but for many folks, that's not really a concern. In 2025, people can gift $19,000 per person without having to file a gift tax return. Well, those are all things to plan for,
Starting point is 00:21:56 and it sounds like anybody in Cheryl's situation who wants to gift money to grandchildren for their future, their young adulthood, it might be worth talking to some kind of tax professional first before you take any actions and again talk to the parents too. All right. Another thing they asked us about is account minimums. Do they have to start with a minimum investment of $3,000 or is there a way they can start
Starting point is 00:22:18 with smaller amounts? Cheryl should certainly be able to start with smaller amounts depending on what type of account they want. Cheryl should have no problem finding an investment account with a $0 minimum. Yeah, and this is where we put our NerdWallet hats on, not that we ever take them off. And remind folks to shop around for financial products. We have loads of roundups about investing accounts
Starting point is 00:22:40 on NerdWallet, so check those out. You can find a link in this episode's show notes or online by searching NerdWallet, so check those out. You can find a link in this episode's show notes or online by searching NerdWallet investing account. And moving on, let's get to our final question of the episode, which comes from a listener's text message. Here it is. Step by step, like I'm a five-year-old, exactly how do you open a RothEye array?
Starting point is 00:22:59 And then what do you do once you open it? I'm college educated, but I need finances for dummies. All right, Sarah, you are a parent. I get that your kid is not yet five, but how would you explain to them how to open a Roth IRA? Honestly, ask me that question in a few years when he no longer refers to our dog as mama. I'm also mama, but the dog is double mama. Whenever I say the dog's name to him, he goes mama.
Starting point is 00:23:24 So cute. So opening a Roth IRA is pretty simple. dog is double mama whenever I say the dog's name to him he goes mama so cute so opening a Roth IRA is pretty simple you can do it in just a few steps which we laid out in an article that we will link to in the show notes but I will also walk you through them give them to us and Sarah you got to make this fun because I was that five-year-old who preferred to doodle with my crayons in class rather than pay attention all All right, gather around kids, because it's story time. Imagine that a Roth IRA is a house deep in the woods, and it's like made of candy or something,
Starting point is 00:23:51 just to make things really interesting. And you are a lost child. You're getting kind of hungry. You want shelter. You want a snack. And in this Roth IRA house, you can have both at the same time. And of course, we would like a fully funded retirement,
Starting point is 00:24:02 which I will somehow work into this metaphor eventually. I'm not yet sure how but stick with me. Okay I'm confident you can get there. Okay, Sarah. I'm picturing a house How do I get into it because I want a retirement full of money and candy So the Roth IRA candy house has a locked door The first step is knowing if you have the right size key. In this case, the key represents your income. So if the income is too little and the key is too small, can't enter, but too much, you can't enter either, the key won't fit because it's too big. It needs to be just the right size. So to put funds into a Roth IRA, you need to have earned income. That income is something that you get from a job that for which you are a W-2
Starting point is 00:24:43 employee, maybe a contracting gig, you're a 1099 employee, and your income has to be below certain limits. And for a single person in 2025, you have to earn less than $150,000 to be able to contribute the maximum amount to a Roth IRA. That amount that you can contribute is phased out as your income goes above that limit. So as a single person, you can't contribute at all
Starting point is 00:25:06 if you earn more than $165,000 in 2025. Okay, so your income is the key to entering this candy house and the size of your key, AKA how much income you have determines kinda how big the house is when you get inside as in how much you can contribute. And the maximum amount you can contribute to a Roth IRA in 2025 is $7,000 for those under the age of 50. inside as in how and you can choose from different companies. Some bowls are different shapes and sizes,
Starting point is 00:25:49 and some have different features. How do I know which one to pick? Well, in a non-made-up fairy tale world, you would check out NerdWallet's roundup of the best Roth IRA accounts to help you choose which one is right for you. But if you want to choose your own investments, you might select the brokerage account bowl of porridge. If you want to choose your own investments,
Starting point is 00:26:22 put into the account, which let's say is the amount of porridge you want to add to your bowl. You might want to add a certain amount each month or do it all at once for the year. You have some flexibility here. So I'm in the house, I've got my bowl. I'm gradually adding some porridge to it. Does it somehow transform into a handsome prince that will provide me with money and candy in retirement?
Starting point is 00:26:39 You know, kind of does because the next and final step is the most magical of all. You pick your investments and this is a big one because the money and final step is the most magical of all. You pick your investments, and this is a big one because the money you put into a raw fire array is not automatically invested. So think of choosing your investments as bringing the whole magical dish to life because if you don't do that, then the money you put into a raw fire a account is just held in cash. That's your uncooked porridge, just sitting in the bowl instead of some hunky prints. Then you sit back, continue to invest, and watch your retirement funds grow over time until you have the largest
Starting point is 00:27:09 bowl of porridge that anyone has ever seen. Well, that's one way to live happily ever after. And hopefully this story helped the listener understand how to open a Roth IRA. Well, now I just want a bowl full of candy porridge. All right, that's all we have for this episode. Remember listener, we're here to answer your money questions and we could do it via fairy tale if needed or not. So turn to the nerds and call or text us your questions at 901-730-6373. That's 901-730-NERD.
Starting point is 00:27:39 You can also email us at podcast at nerdwallet.com. Also visit nerdwallet.com slash podcast for more info on this episode. And remember, you can follow the show on your favorite podcast app, including Spotify, Apple podcasts, and iHeartRadio to automatically download new episodes. And here is our brief disclaimer. We are not financial or investment advisors.
Starting point is 00:27:59 This nerdy info is provided for general educational and entertainment purposes and may not apply to your specific circumstances. And with that said, until next time, turn to the nerds. [♪ Music Fades Out, Music Ends. Today's episode is supported by Amazefit. For those who crave adventure as part of their lifestyle, but don't let it define them, meet the Amazefit T-Rex 3, the ultimate ready-for-anything adventure watch.
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