Money Making Sense

How are Jon and Kate's kids are doing after the tv show?  Jon Gosselin spoke with host Heather Kelly at the Sundance Film Festival where he was the Celebrity DJ at the Music Lodge.  He also discusses current events in his personal and professional life.

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.

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

Death is a taboo subject in China.  Filmmaker Yuxuan Ethan Wu wants to start the conversation about dying with his short documentary "Death Education" now showing at the Sundance Film Festival.

Learn why some high school teachers in China now teach classes about death, including having students carry the ashes of 'unanamed' people from a crematorium to a public burial ground in this episode.  Also, how long it took Wu to shoot the film and how much money it cost.

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

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

Filmmaker Tadashi Nakamura had big shoes to fill following in his father's footsteps.  So, he made a documentary about his dad, Robert A. Nakamura, the godfather of Asian-American Media.

In the film, Third Act, Tadashi follows his father's footsteps from his time in a Concentration Camp for Japanese Americans during WWII to his diagnosis with Parkinson's Disease.  If you miss the Sundance Film Festival, you can see Third Act on PBS later this year.  

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.

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

Funding an independent movie just got a bit easier.  That's according to Hedge Fund creators Michael Perrone, Slater Wayne, and Chris De La Rosa who bring Rendezvous Cinema Center to the Sundance Film Festival as the sponsor of the interview studio, Collider.  

They say they they are more interested in the projects and people who take risks, than those who are only interested in how much money they can make.  They put their filmmaking knowledge together with finance guy, Craig Mattus. to create Rendezvous Capital Holdings where qualified investors can invest in a flight of films, and independent artists can benefit financially.

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.

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

Filmmaker Loren Waters brings the story of the Native American family who started the t-shirt company "Tiger" in 1977.  It was a very small operation, working 24/7 to fill orders for JC Penny in its heyday.

Learn why the company went under in 1990 and watch "Tiger" through the Sundance Film Festival as well as at SXSW later this spring in this conversation with Loren.

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.

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

In Pakistan in the Karakoram Range is a peak that has never been conquered by skiers, until now.  Extreme skiers Christina ‘Lusti’ Lustenberger and Jim Morrison became the first people known to ever ski down the face of Trango on May 9, 2024 and it is all captured in this documentary.  Christina also says what was not revealed in the film.

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.

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

Many people made a New Year's Resolution not to spend any money for anything other than essential needs, like food and shelter.  Susan Speirs, the CEO of Utah Association of CPA's, discusses with host, Heather Kelly, what a better resolution should be -- and how to stick to it.

Tip #1:  Put just five dollars a week into a High Yield Savings account and you can accrue interest on the your money.  
Tip #2:  Learn how to control your credit cards, don't let them control you.

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.

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

The producer of the FanX Salt Lake and three other comic conventions describes how he got his start in the business.  Dan Farr, President of Dan Farr Productions, says the response to the first one in Salt Lake City was overwhelming.  

He also discusses what happens behind the scenes, how celebrities deal with the fans, and what attendees can expect when you go.

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.

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

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?'

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.

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

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.

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

 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. 

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.

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

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.  

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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."

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

*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.

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.

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.

Does the person you voted for have a financial background?  It is critical to understand how  local treasurers and auditors keep tabs on your taxes -- and who wants the job.  Catherine Voutaz is running for Utah State Auditor and Sheila Srivastava for the Salt Lake County Treasurer positions.  Find out why Sheila says every tax dollar is hard earned.

They explain why its important to have people in those offices who have financial backgrounds and what their roles are to assist the more well-known positions of governors, mayors and city councils.  Susan Speirs, the CEO of Utah Association of CPAs, also joins the conversation to help explain why voters need to do their research on ALL the people listed on your ballot. 

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.

Producer George David discusses how you can make money in the music industry without being a star.  Licensing songs for tv commercials and movie soundtracks, producing others, building music studios and many other way will earn you six figures each year.  Building a music studio is what led George to collaborating with the music group Train.

George says singers must now get a local following first, along with a big social media presence before record labels will sign them.  HACK:  everyone needs to learn computer programing and A.I. systems like Python to earn money.

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.

HVAC systems must be able to make your home comfortable and be affordable at the same time.  If you want more efficient systems, you need to get a higher number SEER and HSPF rating.  It will cost a little more money up front, but save you in monthly utility bills.  
Dennis Stinson, VP of Sales for Fujitsu General America.

If you can't afford a new A/C or heat system, try putting in more insulation in your attic, getting newer energy efficient windows, and sealing up gaps around windows and doors.  Make sure the airflow to your A/C and furnace are not blocked.

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. 

Food Security expert, Kimberley Gillan, says buy nutrient dense, low cost foods such as parsley, peas, and skim milk powder in order to save money and be healthy.  Gillan details what to buy every week for a 5-week cycle and how much it will cost in her book "How Low Can You Go" to help lower your grocery bills by 60%.   
HACK:  canned fish like sardines and beans & lentils are a start.

She also discusses several causes as to why food prices continue to increase and what we can do as individuals and as a society to get prepared for even higher prices and food shortages in the future.

You can follow this show on Instagram and on Facebook. 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.

If the experts believe the economy is in great shape, why does the average American feel like we're in a recession?  That is what Nico Pesci, the founder and CEO of Momemtum Wealth, says is a 'vibecession.'  When everyday people have the vibe things are going badly, while Wall Street is living high off the hog -- it's time to make a money plan for the stage of life you are in. 

Nico says recessions are part of economic cycles.  Things will improve.  You just need to wait, if can, to cash out your retirement funds.  Don't panic, learn to take a deep breath and understand what is really happening in the stock market.

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.

Higher education doesn't have to mean ONLY a 4-year expensive college.  Troy Runnels, the CFO of My529, says you can put money into a plan which will pay for a trade school educaton, internet usage, housing, internships school supplies and much more.  

Susan Speirs, the CEO of Utah Association of CPAs, says the funds you put into a MY529 plan qualify for a Credit on your taxes; and you can roll over any unused funds into a Roth IRA.  Also, there are many opportunities available to help pay for your child's education.

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.