jill

The 404 698: Where we pour one out for a real mensch...mazel tov! (podcast)

With only one day left before Mr. Stacie Bakalar's wedding, we're sure Jeff is busy getting prepared for tomorrow's celebration. But before Wilson and I head blindly into the fray, we ask the Financial Decoder herself, Jill Schlesinger, to join us in Jeff's absence to give us a preview of what to expect at our first Jewish wedding.

Jill lays down several rules for proper etiquette, but we had no idea that although the ceremony itself will likely be short and sweet, clapping is frowned upon. So we'll keep our hands to ourselves.

She also tells us about the traditional Jewish wedding chair dance that comes from the tradition of carrying royalty on chairs. We definitely have a lot to learn from Aunt Jill, and she even helps us decide exactly how much cash moneys to give to the happy couple.

Jill's very, very close to attaining her goal of 3,000 Twitter followers before the end of October, and with your help she''ll reach it, so follow her Tweets for daily financial tips that we can't always get to on The 404.

Jill always comes prepared with 404 listener questions, and today is no different. Along with advice about automatic routing within bank accounts (PIPs) and travel insurance (get it!), Jill also maps out the three golden rules for financial success:

1. Pay down your consumer debt (credit cards, car loans).

2. Have an emergency reserve fund that includes 6-12 months of living expenses tucked away.

3. Feed as much as you can into your 401k account, at least as much as your employer will match.

Most importantly, don't forget to set aside some money every month for your entertainment! This ensures that your binge drinking won't start at 11 a.m. like our friend Wilson this morning. Crossed fingers that we make it through Jeff's absence next week! Keep a lookout for more throwback episodes coming your way this weekend, and don't forget to send Jeff and Stacie your best YouTube video voice mail wishes to the404(at)cnet(dot)com!

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The 404 667: Where we find out who Elizabeth Warren is (podcast)

Aunt Jill Schlesinger of CBS MoneyWatch is back again on the show today, and admits that she wants to marry CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric.

So, what does today's show title mean? If you're a news junkie, you probably already know, but to Jill and Wilson's surprise, even in the financial capital of the country, nobody really knows who the heck Elizabeth Warren is. (In case you don't know, she's the Chairman of the TARP Oversight Committee and will likely be appointed as a "Special Adviser to the President" to run and build the new Consumer Financial Protection Agency.)

Warren has been a leading advocate for consumer financial protection for decades and was the person who initially came up with the idea for the CFPA. But what's interesting is that it was really the Internet, "The Daily Show", and social media that has made her into the "Money Momma." Unfortunately for Jill, "Money Aunt" doesn't seem to have the same ring to it. We won't get into other M-related alliterations.

As usual, Aunt Jill has some great advice for anyone who needs a little financial guidance in these trying times. For the tech enthusiast, there's Mint.com to manage and track your personal finances, and the best feature is its capability to automatically categorize your spending on your credit and debit cards. But keep in mind that you are giving up your personal financial information, user names, account numbers and passwords to a third party.

Some bullet points also to follow:

Don't buy actual gold; buy gold-based traded funds. In general, don't buy gold unless you know what you're doing.

Follow Jill at @jillonmoney for daily financial tips. We're still thinking of a Twitter hashtag for her to use. Send us your suggestions.

The First Time Home Buyers' Tax Credit has expired.

Only consolidate your student loans (and loans in general) if you're going to get a lower rate.

You're probably "SOL" if you bought a brand new car a few years ago, are still making payments, and want to get a new car. Jill's advice is to buy used always. She even did, and she definitely makes more money than any of the guys.

Finally, couples who want to start a joint bank account together should find a bank or network that is close by. If you're adventurous look into credit unions. And there are a few banks that don't really have branches but will refund all ATM fees.

If you have any financial questions or just want to send your love to Aunt Jill and The 404, feel free to send us an e-mail at the404 [at] cnet [dot]. Or call us at 1-866-404-CNET (2638) and leave a message. Jill demands that you follow her on Twitter @jillonmoney, or follow us at @the404, @rhapsodyartist, @malusbrutus and @jeffbakalar.

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The 404 648: Where we know exactly where you are (podcast)

Jill Schlesinger, aka Aunt Jill of CBS MoneyMoney, fills in for Justin, who is waiting for the cable guy. I believe they told him they'd come sometime between today and next week between the hours of 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. (We all know how the cable guy loves to be on time).

On today's show, we talk about Facebook Places, a location-based check-in service. Say you're at a fantastic restaurant. You'll be able to check in with your mobile phone with GPS, leave comments about the food and service, tag your friends who … Read more

The 404 633: Where we welcome the financial femme fatale (podcast)

Natali can't make it on the show today because she's busy taking care of little Justin Junior, but Jill Schlesinger saves the day and joins us to answer some of your most pressing financial quandaries.

Our first order of business is figuring out how Jill can get 3,000 Twitter followers before the end of this year. She hasn't been on Twitter very long and already has 1,627 followers, but we're thinking a funny new profile picture could help increase her online presence. We know that all you 404 listeners are handy with the Photoshop, … Read more

The 404 618: Where push the eject button (podcast)

Both Natali Del Conte and Jill Schlesinger join the show today to talk all sorts of mischief, and what an apropos day because we have gifts! That's right, our good friend Joe from Hawaii sent in wooden plaques of our beloved 404 stickers, and they look fantastic.

As you can see, Natali is very pregnant and might pop any day. If you ask her, the New York City heat wave is not only crushing Con Ed; it's not helping her mood. Jill and all the women in the office are jealous, though, that she manages to keep her … Read more

The 404 588: Where the pain in Spain is mainly a stock market drain (podcast)

Jill Schlesinger of CBS MoneyWatch is back on the show today to talk to us about all things financial and technological in a way that only Aunt Jill can.

First up, we get to Twitter and social networks. A few weeks ago, Jill met with our bosses upstairs and the first question out of their mouths wasn't "How are you doing?" but rather, "have you broken a thousand Twitter followers?" Strange times that Twitter followers equals your worth to the company, but it's true. If you want to help Jill, you can follow her … Read more

The 404 559: Where we rub Jill's nose for good luck (podcast)

It's April 14, the day before Tax Day, if you live in the U.S. Appropriately, we have Jill Schlesinger of CBS MoneyWatch.com on the show to dig through all your tax preparation software questions and the smart financial planning you should be doing now--not later--if you want to live a comfortable life.

For those of you who have never filed U.S. tax returns, tomorrow at the stroke of midnight is the last moment you have to send your returns in to the IRS. The United States is a bit strange in that we have to self-file our returns, but that means there is a lot of responsibility on our part to get it right. Conversely, there are a lot of chances for us to screw it up. Well, Aunt Jill says her No. 1 tax tip is to "not freak out."

Whether you should use a CPA or something like TurboTax online is entirely dependent on your situation. So if you're like Jeff who gets his cash flow from a single W-2 and has no assets to his name, self-filing is pretty straightforward.

However, if you're more like Justin, who owes a couple of loan sharks money from a couple of bad bets and has to work the late shift at the Hustler Club, you should probably see a CPA. And if you're like Wilson, who was a little too goody-two-shoes and filed his tax two months ago, you probably shouldn't be taking financial advice from The 404.

We do answer some questions about when you should start saving for your newborn's college fund and what the difference is between stocks, mutual funds, indices, and giant pools of money. If we didn't get to your question on today's show, please be sure to follow Jill on Twitter, where she will do her best to answer your life's toughest financial questions in 140 characters or less.

Finally, as a treat for our loyal listeners, we have a Web exclusive, where we talk to Jill for an extra 15 minutes about the economy, health care, and what you should do with your retirement funds and investments.

If you're new to the show, yes, it's very strange that we're offering actual sound, thoughtful advice, but hey we like throwing you for a loop every now and then. Check back later today for the video of the Web exclusive!

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The 404 Podcast 530: Where we do a cost benefit analysis of Wilson's bagel

Aunt Jill Schlesinger joins the show today to talk about the value of bagels. That's right, for the last two days, Wilson has started the show by munching down on his new brunch fave: an onion bagel with lox and vegetable cream cheese. She makes her recommendations for the best bagels in town, and you might be surprised to find out that she's in love with a bagel made by a Vietnamese guy. In the meanwhile, she tells Justin that given his meager investments of 16 cents in his IRA, he should just file the 1040EZ.

When we finally get into some questions, Jill spreads her financial love. First up was a question about whether you should pay down student loan debt first or shove cash under your pillow. Aunt Jill says the equation is simple. First, have about 6 to 12 months of living expenses saved up. Second, pay down your debt if the interest rate is higher on the debt than your savings, which more than likely is the case now.

Next, we had a question about whether to throw your money into a 401(k) account. One listener doesn't trust the market, but given his age, Jill says he should man up and put his money into the market. He has 40 years of work left and during that time the market is going to go up. There will be some downs, she says; however, she believes there will be more ups than downs. Jeff thinks at the rate Social Security is going, though, that he might have another 70 years left of working.

We got a lot more questions answered on this surprisingly educational episode of The 404. Just to keep it in the tech world, we asked Jill if there were any technology-related investments we should make. Jill points out that this is the ultimate "put all your eggs in one basket" for people who work in tech! Spread the risk! Wilson thinks that he should take all his money out of APPL right now.

As usual, we love having Jill on the show. If you have any more questions for her, be sure to add her on the Twitter at @jillonmoney. In the meantime, add The 404 at @the404, or the rest of the guys at @rhapsodyartist, @jeffbakalar, and @malusbrutus. Plus, you can check out her daily ramblings at CBS MoneyWatch. Call in and leave your Jill love at 1-866-404-CNET (2638). Tomorrow, we have the lovely Alison Rosen on the show to talk all manners inappropriate.

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The 404 Podcast 502: Where we give Jill 'three and a half mice' and 'Two and a Half Men'

Jill Schlesinger joins the show today after a few months with her presence. A lot has changed since then, we got stickers, the U.S. Senate has 59 Democrats, and now ABC is doing promos for CNET.com. (The 404 Podcast and CNET are owned by CBS.)

Yep, you read that right. On the ABC show "Modern Family", Phil and Clair Dunphy argue about a new universal remote control, and in the course of talking about being a male cheerleader, Phil mentions that CNET gave the remote a smokin' hot "three and a half mice." Unfortunately, we switched from numbers to stars rather than mice. Jeff and Jill think it's the new "Arrested Development" on Fox plus "The Office" on NBC.

Speaking of NBC, Jill weighs in on the whole Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien debacle. She wishes she could get paid 40 million dollars not to work, but we're glad to see Conan sticking up for his staff.

Finally, Jill offers some good financial advice this year. It's tax season, and she recommends that you readjust your tax withholding because you're essentially giving the government an interest-free loan for a whole year. Otherwise, whip out a 1040EZ, a glass of scotch and just do your taxes. It ain't that hard.

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The 404 Podcast 474: Where we love Katie Couric almost as much as we love Jill Schlesinger

The holiday season is upon us and we know most of you are struggling to "find the money" to buy gifts for your friends and family, so we make the long trip across the hallway and invite Jill Schlesinger on the show to help us keep our heads above water. Jill is editor at large for CBS MoneyWatch.com and has plenty of experience with financial planning, so listen up!

As you might already know from past episodes featuring The Financial Decoder, Jill isn't the biggest fan of credit card companies, or "legalized drug dealers," as she calls them, but this time she has her scope pointed at the dangers of using a debit card.

Despite proposed laws that would outlaw overdraft fees, Jill suspects we haven't seen the end of hidden fees and actually recommends budgeting this season with presents that won't leave you with an empty bank account. Your dear old mom doesn't really need that Tiffany's necklace or box of Godiva chocolates! Leave that stuff for Mother's Day, and just go out and have fun together--it's free, and it won't drain your bank account.

Jill also drops knowledge on us (in a Bulgarian accent, no less) about how to develop optimistic (and realistic) financial goals for the year instead of frantically scrambling to plan around the holidays. With Valentine's Day coming up, it's too bad Jeff isn't here! Jill tells us the best way to stop the cycle of "hedonic spending" is to play a game she calls "Find the Money."

Have fun and play games while balancing your spending and saving money at the same time?! Be sure to listen to this episode of The 404 Podcast to get the whole story!

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