Stacked, Your Super Serious Guide to Money Management by Joe Saul-Sehy & Emily Guy Birken

Last month was Financial Literacy Month and believe it or not, we’re fast approaching summertime, so I have books and learning on the brain this month. I decided to dedicate the month of May to various personal finance or self-help books that I thought would make great books to add to your current or summer reading lists. Today I’m talking to the co-authors of Stacked – Your Super Serious Guide to Modern Money Management, Joe Saul-Sehy and Emily Guy Birken. As you can imagine, over the years, I have read numerous personal finance books and I have to say, this one has quickly climbed the ranks to become one of my favorites. Joe and Emily not only have a wealth of knowledge to share through this book, but they share it in a funny and educational way that only they could pull off. I can’t wait for you to hear more from them on this book-writing experience.

What are we drinking?

Emily - Empty Cup of Coffee  

Joe - Strong cup of black coffee 

Shannon - Black Cherry Schweppes 

Podcast Notes

  • Shannon, Emily, and Joe have all been in the personal finance space for a while. When Shannon heard Joe and Emily were writing a book, she was thrilled and couldn’t wait to read it. When she got a copy, it did not disappoint. She reads a lot of personal finance books, and this is one of the best ones she’s read yet.  

  • The book is ultimately a mix of The Hardy Boys Detective Manual and The Cub Scout Wolf Guide, for adults, about personal finance.  It is a holistic view of personal finance, for folks at all stages of the journey. 

  • Before Stacked, Joe had written a book, but it took ten years for him to finish it. He had been kind of writing but mostly talking about it for seven years, and his coach finally told him to either get it done, or move on. He finished the book in three years from there, and gave it to his wife Cheryl for a first read, who said, ‘this sucks.’  

  • Joe talks about how important it is to surround yourself with good people who are hardworking, challenge you, and see things differently. His coach is a great example of this. When he realized the book he’d spent a decade writing is not the book he wanted to put out into the universe, it was time to re-think. 

  • The goal was for the book to feel welcoming and inviting to all readers. While in a bookstore one day, Joe was hanging out in the kid’s section to get some inspiration. This is when he came across The Hardy Boys Detective Manual. It was fun, campy, and a great read. This book and The Cub Scout Wolf Guide were the inspiration for this new book. The next step was figuring out the structure. 

  • He knew there was no way he’d be able to write this book on his own. Going back to the idea of surrounding yourself with good people, Joe thought about all of the amazing guests he speaks with on his podcast, Stacking Benjamins. He reached out to Emily and thought she’d hang up immediately.  To his surprise (but no one else’s), she was thrilled to work on this project.

  • Emily loves to write comedy, but the vibe of most retirement writing is, ‘just the facts, ma’am.’ This book was an amazing opportunity to write about personal finance in a fun way with jokes! 

  • There is none of Joe’s original book in this one. Stacked is a collaborative effort between Joe and Emily. They worked together on the structure, chapters, and humor throughout the book.  

Some insights from Stacked: 

  • Even the more ‘dull’ topics like investing are very approachable in Stacked. People don’t invest because they’re afraid of losing money, but if your savings are in cash you will lose money to inflation. That worst fear is happening every day. 

  • There are parts of personal finance out of our control and that can change. Taxes are a big example of that. They’re set up by the government, and by the stroke of Congress’ pen can change. 

    • It’s important to understand how your taxes work, and the levers you can pull. It will help you with investment planning.  You don’t have to be a pro, but a basic understanding of your personal taxes.

    • We are in a progressive tax system, which is explained through champagne glasses in the book! 

  • During times of inflation, it’s important to get your budget on lock. Avoid debt. There are challenging roads ahead.  

Shannon asks Joe and Emily what the best and most challenges of writing a book together. 

  • Emily talks about how writing with Joe was a delight and made being funny easy. 

  • Joe talks about how Emily’s experience working with publishers was really valuable. She was great at keeping Joe on track, especially when it came to the editing phase of the book. With a word requirement of 85,000 works, they had written 125,000. Over a third of the book had to go. It took two week of daily meetings to get it done, and Emily led the charge. 

  • Famously, Ira Glass says, ‘the show is never done, we just run out of time.’ It’s all about progress over perfection, you just have to go for it!

Joe and Emily are going on a tour, Joe is going to 40 cities and Emily 12! With Covid restrictions being different state to state, they talk about what the experience has been like so far. 

  • Joe has been doing interviews in every city, and he finds that we all have similar fears and struggles. People are not perfect and even with different financial backgrounds, there are underlying similarities. 

  • People want to get out and be in a room together. We are going to have to live with Covid for a long time, and are learning to live with it and gather together safely. 

  • There are still tour dates left, so see if Joe and Emily are coming to a city near you.

Takeaway: My biggest takeaway is this is the perfect book for a high school or college grad in your life or even to get for yourself, and I hope you invest in it for you or someone else.    

Random Three Questions

  1. Are there plans for a book 2 from Emily & Joe together? What would it be about?

  2. What have you been binging during the pandemic?

  3. Where would you like to travel to for fun?

Connect with Emily & Joe 

If you have any topics you would like me to cover on this podcast, or if you’d like to get in the financially naked hot seat, I encourage you to email me at Shannon@fingyms.com, or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group, and let me know what you want to hear.

The Financial Gym has so many ways that you can work with us. If you’re looking for a career shift, we’ve started a Financial Trainer Certification Program where you can have the greatest job in the world. We have online courses for you to learn on your own. If you’re looking for financial products like a new credit card or high yield savings account, we have all of our favorites on the BFF Approved Products Page. And finally, if you want one-on-one coaching with a compassionate and empathetic person, our Financial Trainers are here to help you and remember, Martinis and Your Money listeners get 15% off of one-on-one Financial Training at The Gym. We’re here to meet you wherever you are on your financial health journey. 

Shannon McLayComment