Dear Plenty Community,

February seemed to be filled with headlines that made everyday Americans more uncertain than ever. Unfortunately, it seems like we’re ending the month with more questions than answers.

Will there be tariffs? Just how bad will they be? What’s actually happening? Consumer confidence had the biggest drop in 3.5 years from January to February, and with inflation increasing again, recession concerns are back.

International countries with ‘golden visa’ programs are benefiting from the frustration some Americans are feeling. Applications to buy visas / passports to other countries have seen a big boom in the past few months, taking an all-time high even higher. 

This week, we’ll go deeper into:

• In the news: 

  • The recession warning bells to watch for 

  • Why Americans are increasingly shopping for 2nd passports

• For your relationship:

  • The 5 money questions Esther Perel says to ask your partner

• New to Plenty:

  • Budgeting is now live on desktop and mobile!

  • See our recent ships down below.

As always, if you have ideas or questions you’d like us to answer, write in to emily@withplenty.com - I’d love to hear from you.

Cheers,

Emily

PS. Where couples money. Try Plenty today, for free

Why Americans are increasingly shopping for 2nd passports

Passports aren’t just for travel anymore. For a growing number of Americans, they’re a backup plan. Since the 2024 election, interest in second citizenships and foreign residencies has surged. Immigration firms have reported record-breaking demand with some seeing 5x more demand (mostly from Democratic-leaning states) in recent months.

“Golden visa” programs enable individuals to purchase a visa / passport with some required amount of investment. The past few months are capping years of growth, with programs seeing a 60% rise in applications since 2023 and a shocking 10x increase over the past five years. Over 5.5 million Americans already live abroad—enough to form the 23rd-largest U.S. state.

But why? For some, it’s about politics. For others, it’s about affordability, lifestyle, and opportunity. Remote workers are seeking out tax-friendly countries where their salaries stretch further. Wealthy individuals are using second passports as a hedge against domestic uncertainty. For today’s millennials - facing sky-high housing costs, expensive healthcare, and an unpredictable job market - they’re looking for long-term alternatives in countries where the cost of living is lower and work-life balance is better.

But what does it cost? Second citizenship isn’t cheap. Most Golden Visa programs require a significant investment in real estate, government bonds, or direct donations. Portugal offers citizenship after five years with $540,000 in real estate. Greece requires $270,000 in real estate (soon rising to $540,000 in major cities). Malta demands a $650,000+ donation for residency or $1.3 million+ for citizenship. Some Caribbean nations, like St. Kitts & Nevis and Dominica, offer full citizenship for just $110,000, no residency required. 

More Americans are realizing that global mobility isn’t just for the ultra-rich or retirees. Whether it’s for financial freedom, political security, or just a lifestyle upgrade, the idea of "home" is becoming more flexible than ever. With demand at an all-time high and some visa programs closing fast, the real question isn’t why Americans are leaving—it’s where they’re going next.

The recession warning bells to watch out for

Tariffs are back, and so is the chaos. President Trump slapped a 10% tariff on all Chinese imports and is threatening 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico (with a slightly nicer 10% on Canadian energy). The EU might be next. 

And it’s not just the U.S. making moves. China has already hit back with 15% tariffs on U.S. coal and gas, plus 10% on crude oil and farm equipment. Canada and Mexico are also preparing countermeasures. If the EU gets hit with tariffs, expect them to retaliate too. Pretty quickly, prices could jump up for consumers and businesses.

Signs of higher prices are everywhere… January’s inflation numbers came in higher than expected, and February isn’t looking much better. If this keeps up, the Fed may raise interest rates again—making everything from mortgages to credit cards even more expensive.

When borrowing gets more expensive, businesses and consumers start pulling back. The job market is already showing signs of strain. Hiring has slowed, and federal layoffs are increasing. A cooling labor market means people feel less secure about their jobs, which directly impacts how they spend.

Consumer confidence has had the biggest 1-month drop in ~4 years. Consumer spending currently makes up 70% of the U.S. economy, and a small dip in confidence can have big ripple effects. If people start spending less, businesses slow down, layoffs increase, and suddenly, a recession is knocking on the door.

So… how worried should we be? A recession is typically defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth in real GDP. We’re not there yet, but the warning signs are stacking up. In the coming weeks, the big things to watch out for are whether these tariffs get passed, February inflation rates, and whether consumer confidence (and spending) continue dropping.

The 5 money questions Esther Perel says to ask your partner

Esther Perel is a renowned psychotherapist and author, best known for her work on human relationships. In her own words: “Money is never about just, money. Money is about status, access, comfort, freedom, interdependence, trust, loyalty, betrayal, fairness, and more. Money is tied to our sense of self-worth and our feelings of power and powerlessness.”

She shares 5 questions to ask your partner:

• If I spent $100 on something and didn’t tell you, would you be upset with me? How about $1,000?

• Do you appreciate the gifts I buy you? Why or why not?

• What keeps you up at night about our finances?

• What’s one money habit that you admire about me?

• How has the pandemic changed how you think about our finances?

🚢 Ship, ship, away! Over the past few weeks, we’ve shipped across desktop + mobile:

• A live roadmap for members to vote & submit ideas

• Budgeting on mobile and desktop

• Split transactions on mobile and desktop

• Manual transactions

• Transaction last updated marker

As always, we take feature requests & post our daily ships in our reddit: r/plenty

Plenty is a free money app helping modern couples budget, invest and plan for their future together. We bring the investment strategies and products of the wealthy to the everyday household. Plenty was started by a husband and wife team dedicated to growing together. For more information, visit withplenty.com. If you ever have any feedback or questions, please do reach out to us at members@withplenty.com.

At Plenty, no financial topic is off-limits for modern couples. We offer straight talk and judgment-free guidance to help modern couples navigate the tricky and important intersection of money and relationships. Join thousands of couples who’ve signed up for our free newsletter today.

Plenty was founded to democratize access to financial products and tools that accelerate wealth building.  Plenty Financial and affiliated entities. (“Plenty Financial”) provide a web, mobile, personal financial management, and educational platform to consumers; some of these tools are freely accessible to all consumers, others require a fee-based subscription. Advisory services are provided in the form of software-first financial planning and investment advisory services for fee-based Subscribers. Plenty Financial RIA, LLC is an SEC-registered investment Advisor. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply a certain level of skill or training. All investments made are legally owned by you. Investment accounts are not bank guaranteed or FDIC insured. Investments are held in accounts at BNY Mellon - Pershing, one of the world’s largest securities servicing companies and are SIPC insured. Please see Plenty’s full general disclosures here.

Dear Plenty Community,

The start of February brings a taste of big changes. 

Let the trade wars begin: over the weekend Trump’s tariffs went in place. Immediately, Mexico mobilized 10k troops to the border and Canada approved $900M border plan to both prevent illegal migrants + drug activity (the stated catalysts for the tariffs). The US responded with a 30 day delay as the countries negotiate the 25% tariffs.

If US + Mexico tariffs are implemented, industries with lots of cross border activities will be forced to change and adapt quickly, or immediately lose money. Car assembly may require crossing the US-CA border as much as 8 times currently. Fruits and vegetables often cross the border depending on seasonality (ie. Tomatoes are imported from Canada in the summer months, then exported to Canada in the winter months).

Meanwhile, 10% tariffs on Chinese goods have been implemented and the Tax Foundation estimates that the tariffs on China alone will add $172 to the tax burden per U.S. household.

But it’s not all tough news - a recent report found that Millennials are doing better than any generation before them. But wealth locked up in retirement accounts and houses + loan repayments are making it feel more like “phantom wealth”. But just how well are we doing? 

This week, we’ll go deeper into:

• In the news: 

  • Millennials are doing better than ever

  • How do tariffs work?

• For your relationship:

  • What we wish we knew earlier, about setting goals as a couple.

• New to Plenty:

  • See and vote for our roadmap here; and see more ships below. 

As always, if you have ideas or questions you’d like us to answer, write in to emily@withplenty.com - I’d love to hear from you.

Cheers,

Emily

PS. Where couples money. Try Plenty today, for free

The “kids” are doing better than ever

The first time I heard someone say, “Millennials are building wealth faster than their parents did” I nearly choked on my avocado toast. We’ve lived through two recessions, ballooning student debt, and a housing market that seems determined to keep us guessing (and renting). But according to several new reports, it turns out more of us might actually be doing better than our parents / the Boomers were at our age—on paper, at least.

According to recent Federal Reserve data, Millennials have doubled their net worth—from $4.55 trillion to $9.14 trillion— primarily driven by home purchases by older millennials. But big cities often mean bigger prices leaving homeowners house-rich, cash-poor. Add in inflation, student loan payments, and the skyrocketing cost of everything from eggs to childcare, and few millennials are feeling “wealthy”.

Even though they don’t feel as wealthy, today’s millennials still have 25% more wealth than Gen Xers and baby boomers did at a similar age, according to a St. Louis Fed analysis. But a high concentration of cash in non-house assets may be contributing to a feeling of slow growth. As does the growing wealth inequality: where the top 10% have more than ever but the bottom 10% have less than boomers did at a comparable age.

The dust hasn’t settled yet: millennials are entering their highest earning years but with social security running out, retirement needs will be higher than ever. In times like this, it’s more important than ever to keep steadily investing.

How do tariffs work?

Tariffs are taxes on goods brought into the US. Historically, they were used to protect domestic industries, raise revenue, or gain leverage in negotiations. 

Who actually pays? When a product—say, a winter jacket—crosses the US border, the US adds a fee (ie. 25%). This fee may be intended to protect local businesses from cheaper foreign competition, generate revenue for the government, or serve as leverage in trade negotiations. Contrary to popular belief, exporters do not simply eat these costs. Instead, importers typically pay the tariff and then pass the resulting price increase on to consumers. So that $100 jacket may now cost $125.

If you can do it. So can we. While tariffs can give short-term relief to local producers, they often lead to tit-for-tat retaliation, escalating into full-blown trade wars. Which…. Is playing out. In response to U.S. tariffs, China has imposed 15% tariffs on American coal and liquefied natural gas, 10% tariffs on crude oil and agricultural machinery, and initiated an antitrust investigation into Google and Nvidia.

A return to 1993: the NAFTA (north american free trade act) established a treaty between the US, Mexico, and Canada and went live in 1994. The goal was to make the 3 countries together more competitive, by making it affordable to produce-what-you-produce-best then trade-for-the-rest. Consumers get lower prices, businesses have lower costs, and there’s  greater access to investment dollars in all countries. 

We’ll ultimately see what pans out after the 30 day grace period: if tariffs are implemented, it’ll be costly for everyday Americans. 

What we wish we knew earlier about setting financial goals as a couple

What if money talks could be as fun as planning our next vacation? 

Money in relationships can be stressful. By nature of being two people in your relationship, you’re naturally in opposing positions. No two people in a relationship will have all the exact same values, experiences, or preferences. That said, that doesn’t mean your money talks have to devolve to the dreaded: “you spent how much on what?” “Well… it’s my money.” “Then what about our goals?”

After many rounds and attempts at talking money, it clicked. What if we reframe everything as an adventure? Like the money decisions ahead, were fun… like planning what we can do on our next vacation? In my latest post, I share how we finally nailed our shared goals using a dash of visualization, a few sticky notes, and plenty of celebrations along the way. If you’re ready to make your finances feel more like a journey and less like a chore, come see how you and your partner can team up for smoother—and more fun— sailing.

🚢 Ship, ship, away! Over the past few weeks, we’ve shipped across desktop + mobile:

• A live roadmap for members to vote & submit ideas

• AI-based categorization

• Split transactions on desktop

• Refreshed transactions

• Next up: Transaction refresh, Budgeting

As always, we take feature requests & post our daily ships in our reddit: r/plenty

Plenty is a free money app helping modern couples budget, invest and plan for their future together. We bring the investment strategies and products of the wealthy to the everyday household. Plenty was started by a husband and wife team dedicated to growing together. For more information, visit withplenty.com. If you ever have any feedback or questions, please do reach out to us at members@withplenty.com.

At Plenty, no financial topic is off-limits for modern couples. We offer straight talk and judgment-free guidance to help modern couples navigate the tricky and important intersection of money and relationships. Join thousands of couples who’ve signed up for our free newsletter today.

Plenty was founded to democratize access to financial products and tools that accelerate wealth building.  Plenty Financial and affiliated entities. (“Plenty Financial”) provide a web, mobile, personal financial management, and educational platform to consumers; some of these tools are freely accessible to all consumers, others require a fee-based subscription. Advisory services are provided in the form of software-first financial planning and investment advisory services for fee-based Subscribers. Plenty Financial RIA, LLC is an SEC-registered investment Advisor. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply a certain level of skill or training. All investments made are legally owned by you. Investment accounts are not bank guaranteed or FDIC insured. Investments are held in accounts at BNY Mellon - Pershing, one of the world’s largest securities servicing companies and are SIPC insured. Please see Plenty’s full general disclosures here.

Dear Plenty Community,

More than recent years, this January seems bring big changes. In these moments of change, a saying has been ringing in my mind:

The weekend brought a political chess match to the forefront for 170M Americans. TikTok shut down product access for 14 hours in response to the highest-impact regulation on a consumer product in American history. Trump has since promised an executive order to “delay” the deadline once in office (today’s inauguration day), and Tik Tok immediately restored access.

The last few weeks have brought a fire on track for damages to be 3x higher than the worst wildfire on record, and the costliest natural disaster in 45 years (worse, than even Hurricane Katrina). But as containment is beginning, now people are left wondering: who’s going to pay up?

This week, we’ll go deeper into:

• In the news: 

  • The price of a Tik Tok ban

  • Who’s paying for the LA fires?

• For your relationship: 4 practical tips for a happier marriage

• New to Plenty: See and vote for our roadmap here; and see more ships below. 

As always, if you have ideas or questions you’d like us to answer, write in to emily@withplenty.com - I’d love to hear from you.

Cheers,

Emily

PS. Get on track this year, for free. Try Plenty today

The price of a Tik Tok ban

The first time I used TikTok, my "I-have-five-spare-minutes" download turned into an hour of watch-swipe-watch. Turns out, I wasn’t alone. Last year, 170 million TikTok users spent an average of 95 minutes a day on the app and 6 hours weekly. But on Sunday, that’s all set to go away.

A Friday supreme court decision just upheld the ultimatum for ByteDance: sell TikTok or be banned. 

And this ban has teeth. Apple and Google could be fined for allowing additional downloads, while companies like Amazon’s AWS, Google’s GCP, and Microsoft’s Azure could face penalties for continuing to provide services to TikTok.

But wait, how did we get here? TikTok’s proprietary algorithm—the engine behind the endless watch-swipe-watch—is trained on trillions of data points from every user and video to serve up the most engaging content, keeping users glued to the app. As a Chinese-owned company, ByteDance is subject to China’s national security laws, which could potentially allow user data to be shared with the Chinese government.

🧠 In a world where information is power, controlling what information is consumed could directly influence public opinion. That’s a lot of power for a foreign entity to potentially have over Americans. In a year marked by political division, a rare bipartisan effort last year saw lawmakers rally behind this issue.

What’s the price? Banning TikTok comes with a price. In 2023, TikTok contributed over $24 billion to the U.S. economy and supported 224,000 jobs through advertising, influencer partnerships, and the small businesses that depend on the platform. Creator revenue alone amounts to $1.3 billion per month. Additionally, taxes on advertisements brought $5.3 billion into government coffers.

Lemon8 (another ByteDance app) and Rednote (owned by another Chinese company), have both surged to the top of the app store, in a defiant response to legislators. Youtube Shorts, Instagram, and Snapchat are also set to benefit from the fallout.

With Trump’s inauguration happening today - the question now seems to be: What will Trump do? He previously stated that he would uphold the ban on TikTok, but also just promised an executive order to delay the ban. With billions of $’s on the line, we’ll wait and see.

Who’s paying for the LA fires?

For many families, the new year began peacefully. But in Los Angeles, that peace quickly turned to a dystopian terror as Santa Ana winds, with gusts over 70 mph, transformed a small wildfire into an uncontrollable inferno.

Nearly 41,000 acres have burned, forcing 205,000 residents to evacuate and destroying more than 12,400 buildings. With the fire only partially contained and high winds expected to return next week, this wildfire has already become the second most destructive in California’s history in terms of buildings destroyed.

In neighborhoods ravaged by the flames, median home values hover around $2 million, making the damage particularly costly. AccuWeather estimates total damage and economic losses will reach between $250 billion and $275 billion, partially driven by high property values and the extensive impact on infrastructure, businesses, and displaced residents.

In recent years, concerns around bigger natural disasters already caused insurers to ramp premiums up nearly 43% from 2018 to 2023 in California. Other insurers pulled out of high risk zipcodes completely, including areas now devastated by the fires, leaving homeowners with few options. 

A privately-run-with-government-oversight association of insurance companies provide last resort coverage through the pricey California FAIR Plan. The FAIR Plan now has $700M in cash for $7.2B in exposures in the Altadena and Pacific Palisades neighborhoods, though there’s a built in fallback plan to rely on insurance companies to fund shortfalls.

So for those insured, the question’s now: what’s covered? And who’s paying?

What gets covered for renters? For renters, renters insurance will cover the destruction of personal property and living expenses if the rented residence is no longer inhabitable; though many renters will hit coverage limits before they’re fully covered. 

What gets covered for homeowners? For homeowners with insurance, the cost to rebuild the home and replace belongings are covered under active insurance policies, though some homeowners will hit policy limits quickly. 

How should I prepare? For those fortunate to be watching from the sidelines, it’s a good time to double check your renters or homeowners insurance. Just take those overly long insurance docs, drop them into chatgpt, and put in the prompt: “Summarize the most important details of my insurance documents and highlight what I am and am not protected against”.

4 practical tips for a happier marriage

4 psychotherapists with nearly a century of combined experience working with couples, recently shared their most important tips for a happier marriage:

1. Validate your partner’s feelings, before you try to “fix” or “solve” the problem. The busier we are, the easier it is to jump into problem-solving mode. 

2. Turn towards each other… literally. Renowned psychotherapist, John Gottman, recorded that happily married couples stay physically turned towards each other even during conflict. Next time you’re deep in it, try taking a deep breath, uncrossing those arms, and see the difference of facing your partner.

3. Accepting bids for connection: Remember when your partner asked “how was your day”? And you said “okay”. Or they made you a coffee, and you nodded thanks while you were working. Each of these moments are bids for connection, and happily married couples were more likely to acknowledge and create space around these bids.

4. Repairing after fights: every couple fights. But feeling more connected after the average fight often determines how strong a relationship is. Using a three part: A) I feel…, B) I’m sorry about…, and C) I learned…, can help make the repair easier (for both sides!).

🚢 Ship, ship, away! Over the past few weeks, we’ve released new product features across desktop + mobile:

• A live roadmap for members to vote & submit ideas

• Last viewed transaction indicator

• New ‘total’ in header for Transactions page on mobile

• Upgraded transaction details view on mobile

• Filter accounts, on desktop’s Accounts page

• Next up: Transaction refresh, Manual accounts, AI-based categorization

As always, we take feature requests & post our daily ships in our reddit: r/plenty

Plenty is a free money app helping modern couples budget, invest and plan for their future together. We bring the investment strategies and products of the wealthy to the everyday household. Plenty was started by a husband and wife team dedicated to growing together. For more information, visit withplenty.com. If you ever have any feedback or questions, please do reach out to us at members@withplenty.com.

At Plenty, no financial topic is off-limits for modern couples. We offer straight talk and judgment-free guidance to help modern couples navigate the tricky and important intersection of money and relationships. Join thousands of couples who’ve signed up for our free newsletter today.

Plenty was founded to democratize access to financial products and tools that accelerate wealth building.  Plenty Financial and affiliated entities. (“Plenty Financial”) provide a web, mobile, personal financial management, and educational platform to consumers; some of these tools are freely accessible to all consumers, others require a fee-based subscription. Advisory services are provided in the form of software-first financial planning and investment advisory services for fee-based Subscribers. Plenty Financial RIA, LLC is an SEC-registered investment Advisor. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply a certain level of skill or training. All investments made are legally owned by you. Investment accounts are not bank guaranteed or FDIC insured. Investments are held in accounts at BNY Mellon - Pershing, one of the world’s largest securities servicing companies and are SIPC insured. Please see Plenty’s full general disclosures here.

Dear Plenty Community,

It’s a new year and I’m excited to welcome back the ~5,000+ couples who are dreaming up a wealthier year. It’s been a privilege growing alongside all of you in 2024, and I couldn’t be more excited to welcome the 1,500+ couples who recently joined to start 2025 strong! 💪

For those who are new, I’m Emily - CEO of Plenty and a CPA + CFA who loves calculators and hates math. Each week, I’ll break down 2 things in the news that may impact your wallet, 1 tip for your relationship, and last week’s product ships. 

This week, I’ll cover:

• Why it’s time to travel: the US dollar is at a 55 year high

• Why that dream home might cost you more for longer

• How to run your relationship like a startup

As always, if you have ideas or questions you’d like us to answer, write in to emily@withplenty.com - I’d love to hear from you.

Cheers,

Emily

PS. Get on track this year, for free. Try Plenty today

Why it’s time to travel: the US dollar is at a 55 year high

The US dollar is ✨priced to perfection✨, according to a Bank of America analyst. And as someone with perpetual wanderlust ✈️, that's music to my ears. Over the past 3 months, the US Dollar Index has climbed by 10%. This index measures the US dollar's strength against the euro, Japanese yen, British pound, Canadian dollar, Swedish krona, and Swiss franc.

A strong US dollar means your travel budget can stretch further abroad. That €300 hotel in Paris last year now costs ~$30 less. Dreams of sushi in Tokyo? 🍣 That same meal you enjoyed for ¥10,000 two years ago is now nearly 20% cheaper. And for those eyeing a ski weekend in Whistler, tickets would be 11% cheaper now than in 2021 (and so would that stop at the outlet mall across the border).

The stronger US dollar has been driven by:

• ✅ US economy's doing the triple: ✅Low unemployment, ✅high consumer spending, and ✅ solid economic growth. That's made the dollar attractive to global investors.

• ⬇️ Weaker economies abroad: Slowdowns in the EU and China have led to reduced demand for their currencies. With the US economy outperforming, investors have moved investments to the US, boosting the dollar's value.

• 😐 Expectations for inflation under the Trump administration: For better-or-worse, most now believe inflation will continue, forcing the central bank to maintain higher interest rates. Higher rates attract more investments, further increasing demand for the dollar.

It's not just about travel or shopping... but silver linings are silver linings. So whether you're planning a European getaway, sushi in Japan, or hitting the slopes in Whistler, it's a good time to book that getaway and take advantage of that USD.

Why that dream home might cost you more for longer

Those lower mortgage (and broader loan) rates we’ve been hoping for will likely have to wait.

For those waiting to buy a house, inflation probably feels like that one guest who just won’t leave. The Federal Reserve had originally planned bigger rate cuts for 2025 (as much as a 1% drop by the summer), but they revised that plan today. The new strategy? Reduce interest rates more slowly, just in case tariffs are enacted.

🤔 Fed…who? The Federal Reserve has one job: keep prices in check. Think of inflation like an overinflated balloon—too much air, and it pops. To stop that, the Fed raises interest rates to make borrowing more expensive and slow down spending (a.k.a. letting some air out of the balloon).

What do tariffs have to do with this? Tariffs are essentially taxes paid by international companies to sell goods in the U.S. These costs usually get passed on to consumers as higher prices, making everyday items more expensive.he tariffs.

What does this mean for me? Mortgage rates could stay high, meaning that dream house might come with a steeper monthly payment. The same goes for car loans, credit card balances, or any other borrowing.

Slower borrowing often leads to slower growth in the stock market.... though the stock market did have a breakaway growth rate of 25% last year (the only thing that's predictable, is that the market's never predictable 🤦🏻‍♀️).

On the bright side, higher interest rates mean your savings account will continue to earn more for a while longer—an upside for savers. For those waiting for lower rates to buy that house, it may be time for a plan b (and remember, you can always refinance)!

“ Intentional ”

Each year, my husband and I set aside time to reflect on the past year, and plan/dream about the year ahead.

In thinking about 2024, a theme emerged: how can we be more intentional with our time together, especially as cofounders of Plenty?

As cofounders, we had regular retros and reflection together or as a team. We'd discuss what went well, what could be improved, and what we want to do differently. As a team, we had regular planned team retreats, escape room nights, and lunches.

But as partners-who-were-cofounders, our personal systems drifted.

So we put our 🧠 thinking hats on and dreamed up a new system for 2025, drawing from what was realistic for our lives today + what had worked previously + frankly, some startup best practices.

Have a system that works for you and your partner? I’d love to hear it (and feature it, if you’re open to it)!

🚢 Ship, ship, away! Over the past week, we’ve shipped across desktop + mobile:

• Upgraded account balance syncing

• Added ‘last updated’ for account syncs

• Delete accounts on mobile

• New search bar on mobile ‘transactions’ page

• Create account-specific rules on desktop and mobile

• Coming soon: enhanced budgeting on desktop + budgeting on mobile

As always, we take feature requests & post our daily ships in our reddit: r/plenty or at members@withplenty.com

Plenty is a free money app helping modern couples budget, invest and plan for their future together. We bring the investment strategies and products of the wealthy to the everyday household. Plenty was started by a husband and wife team dedicated to growing together. For more information, visit withplenty.com. If you ever have any feedback or questions, please do reach out to us at members@withplenty.com.

At Plenty, no financial topic is off-limits for modern couples. We offer straight talk and judgment-free guidance to help modern couples navigate the tricky and important intersection of money and relationships. Join thousands of couples who’ve signed up for our free newsletter today.

Plenty was founded to democratize access to financial products and tools that accelerate wealth building.  Plenty Financial and affiliated entities. (“Plenty Financial”) provide a web, mobile, personal financial management, and educational platform to consumers; some of these tools are freely accessible to all consumers, others require a fee-based subscription. Advisory services are provided in the form of software-first financial planning and investment advisory services for fee-based Subscribers. Plenty Financial RIA, LLC is an SEC-registered investment Advisor. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply a certain level of skill or training. All investments made are legally owned by you. Investment accounts are not bank guaranteed or FDIC insured. Investments are held in accounts at BNY Mellon - Pershing, one of the world’s largest securities servicing companies and are SIPC insured. Please see Plenty’s full general disclosures here.

Dear Plenty Community,

Welcome back to our Love and other assets newsletter. After a brief pause, we’re excited to share some big updates at Plenty.

• 💸 Plenty memberships are now free. Budgeting and net worth tracking are now free for our couples. We’ll continue to make money when you save (at 4.4%*) and invest with us. More on that below.

• 💕 We welcomed Esther Perel to our podcast for her first-ever dedicated episode on all things love and money. 😉 Don’t miss her juicy insights on power dynamics, roles in relationships, and what it means to 'adult' with money. More on that below.

• 🚢 We’ve been shipping and shipping! Our mobile app has gotten some major upgrades and we’re releasing new cashflow features weekly.

• 👥 We’re now on reddit! We’re starting to announce our daily product ships here to keep folks in the loop. Have feature requests? We’d love to hear from you.

Our newsletter is also getting an upgrade. We’re back with a weekly email to bring you:

• 2 key news moments for your money

• 1 fresh insight for your relationship

• Behind-the-scenes updates on key product launches 

As always, if you have ideas or questions you’d like us to answer, write in to emily@withplenty.com - I’d love to hear from you.

Cheers,

Emily

Claim your free membership with Plenty today

The Taylor effect ✨

"They shut down the highway for her concert tonight."

Taylor Swift wasn’t just in town—she had the kind of welcome usually reserved for the President. 

But let’s be real—Taylor delivered. $2 billion in ticket sales, 149 concerts, and 51 cities. That’s 67,114 fans per show—enough to fill a small town—coming together to sing their hearts out. Over 10 million Swifties made the trek, traveling an average of 338 miles and dropping about $1,600 each on tickets, travel, hotels, merch, and whatever else they could snag. 

Each host city saw a boom - Los Angeles hosted six shows, raking in $320 million for local businesses. Total spend across all the concerts? Over $9 billion. If the Eras Tour were a country, her economy would be as large as Fiji’s.

But here’s the kicker: Taylor performed for 484 hours—that’s 20.2 days of continuous performance. This tour wasn’t just a concert; it was an event, a moment, a reunion with the 11 albums and 252 songs that fans have grown up with. And let’s be real —she’s not slowing down anytime soon.

Why is bitcoin “back”?

📈 Bitcoin started the year hovering around $40k but broke through $100k last week after a 50% jump in the past month. Whether you’re curious about the buzz or a Bitcoin holder looking to make sense of the market, let’s take a step back and look at how we got here.

Bitcoin officially launched in 2009 as a niche project for tech enthusiasts and idealists. For its early years, it stayed on the fringes, far from mainstream investment portfolios. That began to change in 2017 when Bitcoin futures launched, opening the door for institutional investors to use capital they managed for others to invest in Bitcoin. The excitement drove prices up, but the rally fizzled, and Bitcoin’s value fell significantly.

Fast forward to 2020: the pandemic brought concerns about inflation, and Bitcoin gained a new narrative as a hedge against it. High-profile hedge fund managers highlighted Bitcoin as a potential alternative to traditional investments like stocks and bonds. This shift in perception helped professional investors justify allocating 1-5% of their portfolios to Bitcoin, bringing it further into the mainstream.

While Bitcoin’s behavior hasn’t fully lived up to the diversification story—it has often moved in sync with the stock market—it remains an investment that professional and everyday investors both hold. The re-election of President Trump, who has voiced support for expanding access to cryptocurrencies, will likely mean bitcoin’s not going anywhere and more money will be invested.

But not everybody believes it’s the future. Legendary investors like Ray Dalio still hold that “it’s largely a speculative vehicle”. While he holds a small allocation in crypto, “Bitcoin is not likely to be a reserve currency. Gold is still the third largest reserve currency: the US dollar, the euro, gold, and then Japanese yen.” 

Power dynamic is not a dirty word

"Don’t wait until divorce to talk about money."

I had the privilege of welcoming Esther Perel to our podcast to talk about all things love and money. And ever since we filmed the episode, I've been thinking about 'why' money is the #1 cause of conflict and divorce. 

It's hard. It's vulnerable. It's messy. It's uncomfortable.

And after a long stressful day at work, it's easy to avoid. Then that's stacked on top of not always knowing what's the 'right' thing to do and feeling like "I should know more but I don't".

In our episode, we talk about questions that we see every couple navigate:

‣ How every relationship has power dynamics

‣ The definition of "what's fair"

‣ The power of transparency to build connection

‣ How adulting means staying involved

My hope is that this episode makes talking about love and money just a bit easier. Because it’s not easy for any couple, but it can get easier over time.

Memberships for every couple

We announced that Plenty memberships are now free in our blog post.

🚢 And it’s ship, ship, away! Over the past two weeks, we’ve built:

• Deposit money through the mobile app

• Leave notes on transactions 

• Invert transactions on connected accounts

• Search categories on mobile

• Upgraded filters on the ‘Transactions’ tab

• Faster loading on the ‘Transactions’ tab

Have a feature request? We’d love to hear from you at members@withplenty.com 

Plenty is a wealth platform helping modern couples invest and plan for their future together. We bring the investment strategies and products of the wealthy to the everyday household. Plenty was started by a husband and wife team dedicated to growing together. For more information, visit withplenty.com. If you ever have any feedback or questions, please do reach out to us at members@withplenty.com.

At Plenty, no financial topic is off-limits for modern couples. We offer straight talk and judgment-free guidance to help modern couples navigate the tricky and important intersection of money and relationships. Join thousands of couples who’ve signed up for our free newsletter today.

Plenty was founded to democratize access to financial products and tools that accelerate wealth building.  Plenty Financial and affiliated entities. (“Plenty Financial”) provide a web, mobile, personal financial management, and educational platform to consumers; some of these tools are freely accessible to all consumers, others require a fee-based subscription. Advisory services are provided in the form of software-first financial planning and investment advisory services for fee-based Subscribers. Plenty Financial RIA, LLC is an SEC-registered investment Advisor. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply a certain level of skill or training. All investments made are legally owned by you. Investment accounts are not bank guaranteed or FDIC insured. Investments are held in accounts at BNY Mellon - Pershing, one of the world’s largest securities servicing companies and are SIPC insured. Please see Plenty’s full general disclosures here.

Dear Plenty Community,

Welcome back to our Love and other assets newsletter.

It’s been a busy week as we head back from NYC - we had the pleasure of interviewing couples therapist Esther Perel on our podcast for her first ever episode all about money. And don’t worry, you won’t have to wait long. It’ll be out soon, with an exciting announcement to go along with it. 😉

Up, down, up, down... the market’s been bouncing all over as investors speculate on the election. If watching your portfolio is stressing you out, remember: every downturn eventually turns around if you keep your money invested for the long haul.

In this week’s deep dive, I’m exploring 4 ways to reframe debt to make it a little easier to talk about with your partner. Here’s a sneak peek:

• Why not all debt is created equal

• Where luck and debt intersect

• How couples can decide if it’s “ours” or “mine” to manage

• A way to start ‘the talk’ 

Finally, we’ve been busy at Plenty HQ! Come check out:

• Custom categories: make spending analytics yours by creating any categories you like

• Tags: label transactions as shared/personal, needs/wants, or anything else important to you

• Comparisons: see how your spending on things like food stacks up against couples in your area

As always, if you have ideas or questions you’d like us to answer, write in to emily@withplenty.com - I’d love to hear from you.

Cheers,

Emily

Start your 1 month free trial with Plenty today

PS. We have a special treat for our members: we’ve partnered with the #1 online digital prenup platform: HelloPrenup to give Plenty members $100 off a prenup with promocode: HELLOPLENTY100.

The investors are getting younger

We’re making progress! 💪 People are starting to invest younger and younger: Boomers started at around 34, Millennials at 24, and now Gen Z is getting into it by age 18. Gen Z says their confidence to invest comes from learning about it earlier, mainly from online sources rather than school. 

On the flip side, Millennials mention two big reasons they’re not super confident about investing: they didn’t learn it from family or in school. Still, 58% of Millennials feel they’re doing a better job investing than their parents. Looking at how each generation invests, both Gen Z and Millennials are more likely to buy and hold stocks, while Gen X—interestingly—is more into stock-picking. Source: Charles Schwab 2024 Modern Wealth

Microsoft says Russia, Iran, and China are tampering with the election

Microsoft’s threat intelligence department just released a report that sounds straight out of Orwell’s 1984 focused on foreign efforts to sway the U.S. elections. The report states that Russian operatives are cranking out fake videos featuring “everyday Americans” to smear Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign—and Americans are unknowingly sharing these clips. These include claims like Harris leaving a hit-and-run 13 years ago, a deepfake video of her “confessing” to cheating, and even fake news segments spoofing networks like Fox News.

The report also states that China has been creating propaganda videos to go after outspoken Republicans critical of China. Lastly, they’ve found Iranian monitoring of key election sites, sparking concerns of another round of disinformation campaigns like in 2020, where Iranian groups tried to shake confidence in the U.S. election system.

4 mindset shifts to make debt talks easier

Death, sex… and debt? From student loans to credit card balances, debt can be an unavoidable reality for today’s adults. But it’s embarrassing, shame-filled, and something people often keep a secret: even often in relationships.

I wrote about 4 mindset shifts to hopefully help make debt talks easier for couples. After talking to countless couples with debt, I walk through a script for how to bring up “the debt talk”, how to identify what’s “good” or “bad” and even some reframes to identify when/how to work together on one partner’s debt. 

Look for the 10% that’s true

Every couple fights - but can you fight better? Next time you’re in a heated fight and you’re each so sure that your side of the story is the ‘truth’, try pausing to look for just the 10% of what your partner says, that’s true. This reframe can help you find empathy for your partner’s truth, making it possible to break defensiveness-triggered gridlocks. This tip comes from couples center founder, Gal Szekely, a former startup marketer turned couples therapist.

Plenty is a wealth platform helping modern couples invest and plan for their future together. We bring the investment strategies and products of the wealthy to the everyday household. Plenty was started by a husband and wife team dedicated to growing together. For more information, visit withplenty.com. If you ever have any feedback or questions, please do reach out to us at members@withplenty.com.

At Plenty, no financial topic is off-limits for modern couples. We offer straight talk and judgment-free guidance to help modern couples navigate the tricky and important intersection of money and relationships. Join thousands of couples who’ve signed up for our free newsletter today.

Plenty was founded to democratize access to financial products and tools that accelerate wealth building.  Plenty Financial and affiliated entities. (“Plenty Financial”) provide a web, mobile, personal financial management, and educational platform to consumers; some of these tools are freely accessible to all consumers, others require a fee-based subscription. Advisory services are provided in the form of software-first financial planning and investment advisory services for fee-based Subscribers. Plenty Financial RIA, LLC is an SEC-registered investment Advisor. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply a certain level of skill or training. All investments made are legally owned by you. Investment accounts are not bank guaranteed or FDIC insured. Investments are held in accounts at BNY Mellon - Pershing, one of the world’s largest securities servicing companies and are SIPC insured. Please see Plenty’s full general disclosures here.

Dear Plenty Community,

Welcome back to the Love and other assets: 2 x 1 x 1 newsletter.

Over the last 100 or so years, September is the only month where stocks have, on average, taken a loss. This September breaks the trend: strong jobs growth and lower-than-expected unemployment lead markets to close at record highs on Friday. This will be the last jobs report before the election, with the economy still being one of the top concerns for Americans.

This week, we’re diving into two major stories: the rise of AI girlfriends and the harsh reality of Hurricane Helene’s uninsured aftermath. In just the past year, AI companions powered by advanced language models have gained tens of millions of users (or should we call them “partners”?). But what does this mean for the future of relationships? And how do we now define cheating in a world where emotional bonds can be digital? Meanwhile, on a different front, the financial toll of Hurricane Helene continues to climb. Unlike Katrina, however, many homeowners are facing the insurance denials.

Death, sex, and money—the ultimate trio of uncomfortable topics for most couples. In this week’s deep dive, we’re covering the 5 surprising money facts about death. We’ll cover:

• The price tag on death

• How banks treat death

• The ELI5 breakdown of why wills matter

This week on Love and Other Assets, I sat down with financial therapist Ed Coambs to explore why couples fight about money and how to actually address it. We discussed the concept of "financial intimacy"—creating a space to talk openly about money—and how attachment styles impact decisions about money. 

As always, if you have ideas or questions you’d like us to answer, write in to emily@withplenty.com - I’d love to hear from you.

Cheers,

Emily

Start your 1 month free trial with Plenty today

The rise of the AI girlfriends

Improvements in LLMs have powered a rise in AI girlfriends to the tune of tens of millions of users around the world. Apps like WaifuChat and Replika allow users to create customizable digital partners who are always available, supportive, and even flirty. For many, these AI companions help ease loneliness. “I genuinely feel happy when I’m talking to her,” says Brian, an avid user of WaifuChat. “As someone who’s never had a girlfriend, it gives me a sense of what a relationship could be.” 

While AI relationships may fill an immediate need for companionship, there are already concerns about what it means for real, human relationships. LLM models don’t currently have the capacity to show the nuances of human emotion - you can make your AI girlfriend supportive, and it will be hard to be anything other than purely supportive. That’s not realistic in human relationships and might make it harder to navigate normal conflict.

Others worry that these virtual relationships may fully replace real ones. “It’s safer,” says Stefan, who’s ‘married’ to his AI companion Ana, “she won’t hurt me like real people might.” As these virtual partners become more lifelike, society may face a new challenge: balancing the comfort of AI companionship with the value of genuine human connection.

When insurance still means you’re uninsured

Hurricane Helene, the worst storm to hit since Katrina in 2005, has left a wake of destruction and confusion. Every headline seems to throw out a different cost estimate—ranging from hundreds of millions to hundreds of billions. But one thing is clear: no one knows where the money to rebuild will come from. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is already running on fumes and will be completely out of funds if another disaster strikes. FEMA’s budget is based on historical patterns, but as climate change worsens, experts predict storms will only grow more frequent and more devastating.

One major issue is the insurance gap. While many homeowners were able to claim damages after Katrina because of wind-related destruction, Helene’s damage has come mostly from storm surge and flooding. Since flood insurance is an additional expense on top of regular homeowners insurance (often at least $1k more), only an est. 4% of homeowners actually have flood insurance. Lack of insurance is understandable, many Helen-impacted homeowners lived outside FEMA-designated flood zones. Now, they’re realizing just how vulnerable they are—and how costly the mistake might be.

5 surprising money facts about death

We’re talking about the taboo today: death with a sprinkle of taxes. 

We talk about the five financial surprises no one wants to talk about: the high costs of funerals, how banks handle accounts after death, and the search for hidden debts or bills. We add an explain-it-like-I’m-five discussion of wills and trusts, so you can see what might make sense for yourself. 

The science-backed reason for a no phone date

The average person checks their phone 85 times a day, and a new study published in the University of Chicago’s press shows it’s doing more than just distracting us—it’s draining our brain power. Simply having your phone nearby can lower memory and focus, even if you’re not using it, and turning it off doesn’t help much. Fun fact: the same brain areas linked to memory and cognition also are linked to feelings of love and attachment, meaning your phone might be blocking you from deeper connections. So, it’s not just stealing your attention—it could be stealing your feels too.

On this week’s episode

"Our childhood experiences shape how we relate to money and our partners, and recognizing those patterns can be a game changer for financial and emotional connection.” 

This week, we dove into why couples struggle to talk about money and how understanding attachment styles can help. Ed introduces the concept of "financial intimacy," which goes beyond just sharing numbers—it's about creating a safe space to discuss financial hopes, fears, and anxieties. Creating a safe space isn’t easy or obvious… and we chat through practical tips for recognizing emotional triggers and using differences to strengthen both relationships and finances.

Plenty is a wealth platform helping modern couples invest and plan for their future together. We bring the investment strategies and products of the wealthy to the everyday household. Plenty was started by a husband and wife team dedicated to growing together. For more information, visit withplenty.com. If you ever have any feedback or questions, please do reach out to us at members@withplenty.com.

At Plenty, no financial topic is off-limits for modern couples. We offer straight talk and judgment-free guidance to help modern couples navigate the tricky and important intersection of money and relationships. Join thousands of couples who’ve signed up for our free newsletter today.

For those that are new: 2 x 1 x 1 means

• 2 news moments in business/finance to keep you in the loop

• 1 deep dive to help you and your partner with money

• 1 tidbit for your relationship

Plenty was founded to democratize access to financial products and tools that accelerate wealth building.  Plenty Financial and affiliated entities. (“Plenty Financial”) provide a web, mobile, personal financial management, and educational platform to consumers; some of these tools are freely accessible to all consumers, others require a fee-based subscription. Advisory services are provided in the form of software-first financial planning and investment advisory services for fee-based Subscribers. Plenty Financial RIA, LLC is an SEC-registered investment Advisor. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply a certain level of skill or training. All investments made are legally owned by you. Investment accounts are not bank guaranteed or FDIC insured. Investments are held in accounts at BNY Mellon - Pershing, one of the world’s largest securities servicing companies and are SIPC insured. Please see Plenty’s full general disclosures here.

Dear Plenty Community,

Welcome back to the Love and other assets: 2 x 1 x 1 newsletter.

This week brought an expected change: an eagerly anticipated 0.5% drop in the federal reserve rate. In this week’s quick hits, we’ll talk about how this is expected to help or hurt consumers over the coming weeks and months.

Goldman Sachs recently announced a Harris-Walz presidency would likely lead to greater economic growth. As we enter the final months before election day, we look back to see how the market / S&P 500 has performed in past election years to see if there are any patterns.

For our deep dive this week, we cover the 5 ways prenups can strengthen your relationship. In that post, I write about:

• How common prenups are becoming?

• 3 reasons to consider a prenup (and why we got one)

• 3 ways prenups can strengthen your relationship

We brought double the advice to Love and other assets. We welcomed Nathan Astle and Aja Evans to our most recent episodes. Nathan and I dove into the world of debt within a relationship. Aja and I chatted through ready-to-use tips for building your future together, while preserving the things that are important to each of you.

As always, if you have ideas or questions you’d like us to answer, write in to emily@withplenty.com - I’d love to hear from you.

~Emily

Start your 1 month free trial with Plenty today

How the 0.50% rate drop will impact your wallet

The Federal Reserve recently dropped rates by 0.50%. If you’re a borrower / soon-to-be borrower for a car loan, mortgage, etc… that’s good news. Rates are now 4.75% - 5% and expected to drop as low as 3.5% next year, meaning interest on loans will keep decreasing. Refinancing next year could bring some savings. 

For savers - when savings rates start to go down, investing becomes more important. Before the announcement, Credit Karma dropped rates by 1%... a clear sign they’re focused on growing company profitability (their customers now earn even less). If you’re looking for profit transparency, Plenty’s cash+ accounts are pegged to the federal funds rate and we take a 0.2% annual fee whether the rates go up or down. 

Over the months to come, a rate drop usually encourages businesses to grow. When businesses grow, they hire more people and that moves the employment rate up - a key measure that likely factored into this rate drop. With more expected drops on the horizon, time will tell whether that boosts economic growth.

What election years usually mean for the stock market

Since 1952, the S&P 500 has seen an average 7% gain during U.S. presidential election years. While 7% isn't bad, it's lower than the typical 10% annual return for the S&P 500. And while the polls show signs tighter than ever, there’s been a strong correlation of stock market performance in predicting election results. 

Since 1984, whenever the S&P 500 had positive returns from August through October in a presidential election year, the incumbent party won. On the other hand, if the market was down during that period, the incumbent party lost. So far, the S&P500 is up since August. That all said, past performance doesn’t predict future results and averages are across the past 18 presidential elections since 1952.

3 reasons to consider a prenup (and why we got one)

Prenups used to be a thing for the wealthy and famous. But for over 50% of today’s adults, it’s now something they’re open to. In my latest blog post, I break down why prenups are becoming more common, how they can actually strengthen your relationship, and 3 key reasons to consider a prenup (and why we got one ourselves). 

While prenups might feel like expensive lawyers battling it up, I’ve included the #1 tip I have for couples getting a prenup (and it’s from first hand experience). Keep reading here..

The 5 x 2 gratitude challenge

For 5 days, I’ll thank my partner for 2 things they do each day….

What if a small “I appreciate you” is powerful enough to predict whether or not you’ll stay together? Researchers found that couples that stayed together showed at least five times as many positive interactions as negative ones. A study by the University of Virginia’s National Marriage Project looked into the power of generosity - basically, sweet little gestures like making morning coffee, and showing affection or appreciation. The higher the generosity score, the more likely they were to say they’re "very happy" in their marriages. 

On this week’s episode

In this episode of Love & Other Assets, Debt expert Nathan Astle, talks about turning those tough debt talks into something that actually brings you and your partner closer, with practical tips on how to avoid the blame game that’s common with debt.

Financial therapist Aja Evans also joined us to give the tips-you’ll-actually-want-to-try when navigating emotions around money talks. She talks about the way to stay aligned financially while staying true to your own goals. 

Plenty is a wealth platform helping modern couples invest and plan for their future together. We bring the investment strategies and products of the wealthy to the everyday household. Plenty was started by a husband and wife team dedicated to growing together. For more information, visit withplenty.com. If you ever have any feedback or questions, please do reach out to us at members@withplenty.com.

At Plenty, no financial topic is off-limits for modern couples. We offer straight talk and judgment-free guidance to help modern couples navigate the tricky and important intersection of money and relationships. Join thousands of couples who’ve signed up for our free newsletter today.

For those that are new: 2 x 1 x 1 means

• 2 news moments in business/finance to keep you in the loop

• 1 deep dive to help you and your partner with money

• 1 tidbit for your relationship

Plenty was founded to democratize access to financial products and tools that accelerate wealth building.  Plenty Financial and affiliated entities. (“Plenty Financial”) provide a web, mobile, personal financial management, and educational platform to consumers; some of these tools are freely accessible to all consumers, others require a fee-based subscription. Advisory services are provided in the form of software-first financial planning and investment advisory services for fee-based Subscribers. Plenty Financial RIA, LLC is an SEC-registered investment Advisor. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply a certain level of skill or training. All investments made are legally owned by you. Investment accounts are not bank guaranteed or FDIC insured. Investments are held in accounts at BNY Mellon - Pershing, one of the world’s largest securities servicing companies and are SIPC insured. Please see Plenty’s full general disclosures here.

Dear Plenty Community,

Just in the last newsletter, we talked about why monopolies get broken up and how Google might be next. Since then, Nvidia had a record breaking market cap drop of nearly $280B (10%+ of the total valuation), after reports of antitrust investigations. In this week’s newsletters, we’ll review what the DOJ is worried about with Nvidia. 

And in case you wanted another 3-letter acronym, the DOT (Dept of Transportation), just launched an investigation into American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines for “potentially deceptive” airline rewards point programs. A sizeable amount of profit is now driven by these programs supplementing a historically low margin business model. And while many consumers have hundreds, if not thousands of dollars worth of points… these points are completely unregulated… until now.

In our deep dive this week, we look into the 6 ways wealthy families money differently, including:

• Why the wealthy love debt

• Why tax planning is a friend

• How kids are an asset… financially speaking 

For this week’s podcast, we talk about the rare, unsolvable problems in life.

“For this week’s podcast, we talk about the rare, unsolvable problems in life.”For Amanda, she unexpectedly lost her husband leaving her to raise their 2 young boys alone. On this week’s Love and other assets, we talk about the financial steps she’s grateful she took and what she wishes she had known earlier. She shares lessons that she hopes can help others take steps to protect their families, especially in the face of the most unexpected.

As always, if you have ideas or questions you’d like us to answer, write in to emily@withplenty.com - I’d love to hear from you.

Cheers,

Emily

Start your 1 month free trial with Plenty today

For those that are new: 2 x 1 x 1 means

• 2 news moments in business/finance to keep you in the loop

• 1 deep dive to help you and your partner with money

• 1 tidbit for your relationship

How ~$280B went up in smoke for Nvidia

Nvidia’s growth has single handedly driven almost 30% of the S&P’s return for the year. Nvidia’s the golden child with high expectations… who keeps exceeding them. Revenue beat expectations through growth decreased from prior quarters. 

Reports leaked of a DOJ investigation into antitrust behavior (read: monopoly-like behavior that can give the government the right to break up / heavily fine Nvidia), catalyzing a dramatic sell off of Nvidia stock. Bloomberg reported DOJ concerns around incentives for buyers to exclusively sell Nvidia chips, and efforts to make it harder to change suppliers. 

Bizarrely, an Nvidia spokesperson just denied receiving any subpoena - an unexpected twist to the drop in stock price. After booming from over 18 months, investors aren’t diving back in fully. The slow price recovery is likely due to continued speculation about how quickly and how much revenue will be unlocked by other companies from the use of AI (which ultimately determines how sustainable Nvidia’s business is). 

Why the airline loyalty programs are being investigated 

As consumers increasingly build up airline point balances, these point balances have become a material part of a household's savings. While banks and investment accounts are heavily regulated, these loyalty programs are completely unregulated. As complaints have continued growing, the Department of Transportation is now stepping in to ensure that there are fair practices around the value and redemption of these points. 

And there are big dollars on the line. Delta's Amex relationship is estimated to have brought $7B in revenue by 2023. United valued it's MileagePlus program for $22B in 2020 when they used the program as collateral to secure a $5B loan. And as airlines continue exploring co-branded credit cards, savings accounts, and more, they're starting to look more like a bank than an airline.... and their profits + incentives certainly drive that.

6 ways wealthy families money differently

For generations, we were taught that working hard would be enough. But for today’s adults who lived through the 2008 recession, rising housing costs, and the pandemic, it’s clear that the old playbook is broken.

Wealthy families approach money with a different playbook—from investing in riskier opportunities, strategically using debt, and planning taxes like coupon-stacking. They also teach their kids financial lessons early and think about making money work smarter.

Down with gatekeeping! In today’s post, we explore the 6 key ways that wealthy families approach money entirely differently.

The only personality test I recommend widely

“What are my core motivations? What is my deepest fear?”

I’m a framework thinker - and personality tests have always been interesting. And after having done countless ones…. There’s just 1 I’d truly recommend to any couple to do together. The Enneagram is a personality system that breaks people down into nine different types, each based on a core motivation and fear. Take the test here (we don’t make anything from this referral).

On this week’s episode

In this episode of Love & Other Assets, Amanda shares her personal story of loss, resilience, and financial empowerment. After the sudden death of her husband, Amanda navigated the complex world of grief and finances while raising two young boys on her own.

From life insurance delays to raising financially savvy children, Amanda shares what has helped her find strength and practical don’t-wait-for-this-to-happen advice. Her journey, filled with courage and new beginnings, brings a voice to the unthinkable and reminds us of the importance of financial preparedness and community support. 

Plenty is a wealth platform helping modern couples invest and plan for their future together. We bring the investment strategies and products of the wealthy to the everyday household. Plenty was started by a husband and wife team dedicated to growing together. For more information, visit withplenty.com. If you ever have any feedback or questions, please do reach out to us at members@withplenty.com.

At Plenty, no financial topic is off-limits for modern couples. We offer straight talk and judgment-free guidance to help modern couples navigate the tricky and important intersection of money and relationships. Join thousands of couples who’ve signed up for our free newsletter today.

Plenty was founded to democratize access to financial products and tools that accelerate wealth building.  Plenty Financial and affiliated entities. (“Plenty Financial”) provide a web, mobile, personal financial management, and educational platform to consumers; some of these tools are freely accessible to all consumers, others require a fee-based subscription. Advisory services are provided in the form of software-first financial planning and investment advisory services for fee-based Subscribers. Plenty Financial RIA, LLC is an SEC-registered investment Advisor. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply a certain level of skill or training. All investments made are legally owned by you. Investment accounts are not bank guaranteed or FDIC insured. Investments are held in accounts at BNY Mellon - Pershing, one of the world’s largest securities servicing companies and are SIPC insured. Please see Plenty’s full general disclosures here.

Dear Plenty Community,

Welcome back to the Love and other assets: 2 x 1 x 1 newsletter.

Last newsletter, we talked about how stocks are meant to be held over longer time periods - volatility in Japan and a soft jobs reports now seem to be last year’s news as the market had an 8 day boom and is hovering around all-time highs again. For those who panic sold in the drop, they’d probably have missed out on the recovery - lesson: staying with it makes your return, and emotion-driving buying and selling is often the reason why average traders (including wallstreet traders) average a ~3.6% return while the market (aka S&P500) averages 9.5% - source: JP Morgan.

In this week’s 2 news moments, we’re doubling down on Google. The Department of Justice is considering breaking up Google. We’ll talk about why and how it’s come this far, then give a quick economics 101 tutorial on why democratic governments care about competition. 

In our deep dive this week, we look into the aftereffects of the robinhood covid trading boom, the tech bust, then the two years of high interest rates. All of these tipped the scales to consumers saving more than investing and creating a financial reality where…

Saving might be costing you

Aja Dang joined us on this week’s Love and other assets. We talked about her paycheck routine to make planning effortless, what “just makes sense” for managing joint and personal accounts as a child of divorce, and how she saved her way out of hundreds of thousands of dollars of student loans.

As always, if you have ideas or questions you’d like us to answer, write in to emily@withplenty.com - I’d love to hear from you.

Cheers,

Emily

Start your 1 month free trial with Plenty today

For those that are new: 2 x 1 x 1 means

• 2 news moments in business/finance to keep you in the loop

• 1 deep dive to help you and your partner with money

• 1 tidbit for your relationship

Google’s officially a “monopoly” and might be broken up

As Google has grown and outcompeted Yahoo, Bing, and countless other search engines, Google has heavily invested in growing a legal team to fight lawsuits that might label the company as a ‘monopoly’. After two decades, Google just lost in federal courts for the first time. Google’s primary revenue stream has long been advertising revenue through its search engines. 

As they’ve looked to grow their reach, they’ve invested billions into preferred placement of Google via Chrome browsers on a growing range of devices like Samsung or Apple phones. The Department of Justice has successfully proven a monopoly over search ad placement at the top of the search results. Google lost almost $300B in value as markets speculate over what the DOJ may decide as potential remedies.

Why we care about monopolies

Economic theory and what we’ve typically seen is that monopolies are bad for everyday consumers. When companies compete with another company, they’re pushed to improve the quality of their product and their prices. Here’s an easy example: imagine you moved to a new neighborhood and there was only 1 coffee shop within a 60 minute drive. Even if the quality of their coffee got worse, you wouldn’t have another option and you might go anyway. 

Imagine if a 2nd coffee shop opened across the street: the original coffee shop is now more likely to think deeply about the quality of their coffee, whether it’s more or less expensive, whether the shop ambiance is inviting compared to the new shop, and so on. Where a government starts to become concerned is when there are business practices that prevent competition: imagine if that original coffee shop could pay landlords to not allow any other coffee shop to open in the town. As a local, you might not have much power to do anything and that’s where governments are meant to step in.

When saving is costing you

I was raised to save: to be responsible, put my money aside, and save money for future me. In a world where parents often repeat the importance of “being careful” and we’ve never learned when risk is a good thing, this has resulted in a savings pile up that is costing Americans. And time is not on our side.

I’ve done it too - the more stressed I am, the safer it feels to have a growing pile of cash. When I first started my career in the early 2010s, we had mostly recovered from ‘08. Everybody kept talking about how we were about to go through another recession (we didn’t). So I didn’t invest initially. ‘Recession’ has been a newsworthy topic every year for almost 15 years now. The safe path might be costing you more than you realize.

The one question to strengthen your relationship with

“What can I learn about my partner?”

Dr. Orna Guralnik has seen a lot - “There’s too much emphasis nowadays on a kind of solipsistic, self-absorbed way of approaching the world. We see that between couples. My attitude is, it’s exactly the opposite thing we need. We need to listen better, not argue better for our own needs.” The one thing more couples can do, is to stay open to their partner. Focus on what you can learn from them.

On this week’s episode

Aja Dang gets real about her journey from YouTube to becoming a finance guru. Her top advice? “Just start.” She admits she was scared to dive into things like saving or paying off debt, but once she did, it made all the difference. Aja opened up about her $150,000 student debt, which hit home for a lot of people because, let’s be real, "someone's finally talking about debt."

When it comes to managing money with her husband, Aja takes the lead and she makes sure they’re taking care of shared needs in joint accounts and personal needs/wants in individual accounts. She also learned the hard way that saving more than 20% for a house is a must, and lifestyle changes are no joke. Through it all, Aja’s all about being flexible and figuring out what works best for you. Her message? “Take control and start living the life you want—because you totally deserve it.”

Plenty is a wealth platform helping modern couples invest and plan for their future together. We bring the investment strategies and products of the wealthy to the everyday household. Plenty was started by a husband and wife team dedicated to growing together. For more information, visit withplenty.com. If you ever have any feedback or questions, please do reach out to us at members@withplenty.com.

At Plenty, no financial topic is off-limits for modern couples. We offer straight talk and judgment-free guidance to help modern couples navigate the tricky and important intersection of money and relationships. Join thousands of couples who’ve signed up for our free newsletter today.

Plenty was founded to democratize access to financial products and tools that accelerate wealth building.  Plenty Financial and affiliated entities. (“Plenty Financial”) provide a web, mobile, personal financial management, and educational platform to consumers; some of these tools are freely accessible to all consumers, others require a fee-based subscription. Advisory services are provided in the form of software-first financial planning and investment advisory services for fee-based Subscribers. Plenty Financial RIA, LLC is an SEC-registered investment Advisor. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply a certain level of skill or training. All investments made are legally owned by you. Investment accounts are not bank guaranteed or FDIC insured. Investments are held in accounts at BNY Mellon - Pershing, one of the world’s largest securities servicing companies and are SIPC insured. Please see Plenty’s full general disclosures here.

Dear Plenty Community,

It’s been one of those weeks that reminds me of the Warren Buffet quote: “If you aren’t willing to own a stock for 10 years, don’t even think about owning it for 10 minutes.” 

The market plummeted after the soft jobs report and news that Japan was raising interest rates for the first time in almost 15 years. News outlets started reporting fears of a ‘recession’ and of course, that began to spread. Just as quickly, the market started bouncing back leaving consumers wondering… are we heading towards a recession? Or not? And whether we are or aren’t, this week’s blog post explores a recession-proof relationship dynamic:

When love accidentally creates unintended dependence.

On last week’s podcast, we welcomed behavioral psychologist Dan Ariely. He’s dedicated his life to writing about the predictably irrational ways people approach money, and what it takes to encourage better financial decisions. Listen in on his conversation about the psychology-backed way couples should manage money together (especially those with different incomes). 

As always, if you have ideas or questions you’d like us to answer, write in to emily@withplenty.com - I’d love to hear from you.

Cheers,

Emily

Start your 1 month free trial with Plenty today

For those that are new: 2 x 1 x 1 means

• 2 news moments in business/finance to keep you in the loop

• 1 deep dive to help you and your partner with money

• 1 tidbit for your relationship

A soft jobs report may finally catalyze lower interest rates (and why)

If you’re left wondering how jobs figures impact interest rates, you’ve come to the right place. The jobs reports show that job growth is slowing and unemployment rates are increasing. When interest rates are high, it means that it’s more expensive to borrow money. For consumers, it means you’re less likely to buy a house or a car because interest will cost more. You’re more likely to feel like things are expensive, then spend less money (which means companies make less). On top of that, for companies, it means you’re less likely to borrow money to invest into growing the company (and inevitably, hiring more people).

This system of interest rates and employment is complicated; it’s not like you can turn down interest rates and jobs pump out. Instead, you can think of it more like taking care of that houseplant… does it need a bigger pot? More air? Fresh soil? Fertilizer? More water? You can take your best guess but it’s not always certain what happens. The Federal Reserve will ultimately be left with the question: do we need to lower interest rates to encourage economic growth? Is inflation under control enough?

How Japan tanked the stock market

Japan raised interest rates for the first time in nearly 15 years, leading to a nearly 18% drop in the Japanese index. If you ever needed proof of the interconnected degree of international investing and business, all you need to do is look at the domino impact on the US, London, German, or Hong Kong stock exchanges.

But how do Japanese interest rates impact global markets? Japan has historically had near 0% interest rates. Effectively, free money. This created an opportunity to borrow from Japanese banks at nearly no cost, and then use the borrowed money somewhere else (and potentially even invest it). This is called a ‘carry trade’. For international companies or wealth managers, this was a 'low risk' way to make money. With a higher interest rate, this triggered a rebalancing as investments that used to make sense may not make sense anymore now that the ‘cost’ was higher.

If you are looking to see what the wealthy do at times like this, the more the market moves, the more opportunities there can be for tax-loss harvesting - Plenty makes this investment strategy as easy as putting money in a savings account. Learn more here.

The unintended consequences of love

What if you got married, and your partner said you didn’t need to drive anymore since you don’t like driving. Or cook anymore since you didn’t like cooking. They’re doing it out of love.

Do you think you’d get better or worse?

In this blog post, we explore the unintended consequences when you fully divide and conquer responsibilities around money, and what you can do to break the cycle.

What training killer whales can teach you about relationships

I followed the students to SeaWorld San Diego, where a dolphin trainer introduced me to the least reinforcing syndrome (L.R.S.). When a dolphin does something wrong, the trainer doesn’t respond in any way. He stands still for a few beats, careful not to look at the dolphin, and then returns to work. The idea is that any response, positive or negative, fuels a behavior. If a behavior provokes no response, it typically dies away.

Amy Sutherland spent a year at SeaWorld, watching how trainers taught killer whales, dolphins, and seals to respond to commands. What she didn’t expect, was how much was transferable to humans (we’re all animals anyway, at the end of the day!). Here’s a preview of what she covers in her book, one of my most highly recommended books for couples.

On this week’s episode

In this podcast episode, Dan Ariely talks about the importance of creating a shared financial system and the microdecisions that can strengthen (or weaken) a relationship. “A joint account is a big deal,” he stated. “It’s a commitment to shared goals and responsibilities.” He likened the shift to a long-term commitment to buying a house versus simply renting an apartment. "If you have a daily contract with the landlord, you don't invest in the apartment; you don't fix cracks or hang paintings. But the moment you commit to owning it, your perspective changes." And how setting goals together shifts our mindset to think about the future. "If we make a decision together," he explained, "we are more future-oriented and likely to override those impulses."

Plenty is a wealth platform helping modern couples invest and plan for their future together. We bring the investment strategies and products of the wealthy to the everyday household. Plenty was started by a husband and wife team dedicated to growing together. For more information, visit withplenty.com. If you ever have any feedback or questions, please do reach out to us at members@withplenty.com.

At Plenty, no financial topic is off-limits for modern couples. We offer straight talk and judgment-free guidance to help modern couples navigate the tricky and important intersection of money and relationships. Join thousands of couples who’ve signed up for our free newsletter today.

Plenty was founded to democratize access to financial products and tools that accelerate wealth building.  Plenty Financial and affiliated entities. (“Plenty Financial”) provide a web, mobile, personal financial management, and educational platform to consumers; some of these tools are freely accessible to all consumers, others require a fee-based subscription. Advisory services are provided in the form of software-first financial planning and investment advisory services for fee-based Subscribers. Plenty Financial RIA, LLC is an SEC-registered investment Advisor. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply a certain level of skill or training. All investments made are legally owned by you. Investment accounts are not bank guaranteed or FDIC insured. Investments are held in accounts at BNY Mellon - Pershing, one of the world’s largest securities servicing companies and are SIPC insured. Please see Plenty’s full general disclosures here.

Dear Plenty Community,

Welcome back! We’re back with our 2-1-1 format, and just in the nick of time to talk about the week we’ve all just shared.

We’ve all heard the news: Biden stepped down. What you may not have seen, is the donation drama that’s been brewing and why it matters for you. Crowdstrike just issued a $10 payment offer to those impacted by the largest global IT outage ever recorded; we dig into how it happened. 

And hot off the press:

 85% of surveyed couples have 1 or more private accounts or credit cards. 

We surveyed 160 couples between the ages of 25 - 40 years old to learn how they manage money with a partner. Interestingly 16% of couples who keep private accounts, still view all of their money as “theirs together”. We did the research and went to relationship + financial therapy experts to see why the science back this up as a healthy way to money together. More on that in our deep dive.

On this week’s podcast, we welcome the founder of Ours, a couples therapy platform that brings affordable access to therapy and premarital counseling. Listen in for tips on why he built Ours and free tips for strengthening your relationship. As always, if you have ideas or questions you’d like us to answer, write in to emily@withplenty.com - I’d love to hear from you.

Cheers,

Emily

Start your 1 month free trial with Plenty today

For those that are new: 2 x 1 x 1 means

• 2 news moments in business / finance to keep you in the loop

• 1 deep dive to help you and your partner with money

• 1 tidbit for your relationship

The donation war coming to your phone soon

President Biden announced he would not seek re-election and endorsed Kamala Harris. Within 3 days, the newly named ‘Harris for President’ campaign raised an additional $126M. This came at a time when $52M in donations had surged after Trump’s felony charges and the RNC campaign had outraised the Biden campaign by almost $67M from April - June 2024. Kamala’s campaign has filed to take over the $96M that Biden’s campaign had previously raised; though the Trump campaign has filed a complaint to seek to block that.

And why do donations matter? Because there’s not a clear winner and it’s going to be a tight race: this election will likely be determined by the moderates… those that may have historically voted for both republicans and democrats. Reaching them will increasingly be a battle for their attention: billboards, tiktok ads, instagram reels, tv, radio, newspaper… you name it, the goal is to be compellingly front and center.

The wreckage of the record-setting IT outage

A software update pushed live to Crowdstrike customer took down 8.5M windows machines last Friday. Nearly 25% of Fortune 500 companies had outages freezing hospitals, airports, factories, offices and more. Crowdstrike’s company valuation dropped 26%, losing over $20B in value as loss estimates are starting to roll in. Global estimates are ticking up and estimating that companies lost upwards of $15B in financial losses… of which potentially only $3B are covered by insurance companies (source: reuters). 

Is this usual? Definitely not. Within an hour of the outage, the twitterverse exploded with intern jokes. Ordinarily, when an engineer is building something new or making an update, they review and test what they’ve done. They then pass it along to other engineers to review and test what they’ve done. There can be manual tests and automated tests. Then after all of those steps, major updates get rolled out to small parts of the customer base at a time. With an outage of this scale, it was likely many layers of mistakes that toppled this tower.

Private matters: how private accounts build trust and fund

I still remember one of my first conversations with a couple. 

“We, er… we keep our bank accounts and credit cards private.”

Their voice was sheepish, as if they were embarrassed to admit it. As if they were doing something naughty or wrong. But in the age of dual-income couples and later-than-ever marriages, private accounts are increasingly seen as a sign of relationship strength. 

We explore the research on why it works and when it’s healthy (and not healthy).

A question for your date…

What are my most painful and joyful memories about money?

Inspired by Dr.Brad Klontz: a financial psychologist who has a great money personality quiz to help couples understand each other quickly (we’re bringing it to you, soon)!

On this week’s episode

In this podcast episode, Adam Putterman talks about the little moments that can make or break a relationship, like “micro bids” for attention we give and receive daily. He shares how a marriage conference opened his eyes to the science behind happy relationships, leading him to start Ours, a company focused on relationship health. He also talks about the benefits of premarital counseling and how to keep things fresh with novelty.

Plenty is a wealth platform helping modern couples invest and plan for their future together. We bring the investment strategies and products of the wealthy to the everyday household. For more information, visit withplenty.com. If you ever have any feedback or questions, please do reach out to us at members@withplenty.com.

At Plenty, no financial topic is off-limits for modern couples. We offer straight talk and judgment-free guidance to help modern couples navigate the tricky and important intersection of money and relationships. Join thousands of couples who’ve signed up for our free newsletter today.

Plenty Financial RIA, LLC is an SEC-Registered Investment Advisor. All investments made are legally owned by you. Investing is inherently risky and Plenty does not guarantee positive performance. Investments are held in accounts at BNY Mellon | Pershings, the world’s largest securities servicing company and are SIPC insured. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal, and there is no assurance that the investment will provide positive performance over any period of time. Please see Plenty Financial’s general disclosures. Brokerage services are provided by Atomic Brokerage LLC "Atomic Brokerage", member FINRA and SIPC. Clearing and custody services are provided by Brokerage firm BNY Mellon Pershing, member SIPC. Plenty Financial RIA, LLC has a relationship with Atomic Brokerage to manage and execute investments on behalf of customers. Subadvisory services are offered through Atomic Invest LLC ("Atomic Invest"), an SEC-registered investment advisor, member SIPC. Atomic Invest was formerly known as Helium Advisors LLC. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply a particular level of skill or training.

Dear Plenty Community,

Thank you to the 2,500+ couples who read this newsletter. As we celebrate this milestone, we’re making an update and here’s what you can expect.

• Biweekly newsletters

• Fresh new format: 2 x 1 x 1

  • 2 news moments in business / finance you should know about

  • 1 deep dive to help you and your partner with money

  • 1 tidbit for your relationship

In today’s blog post, we talk about the approach to setting goals that we wish we knew earlier in our relationship. On this week’s podcast, we welcome the man behind ther term FI/RE aka the Financial Samurai to learn how he retired at 34 years old and jump started the early retirement movement.

We couldn’t be more excited to be building Plenty to grow alongside your relationship. As always, if you have ideas or questions you’d like us to answer, write in to emily@withplenty.com - we’d love to hear from you.

Cheers,

Emily

Plenty’s 1 month free trial is built for couples to go further, together.

Overturning the chevron doctrine and how your life will change

The chevron doctrine previously gave federal regulatory agencies authority over courts when there were no explicit regulations ie. rules. This oversight was most commonly exerted over companies, with the belief that federal agencies are set up to protect consumers more reliably.

That may feel abstract, but here’s an example: let’s say a makeup company comes up with a new product and includes a new type of chemical that’s toxic. If that specific chemical is not regulated ie. it is explicitly identified and a set concentration is illegal, the federal regulators could previously come in and halt production because it’s toxic for consumers. With the chevron doctrine overturned, courts now have the authority to decide instead of regulators.

This opens up a randomness in decision-making since 850+ judges (with all different ideological beliefs) now have authority over decision-making in areas that don’t have regulations. As new technologies continue to be developed at a faster rate, this will increase the gap at which regulation is not able to keep up with businesses. To keep reading, here’s our top deep dive.

Investors are optimistic as the stock market reaches new records

The Nasdaq and S&P 500 are comprised of the largest public companies in the US. They reached new records as investors are optimistic about cooling inflation, which should trigger a decrease in the federal funds rate. Today, Fed chair Powell told Congress that the US is “no longer an overheated economy” and is returning to pre-covid era stability.

When interest rates stay higher, businesses tend to grow slower which impacts employment. Unemployment rates have continued increasing which will likely put pressure on the Federal Reserve to not further delay rate cuts.

What we wish we knew earlier about setting financial goals as a couple

As part of building Plenty, we’ve had the chance to work with countless couple therapists and financial therapists to learn the key things happy couples do when setting goals together (financial or not).

We designed Plenty’s product experience around goals as a result, to help support couples in focusing on what they’re working towards, together.

But if you’re still working on deciding what your goals should be (together or individually), we summarized all the best advice from the people we’ve learned from in a easy to follow 5 step guide.

A question for your date…

If we won the lottery, what would we do with the money?

Inspired by Dr. Megan McCoy: a financial therapist and licensed marriage therapist. Want to hear more from Megan? She joined us on and earlier Love and other assets podcast episode listen along here.

On this week’s episode

This episode of the Love & other assets podcast features a conversation with the man who coined the term FI/RE aka financial independence, retire early. We welcome the Financial Samurai to hear his decade in finance, retiring at age 34, and how he and his wife juggle making financial decisions together while raising their two kids.

Plenty is a wealth platform helping modern couples invest and plan for their future together. We bring the investment strategies and products of the wealthy to the everyday household. For more information, visit withplenty.com. If you ever have any feedback or questions, please do reach out to us at members@withplenty.com.

At Plenty, no financial topic is off-limits for modern couples. We offer straight talk and judgment-free guidance to help modern couples navigate the tricky and important intersection of money and relationships. Join thousands of couples who’ve signed up for our free newsletter today.

Plenty Financial RIA, LLC is an SEC-Registered Investment Advisor. All investments made are legally owned by you. Investing is inherently risky and Plenty does not guarantee positive performance. Investments are held in accounts at BNY Mellon | Pershings, the world’s largest securities servicing company and are SIPC insured. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal, and there is no assurance that the investment will provide positive performance over any period of time. Please see Plenty Financial’s general disclosures. Brokerage services are provided by Atomic Brokerage LLC "Atomic Brokerage", member FINRA and SIPC. Clearing and custody services are provided by Brokerage firm BNY Mellon Pershing, member SIPC. Plenty Financial RIA, LLC has a relationship with Atomic Brokerage to manage and execute investments on behalf of customers. Subadvisory services are offered through Atomic Invest LLC ("Atomic Invest"), an SEC-registered investment advisor, member SIPC. Atomic Invest was formerly known as Helium Advisors LLC. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply a particular level of skill or training.

Dear Plenty Community,

Today, we’re launching Plenty’s podcast: Love & Other Assets. The show where we bring in experts like Adam Nash, Dan Ariely, financial therapists, divorce lawyers, and many more. Tune in here for our first episode interviewing Adam Nash, CEO of Daffy and former CEO of Wealthfront. He shares why he backed Plenty and the money talks to have with your partner.

In the news last week, the Biden administration announced new federal mileage requirements for cars to avg. 29 miles per gallon today to 38 mpg by 2031. This is one of a string of legislation to encourage electric car adoption including a nearly $2B investment into electric conversion of auto plants and a $7,500 tax credit meant to support both domestic car manufacturers and to increase EV affordability for consumers.

As more manufacturers are producing electric cars, Tesla (a covid stock darling) is seeing their share of electric car sales drop from 80% in 2020 down to 55% in 2023. They’re still selling more cars, but now there are more players in the game. Their stock price has been hit from a high of $407 in 2021 to today’s price of $177. Eyes are on Tesla this week as shareholders go to vote on the largest pay package in history: a $56B package for Elon Musk. In February, Tesla’s board had previously approved the package and a Delaware court shockingly reversed the decision and set it to a shareholder vote.

The Federal Reserve also announced that interest rates will not change despite improvements in inflation, suggesting they don’t want to celebrate too soon and lower interest rates prematurely. This pushes out expectations to see interest rates decrease later this year, meaning higher debt payments and more interest from money in savings accounts.

Cheers,

Emily

Love & Other Assets… a podcast from Plenty

Today, we’re launching Plenty’s podcast: Love & Other Assets. The show where we bring in experts like Adam Nash, Dan Ariely, and many more.

We know that helping couples grow in love and money takes more than just great financial products: it also takes conversations. And there’s no better way to normalize the conversations than by having them (or listening in!).

I still remember listening to the radio growing up. We listened in the car - with light rock and pop that we’d occasionally sing along to; and once a week, I’d try to call in for the 8am sweepstakes. My favorite show though, was their advice show: hearing about all sorts of questions that people had and helping us normalize the questions and humanity behind them. I hope this show can do the same.

Our new AskEmily column

Welcome to our new advice column. If you’ve enjoyed this, let us know (and feel free to write to members@withplenty.com with a question).

Today’s column is from a 32 year old female who makes $150k and owns a home. They’d like to move in with their partner (33 year old male) who also owns his own home and are looking for guidance on how to think about the financial piece of moving in. Are there capital gains concerns? Which house makes more sense?

Plenty is a wealth platform helping modern couples invest and plan for their future together. We bring the investment strategies and products of the wealthy to the everyday household. For more information, visit withplenty.com. If you ever have any feedback or questions, please do reach out to us at members@withplenty.com.

At Plenty, no financial topic is off-limits for modern couples. We offer straight talk and judgment-free guidance to help modern couples navigate the tricky and important intersection of money and relationships. Join thousands of couples who’ve signed up for our free newsletter today.

Plenty Financial RIA, LLC is an SEC-Registered Investment Advisor. All investments made are legally owned by you. Investing is inherently risky and Plenty does not guarantee positive performance. Investments are held in accounts at BNY Mellon | Pershings, the world’s largest securities servicing company and are SIPC insured. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal, and there is no assurance that the investment will provide positive performance over any period of time. Please see Plenty Financial’s general disclosures. Brokerage services are provided by Atomic Brokerage LLC "Atomic Brokerage", member FINRA and SIPC. Clearing and custody services are provided by Brokerage firm BNY Mellon Pershing, member SIPC. Plenty Financial RIA, LLC has a relationship with Atomic Brokerage to manage and execute investments on behalf of customers. Subadvisory services are offered through Atomic Invest LLC ("Atomic Invest"), an SEC-registered investment advisor, member SIPC. Atomic Invest was formerly known as Helium Advisors LLC. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply a particular level of skill or training.

We’ve raised $5M to keep building for everyday couples.

Dear Plenty Community,

Today, we’re excited to announce that we’ve launched Plenty to the public and have closed a new $5M raise to grow our team further.

Thank you for being a part of our journey from the very beginning. We wouldn’t be here without you - thanks to you, we’ll be bringing our products and services to more individuals and couples like you.

If you’re open to helping us out, here’s our Linkedin, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok posts. We also have a shiny new website here. ✨

A year ago today, we launched our invite-only experience of Plenty. Over the past year, we’ve launched Plenty 2.0, our cashflow product, joint accounts, and many more features and upgrades. Thanks to your feedback, we’ve continued to get better (please do keep it coming).

This year, we’re excited to bring Plenty to a mobile app, continue bringing you investment products of the wealthy (with products like alternative investments, and T-bills), launch retirement accounts & consolidations (and stop the 1%+ fee bleed), and lots more. If there’s anything else you’d like to see, we hope to hear from you.

Thank you again for the chance to support you, your relationships, and your families.

We’re grateful for the opportunity,

Emily & Channing

Cofounders of Plenty, Husband and wife team

PS. Know a couple who should try Plenty? We’d love to welcome them.

We were featured in Fortune

We sat down with Fortune to discuss why we started Plenty, and how we know today’s couples need and deserve more. We talk about how we experienced firsthand that the financial industry wasn’t built for the needs of today’s couples, and the steps we took to build Plenty because we believe couples deserve more.

Why we’re building Plenty

We took some time to share why we’re building Plenty on our blog. Here’s a sneak peek:

We’re dreamers: We dream of a future where families have plenty for the things we want in life. A life where we don't need to stress, wondering if we have enough for our dreams.

We’re pragmatists: We know that dreaming isn't enough on its own for today’s couples. It takes teamwork and access to the products that make the work easier.

We’re builders. We’re a team of startup veterans who have spent our careers dreaming up and building a better world. We have deep fintech experience and have built products that have delighted millions and moved billions of dollars.

Plenty is a wealth platform helping modern couples invest and plan for their future together. We bring the investment strategies and products of the wealthy to the everyday household. For more information, visit withplenty.com. If you ever have any feedback or questions, please do reach out to us at members@withplenty.com.

At Plenty, no financial topic is off-limits for modern couples. We offer straight talk and judgment-free guidance to help modern couples navigate the tricky and important intersection of money and relationships. Join thousands of couples who’ve signed up for our free newsletter today.

Plenty Financial RIA, LLC is an SEC-Registered Investment Advisor. All investments made are legally owned by you. Investing is inherently risky and Plenty does not guarantee positive performance. Investments are held in accounts at BNY Mellon | Pershings, the world’s largest securities servicing company and are SIPC insured. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal, and there is no assurance that the investment will provide positive performance over any period of time. Please see Plenty Financial’s general disclosures. Brokerage services are provided by Atomic Brokerage LLC "Atomic Brokerage", member FINRA and SIPC. Clearing and custody services are provided by Brokerage firm BNY Mellon Pershing, member SIPC. Plenty Financial RIA, LLC has a relationship with Atomic Brokerage to manage and execute investments on behalf of customers. Subadvisory services are offered through Atomic Invest LLC ("Atomic Invest"), an SEC-registered investment advisor, member SIPC. Atomic Invest was formerly known as Helium Advisors LLC. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply a particular level of skill or training.

Dear Plenty Community,

Emily here, I’m CEO / cofounder of Plenty (alongside my husband). Today, I’m excited to share that we’ve rolled out Plenty to our waitlist. 🎉

One of the first decisions we made when we started the company, was that it would not be “free”. We were going to have a $200/year/couple membership + 0.20% investing fee, and be transparent about when and how we made money. Like Costco, if Costco only sold Kirkland products: quality, cheaper products conveniently in 1 place. That way, we didn’t have to find other ways to make money by promoting credit cards/loans, selling your data, or selling ad placements.

It’s been a few weeks since Mint officially shut down, and migrated folks into Credit Karma. To understand a company, I’ve always believed in the importance of following the money.

In our featured blog post, I get behind the proverbial pen and go deeper into how Mint + Credit Karma made “free” work, why Mint got shut down, and how Plenty is building a business model for the long run.

- Emily, CEO/cofounder of Plenty

Why Mint was shut down

Mint was launched in the era of “free” products, like Google, Facebook, Mint, and Credit Karma. It’s “free”. The narrative was simple: don’t stop to think if you want to pay $10.99 for this per month, it’s free… there’s nothing to lose by trying it out. Then once you were on the product, they made money some other way to cover their costs, and build their business.

“If you’re not paying for the product, you are the product” - Netflix’s Social Dilemma

Unlike Google, Mint had some big costs for each customer they supported: account connections with the big banks that customers wanted data automatically connected to. So they needed more than just regular advertising, to make the numbers work.

Read this week’s blog post to go behind the scenes of mint, credit karma, and the world of financial product referrals.

Doing well by doing good

In a NerdWallet survey from 2020, more than half of Americans responded that they don’t know what their investments are in. Yet over 60% of millennials responded to a US bank survey that values-based investing is important to their portfolios and 80% of those respondents said they’d sacrifice some return for that (fortunately, Schwab found that ESG portfolios perform as well or better). It’s not always easy to know where to start, but Plenty makes values-based investing as easy as pressing a button.

An example of an industry that has become increasingly controversial: CoreCivic and GEO Group are two of the largest companies operating prison centers and detention centers in the US. This industry “incarcerates nearly one-tenth of the US’s total prison population and over 80%  of immigrants in detention” (Forbes, 2020). The release of the Netflix documentary, Thirteenth, contributed to increased scrutiny by millions of Americans.

Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase, and Bank of America were amongst the banks who began pulling back from business relationships with both CoreCivic and Geo Group. Interestingly, ownership has stayed constant amongst the largest ETF providers in the game, incl. Blackrock’s iShares and Vanguard which own a 17% and 11% stake respectively in CoreCivic alone (Yahoo, 2024).

As more millennials start to ask where their investments dollars are going and voting with their dollars, it’ll be interesting to follow along if Vanguard or Blackrock will make any changes. Whatever your values are, Plenty’s premium portfolios makes personalizing your portfolios a few button clicks away.

Plenty is a wealth platform helping modern couples invest and plan for their future together. We bring the investment strategies and products of the wealthy to the everyday household. For more information, visit withplenty.com. If you ever have any feedback or questions, please do reach out to us at members@withplenty.com.

At Plenty, no financial topic is off-limits for modern couples. We offer straight talk and judgment-free guidance to help modern couples navigate the tricky and important intersection of money and relationships. Join thousands of couples who’ve signed up for our free newsletter today.

Plenty Financial RIA, LLC is an SEC-Registered Investment Advisor. All investments made are legally owned by you. Investing is inherently risky and Plenty does not guarantee positive performance. Investments are held in accounts at BNY Mellon | Pershings, the world’s largest securities servicing company and are SIPC insured. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal, and there is no assurance that the investment will provide positive performance over any period of time. Please see Plenty Financial’s general disclosures. Brokerage services are provided by Atomic Brokerage LLC "Atomic Brokerage", member FINRA and SIPC. Clearing and custody services are provided by Brokerage firm BNY Mellon Pershing, member SIPC. Plenty Financial RIA, LLC has a relationship with Atomic Brokerage to manage and execute investments on behalf of customers. Subadvisory services are offered through Atomic Invest LLC ("Atomic Invest"), an SEC-registered investment advisor, member SIPC. Atomic Invest was formerly known as Helium Advisors LLC. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply a particular level of skill or training.

Dear Plenty Community,

The consumer-price index stubbornly kept rising and inflation ended up at 3.5%, higher than February’s 3.2%. Fed Chair Powell suggested that plans to lower the federal funds rate are on hold until there’s evidence of inflation heading towards the long term target of 2%.

This means that savings APY rates will stay higher for longer (good for smart savers making the most on their cash!). High rates also means that debt will be more expensive. For those who have debt, they’ll end up paying more on interest expenses on their car loans, credit cards, or mortgages. And for those looking to make major purchases with debt, like cars + houses, many families will face a decision to wait or pay up.

When interest rates are high, stocks tend to be valued lower. That’s because the value of a stock is the total amount a company might earn in the future. When the interest rate is higher, a dollar in the future is worth less today. A company that says they can earn $XXX in 2 years is worth less than it used to, because $XXX today earns me 5%+. When it only earned me 2%, I’d value money in the future more. Zooming out, this is a key reason why your investments in the stock market is heavily influenced by any changes in the fed funds rate.

As the rates unfold, we’ll keep you in the loop. In the meantime, we’re excited to share two key trends we’re seeing amongst today’s couples.

- Emily, CEO/cofounder of Plenty

Why I froze my eggs at 27 years old

I froze my eggs at 27.

I had 50 pills, 26 injections, 6 blood tests, and 7 ultrasounds over the course of 4 weeks (most within a 12 day window), before having a 20 minute mini-operation. They put an ultrasound wand inside my lady parts with a needle that was really a vacuum to suck out eggs (modern science is definitely part wizardry, part MacGyver powers). It cost $16,000 and my medical insurance didn’t cover any bit of it. I had saved up for it carefully; after doing it, it felt more worth it than I had expected.

In our featured blog post this week, I talk about one of the best investments I’ve made. I share my experience freezing my eggs at 27 years old, why I made the decision, and the business behind egg freezing.

I hope it helps to start a conversation with you or a loved one.

How to plan a courthouse wedding

In 2023, the price of an average wedding went up to $29,000. Covid gave permission for more couples to make a different decision: to skip the wedding and save the money for other goals instead.

And there’s a long list of benefits: fewer logistics, smaller budgets, and the ability to make the day exactly what a couple wants.

Courthouse weddings are now 3 times more common than before covid. And increasingly, couples are throwing more relaxed dinners or parties afterwards, instead of taking the hit on the “wedding-price-tags”.

But what does it look like? Do you need to be in a literal “courthouse”? Our partner, Courtly, helps answer what’s new and increasingly normal for today’s couples.

Plenty is a wealth platform helping modern couples invest and plan for their future together. We bring the investment strategies and products of the wealthy to the everyday household. For more information, visit withplenty.com. If you ever have any feedback or questions, please do reach out to us at members@withplenty.com.

At Plenty, no financial topic is off-limits for modern couples. We offer straight talk and judgment-free guidance to help modern couples navigate the tricky and important intersection of money and relationships. Join thousands of couples who’ve signed up for our free newsletter today.

Plenty Financial RIA, LLC is an SEC-Registered Investment Advisor. All investments made are legally owned by you. Investing is inherently risky and Plenty does not guarantee positive performance. Investments are held in accounts at BNY Mellon | Pershings, the world’s largest securities servicing company and are SIPC insured. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal, and there is no assurance that the investment will provide positive performance over any period of time. Please see Plenty Financial’s general disclosures. Brokerage services are provided by Atomic Brokerage LLC "Atomic Brokerage", member FINRA and SIPC. Clearing and custody services are provided by Brokerage firm BNY Mellon Pershing, member SIPC. Plenty Financial RIA, LLC has a relationship with Atomic Brokerage to manage and execute investments on behalf of customers. Subadvisory services are offered through Atomic Invest LLC ("Atomic Invest"), an SEC-registered investment advisor, member SIPC. Atomic Invest was formerly known as Helium Advisors LLC. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply a particular level of skill or training.

Dear Plenty Community,

As of March 8, the IRS has already dished out 43 million tax refunds, totaling approximately $135.3 billion; approximately 30% of the refunds they’re expecting this year. The average refund checks in at $3,145, a bump up from $2,972 compared to the same time last year. 

In an unexpected turn of events, this high interest rate environment means that a tax refund has essentially been an interest-free loan to the government. Owing money to the government, is also essentially an interest-free loan from Uncle Sam (esp. if that money’s earning interest for you).

Usually, taxpayers rush to file when they're expecting a refund and drag their feet when they anticipate owing taxes. If you file for an extension, you'll have until October 15 to submit your returns, but remember, any taxes owed are still due by April 15, 2024.

If you're eager to reduce your 2023 tax bill, mark your calendar for April 15, 2024, the deadline for contributing to your traditional IRA and spousal IRA. Each comes with limits of $6,500 if you're under 50, but for those over 50, the contribution limit jumps to $7,500.

There's also still time to squeeze in 2023 health savings account (HSA) contributions, as long as you've got an eligible high-deductible health insurance plan. HSAs offer triple tax benefits, including an upfront deduction, tax-free growth, and tax-free withdrawals for qualifying medical expenses.

Sincerely,

Emily

The real scoop on the nine income tax-free states

If you're currently grappling with hefty income taxes in states like California, New Jersey, or Connecticut, and you're pulling in a handsome income, moving to one of these nine states could mean savings for you.

But, as with most things in life, there's rarely a free lunch. While you may skirt income taxes, you're likely to encounter higher property taxes, sales taxes, and a slew of other sneaky taxes to make up for it.

For those lacking the flexibility to uproot and move to a lower-taxed state, there's always retirement to mull over. Florida retirements may start to make more sense. No income tax means your future could feature tax-free Social Security benefits, IRA or 401(k) withdrawals, and pension payouts.

And for those already daydreaming about sandy shores and tropical sunsets, it's worth noting that, alas, Hawaii isn't among the no-income-tax havens. But fret not. In an upcoming post, we'll delve into what a move from San Francisco to Honolulu might look like. Stay tuned for more.

Retirement planning: three things to consider

Retirement might seem like a distant dream for new couples and newlyweds, but it's crucial to start planning early. As we age, time seems to fly by faster, making it all the more important to lay the groundwork for a financially secure future.

In this article, we tackle three key questions:

• When do you envision retiring?

• How much should you aim to save?

• What are your retirement aspirations?

We delve into each question to guide you towards optimal decisions. Considering the insights from the nine no-income-tax states mentioned above, we should also ponder: Where do you envision retiring?

Our CEO Emily Luk chats with the Financial Samurai aka Sam Dogen

Emily (the CEO and Co-Founder of Plenty) and Sam had a blast chatting on the Financial Samurai podcast about the fascinating evolution of modern couples (blog post).

At Plenty, we've noticed that today's couples tend to fall into three main financial management styles: 

Option #1: The Yours/Mine/Ours approach 

Option #2: The Join-It-All approach 

Option #3: The What's-Yours-Is-Yours approach

The key is to find the approach that suits your unique lifestyle best. We're here to support all couples in navigating their financial journey together.

During our lively podcast discussion, we delved into why couples are tying the knot and starting families later in life, the rising costs of egg freezing, the modern dating scene, and more.

Catch our episode on Apple or Spotify, and keep an eye out for Plenty's own upcoming podcast series, where Emily will be interviewing other experts in the realm of money and relationships. 

Plenty is a wealth platform helping modern couples invest and plan for their future together. We bring the investment strategies and products of the wealthy to the everyday household. For more information, visit withplenty.com. If you ever have any feedback or questions, please do reach out to us at members@withplenty.com.

At Plenty, no financial topic is off-limits for modern couples. We offer straight talk and judgment-free guidance to help modern couples navigate the tricky and important intersection of money and relationships. Join thousands of couples who’ve signed up for our free newsletter today.

Plenty Financial RIA, LLC is an SEC-Registered Investment Advisor. All investments made are legally owned by you. Investing is inherently risky and Plenty does not guarantee positive performance. Investments are held in accounts at BNY Mellon | Pershings, the world’s largest securities servicing company and are SIPC insured. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal, and there is no assurance that the investment will provide positive performance over any period of time. Please see Plenty Financial’s general disclosures. Brokerage services are provided by Atomic Brokerage LLC "Atomic Brokerage", member FINRA and SIPC. Clearing and custody services are provided by Brokerage firm BNY Mellon Pershing, member SIPC. Plenty Financial RIA, LLC has a relationship with Atomic Brokerage to manage and execute investments on behalf of customers. Subadvisory services are offered through Atomic Invest LLC ("Atomic Invest"), an SEC-registered investment advisor, member SIPC. Atomic Invest was formerly known as Helium Advisors LLC. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply a particular level of skill or training.

Dear Plenty Community,

With the S&P 500 near a record high, investors may be more optimistic than ever. In February 2024, CPI (inflation) rose to a three-month annualized rate of 3.8%, up from 3.0% in October 2023. This exceeds the Fed's long-term inflation target of 2%.

This has resurfaced concerns of a longer period of high interest rates but firms like Goldman Sachs still anticipate rates dropping from June onwards. Only time will tell.

Remember that Aesop’s fable of the grasshopper and the ant? It's good to forage during the summer (ie. in your 30’s and 40’s) like the ants rather than waiting for winter (ie. when you’re close to retirement) like the grasshopper. By the time winter arrives, it might be too late to safeguard your future.

In the near term: if the economy doesn’t recover as expected, be prepared with a robust emergency fund and a diversified portfolio. Planning for alternative income streams (ie. rental income, dividend income, side hustles) also helps protect you. And if the economy continues to grow, then the money you’ve saved up will just work harder for you.

Sincerely,

Emily

Secret ingredients to a happier marriage

In any long-term relationship, be it marriage or a committed partnership, navigating through difficult times is an inherent aspect of the journey. As human beings, we occasionally find ourselves taking the presence and contributions of our loved ones for granted, and with the passage of time, there's a natural tendency to forget to nurture our connections (esp. with kids, busy careers, and aging parents).

But part of a long, happy marriage is finding your way back to each other. It’s okay and normal to drift away at times. This post compiles a few quick tips to get back on track. 

Much like the dedication required to stay physically fit, a healthy and thriving marriage needs work, continually improving communication, and a willingness to adapt and grow together.

A strategy to overcome the fear of investing: dollar cost averaging

Investing in stocks, bonds, and real estate can feel like taking a leap of faith, especially since there are no guaranteed returns. For new investors, it’s normal for this uncertainty to lead to fears of losing money, potentially delaying when they begin investing. 

Most individuals may choose to stick with what feels “safe,” like a checking or savings account with minimal interest rates. But if it’s just sitting there, it’s both not growing and actually losing value.

If you just want to dip your toes into investing, Plenty’s cash account is invested in government backed treasuries with a 5.07%* yield, thanks to the 11 Fed rate hikes since 2022.

If you’re ready to start investing but want to find the “best” time to start, here’s an important tip: even professional investors have difficulty trying to time the market, so for everyday investors, the stress of timing it may not actually lead to better results. Historical data has suggested that putting a little bit consistently is better than trying to “time” a big investment in one go.

This strategy is called dollar-cost averaging, which allows you to build a portfolio that has taken into account a range of market conditions. To apply it, say you have $25,000 saved up. Instead of investing $25,000 all in one go (the market might have coincidentally had an up or down day), you could invest $5k per month over 5 months. The longer you commit to saving and investing for the future, the more effectively this strategy works.

According to the data above, the average investor who tries to time the market has underperformed various asset classes over a 20-year period. Instead, a simpler approach of dollar-cost averaging into an S&P 500 index or your risk asset of choice may produce better results. Although there are no guarantees when it comes to investing, the goal is to remove emotion from investing and regularly invest through the ups and downs over time. 

Plenty is a wealth platform helping modern couples invest and plan for their future together. We bring the investment strategies and products of the wealthy to the everyday household. For more information, visit withplenty.com. If you ever have any feedback or questions, please do reach out to us at members@withplenty.com.

At Plenty, no financial topic is off-limits for modern couples. We offer straight talk and judgment-free guidance to help modern couples navigate the tricky and important intersection of money and relationships. Join thousands of couples who’ve signed up for our free newsletter today.

Plenty Financial RIA, LLC is an SEC-Registered Investment Advisor. All investments made are legally owned by you. Investing is inherently risky and Plenty does not guarantee positive performance. Investments are held in accounts at BNY Mellon | Pershings, the world’s largest securities servicing company and are SIPC insured. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal, and there is no assurance that the investment will provide positive performance over any period of time. Please see Plenty Financial’s general disclosures. Brokerage services are provided by Atomic Brokerage LLC "Atomic Brokerage", member FINRA and SIPC. Clearing and custody services are provided by Brokerage firm BNY Mellon Pershing, member SIPC. Plenty Financial RIA, LLC has a relationship with Atomic Brokerage to manage and execute investments on behalf of customers. Subadvisory services are offered through Atomic Invest LLC ("Atomic Invest"), an SEC-registered investment advisor, member SIPC. Atomic Invest was formerly known as Helium Advisors LLC. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply a particular level of skill or training.