Wherever you are on your money management journey, these picks for the best personal finance podcasts for beginners can help you get exactly where you want to be.
To clarify, this doesn’t mean that you have to be a complete beginner at managing your money. Instead, these are for anyone who considers themselves a beginner at any aspect of their finances.
Maybe you’ve realized that you really need to tackle that debt. Or perhaps you want some guidance on how to start preparing for retirement. You could even have heard about the FIRE movement and want to get a piece of that.
Either way, all of us can learn something to help us make better financial decisions in our lives. And by finding the best personal finance podcast for you, the information is almost certainly out there to help you do just that.
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Best personal finance podcasts for beginners
So Money with Farnoosh Torabi
Presented by Farnoosh Torabi, personal finance expert and the author of books such as You’re So Money, the So Money podcast lets you be a spectator to her weekly discussions with various people in the financial world.
This means that the topics she covers really do range all the way along the personal finance spectrum. For example, you can find yourself getting insights from entrepreneurs or financial influencers or learning about more foundational aspects of money management, like the best ways to pay off your credit card or manage your finances as a couple.
I love the casual way Torabi chats with her guests as it really feels like you’re sitting in on an open, candid discussion on the issue at hand. This easily makes it one of the best personal finance podcasts for beginners as it’s a great way to set a solid foundation on your path to financial freedom.
Average episode length: Around 30 minutes
Recent topics:
- Tips for negotiating a raise
- Should you save for retirement or a house deposit?
- Money strategies for married couples
The Side Hustle Show with Nick Loper
For anyone wondering how to make some extra money – or even replacing the income you earn from your nine-to-five eventually – The Side Hustle Show with Nick Loper should be your go-to.
Most episodes involve him chatting with someone who’s successfully launched their own side hustle in basically any field you can think of. Whether you’re looking to make an extra $1,000 a week from your truck, $6,000 a month from blogging about grey hair or $40,000 a month teaching people how to start their own microgreens business (all of which are topics discussed in recent episodes!), The Side Hustle Show has you covered.
My favorite part of this personal finance podcast is that Loper often interviews the same people around 18 months later. This is great for beginners, as it really lets you see how people build up their side hustles from earning only a few dollars a month to a six-figure business.
Average episode length: Anywhere from 25 to 50 minutes
Recent topics:
- Making $10,000 a month on YouTube – without appearing on camera
- Starting a blog and making $50,000 a month in only two years
- Investing $100 and turning it into $1 million of Amazon earnings
Afford Anything with Paula Pant
The Afford Anything podcast is presented by Paula Pant, a personal finance expert who’s built her blog up to be one of the best in the business.
She’s not one to tell you to stop buying lattes to solve all your money problems. Instead, she’s much more focused on your money mindset and helping you to spend intentionally. This means she’s a big advocate of helping you to put your money where you really want it to be going, rather than getting to the end of the month and wondering where it went.
I’m a big fan of this way of thinking and it’s why I have no hesitation in recommending this as one of the best personal finance podcasts for beginners – or, indeed, anyone looking to manage their money better.
Average episode length: One hour
Recent topics:
- The emotional complexity of money
- How to pick the right mix of investments for your retirement portfolio
- Building an emergency fund during an emergency
The BiggerPockets Money podcast
The BiggerPockets Money podcast is hosted by Scott Trench and Mindy Jensen and does a great job at breaking down potentially complicated financial topics so that anyone can understand them.
In particular, I consider this one of the best investing podcasts for beginners, as the hosts really explain how anyone can – and should – be using their money to secure their financial futures.
There’s a fairly significant focus on investing with the goal of achieving FIRE (financial independence, retire early) but even if you’re simply looking to invest to build your wealth in preparation for retirement at a more “standard” age, this podcast is for you.
Average episode length: About an hour
Recent topics:
- Reaching financial independence despite starting late
- Paying off large amounts of debt in several years on an average salary
- How couples should align their finances
HerMoney with Jean Chatzky
HerMoney with Jean Chatzky takes advantage of the host’s more than two decades in the personal finance sphere. With an emphasis on ensuring women take control of their money, both how they use it and how they see it, this is one of the best personal finance podcasts for beginners (and not only women!) looking to also seize control of their finances.
The podcast touches upon a range of personal finance topics for women of all ages, so it’s perfect for anyone who may be coming to the world of money management a bit later on in life. There’s a good mix of interviews with experts on various personal finance subjects and episodes that respond to listener questions – many of which are probably questions that you’ve had yourself.
Average episode length: 45 minutes
Recent topics:
- How to secure a seat at the table
- How to buy a car and be smart with big purchases
- Dealing with insurance, wills and dependents
Related: How to Get Rich From Nothing: The One Strategy That’s Proven to Work
The Mad Fientist
The Mad Fientist is another great financial independence podcast for anyone looking to benefit from their financial freedom now, rather than much later in life.
The host’s chats with some of the leaders in the FIRE movement, including Mr. Money Moustache and J.D. Roth, will help you question the mindset that makes many of us think that retirement has to wait until you reach the “right” age. At the same time, it offers some clear, actionable tips to help you change up your finances so you too can reach financial independence well before the time when most people are able to retire.
Some people consider this one of the best investing podcasts for beginners, but I’d say it actually goes beyond that. With many episodes discussing more lifestyle-related points, albeit with a money-related background to all of them, it’s a great personal finance podcast for anyone with even a passing interest in FIRE.
Average episode length: 45 minutes
Recent topics:
- Building a new identity that’s not related to your career
- From broke to millionaire in five years
- Retiring early with real estate
ChooseFI
If you’re looking for a financial independence podcast that really relates this concept to the issues of the day, the ChooseFI podcast could be for you. With new episodes released every two to three days, there’s no shortage of great information here to help you along your journey to securing financial freedom way earlier than most people.
It presents a fantastic mix of more basic money management concepts as well as lessons learned from people who’ve done exactly what you’re trying to do. By featuring people who are working towards (or who’ve achieved) FIRE in all sorts of different ways, you’ll get some great ideas of the almost infinite paths you can take to do the same.
I’d definitely consider this as being one of the best personal finance podcasts for beginners as well as more advanced personal finance aficionados, as the sheer amount of information that ChooseFI offers means it has something for everyone.
Average episode length: About 50 minutes
Recent topics:
- How to set up your financial life
- Future proof your skillset
- Why if others can do it, you can too
Related: Where Can You Find the Cheapest Way to Live?
Mo’ Money podcast
The Mo’ Money podcast is hosted by Jessica Moorhouse and offers a really interesting balance of financial inputs from all sorts of people in the personal finance world – and outside it as well. If you’re looking for interviews with CEOs, financial experts, everyday people who’ve reached great financial achievements and even celebrities, then this podcast has it all.
As one of the best personal finance podcasts from Canada – although equally applicable to you no matter where you are in the world – the topics are very much applicable to the everyday person looking to make smarter choices with their money.
There’s a strong emphasis on how you can build your financial future even if you’re not on a particularly good salary or if things haven’t quite followed your personal financial plan in the past. This means that there’s bound to be something that addresses the financial issues you find yourself facing in your own life.
Average episode length: Around 50 minutes
Recent topics:
- The power of financial literacy
- Becoming a mindful millionaire
- Baby-proofing your finances
Popcorn Finance
Popcorn Finance with Chris Browning is one of my favorite picks on the list of the best personal finance podcasts for beginners. Its bite-sized episodes – most of them are only around 10 minutes – make this perfect for anyone who’s looking for a quick personal finance tidbit before going on their way.
But don’t mistake the length of each episode as meaning they’re lacking in information. Instead, Browning breaks down questions you’ve probably had yourself with simple, actionable answers without any fluff that you may be too busy to listen to.
The episodes are a balance between quick takes from the host and brief chats with experts who offer just enough for you to get clarity on that lingering problem you may have had.
Average episode length: Just 10 minutes
Recent topics:
- How your lifestyle affects your retirement date
- Dealing with money shame
- Using your savings isn’t always a bad thing
Radical Personal Finance
Each episode of the Radical Personal Finance podcast is definitely one of the longer ones on this list, meaning if you’re looking for truly in depth discussions on a range of personal finance issues, this one’s for you.
Most episodes actually cover a range of different issues, many of which are perhaps a step up in terms of complexity from some of the other podcasts on this list.
Things like asset protection, tax efficiency, insurance and dealing with fluctuating interest rates may not sound like something you have to deal with at first (nor things you may want to listen to in your spare time). But once you listen to a few episodes, which are presented in really entertaining yet useful ways, you’ll start to see that these are actually things you should be aware of – you just may not have realized that before.
And knowing these things now can present a massive benefit when it comes to securing your financial future, especially by helping you to start to think about these points and structure your financial decisions accordingly.
Average episode length: 1.5 hours+
Recent topics:
- Adjusting your lifestyle for efficient taxes
- Preparing for life events
- How to get a raise (and what to do with that money)
What is a finance podcast?
A finance podcast is an online talk show that addresses personal finance topics to help its listeners with their own money management. Similar to an episode of a radio show, it either focuses on one specific financial subject, such as financial independence, or a range of issues, like paying off debt and starting to invest.
This is why my picks for the best personal finance podcasts for beginners include such a broad range of topics. While it’s pretty clear why a podcast that discusses something like investing is considered a finance podcast, I also put side hustle podcasts in this genre given the importance of having multiple income streams.
In essence: anything that helps you with your money management and to make better financial decisions in your life can be considered as being a personal finance podcast.
Related: 17 Best Financial Planning Quotes to Inspire Your Money Makeover
What types of finance podcasts are there?
Finance podcasts can cover basically any money-related issue out there. Some examples include:
- Personal finance podcasts for millennials, beginners, women or other demographics
- Investing
- Preparing for retirement
- Getting out of debt
- Making over your money mindset
- Spending mindfully
- Reaching financial independence and retiring early
What makes a good finance podcast?
A good finance podcast is one that allows listeners to benefit from the insights of both its host and of the guest experts who are invited on to individual episodes. By giving a balanced mix of valuable information, the audience will be supported in their goal of making better financial decisions going forward.
Exactly what each listener needs will depend on their own personal financial circumstances, which is why it’s always good for a finance podcast to have a range of different pieces of information. This is the case even if it falls under the umbrella of a specific topic, like investing, as the best way for you to approach this may be different for someone else.
This is also why it helps for a personal finance podcast to have a range of different guests. These don’t all have to be big-name experts, as learning from everyday people can be just as useful when you’re starting out. This is why, for example, I really like The Side Hustle Show as seeing how someone else has been there, done that is great for seeing how you can do the same.
When are finance podcasts helpful?
Finance podcasts are helpful when they support their audience in making better financial decisions or when they share information of which listeners may not have been aware previously. This means that whether or not a finance podcast is helpful will depend on each listener’s individual needs.
Accordingly, it’s not the case that the biggest finance podcasts are always going to be the most helpful. This is why our picks on this list of the best personal finance podcasts for beginners aren’t all the ones with the biggest followings.
Instead, these are the podcasts that, I believe, offer the most value to their listeners. Whether you’re a college student looking down the barrel of a mountain of student debt or someone in their 40s who’s worried that they’re not getting sufficiently prepared for retirement, these podcasts all offer incredibly useful information to help you get where you want to be on your money management path.
Final thoughts on the best personal finance podcasts for beginners
Wherever you are on your money management journey, having the right information you need for your own circumstances is going to be great fuel for pushing you further down this path.
There are tons of podcasts that claim to help you do that, including plenty of other good ones that we couldn’t fit on this list. However, from my own experience at listening to these as I go about my life, these are easily my picks for the best personal finance podcasts for beginners out there.
As mentioned at the start, these aren’t only for people taking their first steps towards securing their financial futures. You could be just dipping your toes in the ocean of retirement planning or managing your debt or even revamping your money mindset to help with your spending habits.
Whichever one applies to you, having expert insights coming at you straight from your phone via one of these finance podcasts is only going to help you make sure that you’re making the best financial decisions for your own future.
