Check out new 'Money Drill' podcast

They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but my recent experiences with podcasting have me thinking otherwise.  

In my role as a financial planner on USAA’s Military Advocacy team, I work with affinity partners like The American Legion, participate in USAA’s financial content development, speak at a variety of different events and respond to press inquiries. That’s all pretty old-school, but it’s also fun. So when our marketing team asked me if I’d like to host a podcast, my response was, “What?” Despite initial hesitation, I’ve discovered it’s pretty cool – not exactly a new trick, but certainly a little different. As host of the program, called “The Money Drill,” I’m constantly learning. 

Here are three reasons why you might give it a listen:

• You have control. You can listen to what you want when you want. Not interested in learning about how you can use a 529 plan to save for your kids’ college? Maybe a discussion on the benefits and drawbacks of annuities is more in your wheelhouse. You decide. 
• You get to know us – and maybe share a laugh. We have a great group of purpose-driven folks at USAA, and you get a chance to meet them and hear how they think through our podcasts. Check out the life insurance program – even if you’re not interested in life insurance – and you’ll see what I mean. Many of our guests bring USAA to life.
• You get information in bite-size nuggets. Since the programs don’t last longer than about 15 minutes, you won’t have to invest a lot of time to get a lot out of it. 

While USAA experts join me on most shows, I’ve also had opportunities to interview a variety of people from across the world of personal finance. USAA recently sponsored a conference where I did podcast interviews on the spot with some top bloggers in personal finance, many of whom  served in the military or were military spouses. This month, we’ve set up a link to “The Money Drill” straight from www.legion.org, so take a minute to check it out.

J.J. Montanaro is a certified financial planner with USAA, The American Legion’s preferred provider of financial services. Submit questions for him online.