Tag Archives: Lauren Smith

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The Biggest Mistakes You Can Make in Your College Planning (Ep. 32)



The biggest mistake you can make is to wait to start planning for your college savings. The process may be much more complicated than you expect, and it’s important to have time on your side.

In this episode, Jeff Green and Lauren Smith share their insights about the college planning process and what you should keep in mind as you save money for your child’s education.

Jeff and Lauren discuss: 

  • The average fees and tuition costs for college students
  • The variety of sources your college money can come from
  • How to find out if your child qualifies for financial aid
  • How family members and friends can contribute to a child’s education
  • And more

Resources: 

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The Expense of the Pandemic on Our Economy (Ep. 31)



We’ve gotten a taste of the post-COVID life. What are you planning to do, as the restrictions continue to lift?

In this episode, Jeff Green and Lauren Smith take a look at the recovery of the economy with high-frequency data numbers. They also share some of the effects of supply, demand, and inflation right now for consumers.

Jeff and Lauren discuss: 

  • High frequency data comparing numbers from the box office, hotel occupancy, TSA checkpoint data
  • The rising cost of flights for consumers
  • What reverse inflation is––and why inflation is here
  • The existing demand for rental cars with shortage in supply
  • And more

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The Biggest Proposed Conjecture Tax Changes (Ep. 30)



“Tax codes are written in pencil.” Taxes never go away but the rules and regulations around them are not set in stone. 

In this episode, Jeff Green and Lauren Smith share what you can potentially expect for the tax changes in the coming year under the Biden Administration. They share the little things to consider along the way for your tax planning.

Jeff and Lauren discuss: 

  • The potential increase in top ordinary income tax rates
  • The potentially high jump in capital gains 
  • What the elimination of the step up in basis at death could look like
  • And more

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Giving Direction for Your Children’s Financial Success (Ep. 29)



Children are not getting the financial education in school that they need before they enter adulthood. But there are a few things you can do as a parent to help prepare your children for financial success before they are on their own.

In this episode, Jeff Green and Lauren Smith share some tips to help parents get into the mindset of preparing their children before they enter the financial world.

Jeff and Lauren discuss: 

  • Why your children need to build a credit history
  • The importance of teaching your children to have a sense of savings
  • Why your children should be aware of good debt and bad debt
  • The idea of networking to make connections
  • And more!

Resources: 

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Should I Pay Off My House Before I Retire? With Jim Chaplin (Ep. 28)



We all have those burning questions about planning for retirement. One of the most commonly asked questions that people want to know is, “Should I pay my house off before I retire?”

In this episode, Jeff Green and Lauren Smith talk with Jim Chaplin, vice president/senior mortgage loan originator at Elite Lending Group to get his perspective on the topic.

Jim Chaplin discusses: 

  • The items to take into consideration before deciding to pay off your mortgage before retirement
  • The backseat figures of making the decision
  • The state of the real estate market right now and how this may impact your decision
  • And more

Connect With Jim Chaplin:

Connect With Green Financial Group:

About Our Guest:

Jim Chaplin: Jim Chaplin has a total of 30 plus years of real estate related experience. Licensed Texas Real Estate Broker since 1974 which makes him very familiar with promulgated contract documents. Specialties include, lot loans, and construction loans as well as a wide range of mortgage products.


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How to Protect Your Aging Relative with a Caregiving Plan (Ep. 27)



How will you step up when the time comes to fully support an aging relative? This is a question that will face more and more people as science and medicine continue to extend human life expectancy.

In this episode, Jeff Green and Lauren Smith hit a few of the hot points to help you begin having these tough conversations with family members about their wishes and plans. 

We discuss:

  • How to start thinking about the recipient’s needs
  • Why it’s important to make decisions and have documents in place before cognitive impairments become overwhelming
  • How to prioritize your mental and physical health as a caregiver
  • And more!

Tune in as Jeff and Lauren help you to start thinking about a caregiving plan for your aging relatives!

Resources: Green Financial Group: (713) 244-3030 | Jeff Green | Lauren Smith


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Spring Cleaning – with guests Carroll Cartwright, Paige Ebanks and Rudy Vierra (Ep. 26)



Spring is finally here! And do you know what that means?

It’s spring cleaning time!

In this episode, Jeff Green and Lauren Smith are joined by Carroll Cartwright and Paige Ebanks of Neatly Houston to discuss how they put a fresh perspective on organizing, styling and moving to clean and tidy your home. Rudy Vierra of SteaMyCar joins in on the conversation to share how your car can get the best wash and interior clean it has ever had.

We discuss:

  • The process for having Neatly come clean your home
  • Tips to help get you into the spring cleaning mindset
  • The eco-friendly car wash process service by SteaMyCar
  • The types of services offered by SteaMyCar
  • And more!

Tune in to learn how you can outsource to save time and avoid the spring cleaning most of us dread! 

Resources: Green Financial Group: (713) 244-3030 | Jeff Green | Lauren Smith | Neatly | SteaMyCar: (832) 308-8400


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Tech Tools to Make Your Life Easier (Ep. 25)



In a world full of technology, there are many tools and apps that can help make your life easier and more entertaining.

In this episode, Jeff Green and Lauren Smith take a little break from finance and explore the world of technology. In this fun-packed episode, they discuss many different types of apps they find useful and explain the functionality of each one of the apps. 

We discuss:

  • Two business-related tools to help you at work
  • Two travel-related tools to use when you’re planning your next trip
  • Two cybersecurity tools to keep you protected
  • Four health and wellness tools to stay mentally and physically healthy
  • And more!

Join Jeff and Lauren as they share the specifics of each tool, how they work and why they love them!

Resources: Resources:  Green Financial Group: (713) 244-3030 | Jeff Green | Lauren Smith | Raymond James | Blinkist | TripIt | Timeshifter | noMorobo | LastPass | WaterMinder | PillBoxie | Peloton | Calm | Vivino | RunPee | Furbo |


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Transition into Retirement with a Coach as Your Guide — With Cindy Wylie (Ep. 24)



Change can be a good thing. However, the uncertainty of moving forward can spark fear and create stress.

This is especially true with major transitions, like retirement. 

In this episode, Jeff Green and Lauren Smith sit down with Cindy Wylie, a career and life transition coach, to explore how coaches can make this transition easier for you as a new retiree. They reveal how a coach can help you identify your values early on and ways they can help ease you into retirement.

In this episode, we discuss:

  • A coach’s role around the transition from work to retirement
  • The importance of identifying your personal values
  • How someone like Cindy can help you through transition into retirement
  • And more!

Join Jeff, Lauren, and Cindy to learn how you can benefit from hiring a coach for your retirement!

Resources: Green Financial Group: (713) 244-3030 | Jeff Green | Lauren Smith |(713) 562-5566 | Contact Cindy


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Your 2021 Tax Planning Guide (Ep. 23)



Tax season has rolled around once again!

Get ready to kick-off your tax season with this information-packed episode with Jeff Green and Lauren Smith. They discuss some of the recent tax changes you might want to be mindful of this year while breaking down the tax strategies clients are asking about most these days.

In this episode, we discuss:

  • The new IRA contribution age limit
  • Why you need to know about spousal IRAs
  • Updates to IRA contribution limits this year
  • Qualified charitable distributions
  • And more!

Join Jeff Green and Lauren Smith now to learn about the latest considerations that will help you file your taxes this year! 

Resources: Green Financial Group: (713) 244-3030 | Jeff Green | Lauren Smith