PT Barnum was the king of over-the-top sales pitches…or was he? Today, biographer Robert Wilson joins us to dig into the early years of Barnum’s life, from his time organizing lotteries and working on general stores to his first move to New York City. Barnum not only was a great pitchman, but he always wanted to back it up with shows that would make people tell their friends and come back. “There’s a sucker born every minute” might not have been a slogan that Barnum lived by….we’ll explain in the show.

Plus, during our headlines segment, Joe will talk to Desiree Vargas Wrigley from Pearachute about just how much you’re spending on family fun this summer. The amount is sadly a LOT higher than you may expect. We’ll also cover one MarketWatch piece that is a good reminder for all of us: all that 401k and IRA money doesn’t all belong to you. While the bottom line in your retirement account may look lofty, the tax bill could take a nice chunk of those savings away. We’ll share why.

After some P.T. Barnum inspired trivia from Doug, we’ll throw out the Haven Life line to a caller who wants to know more about Token, the Fintech company we interviewed a few weeks ago. While Token provides security for the rest of your accounts, what happens if they’re breached themselves?

And in our letter’s segment we’ll tackle a question from Michael, who wants to sell some stock his godmother got for him while he was teenager and transfer the cash into a Roth IRA. What are the steps he needs to take to sell the stock? Does he need to hire a broker?

Looking for something deeper than what we give you on the show? Three days a week not enough? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: The Stacker.

Show Notes:

The Stacker

Looking for something deeper than what we give you on the show? Three days a week not enough? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: The Stacker.

Sign up for The Stacker

<3:09> Headlines

• Desiree Vargas Wrigley from Pearachute
  • You can find Desiree’s survey here: The Average Family Expects to Spend $10,759 this Summer
• The Money in Your 401k and IRA Accounts Doesn’t Belong Entirely to You (MarketWatch)

<17:57> Robert Wilson

You can find more on Barnum at the book’s site: PTBarnum.net

Want to order yourself a copy of Robert’s book, An American Life: Barnum? Click below to order through our independent bookselling partner Powell’s, and you”ll be helping the show out as well!

<40:41> Doug’s Trivia

• What’s the name of the circus that bought out Barnum & Bailey in 1906?

<44:21> Haven Life Line

• An anonymous caller wants to know more about Token. What happens if THEIR security gets breached?

Want the guys to answer your question? You can call into the Haven Life Line and get your question answered on-air HERE.

<49:48> Letter

Michael’s godmother purchased stock in his name while he was a teenager. How can he sell the stock and transfer the cash into his Roth IRA? You can read his question in depth below:

I have stock in one company that is in my name that my godmother purchased when I was a teenager. I am now in my mid twenties and want to sell the stock to transfer it into a Roth IRA.

What steps do I need to take to sell the shares and close out my position with that company?

Do I need a brokerage account with a company like Fidelity so they can properly sell the shares or can I go onto the company investor page, login myself and sell the shares directly with the company?

Join us Wednesday!