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Jill Schlesinger
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Joe
Hit my 50s, I'd learned a few things, like how family is precious, work can always wait, and 99% of people over 50 already have the virus that causes shingles. Not everyone at risk will develop it, but I did. The painful, blistering rash disrupted my life for weeks. Don't learn about your shingles risk the hard way. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist today. Sponsored by gsk. Welcome to the Jill on Money Show. It is Tuesday, July 1, one half of the year over. I cannot believe it, but here we are. And in the second half of the year, what will you be doing that is different? How will you be navigating? What comes up next? Have you gone back to your original year ahead plan? Did you ever make a plan? If you didn't, now's a good time. Did you rebalance your portfolio, your retirement accounts? Some people do that twice a year, mid year and end of year. If it is a retirement account, no problem doing it a couple times a year. If it's an investment account, be careful. You might be asking Uncle Sam for a little tax, so just be careful with that. And if you need some assistance, then we can help you. All you need to do is go to jillonmoney.com, click the contact us button, write us a note, and and in that note, give us some details. And if you'd like to join us on the show live, check the box. Mark will do everything else. Hey, while you're on the website, I would love for you to subscribe to the Jill on Money service, which is our little paywall. That's where you have access to quarterly live webinars, entire back catalog of those webinars, bonus audio video content, all for 45 bucks for the next 12 months. Hey, Mark, Big update on my mother's car situation. So just so everybody knows, if you're going to subscribe to Jill on Money Live, the most recent webinar we did was with Mike Quincy from Consumer Reports. He's like the car guy. So from that actual episode, I gave him like a Theoretical. Hey, here's what's happening. My mother's car is coming off lease. What should we do? I totally took his advice, Mark. He was very clear that you really don't necessarily need to buy an extended warranty depending on the car. So I saved my mom 3 grand by not taking that extended warranty. How about that? Okay. By the way, when I called the guy up who was like, from the lease, you know, the, the financing company, he's like, oh, yeah, I told your mom she should definitely buy this car because it's a pre ordained price in a lease contract. And so from three years ago, she has in three years, 13,500 miles. So we're feeling pretty good about it. So that's it. You can get that kind of awesome actionable advice if you are part of Jill on Money Live. Okay. Right now let's go and talk to one of our wonderful listeners. It is Joe who joins us from Iowa. And all I can do is get that song in my head. It goes, you really ought to give Iowa a try. Okay, Joe, you're up.
Jill Schlesinger
Hey, Joe, what's going on? Good, good. Not much. It's. It's hot here in the Midwest, that's for sure.
Joe
Yeah, sorry. Same here on the East. But you guys are tougher than we are, so we'll complain more about it. So what can we do for you?
Jill Schlesinger
Well, I have a question for my wife and I. We are in the process of getting ready to build a new home.
Joe
Oh, exciting.
Jill Schlesinger
Yeah, it is exciting. And you know, now we're in the design phase and planning everything out. We're probably going to break ground next spring. We're trying to make sure that we aren't overextending ourselves in terms of building too much house, given our incomes, retirements, different stages of life, etc.
Joe
So Joe, let's talk about the stage of life. How old are you guys?
Jill Schlesinger
So I'm 57. I'll be 57 in the fall and she'll be 52 in the winter.
Joe
You guys have kids?
Jill Schlesinger
Yes, two children, 22 and 18.
Joe
What stage of adulthood are they in?
Jill Schlesinger
So the 22 year old is going to be a senior in college and the 18 year old is going to be a senior in high school. That's kind of why we're waiting until next year. Let him graduate from high school. We'll probably move in and in, you know, sometime between July and September, depending on construction.
Joe
Well, you're ambitious. I just want to say that. Let me just, let me, let me just hear that. Again, you're breaking ground in the spring and you think you'll be in within six months?
Jill Schlesinger
No, not realistically.
Joe
Okay.
Jill Schlesinger
I'm optimistic, Jill. I'm always, you know.
Joe
All right, I'm going to just say, say, let's just pretend it takes a year. Let's just for the heck of it. So spring of 2027, let's pretend that that's where you get in. Let's set our sights. Something achievable very easily. And if you beat it, fantastic. Joe, are you guys both working?
Jill Schlesinger
So I'm working and retired. So I'm a retired school teacher. I retired last year and now I'm working as a realtor.
Joe
So how's that going?
Jill Schlesinger
It's been a good year. It's been a good year. I've really enjoyed it. You know, it's a very different kind of profession than being in education for so long. And it's a little stressful in the sense that my only income comes when, you know, I buy, sell houses.
Joe
Yeah, but you're all that training. I don't know. What did you teach? What grade?
Jill Schlesinger
So I was a 9th and 10th grade social studies teacher for 33 years.
Joe
Okay. So what I think is that the amount of patience that you had to accumulate to teach 9th and 10th graders is useful in the real estate market because people are children when it comes to these big transactions. They regress. Right. So thank God you have that. So do you have a pension?
Jill Schlesinger
So I do. I have a pension that I get from the state right now.
Joe
How much?
Jill Schlesinger
And then my wife is still actively teaching.
Joe
Okay, what is the pension amount?
Jill Schlesinger
Pension is like 4400amonth.
Joe
Okay. And how much does your wife earn as a teacher?
Jill Schlesinger
She makes about 5,000 ish a month.
Joe
And she will also be entitled to a pension eventually.
Jill Schlesinger
In. In four years, she'll be able to collect her pension.
Joe
Okay. Do you think that's what she wants to do?
Jill Schlesinger
Yes and no. She just started recently talking about four or five years or six years. So.
Joe
Okay.
Jill Schlesinger
You know, but she'll get something.
Joe
So you'll have some. But you guys will have some consistent income. Yes. Okay. What did you earn as a realtor for your first big year?
Jill Schlesinger
Well, so I've been doing it for five years, part time, full time, in the last year. And by the time I get all. Everything done, it'll be right around $100,000.
Joe
Oh, my goodness. That's fantastic. I never thought that you were going to say that number. That's great.
Jill Schlesinger
Yeah. My goal was to try to make 30 or 40. And so it's been a good year.
Joe
Fantastic. Okay, so both of you have the pension plans. Did you also put money away into some sort of deferred compensation plan in addition to the pension?
Jill Schlesinger
So we have about $1,100,000 in Roth IRA. Oh, and we have about $500,000. And right at $500,000. $505,000 in 403s.
Joe
How'd you get so much money in the Roth IRA? Did you convert some?
Jill Schlesinger
Nope. We started maxing out our Roth IRA contributions in 1990. Whatever. When the Roth IRA came out, when.
Joe
Good old Senator Roth from Delaware said, hey, let's do this thing. Oh, my God, that's great. So those are the two big accounts. Do you have any brokerage accounts or anything else that's floating around?
Jill Schlesinger
Have a small brokerage account. It's probably about 60,000 in a brokerage account. And then another probably 40 to 50,000 in high yield savings.
Joe
Great. That's great. How are you getting these two kids through school? The senior, the guy, the one who's becoming a senior in college. Is that paid for with funds? Is that loans? What's going on?
Jill Schlesinger
So we've got 529s for both boys. The oldest one who's a senior in college has about five or six thousand dollars in more in his account than it will take to cover his senior year. Okay, and then the senior in high school has about $100,000 in his account to cover college.
Joe
Is that about the right amount in terms of where they're going to go? Okay, so we don't have to hear in Iowa. Okay, great. That's wonderful. Anything else that I need to know before we go into the economics of building the new home?
Jill Schlesinger
Other than we're debt free? No.
Joe
Oh, that's good. Okay, so let's talk about the existing home.
Jill Schlesinger
Okay.
Joe
That you're in right now. How much is that worth?
Jill Schlesinger
I'd say, you know, as a realtor, I always say it's worth more than it probably is, but.
Joe
All right, scale back, Mr. Conservative.
Jill Schlesinger
I would say probably about 450.
Joe
The plan is what? Sell the house, build the like. How are you going to finance. What's your idea of how you're going to finance the great transition?
Jill Schlesinger
Yeah. So part. Part of the. I guess I did forget to also include that we've already got the lot and it's paid for as well.
Joe
Oh, okay. So how much is that lot worth?
Jill Schlesinger
About 220.
Joe
Okay, so that's paid for. Good. I'm sorry. I have to ask this because I think I always laugh at this. How much do you think you're going to spend to build your dream house, Barbie?
Jill Schlesinger
Yeah, and that's been part of our problem in my head. I was going to sell our house, buy the lot, build the house the same as what we're selling.
Joe
Ha ha ha. Yeah.
Jill Schlesinger
The reality is it'll be about double what we're.
Joe
I don't know why that does not surprise me. Okay, so you need to spend nine or 100 or a million bucks.
Jill Schlesinger
Yeah, give or take.
Joe
And so does that mean you're going to end up with a $1.2 million loan? Are you saying 900 million including the lot?
Jill Schlesinger
No. So the lots paid for. Our house is paid for. So I'm going to sell our house. We're going to, you know. Well, if we have to move twice, we'll move twice to make sure we can proceed with the transaction.
Joe
Okay, so you're not going to do that Crazy. Like let's maintain both houses. So you sell the house, get the money, throw it in an account, the new construction starts and it's going to be a million bucks. Right. Okay, so what is your idea? I mean you're in the business. So are you thinking about. Okay, I have 450. I'll put that 450 down. I'll get a construction loan for the like. What are you thinking about?
Jill Schlesinger
So my, my plan is to have the 450 accessible. That'll pay for you know, the first half of the build and then get a have hopefully by then sell more houses and have about maybe another gonna say $100,000 to throw in cash.
Joe
Okay.
Jill Schlesinger
And finance the rest.
Joe
And what kind of financing are we talking about? You know, my dog is worried about the financing. I don't know if you can hear her in the background. She's a little worried. So if you have, if you have 450 down and then let 100, another hundred. So you have four 50 grand to finance how, Tell me what you're looking at right now.
Jill Schlesinger
So it'd be a construction loan here in, at a local bank. I've already talked to two banks here in town.
Joe
Okay.
Jill Schlesinger
It won't be a problem.
Joe
What's the interest rate on that?
Jill Schlesinger
It'll be end up being, you know, depending on interest rates.
Joe
Let's say, let's say it's today.
Jill Schlesinger
Today would be about 8%.
Joe
Once you have that loan, is there a conversion into a 30 year fixed loan? Like what's, what's the mechanism to make it move from a construction to a traditional mortgage.
Jill Schlesinger
So the way that they do the, or the way they explained it to me was that it's an 11 month loan to build the home and then if the home is done before that, then you can just convert it into a 30 year.
Joe
I got it.
Jill Schlesinger
30 year mortgage or 15 year mortgage or whatever.
Joe
Great. Okay, Very good. Okay. Forgetting about the house for one second, which is hard to do, I now understand this. So, you know, like it'll be money and you'll borrow it and then you'll pay it back. But what about all the other money that you spend? What, what are your current expenses in this existing home? Like what do you, what's the cost of maintaining your life?
Jill Schlesinger
So our current expenses are about, I want to say 6,000, 6,400 somewhere in there.
Joe
Okay.
Jill Schlesinger
Depending on groceries, gas, travel, those kinds of things.
Joe
Okay. So when we have the new home, I presume it's bigger and the taxes are more, the insurance is more, and then you have this financing. So what is the expenses, what are the expenses going to be when you have this new house? Another 2,000, 2,500. What do you think?
Jill Schlesinger
So it's going to be somewhere between 2,500 and 3,000amonth.
Joe
Or let's say three.
Jill Schlesinger
Yeah.
Joe
Because I'm just good conservative number. So let's even just say you're at 10 grand a month. Okay, you're all in. It's done. I hope it's not, but let's just pretend it's ten grand a month is what your number is. Somewhere around nine or ten grand a month. Okay, so the good news is that is, I know that's net, but you have your pension, she's still working, and you have your real estate income. All of that is good. Let's just say that she were to retire in five years, like at age 57. What would her pension be approximately?
Jill Schlesinger
It'd be right around $5,000.
Joe
So you guys would both have, you know, your pensions, which would really mostly cover. Not everything, but mostly cover, but the extra income. Even if you don't do $100,000 a year, even if you did 50 grand a year, the two pensions plus your real estate income should cover your expenses. Is that fair to say?
Jill Schlesinger
Easily, yes.
Joe
Okay. Easily. Great. There's no need to invade the 403B, the brokerage, the high yield savings or the Roth. You could just let it run. All those accounts can just keep growing. Ostensibly, if there were a problem, you know, and I don't think there's going to be a problem. But just let's pretend there'll be a problem in a couple of years or something, you could start slowly draining some of the money out of the 403. Not a lot. Like maybe when your wife finishes working in five years, right, you're going to be 62 and you're like, oh, you know what? Cost of living, things have changed. We need to take a couple thousand dollars a month out of the 403B, so do it and you'll pay the tax that's due and that'll be fine. I think that, you know, honestly, if someone said to me, you know, we have a hundred, let's just say you made together 130 or 40 grand a year together and we're building a million dollar house, I would have been like, whoa. But you know, you have those pensions and that's a real critical part of the equation. So I think that as long as this new construction is not one and a half million, I think everything works pretty well. I just think you should really try to like, when you think about the construction and the decisions you're going to make, and I know there's like a thousand decisions to make about a new build. All in, you need to make sure that you end with an expense of ten grand a month for your house and your family and that's it. If you can do that, I think it works. I really do. Do you feel like it can work at that level?
Jill Schlesinger
Yeah, it's just hard, you know, in my emotions because we've haven't had a mortgage in 15 years.
Joe
Get used to it, baby. You're going to live in your dream house and that dream house doesn't come for free. Let's see where interest rates are. Because yes, you're going to get the construction loan. You'll start this process. It may be that when you're breaking ground and I don't know when you have to sign documents for a construction loan, probably soon before you start building or how far in advance do you have to have that?
Jill Schlesinger
Once we sign the contract, then we start the process of getting the construction loan. Once we sign the building contract and we're going to do that in a few months.
Joe
Okay. It could be that by the time you sign and you're ready to rock and roll, you're not even looking at 8%. Maybe it'll be 7% and maybe by the time you're done with that property, you'll be at 5 or 6%. You know, we don't know. And I think that what I've tried to do is give you parameters to keep you guys on track, to not blow through all your assets and to live in this great house. So I'm a dream maker, not a dream crusher today, Joe. And you know what? If you keep working thinking you're going to make 30 or hoping to make 30 or 40 grand, and you're still making $100,000, you can take all that extra cash and just pay this thing off. Exactly. I mean, if you just. If you're cranking like, hey, I am making this 100 grand a year, and you have an 8% loan. Mark's right. You could take that money and just slap it down on that 8% loan. You know, a lot of people are used to hearing me say, don't pay down the mortgage, but that's when you have, like, a 2% mortgage, an 8% mortgage you should feel free to actually pay off. There's no problem with that. Risk free. You know, when I say, pay it off, gang, and I say, you know, it is literally like you're earning an 8% guaranteed return, which, you know, is almost double what you would get in a safe treasury. So I think you should feel comfortable doing that. And do you think your wife might work? I feel like his wife's never going to retire. She's going to be like, I'm going to keep working because I'm going to. Is she feeling okay about the numbers, or is she nervous, too?
Jill Schlesinger
She's not as nervous as I am about the numbers because she wants to build the house. She wants to build. Yeah. I'm the one that's more the budget nerd and wants to keep it, you know, under control, so to speak.
Joe
Without the pensions. I would be nervous. Those pensions change everything. I mean, that's the equivalent of, you know, more than $3 million. Yeah. I mean, and I think you're. You're in really good shape. You really are. So you want to go, Jill? You want to go to Iowa barbecue? What's. What do I. What would I do in Iowa? What would. Let me ask you something, Joe. Let's say I came to the beautiful housewarming party. Mark and I come, and so here's what you have. You get to introduce your. Your friendly Auntie Jill, your friendly Jewish lesbian Auntie Jill from New York City into your town. What would I do there?
Jill Schlesinger
Well, you know, I. We're about 45 minutes away from the Iowa State Fair, which is one of the most unique experiences in all of humanity. Oh, my God.
Joe
So are you a Hawkeye or a cyclone?
Jill Schlesinger
We are 100% cyclones.
Joe
Oh, what are Cyclones, Mark? Iowa State. Okay. And so I go to this. When is the state farm? State farm. When is the state fair?
Jill Schlesinger
State fair is usually the second week in August.
Joe
It sounds hot then, but I just want to say that.
Jill Schlesinger
Ridiculously hot.
Joe
Oh, okay. So already, how's the air conditioning in.
Jill Schlesinger
Iowa at the state fair? Not very good.
Joe
If I come to visit you in this new house, do I have a pool? What's happening?
Jill Schlesinger
No, there's no pool. It's just an amazing lot overlooking a nice wooded backyard that and on overlooks a nice hill down to a. A pool or a pond. Excuse me.
Joe
Okay.
Jill Schlesinger
A pond.
Joe
Okay.
Jill Schlesinger
So yeah, it's a beautiful location. Beautiful lot is really what sold us on it when. When it first got released.
Joe
I have no issues with building this beautiful house. If there's anything weird that's going on that when you get ready to do it, get back in touch with us because I think this really does work and it's exciting and, and congratulations on transitioning your career. That's quite an off ramp that you created. When did you know that you wanted to try to try out real estate?
Jill Schlesinger
Well, I've always enjoyed like going to open houses and those kinds of things. And then as I got towards the end of my teaching career, I'm like, I can't just play golf seven days a week. I'm too young and I would go crazy. So I needed a new challenge and so.
Joe
Right.
Jill Schlesinger
I got licensed about five years ago and then have been working part time on the side, you know, in the summertime and whatnot. Didn't really work that hard because it's hard to do that. Yeah. Because real estate's a very unusual career path and to be bivocational for sure.
Joe
Yeah, yeah. Well, I mean, you've done it. Congratulations. It's exciting and you know, Cyclone FAN BUILDS MILLION DOLLAR HOUSE so congratulations and good luck and let us know if everything goes afoot and send us a. Send us a picture from the groundbreaking. Okay. I gotta wait for a whole nother year, but let's do it. I'm excited. Mark. We're going to Iowa, baby. Hey, if you are interested in figuring out how to build your dream home, you, Barbie the whole crew, then get in touch with us. Go to jillonmoney.com, click the contact us button, write us a note, let us know if you want to come on the air by checking the box. Mark will do everything else while you're there. Don't forget to sign up for the free weekly newsletter or just search for us on Substack and you can subscribe to Jill on Money. Fabulous. Wonderful. You can subscribe to us on the Odyssey app or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. We always ask that you do something nice for someone else today. Be nice to your realtor. Change your work. Change your wealth. Change your life. Thank you for listening. We'll talk to you tomorrow.
Jill Schlesinger
Hey, what's up flies? This is David Spade. Dana Carvey.
Joe
Look at I know we never actually.
Jill Schlesinger
Left, but I'll just say it.
Joe
We are back with another season of.
Jill Schlesinger
Fly on the Wall. Every episode, including ones with guests, will now be on video. Every Thursday you'll hear us and see us chatting with big name celebrities. And every Monday, you're stuck with just me and Dana.
Joe
We react to news, what's trending, viral.
Jill Schlesinger
Clips follow and listen to Fly on the Wall everywhere you get your podcasts.
Podcast: Jill on Money with Jill Schlesinger
Host: Jill Schlesinger, CFP®
Episode: Are We Okay to Build a New House?
Release Date: July 1, 2025
In this episode of Jill on Money with Jill Schlesinger, host Jill Schlesinger engages in a deep dive discussion with her co-host Joe, focusing on the financial considerations and planning involved in building a new home. The conversation provides valuable insights into balancing personal finances, retirement plans, and the aspirations of constructing a dream house.
Jill begins by reflecting on the midpoint of the year, emphasizing the importance of reassessing financial plans and making necessary adjustments. She poses critical questions to listeners about their financial strategies for the latter half of the year, such as portfolio rebalancing and retirement account management.
She also introduces her premium service, Jill on Money Live, highlighting the benefits of subscribing for exclusive webinars and financial content.
The episode transitions to a segment where Jill and Joe address a listener question from Iowa. Joe introduces Jill’s personal scenario of planning to build a new home, outlining her financial landscape.
Jill provides a comprehensive overview of her and her family's financial status:
Pensions and Income:
Investments:
Education Funds:
Debt: Debt-free, with current living expenses around $6,400/month.
Jill and Joe delve into the specifics of constructing a new home, addressing potential financial challenges and strategies to mitigate risks.
Current Home and Lot:
Construction Costs:
Financing Strategy:
Projected Expenses Post-Construction:
Joe’s Advisory Points:
Risk Mitigation:
Jill shares her emotional reservations about reintroducing mortgage debt after being debt-free for 15 years. Joe reassures her by underscoring their robust financial foundation.
The conversation takes a lighter turn as Jill and Joe discuss local interests, such as the Iowa State Fair, and extend congratulations to Jill on her successful transition to real estate.
Jill and Joe wrap up the episode by summarizing the key points:
Notable Quotes:
This episode serves as an excellent case study for listeners contemplating significant financial decisions, such as building a new home. Jill Schlesinger and Joe provide a balanced perspective, combining emotional considerations with practical financial strategies to navigate the complexities of home construction within a secure financial framework.
For more insights and personalized financial advice, visit jillonmoney.com and explore the Jill on Money Live subscription for exclusive content.