Money for Life with Eric Roberge, CFP® Episode Title: 5 Money Questions You're Not Asking (But Should Be)
Date: December 15, 2025
Hosts: Eric Roberge, CFP® & Kayleigh Roberge (Beyond Your Hammock)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Eric and Kayleigh Roberge challenge listeners to dig deeper into their financial lives by posing five unconventional money questions that most people never think to ask—yet should. Their discussion goes beyond dollars and cents, exploring how childhood memories shape financial behaviors, why knowing your actual savings rate matters more than your investment returns, and the importance of intentional money systems. This episode offers thoughtful, practical reflection and real-world examples to help high-earning professionals make confident, aligned financial decisions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Your First Money Memory: The Foundation of Financial Beliefs

• Purpose: Reflect on your earliest memory about money and how it influences your current money beliefs and behavior.
• Kayleigh introduces the concept, sharing that our "operating system" for money is largely set by age 7 or 8. (02:07)
• Eric’s Memory: A childhood experience where his family's car broke down, leading to embarrassment and a drive to avoid being "stuck" financially.
  • "Part of it is maybe I’m afraid of causing a scene... I don't want to ever have that happen to me is the bottom line." (03:40)
  • This experience clarified Eric’s focus on always having financial options.
• Kayleigh’s Memory: Wanting cereal at the grocery store, being told by her mom, "We can't afford that," leading to a lifelong curiosity about money and a drive to understand how to get more of it. (06:36)
• Other real-life examples included at a women’s summit: walking to the store in winter because the family couldn’t afford a car, only putting $10 of gas in at a time, etc. (07:47)
• Insight: These early stories often unconsciously shape whether we operate from abundance or scarcity, motivating both positive achievements and self-sabotage.

Notable Quote

• Kayleigh: "Can you just be aware of that? So you can just stop and pause and say, all right, who's making that decision? Is it me in the moment or is it, you know, four year old, five year old me who had this experience…?" (08:54)

2. How Much Money Are You Actually Saving Each Year?

• Purpose: Most people can’t accurately answer this. You should know both the dollar amount and—more importantly—the percentage of your gross income you're saving. (12:15)
• Common Misstep: People focus on the absolute figure, not the rate relative to income. Saving $50,000 a year is impressive on a $100K income, but not so much at $1M (only 5%).
  • Eric: "[Saving the same amount] by default, your lifestyle gets inflated… what are you doing with it? You're spending it." (13:36)
• Target Range: 20–25% of gross income is recommended for high earners.
  • Kayleigh: "If you can save more, it's worth considering while you can, because you're not going to be able to save big amounts every year." (14:27)
• Consistency Wins: The consistent application of a savings rate over time—rather than chasing market returns or get-rich-quick schemes—is the key to building wealth.
  • Eric: "It's the savings rate, and the consistency of that savings rate over time is the soldier in the battle of wealth growth… the secret success point of most people's wealth creation." (15:42)

Notable Quote

• Kayleigh: "You only have so much control… You cannot control the global financial markets, you can absolutely decide, you know what, I saved 15% last year, I can make it to 20% this year." (14:27)

3. What Is Your Money Management System?

• Purpose: Most people have a haphazard approach to managing their finances—like a treehouse built with random scraps. Instead, build a system intentionally. (21:07)
• Analogy: Eric compares most people’s financial systems to a makeshift, unstable treehouse, instead of a planned, functional structure.
  • "It's not what you would have designed or built had you set out with intention in the first place." (21:43)
• System Needs: A resilient, adaptable structure that functions both in good times (windfalls, bonuses) and hard times (market downturns, unexpected expenses).
• Emotion vs. Objectivity: Build your system objectively, then layer your personal values and emotions onto it—not the other way around.
  • Eric: "Let's make objective decisions first as a baseline and then layer in the emotions… Because money is emotional, spending can be emotional and be okay too." (23:42)
• Flexibility: There’s no one-size-fits-all—your system should match your needs, habits, and emotional triggers.

4. Where Do You Struggle to Use Your Money?

• Purpose: Identify the areas—spending, saving, investing, giving—where you struggle, to better align your actions with your values. (25:49)
• Self-Reflection: Most people admit saving is their “struggle spot,” but it could also be difficulty spending on what matters, or giving generously.
  • Kayleigh: "Struggling to spend… it’s more just, well, where are you spending? What are you spending on? And how does that align with what you said was important to you?" (26:43)
• Misalignment Warning: You might be financially sound, but if your money is not going to areas that truly matter to you, you may feel unsatisfied or “behind” in life.
  • Eric: "If you actually understand that you’re spending enough, you’re just spending in the wrong areas for you to feel satisfied, then you don’t have to spend more. You just have to adjust..." (27:55)
• Resolution: Awareness helps to redirect spending to what’s meaningful, creating satisfaction without necessarily increasing outlay.

5. How Do You Tune Out the Noise and Find Your Signal?

• Purpose: With endless financial advice and opinions, determine what’s most relevant for you and avoid distractions.
  • Kayleigh: "There is no one signal. There are a lot of signals that are valid and that you should be tuning into, depending on... what are your values?" (30:15)
• Find Your Priorities: The “signal”—actionable, relevant information—comes from understanding your values, goals, and life context.
• Context Matters: The strength and importance of signals differ for everyone—being clear on what you want enables you to differentiate signal from noise.
• Emotional Trade-offs: Choosing one signal (e.g., parenting over career) often means grieving for the other—both are valid, deeply personal decisions.
  • Kayleigh: "It can be a both and thing... that is such a bummer. Like, there’s so much track that I could run on over here. It’s just not the choice that I made." (33:03)
• No Universal Right Way: There are many valid paths; fulfillment comes from aligning your choices with your authentic values.

Notable Closing Quote

• Eric: "We only have one life to live. So paying attention, being aware, understanding what motivates you and why, choosing the best financial decisions that are targeting your own specific signals again, values, priorities is going to be generally how you should approach your life... It's going to be different from yours to the next person..." (34:39)

Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• Kayleigh: "Your operating system for how you think about money... starts getting laid down in your brain around 3 years old and usually by 7 or 8, it’s pretty much set." (02:15)
• Eric: "You're the magnet pulling you in a direction that you're going to end up at. And hopefully it's a positive place. But it could be negative, especially if your belief system is that you don't deserve money and you're going to spend it all and never save it..." (09:10)
• Eric, on savings: "It's the secret success point of most people’s wealth creation." (15:42)
• Kayleigh, on noise: "There’s a lot of signals out there. But how strong is it for you? Your desire to be the best parent you can be is a stronger signal than being the most successful businesswoman you can be." (32:42)
• Eric: "We only have one life to live. So paying attention, being aware, understanding what motivates you and why... is generally how you should approach your life." (34:39)

Key Segments & Timestamps

• 01:13 — Introduction to “first money memory”
• 02:58 — Eric and Kayleigh share personal money memories
• 06:36 — Impact these memories have on adult financial choices
• 12:15 — Question: How much do you save annually?
• 13:36 — Percent vs dollar amount and lifestyle inflation
• 15:42 — Saving vs. market returns; the importance of consistency
• 19:56 — Eric & Kayleigh’s own savings target (25%)
• 21:07 — Building an intentional money system
• 25:49 — Where do you struggle with money? (spending, saving, giving, etc.)
• 28:36 — Noise vs. signal, aligning choices with core values
• 32:42 — Trade-offs and real-world value choices (career, parenting, fulfillment)
• 34:39 — Closing reflections on living authentically and intentionally

Takeaways for Listeners

1. Reflect on your own first money memory and question how it shapes your financial behavior today.
2. Track your savings as a percentage of gross income (aim for 20–25%), not just as a dollar amount.
3. Evaluate (and intentionally build) a money management system that fits your life, not just patched-together habits.
4. Identify your personal struggle points (saving, spending, giving) to redirect your efforts more meaningfully.
5. Get clear on your values and priorities to find your “signal” among the financial “noise”—and accept that your path may look different from others’.

For further engagement, share your answers with the hosts via their Instagram @beyondyourhammock or by emailing team@beyondyourhammock.com.

Podcast Tone & Style:
Thoughtful, conversational, empathetic, and practical—balancing personal story with actionable advice for high-earning professionals and families.