PODCAST: January 17, 2026

In this January 17, 2026 episode of The Roy Matlock, Jr. Money and Business Hour, Roy opens by reflecting on time, longevity, and momentum—sharing that he has officially turned 65 and still loves the work of helping people win with money. He revisits lessons reinforced during the pandemic era: earning money matters, how you earn it matters, and handling money wisely (without panic) requires flexibility and a plan you can pivot with when life changes.

Roy urges listeners to start the year by getting a “scorecard” through net worth—financial assets minus debts (excluding depreciating items like cars). From there, he recommends analyzing your profit margin: how much you earned versus how much you actually kept/saved. He frames this like a personal P&L statement—whether you’re a business owner or “you incorporated” as an employee—because the gap between income and outgo is where financial freedom is built.

A major focus is the budget as the foundation. Roy emphasizes budgeting for real life—including irregular expenses like car repairs, holidays, and maintenance—so you can consistently produce profit instead of drifting into credit card debt and payments. He challenges listeners to cut “stupid spending” by remembering that $1,000 isn’t just $1,000—it’s what that money could have become if invested over time, using long-term compounding examples to make the opportunity cost feel real. His rule of thumb: aim for a strong profit margin (he mentions 25% as an ideal target), and if saving feels impossible, it usually points to either a spending problem or an income/value problem that needs attention.

Roy then lays out practical “get started now” actions: secure proper protection (starting with term life insurance, ideally with living benefits), and set up automatic drafts that pay yourself first—beginning even with modest amounts, then increasing as your emergency fund gets established. For investing, he advocates consistent monthly contributions and warns against trying to time the market, explaining dollar-cost averaging and the importance of “time in” rather than “timing.” He also describes a bucket approach—short-, mid-, and long-term money—so you don’t feel forced to sell stocks during a downturn.

In the later segments, Roy introduces a clear planning framework: define your FIN (Financial Independence Number)—your “number”—and reverse-engineer a strategy to reach it while accounting for inflation. He shares examples of how advice can materially change outcomes, including using the right retirement vehicles (like a SEP IRA for eligible self-employed earners) and balancing tax strategies with pre-tax savings and Roth planning.

Finally, Roy summarizes a repeatable system for “automatic financial independence”: get educated and guided, build a defense to protect income/assets and avoid mistakes, run an offense to grow efficiently (including tax-smart choices), match the right products to the person, and review/update as life evolves. He closes by inviting listeners to reach out for a quick call to begin taking action—because the real enemy isn’t complexity, it’s procrastination.