As someone who consumes a massive amount of financial data and then tries to make it palpable to listeners, viewers and readers, I am drawn to those who have an uncanny ability to break through the clutter.

At the New York Times, my-go to writer for personal finance is Ron Lieber. His column, the wildly popular Your Money, covers just about anything and everything that hits you in the wallet, from investing to paying for college to mortgages and homes.

And that pretty much describes how our discussion went. We bounced around -- from Equifax and Wells Fargo to the cost of college and the fiduciary debate.

Ron is also an accomplished author. His most recent book is The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous, and Smart About Money.

His latest book project, What To Pay For College, is set to be released in 2020 and will ask college presidents questions that families don’t know (or are afraid) to ask, as well as putting the surprisingly small amount of existing data on this topic into context and pulling the curtain back on how schools set prices which can now top $125,000 for four years of tuition, room and board for state residents.

It’s always a blast to talk shop and the state of the financial services industry with a colleague, especially when it’s somebody you so highly respect.

“Better Off” is sponsored by Betterment.

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"Better Off" theme music is by Joel Goodman, www.joelgoodman.com.

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