Derek Mazzarella at Gateway Financial Partners

07/10/2026

07/07/2026

If there is a universal truth, it's that everyone loves their HOA...

If you speak with almost anyone who is a part of a condo association, they will most likely have a story to tell you.

My association of the condo for my condo in Boston collected my HOA checks, but never cashed them until I pressed them on it.

We've all heard the stories about the flower bed that was the wrong color or the grass that wasn't cut properly. Buying a condo means you're buying a not so silent partner. This week on Millennial Money Matters, Turner and I go over the ripple effects of the Surfside Condo collapse and the pros and cons of buying a condo.

Here are a few items you should request:

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲. This is the cushion for big stuff (roofs, repaving, structural repairs). Lenders generally want to see about 20% of the budget set aside here.

𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀. Look for maintenance issues that keep getting mentioned and never get fixed. That's a pattern to watch out for.

𝗔𝗻 𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗢𝗔 𝗳𝗲𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀. A $600/month fee with no pool and no clubhouse should make you ask questions. Sometimes it's a special assessment they're still paying off from a project five years ago.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀. A history of surprise bills is a preview of your future.

A well-run HOA can be one of the best parts of owning a condo. A poorly-run one can quietly drain your own cash reserves and be incredibly frustrating.

What's something you wish you'd checked before buying into an HOA?

Check out the full episode: https://youtu.be/h4o3FGxbM7Q

07/06/2026

New Millennial Money Matters episode drops tomorrow:

06/23/2026

We all have regrets. Some more than others.

For everyone, that includes both personal and financial regrets. Financial regrets are almost inevitable. There may be a car you wish you didn't buy, and investment you did or didn't make, or a credit card you got because you could save 10% at JC Penny.

On the latest episode of Millennial Money Matters, Kelly Turner, our guest Maggie Garden, and I did exactly that. We got honest about the money mistakes we made at 25 and what we'd do differently.

A few things that came up:

1. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗿. The math on waiting even a few years is tough to hear.
2. 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝘀. Of course cars would come up on a financial regrets episode.
3. 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗻𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘂𝗽 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂. How little we thought about the importance of a good credit score.

We wanted everyone to know that even financial professionals can make mistakes and maybe give the younger generation some advice on what not to do (which sometimes is more important).

What is one financial decision you'd change in your 20s?

Full link below:

06/22/2026

New Millennial Money Matters Episode Alert!

You'll have to check out the episode to see why we are talking about pre-gaming again.