A-Z Talks

Decentralized Finance (DeFi) has the chance to revolutionize how we manage our money as we move to greater adoption of blockchain technology. Imagine a world where banks, credit card processors and all the middle men profiting from how you use your money are removed and you have complete control over when, who, and where you send your money. DeFi is cutting edge technology in the crypto space and quickly being adopted by many of today's tech savvy community to take back control of how their money is managed. In this world, knowing the individual you transact with is optional and exchanges are managed by smart contacts instead of governments and traditional financial institutions. Join Tobias and Alex as they navigate through the limitations of the Centralized Finance model that is predominantly used today versus what the future holds once we started to see Decentralized finance being adopted. This episode provides a basic understanding of the DeFi space, real world use cases on how it's being used today, as well covering what the future state of this topic can be. Decentral Exchanges: DYDX: https://trade.dydx.exchange - Ethereum Network Sushi Swap: https://sushi.com - Ethereum Network, Polygon Network and more Uniswap: https://uniswap.exchange - Ethereum Network, Polygon Network and more PancakeSwap https://pancakeswap.finance - Binance Smart Chain QuickSwap: https://quickswap.exchange - Polygon Network

Traveling can be one of the most fun things to experience but it can also be a pain in the butt to plan out sometimes. Whether you're an anxious traveler, rockstar traveler, or one of those who do it for the gram, we could all benefit from a few tips when it comes to putting together a plan for traveling. Join Tobias and Alex as they speak from opposing methodologies on how they approach preparing for travel. Learn insights that can help for the next time you need to plan a trip as they cover travel trends, such as COVID regulations for international travel, flying with pets, and how to get the most out of your rewards & loyalty programs. This episode goes over travel tips, trends and 5 key steps to consider so you can enjoy your holiday/vacation knowing that the hard parts have already been planned out. Also weaved into the discussion are a few travel hacks so you can travel like a jet setter, while keeping to a budget! Listen along as they cover this fun topic, and let it help make your life easier the next time you are preparing for travel!

How can 1 + 1 = millions? It's amazing how many miracles can occur that start from a simple one on one conversation. We all have these types of chats on a regular basis but for some reason it feels a little more scary in the work environment when you hear "I'd like to meet one one one with you" from your boss. Don't let that fear stop you from engaging as it's up to you to make the most out of that time. In this podcast, we provide a few tips on how to do just that. Whether it's with your managers, your manger's manager, peers, employees that work for you, or even with friends and family members, there's always a way to make your conversations more meaningful by having an intent for each interaction. In this episode, Alex and Tobias will provide you a few tips and best practices so you can get the most out of your one on one conversations and learn how to take a casual chat to the type of conversation that can be the spark to your next big idea! Listen along and learn how to help others help you, gain deeper perspective from conversations, and strengthen your relationships in the professional setting or personal setting by unlocking the phenomenon of fun 1:1s.

WTF is an NFT? Meta what? How much is that ape photo worth?! Why would I pay for it when I can see it for free? Money laundering, tracking wine, and for validating university diplomas? You mean it's not just for music? It's hard not to be a little curious on what all the buzz is about with NFTs all over the news and social media these days. Join Tobias and Alex as they explore these questions and more as they provide an overview of NFTs and share their knowledge and experience on this groundbreaking trend. This episode discusses NFTs, what they are, how they work, actual present day use cases and provides examples how people are profiting from this phenomenon. This is not intended for financial advice but more to help you get a fundamental understanding of this crypto alternative that is ascending in its' popularity.

Can't believe the new year has come and passed already? Feeling lost or hopeless since 2021 didn't go your way and you're skeptical about what's really possible for you in 2022? Don't worry, we got you covered! We keep being told what's wrong in the world by the media and now we just keep looking for what's wrong, what's terrible, what's bad, but we don't have to live like this! We need to take our identity back and remind ourselves that we are blessed with anything we do have. Join Alex and Tobias as they walk through the blueprint for success planning process that they introduced last year. They share lessons they've learned from working with so many others in the last year on this process which includes CEOs, entrepreneurs, business professionals, teachers, yoga instructors, real estate agents, and many more from all walks of life. The goal of this episode is to cover best practices for goal planning and provide tips if you are starting late, feeling hopeless, or just not sure where to start. The important thing is to just get started and you'll be surprised how quickly goals will naturally come to you if you can just get going. They cover subtopics like SMART goals, micro goals, accountability partners and the importance of revisiting goals on an ongoing basis. Remember this old adage - if you fail to plan, you plan to fail, so lets make sure you have a plan in place to find a better you in 2022!

We're baaaaaaaaack! Join Alex and Tobias on this lost episode as they recap 2021 and discuss the ups and downs of last year. Listen along as they reflect on some of their key personal successes like crypto all time highs and the real estate boom, as well as how they battled tough topics like stress, anxiety, injuries, burnout and even boreout. They cover some of their top lessons for 2021 and share a few life hacks on how to pick yourself up when life knocks you down. We all get down sometimes but the important thing to remember is to focus on how you can pick yourself back up! This lost episode is for the loyal listeners who subscribed last year and also provides a glimpse into what you can expect from season 2.

Most successful entrepreneurs and investors have come across the iconic book “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki at some point in their journey and are familiar with the epic tale that teaches basic financial lessons that they just don't teach you in traditional schools. It's a book that includes wisdom that has sustained the test of time with topics such as why “The Rich Don't Work for Money,” how “The Rich Invent Money,” why “Corporations are the Biggest Secret of the Wealthy,” and many other revelations about financial literacy that traditional education systems bypass. Gone are the days where just relying on the traditional path of going to school, getting a degree, working hard at one job to save enough money to buy a house and retire comfortably. We're living in a hi-tech fast pace ever evolving world and it's important to realize that the rules of the financial game have changed. Don't get stuck working for a paycheck and get left behind by others that are pursuing their passions and owning their financial freedom. Join Alex and Tobias on their review of this classic story and how it's impacted their investment mindset and journey. Listen to them discuss some of the key lessons from the book and where they apply them to their every day lives. “It's not about how much you make but how much you keep and how many generations you keep it for.” - Robert Kiyosaki

Imagine a life where you can remember all your important ideas and put them into action. Where there was a way to organize each thought and have others collaborate with you to reach your goals. What if you never had issues falling asleep and you were able to actually attract everything you've ever dreamed of? Imagine the power of being able to uplift your mood whenever you want and recharging your own emotional fuel by leveraging the basic principles of the golden rule. What if you always found time to exercise and a way to be learning 5x more by multitasking during certain idle activities? When the concept of life hacks first hit the scene, they were all the rage promising shortcuts to make life that much more efficient. Now almost anything can be considered a life hack but this episode sifts through your everyday list to break the mold and identifies Alex and Tobias top 7 favorite life hacks that they use to improve their daily lives. The life hacks discussed in this episode promise a big punch and they're not always a sure thing to say the least but it's important to find and leverage as many life hacks in today's world as you can to ensure you get the most of of life. These „hacks“ exist because someone out there has already tried and proven its success so listen in and see if they can help you!

AirBnB, Calm, Crypto Pro, Fiverr, OpenTable, Reminders, SwiftScan Pro, TedTalks, TikTok and Wim Hof Method. Listen in as Tobias and Alex discuss their top 5 mobile apps each that they see as integral to their lives. Find out how they rank the apps listed above and describe how each one improves the quality of their lives. The dichotomy of the their selections highlights how they both have a different perspective when it comes to traits in an app they value. It makes for a lively discussion where you can hear the two different ways they focus on to improve your life, through efficiency and quality. This episode will provide a run down of Alex and Tobias' favorite mobile apps that helps improve the quality of their lives. Listen in and learn how they might also help you make your life just that much sweeter.

Change is the only thing constant in this world. One would be foolish to create a strategy and not anticipate the need to update it through the the course of its execution. As we approach the conclusion of the first quarter of 2021, it's important for us all the make sure and take a break to revisit our progress to date, celebrate small wins and reconfigure our our plans to account for areas we need to refocus on 1/4 way through the year. Quarterly business reviews (QBRs) are a best practice in the corporate world so why not take that same concept and apply it to your own personal goals and plan. Following along with Tobias and Alex as they revisit topics from the past quarter, walk through an example of what it's like to complete a QPR (quarterly personal review) and how you can use this process to recalibrate your own plans and goals for the year. The goal of this episode is to provide an example of what a QPR is, why it's important to do one and how it will increase your chance for a successful year by remixing your blueprint.

"Risk comes from not knowing what you're doing." - Warren Buffet It is easy to start investing in the stock market but it can quickly teach you a tough lesson or two if you're not familiar with how things work in the world of stocks. The old saying goes "when a person with money meets a person with experience, the person with the experience usually ends up with the money and the person who had the money ends up with experience." If you haven't met the stock market, let us introduce you. Join Alex and Tobias in this episode where they catch up on the latest developments in the GameStop WallStreetBets war as well as other trends in the current financial climate. The discussion gives an alternative perspective on how to approach stocks based off of their real life failures so follow along to hear their tips on top 5 things not to do when investing in stocks and why a good stock tip can quickly become costly if you don't educate yourself first before investing. The goal of this episode is to provide you an introduction into investing in stocks, tips for how to get started and costly pitfalls to avoid along your investing journey.

Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin, NFTs, blockchain, defi, mining, staking, and all the other buzzwords that can be found in the mysterious world of cryptocurrency are discussed in this episode where Alex and Tobias dive into what they consider the future of money. Learn a little about what a Bitcoin is, the technology behind it and how they were made by college students like Tobias and his friends in their dorm rooms. We journey through the tough lessons they learned with the hundreds of Bitcoins they created and the instability they faced as early adopters. The discussion includes a run down of different use cases for different alt coins and real world applications where the technology behind cryptocurrency is being used to transform industries. The purpose of this episode is to give you a glimpse into the cryptocurrency world, provide present day examples that have adopted this new technology, and share a few tips on how you can profit from this phenomenon. Coinlend: https://www.coinlend.org/?referral=34S1Z1

Go to jail, do not pass go, do not collect $200. For those who know the game of monopoly, this is not the path you want to go but it's easy to lose the game if you don't have the right strategy. Join Tobias and Alex as they explore the topic of real estate and how their early experience with the classic board game translated to how they acquired real estate assets in real life. They highlight some of the latest trends in real estate, how to get started and discuss the variety of different ways you can profit by purchasing property and making it a true asset so that it works for you. Learn about the life hack that can be quickest way for you to becoming an entrepreneur by approaching buying a house with an investment perspective. The goal of this episode is to provide a few ideas behind "why invest in real estate" and break down some basics tips that you can use so you can be on your way to financial freedom.

“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist. - PABLO PICASSO” In this episode Alex and Tobias give a prelude of the Introduction to Investing 3 part series that's coming next. They focus on the ideology behind the why to invest and provide tips you can use to build a safety net for your finances and ultimately build a freedom fund where you make your money work for you. Doesn't the idea of making money in your sleep sound like a nice experience to enjoy? The conversation also focuses on the importance of compounding interest, portfolio diversification, and collaborating with peers that have a growth mindset to find your way to financial freedom. Tobias and Alex also share their personal journeys through investing and offer lessons from their own experiences and early failures in investing. The goal of this episode is to provide you an introduction into the importance of investing and provide a few tips for the different stages of an investment journey.

Do you remember the struggles when you first started your career and the questions you had at that time? How do I get recognized? How do I progress to the next level? How do I get promoted.. get a raise.. get my ideas heard? Well we certainly do and we're hoping to help out those currently facing these questions. Everyone can always use solid career advice and we've crowdsourced our social networks to bring to you what we felt were some of the best career advice ever shared. In this episode Tobias and Alex will embark on a journey with a fruitful discussion around their favorite career development tips. Join them as they discuss their own career paths, tips for different stages in your career and the great advice shared with them from their global peer network. Sneak preview of one of our favorite tips - Always find ways to add value in anyway way you can. We sometimes find ourselves in situations where others are more experienced and possibly more knowledgeable than us but I've learned early on when I was an intern that you can still find ways to add value in any situation. Sometimes it's asking the right questions, other times it's adding a different perspective and sometimes it's running to a convenience store in Goa to get hair gel for an executive that needs to present later in the day but forgot their toiletry kit. Be creative and make it your mission to add value to those who you interact with.

What do you get when you combine a German, an Asian-American Dane, and a conversation about the Super Bowl? What is gamification and how do I play? What are ways to hit your fitness goals when the gyms are closed because of the pandemic? Which two not so buff guys take a chance and try to explore giving practical but fun advice on working out? Find out the answer to all these questions and more in episode 3 of the A-Z Talks series. In this episode, we focus on fitness as a theme and discuss a variety of options that are available to the general public at little or no costs. The goal is to help identify different avenues of fitness for you to try, share compete in and have a ton of fun along the way. Alex and Tobias provide a few tips on things you can try at home, virtually with friends and share their favorite past times during this pandemic we're all enduring. Who said working out had to be just hard work? Links to products or recommendations we've referenced in our episode: Apple Watch: https://amzn.to/39Vpcmu Ringfit Adventure: https://amzn.to/3azr1EQ Nintendo Switch + Ringfit Adventure bundle: https://amzn.to/3jqCj20 Yoga with Adriene: https://www.youtube.com/user/yogawithadriene

Failure is a speed bump to success. – Peter Guber. Join Tobias and Alex as they discuss some key fundamentals in financial planning and money management. They've both experienced more than their fair share of bumpy roads along the way and discuss key lessons learned from past investments and upcoming financial goals for the coming year. The goal is for listeners to get a brief introductory to basics of money management, share a few fundamental tips in creating a budget, and share our approach to financial planning for 2021.

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. In this episode, we explore a framework to help with goal settings to create a plan for the upcoming year and share a few suggestions that will increase the likelihood of your success. We'll focus on the process of how to create a plan, put it down on paper and how to keep it as a fluid process that you can use for the year ahead. Tobias will also give a quick introduction on his current portfolio and how this planning process helped for setting his goals. The goal is for you to walk away with a solid process to help you set plans for 5 key goals you're looking to accomplish in 2021.

This is our introductory episode where we discuss who we are, why we're doing this podcast, and what we hope to accomplish. The goal for this session is to give you insight into the creators of A-Z Talks and provide a preview for all the fun to come.