School for Startups Radio

I've recorded a number of episodes on the perils of AI a few months back. As we march towards this innevitable chapter of our evolution, I realize that most of my issues with it is not because the technology is bad. It is the very limited few that will wield it like a weapon against us. So in what I think will be a thought provoking episode, I'm going to look int to the humans behind all of this and dig deeper as to what we have allowed our species to become.

The song ‘It's the most wonderful time of the year' might hold up well for a warm feeling as the temperatures drop, but it was co-opted by the retail industry in a way to control the mind of the masses into mass consumption. Retailers make more money in this season than at anytime in the year, and the constrained are enslaved in debt from being guilted into buying stuff for other people. Let's go through a few tricks you can use to survive this period without having to be Uncle Scrooge to get through it.

The second half of the answer to the question "How much do you really need to retire?" after my shock of hearing the personal financial industry stating $4 million.  As someone who has been living financially free for quite some time, I can tell you that this is a total lie and I'll explain the truth of what really is required.

I came across this study on Seeking Alpha recently.  It found that younger millennials — those around age 30 — would likely need at least $3.6 million saved up to enjoy a comfortable retirement. To be on the safe side, it might be wise to round that up to an even $4 million. This assumes that you want to retire no later than age 62 and have not yet saved anything except emergency cash.  How the hell can anyone do that?  Well in this episode, I'll prove why this traditional mindset is just plain wrong, and how you really can do this with 1/10th of the savings that these so called experts are saying.

I've had a lot of first hand experience in the USA at trying to get to simply see a doctor, and I've never seen it this bad before.  When I hear recent news that the billionaires are inserting themselves into the tech AI space for healthcare research, and all these unicorn & rainbow stories we hear about how AI will change the game for healthcare research and curing viruses, it seems so disengenuous when the average US person can't get to see a doctor in a timely basis, or even afford to.  Let's get the truth of this failed healthcare system in the USA and why it affects your safety and your very life expectancy in your attempt to be unconstrained.

I have tried to avoid any topic on politics because it just divides people. This episode has little to do with politics, however. But I would like to have an open, honest and frank discussion about government – particularly the US government, what I thought it was, what I discovered it was, and where I see this whole thing going.

This is a discovery that I came across while hanging out with other expats here in Mexico where I am as I record this. But few people in the USA or other western countries seem to understand this opportunity. So let's talk about it.

This is the 2nd episode in an update on what it's like to build a dream home in Mexico and my experiences so far.

If you have been listening to me for any length of time, you know that I'm currently developing a large property in central Mexico.  Well in this episode I'll do an update on where I'm at, what I've learned so far in the process and the trials & tribulations of doing what most people would fear to do, but to keep an eye on the epic results you can achieve if you are careful.

After selling our rental real estate, we were left with few forms of smart income.  I began searching for alternatives.  I realized that for the next few years, much of my time would be spent outside of the USA, so I needed something that didn't require me to be physically present to manage them, but paid me a tidy sum each month.  This led me to dividend stocks, and so far I am very happy with the results.

In 2008, at the height of the global financial crisis in the US, I was heavily exposed to real estate debt due to some deals that had been done in the prior year, and ran the risk of being entirely wiped out. If it wasn't for having assets in another country and sold them to fund the underwater position I found myself in, I would never have survived it. In this episode, I want to fast forward to 2023 and explain why you MUST have an international diversification strategy for your assets if you wish to mitigate the risk of an adverse event in your country.

Central planners are at it again. The fear of a ‘housing crisis' has empowered government to create government housing by proxy. By using building regulations as a weapon, AZ government has created a trajectory towards 1970s style ghetto housing reminiscent of the low income apartments of Brooklyn. This model seems to be a reflection of the California model, which didn't work either. Is this what we want in America and how is this happening?

You work hard, you earn money, but you are broke.  Why?  In this episode I'm going to put out there a theory in the western world why people are broke, and it isn't the reasons the media and society will tell you. It is not rampant inflation.  It is not that you are not paid enough.  It is actually far simpler – it is about the decisions you make, and the fight to control your mind.

What happens with capitalism when AI takes over the economy? I've been giving this some thought, but to be honest I don't have a conclusion yet. I cannot see an upside to this, and despite all the WOW factor that AI seems to have in the social construct, I don't think anyone has really thought through the impact on capitalism & economics yet. Let's give it a shot in this episode…

I just was reading the recent paper produced by the WEF entitled ‘Pathways to the regulation of crypto-assets – a Global Approach' and it is frightening. Those that frequent Davos each year seem are throwing more and more resources in crafting a future for all of us, and it is a future that no-one other than the ruling elite would want.

In this third and last part of my series on what's on my investment radar, we are going to talk about energy and what I'm doing in terms of investment strategy regarding it for the next 3, 5 and 10 years.

In this 2nd part of a 3 part series, I'm unveiling my investment strategy regarding AI.  No, not my philosophical position, but my investing position.  Yes, there is a difference.  Enjoy.

If you are looking for financial advice, that's not what I do.  But I do share with people what I'm doing from a holistic position on my own investments, and this episode will cover some major strategic shifts I'm doing in light of new technologies and changing macro dynamics.  So settle back and relax and I'll share what I'm looking down the barrel at.

I was having lunch with my accountant and the subject of how different life felt outside the USA than within came up. I told him that after I had returned from a few weeks in Mexico, I found that I wasn't getting anywhere near as much productive work done in the USA. And the one reason – distractions.

The temptation when a podcast gets to 200 episodes is to celebrate how we got this far.  But when I did that, I realized that my success with this podcast came because of those who came before me, had faith in my work and befriended me.  Gary Collins was one such person, and with his passing last year, I was shocked to see how his work was being lost to Internet fade.  So in this episode, I'm joined by my friend Remso Martinez, who also was a good friend of Gary, and we look back at the message of The Simple Life and how it touched and affected all of us.

I was recently interviewed on another podcast in which the subject of why they thought Bitcoin was a poor store of value. I argued that Bitcoin is a perfect store of value – the question really comes down to what you are actually valuing it in. Where most of us choose our local currency as the basis of value and our wealth, I'm here to tell you that this is why most of society is dead broke. Let's discuss.

Once in a while, you bump into someone that is doing something unusual and creative and seems to understand the concept of Smart Income, as we teach it. Today I'm going to introduce you to one such person - Josh Lawlor, founder of The Film Shoot Rental Roadmap, and he's going to explain how you can make big bucks by renting out access to your home or other real estate for film and video shoots.

While your attention was being distracted towards the war in Ukraine, Debt ceiling negotiations, and even inflationary challenges, the central planners have been at work crafting the ultimate set of handcuffs the world has ever seen – FedNow. And in July 2023, this weaponized freedom grabber will go into full effect. In this episode, we will look at this new tool, how it works and why you should run away from it.

Sometimes I get people asking me, “Myles, why is it that you left Australia where the government provide free healthcare, education, and a social security for the US where you have to work for it all, pay 12x more? And then you take that to the next level and are building in Mexico where the government provide almost nothing?”. There's a simple answer to this. If you live on the principle that you will be 100% responsible for you and your family, then you can choose where and how you want to live. But for those that have just given up on personal responsibility on the premise that their government will take care of you, this is your wake up call. Because they WON'T!

In this episode, I continue on the previous summation of income lost and costs overspent for those that are literally ‘Leaving money on the table'.  This is the 2nd of a 2 part series, and this one has a ton of things you should be considering in order to fight inflation and live an unconstrained life

Things are tough out there, and family budgets are tight. Yet so many people are missing out on income and over paying on expenses. In this episode, I want to do a quick audit of personal finances and show some shocking discoveries of lost money that could have been reclaimed. Let's see if this information helps you get through the tough money times.

The rapid advancement of AI will create opportunities for early adopters. Even by the time you listen to this podcast, those opportunities have probably already been acquired, since only those with enormous capital reserves can afford the data centers to own the robots. But what will be left will be a perfectly laid out design document of totalitarian control from the George Orwell playbook. In this episode, I'm going to talk about my fears of the AI empowered future and how governments may be the early adopters.

Let's face it – the world needs more creative and out of the box thinkers. These ‘disruptors' change the future – look at people like Elon Musk as an example. Despite Elon's businesses and residence being in the USA, Elon is not from here, yet he has a cult like following in the USA. The reality is that we immigrants see the world as a huge playground rather than limiting ourselves to one country. So why is it that so many parents (and students) limit their education to only one country? In this episode we will explore how any student can get a free bachelors degree that will be respected and propel them forward like Elon Musk, by using the very creative and out of the box thinking that is the very essence of what employers and society is screaming out for in these challenging times. https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2023-04-18/higher-education-in-the-us-faces-a-systemic-crisis https://www.bachelorsportal.com/articles/2460/where-to-apply-for-english-taught-bachelors-degrees-in-germany-in-2023.html https://edurank.org/medicine/do/

In this episode, we review the results of one of the early pioneers of the FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) movement, and his journey from early retirement at the age of 34 in 2012 through to back to work to put his kids through college 10 years later.  This is from an article in Fortune Magazine.

On March 15th, 2023, the world changed forever. The release of GPT4 expanded the capability of AI to the point where a software bot could pass the bar exam and get a law degree, could get a degree in Biology at university, could understand images & sound as well as text, and even exhibited signs of AGI – Artificial General Intelligence, where it became self-aware. Let's talk about how this will change all of our lives and what opportunities present.

If you currently or wish to embrace the idea of doing the polar opposite of everyone else, you will be ridiculed, ostracized and even in some cases made an outcast of the social norms. Dealing with this can be the biggest challenge of anyone seeking extraordinary results in life. In this episode we will talk about the psychology of being a contrarian and how to maintain and thrive in an alternative world.

As I record this, the news headlines are about failing banks and managing inflation. Generally those that feed us with the information about what is happening in the world are negligent at telling the true story about risks & rewards. In this episode I want to bring some sanity to the discussion and challenge much of the fear mongering with a reality check – there is no progress without risk.

For about a year now, we've had a thing we offer for free to people called our Matrix Server. Other than just a quick announcement about it, I have not gone into details on the why and how of this, but more the importance of having a decentralized and uncensored means of our community communicating. That's all about to change now. Let's talk about it.

We are entering a world where you are a data point and they are creating a ruleset in which you must live. AI puts the human flaws of dominance and fear on steroids, and oversight will be years behind implementation. The warning of Orwell's Big Brother have not been taken seriously, so now what do you do? In this episode, we'll explore the current state of AI and where this is going, and why it is probably the greatest threat to anyone questing to be unconstrained.

Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad Poor Dad stated, ‘ Your house is not an asset. Rather it is a liability.' Whereas I agree with this statement, as a contrarian I have to see this more of a challenge rather than statement of fact. In this episode I want to explore how you can make your home an asset rather than a liability. Cheap Crypto Miner:  https://evergreenminer.com Music income:  https://52cues.com https://makemusicincome.com Stock photography income:   https://shotkit.com/making-money-with-stock-photography/ Dividend Bull YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DividendBull Sure Dividend champions list: https://www.suredividend.com/dividend-champions-list/

I am recording this episode at a time when the banking stocks are crashing, people panicking that their deposits may be gone without their control, inflation continues to reveal its truth and there seems to be no upside in the economy today. Why? It is because EVERYTHING is a Ponzi scheme.

It is no secret that the western world is going through economic hard times right now.  It might not feel that way if you look at the stock markets, but the average family is dealing with company lay-offs and wage reductions, while costs are souring due to economic mismanagement by central planners.  As a result, the average person has to find a way to do more with less.  But few are well trained in this, and most will make what can often be considered fatal mistakes in how they attempt to remedy this situation.   Referenced video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5qvBKbMd74  

On January 25th 2023, the world of smart income took a big hit in the form of the Biden Administration's ‘Blueprint for a Renters Bill of Rights'. This bill, which would likely be an executive order by the president, attempts to address the rental housing affordability crisis as they would see it, reduce homelessness and other progressive ideals. But the unintended consequences of such a bill would destroy freedom, reduce housing affordability, penalize independent rental property ownership , eliminate the biggest part of smart income for financial sustainability, and constrain all of us to the world of predictable worker slaves until the day we die. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/01/25/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-new-actions-to-protect-renters-and-promote-rental-affordability/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/anafaguy/2023/01/25/biden-proposes-renters-bill-of-rights---heres-what-it-will-do/?sh=61e257b950f3  

Today I want to talk to you about the extreme danger of having a job. Or even thinking that Jobs are a good thing. Because it seems that the wizards of hypnosis and social manipulation - the governments and bankers - are at it again, lying and championing their success based on jobs. So ask yourself this - if you had the perfect life, would it include the crappy job you are forced to spend 75% of your waking life going to each day?

In the world of computer software, we design code based on what we call ‘tight' or ‘loose' coupling. Tightly coupled systems make assumptions about what they connect to – that they are stable and predictable. Loosely coupled systems better account for flexibility and change. However when I look at the world today, I see the 21st century is the result of humans building ONLY tightly coupled systems. In this episode, I'm going to deep dive what this means and why it leads to this boom & bust world that we are all being subjected to.

On a recent trip to Las Vegas, a friend of mine & I commented on the state of tipping. As someone who came from a country where tipping is not customary or expected, it was a culture shock to an immigrant in the USA. However there are pros & cons for tipping, so in this episode I want to deep dive the culture of tipping and how to protect yourself from vultures, yet incentivize the individual.

I do a lot of traveling, and with at least one international flight per month and peppering in the odd domestic route, there's a lot I've learned with decades of international travel experience. In this episode, I'm going to give you my current tips & tricks to make your traveling super cheap or free in 2023.

The press loves to have a field day when some service we rely on gets hacked. In this episode, I'm going to tell you how to have a smaller attack footprint – that is how to not be a target in this digital world, how we got to this point and what we can do going forward.

For as long as I have been alive, technology has shaped our world.  In fact, it created my wealth since I bought the first commercially available personal computer in 1977 – I turned it into a career.  But after over 40 years of being a part of that world, there's something going on in the road forward now that is unusual, scary and you need to know about this if you intend to be a part of that industry, or someone that is punting on massive returns in that sector.

In this episode, I'm going to take you on a little journey with me – an experiment that I've just undertaken successfully, to spend NO money in 10 days.  All during the most spend-heavy time of the year – the December Christmas period.  Why?  Because I wanted to prove just how insane society in the USA has gotten regarding consumption and why this will ultimately lead to a horrible ending.

The biggest misconception that most people chasing financial independence is that it is all about investing. They do everything to save as much money and invest it. Yet 90% of those doing this are not experts in investing. They just put the money in the hands of counterparties to invest for them and hope & pray. Then get back to earning money to put more money in those investments. In this episode we are going to explain the weaknesses in this approach and why it won't help you unless you know what you are doing.

Rather than the typical predictions of 2023, or new years resolutions, I've recorded this podcast to talk about action.  What I'm doing in 2023, and why.  Enjoy.

Dr. Daniël Reichman - CEO and co-founder of Ai-RGUS        If Duke University has this problem with its security 2000 cameras, probably somebody else has that problem too. So, I ran with an idea that wasn't even mine. We use AI to make sure security cameras are working. Recent estimates say there are 900 million cameras in the world. So, lots of potential problems. Dr. Daniël Reichman is the CEO and Chief Scientist of Ai-RGUS, an AI startup which provides a software solution to security camera systems. Ai-RGUS automatically verifies that security cameras are producing the video they were intended to capture, thereby ensuring video evidence will be available after an incident has occurred. Ai-RGUS is commercializing AI software that Dr. Reichman's lab at Duke University developed for the institution, at the request of the administration. With over 24 university publications, Dr. Reichman obtained his doctorate in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Duke University in 2017—a program fully funded by the U.S. Army Research Office. He has successfully completed consulting projects, including the development of software to assist in reading more than 10,000 pages which needed to be summarized, and developing software to automate aspects of financial projection for New York Life Insurance's portfolio of liabilities. Caroline Winnett - Executive Director at Berkeley SkyDeck Our mission is to be the world's top global accelerator. Caroline Winnett is the executive director of UC Berkeley's startup accelerator and founder of its VC fund. As a serial entrepreneur, she co-founded neuromarketing company Neurofocus, which was acquired by Nielsen, and has been in the New York Times and Business Insider. By now, we all know that women and minority-led companies need more funding, but there's another gap-closing tool that Caroline swears by: finding a mentor. Few founders have one (22%), but nearly 70% of companies noticed a rise in productivity due to mentorship. From introducing you to valuable connections to sharing tips on getting VCs to take you seriously as a woman or person of color, mentors are like a cheat code!

Sven Platte - Founder of Digistore24                     You need very little money to start an online business, you just need to find services like Digistore24 to help you scale. Sven Platte is the founder and CEO of Digistore24, the industry leader in Europe in the online sales platforms space. The company offers technology solutions for online entrepreneurs such as an integrated online store, affiliate networks, payment processing, and tax automation. The platform Digistore24 enables thousands of coaches, consultants and other online entrepreneurs to focus on their core business while they take care of the rest: technology, administration, integration of platforms and payments. As an investor, he is more than just his projects - he is committed to the development of other companies in the music, energy and fintech sectors. He is also the founder and host of SvenCast, a popular podcast and YouTube channel where he interviews entrepreneurs, business leaders, entertainers, and athletes about their stories and insights into building successful brands. Sven's mission is to help people monetize their passion by driving digital innovation. Roza Szafranek - CEO of HR Hints HR Hints is the first company which offers human resources as a monthly subscription. Roza Szafranek is the Founder & CEO of HR Hints, the first HR boutique operating in a subscription model, dedicated to startups and fast-growing tech companies. Together with her team, she has supported over 50 startups, teaching leaders how to be better with people and effectively develop companies. She shows founders and managers how to run companies based on engaged teams that deliver. Roza helps to build superior organizations of the type dreamed of by founders and managers. She cooperated and still cooperates with companies such as Ramp Network, Infermedica, Packhelp, Omnipack, Telemedi, inSTREAMLY, Zowie, Aleph Zero, ShopRunner, Inovo Venture Partner and Innovation Nest. She is a mentor of InCredibles, Sebastian Kulczyk's mentoring program, a winner of the HR Pearls competition and the title of Recruiter of the Year 2018. She is featured in the Strong Women in IT Global Edition 2021 report. Roza is the author of both industry and academic articles, co-author of books, and a conference speaker. In addition, she runs the People from Work podcast.

Tis the season to be grabbing all those last minute tax saving deductions you can, and in this episode that's what we are talking about.  So buckle in and take some notes, because you don't have much time left.