Podcasts about Concentration

Twist, Focus & Recovery Flow — Complete PracticeA steady complete practice that began with scattered energy and gradually found its center through breath, attention, and movement. This class builds challenge through twisting sequences, standing strength, and balance work while maintaining a grounded, forgiving atmosphere throughout.There's a subtle theme of returning and reconnecting running through the flow. Rather than fighting distraction or forcing focus, the practice allows attention to settle naturally over time, creating a class that feels more integrated and cohesive by the end than it does at the beginning.The result is a flow that balances challenge with patience, proving that a practice doesn't have to start perfectly to become something meaningful.New class every Tuesday. 350+ full classes in the Unlimited Archive at JustGreatYoga.com

Dr. Sydney Glassman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology & Plant Pathology at the University of California, Riverside. She studies how wildfires affect soil bacteria and fungi, with a particular interest in how soil microbial communities help ecosystems recover after disturbance. Her work focuses especially on mycorrhizal fungi, which form beneficial relationships with plant roots, as well as other fascinating bacteria and fungi that play important roles in nature. Outside of work, Sydney spends most of her time with her husband, her young children, and their two dogs (one an extra-large mixed breed and one an extra-small mixed breed). Reading books together is a favorite family pastime. She completed her B.A. in Biology with a Concentration in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Pennsylvania. Next Sydney received a Master's of Environmental Studies degree in Environmental Biology from the University of Pennsylvania working with Professor Brenda Casper. She was awarded her PhD in Environmental Science, Policy, & Management from the University of California, Berkeley working with Professor Tom Bruns. Afterwards, she conducted postdoctoral research at UC Irvine working with Professor Jennifer Martiny in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology before joining the faculty at UC Riverside in 2018. In this interview, Sydney shares more about her life and science.

Brad Carson was the Army's General Counsel, served two terms in Congress and was Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. He now heads Americans for Responsible Innovation, the AI-policy advocacy group he co-founded. Keith Duggar spends roughly eighty minutes pushing back.SPONSOR:---Cyber Fund built the Monastery to help founders ship products that were impossible a year ago. Applications for Batch 1 are now open.Apply now: https://cyber.fund---Carson's whole case rests on one line: the genie is not out of the bottle. We have pulled dangerous tech back before. Asilomar halted recombinant DNA in 1975, and the West still controls the chips AI runs on. Calling it unstoppable, he says, is the most dangerous idea in the room.Then Keith drags him somewhere darker. A Palantir heat map scores you 0.73 on whether you are a combatant, and a strike follows. The model is wrong some accepted share of the time, and when it is, nobody answers for it. You cannot court-martial a model, and not even the interpretability researchers can say why it picked you.—Note: after recording, we learned that Americans for Responsible Innovation is backed by EA-aligned philanthropy (not sponsored)---TIMESTAMPS:00:00:00 From the Pentagon to AI governance00:04:52 Regulatory capture vs Silicon Valley networks00:07:56 Transparency and the Claude tier changes00:09:40 Tort liability when AI tools cause harm00:13:40 AI is a product, not a person00:16:01 Children, suicide, and the suicide business00:19:59 Opaque neural nets and the law of war00:25:54 Probabilistic targeting and the death of accountability00:28:47 The arms race fallacy: Asilomar and restraint00:34:02 Talking to China: track 2 talks and chip leverage00:39:45 Air power never wins: capital for labour00:43:29 Anthropic vs the Department of War00:51:29 Concentration, open source, and brain drain01:00:18 DeepSeek, Chinese culture, and AI as diplomacy01:12:25 Upskilling Congress and why public trust matters---REFERENCES:organization:[00:02:45] ICRC position on autonomous weaponshttps://www.icrc.org/en/law-and-policy/autonomous-weapons[00:05:22] Americans for Responsible Innovation (ARI)https://ari.us[00:07:20] Andreessen Horowitz (a16z)https://a16z.com/[01:16:05] Office of Technology Assessmenthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Technology_Assessmentother:[00:03:35] Beneficial AGI 2019 Conference (Future of Life Institute, Puerto Rico)https://futureoflife.org/event/beneficial-agi-2019/[00:18:30] Section 230 of the Communications Decency Acthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_230[00:19:59] Lethal Autonomous Weapons (LAWS)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lethal_autonomous_weapon[00:31:35] Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_Arms_Limitation_Talks[00:32:28] Asilomar Conference on Recombinant DNA (1975)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asilomar_Conference_on_Recombinant_DNA[00:39:45] The New Iron Triangle (ARI policy byte)https://ari.us/policy-bytes/the-new-iron-triangle/[00:48:05] Defense Production Acthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_Production_Actperson:[00:03:35] Anthony Aguirrehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Aguirre[00:06:48] Dean Ball — Hyperdimensionalhttps://www.hyperdimensional.co/[00:23:13] Neel Nanda — mechanistic interpretabilityhttps://www.neelnanda.io/[00:36:02] Jack Clark (Anthropic) on Conversations with Tylerhttps://conversationswithtyler.com/episodes/jack-clark/[00:39:15] Robert Trager — Centre for the Governance of AIhttps://www.governance.ai/team/robert-trager[00:41:55] Giulio Douhethttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giulio_Douhet[01:15:05] Don Beyer (US Congress)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Beyertool:[00:22:19] Phalanx CIWShttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalanx_CIWS---ReScript:https://app.rescript.info/public/share/9405ff35c0215b7cdae6402d41284171https://app.rescript.info/api/public/sessions/0a6c081b8e5fe413/pdf

Strong Balance & Breath Challenge Flow — Complete Practice (69 min) This was a strong practice built around balance, breath control, and staying steady through moments of distraction and instability. Rather than creating intensity through speed, this class will challenge your ability to maintain smooth breathing and focused attention while moving through demanding standing balances, twists, and heart openers. Explore the push-and-pull: moments where energy feels scattered become opportunities to soften and reconnect to breath. New class every Tuesday. 350+ full classes in the Unlimited Archive at JustGreatYoga.com

Joining us in this episode of Living Off Rentals is a financial expert who challenges traditional investing and focuses on building safer, more predictable wealth strategies. Mark Willis is a Certified Financial Planner, three-time #1 bestselling author, and the owner of Lake Growth Financial Services.  He is also the co-host of the "Not Your Average Financial Podcast." Listen as he shares his perspective on why most investors don't actually earn the returns they expect from the stock market, how volatility impacts your wealth, and how to build a more stable financial system that works alongside real estate investing. Enjoy the show! Key Takeaways: [00:00] Introducing Mark Willis and his background [03:12] How the 2008 financial crisis changed his perspective on investing [07:50] Why average market returns are misleading [09:26] Averages are meaningless when factoring in volatility [12:26] The impact of fees on long-term wealth [13:48] Dollar-cost averaging isn't a complete solution [15:38] Understanding the sequence of returns risk [17:32] The five Ts of real estate [21:52] What makes a whole life policy good? [27:50] Whole life insurance as an investment [34:17] The "buy, borrow, die" strategy explained [38:06] Concentration can outperform diversification [40:36] The barbell strategy for balancing risk and stability [44:37] Connect with Mark Willis [45:46] How AI is impacting financial planning [48:01] Outro Guest Links: Website: https://kickstartwithmark.com/  Show Links: Living Off Rentals YouTube Channel – youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentals  Living Off Rentals YouTube Podcast Channel - youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentalsPodcast  Living Off Rentals Facebook Group – facebook.com/groups/livingoffrentals  Living Off Rentals Website – https://www.livingoffrentals.com/  Living Off Rentals Instagram – instagram.com/livingoffrentals  Living Off Rentals TikTok – tiktok.com/@livingoffrentals 

In this Dialogue episode of The Synopsis, we discuss S&P 500 valuations and concentration, and provide short thoughts on Constellation Software, Intuit, Sea Limited, and Mercado Libre.  YouTube Video Links: S&P 500 Concentration  Five Minute Money Newsletter Free Sign Up   ~*~ You can also get a free trial to AlphaSense to read 200k+ expert calls through this link.  ~*~ For full access to all of our updates and in-depth research reports become a Speedwell Member here. Please reach out to info@speedwellresearch.com if you need help getting us to become an approved research vendor in order to expense it. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Show Notes (0:00)  — S&P 500 Concentration a Risk? (20:40)  — Adobe Report Tease (23:18)  — Intuit Earnings Review (36:12)  — CSU Earnings and AGM (44:34)  — Why AI is a Beneficiary for Axon (49:17)  — Mercado Libre Earnings Takeaways and Risks (56:38)  — Sea Limited Earnings Takeaways and Risks -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- For full access to all of our updates and in-depth research reports, become a Speedwell Member here. Please reach out to info@speedwellresearch.com if you need help getting us to become an approved research vendor in order to expense it. *-*-*- Follow Us: Twitter: @Speedwell_LLC Threads: @speedwell_research Email us at info@speedwellresearch.com for any questions, comments, or feedback. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Disclaimer Nothing in this podcast is investment advice nor should be construed as such. Contributors to the podcast may own securities discussed. Furthermore, accounts contributors advise on may also have positions in companies discussed. This may change without notice. Please see Speedwell's and Drew Cohen Money's full disclaimers here:  https://speedwellresearch.com/disclaimer/ https://www.drewcohenmoney.com/disclaimers 

This talk explores the culminating factor of the Eightfold Path—Right Concentration—and the profound power of a steady, unified mind. In a world of constant distraction and fragmented attention, we investigate how deep focus becomes a gateway to inner stillness, clarity, and freedom. Drawing from classical Buddhist teachings and lived experience, this talk reveals how training attention is not just about meditation, but about reclaiming the depth, presence, and aliveness of your entire life.   You'll learn how to strengthen and stabilize attention through practical, time-tested methods, how to work skillfully with common obstacles like restlessness and doubt, and how concentration naturally matures from effort into ease. You'll also discover how a steady mind supports insight, emotional resilience, and a deep sense of well-being—opening the door to a more fully lived and awakened life.

As impressive the recent bounce in stocks has been, it is a Rally In Name Only. Large cap tech companies dominate returns, while almost everything else - whether at a country or a sector level - continues to struggle. With inflation spiking and interest rate markets starting to show signs of dislocation, it is worth asking if the concentration of returns carries with it the seeds of its own undoing. Marija Veitmane, Head of Equity Strategy at State Street Markets, joins us to discuss the sustainability of stock market strength and whether fixed income stress will have any lasting impact on returns.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Jenny Bay-Williams, Productive Ways to Build Fluency with Basic Facts ROUNDING UP: SEASON 4 | EPISODE 18 This summer we're replaying favorite listener episodes from the first four seasons of Rounding Up—like this one from Season 1. We'll return with all new episodes in early September. Ensuring students master their basic facts remains a shared goal among parents and educators. That said, many educators wonder what should replace the memorization drills that cause so much harm to their students' math identities. Today on the podcast, Jenny Bay-Williams talks about how to meet that goal and shares a set of productive practices that also support student reasoning and sensemaking.  BIOGRAPHY Jennifer Bay-Williams is a professor of mathematics education at the University of Louisville. She has authored over 40 books and 100 journal articles and book chapters that focus on making mathematics meaningful to all students. She is an international leader in the field of mathematics education, frequently speaking at state, national, and international conferences and serving on national boards.  RESOURCES "Eight Unproductive Practices in Developing Fact Fluency" article by Gina Kling and Jennifer M. Bay-Williams Math Fact Fluency: 60+ Games and Assessment Tools to Support Learning and Retention book by Jennifer M. Bay-Williams and Gina Kling Math Fact Fluency companion website by Kentucky Center for Mathematics TRANSCRIPT Mike Wallus: Welcome to the podcast, Jenny. We are excited to have you.  Jennifer Bay-Williams: Well, thank you for inviting me. I'm thrilled to be here and excited to be talking about basic facts.  Mike: Awesome. Let's jump in. So, your recommendations start with an emphasis on reasoning. I wonder if we could start by just having you talk about the why behind your recommendation and a little bit about what an emphasis on reasoning looks like in an elementary classroom when you're thinking about basic facts.  Jenny: All right, well, I'm going to start with a little bit of a snarky response: that the non-reasoning approach doesn't work.  Mike and Jenny: (laugh)  Jenny: OK. So, one reason to move to reasoning is that memorization doesn't work. Drill doesn't work for most people. But the reason to focus on reasoning with basic facts beyond that fact, is that the reasoning strategies grow to strategies that can be used beyond basic facts. So, if you take something like the making 10 idea—that 9 plus 6, you can move one over and you have 10 plus 5—is a beautiful strategy for a 99 plus 35. So, you teach the reasoning upfront from the beginning, and it sets students up for success later on.  Mike: That absolutely makes sense. So, you talk about the difference between telling a strategy and explicit instruction. And I raise this because I suspect that some people might struggle to think about how those are different. Could you describe what explicit instruction looks like and maybe share an example with listeners?  Jenny: Absolutely. First of all, I like to use the whole phrase: "explicit strategy instruction." So, what you're trying to do is have that strategy be explicit, noticeable, visible. So, for example, if you're going to do the making 10 strategy we just talked about, you might have two 10-frames. One of them is filled with nine counters, and one of them is filled with six counters. And students can see that moving one counter over is the same quantity. So, they're seeing this flexibility that you can move numbers around, and you end up with the same sum. So, you're just making that idea explicit and then helping them generalize. You change the problems up and then they come back and they're like, "Oh, hey, we can always move some over to make a ten"—or a twenty, or a thirty, or whatever you're working on. And so, I feel like, in using the counters, or they could be stacking Unifix cubes or things like that. That's the explicit instruction. It's concrete.  And then, if you need to be even more explicit, you ask students in the end to summarize the pattern that they noticed across the three or four problems that they solved. "Oh, that you take the bigger number, and then you go ahead and complete a ten to make it easier to add." And then, that's how you're really bringing those ideas out into the community to talk about.  For multiplication, I'm just going to contrast. Let's say we're doing [the] add a group strategy with multiplication. If you were going to do direct instruction, and you're doing 6 times 8, you might say, "All right, so when you see a six," then a direct instruction would be like, "Take that first number and just assume it's a five." So then, "Five eights is how much? Write that down." That's direct instruction. You're like, "Here, do this step. Here, do this step. Here, do this step." The explicit strategy instruction would have, for example—I like, for eights, boxes of crayons because they oftentimes come in eights. So, but they'd have five boxes of crayons and then one more box of crayons. So, they could see you've got five boxes of crayons. They know that fact is 40, they—if they're working on their sixes, they should know their fives. And so, then what would one more group be about?  So, just helping them see that with multiplication through visuals, you're adding on one group, not one more, but one group. So, they see that through the visuals that they're doing or through arrays or things like that. So, it's about them seeing the number of relationships and not being told what the steps are.  Mike: And it strikes me, too, Jenny, that the role of the teacher in those two scenarios is pretty different.  Jenny: Very different. Because the teacher is working very hard (chuckles) with the explicit strategy instruction to have the visuals that really highlight the strategy. Maybe it's the colors of the dots or the exact 10-frames they've picked and have they filled them or whether they choose to use the Unifix cubes and how they're going to color them and things like that. So, they're doing a lot of thinking to make that pattern noticeable, visible. As opposed to just saying, "Do this first, do that second, do that third." Mike: I love the way that you said that you're doing a lot of thinking and work as a teacher to make a pattern noticeable. That's powerful, and it really is a stark contrast to, "Let me just tell you what to do."  I'd love to shift a little bit and ask you about another piece of your work. So, you advocate for teaching facts in an order that stresses relationships rather than simply teaching them in order. I'm wondering if you can tell me a little bit more about how relationships-based instruction has an impact on student thinking.  Jenny: So, we want every student to enact the reasoning strategies. So, I'm going to go back to addition, for example. And I'm going to switch over to the strategy that I call "pretend-to-10", also called "use 10" or "compensation." But if you're going to set them up for using that strategy, there's a lot of steps to think through. So, if you're doing 9 plus 5, then in the pretend-to-10 strategy, you just pretend that 9 is a 10. So now you've got 10 plus 5 and then you've got to compensate in the end. You've got to fix your answer because it's 1 too much. And so, you've got to come back 1. That's some thinking. Those are some steps. So, what you want is to have the students automatic with certain things so that they're set up for that task. So, for that strategy, they need to be able to add a number onto 10 without much thought.  Otherwise, the strategy is not useful. The strategy is useful when they already know 10 plus 5. So, you teach them this, you teach them that relationship—10 and some more—and then they know that 9's 1 less than 10. That relationship is hugely important, knowing 9 is 1 less than 10. And so then they know their answer has to be 1 less. 9's 1 less than 10. So, 9 plus a number is 1 less than 10 plus the number. Huge idea.  And there's been a lot of research done in kindergarten on students understanding things like 7's 1 more than 6, 7's 1 less than 8. And they're predictive studies looking at student achievement in first grade, second grade, third grade. And students—it turns out that one of the biggest predictors of success is students understanding those number relationships. That 1 more, 1 less, 2 more, 2 less. Hugely important in doing the number sense.  So that's what the relationship piece is, is sequencing facts so that what is going to be needed for the next thing they're going to do, the thinking that's going to be needed, is there for them. And then build on those relationships to learn the next strategy.  Mike: I mean, it strikes me that there's a little bit of a twofer in that one. The first is this idea that what you're doing is purposely setting up a future idea, right? It's kind of like saying, "I'm going to build this prior knowledge about ten-ness, and then I'm going to have kids think about the relationship between 10 and 9." So, the care in this work is actually really understanding those relationships and how you're going to leverage them.  The other thing that really jumps out from what you said [is] this has long term implications for students' thinking. It's not just fact acquisition; it's what you said: Research shows that this has implications for how kids are thinking further down the road. Am I understanding that right?  Jenny: That's absolutely correct. So just that strategy alone. Let's say they're adding 29 plus 39. And they're like, "Oh hey, both of those numbers are right next to the next benchmark. So instead of 29 plus 39, I'm going to add 30 plus 40, [which equals] 70. And I got, I went up 2, so I'm going to come back down 2. And I know that 2 less than a benchmark's going to land on an 8." So that, again, it's coming back to this relationship of how far apart numbers are, what's right there within a set of 10, [which] helps then to generalize within tens or within hundreds.  And by the way, how about fractions?  Mike: Hmm. Talk about that.  Jenny: (laughs) It generalizes to fractions. So, let's take that same idea of adding. Let's just say it's like, 2 and seven-eighths plus 2 and seven-eighths. So, if we just pretended those were both 3s because they're both super close to 3, then you'd have 6, and then you added on two-eighths too much. So, you come back two-eighths, or a fourth, and you have your answer. You don't have to do the regrouping with fractions and all the mess that really gets bogged down. And it's a much more efficient method that, again, you set students up for when they understand these number relationships. When you get into fractions, you're thinking about, "How close are you to the next whole number?" maybe, instead of to the next tens number.  Mike: It strikes me that if you have a group of teachers who have a common understanding of this approach to facts, and everyone's kind of playing the long game and thinking about how what they're doing is going to support what's next, it just creates a system that's much more intentional in helping kids not only acquire the facts, but build a set of ways of thinking.  Jenny: Mike, that's exactly it. I mean, here we are, we're trying to make up for lost time. We never have enough time in the classroom. We want an efficient way to make sure our kids get the most learning in. And so, to me that is about investing early in the fact strategies. Because then actually when you get up to those other things that you're adding or subtracting or multiplying or whatever you're doing, you benefit from the fact that you took time early to learn those strategies. Because those strategies are now very useful for all this other math that you're doing. And then students are more successful in making good choices about how they're going to solve those problems that are, oftentimes—especially when, I like to mention fractions and decimals at least once in a basic facts talk because we get back, by the time we get into fractions and decimals—we're back to just sometimes only showing one way. The sort of standard algorithm way. When, in fact, those basic facts strategies absolutely apply to, almost always, more-efficient strategies for working with fractions and decimals.  Mike: I want to shift a little bit. One of the things that was really helpful for me in growing my understanding is the way that you talk about a set of facts that you would describe as foundational facts and another set of facts that you would describe as derived facts. And I'm wondering if you can unpack what those two subsets are and how they're related to one another.  Jenny: Yeah. So, the foundational facts are ones where automaticity is needed in order to enact a strategy. So, to me, the foundational fact strategies are their names. Like the doubling strategy—or double and double again, some people call it. Or add a group for multiplication. And the addition ones of making 10s and pretend-to-10 strategies. And in those strategies, you can solve lots of different facts. But there's too much going on (laughs) in your brain if you don't have automaticity with the facts you need.  So, for example, if you have your 6 facts, and you're trying to get your 6 facts down. And you already know your 5s, like, automaticity with your 5s, then that becomes a useful way to get your 6s. So, if you have 6 times 8, and you know 5 times 8 is 40, then you're like, "I got one more 8, [which equals] 48." That's an added group strategy.  But if you're not automatic with your 5s, this is how this sounds when you're interviewing a child. They're going to use add a group strategy, but they don't know their 5s. So, then they're like, "Let's see. 5 times 8 is 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40. Now, what was I doing?" Like, they can't finish it because they were skip-counting with their 5s. They lose track of what they're doing, is my point. So, the key is that they just know those facts that they need in order to use a strategy. And that, going back to, like, the pretend-to-10, they got to know 10 and some more facts to be successful. They have to know 9's 1 less than 10 to be successful. So, that's the idea is, if they reach automaticity with the foundational fact sets, then their brain is freed up to go through those reasoning strategies.  Mike: That totally makes sense.  I want to shift a little bit now. One of the things that I really appreciated about the article ["Eight Unproductive Practices in Developing Fact Fluency" by Gina Kling and Jennifer M. Bay-Williams] was that you made what I think is a very strong, unambiguous case for ending many of the past practices used for fact acquisition—worksheets and timed tests, in particular. This can be a tough sell because this is often what is associated with elementary mathematics, and families kind of expect this kind of practice. How would you help an educator explain the shift away from these practices to folks who are out in the larger community? What is it that we might help say to folks to help them understand this shift?  Jenny: That's a great question, and the real answer is it depends, again, on [the] audience. So, who is your audience? Even if the audience is parents, what do those parents prioritize and want for their children? So, I feel like there's lots of reasons to do it, but to really speak to what matters to them. So, I'm going to give a very generic answer here. But for everyone, they want their child to be successful. So, I feel that that opportunity to show, to give a problem, like 29 plus 29, and ask how parents might add that problem. And if they think 30 plus 30 and subtract 2 to get to the answer or whatever, then that gives this case to say, "Well this is how we're going to work on basic facts. We're building up so that your child is ready to use these strategies. We're going to start right with the basic facts, learning these strategies. These really matter." And the example I gave could be whatever fits with the level of their kid. So, it could be like 302 minus 299. It's a classic one where you don't want your child to implement an algorithm there; you want them to notice those numbers are 3 apart. And so, there's this work that begins early. So, I think that's part of it.  I think another part of it is helping people just reflect on their own learning experiences. What were your learning experiences with basic facts? And even if they liked the speed drills, they oftentimes recognize that it was not well-liked by most people. And also, then they really didn't learn strategies. So, I feel like we have to be showing that we're not taking something away; we're adding something in. They are going to become automatic with their facts. They're not going to forget them because we're not doing this memorizing that leads to a lot of forgetting. And, bonus, they're going to have these strategies that are super useful going forward.  So, to me, those are some of the really strong speaking points. I like to play a game and then just stop and pause for a minute and just say, "Did you see how hard it was for me to get you quiet? Do you see how much fun you were having?" And then I just hold up a worksheet (laughs). I'm like, "And how about this?" You know, again, that emotional connection to the experience and the outcomes.  Mike: That is wonderful.  Since you brought it up, let's talk about replacements for worksheets and timed tests.  Jenny: Mm-hmm.  Mike: So, you advocate for games, as you said, and for an activity-based approach. I think that what I want to try to do is get really specific so that if I'm a classroom teacher, and I can't see a picture of that yet, can you help paint a picture? What might that look like?  Jenny: I love that question because there's lots of good games and lots of places. But again, like I said earlier, this thinking really deeply about what game I'm choosing and for what—what do my students need to practice? And then being very intentional about game choice is really important.  So, for example, if students are working on their 10 and some more facts, then you want to play a game where all the facts are 10 and some more facts. That's what they're working on. And then maybe you mix in some that aren't. Or you play a game with that and then they sort cards and find all the, solve the 10 and some more, or there's lots of things they can do. They can play Concentration, where the fact is hidden and the answer is hidden and things like that. So, you can be very focused. And then when you get to the strategies, you want to have a game that allows for students to say, allow their strategies.  So, I'm a big fan of, like, sentence frames, for example. So, there's games that we have in our Math Fact Fluency[: 60+ Games and Assessment Tools to Support Learning and Retention] book [by Jennifer Bay-Williams and Gina Kling] that are in other places that specifically work on a strategy. So, for example, if I'm working on the pretend-to-10 strategy, I like to play the game Fixed-Addend War, which is the classic game of War, except there's an addend in the middle, and it's a 9, to start. And then each of the two players turns up a card. So, Mike, if you turn up a 7, then you're going to explain how you're going to use the pretend-to-10 strategy to add it. And I turned up a 6, so I'm going to, I'm going to do this then I'll, you can do it. So, I turned up a 6. So, I'm going to say, "Well, 10 and 6 is 16, so 9 and 6 is 1 less, [which equals] 15.' I've just explained the pretend-to-10 strategy. And then you get your turn.  Mike: And I'd say, "Well, 7 and 10, I know 7 and 10 is 17, so 7 and 9 has to be 1 less, and that's 16." Jenny: Yeah. So, your total's higher than mine. You win those two cards, you put them in your deck, and we move on. So, that's a way to just practice thinking through that strategy. Notice there's no time factor in that. You have a different card than I have. You have as much time, and we're doing think-aloud. These are all high-leverage practices. Then we get to the games where it's like, you might turn up a 6 and a 5 where you're not going to use the pretend-to-10 strategy for that. You've got to think, "Oh, that doesn't really fit that strategy because neither one of those numbers is really close to 10. Oh, hey, it's near a double; I'm going to use my doubles." So, you sequence these games to—if you start with one of those open-ended games, it might be too big of a jump because students aren't ready to choose between their strategies. They have to first be adept at using their strategies. And once they're adept at using them, then they're ready to play games where they get to choose among the strategies.  Mike: So, you're making me think a couple things, Jenny. One is, it's not just that we're shifting to using games as a venue to practice to get to automaticity. You're actually saying that when we think about the games, we really need to think about, "What are the strategies that we're after for kids?" And then make sure that the way that the game is structured, like, when you're talking about the pretend-to-10, with the fixed addend. That's designed to elicit that strategy and have kids work on developing their language and their thinking around that particularly. So, there's a level of intent around the game choice and the connection to the strategies that kids are thinking about. Am I understanding that right?  Jenny: That's it. That's exactly right. That's exactly right. And a huge—a lot of intentionality so that they have that opportunity in a no-pressure, a low-stress, think-through-the-strategy [way]. If they make a mistake, their peer or themselves usually correct it in the moment, and they get so much practice in. I mean, imagine going through half a deck of cards playing that game.  Mike: Yeah.  Jenny: That's 26 facts. And then picture those 26 facts (laughs) on a page of paper. And then—and again, in the game that you've got the added benefit of think-aloud, and then you're hearing what your peer has said.  Mike: You know, one of the things that strikes me is, if I'm a teacher, I might be thinking, like, "This is awesome, I'm super excited about it. Holy mackerel, do I have to figure these games out myself?" And I think the good news is, there's a lot of work that's been done on this. I know you've done some. Do you have any recommendations for folks? There's, of course, curriculum. But do you have recommendations for resources that you think, help a teacher think about this or help a teacher see some of the games that we're talking about?  Jenny: Well, I'm going to start with my Math Fact Fluency book because that is where we go through each of these strategies, each of the foundational facts sets and the strategies, and for each one supply a game. And then from those games they're easily adaptable to other settings. And some of the games are classic games. So, there's a game, for example, called Square Deal. And the idea is that you're covering a game board, and you're trying to make a square. So, you get a 2-by-2 grid taken, and you score a point or 5 points or whatever you want to score. Well, we have that game housed under the 10 and some more facts. So, all the answers are, like, 19, 16, 15, and the students turn over a 10 card and another card, and if it's a 10 and a 5, they get to claim a 15 spot on the game board.  Well, that game board can be easily adapted to any multiplication fact sets, any other addition [sets]. I like to do a Square Deal with 10 and some more, and then I like to do Square Deal with 9 and some more. There's my (laughs) effort, again, to come back to either pretend-to-10 or making 10. Where they're like, "Oh, I just played 10 and some more. Now we're doing the same game, but it's 9 and some more." So, I feel like there's a lot of games there. And there is a free companion website that has about half of the games ready to download in English and in Spanish.  Mike: Any chance you'd be willing to share it?  Jenny: Yeah, absolutely. So, you can just google it. The Kentucky Center for Mathematics created it during COVID-19, actually, as a gift to the math community. And so, if you type in "Kentucky Center for Math" or "KCM Math Fact Fluency companion website," it will pop up.  Mike: That's awesome.  I want to ask you about one more thing before we close because we've really talked about the replacement for worksheets, the replacements for timed tests. But there is a piece of this where people think about "How do I know?" right? "How can I tell that kids have started to build this automaticity?" And you make a pretty strong case for interviewing students to understand their thinking. I'm wondering if you could just talk again about the why behind it, and a little bit about what it might look like.  Jenny: So, first of all, timed tests are definitely a mistake for many reasons. And one of the reasons—beyond the anxiety they cause—they're just very poor assessment tools. So, you can't see if the student is skip-counting or not, for example, for multiplication facts. You can't see if they're counting by 1s for the addition facts. You can't see that when they're doing the test, and you can't assume that they're working at a constant rate; that they're just solving one every, you know, couple of seconds, which is the way those tests are designed. Because I can spend a lot of time on one and less time on the other. So, they're just not, they're just not effective as an assessment tool.  So, if you flip that. Let's say they're playing the game we were talking about earlier, and you just want to know, "Can they use the pretend-to-10 strategy?" That's your assessment question of the day. Well, you can just wander around with a little checklist (chuckles), you know? "Yes, they can." "No, they can't." And so, a checklist can get at the strategies, and a checklist can also get at the facts, like, "How well are they doing with their facts?" So, once they do some of those games that are more open-ended, you can just observe and listen to them and get a feel for that. If they're playing Square Deal with whatever fact, you know. So, what happens is, you're like, "I wonder how they're doing with their 4s. We've really been working with their 4s a lot.' Well, you can play Square Deal or a number of other games where that day you're working on 4s. The [game] Fixed-Addend War can become Fixed-Factor War, and you put a 4 in the middle. So adaptable games and then you're just listening and watching.  And if you're not comfortable with that approach, then they can be playing those games, and you can have students channeling through where you do a little mini-interview. It only takes a few questions to get a feel for whether a student knows their facts. And you can really see who's automatic and who's still thinking. So, for example, a student who's working on their 4s, if you give them 4 times 7, they might say, "28." I call that automatic. Or they might, they might do 4 times 7, and they pause, and they're like, "28." Then I'm like, "How did you think about that?" And they're like, "Well, I doubled and doubled again." "Great." So, I can mark off that they are using a strategy, but they're not automatic yet. So that to me is a check, not a star. And if I ask, "How did you do it?" And they say, "Well, I skip-counted." Well then, I'm marking down they skip-counted. Because that means they need a strategy to help them move toward automaticity. Mike: I think what strikes me about that, too, is, when you understand where they're at on their journey to automaticity, you can actually do something about it as opposed to just looking at the quantity that you might see on a timed test. What's actionable about that? I'm not sure, but I think what you're suggesting really makes the case that I can do something with data that I observe or data that I hear in an interview or see in an interview.  Jenny: Absolutely. I mean this whole different positioning of the teacher as coaching the student toward their growth; helping them grow in their math proficiency, their math fluency. You see where they're at and then you're monitoring that in order to move them forward instead of just marking them right or wrong on a timed test. I think that's a great way to synthesize that.  Mike: Well, I have to say, it has been a pleasure talking with you. Thank you so much for joining us today. Jenny: Thank you so much. I am, again, thrilled to be invited and always happy to talk about this topic.  Mike: This podcast is brought to you by The Math Learning Center and the Maier Math Foundation, dedicated to inspiring and enabling all individuals to discover and develop their mathematical confidence and ability.

Today my guest is Dr. Pratap Bhanu Mehta, who is the Laurance Rockefeller Professor for Distinguished Teaching at Princeton and former president and chief executive of the Center for Policy Research, New Delhi. He is the author of various books and edited volumes, has served on various government committees, and is a columnist for the Indian Express. We talked about the return of nihilism in political life, the hollowing of professional identities, the politics of vishwas, Adam Smith on concentrated power, what it takes to build lasting institutions, the assumptions behind nonalignment, and much more. Recorded April 3rd, 2026. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links. Connect with Ideas of India Follow us on X Follow Shruti on X Click here for the latest Ideas of India episodes sent straight to your inbox. Timestamps (00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:11) - The Challenges Facing Liberalism (00:06:50) - The Erosion of Moral Authority (00:11:32) - Nationalism, Feminism, and the Arc of History (00:16:55) - Globalization and the Crisis of Community (00:22:06) - Sincerity, Context, and Intelligibility in a Digital Age (00:30:37) - Professional Identities as Sources of Moral Meaning (00:40:45) - Formal Inclusion and Continued Inequality (00:45:54) - Concentration of Power and the Distortion of the State (00:51:37) - The Politics of Vishwas (01:01:57) - On Caste and the Limits of Identity Politics (01:05:34) - The Question of Social Trust (01:14:08) - Trust-Building and Barriers to Desegregation (01:24:53) - Institutions of Higher Learning (01:39:31) - The Assumptions of Nonalignment (01:46:12) - Outro

The Wake Up Call plays another game of concentration:

Playing for tickets to see Shaboozy at Channel 24 on 10/24.

Cultivating Concentration - Meer Musa (Won Sang Won)

A unique Dhamma talk describing the Buddha's interpretation of sixteen dreams of King Pasenadi and what it holds for the future, specifically starting 2500 years later, in the very time that we currently live.YouTube Channel LinkWebsite:www.satipatthana.caDonations and Memberships

What does it really mean for practice to deepen? It is not a bigger backbend or a more dramatic shape. It is the quiet transformation that comes from showing up day after day. In this talk, Kino explores how steady effort widens our capacity to feel the full spectrum of life. The highs may feel brighter, and the lows may feel deeper, yet the work is to meet both with awareness rather than attachment. Think of the mind as a garden. When we tend it with practice, wisdom takes root. When we stop tending it, weeds of habit and reactivity return. Kino shares a classical view of the path. Asana is a container where we willingly meet a small dose of discomfort and learn to stay. Breath gives us a way to regulate the field of mind and body. Concentration trains attention so we can see clearly. From this triad, wisdom ripens. She also reflects on teachings that point to the universality of suffering and the freedom that comes from understanding its causes, along with the courage to respond with compassion, joy, and equanimity. The episode closes with a reminder of the daily frame of practice: begin with devotion and end with peace for all beings. Keep coming back. Depth is not an accident. It is the natural result of consistent practice and a gentle heart. To practice with Kino and other amazing teachers, head to Omstars and explore your practice with us. 

durée : 00:05:24 - Entendez-vous l'éco ? - par : Anne-Laure Chouin - Ce qui se passe avec le groupe de Vincent Bolloré est le symptôme d'une concentration dans le secteur des médias et de l'édition qui ne répond plus seulement à des enjeux économiques, mais aussi à un projet politique. Aujourd'hui, la réglementation peine à encadrer la concentration de l'attention. - réalisation : Caroline Bennetot, Éric Chaverou - invités : Louis Wiart Professeur en communication à l'Université Libre de Bruxelles, auteur de "La Prescription littéraire en réseaux" (Presses de l'Enssib, 2017) Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France

During this talk, Peter provides his perspective on the function of the Seven Awakening Factors, which culminate in the full realization potential of the Four Noble Truths.  He describes three categories within the seven:  Mindfulness, Investigation of Mental Phenomena, and Energy, the persistent ability to maintain a flow of attention and self-regulation that fosters Awakening,  The remaining four factors develop as the result of how skillfully the first three are matured.  Next week’s talk will further the review with a focus on the Awakening Factors of Joy and Tranquility, and the following week will review the final two factors, Concentration and Equanimity. Here are the notes Peter used during the talk:  mindfulness investigation and energy are drivers of awakening factors Here are notes prepared prior to the talk:  Reviewing The Seven Awakening Factor System

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) We begin with a review of the nature of samadhi and of samatha practice, in which we develop greater samadhi. Samadhi is understood as a natural quality (including with other species) that we may know through times in which we are deeply immersed and absorbed in an activity, such as being with another, art, music, or sports. Samatha is one of the two main forms of meditation taught by the Buddha, along with insight practice. We also give an overview of how samatha practice deepens, going into some depth on the model of the five jhanic factors, and pointing to the experiences of the first two jhanas (as taught by the Buddha). The talk is followed by discussion.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) We review at the beginning the basic instructions for cultivating concentration (samadhi), including attention to posture, a variety of possible areas of focus (with most attention given to the breath, including the technique of practicing with the "three-part breath"), and balancing "not too tight" and "not too loose." We also review the main challenges that can arise in such practice, and how to work with these challenges. Then we practice mostly in silence, with a discussion period at the end of the sitting.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) We begin with a review of the nature of samadhi and of samatha practice, in which we develop greater samadhi. Samadhi is understood as a natural quality (including with other species) that we may know through times in which we are deeply immersed and absorbed in an activity, such as being with another, art, music, or sports. Samatha is one of the two main forms of meditation taught by the Buddha, along with insight practice. We also give an overview of how samatha practice deepens, going into some depth on the model of the five jhanic factors, and pointing to the experiences of the first two jhanas (as taught by the Buddha). The talk is followed by discussion.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) We review at the beginning the basic instructions for cultivating concentration (samadhi), including attention to posture, a variety of possible areas of focus (with most attention given to the breath, including the technique of practicing with the "three-part breath"), and balancing "not too tight" and "not too loose." We also review the main challenges that can arise in such practice, and how to work with these challenges. Then we practice mostly in silence, with a discussion period at the end of the sitting.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) We begin with a review of the nature of samadhi and of samatha practice, in which we develop greater samadhi. Samadhi is understood as a natural quality (including with other species) that we may know through times in which we are deeply immersed and absorbed in an activity, such as being with another, art, music, or sports. Samatha is one of the two main forms of meditation taught by the Buddha, along with insight practice. We also give an overview of how samatha practice deepens, going into some depth on the model of the five jhanic factors, and pointing to the experiences of the first two jhanas (as taught by the Buddha). The talk is followed by discussion.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) We review at the beginning the basic instructions for cultivating concentration (samadhi), including attention to posture, a variety of possible areas of focus (with most attention given to the breath, including the technique of practicing with the "three-part breath"), and balancing "not too tight" and "not too loose." We also review the main challenges that can arise in such practice, and how to work with these challenges. Then we practice mostly in silence, with a discussion period at the end of the sitting.

Amazon, Walmart, and Costco aren't just winning—they're pulling away. In episode 301, Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc dig into what Steve calls "Retail's Great Concentration": the accelerating shift of sales, traffic, and profit toward a small group of super-scalers. Fresh data shows just six retailers now capturing a disproportionate share of industry growth—and the structural forces behind it, from fulfillment economics to consumer migration toward convenience and value, aren't slowing down. The conversation revisits two of Steve's core frameworks—Death in the Middle and the bifurcation between value/convenience and premium/specialty—and traces how the Great Concentration is the logical next chapter. Central to the discussion is the distinction between buying and shopping: buying is about efficiency, price, and speed; shopping is about inspiration, discovery, and emotional engagement. For mid-market retailers, that distinction is existential. If you can't out-Amazon Amazon, where do you actually create differentiated value? Steve also addresses AI—useful, even transformational, but not a substitute for the human side of retail: experience, service, and genuine connection. In the news: Tapestry delivers strong earnings, with Coach standing out on the strength of sharp customer insights and disciplined brand execution. Warby Parker shows continued profitable growth and store expansion, though slowing momentum raises questions about discretionary spending. Then comes the year's most head-scratching retail story: GameStop's bid for eBay. Steve dissects the financial logic—or conspicuous lack thereof. The hosts also examine Saks Global's restructuring and debate whether the luxury retailer has a credible path to relevance post-bankruptcy. Finally, on the radar: soft travel demand around the 2026 FIFA World Cup and what it may mean for hospitality, tourism, and local retail—plus the return of dynamic pricing, and yes, world peace. Join us at the CommerceNext Growth Show in New York June 23rd and 24th with this exclusive discount code for 10% off general admission tickets and FREE retail tickets: Your code is "REMARKABLE" . See you in the Big Apple! About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2025 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.

Stephen Grootes speaks to James Hodge, Chief Economist at the Competition Commission, about the Commission’s latest Concentration Report, why market concentration remains high in South Africa, and what needs to change to open the economy to greater MSME participation and inclusive growth. The Money Show is a podcast hosted by well-known journalist and radio presenter, Stephen Grootes. He explores the latest economic trends, business developments, investment opportunities, and personal finance strategies. Each episode features engaging conversations with top newsmakers, industry experts, financial advisors, entrepreneurs, and politicians, offering you thought-provoking insights to navigate the ever-changing financial landscape.    Thank you for listening to a podcast from The Money Show Listen live Primedia+ weekdays from 18:00 and 20:00 (SA Time) to The Money Show with Stephen Grootes broadcast on 702 https://buff.ly/gk3y0Kj and CapeTalk https://buff.ly/NnFM3Nk For more from the show, go to https://buff.ly/7QpH0jY or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/PlhvUVe Subscribe to The Money Show Daily Newsletter and the Weekly Business Wrap here https://buff.ly/v5mfetc The Money Show is brought to you by Absa     Follow us on social media   702 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalkRadio702 702 on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talkradio702 702 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkradio702/ 702 on X: https://x.com/CapeTalk 702 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@radio702   CapeTalk on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@capetalk CapeTalk on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ CapeTalk on X: https://x.com/Radio702 CapeTalk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CapeTalk567 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna continues last week's discussion on the Perfection of Wisdom in the text “How to Meditate on the Stages of the Path”. He introduces and gives guidance on three different types of wisdom that are presented in the text, while also more broadly discussing various wisdoms that we will encounter on the Path to Awakening. This episode was recorded on April 8th, 2026.Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Located in Carbondale, Colorado, the Way of Compassion Dharma center's primary objective is to provide programs of Buddhist studies and practices that are practical, accessible, and meet the needs of the communities we serve.  As a traditional Buddhist center, all of our teachings are offered freely. If you would like to make a donation to support the center, please visit www.wocdc.org.  May you flourish in your practice and may all beings swiftly be free of suffering.

Keith breaks down why real wealth is built through concentration, not diversification and explains how focusing on one main vehicle—like a specific real estate strategy, business, or career niche—creates the expertise and asymmetric returns diversification can't.  He also clarifies that diversification isn't useless; it's most powerful later in life as a wealth preservation tool, not a wealth builder. Contrasting building wealth with simply earning a living, showing why specialization is the key to higher income.  Finally, he highlights the one area where diversification truly shines: your relationships and network, which provide resilience, perspective, and long-term support. Episode Page: GetRichEducation.com/605 For access to properties or free help with a GRE Investment Coach, start here: GREmarketplace.com GRE Free Investment Coaching: GREinvestmentcoach.com Get mortgage loans for investment property: RidgeLendingGroup.com or call 855-74-RIDGE  or e-mail: info@RidgeLendingGroup.com Invest with Freedom Family Investments.  For predictable 10-12% quarterly returns, visit FreedomFamilyInvestments.com/GRE or text  FAMILY to 66866  Unlock truly passive real estate income—visit flockhomes.com/GRE today to see if your properties qualify for a 721 exchange with Flock Homes. Will you please leave a review for the show? I'd be grateful. Search "how to leave an Apple Podcasts review"  For advertising inquiries, visit: GetRichEducation.com/ad Best Financial Education: GetRichEducation.com Get our wealth-building newsletter free— GREletter.com  Our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/c/GetRichEducation Follow us on Instagram: @getricheducation Complete episode transcript:   Keith Weinhold  0:01   Welcome to GRE. I'm your host. Keith Weinhold, is wealth built through diversification or concentration? There is one clear answer. Then, in five year age increments, how should you think about wealth building and real estate at age 2025, 3035, and so on, all lay out each one today on get rich education.   Keith Weinhold  0:26   Flock homes helps multi family owners exit the operator grind, whether it's your six Plex or a 50 unit apartment through a 721 exchange, this defers your capital gains tax. It's a strategy long used by institutions. Now you can swap tenants and toilets for passive income and zero management request your initial valuation, see if your property qualifies at flock homes.com/gre, that's F, l, O, C, K, homes.com/gre,   Speaker 1  0:59   you're listening to the show that has created more financial freedom than nearly any show in the world. This is get rich education.   Keith Weinhold  1:15   Welcome to GRE from Buffalo New York to Buffalo Wyoming and across 108 nations worldwide. I'm Keith Weinhold. You're listening to get rich education. I am back here with easy to understand language to help you learn why and how real estate has made more ordinary people wealthy than anything else, and in your personal path to wealth building, how do you think that wealth is achieved is it through diversification or concentration? Because there is a clear cut answer. There is no squishy wishy washy, a little of this and a little of that, or no major exceptions. No gray area here. And it's interesting because I have a CFA friend, that means chartered financial analyst who's really smart and really well trained, and yet he seems confused by this. We disagree on this one straight away. Do you think that you're going to build wealth if you diversify or if you concentrate? And if you're still undecided here, I'll give you a hint. I'm going to ask this integral question one last time and stress a word in this sentence for you. This could really help you out. Is wealth built through diversification or concentration? With that emphasis on built accumulated? The answer is that overwhelmingly, wealth is built through concentration, not diversification. Most people who actually create any really meaningful wealth, they didn't go sprinkle a little money everywhere. Instead, they really focused hard on one thing, whether that thing was a business or a career niche or a narrow set of high conviction investments or a specific real estate strategy, for example, single family rentals or self storage facilities or assisted living homes. And why? Well, because concentration amplifies your upside. It lets you develop expertise which gives you an edge over everybody else, and it's what turns average returns into asymmetric ones. Think about how Warren Buffett made massive gains early with concentrated bets. Or how Jeff Bezos went all in on just a few ventures, or Sarah Blakely on just a few ventures. Those that say don't put all your eggs in one basket, well, all right. I mean, you can look at the world that way, that is a diversification path. Though you're going to end up working full time until you're age 68 and you'll probably be safe and you might just have a sound retirement, but you have done so much trading away of your time in your best years for dollars. I mean, that's it. That's not a wealthy path. Your employer wants you to invest any of your extra income in a diversified way so that you're not going to build enough wealth to leave that employer early. And yes, we're back to the old Andrew Carnegie. Put all your eggs in one basket and then really watch that basket. Carnegie's concentration was in the steel industry, wealth. That's what we're talking about here, like something outstanding, extraordinary, not just a good enough retirement nest egg. Maybe real wealth is built through concentration. This is why we concentrate on one thing here on this show. Largely real estate investing, because you don't build wealth from diversification. All right now, yes, there could be a little diversification even inside residential real estate investing, say, maybe you want to get into three markets. Call it Atlanta, Indy and Kansas City. But overall, that is still concentration in residential real estate investing. And if you want to be outstanding, you have got to embrace the heterodox, meaning a departure from the Orthodox. Orthodoxy is spreading all your money around in, say, the s and p5 100 index, we're almost guaranteed then to get a pedestrian like outcome. And now look, once you've built something and you've got something to protect, which is however you've decided to build your wealth through concentration, oh, now that's when the game changes. You'll probably best protect your wealth, not build it protect what you've built through diversification that being done when you're older. And what diversification does for you is that it reduces your downside risk, it smooths volatility, and it prevents a single mistake from wiping you out. So at this stage, you're no longer trying to win big. You're just trying not to lose big. The mistake most people make is that they diversify too early, and that usually ends up leading to mediocre returns, no real expertise, and these sort of portfolios that are busy but not wealthy, it's sort of like planting 20 seeds and then not watering any of them enough.   Keith Weinhold  6:47   All right. So here's a smarter progression across your investing life. In your early stage, which is your wealth building phase, you want to concentrate your time, your energy, your capital, you want to build skill and conviction, and then you want to take calculated asymmetric bets after, say, 10 or even 20 years of that, you enter the mid stage. That's where you'll start spreading across related areas, for example, multiple property types, but still in markets that you understand. And then finally, after 10 or 20 years of this mid stage, it is later stage, which is wealth preservation only. Then is where you diversify broadly across asset classes and all sorts of geographies. And then you protect yourself against tail risks. So the bottom line is that concentration creates wealth, diversification preserves it. If you try to flip that order, you are going to stay stuck. And if you're young and you're still diversified, and you might think you're okay, and you even project that you're going to have something built up, like, say, $8 million in retirement. If you just keep this up, what you've just done is that you're making my point for me, because 8 million, that is not going to be an outstanding amount at all by the time you reach conventional retirement age, you had better flip to concentrating in something, whether it's residential real estate or data center construction or pressure washing. All right, so that was wealth building. Now, how about instead of wealth? Say that you're trying to make a living, all right, this is a different subject. Now, if you're trying to earn a living, should you diversify, or should you concentrate? How do you make a good living? Which is working at your day job? That's what we're talking about here. Now, once again, the answer is, through concentration, not diversification. We became a society of specialists by the Industrial Revolution 200 years ago, if not sooner, making a good living that comes from being valuable at something specific, not average at a whole bunch of things. One strong income engine beats five weak ones. Depth pays more than breadth. People are willing to pay you for expertise, not for dabbling around. This is whether it's a niche in real estate or a specific profession or a focused business model, you need one thing that reliably throws off good income and a little story here. I don't want this to be disparaging to Uber drivers, because I appreciate what they do and where they drive me. But I recently had an Uber driver. It happened to be in Hollywood, and this uber driver is also a stand up comedian there in West Hollywood. Well, those are two very diverse activities, driving and being a comedian, and that tells me something he's not a very successful. Stand up comedian. If you try to diversify too much, your attention gets split, your skill development slows, and your income plateaus at just okay. Now I'm fortunate enough to have had some good success at what I do, real estate investing, and then talking about real estate investing with you here, that is my specialty, my concentration. I don't mow my own lawn. A specialist does that. I don't shovel my own snow. A specialist with all the right equipment and all the expertise does that. I don't do my own accounting. Now in what feels like a previous life to me, when I used to work a day job for the Department of Transportation, and there were problems with paving a specific type of asphalt on the roads in cold weather, a specific specialist would fly out to help us troubleshoot that. He was a high paid consultant, because he is in a niche that's very tiny. So when it comes to the matter of making a living, where diversification fits is once your primary income stream is stable and predictable, well then maybe you could add a second complementary stream, and not something that's random, build redundancy so that you're not fragile. But just think of that as a backup engine. You don't want to think in terms of 10 side hustles. For an example, a real estate investor adds another market or a strategy, a w2 professional well, they had maybe one serious side income, and that's just a matey. Surely not six apps and gigs if you're out there chasing everything, then you are going to earn less. And now that I've discussed how you want to concentrate, not diversify if you want to build wealth, and you also want to concentrate not diversify if you want to make a good living, well then you might wonder, gosh, does diversification have any place in my life? Is there any life facet at all where diversification gives you an advantage? Yes, there definitely is. Do you have any idea where diversification helps you as you look at all areas of your life, because there is one clear cut place, and that is relationships. Yeah, whether it's romantic relationships, like dating a potential spouse or in the broader sense, I mean, when you met your eventual husband or wife, it's not very likely that you impress them by going deep on some nuance that has to do with asphalt paving, or how you or how you increase your cash on cash return with management efficiencies on your single family rental portfolio in Little Rock Arkansas,   Keith Weinhold  12:57   In relationships, you become attractive to people because you can say, show a soft side, or be a good listener or know how to dance a little all while you can make a good living a diversified relationship portfolio. Now for you, that might mean having close friends for fun and honesty and a professional network for opportunities and perspective, and you might have a mentor or two in your life for guidance, and then you've got family relationships for roots and support. So every one of them plays a different role, and that way, no single relationship has to carry everything and what this protects you from is having just one friendship. You don't want that, otherwise, your whole social life can collapse. It protects you from a career setback, because you'll still have emotional support. Having diverse relationships prevents you from falling into echo chambers. Instead, you're going to get better, broader thinking. So having diversification in relationships that is basically risk management for your life and in this life, facet smart diversification makes you resilient. It makes you grounded. It makes you harder to knock off course. So let's review here in relationships, diversify to build wealth, concentrate and to make a good living, concentrate. And with that said, you know, if you want to get mega, mega wealthy, like stupid rich, let's just call that a billionaire with the letter B, if you want to reach that level, then I don't think that investing in rental property is the fastest or the best way to get there, although it can give you a good start. And then what's the point of this show? The point is that real estate investing is the most proven way to build wealth when you concentrate on it. If you want enough net worth and income so that you never have to work again all while you're still young enough to enjoy it, direct investment in real estate. Hey, that's great. If you want to get up to the $10 million net worth level, or even to say, $50 million that is totally doable. And the good news is that it's almost inevitable if you apply yourself and yes, concentrate, because that's all most people want, options and freedom. Those words are often a proxy for wealth. But if you're trying to get on the Forbes list of the world's wealthiest 100 people or whatever, which is where you need to concentrate on a novel business idea. All right, you can go for that, and then your risk of failure goes up substantially. You might even reach the billionaire level. As a real estate investor, more likely the DECA or the Centa millionaire level. But there are other ways of doing that outside of real estate. Real estate investing is great if you want to get sort of regular wealthy. Maybe even say that can be as little as 15 million or 25 million plus when you're young enough to enjoy it. And you know even half or 1/3 of those levels are enough as a freedom number for most people. With all that said, when you concentrate to build wealth, you do have to pick a proven vehicle. You can't say you're going to concentrate on sports gambling or prediction markets like call sheep or polymarket. They are not proven wealth building vehicles. Most people lose money on Poly market if you've wagered your mortgage that Mr. Beast is going to be the next President of the United States, perhaps reconsider that approach. In fact, according to an analysis that Bloomberg just performed, nearly every poly market trader either loses money or they make little or no profit. More than 100,000 accounts lost $1,000 since the start of last year, and that is twice the number of accounts that made at least $1,000 in aggregate, traders lost $131 million on this prediction market over that time, the tiny number of accounts that make lots of money appear to be mostly bots. That's what Bloomberg found. And there was a separate study that found that since 2022 69% of traders lost money, while three quarters of total profits were won only by the top 1% of users. So gambling, wagering, this speculation, it is not a proven vehicle, and it's not the same as investing. The cleanest way to think about the difference is that investing means putting money into something that produces value over time. Instead, gambling means putting money at risk on an outcome that you cannot influence, usually with a negative edge. And gosh, one reason that this is on my mind is, you know how I recently shared with you that I stayed at the Bellagio in Vegas. I didn't gamble at all. And in fact, I don't even know if I'm going to stay there again. That's just not congruent with who I am. But I marveled with my mouth agape when I watched a few games at the roulette wheel. Yeah, you're allowed to watch if you're not gambling. A typical scene is that perhaps five players were wagering their chips at the roulette wheel. Now the way it works is that the casino, they often have two and sometimes three of their own staff, like uniformed employees, that are there facilitating and monitoring the roulette wheel. I mean, look right there, if the casino is paying two or three staff members to facilitate the roulette wheel, well, the player should know that the odds are tilted against them. I mean, those casino dealers make, you know, they usually just make 50 to 70k a year with tips, all right, well, so the house needs to have enough of an advantage to pay their employees that are at that table and still profit. And they sure do profit. If you don't understand the game, when you play roulette, you can basically either wager that the ball is going to land on either red or black, but two of the 38 spaces on the wheel are green. They benefit the house directly. So with every bet that a player makes, they've got 18 winning spots and 20 losing spots. This is why roulette, like most gambling schemes, is for losers. And this roulette metaphor, I mean, this is a easily intuitive example for How the house has the advantage, whether it's the DraftKings app on your phone or it's a physical in person Casino. And look, I had another Uber driver recently. Yeah, lots of Uber drivers in my life lately, as I've been traveling in Pennsylvania, New York, California and Nevada, all right, interestingly, this uber driver is a dealer at the Horseshoe Casino, which is near the center of the Las Vegas Strip. While he drove me around, he opened up and told me that he doesn't understand why anyone is a serious gambler in his life history, he divulged to me that he has never known one long term winner. That's a gambler. It's amazing that he would admit that himself as an employee there. So suffice to say, wealth is built through concentration, not diversification, and certainly not through gambling.    Keith Weinhold  20:56   How should you think of building wealth for yourself at different age profiles, 20,25,30,35, and so on. I'll discuss each age profile that's next. I'm Keith Weinhold. You're listening to get rich education.    Keith Weinhold  21:13   What if you got your mortgage loans the same place I get mine. You sure can at Ridge lending group NMLS, 42056,they provided GRE listeners with more loans than anyone. Because Ridge specializes in investment property, they'll help you build a long term plan for growing your real estate empire with leverage. Start your pre qual and even chat directly with President chailey Ridge while it's on your mind, start at Ridge lendinggroup.com that's Ridge lendinggroup.com   Keith Weinhold  21:44   Let me ask you something, if you've worked hard to build wealth, is your money positioned to actually support your goals? A lot of accredited investors leave capital sitting in cash because it feels safe, but inflation and missed income opportunities can quietly erode its value. Freedom family investments offers freedom notes for investors seeking structured income backed by real estate. It's a straightforward approach built on real assets, not speculation. In full disclosure, I'm an investor myself. What I like is that their team walks you through how it all works, so you can decide if it aligns with your portfolio and income goals, every investment carries risk and nothing is guaranteed, but with a track record of consistent on time investor payouts, they built real credibility. Go to freedomfamilyinvestments.com to book a clarity call or text. Family 266, 866, that's family 268,66   Ted Sutton  22:48   Hey, it's corporate, directs Ted Sutton. Listen to get rich education with Keith Weinhold, and don't quit your Daydream.   Keith Weinhold  23:02   welcome back to get rich Education. I'm your host, Keith Weinhold, and you're listening to Episode 605 let's talk about some age profiles, because your life isn't random, it's staged. And if you understand the stages, I'll take it from age 20 up to age 40 or perhaps 50, because I don't have experience yet with being older than them. And then you can stop guessing and start engineering your future. Let's discuss mindset and then some tactics on how to build wealth in five year increments, largely through real estate, starting with age 20, at this stage, you're not behind you are early, though. I do know some people that have owned rental property at age 18 and 19. For the most part, your job isn't to invest yet. Your job is to build awareness and identity. Listen to shows like this one that you're listening to right now, even though you might be in college or trade school or have some employment, yes, as an employee, start thinking like an owner at this time you're installing your financial Operating System. Most people are 20 are consuming entertainment. You you're consuming direction. You're thinking, how can I set up a life where I'm not living below my means, which will always limit you? You're thinking, how can I grow my means at age 25 let's say you're out of school, you have a job and you're only making 65k per year if you're living with your parents, that means you can accumulate more liquidity. I don't like to say that you're becoming a saver, because that does not wire your mind for wealth, but that's effectively what you're doing. You're trying to amass some Liquidity, some capital formation is taking place. If you only have, say, $30,000 of cash amassed, well, then you're not ready for real estate, unless perhaps you're doing an owner occupied FHA loan in a duplex or a fourplex with a three and a half percent down payment. If you've got credit card debt. That's at 21% APR. You do want to retire that first age 25 is when you're likely to have student loan debt. The average student loan debt balance at age 25 is about 35k and the interest rate is 7% as long as your income is stable. You know, I didn't focus on paying down my student loans at age 25 I mean, why would I? Why should you I invested first? Because you might feel like having student loans slows you down, and it does, but not accumulating assets is what will keep you stuck so you're 25 when do you buy your first income producing asset? Say you've just got 20 to 30k accumulated liquid. That is still a little early to buy your first rental property, because that first property that would take all of what you had accumulated, that down payment would take it all like for an out of state turnkey property, and you've always got to stay a little liquid, but sooner than later, you have got to increase your income and own some real assets. If you accumulate instead 60k cash and the cheapest decent investment property would probably take something like a 30k down payment in closing costs right now, all right. Well, that tilts toward pulling the trigger and doing it because you've got some buffer. Now, you're still learning along the way, but you're learning really begins when you own your first property. Now, if you happen to live in an investor advantage place, oftentimes in the Midwest or south, perhaps the inland northeast, well then maybe you buy locally. But if you live in a pricey Metro at age 25 then you are probably rent vesting instead. What rent vesting means is that you're paying rent in, say, New York City, and you own property that you rent to others in, say, Chattanooga, Tennessee, that's called rent vesting. And you might pick up more than one property in your late 20s by age 30. Okay, look, this is when your cumulative better decision making really starts to show your trajectory has diverged from the herd, and it's really becoming noticeable to your peers, because your past decisions start compounding here by age 30. This is where you can benefit from modeling if you see someone like you that's doing what you want to do now, you can see yourself doing it. That's called modeling, and this is where your confidence grows. We'll say that now you're married at age 30, and you have a young child. You and your spouse make 175k together. You still have student loans, but you definitely own some real estate by now, we'll even say that you own your own home, your primary residence. By 30 you have a pretty good understanding of financing, property management and markets. By age 35 now you're investing in multiple real estate markets, and this is fueled because you've now done cash out refinances of your earlier properties into some more properties, and that means that you don't even have to use all of your own money in order to buy other properties and make down payments on them. So by age 35 your mindset has shifted from how do I buy a property over to how do I build a machine that buys properties, and this is where scale happens for you, you want to be sure to stay in your lane of competence and avoid chasing shiny objects again. Concentration over diversification by 35 it's become so apparent that you're glad that you did what you did. Other people are still doing things like working a lot of overtime and missing dinners. Maybe you do a little of that, but you don't have to do that. You're happy that you were strategic and you took the actions necessary so that your life doesn't feel like spinning on a hamster wheel like it does for everybody else, and it might still feel that way for you, too, but you are able to see a way out of that. And some people retire with real estate investing by age 35 but in this case, let's just say that you're not. Most aren't, but by now, you are getting so far ahead Of your old peers that you are definitely saying something to yourself, like, wow, indeed, capital compounds and labor doesn't this is the time in your life for this type of epiphany. Let's see where you are by age 40, and by the way, let's acknowledge that the average age of the first time homebuyer is now fully 40 in America. But by listening to this show and following the path that we help you with and engaging with our coaching and reading our newsletter, you are well ahead of this now I have a traditional financial advisor friend who says that he recently shared with me that he thinks a couple is in good shape if they have a net worth of $2 million by age 40. I don't know about that, though, if it's $2 million and a soldier in a 401 K that's locked away and it's not producing any income, that's a poor trajectory for the 40 year old couple. Sheesh, it's still a minimum of 20 more years from there until you can access 401K money, penalty, free. And, yes, there are some workarounds, but that's generally the picture. Well, instead, if you're a 40 year old couple with $2 million dollars in real assets. Oh, now you're in a substantially better position than if it were in some illiquid, conventional retirement plan. If it's in real assets. Oh, now you've got all these options. It could be producing income. You've got tax advantages that are greater than a 401, K, you might be able to access some of the equity, tax free, with a refi and plus say that your $2 million in equity is leveraging $5 million in real assets. Well, then, with 5% appreciation that alone is growing your net worth by $250,000 every single year, in addition to everything else that it's doing for you, yeah, talk about diverging from the herd. $2 million of equity in real assets crushes. Having that amount in a 401 K for you as part of a 40 year old couple, by age 45 you could very well be job optional. You could have teenage kids now, so you've got some expenses, you've been cash out, refinancing in a refi for life plan. Now your properties regularly are able to buy more properties for you, so that you aren't spending your own money on them. Instead, you're spending your own money on travel and living a better life than those others that are soullessly grinding at age 45 and yes, by the way, let's acknowledge that there would be ways for you to borrow out of a 401, k as well, but they're less forgiving than borrowing against your real assets after this period of time for you, you're getting into your late 40s, it is less about accumulation and it's more about optimization and freedom. I mean, you're soon asking, What do I want my life to look like? And you're not asking, How do I make more money? And at age 50 plus, since I really don't have much life experience here, you've probably done a number of 1031, exchanges, or you're even doing 721, exchanges, if you're substantially older than this saying that you want to retire from landlording. Now, one big lesson learned here is that early on, that focus, that concentration, is what allowed you to diverge from the herd that played small with diversification. One thing to be aware of when you're asking yourself that question, how much is enough? You're asking, how much is enough? Well, today, a five to $6 million dollar net worth that can usually generate enough income so that you don't have to work anymore. But people have a propensity to move the goalposts. It's most natural to think that you need to have twice as much as what you have now. Almost everybody inevitably thinks his way. If you've got 100k to your name, you think you've got it made. If you have 200k and if you've got 5 billion, you think you will need 10 billion. Be aware of that propensity to move the goalpost the amount that you think you need is almost always double what you have right now. And of course, in the words of the late George Foreman, the question isn't at what age I want to retire, it's at what income. Even conventional retirement planners will tell you that they just need to know two things in order. A plan for you, how much monthly income are you going to need, and how long you're going to live. And I think they've got that part right now. As you listen to those age profiles, you might have felt yourself ahead of that pace, on that pace, or behind that pace. There's a good chance that you were behind that pace, because by age 20, most people just don't adopt the abundance mentality that early. Most people drift through these decades, but if you understand the sequence, it's really this, learn, then earn, then buy, then scale and then optimize and be sure that you're living the entire time. The really good news for you is that you don't need luck. You need alignment with the stage that you're in. And if you get that right, you don't just build wealth, you build a life where money works harder than you do. Most people that try to do that get their money to work harder for them, well, that approach does not work until it's too late, but it works out for us because we ethically crowdsource other people's money to work harder than we do. To review what you've learned today. Wealth is built through concentration, not diversification. And from a young age, set up your life not to live below your means, but to grow your means. I'll talk to you again next week. Until then, I'm your host. Keith Weinhold, don't quit your Daydream.   Unknown Speaker  36:42   Nothing on this show should be considered specific, personal or professional advice. Please consult an appropriate tax, legal, real estate, financial or business professional for individualized advice. Opinions of guests are their own. Information is not guaranteed. All investment strategies have the potential for profit or loss. The host is operating on behalf of get rich Education LLC, exclusively,   Keith Weinhold  37:10   The preceding program was brought to you by your home for wealth building, get rich education.com  

There’s a challenge that comes with being known for what you do. When you move on you now have to figure out who you truly are. Deborah Santana spent more than three decades inside one of the most recognizable partnerships in American music as COO of the New Santana Band, co-architect of the Milagro Foundation, and the steady, contemplative presence behind a global touring life with her ex-husband, the legendary musician Carlos Santana. At an age when most people are quietly winding down, she did the opposite: she walked away from a 34-year marriage, dismantled the identity she had built around someone else's career, and started over. She earned a master's degree in her 60s, founded a new nonprofit (Do A Little), wrote a second memoir (Loving the Fire: Choosing Me, Finding Freedom), and became a trustee of major cultural institutions. But this is not a celebrity interview. It's an exploration of transitions and later-life reinvention. You’ll hear about her experience and the lessons she learned that may help you. She shares the foundational daily contemplative practice she built, the calendar block for herself disguised as “a meeting” she used to jump start her writing, and the people audit she did to illuminate who is toxic and who is the light in her life. Deborah describes how liberating it can be to be a beginner again, if you’re willing. I often say “You don't stop growing just because you retire.” But, it’s not just a saying and Deborah’s story is an case study. If you’re ready to let go of your past and discover who you truly are now, this conversation is for you.   “When you have everything stripped away that you were known as, it is a wonderful opportunity to create exactly who you are.” — Deborah Santana   You’ll walk away with: A vocabulary for the identity work that retirement requires. And not just for the “what's next” part, but also the words for the “who am I now” part. A useful framework (the Four C's) for organizing life after a major transition. A replicable practice for protecting time for the work of “becoming” even when the people around you don't quite yet understand what you’re doing. __________________________ Bio Deborah Santana is the author of Loving the Fire: Choosing Me, Finding Freedom, Space Between the Stars: My Journey to An Open Heart and the editor of the acclaimed anthology All the Women in My Family Sing. Her work has been featured by Vogue, Oprah, and NPR, among other national and literary outlets. She is the founder of the Do A Little Foundation, which supports women and girls in the areas of health, education, and happiness. Her work explores identity, social justice, spirituality, and the power of collective voice. She is mother to three artists: Salvador Santana, Stella Santana and Angelica Santana. She holds a Master of Arts in Philosophy and Religion with a Concentration in Women's Spirituality. She is a leadership donor of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and a Lead Investor to the Courage Museum in San Francisco. _________________________ For More on Deborah Santana Loving the Fire: Choosing Me, Finding Freedom Website _________________________ Do You Know What You’ll Be Retiring To? It’s graduation season. Will you be graduatiing from full-time work soon? Join our 10-person Design Your New Life in Retirement Group starting in September. The Very Early Registration discount ends soon. Learn more and sign up today. ___________________________ Retirement Podcast Conversations You May Also Love Mattering…in Retirement – Jennifer Breheny Wallace Navigating the In-Between – Monique Rhodes What Matters Most – Diane Button _________________________ Wise Quotes On Loving the Fire “When there is fire, when there is struggle, if I continue to walk through and find courage and bravery, then I'm going to get to the other side and realize how much I've learned, how much I've grown.” On Expectations “I expect a miracle. I expect to see someone, meet them with a smile.” On Finding Your Self “There is a special reason why you're here. So please find your authentic self, find your voice, know who you are, and go out and change the world.” ___________________________ About The Retirement Wisdom Podcast There are many podcasts on retirement, often hosted by financial advisors with their own financial motives, that cover the money side of the street. This podcast is different. You'll get smarter about the investment decisions you'll make about the most important asset you'll have in retirement: your time. About Retirement Wisdom I help people who are retiring, but aren't quite done yet, discover what's next and build their custom version of their next life. A meaningful retirement doesn't just happen by accident. Schedule a call today to discuss how the Designing Your Life process created by Bill Burnett & Dave Evans can help you make your life in retirement a great one — on your own terms. About Your Podcast Host Joe Casey is an executive coach who helps people design their next life after their primary career and create their version of The Multipurpose Retirement.™ He created his own next chapter after a 26-year career at Merrill Lynch, where he was Senior Vice President and Head of HR for Global Markets & Investment Banking. Joe has earned Master's degrees from the University of Southern California in Gerontology (at age 60), the University of Pennsylvania, and Middlesex University (UK), a BA in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and his coaching certification from Columbia University. In addition to his work with clients, Joe hosts The Retirement Wisdom Podcast, ranked in the top 1% globally in popularity by Listen Notes, with over 2 million downloads. Business Insider recognized Joe as one of 23 innovative coaches who are making a difference. He's the author of Win the Retirement Game: How to Outsmart the 9 Forces Trying to Steal Your Joy.

Ian Lyngen and Ben Jeffery bring you their thoughts on the U.S. Rates market for the upcoming week of May 11th, 2026, and respond to questions submitted by listeners and clients.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) In this overview about developing concentration (samadhi) in our practice, we examine (1) the nature of concentration (or samadhi), including the etymology of the term and how we often find a natural concentration in daily life; (2) its importance in our practice; (3) some ways to practice to develop concentration, and (4) five challenges of such practice and how to work with them. The talk is followed by discussion.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) In this overview about developing concentration (samadhi) in our practice, we examine (1) the nature of concentration (or samadhi), including the etymology of the term and how we often find a natural concentration in daily life; (2) its importance in our practice; (3) some ways to practice to develop concentration, and (4) five challenges of such practice and how to work with them. The talk is followed by discussion.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Full instructions are given at the beginning for cultivating concentration (samadhi), including attention to posture, a variety of possible areas of focus (with most attention given to the breath, including on the "three-part breath"), and balancing "not too tight" and "not too loose." Then we practice mostly in silence, with a brief discussion period at the end of the sitting.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Full instructions are given at the beginning for cultivating concentration (samadhi), including attention to posture, a variety of possible areas of focus (with most attention given to the breath, including on the "three-part breath"), and balancing "not too tight" and "not too loose." Then we practice mostly in silence, with a brief discussion period at the end of the sitting.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Full instructions are given at the beginning for cultivating concentration (samadhi), including attention to posture, a variety of possible areas of focus (with most attention given to the breath, including on the "three-part breath"), and balancing "not too tight" and "not too loose." Then we practice mostly in silence, with a brief discussion period at the end of the sitting.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) In this overview about developing concentration (samadhi) in our practice, we examine (1) the nature of concentration (or samadhi), including the etymology of the term and how we often find a natural concentration in daily life; (2) its importance in our practice; (3) some ways to practice to develop concentration, and (4) five challenges of such practice and how to work with them. The talk is followed by discussion.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) In this overview about developing concentration (samadhi) in our practice, we examine (1) the nature of concentration (or samadhi), including the etymology of the term and how we often find a natural concentration in daily life; (2) its importance in our practice; (3) some ways to practice to develop concentration, and (4) five challenges of such practice and how to work with them. The talk is followed by discussion.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Full instructions are given at the beginning for cultivating concentration (samadhi), including attention to posture, a variety of possible areas of focus (with most attention given to the breath, including on the "three-part breath"), and balancing "not too tight" and "not too loose." Then we practice mostly in silence, with a brief discussion period at the end of the sitting.

Jeff Dudan's free digital copy of his book What if you've been building your business wrong this entire time - not in how you operate it, but in how you're preparing to eventually sell it? In this episode of the Unemployable Podcast, Jeff Dudan sits down with Matt Uhler, a 28-year veteran business broker, entrepreneur, investor in 20+ small businesses, and host of the What's Your Deal podcast. Matt has completed 800+ transactions, analyzed 3,000 businesses, and participated in deals totaling over $350 million in combined value. Matt breaks down exactly why 95% of business owners are unprepared when they go to sell - and how to fix that starting today. You'll learn how seller's discretionary earnings (SDE) are calculated, what a business broker actually does from listing to close, why concentration risk can instantly destroy a business acquisition, and how Matt built what he calls a "mutual fund of small businesses" to create 20+ income streams not tied to his daily activity. This episode is essential listening for franchise owners, small business operators, first-time buyers, and anyone who wants to exit their business on their terms - not someone else's.

Jeff Dudan's free digital copy of his book What if you've been building your business wrong this entire time - not in how you operate it, but in how you're preparing to eventually sell it? In this episode of the Unemployable Podcast, Jeff Dudan sits down with Matt Uhler, a 28-year veteran business broker, entrepreneur, investor in 20+ small businesses, and host of the What's Your Deal podcast. Matt has completed 800+ transactions, analyzed 3,000 businesses, and participated in deals totaling over $350 million in combined value. Matt breaks down exactly why 95% of business owners are unprepared when they go to sell - and how to fix that starting today. You'll learn how seller's discretionary earnings (SDE) are calculated, what a business broker actually does from listing to close, why concentration risk can instantly destroy a business acquisition, and how Matt built what he calls a "mutual fund of small businesses" to create 20+ income streams not tied to his daily activity. This episode is essential listening for franchise owners, small business operators, first-time buyers, and anyone who wants to exit their business on their terms - not someone else's.

Story-driven energy: In this episode, we step into the mind's gym and watch a mentor decode why most people drift into distraction while real performers train concentration like athletes train to run faster. Technology isn't the enemy—we're the bottleneck. The breakthrough comes when you treat the mind as two players: the mind and awareness. Awareness is a glowing ball you move with intention, and you keep it on one task—conversation with your partner, a client call, or a critical problem—until mastery emerges. Every drift is a signal to refocus. There's no glamorous quick fix or endless course; it's relentless, repeatable practice: first understand how concentration works, then practice it until it becomes automatic. The result isn't just better focus; it's sharper decisions, higher productivity, and energy that flows toward the right outcomes. If you've chased shortcuts, this is your wake-up call: train focus, harness awareness, and let that energy fuel your next leap. Walk away with a practical blueprint you can start today.

In Focusing on the Fire Kasina Vince Fakhoury Horn introduces the Fire Kasina meditation practice, emphasizing the primacy of concentration and the recursive process of learning through focused attention on a candle flame.Interested in the topic?Sign-up for free the KASINA web application or join us for a live training in the Pragmatic Dharma Sangha

Those who wish to comprehend and eliminate the internal causes of suffering must cultivate meditative concentration: the ability to serenely focus attention upon one thing with continuous application, so that the mind settles, thoughts diminish, and clarity opens one's consciousness. In this state it becomes possible to receive insights or visions with one's imagination: the capacity to perceive non-physical imagery representing objective reality. By receiving vivid images about our internal universe, one can explore the hidden psychological causes of suffering, so that by extricating their roots, we liberate ourselves from afflictive conditions and emancipate our true nature. Yet if we lack serenity, the lake of the mind becomes perturbed and incapable of reflecting the heavens within. Explore some tenets, anecdotes, and principles for cultivating serenity to help prepare for meditation, examining the problems with superficial associates and the troubles of family ties; advice for social interactions; reasons for cultivating non-attachment, meditative serenity, empathy, and bodhichitta; Buddhist and Gnostic notions of internal silence and psychological solitude so as to conserve energy; reflections to diffuse the powers of lust; meditations on impermanence, wealth, and death; methods for strengthening our relationships with others, society, and divinity; and much more.  Resources and References: https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/meditative-concentration-establishing-serenity-to-access-insight

Reviewing the first part of the concentration in Pali tradition from Chapter 9, including excerpts from ,Ajahn Nisabho, an American monk in the Thai Forest Tradition.

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Simeon Hyman explains why strong earnings continue to support markets despite geopolitical risk and rising energy prices. He highlights the need to manage tech concentration using tools like the S&P 500 ex‑Technology ETF (SPXT), while outlining tactical ways to gain commodity exposure as energy and metals prices climb. Hyman also breaks down how crude oil, copper, platinum, and palladium strategies can help investors hedge recession risk or lean into AI‑driven industrial demand.======== Schwab Network ========Empowering every investor and trader, every market day.Options involve risks and are not suitable for all investors. Before trading, read the Options Disclosure Document. http://bit.ly/2v9tH6DSubscribe to the Market Minute newsletter - https://schwabnetwork.com/subscribeDownload the iOS app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/schwab-network/id1460719185Download the Amazon Fire Tv App - https://www.amazon.com/TD-Ameritrade-Network/dp/B07KRD76C7Watch on Sling - https://watch.sling.com/1/asset/191928615bd8d47686f94682aefaa007/watchWatch on Vizio - https://www.vizio.com/en/watchfreeplus-exploreWatch on DistroTV - https://www.distro.tv/live/schwab-network/Follow us on X – https://twitter.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/schwab-network/ About Schwab Network - https://schwabnetwork.com/about

In Access Concentration and the Kasina, Vince Fakhoury Horn explains how kasina meditation cultivates stable attention by letting a visual object fill awareness until it naturally enters the foreground of experience into a state known as access concentration.Interested in the topic?Sign-up for free the KASINA web application or join us for a live training in the Pragmatic Dharma Sangha

In this April 2026 Mailbag, Jason and Jeff tackle a massive listener question about portfolio concentration in retirement, debating the merits of holding onto tiny "VC-minded" positions like Warby Parker and QuantumScape versus consolidating into bigger winners. They also provide an update on the "boring" but beautiful Brookfield Infrastructure, exploring its pivot toward modern assets like semiconductor fabs and its impressive 17-year streak of dividend increases. Later, they unpack the nuances of the private credit scare—and why major banks might have more exposure than investors realize. 00:35 Spotify Review Challenge04:43 Retirement Portfolio Breakdown06:20 Concentration vs Diversification10:54 Options Income Bucket12:49 Trim Small Positions17:58 Enjoy Investing vs Indexing19:57 Taxes and Ezra Klein Plug20:55 Brookfield Infrastructure Update22:52 Modern Infrastructure Shift23:21 Intel Ohio Fab Deal23:47 Energy Pivot Opportunities24:35 Leadership Sam Pollock26:38 Market Sensitivity Brookfield28:35 Dividend Yield Return Math30:45 Private Credit Reality Check37:06 Risk Discounting Framework38:35 AI Prompts Investing Workflow40:41 AI Bias And Transcript Shortcuts46:52 Comment Of The Month WrapCompanies mentioned: ADBE, AXON, BAM, BIP, BIPC, INTC, JPM, NVDA, OWL, QS, ROKU, SOFI, WFC, WRBY, ZMFind where to listen & subscribe,  portfolio contests, and contact information at https://investingunscripted.com*****************************************To get 15% off any paid plan at fiscal.ai, visit https://fiscal.ai/unscriptedListen to the Chit Chat Stocks Podcast for discussions on stocks, financial markets, super investors, and more. Follow the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube*****************************************Join our PatreonSubscribe to our portfolio on Savvy Trader

What did you think of todays show??Most fund operators get paid whether your money performs or not — acquisition fees, management fees, prefs that don't actually pay until years in. Drew Wiard built his fund the opposite way: zero fees, and he personally guarantees every loan, so he doesn't get paid until you do. In this episode, Drew is back for round four on why that skin-in-the-game structure is the alignment most operators won't touch, why industrial is the unsexy corner of the market nobody posts about on Instagram, and bonus depreciation that puts 20–30% of your capital back in year one.Topics discussed:Introduction (00:00)Why finance-space culture is so different from real estate (03:13)Multi-family vs. single-family — where's the downside really at? (08:15)Why lenders are bypassing appraisals entirely (10:48)The DSCR fraud ring lenders are still cleaning up (13:25)Inside Drew's commercial industrial fund (16:49)The personal-guarantee structure most operators won't touch (21:55)Why industrial real estate isn't on Instagram (and why that's the opportunity) (25:25)Triple net leases and how Drew adds value without flipping (30:32)The 20–30% bonus depreciation play for high-W-2 earners (32:55)Investment thesis discipline: make money, don't lose money (37:22)Concentration risk and the case for taking chips off the table (46:25)Sign up to join the FREE Scale Community! https://collectingkeys.com/Want deeper breakdowns like this every week? Subscribe to the Collecting Keys newsletter! https://collectingkeys.com/newsletter/Connect with Drew Wiard:https://www.linkedin.com/in/drew-wiard-4b99bba3/https://www.instagram.com/theflyinginvestorFollow us on Instagram!https://www.instagram.com/collectingkeyspodcast/https://www.instagram.com/mike_invests/https://www.instagram.com/investormandan/https://www.instagram.com/dylan_does_dealsThis episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com

On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Michael Batnick⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ben Carlson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ are joined by State Street's Michael Arone to discuss: the origin story of SPY, what's driving ETF adoption, geopolitics vs. AI, potential economic risks and more. Find complete show notes on our blogs... Ben Carlson's ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠A Wealth of Common Sense⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Michael Batnick's ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Irrelevant Investor⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Feel free to shoot us an email at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠animalspirits@thecompoundnews.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with any feedback, questions, recommendations, or ideas for future topics of conversation. Check out the latest in financial blogger fashion at The Compound shop: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://idontshop.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Investing involves the risk of loss. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be or regarded as personalized investment advice or relied upon for investment decisions. Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are employees of Ritholtz Wealth Management and may maintain positions in the securities discussed in this video. All opinions expressed by them are solely their own opinion and do not reflect the opinion of Ritholtz Wealth Management. See our disclosures here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ritholtzwealth.com/podcast-youtube-disclosures/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Compound Media, Incorporated, an affiliate of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ritholtz Wealth Management⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, receives payment from various entities for advertisements in affiliated podcasts, blogs and emails. Inclusion of such advertisements does not constitute or imply endorsement, sponsorship or recommendation thereof, or any affiliation therewith, by the Content Creator or by Ritholtz Wealth Management or any of its employees. For additional advertisement disclaimers see here ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ritholtzwealth.com/advertising-disclaimers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. State Street Disclosure: Important Risk Information Investing involves risk including the risk of loss of principal.   ETFs trade like stocks, are subject to investment risk, fluctuate in market value and may trade at prices above or below the ETFs net asset value. Brokerage commissions and ETF expenses will reduce returns. The views expressed in this material are the views of Michael Arone through the period ended April 13, 2026 and are subject to change based on market and other conditions. This document contains certain statements that may be deemed forward-looking statements. Please note that any such statements are not guarantees of any future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected. Before investing, consider the funds' investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. To obtain a prospectus, which contains this and other information, call 1.866.787.2257 or visit www.ssga.com. Read it carefully. ALPS Distributors, Inc. (fund distributor); State Street Global Advisors Funds Distributors, LLC (marketing agent). 8870050.1.2.AM.RTL SPD004538 Expiration: 4/30/27 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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