Podcasts about Enron

How did a mattress store from Houston outlast Enron, DeLorean, and Saturn to build a $100M sleep empire? Hear the counterintuitive secrets—revealed!If you think the mattress industry is all about selling beds, think again. In this special episode, Mark Kinsley sits down with Mattress Firm co-founder Harry Roberts to celebrate 40 years of border-to-border, coast-to-coast sleep shop success. From humble beginnings in Houston to a nationwide franchise network generating over $100 million, Harry reveals the gritty, behind-the-scenes moments—like not taking a paycheck for 13 months and building a $90K/month store out of a hurricane shelter.Discover how Harry and his partners navigated brutal economic downturns, insane 17% unemployment, and the rise of digital-first competitors—without ever blaming the economy. Learn the real “weapons” Mattress Firm used to win against Mattress Giant, the make-or-break moments that nearly ended it all, and why creating entrepreneurs inside the company was the ultimate growth engine.Industry veterans, sleep retailers, and anyone curious about building a resilient business will love Harry's honest, actionable advice: control what you can, obsess over every customer, and never stop learning (even when you're the boss). Plus, get a rare look at the franchisee network that still anchors Mattress Firm—and why loving your people is the most powerful sales strategy of all.Want to future-proof your business against any economy? Don't miss these inside strategies.Timestamps:00:00 – The $100M sleep shop: Mattress Firm's wild 40-year journey02:49 – “We never took a paycheck for 13 months”—the real startup grind04:08 – Starting in Houston's worst economy: why everyone said they'd fail06:54 – The secret to growth in ANY economy (and the mindset that saved them)11:21 – Harry's bulletproof greeting: How to win every customer at the door13:51 – The hurricane, the empty store... and tripling sales overnight16:45 – Losing to Mattress Giant: How they went to war (literally in camo)23:30 – The $100M franchise play: Creating entrepreneurs from sales staff41:50 – “Don't let brands own your customer”: The digital traffic trap explained46:33 – Why more competition means everyone sells more beds49:28 – The lost art of retail: What 99% of stores get wrong (and how to fix it)Connect with The FAM Podcast:

John Wesley Hardin, Ted Williams, Enron, North Korea, and a $50 million gift that reshaped healthcare in El Paso all collide in one fast-moving episode about how character, timing, and decision-making change everything. If you like sharp historical stories with real-world business lessons, this one will keep you hooked. Kent opens with a darkly funny story about John Wesley Hardin, then jumps from the printing press and the burning of the White House to modern-day contrasts in justice, bureaucracy, and power. Along the way, the episode connects old frontier violence to today's cultural, political, and economic systems in a way that is equal parts surprising and revealing. You'll discover: Why the printing press was one of the most consequential inventions in history. How South Korean courts, North Korean authoritarianism, and Texas theft laws expose very different ideas about order and enforcement. Why Harvard says job hoppers can become more adaptable employees. how one early-career refusal to forge documents helped shape a billionaire's life what a $50 million gift meant for Texas Tech, the medical school in El Paso, and regional healthcare Kent also revisits the Trammell Crow advice that kept him from joining Enron, then makes the case for why some people and institutions succeed because they stay disciplined when others cut corners. The stories connect through one theme: the long-term payoff of refusing bad deals, staying adaptable, and understanding when a decision is bigger than it looks. You'll also hear an inside look at how major donors, political connections, and internship pipelines shape opportunities at Texas Tech and beyond, plus a hilarious governor-speeding story that shows how even high-stakes situations can turn on timing, trust, and a little luck. Essential listening if you love practical wisdom wrapped in memorable storytelling, especially when the lesson is hidden inside a great anecdote.

Is AI creating an audit boom—or hiding the next Enron-style risk? Blake and David unpack NVIDIA's $500 billion data-center financing plan, why Michael Burry sees warning signs, and how AI is speeding up audits while challenging existing standards. They also cover improved PCAOB inspection results, the end of BOI reporting, Tether's long-awaited audit, QuickBooks Live's overhaul, and practical AI workflows small firms can use today.SponsorsDigits - http://accountingpodcast.promo/digitsOnPay - http://accountingpodcast.promo/onpayThomson Reuters - http://accountingpodcast.promo/taxautomationCloud Accountant Staffing - http://accountingpodcast.promo/casChapters(00:00) - AI Biggest Audit Shift (01:35) - Headlines And Sponsors (02:20) - Digits AI Ledger (04:02) - Nvidia Deal Explained (06:31) - Enron Echoes And SPVs (09:46) - Bubble Risks And GAAP (12:31) - EY Audit Efficiency Claims (15:25) - PCAOB Reports Debate (17:40) - OnPay Payroll Sponsor (18:53) - FinCEN Ends BOI (19:52) - Audit AI Adoption Stats (21:08) - PCAOB Must Set AI Rules (25:52) - Quarterly Reporting Comments (29:17) - Tether Finally Audited (33:17) - Thomson Reuters Tax Automation (35:07) - Ancient Rome Tax Scam (38:45) - Why Tax Fraud Meant Death (39:18) - Clients Want AI Dashboards (39:45) - Small Firm AI Workflows (44:35) - Sponsor Cloud Staffing (45:49) - AI Raises Client Demands (46:27) - Audit Disruption Debate (48:35) - QuickBooks Live Rebrand (51:10) - Taiwan Receipt Lottery (54:40) - OnPay Benefits Upgrade (01:05:17) - Switch Payroll Midyear (01:09:19) - Wrap Up And CPE  Show Notes'Shades of Enron': Michael Burry shorts Nvidia as its $500 billion chip-financing deal fuels a bubblehttps://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/nvidia-ai-push-echoes-enron-123355872.htmlEY leverages AI for audithttps://www.accountingtoday.com/news/ey-leverages-ai-for-auditIn ancient Rome, tax fraud was punishable by deathhttps://www.popsci.com/science/tax-fraud-death-penalty-ancient-rome/PCAOB inspection reports of largest audit firms show improvementshttps://www.accountingtoday.com/news/pcaob-inspection-reports-of-largest-audit-firms-show-improvementsFinCEN ends beneficial ownership reportinghttps://www.accountingtoday.com/news/fincen-ends-beneficial-ownership-reportingGartner Survey Finds Audit Teams' AI Use is Common, But Most Teams are Lacking Strategic Adoption and Applicationhttps://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2026-08-10-gartner-survey-finds-audit-teams-ai-use-is-common-but-mostIt's Time for the US Audit Board to Set Corporate AI Standardshttps://news.bloombergtax.com/tax-insights-and-commentary/its-time-for-the-us-audit-board-to-set-corporate-ai-standardsSEC quarterly earnings proposal draws flood of public complaintshttps://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/sec-quarterly-earnings-proposal-draws-112015106.htmlFirms (and Some Guy Obsessed With China) Have Weighed in on the PCAOB Turning an Eye to AIhttps://www.goingconcern.com/firms-and-some-guy-obsessed-with-china-have-weighed-in-on-the-pcaob-turning-an-eye-to-ai/Tether says KPMG issued 'clean' opinion in first full audit of USDT issuer's financialshttps://www.coindesk.com/business/2026/08/13/tether-says-it-completed-long-promised-big-four-audit-of-finances-behind-usd180-billion-usdt-stablecoinReal-life ways small firms use AIhttps://www.journalofaccountancy.com/issues/2026/aug/real-life-ways-small-firms-use-ai/QuickBooks Live is Dead, Long Live Intuit Expertshttps://uqb.show/154Need CPE?Get CPE for listening to podcasts with Earmark: https://earmarkcpe.comSubscribe to the Earmark Podcast: https://podcast.earmarkcpe.comGet in TouchThanks for listening and the great reviews! We appreciate you! Follow and tweet @BlakeTOliver and @DavidLeary. Find us on Facebook and Instagram. If you like what you hear, please do us a favor and write a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser. Call us and leave a voicemail; maybe we'll play it on the show. DIAL (202) 695-1040.SponsorshipsAre you interested in sponsoring The Accounting Podcast? For details, read the prospectus.Need Accounting Conference Info? Check out our new website - accountingconferences.comLimited edition shirts, stickers, and other necessitiesTeePublic Store: http://cloudacctpod.link/merchSubscribeApple Podcasts: http://cloudacctpod.link/ApplePodcastsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheAccountingPodcastSpotify: http://cloudacctpod.link/SpotifyPodchaser: http://cloudacctpod.link/podchaserStitcher: http://cloudacctpod.link/StitcherOvercast:

“Anthropic will be a $3 trillion company, SpaceX $2 trillion, and OpenAI $1 to $1.5 trillion by Q2 of next year.” — Dave McClure Yesterday, Keith Teare and I debated the circularity of the AI economy. Today, two of Silicon Valley's most experienced investors, Dave McClure and Aman Verjee, not only straighten out this supposed “circularity” but also burst the pessimism bubble that envelops so many conversations about AI. Verjee is not only McClure's partner at Practical Venture Capital, but also the author of the newly published A Brief History of Financial Bubbles. According to him, today's AI-stoked economy is not an unusually large bubble. It may not even be a bubble, given that AI revenue — from Anthropic's $70 billion to OpenAI's $50 billion — is real. The irrational exuberance lives elsewhere — in companies “draping themselves in AI magic sauce” and in the “SaaSpocalypse” that is decimating software-as-a-service companies. They are both bullish about our AI future. McClure predicts that by the first half of next year, Anthropic and OpenAI will have joined SpaceX as public companies. Together, these three AI darlings will be worth $7 trillion. That's seven thousand billion reasons to be optimistic about 2027. Five Takeaways •       Not a Bubble — a Repricing. Both partners reject the bubble call, on the numbers: Anthropic at roughly $70 billion in revenue on under two gigawatts of compute, OpenAI at $40–50 billion, SpaceX guiding to $100 billion with more than half from AI — real revenue, increasingly real profits. The froth is specific: companies “draping themselves in AI magic sauce” without the substance, and the SaaSpocalypse — cloud-software companies whose cash flows are suddenly perceived as far less durable as AI encroaches on design, legal, and medical verticals. Michael Burry's warning gets Aman's definitive treatment (“he's called nine of the last two bubbles”), and the Aschenbrenner blowup was leverage — running four-x in volatile chip stocks — not AI: he kept his Anthropic position, is married to Dario's chief of staff, and “will be just fine.”•       The $2 Trillion Filing. The week's news, baked into the episode: Anthropic has filed to go public, with a very intentionally leaked $2 trillion valuation hinging on a $190–200 billion 2028 revenue forecast — which Dave suspects is conservative. Eight months ago, when these two last visited, the show was about Elon and Sam and Dario was the bit player; then came the weeks when decades happen: Anthropic's bet on coding agents — reportedly inspired by watching Cursor — captured the revenue engine of the entire application layer. Aman's sequencing: SpaceX is absorbing $75–85 billion of IPO capital, Anthropic goes next, and if both trade well, 2026 breaks every record for money raised — leaving 2027 for OpenAI at a $100 billion revenue guide. Google, he reminds us, went fourth after Yahoo, Lycos, and Excite: better to do it right than to do it first.•       The Fastest Pivot in Corporate History. Dave's account of SpaceX's transformation: the $250 billion xAI merger (a largely private transaction Elon approved with himself), the acquisition of Cursor that closed Friday, Colossus data centers scaling from two gigawatts toward ten, and compute deals renting capacity to Anthropic and Google — former competitors — all executed in roughly six months. The S-1, with unprecedented forward projections of $300 billion in annual revenue, mentions artificial intelligence over 1,100 times (“I used AI to count it,” Aman admits). The result is an economy Andrew calls incestuous: SpaceX's valuation now rests on Anthropic's progress. On Elon himself, Dave separates the art from the artist — terrific products, dubious politics — and on OpenAI: more board changes than Spinal Tap had drummers, a team still storming and norming, but Sam is savvy and the IPO lands by Q2 next year at $1–1.5 trillion.•       Circularity as Asset Class. The New York Times sees a vulnerability in tech giants funding their own customers; Aman, a former CFO at eBay and Sonos, sees asset-backed finance. His analogy: buying a Corvette with GMAC financing isn't a conspiracy as long as the terms are commercially reasonable — and NVIDIA's $500 billion backstop, syndicated with Goldman Sachs, Apollo, Brookfield, and KKR, brings third-party money that validates the asset. GPUs, he argues, are cars rather than smartphones: financeable over eight to ten years, not obsolete in three. The red flags to watch are rebates and self-dealing on non-commercial terms; the current evidence looks more like aircraft leasing than Enron. Dave's deeper worry isn't the AI economy at all — it's the national deficit, whose interest payments are now the largest single line item in the federal budget.•       The Luddite Summer Meets the Long Boom. Aman's sharpest historical observation: this may be the first technological revolution whose leaders are the doomers — Sam prophesying idleness, Dario predicting half of entry-level white-collar jobs destroyed within five years (already wrong at eighteen months, with no 10–20 percent unemployment in sight). Against the WSJ's jobless-boom and nation-of-Luddites anxieties, the book offers the long view: of ten historical bubbles, the two positive ones — Britain's 1845 railway mania and America's 1997–2000 internet boom — overbuilt, crashed, and left the world a valuable technology. Buy every stock founded in the boom and hold, and you'd have owned NVIDIA, Amazon, Google, and PayPal. The 1970s wiped out four to six million secretarial jobs in a decade; women's participation rose from 52 to 77 percent. And on China, the free-trader's answer: partners in progress — there's more to gain than lose if we do this right. About the Guests Dave McClure and Aman Verjee are the co-founders and managing partners of Practical Venture Capital, a Silicon Valley firm specializing in venture secondaries. Dave founded 500 Startups, invested at Founders Fund, and ran marketing at PayPal; Aman was COO of 500 Startups, led strategy at PayPal and eBay, served as CFO of Sonos and of eBay's North American marketplace — and wrote the first draft of PayPal's S-1. Aman's new book, A Brief History of Financial Bubbles (out this week), is available at bigbubbletrouble.com. References: •       A Brief History of Financial Bubbles by Aman Verjee — ten manias from the tulips to the subprime crash, out this week at bigbubbletrouble.com.•       Reuters on Anthropic's IPO filing — the $2 trillion valuation and the $190–200 billion 2028 revenue forecast it hinges on.•       “The Summer That America Became a Nation of Luddites” and the “jobless boom” — the Wall Street Journal pieces threading this week's episodes.•       The New York Times on tech giants' circular AI economy — the piece that framed yesterday's TWTW debate and today's rebuttal.•       The SpaceX S-1 — forward projections of $300 billion in ann...

Elon Musk's SpaceX debuted on the Nasdaq in June with the largest IPO ever, raising a record $86 billion. But the stock has been on a wild ride ever since. Kara sits down with a panel of experts to assess SpaceX after its inaugural post-IPO earnings report and the first in a series of lockup expirations that released more than 900 million shares for trading. They break down where SpaceX is actually making money (spoiler: it's Starlink) and what its massive AI spending, xAI acquisition and increasingly expansive ambitions reveal about Musk's long-term strategy.  Ed Elson is an analyst, writer, and co-host of the Prof G Markets podcast from the Vox Media Podcast Network. Tim Higgins is a business columnist for The Wall Street Journal, a CNBC contributor, and the author of books including iWar: Fortnite, Elon Musk, Spotify, WeChat, and Laying Siege to Apple's Empire. Bethany McLean is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, a columnist at Yahoo Finance, a CNBC contributor, and the author of books including The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron. Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher. Come see Kara for a live taping of On at the Odoo Experience conference in San Francisco on September 2. Register for the conference on Odoo's website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 11, 2026 – Could AI be quietly steering your money into the next Enron? New Constructs CEO David Trainer reveals why the AI everyone's using for stock picks is dangerously blind—chasing hype while missing the accounting time bombs that sink...

"This isn't just a property tax scandal—it's a $5.1 trillion threat to the U.S. financial system." — Mitch VexlerMitch explains why he believes alleged fraud in property tax appraisals and school district bonds could undermine U.S. Treasuries, challenge the Constitution, and expose risks that Wall Street's financial models have failed to account for.

Nikkei Asia recently reported that the five biggest US tech companies are carrying an estimated $1.65 trillion in "hidden," off-balance-sheet debt — and a lot of commentators have reached for the word "Enron" to describe the issue. In this video I look at whether that comparison holds up. It doesn't: unlike Enron, this debt isn't concealed through fraud — it's disclosed in the footnotes, it breaks no accounting rules, and much of what is going on is perfectly ordinary. But that raises a more interesting question than "will they get caught." If the aggressive stuff — the adjusted earnings, the leases, the stock-based compensation added back — is all sitting there in plain sight, does dressing up the numbers actually fool anyone? Drawing on the work of Aswath Damodaran, Richard Sloan, Robert Bloomfield and others, I dig into what the research says about whether markets reward clean accounting or aggressive accounting, why the debt isn't hidden so much as filed somewhere too tedious for most people to read — and why the real risk in the AI boom probably isn't the borrowing at all, but the enormous revenue it's all assuming will show up.Patrick's Books:Statistics For The Trading Floor: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3eerLA0⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Derivatives For The Trading Floor: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://amzn.to/3cjsyPF⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Corporate Finance: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3fn3rvC ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ways To Support The Channel:Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/PatrickBoyleOnFinance⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/patrickboyle

Alice Yake's parents' taught her and her brother the importance of fairness and discipline, but also how to overcome obstacles and tackle big problems.  Those life skills have served Alice throughout her career in the power sector, from a false start at Enron — just months before it declared bankruptcy — to a long, successful career at Xcel Energy. Last year, she left her role as the utility's chief planning officer to become VP of GRIDS at Breakthrough Energy, the organization founded by Bill Gates to accelerate clean energy using philanthropy and investment funding. This week on With Great Power, Alice shares how she's now helping energy planners across the world improve electric grids through open-source planning and modeling software. She also discusses the challenge of building a better workforce to modernize the grid, as well as the opportunities to integrate more distributed energy resources into infrastructure that can help meet growing demand for clean energy over the coming decades.  Credits: Hosted by Brad Langley. Produced by Mary Catherine O'Connor. Edited by Anne Bailey. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand. Stephen Lacey is executive editor. The GridX production team includes Jenni Barber, Samantha McCabe, and Brad Langley.

Corporate Gossip's Becca Platsky on CEO Myths, Enron Obsessions, and Why Humility Is Fraud ProtectionKelly Paxton hosts Becca Platsky of the Corporate Gossip Podcast (a CPA-run “business podcast for Bravo lovers”) to discuss how the show deep-dives one company per week with heavy research, financial analysis, and human-interest gossip, including episodes on Enron and the Forbes 30 Under 30 pipeline of fraudsters. They argue CEOs are often made “dumber” by constant validation and isolation, and that executive assistants may best understand what happens behind the scenes. The conversation covers wealth bias in the justice system, support letters for white-collar defendants, and the Charlie Javice/JPMorgan case as an avoidable due-diligence failure tied to elite blind spots. Platsky emphasizes community as a source of optimism, names favorite media/podcasts, and stresses that humility—recognizing anyone can commit or fall for fraud under pressure and opportunity—is key protection.01:52 What Corporate Gossip Is04:11 Why CEOs Get Dumber06:41 Executive Assistants Know09:13 Billionaire Pedestals10:36 Scott Galloway Debate12:18 Favorite Business Voices13:35 Optimism Versus Skepticism17:00 New York And Thrillerfest19:51 Dream Fraudster Interviews22:00 Who Steals More23:50 Madoff Staff And Disney24:25 Letters To The Judge27:08 Charlie Javice Case29:43 FAFSA Fraud Blindspots32:18 Range Rover Red Flags33:17 Forbes Lists and Grifts34:59 WeWork Key Man Risk36:58 Podcast Inspirations38:45 Stanford Power Plays40:49 Scammer Red Flags Books42:41 Humility Against Fraud45:54 Everyone Has a Price48:04 Women in Fraud HistoryResources MentionedNobody's FoolCorporate Gossip podcastPatreon community for Corporate GossipConnect with Beccahttps://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccaplatsky/https://www.corporategossippod.com/

John Johnston (JJ) reacts to some of a Prof G Markets interview with legendary short seller Jim Chanos, who is calling out an AI Bubble, and shorting it. Chanos was instrumental in uncovering the Enron fraud, and successfully called out and shorted the Dot Com Bubble. Referenced video:Legendary Short Seller: Fraud Is Hiding Behind Record Highs https://youtu.be/VxpxLIuPxLA | Prof G MarketsJim Chanos, Short Seller, AI Crash, AI Bubble, Stock Market Crash, Artificial Intelligence, Tech Stocks, Investing, Finance News, Market Correction, NVIDIA, AI Valuation, Stock Market Analysis, Jim Chanos AI, Short Selling Strategy, Stock Market 2026, Financial News, John Johnston, The John Johnston Lounge——Disclaimer: I am not a financial adviser and nothing in this content is financial advice. This content is for general education and entertainment purposes only. Do your own analysis and seek professional financial advice before making any investment decision.

John Johnston (JJ) reacts to some of a Prof G Markets interview with legendary short seller Jim Chanos, who is calling out an AI Bubble, and shorting it. Chanos was instrumental in uncovering the Enron fraud, and successfully called out and shorted the Dot Com Bubble. Referenced video:Legendary Short Seller: Fraud Is Hiding Behind Record Highs https://youtu.be/VxpxLIuPxLA | Prof G MarketsJim Chanos, Short Seller, AI Crash, AI Bubble, Stock Market Crash, Artificial Intelligence, Tech Stocks, Investing, Finance News, Market Correction, NVIDIA, AI Valuation, Stock Market Analysis, Jim Chanos AI, Short Selling Strategy, Stock Market 2026, Financial News, John Johnston, The John Johnston Lounge——Disclaimer: I am not a financial adviser and nothing in this content is financial advice. This content is for general education and entertainment purposes only. Do your own analysis and seek professional financial advice before making any investment decision.

Bethany McLean, veteran investigative journalist and co-author of The Smartest Guys in the Room, saw the end of Enron coming, and is now watching the AI trade very carefully. She has questions the market isn't asking. Motley Fool analyst Rachel Warren continues her conversation with Bethany, turning the lens on the market right now. She discusses why the free cash flow of the Magnificent Seven is quietly turning negative, why the circular financing inside the AI ecosystem makes it nearly impossible to see what's really going on, and why the S&P 500 index fund you think is keeping you diversified is actually one of the most concentrated AI bets you can make.  Host: Rachel Warren  Guest: Bethany McLean  Producers: Bart Shannon, Lauren Budabin  Advertisements are sponsored content and provided for informational purposes only. The Motley Fool and its affiliates (collectively, "TMF") do not endorse, recommend, or verify the accuracy or completeness of the statements made within advertisements. TMF is not involved in the offer, sale, or solicitation of any securities advertised herein and makes no representations regarding the suitability, or risks associated with any investment opportunity presented. Investors should conduct their own due diligence and consult with legal, tax, and financial advisors before making any investment decisions.  TMF assumes no responsibility for any losses or damages arising from this advertisement.  We're committed to transparency: All personal opinions in advertisements from Fools are their own. The product advertised in this episode was loaned to TMF and was returned after a test period or the product advertised in this episode was purchased by TMF. Advertiser has paid for the sponsorship of this episode.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Chit Chat Stocks, Brett and Ryan continue their study of super investors by looking at David Tepper. We discuss: (00:00) Introduction (07:40) Founding of Appaloosa and initial investment philosophy (10:01) Tepper's track record and notable returns (18:48) Case study: Russian 1998 financial crisis (24:09) Investing during the Enron and dot-com busts (32:07) The GFC rebound: Tepper's boldest move (40:22) Recent macro bets: China (46:19) Lessons from Tepper's investment approach and philosophy (52:29) Portfolio overview ***************************************************** Subscribe to our newsletter, Emerging Moats: emergingmoats.com  ********************************************************************* Chit Chat Stocks is presented by Interactive Brokers. Get professional pricing, global access, and premier technology with the best brokerage for investors today:  https://www.interactivebrokers.com/  Interactive Brokers is a member of SIPC.  ********************************************************************* Fiscal.ai is building the future of financial data. With custom charts, AI-generated research reports, and endless analytical tools, you can get up to speed on any stock around the globe. All for a reasonable price.  Use our LINK and get 15% off any premium plan: ⁠https://fiscal.ai/chitchat  ********************************************************************* Disclosure: Chit Chat Stocks hosts and guests are not financial advisors, and nothing they say on this show is formal advice or a recommendation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Five years, 345 episodes and one painfully empty chair later, THS enters its next era. Chris is back behind the mic with Rajeil riding shotgun, a laptop full of charts and a thesis Wall Street is not going to enjoy: the next recession may not begin with housing or the Fed—it may begin when America's trillion-dollar AI buildout collides with cheaper, open-weight Chinese models. From market corrections and oil shocks to data-center tax breaks, Enron-style debt structures, exploding token costs, Kimi K3 and an unreleased AI agent that reportedly escaped containment, this episode asks whether the technology holding up the market could also be the thing that breaks it. Same Higher Standard, fewer people playing footsie under the table.

(00:00:00) INTRO (00:32:42) Las estafas amorosas funcionan (00:33:11) Ahora con una llamada al presidente se aprueba un medicamento (00:42:41) EL MENÚ (00:46:52) ANUNCIOS (00:48:08) PATREON (00:57:00) OpenIA (01:12:44) Mientras tanto en Berlín el día de Christopher Street fue atacado (01:41:27) De verdad había que evitar que esta casa se convirtiera en Santuario (01:45:01) Busquemosle la lengua a Briceño (01:57:14) Ajá en Venezuela saber dónde está el dinero del petróleo es casi imposible (02:12:26) A Trump le gustan sus aranceles pero no las multas europeas (02:15:58) Venezuela tuvo su chiripero y ahora la India tiene su movimiento de Cucarachas (02:24:04) El Dinero programable viene de la mano del Euro digital (02:30:26) Olvídate de irán, el enemigo de USA es Canadá (02:33:36) Arabia Saudita va pendiente de energía Nuclear (02:36:55) Te acuerdas de Enron bueno piensa ahora en Oracle, Amazon y Meta (02:44:42) España nunca defrauda (02:55:48) Cuando un solo Hacker deja sin títulos de propiedad a todo un país (03:00:00) No gastar en Psicólogos es también un trastorno (03:04:12) El problema de sacar a los inmigrantes es quien cuida a la Abuela (03:08:08) Ucrania entra al escenario de Irán (03:11:48) Antes de curar a la gente hay que convencerla que no eres el diablo (03:22:56) Cuánto te ganas entrenando robots (03:26:04) EXTRA: Los incendios en Europa INFORMACIÓN CENTRALIZADA SOBRE EL TERREMOTO EN VENEZUELA https://www.profesorbriceno.com/about-5 LE PUEDES COMPRAR A UN PANA LA SUSCRIPCIÓN CON TARJETA DE REGALO https://www.patreon.com/profesorbriceno/gift O COMPRAR UNA GIFT CARD DE PATREON EN https://rewarble.com/brands/patreon COMO DIJIMOS EN EL EPISODIO LA MERCH ESTÁ AQUÍ https://quesevayantodos-shop.fourthwall.com/collections/all EPISODIO COMPLETO Y PARTICIPACION EN VIVO EN https://www.patreon.com/profesorbriceno Las Grabaciones pueden verse en vivo en TWITCH ️https://www.twitch.tv/profesorbriceno SUSCRÍBETE AL PODCAST POR AUDIO EN CUALQUIER PLATAFORMA ⬇️  AQUÍ LAS ENCUENTRAS TODAS: ➡️➡️➡️ https://pod.link/676871115 los más populares SPOTIFY ⬇️   https://open.spotify.com/show/3rFE3ZP8OXMLUEN448Ne5i?si=1cec891caf6c4e03 APPLE PODCASTS ⬇️   https://podcasts.apple.com/es/podcast/que-se-vayan-todos/id676871115 GOOGLE PODCASTS ⬇️   https://www.ivoox.com/en/podcast-que-se-vayan-todos_sq_f11549_1.html FEED PARA CUALQUIER APP DE PODCASTS ⬇️   https://www.ivoox.com/en/podcast-que-se-vayan-todos_sq_f11549_1.html Si te gustó, activa la campanita   FECHAS DE PRESENTACIONES ⬇ ️ http://www.profesorbriceno.com/tour Redes sociales: ✏️Web https://www.profesorbriceno.com ✏️Instagram https://www.instagram.com/profesorbriceno/ ✏️X https://x.com/profesorbriceno ✏️Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profesorbricenoOficial/ #aburrido #profesorbriceño #noticias #política

Robert-Jan Foortse has been at APG for 23 years - he warned the man who hired him he'd probably get bored and leave within 3. He'd only been available because Arthur Andersen collapsed after Enron, and the job came out of sharing a cab back to the airport with the head of real estate at ABP. Today he runs the European property portfolio and sits on the investment committee at a pension investor with around €600bn under management, just over €50bn of it in property, run by 55 people. That headcount only works because APG doesn't manage anything itself. Every position sits alongside a local operating partner handling the leasing, financing and day-to-day. His framing is horse racing - back a blind pool fund and you're picking the jockey, and APG would rather pick the horses. After the GFC they cut the number of positions, wrote much bigger cheques, insisted on governance rights, and moved away from traditional fund managers towards operators like citizenM, McArthurGlen and The Social Hub. People building businesses, rather than collecting rent and charging a fee for it. What that's produced isn't the portfolio you'd guess. Offices are 1% of the European book, on the logic that a good office pitch is exactly where a council will happily consent the tower next door. Residential is close to 40%. They spent a long time trying to buy into European data centres, got outbid on one and couldn't agree terms on the other, then worked out they already owned the exposure - roughly 30% of Digital Realty and Equinix by assets sits in Europe. His sense-check for that sort of thing is his mother, a retired teacher, 91 this summer and an ABP pensioner. She doesn't care which regional portfolio it's parked in. What guests would you love to see next on PPP? Let us know in the comments. The People Property Place Podcast is powered by Rockbourne, recruiting leadership talent for real estate funds, owners, investors, and developers. LIKE - SHARE - SUBSCRIBE http://peoplepropertyplace.com/

The journalist who exposed Enron before Wall Street did has spent decades studying how companies unravel — and the warning signs are almost always there before the collapse. Motley Fool analyst Rachel Warren sits down with Bethany McLean, veteran investigative journalist and co-author of The Smartest Guys in the Room, to dig into the psychology behind corporate disaster. She discusses why most fraud starts with self-delusion rather than malice, why the auditors and lawyers and board of directors may not be protecting you the way you think, and why the line between a visionary CEO and a fraudster is thinner — and more unsettling — than most investors realize.  Host: Rachel Warren  Guest: Bethany McLean  Producers: Bart Shannon, Lauren Budabin  Disclosure: Advertisements are sponsored content and provided for informational purposes only. The Motley Fool and its affiliates (collectively, “TMF”) do not endorse, recommend, or verify the accuracy or completeness of the statements made within advertisements. TMF is not involved in the offer, sale, or solicitation of any securities advertised herein and makes no representations regarding the suitability, or risks associated with any investment opportunity presented. Investors should conduct their own due diligence and consult with legal, tax, and financial advisors before making any investment decisions. TMF assumes no responsibility for any losses or damages arising from this advertisement. We're committed to transparency: All personal opinions in advertisements from Fools are their own. The product advertised in this episode was loaned to TMF and was returned after a test period or the product advertised in this episode was purchased by TMF. Advertiser has paid for the sponsorship of this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every edition of Answer Us Back features your responses to/observations upon previous episodes of AMT, some of them many many years old - but today's episode is packed to the rafters with what you had to say about our most recent episode, AMT419! Detta has baked a version of the Tom Cruise coconut-white chocolate bundt cake - "A lot of faff, but worth it."  Anonymous from the Allusioverse has actually eaten a cake gifted by Tom Cruise! Not the coconut bundt though - a lemon one, strong enough to taste "remarkably like having your taste buds bashed out". Mmm, great. A different Anonymous writes about the practice of film stars buying end-of-shoot gifts for all the crewmembers. Alastair in Kilmarnock gives some fun Scottish examples of stadiums being corporately renamed... ...and Mark tells us some of the creative approaches that stadiums have taken to cover up their usual corporate logos during the World Cup. Meagan in Oakland CA wonders when, if ever, it would be OK to wear her Houston Astros shirt from 25ish years ago which has the Enron logo on it? On the topic of which fun British vegetables Dan in Pennsylvania could grow on his farm, Emily in Canada is screaming, "King Edward potatoes!!!" Dan himself writes back, noting the ladybird fu**fest that was mentioned in AMT419. As well as buying ladybirds to sort out her garden's aphids, Isabel treats herself to a few praying mantis egg sacs, to enjoy a miniature horror show when they hatch. And Erica responds to the previous Answer Us Back, where we mused upon the potential disappointment of seeing one of us audio podcasters in the flesh. If AMTs 1-419 left you with lingering questions and opinions, share them with us for future episodes of Answer Us Back. And as always, send in your questions, in voicenote or written form, to answermethispodcast@googlemail.com. All new AMT420 will be in your podfeed on 30 July 2026.  Help keep AMT going by signing up at patreon.com/answermethis, where you can get an ad-free version of the show, monthly bonus bits, our video livestream Petty Problems, AND access to our ENTIRE back catalogue, including all our paywalled episodes, our special albums, and all the Retro AMT episodes. AMT is sponsored by: • Cozy Earth, luxurious bedding, sleepwear, loungewear, and towels for bath and beach. Shop at cozyearth.com and get 20% off using our code ANSWER. • Quooker, the the tap that does it all, from instant 100-degree boiling water to chilled, filtered, and sparkling water. Shop at quooker.co.uk and until the end of August, you can use our code ANSWER to get free installation and your free Quooker glassware set. • Taskrabbit, the online and mobile marketplace, available in the UK, that connects you with skilled, reliable local freelancers to help with everything from furniture assembly and home repairs to moving, gardening, and more. Get ahead of your to-do list with £10 off your first task at taskrabbit.co.uk or on the Taskrabbit app using our promo code ANSWER.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With hyperscalers like Meta, Google, Amazon and SpaceXAI burning through cash, we decided to answer the question underneath all of it: what is this money actually buying? In this episode we start high level with a primer on the AI ecosystem or what Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang calls the "five-layer cake" of AI — energy, chips, infrastructure, models, applications. We get into the vocabulary everyone uses and nobody defines: what a hyperscaler actually is, how it differs from a frontier model company like OpenAI or Anthropic, why Oracle only plays in one layer while Google plays in all five, and what a NeoCloud like CoreWeave is really doing when it borrows against its own chips. Then we get into the grid — all three of them — including how power prices get set, the difference between regulated and deregulated states, why Meta's $200 billion Project Hyperion campus in Louisiana needs enough electricity to power half of Manhattan in the summer, and why the new rule for data centers is essentially "bring your own electrons." We also dig into the tax incentives driving the timing of all this spend, and why states are competing so ferociously for projects that employ almost no one once the construction crews go home. Then we bring on an extra special guest: power expert. Ron Kelly, who spent 50 years in power and energy — as an engineer, at Calpine, and developing natural gas-fired power plants and solar plants all over the United States the country. He also happens to be Kristen's dad. His take is bracing: he's seen this movie before. Between 1995 and 2005, roughly 300 gigawatts of power projects were announced on the promise of the internet. 168 got built, 130 were canceled, the rest died, and Enron, Mirant, NRG, and Calpine all ended up in Chapter 11. Today's data center pipeline is about the same 300 gigawatts. Ron explains risks that could complicate the build out necessary to get all the needed power infrastructure online: the interconnection studies, transformer backlogs — plus what he really thinks about the security of the largest machine humans have ever built. Connect with Ron at   / ronald-kelly-pe-mba-3587a718  

Forty years in Land & Right-of-Way. An Enron survivor. A woman who earned her seat at the table in historically male-dominated industries. And, in her own words, someone who has spent her career “navigating a male-dominated world one martini at a time.”  This week, we sit down with Liz Babcock, Vice President of Land & ROW at ALTAEI, for a candid conversation about resilience, trust, relationships and what it really takes to succeed in the people-heavy world of land and right-of-way. Liz shares lessons from four decades spent working with landowners, attorneys, engineers, agencies, utilities and energy companies—and explains why technical knowledge alone is never enough. We also dive into: How the Land and ROW profession has changed—and where progress is still needed What surviving the Enron collapse taught Liz about reputation and resilience How to build trust with skeptical or frustrated landowners The importance of bringing ROW professionals into projects earlier Earning your voice and your seat at the table Why relationships, humor and genuine human connection still move projects forward The stories and experiences that make a 40-year career truly meaningful This episode is a reminder that successful projects are not built through data, documents and processes alone. They are built through trust, communication, judgment and treating people right. Because the best ROW professionals do not just help projects acquire land—they protect relationships, reduce risk and create a path forward. Music by Prince!! #TheGeoholics #LandSurveying #RightOfWay #ROW #LandAcquisition #Geospatial #Surveying #Infrastructure #Leadership #WomenInLeadership #WomenInEnergy #ProfessionalDevelopment #CareerLessons #RelationshipBuilding #ProjectManagement #Prince #WhenDovesCry #Podcast

Grid operators sit at the center of many of the biggest forces reshaping the global energy system. They're navigating rising electricity demand, a lack of transmission infrastructure, shifting regulatory policies, and maintaining the tricky balance between affordability, reliability, and the need for dispatchable power.  Both here in the US and around the world, operating a reliable and resilient grid—in the face of increasingly severe weather and complex interconnection demands—is more difficult than ever. And these challenges are felt well outside the power sector. Spiking utility rates in some regions have turned electricity into a major political issue. So, what does the future of grid planning tell us about the ultimate pace of the energy transition? How can system operators manage the surge in demand from AI and data centers without compromising reliability? And how can open-source grid planning tools help both developed and developing markets build a flexible power system for the next 30 to 50 years? Today on the show, Jason Bordoff speaks to Alice Yake about the opportunities but also the challenges in building cleaner electrical grids. Alice is vice president of GRIDS at Breakthrough Energy, where she leads a team focused on the development of an open-source grid planning ecosystem designed to make energy system modeling transparent, accessible, and trustworthy. Previously, she spent 14 years at the utility Xcel Energy, where she rose to chief planning officer. Before that, she worked for the oil and gas company Occidental. She started her career at Enron. And for more about the Center on Global Energy Policy's work on electricity affordability, read here. Credits: Hosted by Jason Bordoff and Bill Loveless. Produced by Mary Catherine O'Connor, Caroline Pitman, and Kyu Lee. Engineering by Gregory Vilfranc.  

Strong professional judgement is often the difference between identifying risk early and recognising failure only in hindsight.  This episode explores what major market collapses can teach auditors, accountants and finance professionals about maintaining trust, independence and scepticism when risks are evolving rapidly.  With Paul Munter, formerly of the US Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), in the studio – along with CPA Australia's audit and assurance lead Tiffany Tan – this episode offers deep insight into this important issue.  Drawing on lessons from Enron, WorldCom, the global financial crisis and FTX, the discussion examines how reporting narratives can gradually drift from economic reality and why strong professional judgement remains critical.  Key takeaways:  What past market failures reveal about weaknesses in reporting, auditing and oversight  Why audit quality, independence and professional scepticism remain essential  How emerging risks such as crypto and private capital challenge traditional approaches  The importance of asking better questions and challenging explanations that do not make sense  Why the profession needs to do a better job explaining the value and career opportunities within audit  How auditors contribute to market confidence, capital formation and investor trust  Host: Elinor Kasapidis, chief of policy standards and external affairs, CPA Australia.  Guests:  Paul Munter served as the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chief accountant (2021-25) and its deputy chief accountant (2019-21). He had previously retired from KPMG where he was the lead technical partner for its international accounting and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) activities. He is a CPA in Colorado, New York, and Florida.  Tiffany Tan, audit and assurance lead, CPA Australia.  You can learn more about Paul Munter here.  CPA Australia also has some useful audit and assurance tools and resources.  Loving this episode?  Listen to more With Interest episodes and other CPA Australia podcasts on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@CPAaustralia/podcasts  And don't forget to click subscribe to the channel for a wide range of content that will help your career.  CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance and accounting:  With Interest https://www.cpaaustralia.com.au/tools-and-resources/podcasts/with-interest  INTHEBLACK https://www.cpaaustralia.com.au/tools-and-resources/podcasts/intheblack  INTHEBLACK Out Loud https://www.cpaaustralia.com.au/tools-and-resources/podcasts/intheblack-outloud  Excel Tips https://www.cpaaustralia.com.au/tools-and-resources/podcasts/excel-tips  Search for them in your podcast platform. Email the podcast team at podcasts@cpaaustralia.com.au 

Craig visits Greg in LA. Topics covered: blood showers, Bram Stoker, face rubbing, pot gummies, sleep habits, negotiating contracts, and why Enron failed (it was Scientology).

I joined my longtime friend Tom Cock for a special edition of Talking Real Money — a wide-ranging conversation about the evolution of indexing, the proposed changes to the S&P 500, and why investors should understand both the strengths and limitations of traditional index funds. I explain why firms like Dimensional Fund Advisors and Avantis Investors use a more flexible, evidence-based approach than traditional indexing, and how academic research has reshaped portfolio construction over the past several decades.We also explore lessons from market history, including the importance of understanding major bear markets, determining appropriate risk levels, and building portfolios that align with your personal goals rather than chasing maximum returns. I share insights from the latest Dimensional Matrix Book and explain why I believe studying 100 years of market data helps investors stay disciplined during inevitable downturns.Finally, I introduce a simple but powerful strategy for helping newborns and young children build substantial retirement wealth through small annual investments that can compound over many decades.CHAPTERS0:11 Special guest Paul Merriman joins Talking Real Money0:55 Long friendship and investing partnership between Tom and Paul1:20 S&P 500 rule changes and earlier inclusion of major IPOs like SpaceX2:07 Historical examples of S&P 500 additions and omissions2:35 Microsoft’s delayed entry into the S&P 5002:56 NVIDIA replacing Enron in 20013:29 How index rule changes can affect future returns and volatility4:08 Why indexing remains the preferred strategy for most investors5:16 Traditional versus non-traditional index funds6:37 How Avantis and Dimensional incorporate factors beyond company size8:05 Why factor-based investing differs from traditional indexing9:02 Problems with rigid index reconstitution schedules10:16 Momentum, flexibility, and portfolio management advantages11:22 Introduction to Dimensional’s annual Matrix Book11:53 Using market history rather than forecasts to guide investing decisions13:09 Lessons from past bubbles, crashes, and lost decades14:20 Why Paul trusts academic research more than Wall Street forecasts15:14 The case for small-cap value investing15:49 Clarifying Paul’s allocation to small companies16:53 Investing for heirs, charities, and future generations18:10 Remembering investor panic during the 2008 financial crisis19:18 Determining an appropriate risk level for retirement portfolios20:43 Different investor goals: beating the market, maximizing returns, or minimizing risk21:28 Peace of mind versus maximum growth21:55 Helping young people build retirement wealth early22:54 The $365-per-year retirement funding concept24:09 Final thoughts and appreciation between Tom and PaulQuestions? Comments? Click!

Carson Block is the founder of Muddy Waters Research, one of the defining activist short-selling firms of the last decade and a half. Since 2010, Muddy Waters has published forensic research exposing accounting fraud at publicly traded companies across China, Europe, and the US and has been right enough times that 11 companies have been delisted as a result.In this episode of Summation, Carson and Auren discuss:why outright fraud is only 20-25% of Muddy Waters'  focusthe Wirecard sagawhy high-trust countries like Germany are a paradise for criminalshow the thing that killed Enron is still completely legalYou can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Carson Block on LinkedIn and on X @muddywatersre

Until 2007, the largest single corporate bankruptcy was Enron, a $67 billion energy trading company. Its decline was breathtaking, and while it’s a fascinating story of corporate malfeasance and greed, it’s also about the lives of ruined workers. Learn all about it in this classic episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tom welcomes legendary investor educator and longtime friend Paul Merriman for a wide-ranging conversation about the evolution of indexing, the proposed changes to the S&P 500, and why investors should understand both the strengths and limitations of traditional index funds. Paul explains why firms like Dimensional Fund Advisors and Avantis Investors use a more flexible, evidence-based approach than traditional indexing and discusses how academic research has reshaped portfolio construction over the past several decades.The discussion also explores lessons from market history, including the importance of understanding major bear markets, determining appropriate risk levels, and building portfolios that align with personal goals rather than chasing maximum returns. Paul shares insights from the latest Dimensional Matrix Book and explains why he believes studying 100 years of market data helps investors stay disciplined during inevitable downturns.Finally, Paul introduces a simple but powerful strategy for helping newborns and young children build substantial retirement wealth through small annual investments that can compound over many decades.Timestamps0:11 Special guest Paul Merriman joins Talking Real Money0:55 Long friendship and investing partnership between Tom and Paul1:20 S&P 500 rule changes and earlier inclusion of major IPOs like SpaceX2:07 Historical examples of S&P 500 additions and omissions2:35 Microsoft's delayed entry into the S&P 5002:56 NVIDIA replacing Enron in 20013:29 How index rule changes can affect future returns and volatility4:08 Why indexing remains the preferred strategy for most investors5:16 Traditional versus non-traditional index funds6:37 How Avantis and Dimensional incorporate factors beyond company size8:05 Why factor-based investing differs from traditional indexing9:02 Problems with rigid index reconstitution schedules10:16 Momentum, flexibility, and portfolio management advantages11:22 Introduction to Dimensional's annual Matrix Book11:53 Using market history rather than forecasts to guide investing decisions13:09 Lessons from past bubbles, crashes, and lost decades14:20 Why Paul trusts academic research more than Wall Street forecasts15:14 The case for small-cap value investing15:49 Clarifying Paul's allocation to small companies16:53 Investing for heirs, charities, and future generations18:10 Remembering investor panic during the 2008 financial crisis19:18 Determining an appropriate risk level for retirement portfolios20:43 Different investor goals: beating the market, maximizing returns, or minimizing risk21:28 Peace of mind versus maximum growth21:55 Helping young people build retirement wealth early22:54 The $365-per-year retirement funding concept24:09 Final thoughts and appreciation between Tom and PaulQuestions? Comments? Click!

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/watchdog-on-wall-street-with-chris-markowski/id570687608 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PtgPvJvqc2gkpGIkNMR5i WATCH and SUBSCRIBE on:https://www.youtube.com/@WatchdogOnWallstreet/featured  Chris uses Nassim Taleb's famous “Turkey Problem” to explain one of the biggest mistakes investors make: believing the future will always look like the past. From a shocking World Cup upset to the collapse of once-untouchable companies like Enron and GE, he shows how unexpected "Black Swan" events can destroy even the most confident predictions. The lesson? No matter how certain an investment appears, concentration risk can be devastating. Diversification isn't about predicting the future—it's about surviving the surprises nobody sees coming.

On June 12, 2026, Elon Musk officially became the world's first trillionaire after SpaceX's record-shattering IPO. But here's the uncomfortable part: he built that fortune by breaking the most repeated rule in personal finance. He never diversified. He bet everything — twice — on companies he controlled. In this episode, I unpack what that actually means for your money. We walk through Musk's all-in playbook, from the $180 million PayPal payout to nearly going broke in 2008, and confront an uncomfortable truth: nobody ever got on the Forbes list with a diversified portfolio. Then we visit the graveyard nobody talks about — the thousands who made the same bet and lost everything — and break down the three advantages Musk had that you and I don't. You'll leave with a clear framework: when concentration makes sense, when diversification is non-negotiable, the one concentrated bet you already own (and should double down on), and how to size a "conviction bet" without putting your family's plan at risk. What we cover: The SpaceX IPO and what a trillion dollars actually looks like. The all-in playbook: PayPal to near-bankruptcy to history. Why diversification will never make you rich — and isn't supposed to. Survivorship bias: Enron, dot-com, and the losing tickets history forgets. Concentrate to build, diversify to keep: what this means for you Questions about your own portfolio's hidden concentration? Book a conversation by emailing me at info@creatingricherlives.com. Disclosure: This episode is for educational purposes only and is not personalized investment advice.

Do you remember Enron? Or more recently, Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos? Really smart people deceived other really smart people. Today, Pastor JD warns you: the end times are coming, and whether you’re smart or not, you can be deceived. What will prevent you from deception? God’s word will provide the anchor.

Do you remember Enron? Or more recently, Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos? Really smart people deceived other really smart people. Today, Pastor JD warns you: the end times are coming, and whether you’re smart or not, you can be deceived. What will prevent you from deception? God’s word will provide the anchor.

For three years, a counterfeiting bug sat live inside Zcash's shielded pool, and no one noticed. Then Taylor Hornby pointed a custom Claude Opus 4.8 agent at the code, and it surfaced the flaw in Orchard that had gone undetected since 2022. Austin Campbell, Ram Ahluwalia, and Chris Perkins debate what that means for privacy protocols, the rotation away from dead-protocol alts, and why Bitcoin's simplicity may be its strongest security argument yet. The conversation closes on quantum risk and whether the Lindy effect holds up under the new threat environment. Hosts: Austin Campbell, Founder of Zero Knowledge Consulting and Adjunct Professor at NYU Stern - https://x.com/austincampbell Ram Ahluwalia, CEO of Lumida - https://x.com/ramahluwalia Chris Perkins, President of CoinFund - https://x.com/perkinscr97 This clip is from a longer conversation on AI, security, and the Zcash counterfeiting bug. Full episode here: https://www.youtube.com/live/oSUVTmC3wZo?si=zTopwWKi3ETPD5Rz  We go live every Monday at 4:30pm ET - subscribe to catch it live. Sponsors Cape: Your biggest crypto vulnerability isn't your wallet, it's your phone number. Cape is America's privacy-first mobile carrier that rotates your SIM identity daily and blocks SIM swaps before they happen. Get 33% off your first six months at cape.co/unchained (use code: UNCHAINED). Chapters

Today on The Jeff Dornik Show, Peter A. Kirby joins me to expose the machinery behind chemtrails, geoengineering, weather manipulation, carbon credits, Davos, weather derivatives, and the coming attempt to rebrand spraying the skies as “saving the planet.” Because apparently when global elites break God's created order, the obvious solution is to monetize the cleanup. Very humble of them.We dig into Kirby's research from Chemtrails Exposed, including the evidence he points to, the financial incentives behind weather control, and why the “climate change” narrative may be less about protecting the earth and more about controlling everything on it. As Scripture says, “The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof” — which is awkward for the people trying to turn the atmosphere into a subscription service.Order your copy of Peter A. Kirby's book Chemtrails Exposed from Skyhorse Publishing: https://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/9781510785106/chemtrails-exposed/Follow Jeff Dornik on Pickax - https://pickax.com/jeffdornikBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-jeff-dornik-show--4788100/support.Follow The Jeff Dornik Show on Apple Podcasts and leave a 5-star review. That's how we reach more people and bypass Big Tech suppression.Watch LIVE daily at 7pm ET on Rumble and subscribe so you never miss a show:https://rumble.com/c/jeffdornikBig Tech is silencing truth while harvesting your data to feed the machine. That's why I built Pickax, a free speech platform where creators own their content and your voice isn't controlled. Join now:https://pickax.com/?referralCode=y7wxvwq&refSource=copy

Lords: Aubrey http://glowhno.com/ Avery Topics: Every day since 1981 Yuri Borisovich Norstein and his wife Francheska Yarbusova have worked on their masterpice--an animated adaptaion of Gogol's short story The Overcoat. They couple is now in their 80s and will most likely never complete their film. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Overcoat_(animated_film) Video game urban legends https://vimeo.com/91436410 https://saint-arthur.tumblr.com/post/146680746144/riding-immortal-on-the-seeking-road Bay Area Airport Naming Drama The Only Animal by Franz Wright https://april-is.tumblr.com/post/89794820/april-25-2008-the-only-animal-franz-wright Microtopics: Loving only the parts you don't hate. Finishing the whole pack of Red Vines because you refuse to let them defeat you. An album you haven't put on Spotify. You know. Those podcasts. The sort of thing we don't do around here. Holding up cue cards so the guests know what to say. Reading all 180,000 messages in the Frog Fractions 2 ARG solvers discord. The tech company you're applying to sending you all the Enron emails, saying "review these before the interview" Mysteries, Easter eggs, and rose-tinted glasses. Hedgehog in the Fog. Arduous animation processes. Working on an animated feature by yourself for over 40 years. Great Family Entertainment. A story about a guy who has everything he needs who dies while trying to buy an overcoat. A huge pack of Red Vines that you and your wife have been eating since 1981. Burning yourself out very quickly if you don't put guardrails in place. Perfectionists throwing away years of work because it's not good enough. DJs who still spin vinyl and other artists who choose to do things the hard way. Enveloping yourself in an emotion. Refusing to break character for the entire time you're making the Youtube documentary. Putting away art you're having a hard time with and coming back to it later. Everything that happened between the Sigil Master and Austin Walker. Losing track of whether art looks good. The fine line between pacing yourself and torturing yourself. The statue in the background of Frog Fractions that turns red when you're on Mars. Encouraging people to have whimsy. Space Knight Rom. Snagglepuss the 1950s playwright. Back when you could make up a video game rumor and not have it immediately debunked. GTA San Andreas urban legends. Windows Movie Maker transition screens. Gravitating towards the unknowable. Self-destructing music. Scarcity and unknowability. Buying an album from the record shop and perusing the indie record label catalog that comes with it. Searching for the 16th colossus. Forming a small community and feeling communal with them. Playing games with a group of friends like a book club. An MMO full of ARGy type stuff. Automatically grouping people into a puzzle solving community. Being paralyzed by the sheer amount of information that you don't know. What's going on with the iGlyphs? Finding evidence of the Jejune Institute on a telephone pole. Painstakingly making the 7th Frog Fractions game, 45 years from now. The history of Seeking Mr. Eaten's Name. Game secrets that can't be ruined by one jerk with a decompiler. Sleep No More. Getting pulled into a secret compartment during an interactive play. Multi-city zombie larps. The Oakland Airport renaming themselves to the San Francisco Bay International Airport and then later the lawsuit becoming the Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport. Bay Area topology. San Francisco and South San Francisco. The Unincorporated Area of San Mateo County International Airport, or UAOSMCIA. American cities named after European cities. The Bass Pro Shop Pyramid in Memphis, TN. Filling a 32-story disco pyramid with sports equipment. Fry's Electronics. Another episode of Topic Lords where we read from Wikipedia. A huge empty building with paintings of Mayan gods holding torches that used to be an electronics store. One more way in which people forget about San Diego. The only animal that brushes its own teeth A monkey wearing a spacesuit trying to smoke a cigarette through the face shield. The only animal that smokes cigarettes. (Todd, who works down at the warehouse.) Meeting your estranged dad when at the awards show when you're both up for the same Pulitzer. Whether that fuckin' awesome monkey is a Bored Ape. Whether Google Image Search is making up images yet. That time Ryan North and his dog got stuck in an empty swimming pool and turned it into an interactive text adventure. By the time you've smelt it, they have dealt it. Topics are over!

Retirement planning is about more than just saving money—it's about making smart decisions with your finances to ensure that you keep as much of what you've earned as possible. On the show this week, I'm sharing essential strategies for managing your taxes in retirement—including a real-life example of a couple selling $146,000 in capital gains and paying zero taxes. I break down the benefits of non-retirement brokerage accounts, clarify the rules around capital gains and losses, and reveal a key element of the tax code that hasn't changed in nearly 50 years. In the second half of the show, I'm also discussing the risks and rewards of company stock, stock options, and restricted stock units (RSUs), and providing guidance for anyone investing in their own company or dealing with equity compensation. This episode is packed with practical advice and insightful stories to help you retire in the best financial position possible.   You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in... [00:26]Importance of tax management in retirement [02:05] Capital gain harvesting (an uncommon topic) and capital loss harvesting [06:25] Explaining brokerage account basics [08:17] Distinction between short-term vs. long-term capital gains [14:24] Practical example of managing large capital gains [18:30] Tax-free capital gains strategy [24:40] Understanding equity compensation risks [31:51] RSUs and the tax implications [33:27] Evaluating company stock and options Understanding Brokerage (Non-Retirement) Accounts Brokerage accounts, also known as non-retirement accounts, are investment accounts funded with after-tax dollars. Unlike IRAs or 401(k)s, which have strict withdrawal rules and penalties, these accounts offer much more flexibility. There are two primary advantages: Accessibility: Funds are available before age 59½, meaning you aren't locked into waiting as with some retirement accounts. Tax Control: Taxes in these accounts are mainly due on capital gains, dividends, and interest, and you can influence the timing and amount of tax owed by managing what and when you sell.   Many investors overlook the advantages of these accounts, often assuming that retirement planning must revolve solely around 401(k)s and IRAs. Speaker B points out that one of the biggest benefits is the ability to 'cherry pick' what is bought and sold, giving investors direct control over their tax liabilities.   Capital Gains and Loss Harvesting Most people are familiar with the idea of harvesting capital losses—selling investments at a loss to offset taxable gains or up to $3,000 of ordinary income per year. But 'harvesting capital gains' can also be a powerful strategy. If your income is low enough in a particular year, it's possible to realize long-term capital gains at zero federal tax, especially under current tax laws. There are nuances, however. The $3,000 capital loss deduction limit hasn't changed since 1978, despite decades of inflation, and excess losses must be carried forward to future years—a critical aspect often forgotten. Additionally, the wash-sale rule prevents you from writing off a loss if you purchase the same (or substantially identical) security within 30 days before or after the sale.   Risks and Rewards of Company Stock, Stock Options, and RSUs  Equity compensation—whether through company stock, stock options, or restricted stock units (RSUs)—is a growing component in many retirement portfolios. Stock options come in two primary flavors—incentive stock options (ISOs) and non-qualified stock options (NSOs)—with distinct tax treatments. The potential upside can be huge, especially in fast-growing companies, but if the stock price falls below the strike price, the options may end up worthless. Upon vesting, the value of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) is taxed as ordinary income. Many companies manage tax withholding by selling some shares at vesting, but any future gains after vesting are subject to capital gains tax. Overreliance on one company's stock can be financially devastating. Don't be like the Enron employee who lost almost everything by refusing to diversify. It's essential to manage company-specific risk and diversify holdings as you approach retirement.   Resources & People Mentioned 3 Steps to Retirement Planning IRS Case Study 1 – Wash Sales    Connect With Gregg Gonzalez   Email at: Gregg.gonzalez@lpl.com Podcast: https://RetireStrongFA.com/Podcast Website: https://RetireStrongFA.com/ Follow Gregg on LinkedIn Follow Gregg on Facebook Follow Gregg on YouTube Subscribe to Retirement Made Easy On Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts  

This episode of Talking Real Money examines why financial advice so often turns into emotional debate instead of productive problem-solving. Don and Tom discuss how investors routinely underestimate spending, cling emotionally to employer stock, and defend strategies like dividend chasing, covered calls, crypto, or gold despite decades of evidence favoring diversified investing. They answer a listener question about aggressively paying down a 6.625% adjustable-rate mortgage versus maintaining liquidity, warn about commissioned advisors circling employees receiving RSU payouts, and correct a previous mistake regarding Roth employer matches under Secure 2.0 legislation. Along the way, the hosts mix humor, blunt honesty, and personal stories about why changing financial behavior is far harder than simply explaining the math.0:05 Are listeners looking for advice, validation, or just an argument?0:58 “Two old white guys waiting to die on a podcast” and why changing investor behavior is so difficult1:24 Basis points complaints and arguing over financial terminology2:21 Why financial planning conversations often become debates3:16 Most people underestimate how much they actually spend4:04 Net income minus savings equals spending, whether you admit it or not4:59 Growing up arguing in big families and learning debate skills early5:53 Emotional attachment to employer stock and concentration risk6:19 Microsoft, Enron, Washington Mutual, and the danger of loyalty investing7:02 Why many individual stocks underperform for long stretches7:42 Covered calls, dividend strategies, and belief in “secret” investing systems8:16 Why Don and Tom remain skeptical of crypto, gold, and speculative investing9:16 Their investing philosophy comes from peer-reviewed academic research, not hunches10:17 If you call for portfolio help, don't expect automatic validation11:23 Listener Jim asks whether to aggressively pay down his adjustable-rate mortgage12:17 Extra principal payments versus saving cash to pay off the mortgage later13:12 Why a 6.625% mortgage changes the payoff math14:35 Liquidity concerns versus the emotional appeal of being debt-free15:06 Mortgage recasting explained and reducing future interest costs17:39 Regret over not refinancing during ultra-low-rate years18:10 Why peace of mind sometimes outweighs financial optimization18:50 “Paper argues badly” and the transition into listener emails18:59 RSU sharks circling a listener with a large restricted stock payout19:48 Wealth managers aggressively targeting employees cashing out company stock20:47 Warning signs of commissioned annuity sales disguised as “help”21:48 Why concentrated company stock remains risky even after huge gains22:24 Recalling the advisor who openly admitted to a 10% annuity commission22:41 Retirement quiz follow-up and correcting a Roth 401(k) mistake23:01 Secure 2.0 technically allows Roth employer matches in 401(k)s24:09 Why most employers still don't offer Roth matching contributions24:36 Tax uncertainty and the value of maintaining both Roth and pre-tax accounts25:33 Tom admits he occasionally tells players when he missed a call as a referee26:05 Encouraging listeners to argue, ask questions, and engage with the show27:02 Offering free portfolio consultations without annuity sales pressure27:39 Joking about becoming annuity salesmen after all these yearsQuestions? Comments? Click!

As part of their long-running series, Alex and Sarah end the 00s with a bumper exploration of two pivotal years for playwriting this century – with Jez Butterworth's Jerusalem, Lucy Prebble's Enron, John Logan's Red, Lynn Nottage's Ruined and so many more to mull over. But which plays will be Sarah's top picks? And what have we forgotten from the month before? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join host Adam Larson as he welcomes expert guests Dana Hermanson, Daniel Haggerty, and Douglas Boyle—the authors of the 2026 Curt Verschoor Ethics Feature of the Year—for an honest, eye-opening discussion on the shadow side of professional ethics. After their award-winning article on building virtue, the trio flips the script—this time tackling the capital vices of pride, envy, and greed, and exploring why good people sometimes make bad choices. Hear real-world examples, from Enron to Theranos, and pick up practical strategies for recognizing and overcoming these vices in yourself and your organization. Daniel shares a philosopher's perspective on the roots of bad behavior, Douglas draws on his executive experience to talk about healthy versus harmful pride, and Dana connects classic wisdom to familiar fraud prevention tools. Whether you're a finance leader, student, or just curious about why fraud still happens, this is a conversation packed with insight, stories, and advice you can use right away—including a behind-the-scenes look at their award-winning article.

Holding a significant portion of your wealth in one or a handful of individual stocks can be both exhilarating and nerve-wracking. While the rewards of watching a single company's meteoric rise can be life-changing, the risks of a lack of diversification are just as great. The problem is that liquidating these positions often means getting hit with daunting tax bills. We walk through practical solutions and the new tools now available to investors seeking diversification without immediate tax consequences.  The Real Risk of Concentration It's tempting to simply hang onto a winning stock, postponing taxes until you're in a lower bracket or retired. But over 90% of stocks underperform the market long term. Individual company fortunes can change abruptly—think Enron, Lehman Brothers, or stock collapses from $50 to $0.50. Banking your whole plan on one company's continued success is a risk that can jeopardize even the soundest of financial plans. Taking calculated steps to shift your assets, even if taxes are due eventually, is often essential for long-term stability. Modern Options for Tackling Concentrated Stock Technology and innovation in the investment industry are opening doors once reserved for the ultra-wealthy. Here are four tax-deferral solutions we discuss: 1. Exchange Funds Exchange funds allow investors to pool their highly appreciated stocks with others, resulting in a diversified basket—often 20–30 stocks. You maintain your original cost basis, and after a 7-year lock-up period, you can access a more diversified portfolio. There are usually high entry minimums ($250,000–$500,000) and the investor must be an accredited. It requires a long holding period and comes with added complexity, costs, and delayed K-1 tax forms. At the end, you still owe taxes if you sell, but you've reduced single-stock risk. 2. Section 351 Funds If you hold several different stocks or even ETFs that no longer fit your strategy, Section 351 exchanges allow you to transfer them into a new, broadly diversified fund with tax deferral. This is similar in spirit to a 1031 real estate exchange but designed for securities. This option gives you flexibility, but it only works with publicly traded investments in taxable (not retirement) accounts 3. Separately Managed Accounts (SMAs) SMAs have become popular for allowing greater customization. In an SMA, instead of owning an index fund, you hold the constituent stocks directly—allowing for tax loss harvesting and the exclusion of specific stocks. This offers personalized values-based investing but creates more complex tax reporting and can create complications for you and your CPA. 4. Tax Aware Long/Short Strategies Recently popular but highly complex, these leverage SMAs and add a long/short overlay, aiming to maximize loss harvesting regardless of overall market conditions. This uses leverage and shorting, increasing risk and management costs. It gives greater potential for tax loss harvesting, but introduces tracking error and liquidity constraints. This is best for specific, high-need scenarios.    Keep Your Broader Plan in Mind Always return to your broader financial plan. Look at that accumulated stock position in the context of your overall financial plan and everything else that's happening in your goals and life. These tactics are tools, not silver bullets. Sometimes, the simplest (if less glamorous) move—selling, paying taxes, and reinvesting—might be your best decision. Concentrated stock positions can be both an opportunity and a source of anxiety. Before chasing the latest "shiny object," evaluate your situation with the help of an advisor. Find the approach that aligns with your risk, liquidity needs, and long-term goals. Sometimes, boring really is better—for both your taxes and your sleep. Outline of This Episode 00:00 Discussing tax deferral options 03:42 Risks of relying on stocks 09:14 Evaluating stock donation options 12:49 Explaining Section 351 funds 14:29 Using ETFs for tax deferral 18:24 Considering life changes for tax planning 21:57 Evaluating investment advice sources   Resources & People Mentioned The Retirement Podcast Network   Connect With Chad and Mike https://www.financialsymmetry.com/podcast-archive/  Connect on Twitter @csmithraleigh @TeamFSINC Follow Financial Symmetry on Facebook   Subscribe To This Podcast   Apple Podcasts Stitcher Google Play  

Trump takes on Xi: who’s about to get outplayed?; Trump showed massive economic, military, and global power upon arrival in China. So why are people claiming Xi has the power? Why did Xi threaten Trump and over what? What did Xi already promise? Fairfax firestorm: prosecutor accused of going soft on illegal immigrants; House hearing heats up as Soros funded DA is confronted for giving slaps on the wrist of illegal alien child rapists and murderers. And why lectured that “mass deportations are fantasy”? Mamdani roasted: “balanced budget” gets torched by Democrat strategist; What kind of Enron math was he using? Who’s paying more in fees? Hint…it’s not the rich. Pope Leo firestorm: Vatican defends honor given to Iranian leader; Why would a Pope honor ambassador of a barbaric regime? With guest Tim Murphy, “The Christ Cure”.Support Our Mission: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=ZMGRBFGDJKRS8See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 991 of The Professional Left starts with a question that sounds absurd on its face — are Americans "underbabied"? — and then spends an hour making the case that the people asking that question are the same ones who have spent decades doing everything in their power to make starting a family feel financially impossible. Driftglass and Blue Gal trace the long arc from the post-war baby boom through the Reagan era's war on the social safety net, showing how decades of Republican policy quietly transformed children from a shared public good into a personal lifestyle choice that you'd better be able to afford on your own. A detour through the Enron collapse and the Great Recession ties it all together — because low birth rates aren't the disease, they're the symptom, and this episode lays out exactly what's causing them.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Artwork courtesy of "america has rabies" on BlueSky @thebatshitsutras.bsky.socialSupport the show

Tom and Don take aim at the persistent myth that active management adds meaningful long-term value, using a new study highlighted by Larry Swedroe showing that 1,260 balanced mutual funds dramatically underperformed simple low-cost index portfolios from 1990–2021. The duo contrasts expensive actively managed balanced funds with inexpensive index strategies like the Vanguard Balanced Index approach, illustrating how fees alone can devastate long-term returns. Along the way, they discuss the emotional challenge of rebalancing, the hidden costs inside broker-sold funds, and why simplicity usually beats complexity in investing. Listener questions cover paying off a high-interest HELOC, whether gold or silver make sense as CD replacements, how advisor fees relate to the 4% withdrawal rule, and the behavioral value of good fiduciary advice. The episode wraps with a detour into collectible stock certificates, including Enron, Washington Mutual, and even Trump Media, proving once again that Talking Real Money can turn almost anything into a financial lesson and a comedy bit.0:05 Satirical opening mocking the “you need a professional” investing pitch0:27 The enduring myth that active management beats indexing1:40 Larry Swedroe study on 1,260 balanced mutual funds vs. index portfolios3:05 Balanced funds underperform across returns and risk-adjusted metrics4:32 Massive fee differences between active funds and index funds6:05 Rebalancing challenges and lousy 401(k) investment menus7:05 American Funds Balanced Fund fee breakdown shocks Don8:49 Vanguard Balanced Index Fund cost comparison9:36 Why advisor fees are different from high mutual fund expenses10:30 Simplicity and low costs win most of the time11:41 Enron stock certificate becomes a lesson on stock-picking risk14:47 Listener question about paying off a 7.1% HELOC19:29 Whether pensions should count as “bond-like” assets21:42 Gold and silver vs. CDs discussion25:40 Does the 4% rule include advisor fees?26:11 Vanguard Advisor Alpha and the behavioral value of advisors27:32 Fiduciary advice, tax management, and preventing investor mistakes28:50 Collectible stock certificates and bizarre eBay discoveries30:48 Closing banter and preview of future unpredictabilityQuestions? Comments? Click!

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Recorded live at the Daniel Energy Partners Thrive Conference, hosts David de Roode and Victoria Beard Queen sit down with Jackson Wise, CEO of Signal Peak Silica, and world-class pit master, to unpack the realities of the modern sand business and what it takes to lead through cycles. Wise shares his unconventional path from Enron and investment banking with the infamous Simmons & Company to operating one of the largest regional frac sand platforms in the U.S., along with the hard lessons learned during Signal Peak's 2019 turnaround.The conversation dives into how regionalization has reshaped the sand market, why delivered cost and logistics matter more than brand, and how consolidation and capital discipline are defining the future of the sector. Wise also reflects on leadership, mentorship, building high‑trust teams, and why barbecue, community, and culture still play an outsized role in oil & gas today.00:00 Why Oil And Gas Matters00:36 Podcast And Sponsors01:59 Live From Thrive Conference03:14 Meet Jackson Wise03:40 Early Career And Enron05:52 BP MBA And Simmons07:17 Simmons Culture Lessons09:34 Leaving Banking To Operate11:38 Mentorship And Leadership13:16 Signal Peak In 30 Seconds15:49 Turnaround And Team Building17:24 Sand Consolidation Strategy20:06 How The Sand Market Changed22:47 Plant Costs Then And Now24:17 Wet Versus Dry Sand25:36 Wet Sand Reality Check26:15 How Heavy Is Sand27:14 Logistics And Truck Staging28:59 Pitching SPS Value30:57 Five To Ten Year Vision32:48 Barbecue And Oilfield Culture34:53 Winning At Pebble Beach38:21 Cookoff Community And Team42:27 Career Wisdom And Wrap

On this week's installment of Weathering Decarbonization, we welcome Martin Malinow, CEO of Parameter Climate, into the SmarterMarkets™ studio. David Greely sits down with Martin to discuss his work building weather and climate risk transfer markets from the days of Enron to today. They talk about where these markets are now, where they're going, and what we need to be doing to get them there.

How can corporate scandals—from Enron to the Facebook privacy controversy—change the way the world works for the better?Political scientists Pepper Culpepper and Taeku Lee have drawn on a decade of research on policymaking and public opinion to show how scandals can ignite a public with few political outlets for their discontent. Scandals don't simply dominate news cycles: they can provoke us to demand better policy, spurring governments to adopt rules that protect us from massive corporations run amok. They say that today it is giant companies, not governments, that run the world. Businesses launch rockets into space, control satellite communication, and develop era-defining AI technologies. But around the globe, these corporate titans are facing increasing public hostility. Tech giants are accused of promoting misinformation, undermining democracy and violating our privacy. Big banks, reeling since the financial crisis of 2008, continue to face major scandals. Drawing on real-life examples such as the powdered milk scandal that rocked France, the VW scandal in Germany, the Goldman Sachs scandal in the United States, Cambridge Analytica in Britain and Samsung in South Korea, Culpepper and Lee say these scandals are not just symptoms of a careless corporate elite, they are opportunities for real political change.They explore all of this in their book The Billionaire Backlash, and Taeku Lee comes to Commonwealth Club World Affairs to reveal their take on how the shared anger of citizens can be channeled into a backlash that has the potential to reinvigorate our failing democracies. One corporate scandal at a time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An F-15E is down in southern Iran. Justin, Tony, Eric and I talk through what combat search and rescue actually looks like, how a captured pilot changes the politics of ending this war, and why a hostage makes the "pack up and go home" play functionally impossible. Then: the AWACS that "only" lost a third of itself on a Saudi tarmac, why CENTCOM is still parking high-value aircraft like it's 2003, and what Operation Spiderweb and three years of Ukrainian drone warfare should have taught us but didn't. Plus Pete Hegseth's ongoing purge of the officer corps, the Enron theory of Pentagon innovation, and why the War of 1812 is the best analogy for where this is all heading. Tony's article on CENTCOM sucking: https://www.breakingbeijing.com/p/what-did-we-learn-centcom Justin on just war: https://justinmc.substack.com/p/just-war-theory song: https://suno.com/s/vroapDDimBnmCxdO Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Misty Phillip has many bullets on her resume. She has even had her photo displayed in Times Square, which is pretty amazing, but the thing I love most about her is her passion for championing others. Her testimony speaks powerfully to what God can do through our obedience and it's such a beautiful reminder that His timing is impeccable!  Misty shares about God's timing in launching the Spark Christian Podcast Conference on Feb. 21–22, 2020—just weeks before the pandemic—equipping believers to keep sharing the gospel when churches shut down. She shares her background from working at Enron to homeschooling, then writing, speaking, podcasting, and creating Spark Media; she also wrote six books and an award-winning 2019 Bible study, The Struggle is Real, but So is God. She explains how God led her to transition in 2023 into her husband's tech consulting work in cybersecurity and AI, describing how AI is already embedded in daily tools (maps, photo editing, search, Netflix, Canva).  Misty urges Christians to steward AI with discernment, noting bias from non-Christian worldviews, risks for kids (isolation, harmful answers), the need to verify outputs, and the importance of Scripture and the Holy Spirit amid deepfakes and cultural change. She distinguishes her books Upskill or Die and The Trojan Horse of the Digital Age, offers free resources on mistyphilip.com, and closes with prayer against fear and for wise, obedient kingdom impact. 00:00 Gods Timing Story 00:42 Meet Misty Phillip 01:32 Spark Conference Miracle 05:44 Books and Bible Study 07:09 Shift Into AI Work 10:25 AI Everywhere Today 14:16 AI Bias and Worldview 16:37 Parents and Kids Safety 20:00 Two Books Explained 22:54 Trojan Horse Warnings 25:31 Resources and Checklists 27:59 Prayer for Discernment 30:23 Final Thanks and Wrap Misty's website and resources: https://www.mistyphillip.com/  To purchase the new Trojan Horse Book: https://a.co/d/01mdiWEW  For Upskill or Die: https://a.co/d/0iyQTBV6  For the Struggle is Real but So is God Bible study: https://a.co/d/04qRTfqJ

Bill Gurley is a Wall Street and Silicon Valley legend. He's the analyst who led the Amazon IPO and went on to become one of the most successful VCs of all time and an early investor in Uber, Zillow, and GrubHub. Today, he joins Nicole to answer the biggest questions on investors' minds right now. Bill doesn't mince words: yes, we're in an AI bubble— and he explains exactly why, from circular spending deals that smell like Enron to the speculative behavior that always follows a real wave of innovation. He breaks down why the IPO system is rigged against retail investors, what tokenization could do to fix it, and what a SpaceX IPO would actually mean for everyday investors. He also shares the one market sector he thinks is quietly becoming a buy, and the specific Chinese battery stock he personally owns. Then the conversation shifts to Bill's new book, Runnin' Down a Dream, and his surprisingly personal framework for building a career you actually love. He shares the question he asked himself twice that changed the entire course of his life, his research on career regret, and why chasing passion is a competitive advantage. Check out Nicole's financial literacy course The Money School  Find a Financial Advisor or Financial Coach from Nicole's company Private Wealth Collective Watch video clips from the pod on Money Rehab's Instagram and Nicole Lapin's Instagram Get Bill's book Runnin' Down a Dream  Here's what Nicole covers with Bill:  00:00 Are You Ready for Some Money Rehab?  01:12 SpaceX + xAI: What Elon's Deal Really Means  03:18 Why Retail Investors Keep Getting Shut Out of the Best Companies  05:55 The IPO System Is Rigged  08:36 Inside the Amazon IPO 10:40 Are We in an AI Bubble?  16:30 AI vs. the Dot-Com Bubble 21:15 Which AI Tools Bill Actually Uses  22:00 Bill's Take on AGI Hype  23:30 Where Bill Sees Opportunity Outside of Tech  27:30 The Chinese Battery Stock Bill Personally Owns  28:45 How to Evaluate Stock Options as an Employee  31:50 The Hidden Value of Joining a Fast-Growing Company  33:15 Buy Side vs. Sell Side Analysts  35:40 The Question That Changed Bill's Career Twice  38:00 Why Following Your Passion Is a Competitive Advantage  42:00 How Tito's Vodka Started with a Blank Sheet of Paper  45:20 Bill's Next Chapter: A Policy Institute  48:00 Nuclear Energy, Healthcare, and the Issues Bill Wants to Fix  51:06 Bill Gurley's Tip You Can Take Straight to the Bank All investing involves the risk of loss, including loss of principal. This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial advisor before making any financial decisions.