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Today Sam D'Arc is joined by Justin Zane, SVP, US Marketplace & Services at OPENLANE. We unpack why digital auctions have overtaken physical lanes in reach and efficiency, and why old habits—not economics—are keeping brick-and-mortar alive. Justin explains how off-lease inventory is reshaping acquisition strategy, where AI improves condition accuracy, and why speed is now the dealer's most valuable asset. This episode is brought to you by: 1. Wikimotive - Wikimotive delivers organic and paid search solutions to hundreds of dealerships from rural rooftops to multiple top-5 national dealers. Their focus is simple: get your store in front of people already searching for a car or service, and measure success by the leads and appointments that follow — not vanity metrics. Visit @ https://wikimotive.com/CDG/ 2. Openlane - The world's best online dealer marketplace for used cars, bringing you exclusive inventory, simple transactions, and better outcomes. Learn more @ openlane.com/cdg Check out LotGPT here: https://lotlinx.com/lotgpt-waitlist/ Check out Car Dealership Guy's stuff: For dealers: CDG Circles ➤ https://cdgcircles.com/ Industry job board ➤ http://jobs.dealershipguy.com Dealership recruiting ➤ http://www.cdgrecruiting.com Fix your dealership's social media ➤ http://www.trynomad.co Request to be a podcast guest ➤ http://www.cdgguest.com For industry vendors: Advertise with Car Dealership Guy ➤ http://www.cdgpartner.com Industry job board ➤ http://jobs.dealershipguy.com Request to be a podcast guest ➤ http://www.cdgguest.com Topics: 04:06 How does Openlane help dealers win? 05:16 What's happening with off-lease EV prices? 07:31 What are the key tips for buying EVs? 09:09 How can dealers move aged inventory? 11:56 Digital auctions versus physical lanes 15:25 How is trust built in online buying? 18:54 What AI features does Openlane use? 22:04 What are the key takeaways for 2026? Car Dealership Guy Socials: X ➤ x.com/GuyDealership Instagram ➤ instagram.com/cardealershipguy/ TikTok ➤ tiktok.com/@guydealership LinkedIn ➤ linkedin.com/company/cardealershipguy Threads ➤ threads.net/@cardealershipguy Facebook ➤ facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077402857683 Everything else ➤ dealershipguy.com
The USDA's World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report shows the 2025-26 U.S. corn outlook is for greater exports and lower ending stocks, and the USDA is facing doubts about the reliability of its data from farmers, grain traders, and economists.
Don't get to the end of this year wishing you had taken action to change your business and your life.Click here to schedule a free discovery call for your business: https://geni.us/IFORABEDon't miss an upcoming event with The Institute: https://geni.us/InstituteEvents2026Shop-Ware gives you the tools to provide your shop with everything needed to become optimally profitable.Click here to schedule a free demo: https://info.shop-ware.com/profitabilityTransform your shop's marketing with the best in the automotive industry, Shop Marketing Pros!Get a free audit of your shop's current marketing by clicking here: https://geni.us/ShopMarketingProsShop owners, are you ready to simplify your business operations? Meet 360 Payments, your one-stop solution for effortless payment processing.Imagine this—no more juggling receipts, staplers, or endless paperwork. With 360 Payments, you get everything integrated into a single, sleek digital platform.Simplify payments. Streamline operations. Check out 360payments.com today!In this episode, Lucas and David are joined by Eric Joern for a deep dive into the realities of small business financial management in the auto repair industry. Eric stresses the importance of starting with a plan and leveraging professional guidance, rather than relying on risky trial-and-error approaches. The discussion highlights why using proper shop management systems and separating business finances is critical for long-term success.00:00 "Valuable Business Advice and Insights"10:15 Sales Tax Responsibilities Explained15:34 Simple Budgeting for Profit17:02 "Essential Shop Management Systems"21:40 Shop Parts Tracking Essentials29:56 "Seeking Proactive Tax Guidance"35:04 "Importance of a Knowledgeable Accountant"38:10 "Proactive Tax Planning Conversations"43:34 "Inventory's Tax Impact Explained"49:10 "Smart Tax Strategies Explained"55:24 Focus on Strengths, Delegate Tasks01:02:42 Excited for Business Improvement
Inventory levels have flipped.What used to be a shortage problem is now an oversupply problem.At AIMExpo's Dealer Excellence Stage, we broke down what separates dealers who are moving inventory profitably from those getting crushed by flooring costs and aged units.In this episode:Why most dealerships only use 50% of their CRM capabilityThe danger of salespeople walking past aged unitsWhy turns matter more than marginThe 30-60-90 markdown discipline most dealers lackUsed inventory acquisition strategies that actually workHow fast lead response impacts turn rateWhy video replies outperform templated emailsOEM rebate programs and communication breakdownsService department as a used inventory goldmineThe 3 habits that separate top-performing storesIf inventory is stacking up in your showroom, this is tactical, practical insight you can apply immediately.We post weekly updates, so make sure to subscribe and follow us! If you have any suggestions or want to chat with us, don't hesitate to leave a comment.Watch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@dealershipfixit?si=QJ-Z40oRAXlxfYMkConnect With Our Host Jacob: https://linkedin.com/in/jacob-b-berry Follow the Fixit Online: https://linktr.ee/dealershipfixit
Here’s a clean, structured summary of the interview between Damon Haley and Rushion McDonald, including the purpose, key takeaways, and notable quotes, based entirely on your uploaded transcript. [DAMON HALEY | Txt] ⭐ Summary of the Damon Haley Interview with Rushion McDonald The interview features entrepreneur Damon Haley, co‑founder of Glow and Flow Beauty, discussing his transition from entertainment and sports marketing into the beauty-supply industry, his mission to elevate service for Black and Brown communities, and the franchising model he is rolling out nationwide. Hosted by Rushion McDonald on Money Making Conversations Masterclass, the conversation highlights Haley’s business philosophy, community-driven approach, and long-term vision to create ownership opportunities through franchising.
This is a 4th Step Workshop held in Mankato Minnesota in 2008 hosted by an unknown group, this part of the workshop focuses specifically on the sex conduct portion. This was a very straightforward presentation going through the topic with a sentence by sentence breakdown from the big book with a solid lack of opinion by the two guys that hosted it. If anyone out there has a workshop on this topic presented by women I would love to post that, please email me. Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate Email: sobercast@gmail.com Sober Cast has 3200+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com
Here’s a clean, structured summary of the interview between Damon Haley and Rushion McDonald, including the purpose, key takeaways, and notable quotes, based entirely on your uploaded transcript. [DAMON HALEY | Txt] ⭐ Summary of the Damon Haley Interview with Rushion McDonald The interview features entrepreneur Damon Haley, co‑founder of Glow and Flow Beauty, discussing his transition from entertainment and sports marketing into the beauty-supply industry, his mission to elevate service for Black and Brown communities, and the franchising model he is rolling out nationwide. Hosted by Rushion McDonald on Money Making Conversations Masterclass, the conversation highlights Haley’s business philosophy, community-driven approach, and long-term vision to create ownership opportunities through franchising.
Here’s a clean, structured summary of the interview between Damon Haley and Rushion McDonald, including the purpose, key takeaways, and notable quotes, based entirely on your uploaded transcript. [DAMON HALEY | Txt] ⭐ Summary of the Damon Haley Interview with Rushion McDonald The interview features entrepreneur Damon Haley, co‑founder of Glow and Flow Beauty, discussing his transition from entertainment and sports marketing into the beauty-supply industry, his mission to elevate service for Black and Brown communities, and the franchising model he is rolling out nationwide. Hosted by Rushion McDonald on Money Making Conversations Masterclass, the conversation highlights Haley’s business philosophy, community-driven approach, and long-term vision to create ownership opportunities through franchising.
Six transits this week, highlighted by the New Moon Solar Eclipse in Aquarius, the Sun entering Pisces, and Saturn Conjunct Neptune at 0° Aries — the first time these two planets have met in Aries in 323 years.The Eclipse at 28° — the fifth consecutive New Moon at the Cancer degree — asks whether the groups you belong to hold space for who you're becoming or only for who you agreed to be when you joined. Venus Conjunct the North Node lands the same day, reimagining what relationships can be when rooted in compassion rather than compliance. The Sun enters Pisces, thinning the veil and calling us to the depths.The Substack essay of the week, "When the Dream Becomes Visible," traces every Saturn-Neptune Conjunction since 1703 to understand what happens when they return to the first degree of the first Sign. This is initiation itself.(6:32) Mercury in Pisces Trine Jupiter Retrograde in Cancer(22:21) New Moon Solar Eclipse in Aquarius(34:19) Venus Conjunct the North Node Retrograde in Pisces(39:33) The Sun Enters Pisces(48:52) Saturn Conjunct Neptune in Aries 0°(49:37) Venus in Pisces Trine Jupiter Retrograde in Cancer(55:05) Substack Essay: "When the Dream Becomes Visible"(58:58) 1703 — Peter the Great & the Window Forced Open(1:01:36) 1773 — The Boston Tea Party & the Inventory of Grievances(1:04:06) 1846 — The Dream Discovers Itself(1:05:27) 1917 — The King Devoured by His Kingdom(1:07:05) 1989 — The Wall That Was Never Permanent(1:12:59) February 20, 2026 — The Return to Aries 0°Get the Guide for Saturn in AriesJoin my conversation with Dallisa Hocking about the astrology for February, 2026Get the 2026 Astrology GuideJoin my Substackhttps://www.theweeklytransit.com/
Mortgage rates tripled. The crash never came. In this Episode Kerry Lutz and Jason Hartman break down why U.S. housing didn't collapse when borrowing costs exploded. Nearly 25% of homeowners hold mortgages at or below 3%. About 65% are at 4% or less. That "lock-in effect" crushed supply and froze mobility. Fewer than 800,000 homes are listed nationwide — under 0.6% of America's 140 million housing units. Owners won't give up cheap debt. Inventory stays tight. Hartman believes this imbalance could persist into 2032–2033. Scarcity and utility continue driving prices — even after the rate shock. The conversation then shifts to immigration and rental housing. Hartman argues most undocumented migrants occupy lower-tier rentals, meaning enforcement shifts would likely hit C-class properties first. They also discuss Sun Belt migration trends and investor tools like PropertyTracker and Empowered Investor for sourcing income-producing properties. If you've been waiting for a housing crash, Kerry and Jason explain why it hasn't happened — and what could finally change the equation. Find Jason here: https://www.jasonhartman.com Find Kerry here :https://khlfsn.substack.com and here: https://inflation.cafe Kerry's New Book "The Armstrong Economic Code: The 5 Truths Investors Must Never Forget" is out now on Amazon! Get your copy here: https://a.co/d/bvYbZOz "The World According to Martin Armstrong – Conversations with the Master Forecaster" is a #1 Best Seller on Amazon. . Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/4kuC5p5
On today's episode, Editor in Chief Sarah Wheeler talks with Lead Analyst Logan Mohtashami about existing home sales and inventory levels. Related to this episode: Existing home sales drop 8.4% in January as winter weather slows market HousingWire | YouTube More info about HousingWire To learn more about Trust & Will click here. The HousingWire Daily podcast brings the full picture of the most compelling stories in the housing market reported across HousingWire. Each morning, listen to editor in chief Sarah Wheeler talk to leading industry voices and get a deeper look behind the scenes of the top mortgage and real estate.
Dynamics Update: 10.0.47 Release Notes In this episode, hosts Johan Persson and Gustaf Sundblad dive into the latest features and performance enhancements arriving in late March with version 10.0.47. The discussion centers heavily on data management, environment efficiency, and new AI-driven tools. Key Highlights: Subscription Billing & Commerce: New performance enhancements for unbilled revenue batches and features to purge or archive high-volume commerce transactions. Inventory & Warehouse Management: Introduction of inventory transaction consolidation—a prerequisite for long-term archiving—and new load record archiving to reduce Dataverse consumption costs. Power Platform Integration: The hosts advocate for moving sandbox environments to the Power Platform Admin Center (PPAC) to unlock better performance and "no transaction data" copying features. AI & Copilot Agents: Updates to the Account Reconciliation Agent and workspace, including improved legal entity filtering in sandbox environments. Pricing Management: Enhanced import/export entities for complex trade agreements and a "coming soon" generic base currency feature to simplify global pricing rules. Developer Tools: Significant updates to the MCP Server, including OData access for entities, and improvements to Visual Studio 2022 "Find References" filtering.
Success wasn't the problem. The structure behind it was.Right now, many successful real estate agents are quietly leaving the industry — not because they failed, but because the business they built couldn't sustain the market shift.During the COVID years, real estate created a perfect storm for agents. Demand was high. Inventory was low. Speed mattered more than systems. Many agents earned more than ever before — but their business was built almost entirely on new transactions, not repeat clients or referrals.When the market slowed, the income changed faster than the structure did.In this episode, I break down why so many high-performing agents are stepping away right when they were close, what actually caused burnout, and why this moment doesn't mean starting over — it means rebuilding with intention.This isn't about hustle.It's not about motivation.And it's definitely not about failure.It's about sustainability.In this episode, we cover:The difference between agents who “can't hack it” and agents who quietly exit after successHow the COVID-era market rewarded speed over structureWhy businesses built on constant new business don't compoundHow burnout becomes a structural problem, not a personal oneWhy repeat and referral systems are still available — and often overlookedIf your business once worked but now feels fragile…If the income changed but the expenses didn't…If you're questioning whether this industry is still sustainable for you…This video is for you.This episode is part of the What Agents Need to Succeed in 2026 series — focused on clarity, stability, and longevity in a changing market.
Es la primera vez que la comunidad Fandango le regala a Edu algo para su cumpleaños pero, al mismo tiempo, es la primera vez que Edu no está contento por haber recibido unos cafecitos. ¿Coincidencia? Sí, absolutamente, es solo porque ganó Racing. Lo que no es una coincidencia es que en el episodio 594 de Café Fandango Edu te cuenta que terminó el Planet of Lana, avanzó un poco más en el Earth Must Die, retomó su save con el lanzamiento oficial del Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, arrancó el Donkey Kong Banananza y probó un rato el Reigns en el celu. Después, pasamos a las noticias donde te resumimos la última Nintendo Direct, prácticamente se cancela el port del Borderlands 4 para Nintendo Switch 2, HBO está haciendo una serie del Baldur's Gate 3, Overwatch 2, el juego que reemplazó al Overwatch, ahora se llama Overwatch (lo que no es, y jamás será, confuso) y se anuncia un remaster del Poker Night at the Inventory. Cerramos con la Pregunta Fandango donde revelamos las joyas secretas que solo nosotros conocemos.
When the season closes, a lot of hunters hang up their boots and wait for fall. Brad Fenson does the opposite.In this BrAdvice episode, Brad makes the case that winter is when better hunts are built. He walks through his off-season routine, emptying the gun cabinet, taking firearms completely apart, and doing the deep cleaning most people never get around to during the season.But this isn't just about guns.Brad talks about caring for leather boots so they don't crack, repairing torn clothing before it fails in the field, and cleaning optics the right way so you don't damage coatings. He also gets into bow maintenance — checking cams, strings, and servings, and why small problems ignored in January become big problems in September.A big theme of the episode is familiarity. Brad argues that the more time you spend with your gear in winter, the more confident, capable, and calm you'll be when things go sideways in the field.It's part maintenance guide, part mindset shift, and a reminder that preparation is often what makes a good season great.Like the episode or let us know another topic to cover.Find Brad at:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradfenson/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brad.fensonFind Harvest Your Own at:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HarvestYourOwnInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/harvestyourownaca/Threads: https://www.threads.net/@harvestyourownacaX/Twitter: https://x.com/harvestyourownWebsite: https://www.harvestyourown.ca/
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr is asking cattle producers to increase their herd size.
Sacramento's housing market has slowed in pace, yet prices remain supported. This episode explains why.Inventory in Sacramento County remained between 1.7 and 2.5 months for most of 2025. Even as days on market increased, overall supply never expanded to levels that typically produce broad price declines. New construction continues at a measured pace. Land availability is limited. Zoning changes take time. Labor and material costs remain elevated. These structural realities keep supply constrained.At the same time, demand has not disappeared. Household formation continues. Sacramento has experienced steady in-migration from higher-cost regions. A large share of the population remains in prime household-forming years. The region's employment base supports income stability, reinforcing long-term housing demand.This episode walks through:What supply actually means in practical housing termsWhy limited inventory continues to support pricingThe difference between longer days on market and price weaknessHow scattered-site development and infill contribute graduallyWhy demand remains present even when rates shift behaviorHow pricing adjusts within a constrained marketUnderstanding how supply and demand interact provides clarity. Housing markets adjust through time and negotiation before they adjust through price.The objective is informed expectations grounded in structure, not headlines.Next week's episode:Housing Policy Shapes Availability Before It Shapes Price
Travis Averill of the National Agricultural Statistics Service provides updates on inventories of sheep and goats.
Paul breaks down the offensive roster post-portal and Texas improved across every position group. Any concerns? A few. Listen and find out what they are. How have the dynamics of the Longhorn offense shifted with these new additions and the development of several returnees. The time is now for your new mortgage or refi with Gabe Winslow at 832-557-1095 or MortgagesbyGabe. Then get your financial life in order with advisor David McClellan 312-933-8823 with a free consult: dmcclellan@forumfinancial.com. Read his retirement tax bomb series at Kiplinger! https://www.kiplinger.com/retirement/retirement-planning/605109/is-your-retirement-portfolio-a-tax-bomb Need a great CenTex realtor? Contact Laura Baker at 512-784-0505 or laura@andyallenteam.com.
In part one of this episode of our Defensible Decisions podcast, Scott Kelly (shareholder, Birmingham) sits down with Lauren Hicks (shareholder, Indianapolis/Atlanta) to unpack how AI is actually used across the talent lifecycle—and why “human in the loop” isn't a compliance shield. The speakers break down what a credible, privileged bias audit entails, how to pair fairness testing with effectiveness validation, and the practical governance steps employers should know to manage a fast-evolving, patchwork regulatory landscape.
Neoborn Caveman delivers a pro-humanity critique of facial recognition surveillance turning shoppers into suspects, exposing how stores like ShopRite, Wegmans, and UK chains like Sainsbury's scan faces without meaningful consent to create digital fingerprints checked against ban databases, warns of permanent data retention and sharing even on mistakes, highlights disproportionate harm to marginalized communities through error-prone tech, and calls for resistance through boycotting, legislation, and refusing normalization before infrastructure locks in total tracking linked to digital IDs and currencies.Key TakeawaysFacial scanning erodes privacy without consent.Databases turn errors into permanent records.Tech normalizes surveillance as safety.Marginalized groups face amplified harms.Corporate profit drives data collection.Resistance preserves future choices.Normalization leads to expanded control.Boycotts challenge infrastructure growth.Transparency exposes system biases.Humanity demands alternative paths.Sound Bites"Have you been paying attention to what's happening when you walk into a grocery store?""cameras mounted at the entrance are scanning your face, measuring the distance between your eyes, the shape of your nose, the contours of your jaw.""They're creating what they call your 'facial geometry'—basically a digital fingerprint of your face—and checking it against a database.""You didn't agree to this. Most people don't even know it's happening.""ShopRite stores across Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey have been doing this for years.""ShopRite keeps your facial data for 90 days if you're not flagged. If their system thinks you match someone who's been banned—even by mistake—your data gets kept permanently and shared across all their locations plus their third-party tech provider.""This isn't just ShopRite. This is becoming standard practice.""Wegmans is doing it. In the UK, Sainsbury's just expanded their facial recognition system to additional stores after what they called a 'seismic' drop in theft at their trial locations.""This is about normalization. This is about building the infrastructure. This is about getting people used to the idea that being surveilled is just part of shopping now. Just part of existing in public.""Once that's normalized, once the cameras are installed and the databases are built, the scope of what they're used for will expand. It always does."Join the tea house at patreon.com/theneoborncavemanshow—free to enter, real talk, lives, no ads, no algorithms.keywords: facial recognition surveillance, shoprite scanning, wegmans tech, sainsbury's system, digital fingerprint, data retention, privacy erosion, marginalized harms, infrastructure normalization, digital idsHumanity centered satirical takes on the world & news + music - with a marble mouthed host.Free speech marinated in comedy.Supporting Purple Rabbits.Viva los Conejos Morados. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this week's episode of FTR's Trucking Market Update podcast, we review some developments related to the English language proficiency requirement and discuss several other topics specific to the trucking industry, including overall market conditions, equipment demand, and data from the drug and alcohol clearinghouse. Plus, we discuss a key indicator of the manufacturing sector recap the week in diesel prices and the spot market for truck freight. The Trucking Market Update is hosted by FTR's Vice President of Trucking, Avery Vise. As this information is presented, you are welcome to follow along and look at the graphs and indicators yourself by downloading the presentation.Download the PDF: https://ftrintel.com/trucking-podcast Support the show
AI is everywhere, but what actually works inside a real restaurant? In this episode, Roger breaks down how restaurant owners are practically using AI to tackle today's biggest challenges: rising labor costs, shrinking margins, inefficient systems, and marketing that doesn't deliver ROI. You'll learn how AI can support: • Inventory management and waste reduction • Menu engineering and pricing decisions • Smarter staff scheduling • Marketing that's trackable and profitable This isn't about hype or replacing people. It's about using AI as a support system to tighten operations, protect profit, and help you run a better restaurant with less stress. Thank you to our sponsors: TouchBistro An all-in-one, cloud-based POS and restaurant management system built exclusively for restaurants. Front of house, back of house, and guest engagement—fully connected. U.S. and Canada operators can save on upfront costs for a limited time.
The Rental Boyz | An Equipment & Party Rentals Business Podcast
"Join Tina Tran in this video as she breaks down the inventory that rents every weekend for new rental businesses. She covers what items to invest in, why they're in constant demand, what it takes to manage them operationally, and gives real insight into the kind of ROI these rentals can bring in."Download The Ultimate Checklist for Free:
After a long year of “stabilization”. Star Citizen is back to feature development. This week, the CTO of CIG delivered details about what that will look like over the next few months. From crafting to persistence, I'm joined by Grolo to discuss the near-term future of Star Citizen. We'll also be looking at the recent collapse of Ashes of Creation and what Star Citizen players might see in it.Today's Guests:GroloYouTube:https: //www.youtube.com/channel/UCF_Bu-562FhrRftPbd1-K9A Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/grolo_afToC:00:00 Introductions07:00 Was Ashes of Creation a Forewarning?19:00 Social Apps INCOMING!32:00 Where is Dynamic Server Meshing?43:30 Let's Talk About Crafting01:01:50 The New Inventory01:16:50 Peripheral Updates01:25:15 Item Persistence01:28:50 What is 2026 the year of?01:31:50 Big Prediction of the next 6 monthsFollow Space Tomato on social media:Website Youtube My Other YoutubeInstagram Twitter Facebook Discord
This week, the whole gang is back together to discuss the biggest games news of the week, which sometimes wasn't about games at all! Including:Iron Lung opens #2 at domestic box office, paving the way for perhaps a new wave of independent film distributionAshes of Creation developer closes after clash between Creative Director and BoardBorderlands 4 Nintendo Switch 2 port "on pause" indefinitelyPoker Night at the Inventory is getting a new release after years of license limboCrunchyroll to produce original gamesPlus, there was a Nintendo Partner Direct:Orbitals was best in show (again)Resident Evil Requiem actually looks great on Switch 2Final Fantasy VII Rebirth coming to Switch 2 this summerLotus and Niki bully John about disliking Fallout 4The entire panel is split about whether The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is a good titleTurok: Origins looks like Monster Hunter with guns kindaWe played:Ball x PitTears of the KingdomTitanium CourtHermit and PigFinally, we answer your burning HIVE QUESTIONS straight...
January delivered a sobering wake-up call for Greater Vancouver real estate. Sales volumes collapsed 29% year over year—on top of 2025 already being the weakest sales year in a quarter century. That makes this not just a slow start to the year, but one of the most severe demand contractions the market has faced in decades. Against that backdrop, this episode dives into the newly released February data to answer the question on everyone's mind: how close are we to the bottom—and could 2026 actually be worse than 2025?The discussion begins with a critical stabilizing metric: mortgage arrears. Despite mounting pressure elsewhere, Canada's arrears rate remains flat at 0.25%, with just over 12,000 mortgages delinquent out of nearly five million. By global standards, this is extraordinarily low—especially compared to the U.S., where arrears sit more than six times higher. Historically, Canada has never experienced sustained spikes in this metric, suggesting that while prices are falling, systemic mortgage distress has not yet materialized.From there, attention shifts to a growing concern for long-term growth: British Columbia's rising perception as “uninvestable.” Recent legal developments surrounding the Prince Rupert Port Authority underscore a broader risk narrative—projects approved at every level can still face years of legal uncertainty. As foreign capital grows more cautious, the downstream consequences become clear: fewer housing starts, tighter supply down the road, and higher costs borne by everyday Canadians.The episode then tackles a powerful and timely issue—seller psychology. In one of the most competitive markets in over a decade, many sellers are attempting to cut commissions in an effort to preserve net proceeds. The irony is stark. With inventory at multi-year highs, days on market stretching to seven-year peaks, and price cuts routinely reaching $100,000–$150,000, execution matters more than ever. In a 9% sales-to-active ratio environment—the lowest in 13 years—pricing mistakes aren't corrected, they're punished. The takeaway is clear: this is the kind of market where experience, exposure, and strategy matter most.Zooming out, Toronto provides a cautionary parallel. GTA prices are now down 27% from their 2022 peak, sales are at post-financial-crisis lows, and inventory has surged to record January levels. Vancouver's February data shows similar stress. Sales fell to just 1,104 transactions—down 38% month over month and 29% year over year—ranking among the weakest months in two decades. Inventory now sits 38% above long-term averages, while prices continue their steady descent. The benchmark HPI has dropped for ten consecutive months, pulling values back to late-2021 levels.The episode closes with a crucial reminder: housing downturns don't stay contained within housing. Falling prices ripple outward—reducing government revenues, slowing construction, tightening credit, and ultimately weighing on employment and consumer spending. Some price correction is healthy. Prolonged, disorderly declines are not. The risk ahead isn't that the market is adjusting—but that we underestimate how deeply housing is embedded in Canada's entire economic system.This episode offers a clear, data-driven look at where we stand, why the bottom isn't in yet, and why the next phase of this cycle will demand far more discipline. _________________________________ Contact Us To Book Your Private Consultation:
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 This was always going to be bad—just not this bad. Forced EV mandates turned into one of the most expensive industrial blunders in modern auto history. Since 2022, major U.S. and European automakers have burned through an estimated $114 billion on EV programs, with legacy brands alone losing over $83 billion.When subsidies vanished, demand collapsed. Inventory piled up. Losses exploded. EVs didn't fail because of innovation—they failed because consumers were pushed, not persuaded.EVs have a place, but it's a niche—not a mandate. The lesson is simple: don't force people to buy what they don't want.
Many Americans are wondering whether the housing market has finally begun turning a corner—or if uncertainty is still here to stay. After years of elevated mortgage rates, stubbornly low inventory, and affordability concerns, the question feels more relevant than ever.Today, mortgage expert Dale Vermillion, author of Navigating the Mortgage Maze: The Simple Truth About Financing Your Home, joined the show to weigh in on what the 2026 housing landscape may look like and how today's buyers and sellers can navigate it with wisdom.A More “Normal” Market ReturnsAccording to Vermillion, the extreme swings of recent years may finally be behind us.“It isn't the market of 2020–2021 when rates were in the twos, threes, and fours,” Vermillion explains. “But it's also certainly not 2008. This is a very normal market.”He noted that although many think of today's mortgage rates as high, they are actually below the 30-year average. Inventory is rising, sales are stabilizing, and government attention on housing has increased. Together, these factors point toward a gradual shift into a buyer's market—a welcome change for those who've spent the last few years watching listings disappear before they could schedule a tour.A common frustration remains: if rates have risen, why haven't prices fallen faster?The answer is complex. While price increases largely flattened this year (+0.7%), Vermillion notes that the market remains regional rather than national. Certain areas have softened, but not enough to drive a nationwide price reset.A major reason: the “lock-in effect.” Millions of homeowners refinanced below 3% in 2020–21 and weren't willing to trade those rates for a higher one. But as Vermillion observes, that dynamic is fading. For the first time in years, more loans now exist above 6% than below 3%, allowing inventory to loosen.Why Fed Rate Cuts Don't Equal Lower Mortgage RatesEven though the Federal Reserve has been cutting rates, mortgage rates haven't always followed. That's because mortgage rates are tied more closely to the bond market, inflation data, and job reports—not directly to the Fed's benchmark rate.Another overlooked factor: mortgage-backed securities (MBS). When the government increases MBS purchases, mortgage rates often decline more reliably than when the Fed cuts consumer rates.The emotional side of the housing market can't be ignored. The bidding wars of 2020–21 left many would-be buyers discouraged. But Vermillion believes attitudes are shifting:“Inventory is up from roughly 450,000 units nationally early last year to over a million now. So from a buyer standpoint, it's time to be encouraged again.”With more sellers re-entering the market, buyers have choice again—and choice increases leverage.Vermillion stressed that affordability challenges today are driven as much by property taxes and insurance costs as by mortgage rates. Homeowners in several states have seen insurance premiums and assessments climb dramatically—sometimes outpacing wage growth.For aspiring first-time buyers, budgeting remains the first step. Vermillion's advice: determine what you can afford before visiting a lender, rather than letting a lender tell you what qualifies on paper.For First-Time Buyers: Get Pre-Approved, Not Pre-QualifiedA true pre-approval involves:A full applicationCredit checkIncome verificationDocumentation of debts and assetsThis makes offers more competitive and prevents buyers from shopping at unrealistic price points.During the pandemic boom, paying $20,000–$50,000 above asking price became the norm in many markets. Vermillion notes that this period has largely ended:“Homes today are selling around 94–97% of the listing price in most areas. We're not seeing bidding wars like before.”For buyers, that's stabilizing. For sellers, it simply resets expectations toward reality.Move-Up Buyers: Timing May Be Better Than You ThinkFor homeowners considering a move—whether for space, schools, or lifestyle—Vermillion's advice mirrors that given to first-time buyers: set a realistic budget and lean on wise counsel.Sellers should also invest in preparing their homes to show well, as presentation still drives both speed and price.Vermillion believes 2026 may be a strategic window:“I think this is the year to do it. Rates may come down a little more, but not dramatically. Buyers and sellers who plan well and manage expectations can succeed in this environment.”From a stewardship standpoint, the takeaway is simple: markets change, rates fluctuate, and headlines swing. But Christians are invited to place their confidence not in economic cycles but in the Lord, “who establishes our steps” (Proverbs 16:9).A wise plan, a realistic budget, and sound counsel can go a long way—especially in a year where the housing market is finally beginning to level out.On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:I'm looking for a trustworthy and affordable tax preparation service. Are there any organizations I should avoid? And are there any Christian-based or low-cost options—especially for seniors?I'm turning 65 soon, and I'm debt-free. I want my condo to go to my children when my wife and I pass away. Should I use a will, put them on the deed, or create a trust? What's the best approach?Resources Mentioned:Faithful Steward: FaithFi's Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner)Navigating the Mortgage Maze: The Simple Truth About Financing Your Home by Dale VermillionOur Ultimate Treasure: A 21-Day Journey to Faithful StewardshipWisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on MoneyLook At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and AnxietyRich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich FoolFind a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA)FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions every workday at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. You can also visit FaithFi.com to connect with our online community and partner with us as we help more people live as faithful stewards of God's resources. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
We conclude our exploration of the Monkey Island series with the one remaining game neither of us have played? Is it as good as the other ones? No, definitely not. Is it still kind of fun? Yeah sure kind of! Was this a strange pick for our last episode of the podcast for a while? Yes, absolutely. Wolfe on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/wolfefm.bsky.social Dustin on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theflyingdustman.bsky.social Join us in about a month for our coverage of the new remaster of Poker Night at the Inventory from Skunkape Games!
The market finally feels like a market again—more choices, smarter buyers, and real negotiations that reward accuracy over adrenaline. We sat down with real estate analyst and regional vice president for Howard Hanna Allen Tate, Tony Jarrett to unpack where 2025 left us and how to play offense in 2026 without chasing headlines or hoping for miracles.Inventory is climbing across the Carolinas, but it's not a free-for-all. We break down the split reality most people miss: a fast lane for well-prepped, well-priced homes that go under contract in roughly two months, and a slow lane for wishful listings that sit for four months with mounting reductions. You'll hear why delistings have surged, why fall-throughs are up to 10–12 percent in some pockets, and how property condition has overtaken appraisals as the number one deal killer. If you want to sell quickly and for more, the playbook is simple: price to the active set, stage and fix what matters, and consider targeted concessions like rate buydowns.We also tackle appreciation, affordability, and rates with context that actually helps. Expect steady two to four percent price growth, healthier months of supply, and mortgage rates flirting with the fives—enough to pull millions off the sidelines. Builders are winning with incentives; resale sellers who package similar offers are meeting intentional buyers where they are. For first-time buyers, layered financing and credible condition beat shiny headlines. For boomers holding big equity, we lay out honest strategies to bridge the renovation gap and trade up, down, or closer to work as remote policies shift.If you're an agent, your edge is education and consistency: weekly reviews of the active competition, micro-market updates to your database, and clear scripts that anchor decisions in today's numbers. If you're a buyer or seller, the path is straightforward—make moves when life needs it, not when the news cycle shouts. We're here with the data, the context, and a plan you can use on your next appointment or your next offer.Enjoyed this conversation? Follow the show, share it with a colleague or friend, and leave a quick review so more people can turn data into smart decisions.
Keith shares how a recent trip to Colorado Springs and a changing commission landscape reveal what really matters for real estate investors now From there, the show dives into the three levers investors truly control—leverage, operations, and relationships—before welcoming lender Caeli Ridge to break down the major mortgage options for investors. You'll hear how different loan types fit different strategies: from your first conventional "golden ticket" loans, to DSCR loans based on property income, to short-term fix-and-flip and bridge loans that prioritize speed and flexibility. The episode then moves into how more advanced investors can scale beyond 10 doors, navigate debt-to-income and tax strategy, and even approach financing for short-term rentals—all while highlighting why having the right lending partner and long-term plan can make a big difference to your results. Episode Page: GetRichEducation.com/591 For access to properties or free help with a GRE Investment Coach, start here: GREmarketplace.com GRE Free Investment Coaching: GREinvestmentcoach.com Get mortgage loans for investment property: RidgeLendingGroup.com or call 855-74-RIDGE or e-mail: info@RidgeLendingGroup.com Invest with Freedom Family Investments. For predictable 10-12% quarterly returns, visit FreedomFamilyInvestments.com/GRE or text 1-937-795-8989 to speak with a freedom coach Will you please leave a review for the show? I'd be grateful. Search "how to leave an Apple Podcasts review" For advertising inquiries, visit: GetRichEducation.com/ad Best Financial Education: GetRichEducation.com Get our wealth-building newsletter free— GREletter.com Our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/c/GetRichEducation Follow us on Instagram: @getricheducation Complete episode transcript: Keith Weinhold 0:01 Welcome to GRE. I'm your host. Keith Weinhold with new ways to think about your life through goals momentum in the real estate market. Then learn about various mortgage loan types, conventional DSCR, fix and flip, bridge loans, short term rental loans and more. Knowing which loans to use can save you millions and learn the fatal mortgage mistakes you must avoid today on get rich education. Corey Coates 0:29 since 2014 the powerful get rich education podcast has created more passive income for people than nearly any other show in the world. This show teaches you how to earn strong returns from passive real estate investing in the best markets without losing your time being a flipper or landlord. Show Host Keith Weinhold writes for both Forbes and Rich Dad advisors and delivers a new show every week since 2014 there's been millions of listener downloads and 188 world nations. He has a list show guests include top selling personal finance author Robert Kiyosaki. Get rich education can be heard on every podcast platform, plus it has its own dedicated Apple and Android listener phone apps build wealth on the go with the get rich education podcast. Sign up now for the get rich education podcast or visit get rich education.com Speaker 1 1:14 You're listening to the show that has created more financial freedom than nearly any show in the world. This is get rich education. Keith Weinhold 1:30 Welcome to GRE from Winnebago, Minnesota to Winnipeg, Manitoba, and across 188 nations worldwide. I'm Keith Weinhold, and you're listening to get rich education, the voice of real estate investing since 2014 before we get into the mortgage discussion, where we'll discuss five or 10 different investor loan types and their various pros and cons, which could save you millions over the course of your life. I shared with you that I traveled to Colorado A couple weeks ago, for a goals retreat hosted by the real estate guys, top notch event, I spent extra time there in Colorado Springs, because I find it really livable, and I spent five hours with a local realtor there, one day out and about visiting properties in the area I'm potentially looking for a home or a second home. And by the way, how is this for a price range? The realtor wanted to know what my Buy Box is, and since I'm just learning the Colorado Springs market, I told him I'm willing to spend between 400k and 1.2 million on the property, yeah, pretty wide range, a mile wide. Fortunately, my other Buy Box criteria are more narrow and specific, and I have got to say, I'm surprised at how low the area's home prices are. I thought they'd be higher. Interestingly, before touring homes, my buyer agent wanted me to sign a six month exclusive representation agreement. Fair enough, that's standard stuff. It was on the agreement, though, that I as the buyer pay a 3% commission up on the purchase, and the seller would presumably pay the other 3% to make up that total 6% commission for the agent compensation. Well, historically, the seller paid the entire 6% and this, of course, goes back to the NAR settlement, and that ruling that became effective in August of 2024 you probably remember this, and I talked about it on the show back then, and how it's not really that big of a deal, especially to investors like us, because at GRE marketplace and with our GRE investment coaching, it's a direct model. There's zero commission on either side, and then you, in turn, get some of those savings, but out in the larger world and in the owner occupant world. Well, that rule change that started a year and a half ago. It means that sellers are no longer required to pay the buyer's agent. Instead, the fee is now negotiable between buyers and their agent. The other change is that property listings no longer display the buyer agent's commission offer. But here's what's interesting in practice, and what really ends up happening in the end, in most cases, is that the seller still pays the full commission and compensates both agents that full 6% sometimes it's 5% instead of six buyers and buyer agents, they still operate under the seller pays. And that's largely because that has just been the norm. It's what's seemingly always been done. It's what buyers are used to. And the reason that that often persists. Is because the seller is the party in the transaction that has that thick equity in the property, deep equity, and buyers are the ones often just trying to scrape together whatever they can for a down payment and closing costs. Buyers are not going to be able to come up with another 15k for an agent commission when they're buying a 500k property, that's 3% especially today, this is true because American homeowners the seller then still have record equity positions of about 300k an all time high. Nearly half of mortgaged homes are considered equity rich. What does equity rich mean? It means that the loan balance is less than half of the home's value, yeah, the seller has the means to pay the full commission. So the point is, in practice, the seller, yeah, still pays that full five to 6% commission in the overwhelming majority of cases, and the buyer pays nothing. And if that does change, it's going to take a long time. You know, a lot of these evanescent real estate stories that people think are going to have some seismic impact. It rarely does, like this erstwhile NAR ruling or the 50 year mortgage proposal or banning big institutions for buying more single family rentals. You know, this stuff is like one little baseball sized asteroid striking an entire planet. I mean, it's like a barely discernible impact. Real estate is anchored in one place like Jabba the Hut. It is solid. These stories are interesting, but they're not impactful. Keith Weinhold 6:52 Instead, I've mentioned it before. What are three things you control in real estate that really matter. And these are evergreen things. First, it's, how many dollars are you leveraging? That's where your wealth is going to come from. In fact, we're going to discuss that today with mortgage loan types. Second, what's the efficiency of operations on your existing properties? And thirdly, what is the quality of your relationships? And actually, we're addressing the third one today too, talking to a lender that you could make part of your team. You can control these three things. They're unyielding, they're evergreen, they're long term, and they all have gratitas and impact those three things, leverage operations and relationships. Now my agent drops me off and picks me up from my hotel here at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. This was also the event hotel for the goals retreat. I just extended my stay to hang out in the area. Look at real estate, do some climbing on Pikes Peak. Pro tip for you on hotel room rates, talk to a human being before I booked my stay, I called the front desk and asked them if they could extend the attractive event room rate to more nights on my extended stay. And they agreed. You might have heard of the Broadmoor. It is well known. It's been here for more than 100 years, and it is such a fine place to stay. Let me tell you about this special piece of real estate. In fact, I've thought it through, and I will now hereby proclaim that it is the finest us hotel experience that I've ever had in my life. I say us because I stayed at an amazing place in Dubai. But what makes the Broadmoor stand alone? It's the details and the service. A lot of hotels are nice, but this is on a different level. And I don't say this to brag, and this is because you probably can afford to stay here, yeah, like I have. You might have paid more elsewhere in your life for a lesser hotel, although I am here in the low seasons. Okay, now, sure, you've got views of the Rockies and a man made lake and waterfall and even a beautiful chandelier in my hotel room. The thing that sets it apart, though, is you have this service that feels old world and not corporate. That's what makes the difference. The Broadmoor is horse themed, since horses are a symbol of the American West. There are about 800 rooms here. It's kind of like a self contained adult Disneyland championship golf courses, a world class spa, even an outdoor lap swimming pool like that has lanes that I swam in one morning for. Fine dining, casual dining, access to hiking, fly fishing, even falconry, zip lines, tennis, pickleball pools. Take the cog railway to the Pikes Peak, Summit. Okay. Now, other nice hotels have attractions that are sort of like that, but when I rave about the service, it's the little things they are knocking on my door before 10am to come in and clean the room. And you know how so commonly, when you first check into your hotel room and you look in the closet, there are not enough clothing hangers, and they're all like stupidly mismatched. These all match. They're all nice wood, and there are plenty of them. So I'm talking about these details. I'm telling you. I had dinner at one of the broadmoor's restaurants the other night. I just happened to take a close look at the tag on the napkin. Sure enough, it is made in Italy. I mean, jeez, no detail is overlooked at this stellar place. In fact, here's what I'll do. You know, I'll just completely stop my Colorado Springs home search right now. Instead, I'm going to stop down by the Broadmoor front desk, tell him to give me some moving boxes, because I'm moving into the Broadmoor and I'll be here for the next decade. Start forwarding my mail here and everything. And hey, at least I was courteous enough to give them notice. I can't stay here too long, or my standards will be rising faster than my net worth. Yeah, yeah. Can't go to sleep with a mint on your pillow every night, I suppose. Keith Weinhold 11:38 Now, the reason I came here now is to attend that aforementioned goals retreat, and let me take all the time and all the resources that I put into being here and distill them into just a few of the most salient takeaways for you. Goals should be smart, strategic, measurable, actionable, relevant and time based, they must be written down. Now, how would you describe yourself to somebody else that didn't know who you were? Write that down next. What do you think your reputation is? How would others describe you? Write that down now that you can see how you describe yourself and how others describe you, you can see that there's a gap there. That gap is what you need to work on. I learned that goal should be written in the present tense, not the future tense. I did not know that before. For example, say it is January 1, 2035, and I own $5 million in rental property. That's an example of how you would do that. So take future events and write them in the present tense. Other questions at the goals retreat that got really introspective are, what are you really going to do with your life? And write down that answer. Sheesh, that is tough. And if you think that's a hard question for you to ask of yourself, the next one is even harder. It's simply why? Why is that where you're going with your life? And then write that down? I mean, would you answer questions like this for yourself? And you really think about it, that can occupy a new segment of your entire headspace. It is a big cognitive load, and a last one to leave you with is to dream not just big, but gigantic. Get it out there, write down a dream that interests you, but it's so grandiose that you're actually embarrassed to tell someone about this stretch dream, for example, for me, it's the first person to walk on another planet. No human has ever done that, and this would most likely happen on Mars. See, this is so grand that is sort of embarrassing for me to even share that with you. It almost makes you sound Loony, like I would have to learn so many new skills to travel to and walk on Mars. But you should write down a bunch of other goals too. You're sort of brainstorming on goals, attainable goals. Recall that is the A in the SMART goals acronym, you want to write down a bunch of attainable ones, not just that stretch one. So for attainable ones, one of them is for me to become the highest man on earth. To give you an example. And I attempted that goal two years ago, and I failed. I told you about that at that time. But see now, compared to my embarrassing stretch goal of walking on Mars, the highest man on earth feels attainable, I know what it takes to achieve it, and it's worth doing, ah, but it's a grind to get there, yet it would be worth it. Those are some quick take. Ways from the real estate guys goals retreat while on stage the event host Robert helms he took a minute respite from the goals material, and he recognized the fact that, as he calls it, the four OG real estate podcasters are all in the same room. One of them is helms himself, and now I feel like the other three are all older and doing it longer than me. I was one of the four that he mentioned. But you know, there is only one podcast that was mentioned from stage, and that is that Robert helms told the audience that they should be listening to the get rich education podcast. That was a nice thing to say, and he is always a gracious giver. Keith Weinhold 15:45 Next, we're talking about four major loan types, conventional DSCR, fix and flip and then bridge loans. When we discuss the first two parts of it could sound repetitive, but you'll see why we do this, because then you'll be able to compare it to nichey loan types that we discuss, for example, the speed of a bridge loan, where you can get funded in just one week, compared to a slower conventional loan. The mortgage landscape changes. I still remember how in 2012 we had still somewhat freshly emerged from the global financial crisis, and back then, you could only get four conventional loans, four rental properties, not 10 like you can today, 20 married. So get your loans while you can, you probably won't always be able to get 10 loans. We'll start with loan types that are more for beginners, and then we'll get to advanced material. Let's welcome back one of our favorite recurring guests. Keith Weinhold 16:54 You can make millions more throughout your life by understanding mortgage loans. This is key, and today it's the return of the woman that's created more financial freedom through real estate than any other lender in the entire nation, because she's the president of ridge lender group. Hey, it's time for a big welcome back to the incomparable, yet somehow still so approachable Chaley Ridge Caeli Ridge 17:16 my Keith, thank you for having me. I love being here. I love what you're doing. It's my pleasure, sir. Keith Weinhold 17:23 And our followers, our listeners, have been approaching you since 2015 you're one of the longest running guests, truly one of the OGS around here at GRE and now Caeli, before we discuss loan types. You know, we don't really talk politics on this show rather policies, and we're in the midst of a presidential administration that often, in the name of the word affordability, is trying to supremely shake things up in the housing market. Help us dissect what matters and what won't. Caeli Ridge 17:58 I have found that at least as it relates to current administration, whoever that might be, I wait for the buzzwords or the taglines to become the actual policy. Like you said, That's a good point in this case. You know, you've got things floating around, like the 50 year mortgage cutting off the hedge fund guys and that kind of thing. Whether or not, those things come to fruition. I'm happy to give my opinion on them. I do not think that it's going to move the needle much for the people that you and I serve with regard to I mean, just taking them one at a time, I don't think that the 50 year is going to come to fruition. Just first and foremost, if it did do, I think it would be a good idea for a homeowner, probably not, but for an investor, maybe if there's some way that we can keep our payment lower, given the maturity date of a mortgage for an investment property is usually about five years. I mean, I know that this is a 30 year fixed mortgage, but statistically speaking, the average shelf life of a non owner occupied mortgage is about five years. So getting a 50 year amortization, if that were going to reduce the payment, I don't think is a bad thing for an investor, however, and this may get a little bit technical for the listeners, so I apologize in advance if we were to go to a 50 Year am the adjustments, something called, and you and I have talked about this before, something called an llpa, that stands for loan level price adjustment, I think would be such that it could end up defeating the purpose of having the longer term amortization, because I think the interest rates would be higher and I think they may offset so that was a long way to say. One, I don't think it's going to happen. I don't think it's actually going to get to its final resting place. And two, would it be a good idea for investors, yeah, I think it would be worth considering if it kept the payment lower. Okay, that's that as the other piece to cutting off the hedge funds, the big, you know, BlackRock, some of the big players, and giving them access to the residential housing and first right of infusion or etc, because they've got such deep pockets. You. It's such a small amount to what our individual investors are going to have access to that I don't think that that moves the needle either. So I don't know if I'm answering the question, except to say anything that they're going to tout, I would wait for it to actually become written in stone and pass by the rest of the powers that be before I would get excited about or concerned about any of it. Keith Weinhold 20:21 This is pretty parallel with what I've been telling our listeners. All these things seem to make splashy news, but I haven't seen anything that's going to make a deep impact yet, whether it's the 50 year mortgage, which probably won't even come to fruition, or if it's doing these mortgage bond buy downs in order to bring more liquidity into the market and bring rates down, or if it sees any of these other things being discussed with these institutional investors, since they already own such a smaller proportion of the housing market than a lot of people think, we'll discuss seasoned real estate investors and their loans shortly, but first for newer real estate investors, you Know, chili, I kind of think of four or more loan types that a beginner should be familiar with. I think of conventional loans, dscrs, fix and flips and then bridge loans, the first one with conventional loans. What are the basics that someone should know? Caeli Ridge 21:17 So first of all, you should know that there are 10 of these. We call them the golden tickets. I'm pretty sure I coined this, okay, 100 years ago, the golden ticket. We call the conventional aka Fannie Freddie, aka agency. They go by different names, but they all mean the same thing. We call them the golden tickets because it's the highest leverage and typically at the lowest interest rate you can find. Now I do have a hook in our conversation today about that. I'll get we'll get to it. There are 10 of these per qualified individual. So one of the first things that I would tell somebody is, is that if they are a partnership or a husband and wife team, you want to make sure to keep the debt obligation separate, because if you want to maximize these golden tickets, let's just say it's a husband and wife team. You each have, per qualification access to 10, and that includes a primary residence. In fact, let me just take a quick second and define what counts in the 10, because some people get this wrong. So the 10 golden tickets are counted by any residential property, single family, up to four Plex that has a loan on it, where the loan is in the individual name or personally guaranteed by the individual. That's where people get tied up. So if they went out and got a kind of more of a commercial type loan, that was in an LLC name, for example, but they signed a personal guarantee, per Fannie Freddie guidelines, that particular mortgage is going to count against the 10. So those would be some of the first pieces of news or detail I would give them about conventional Keith Weinhold 22:40 for married couples, don't take ownership in both the husband and wife's name, either the husband or the wife. That way, you can get to 20 rather than 10. And yes, you do have to be mindful that your primary residence does count in that 10 or 20, whatever it might be. Anything else quickly with conventional loans, LTVs so on, Caeli Ridge 23:01 yeah, LTV can go to 85% loan to value. So you get a little bit extra than you're going to get in some of the other loan product types. It will have PMI, private mortgage insurance, anything over 80% LTV will always have PMI on a more conforming, conventional basis. So keep that in mind. But the factor is pretty low. I would encourage people that are looking to stretch the almighty dollar. Do the math. Look at the 85 with PMI against, say, an 80% and see what are you giving up versus what you're getting. And then qualification stuff, you guys, my dumb joke, it's Keith's favorite. I'm sure vials of blood and DNA samples are sort of required for the Fannie Freddie loans. So just be prepared to supply or submit us the tax returns and pay stubs and bank statements and and all that stuff, Keith Weinhold 23:44 you'll feel like you're getting fingerprinted almost for a conventional loan qualification. And the second one that I brought up DSCR loans, that's short for debt service coverage ratio. And these mortgages are pretty standard for rental properties. They're underwritten based on a property's income potential. So you know, the way I think of dscrs Chaley from the lender's perspective, is that sustainable cash flow is what matters. The rent has got to support the property's monthly mortgage payments. So we talked to us more about dscrs. Caeli Ridge 24:15 Yeah, I love this product, and this is for somebody that either can't fit into the conventional Fannie Freddie box, or maybe they've exhausted their golden tickets and they're graduating and moving on. This is a great option that will reduce the amount of vials of blood and DNA samples that you're going to have to submit. It still provides for a 30 year fixed mortgage. The leverage is roughly the same, 80% in most cases, on a purchase. And to your point, the gross income divided by the principal, interest, taxes, insurance and Hoa, if it's applicable, is the simple formula, the easy method I'll give people, just to kind of solidify that math, is that if the gross rents were $1,000 a month, and if the PI TI was $1,000 a month, when you divide that, your debt service is 1.0 Now you can go as low, believe it or not, as low as a point seven, five, DSCR, they have those available be ready for the interest rate to get a little hair on it. Okay, it's going to be higher than what the 1.0 and above is going to be. But you can go as low as point seven, five, those are going to be for the investors that have found a property, maybe in distress, and they cannot show the current market value rent, perhaps, and it's on the low end. So you can still get that done at point seven, five, just be ready for a higher interest rate. Keith Weinhold 25:30 So the DSCR loan an alternative for you, which might be especially useful, like Chaley touched on, if you've already exhausted your 10 golden ticket. Fannie Freddie loans, a DSCR of 1.2 for example, means that your rent income needs to exceed your principal, interest, taxes and insurance payment by 20% or more. That's what we're talking about here. And then Chile, those were more of loans for the buy and hold type of investor. Tell us about fix and flip loans. Caeli Ridge 26:03 Yeah. So these are shorter term loan that will allow you to include not just the purchase of the property, but also some renovation or rehab money if you need that. And we're going to be looking at an ARV after repair value. So you've got a purchase price, you've got your renovation or scope of work budget. And then we're looking for an ARV with the ARV to be somewhere around 75% so what that means, if you've not heard of this before, you're going to take, let's say, $100,000 value. And if we want the ARV to be at 75% we're going to lend 75,000 is kind of the mix there. Those are quicker loans. You're going to be paying much higher rates on those. You know, between nine and 13% depending on the deal. The points are also going to be a little bit higher, but a great option for that quick turn and burn where you know your deal has enough skin in it and you can recapture all your capital and make a good tidy profit on it. Keith Weinhold 26:53 We're talking about basically fixer upper loans here with Chaley Ridge, the president of ridge lending group, yes, these are jalopies that rarely qualify for traditional bank financing. And oftentimes, when I think about these fix and flip loans, I'm thinking that often there is interest only flexibility with regard to those higher interest rates that you need to pay. And I think of it as, you know, a shorter term loan that you've got during your renovation period, oftentimes 12 to 18 months. Does that sound about right? Caeli Ridge 27:24 Yeah, 6,18, even 24 months. And to your point, yes, all of these are going to be interest only. And one of the cool things is about these loans is, is that, if there's enough room in the deal, right, based on what you need to borrow and what we think the ARV is expected to be, you don't even actually have to be making those interest payments. You can build it into the final payout when we go to refinance you out of this short term loan, or you simply sell the property and pay off that loan. So for example, let's say that your interest only payment is $1,000 a month, okay? And the value of the property is going to be $200,000 and you only took 120 okay, we're going to be well within that 75% ARV. You can build in that $1,000 say, for 12 months, there's $12,000 and just add it to the outstanding balance that you started by owing, and not have to be making those payments on an ongoing basis. It's not rented, right? So it might be nice to be able to factor that in to the actual payoff when you go to refinance that if it's a fix and hold versus go to sell it on a fix and flip. Keith Weinhold 28:31 Now, long term, we know that the big gains for real estate investors really come from that leveraged appreciation getting that loan. But sometimes there are situations where we might want to act as a cash buyer. And that brings up this fourth of four loan types that I brought up, the bridge loan, short term loans that can temporarily finance a property purchase while you're waiting for a longer term loan to come through. The bridge loan, so I think of it as a pretty speedy loan, if you sort of want to act like you're an all cash buyer. Caeli Ridge 29:04 Yeah, I like this, and in many ways it's similar to a fix and flip interest only. Obviously the term is going to be shorter, six months, 12 months, up to 24 months, and based on largely relationship, the bridge loan for the purpose that you described, really comes into play for an investor that we know and we're comfortable with, we can fund those inside a week, for somebody that we've done several of these loans for. So for those that need that really quick turn, once you've established yourself as a seasoned, experienced investor in that space, those are pretty slick and easy to get through. Keith Weinhold 29:39 Why would someone use a bridge loan, rather than a fix and flip loan. Caeli Ridge 29:43 So if they're in a very competitive market, that might be another option, because those are going to be faster. The bridge loan is going to be faster where they need to say that they're an all cash buyer and they only need seven days to close, or whatever it is. It depends on the municipality in the state. But what if you're at the courthouse steps? And you need cash quickly. Sometimes it needs to be immediate. So that might not be applicable in this case, but if you put the bid in, and you win the bid, and you've got, you know, three days to perform, usually we can get those done. So it's circumstantial. Those would be two variables or two scenarios that that would apply to Keith Weinhold 30:17 the bridge loan gives you the advantage of speed, but that speed can come at a cost. Caeli Ridge 30:22 Oh yeah, yeah, you're going to be paying probably three points, maybe four points, and it's short term interest, 13, 14% Keith Weinhold 30:30 so with these four loan types that we've discussed, conventional DSCR, fix and flip and bridge loans, you can kind of see that there is a loan for most every investment scenario, and there's no reason to rely on only one type, a flipper. Might start with a short term fix and flip loan or a bridge loan and then later refinance to a DSCR or a conventional loan. So consider mixing and matching based on your needs. You're listening to get rich education. We're talking with Ridge leninger, President Taylor Ridge, more when we come back, including steps for more advanced investors, I'm your host. Keith Weinhold Keith Weinhold 31:06 mid south homebuyers with over two decades as the nation's highest rated turnkey provider, their empathetic property managers use your return on investment as their North Star. It's no wonder smart investors line up to get their completely renovated income properties like it's the newest iPhone, headquartered in Memphis, with their globally attractive cash flows, mid south has an A plus rating with a better business bureau and 4000 houses renovated. There is zero markup on maintenance. Let that sink in, and they average a 98.9% occupancy rate with an industry leading three and a half year average renter term. Every home they offer you will have brand new components, a bumper to bumper, one year warranty, new 30 year roofs. And wait for it, a high quality renter in an astounding price range, 100 to 150k GET TO KNOW Mid South. Enjoy cash flow from day one at mid southhomebuyers.com that's mid southhomebuyers.com Keith Weinhold 32:08 you know, most people think they're playing it safe with their liquid money, but they're actually losing savings accounts and bonds. Don't keep up when true inflation eats six or 7% of your wealth. Every single year I invest my liquidity with FFI freedom family investments in their flagship program. Why fixed 10 to 12% returns have been predictable and paid quarterly. There's real world security backed by needs based real estate like affordable housing, Senior Living and health care. Ask about the freedom flagship program when you speak to a freedom coach there, and that's just one part of their family of products, they've got workshops, webinars and seminars designed to educate you before you invest, start with as little as 25k and finally, get your money working as hard as you do. Get started at Freedom family investments.com/gre or GRE, or send a text now it's 1-937-795-8989, yep, text their freedom coach, directly again. 1-937-795-8989, Keith Weinhold 33:19 the same place where I get my own mortgage loans is where you can get yours. Ridge lending group and MLS, 42056, they provided our listeners with more loans than anyone because they specialize in income properties. They help you build a long term plan for growing your real estate empire with leverage, start your pre qual and even chat with President chailey Ridge personally, while it's on your mind, start at Ridge lending group.com that's Ridge lending group.com Blair Singer 33:53 this is Rich Dad, sales advisor, Blair singer. Listen to get rich education with Keith Weinhold. And above all, don't quit your Daydream. Keith Weinhold 34:09 Welcome back to get rich education chili when we go beyond this beginner stage that we've been discussing, how about for an investor just trying to scale to 10 doors worth of one to four unit properties. Now, are there any strategies there or more of a loan order that you would recommend in getting up to your first 10 you know Caeli Ridge 34:29 I think the strategy starts with calling your lender, ideally Ridge lending group, and having that deep strategy call that, that discovery call, so that we can really understand and plant some seeds that say, Okay, Mr. Jones, these are your qualifications today. This is where you want to be in a year or 10 years. These are the steps that are going to be important that we are mindful of and we take to accomplish and reach those milestones. It's really important to have that baseline understanding of what is your debt to income ratio on day one, what are your assets? Sets. What is your credit? Where do you want to be in a year or 10 years? Right? Do you want 10 properties in a year's time? It's going to be a very different conversation than if you're going to slow roll this and want to establish 10 purchases or 10 investment properties over 10 years. So identifying those details is going to be part one, and then next, in terms of order, I would say, largely the higher price point properties, typically, I would say, put those in one through six. And the reason that I'm saying that is is that the underwriting guidelines under conventional financing, they will change based on how many finance properties you have. So of all of the inner working guidelines and things that go into securing a conventional mortgage loan, the three top most heavily weighted are going to be debt to income ratio, credit score and assets. Okay? And within each one of those, the marker or the qualification guideline changes as you evolve and acquire more property. So the higher up the ring you go, or the rung that you go to 10, the more restrictive the guidelines are going to be. So I would typically say, get the higher price point properties go into maybe one to four, one to six, if that's part of your strategy and your diversification of portfolio ownership. Then after you've established having two or three or four properties and that higher price point it as it gets harder to qualify, potentially, if your debt to income ratio is a little bit tight, you've got the smaller loan sizes that might be less impactful in debt to income ratio. All of this is very subjective to the individual's qualifications and needs, of course, but that might be one rule of thumb that I would take Keith Weinhold 36:39 gosh, this This is absolute gold in helping you structure the architecture of a growing income property portfolio. And we're coming up on this Super Bowl, and whatever mortgage lender advertises for the Super Bowl or has some big, splashy campaign nationally, you know they are not the ones that are going to have conversations like this for you, they might be fine for buying a primary residence, but this is why you want to have a long term strategy and work with a lender that's aligned with you on exactly that sort of thing. And Chaley, is there a specific way in which one can avoid hitting the Fannie Freddie loan ceilings too early if you haven't already touched on it. Caeli Ridge 37:22 Yeah, very good question. You know, I think that this is going to come down to a debt to income ratio conversation. It's easy enough to ensure that we contain assets and credit. Those are easier conversations. The debt to income ratio is the piece that's more complicated and can get away from an investor without them even knowing it. You don't know what you don't know, right? So I would say that debt to income ratio and making sure that your lender again, hopefully Ridge lending, because we know this like we know our own faces, making sure they know how to structure and provide feedback and consult on that schedule E, part of the beauty of real estate investing is the tax deductions. Right? Many people get into real estate investing, not for the cash flow, not even for the appreciation, but for that tax strategy, because they're high wage earners, or whatever it may be, and they're sick of paying x in taxes. So the debt to income ratio is key in scaling and making sure you can continue to qualify for those loans. The conversations that we have with our clients really go deep about where we can maximize our deductions to ensure that we get the tax benefit without precluding our qualification on a conventional underwriting basis in the DTI category. Keith Weinhold 38:35 Now, during my growth as an investor, when I got above 10 doors, one gets above 20 doors. When one gets to 216 doors, I began where I needed to qualify more on a DSCR basis, where the lender is looking at the properties qualification, more so than me. So are there any other thoughts with regard to how one can set themselves up for success in really going big and well beyond 10 doors Caeli Ridge 39:03 absolutely so once we've exhausted the Fannie Freddie, and I think one of the real value adds about Ridge is that we are not a one size fits all, and we are extremely holistic versus transactional. So having that first conversation and understanding what those goals are, so that we can pivot as we need to maximize the golden tickets, whether that be 10 to 20, right? If you're in a marriage or a partnership or whatever, and then setting up for the DSCR loans when the time comes, and taking advantage of those, there is no limit to how many DSCR loans we can get for one individual. We have yet to file an individual that we've had to say no, and we've done quite a few of the high, high acquisition investors, so I don't expect that to be an issue, but yeah, I think it's about planning, planting those seeds, creating roadmaps together and have those smart discovery conversations. Keith Weinhold 39:50 Now, as you grow, one way you might diversify is to have perhaps at least a part of your portfolio in short term rentals. So what I. Comes to getting loans for sort of Airbnb or VRBO type properties. What does one look for there? How much does the landscape change versus the longer term rentals that we've mostly been talking about here? Caeli Ridge 40:10 Yeah, I think that the differences are going to be about purchase versus refinance. If we're just talking about purchases, let's kind of try to keep it in one lane. If we're talking about purchasing a short term rental, you may be limited on leverage. You might lose a little bit of leverage, 5% let's say you could get to 75% and maybe on a short term they're going to back it off to 70% LTV, so there may be reduction in that loan to value. And the way in which we're going to quantify the income is absolutely important to share with your listeners on a purchase transaction, we have access to things like an appraisal. An appraisal is going to give us some median rental income, whether it be long term or short term, that we will use to offset a new mortgage payment if that's needed for the individual's debt to income ratio qualification. Now, if they don't need the rental income to qualify, then it's a non issue. But if they do, like most of us, need that rental income to absorb this new mortgage payment that we are securing for them, how that's going to quantify is important. So if it's not in a short term rental area, let's just say it's kind of off the beaten path, and there may not be enough data points to support the income that you need. It's important to know that up front versus way down the rabbit hole, when you paid for appraisals and you're all the way through the transaction and earnest money might be off the table if you had to cancel that kind of thing. So really important to understand the numbers in advance, I would say, when we talk about short term rentals and how the income is going to be quantified from an underwriting perspective, Keith Weinhold 41:43 why does a borrower often need to make a higher down payment on a short term rental than they do a long term rental? Caeli Ridge 41:49 You know, I think that in secondary markets, as we talk about mortgage backed securities and things like that, it's looked at as a higher risk. A short term rental is going to be a higher risk than just the stable long term, long burn tenant is going to be there and they've got their lease for a year, two years or whatever, at a time, the short term rental is more volatile and it's seasonal. It can be I mean, there's all those different factors, so higher risk means more skin in the game for the investor. Keith Weinhold 42:13 That makes a lot of sense. Does that higher risk also translate into a higher mortgage rate for short term rentals than long term rentals? Caeli Ridge 42:18 Fannie Freddie versus DSCR The answer is no. On the Fannie Freddie side, the interest rate's not going to change on a DSCR loan. Yes, it can be slightly higher, usually about about a quarter of a percentage point on a short term versus a long term. Keith Weinhold 42:33 Now, are there any particular markets that lenders want to avoid with short term rental loans? Caeli Ridge 42:39 No, as long as the property is habitable, and all the other metrics fit Qualifications and Credit and assets and all that stuff. No, there isn't a market that we're going to have any issues with now. We do get the notifications for natural disaster areas, and as that relates to the appraisal and things like that, if it's in a natural disaster area or zone, we may have to hold funding until after the disaster is over, and then we can go and take more pictures and make sure it's still standing and there's no major issues. But otherwise, aside from that, as long as it's habitable, no, there is no market restriction. Keith Weinhold 43:12 Yes, with that variability of income for short term rentals, you can understand how a lender would be more careful in making a loan, and would want you, the borrower, to put more skin in the game for a short term rental. Well, Caeli, overall, what should an investor do in the next 24 hours to make themselves more lendable before contacting someone like you? Caeli Ridge 43:36 I would say the answer is sticky, but call rich lending group. That's how you're going to make yourself more lendable. And the reason that I can say that is is that everybody's qualifications and needs and goals are inherently different. So calling someone that understands this landscape and can navigate the battleship in the creek like I like to say, that's the visual aid for those of you that need the visual is the first key. And with that conversation, we're going to be able to identify for you specifically what you would need to do to become more lendable. And it may be nothing Keith Weinhold 44:07 well over there, Chaley, you're growing. You do loans in almost all 50 states. The GRE podcast has more than 5.8 million listener downloads, and you have helped countless GRE listeners acquire smart investor loans for fully a decade now. Just amazing. So talk to us about all of the loan types that you offer investors there at ridge. Caeli Ridge 44:30 My gosh. Okay, so I think one of the real value adds for us is that we have such a diverse menu of loan products. We touched on a few of them already. So we've got the conventional Fannie Mae Freddie, Mac stuff. We've got our DSCR loans. We have bank statement loans, asset depletion loans. I can touch on those if you want. Keith, we have our short term bridge fix and flip. We have our All In One my favorite, first lien, HELOC we have second lien HELOCs. We have commercial loan products, and commercial can apply to residential and commercial property. A cross collateralization, commercial for residential properties. That just means, if you're putting 10 single families into one blanket loan, that would be cross collateralization, or if you're buying a storage unit that's straight commercial, and probably even more than that, ground up construction, there's really not a limit to the loan products that we offer, specifically for investors. The only thing we don't have, I would say in our arsenal is bare land loans. Those are hard to come by Keith Weinhold 45:24 It sounds like you recommend a call in order to get some of that back and forth, to learn how you can best help that investor. But tell us about all the ways that someone Caeli Ridge 45:32 can get a hold of you. Yes, there's a few ways. Of course, our website, ridgeline group.com, you can call us toll free at 855-747434385, 747-434-3855, 74, Ridge. Or feel free to email us info at Ridge lending group.com Keith Weinhold 45:49 and you might get lucky. Hey, spin the wheel. Chaele does get on the phone and talk to individual investors herself too. So Chaley, it's been valuable as always to cover all these different loan types for beginners, and then what one does when they advance beyond that. It's been great having you back on the show. Caeli Ridge 46:09 Thank you, Keith. I appreciate you. Keith Weinhold 46:16 Oh yeah, a lot to learn from Chaley today. You've got mortgage rates three quarters to 1% lower than they were a year ago. At this time, in fact, last month, they ticked below 6% for the first time in years, and their lowest level in over three years. But when you introduce geopolitical uncertainty, well, that tends to make rates tick up again. Now, just what does happen when you have a lower overall rate trend like we have? Well, in this cycle, it's already spurred an increase in housing sales volume. It surged to 4.3 5 million in the latest reporting month, and that is the hottest annualized pace in nearly three years. Some of the same people who said, wait until rates fall, they're about to realize that prices didn't wait. Demand comes back fast. Inventory doesn't if mortgage rates take another leg lower, we could see quite a refinance wave in balanced markets or in supply constrained markets, bidding wars could follow. Now I've shared with you before that I totally do not predict interest rates. I don't know if anyone should. It is a great way to be fantastically wrong and supremely waste a lot of people's time. Instead, I think it's more efficacious for you to be able to interpret the signs that can trigger a further rate drop. Those signs are a weak jobs report that tends to bring lower rates because the labor market needs the help. So does softening wage growth, GDP below expectations, inflation continuing to cool, or a pickup in US Treasury demand. These are all signs that can lead to even lower rates. In fact, right now, with already lower rates and higher wages, real estate is more affordable than it's been in about three years, but overall, longer term, yeah, income properties still feel somewhat less affordable. It's less affordable than it was in pre pandemic times. That's for real for US investors, though, affordability is less about the price of the property, it's about whether the property pays for itself and grows your net worth while inflation does the heavy lifting for you, that's why it still works for us as investors. Higher prices don't kill investors inaction during inflation does you're not so much buying a say, 350k property. You're controlling it with 70k while your tenant and inflation do the rest. We don't rely on hope or appreciation. We start with inflation, tax benefits and debt pay down, and then appreciation typically happens too. A lot of times, the question for us goes beyond whether or not a property is affordable. The question is whether owning an investment property is better than inflation compounding against us, which is an investor mindset for this era, Ridge landing gear. President Chaley Ridge is a regular guest here because the mortgage space is so dynamic and things change a lot. For that reason, we expect to have her with us every few months this year, I'll see you next week. I'm your host. Keith Weinhold, don't quit your Daydream. Speaker 2 50:01 Nothing on this show should be considered specific, personal or professional advice. Please consult an appropriate tax, legal, real estate, financial or business professional for individualized advice. Opinions of guests are their own. Information is not guaranteed. All investment strategies have the potential for profit or loss. The host is operating on behalf of get rich Education LLC, exclusively Keith Weinhold 50:30 The preceding program was brought to you by your home for wealth building, getricheducation.com
Send me a messageThree corporate jets as “excess assets.”Absurd? Yes. Rare? Not really. What does that say about how companies handle surplus?In this episode of the Resilient Supply Chain Podcast, I'm joined by Gordon Zellner, CEO and founder of Evergreen Trading, to unpack a problem most organisations quietly struggle with: surplus that turns into risk, waste, and financial drag.Excess inventory, idle equipment, empty buildings, overbought materials. In uncertain times, these don't vanish. They sit on the balance sheet, depreciating, distorting decisions, and nudging companies towards the easiest exit. Often landfill. Sometimes a write-off. Almost always value destruction. That matters now, as volatility, sustainability pressure, and capital discipline collide.In this conversation, you'll hear how Gordon's team takes a very different approach. We break down why excess is inevitable, why freezing is the worst response, and how thinking horizontally across supply chain, finance, and marketing can unlock value that traditional disposal routes miss entirely. You might be surprised to learn how media becomes a financial instrument, why Gordon describes his model as “corporate recycling,” and how rerouting value can fund more sustainable outcomes without taking a financial hit.We also dig into real examples. PPE bought in panic during COVID. Inventory headed for landfill. And yes, the three corporate jets. Not as a stunt, but as a consequence of routine decisions applied at scale. The lesson is uncomfortable, practical, and immediately relevant for supply chain leaders navigating risk, sustainability, data visibility, and resilience.
Got a question? Let us know!Made for Mondays | STEPSStep Four: The Examination: A Fearless InventoryThis week on Made for Mondays, Heather is joined by Jamey, Adrienne, and Kirk for a conversation that might sound intimidating at first—but turns out to be deeply freeing. Together, they unpack Step 4 of the STEPS journey: a searching and fearless moral inventory.Yes… fearless. Deep breaths. And no—this is not a shame spiral.After some weekend chitchat and reminding us all that we're real people with real lives, the group reflects on this week's Bible reading, centering especially on Psalm 139—a passage that is both comforting and confronting in the best possible way.From there, the conversation moves into the heart of the step.Pastor Jamey reframes moral inventory not as condemnation, but as inspection—bringing what's real into God's light so it can finally be healed. Anchored in Psalm 139 and shaped by the truth of Romans 8:1 (“There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”), Step 4 becomes less about self-punishment and more about Spirit-led honesty.Here's where the conversation goes:• First reactions to “moral inventory” The group starts light—but honest—naming the gut reactions many of us have when we hear that phrase: avoidance, anxiety, curiosity, or something else entirely. Those reactions often reveal how we've been taught to look at ourselves—and what we expect to happen when we do.• Inspection vs. condemnation Jamey talks about the subtle but important difference between avoiding self-examination out of fear and inviting God into the process with trust. One leads to hiding; the other leads to healing.• Shame-based introspection vs. Spirit-led inventory The group contrasts the inner spiral of shame with the gentle conviction of the Holy Spirit. They reflect on what helps them stay honest without turning inward reflection into self-punishment—and how “no condemnation” reshapes the entire process.• From vague to specific Referencing Lew Smedes' insight that vague confession leads to vague forgiveness, the conversation explores how easy it is to hide behind general phrases like “I'm just struggling.” The group encourages naming the actual thing—carefully, honestly, and safely—so freedom can take root.• The courage of Psalm 139 Psalm 139:23–24 becomes the centerpiece: “Search me, God… lead me.” Why does that prayer feel risky? And what picture of God helps us trust Him enough to pray it anyway? The group reflects on inviting Jesus into one specific area of life this week—not harshly, but gently and truthfully.• Practice, not pressure As this Year of Practice continues, the group reminds listeners that Step 4 isn't about rushing or fixing. It's about cooperating with God. They discuss small, realistic ways to make space this week—through prayer, journaling, or quiet—for God to surface what actually needs attention next.The episode closes with this reminder: Step 4 isn't about fixing yourself. It's about trusting God. You don't have to do it fast. You don't have to do it alone. And nothing you uncover is a surprise to Him.The group also highlights the value of BeGroups—whStay Connected Website: https://believerschurch.org/ Bible Reading Plan: https://believerschurch.org/bible-reading-plan/ Believers Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/believerschurch.va/ Believers Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believers_church/ Subscribe to The Outlet: https://believerschurch.us13.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=66f00f86238de86688d2480e6&id=729c3f381f
The Rental Boyz | An Equipment & Party Rentals Business Podcast
"Join Tina Tran in this video as she breaks down which rental categories are worth adding to your inventory based on demand, scalability, and what actually makes sense for your operations. She dives into the difference between being a generalist versus a specialist, sharing the pros and cons of each approach, and how to choose the right path for your event rental business depending on your market, space, and long-term goals."Download The Ultimate Checklist for Free:
We're sending out this Patreon-exclusive episode from back in September to the main feed. Mac and David share their final thoughts about the movies covered in episodes 85 through 96, read from a very dramatic Spider-man 2 script, answer listener questions, and preview some future episodes.
On this episode, Kaylee Felio sits down with industry expert Chuck Hartle to break down the nitty-gritty of parts pricing, inventory sources, and the real value of creative problem-solving at the dealership. From the pitfalls of averaging pricing strategies to why a granular approach to source setup empowers flexibility and innovation, this conversation covers actionable best practices that help parts managers turn inventory faster and unlock growth. Hear real-world stories and insights about bonus structures, collaboration between departments, and the transformative power of dealer communication. If you want to elevate your parts department, this episode is a must-listen!--------------------------------------------This show is powered by PartsEdge: Your go-to solution for transforming dealership parts inventory into a powerhouse of profitability. Our strategies are proven to amp up parts sales by a whopping 20%, all while cutting down on idle inventory. If you're looking to optimize your parts management, visit
Are you struggling to balance menu complexity with profitability in your bar? Discover the surprising insights that could transform your business strategy.In this episode of Party of Six, Chris, Dave, and Cliff dive deep into the intricacies of menu design, inventory management, and pricing strategies. Learn how industry leaders use simple menus to maximize margins and minimize waste, and why most bars fail to control inventory effectively.Imagine running a bar where your menu not only delights customers but also boosts your bottom line. With expert tips on seasonal menu adjustments, strategic supplier partnerships, and effective staff training, you can achieve operational excellence and financial success.Tune in now to uncover actionable strategies that will help you streamline your operations, enhance customer satisfaction, and increase your profits. Don't miss out on the opportunity to elevate your bar's performance!Key Topics:- Balancing menu complexity with guest experience- Pricing strategies that drive revenue and profitability- Inventory management techniques to control costs- Showcasing premium spirits effectively- Seasonal menu adjustments and leveraging back stock -Staff training for consistency and customer satisfactionConnect with Us:Chris Schneider – https://barbusinesscoach.com/ Dave Nitzel – https://daveanddave.co/ Cliff Crider – https://truckandtap.com/ Resources & Links:Stinger Compliance – ID verification and bar safety solutions - https://www.stingercompliance.com/Quickspec – Data-driven dashboard for POS and financial analytics - https://www.quixspec.com/Book: Hospitality DNA – Insights on building a resilient hospitality operation - https://www.amazon.com/dp/195984086X/Book: The Bar Shift – Practical strategies for bar management and profitability - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1987562216Book: How to Make Top Shelf Profits in the Bar Business - 75 Lessons on Bar Ownership - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C5BMKDJN/
The (Not Boring) Boring Small Business Bookkeeping and Accounting Podcast
Send us a text message! But please include your email or a way to get in touch with you. This feature is not two way! If you sell on eBay or another online marketplace and quietly wonder whether you're recording sales, fees, or inventory the right way, you're not alone, and you may be overcomplicating it. In this episode, our resident Bookkeeping Mensch, Paul Rosenblum, answers a listener question about how online sellers should actually handle bookkeeping, especially when platform reports, fees, and inventory start to blur together at tax time. He breaks down what really needs to be tracked, what doesn't, and how to keep your books clean without turning your side hustle into a full-time accounting project, because spreadsheets should help you sleep better, not keep you up at night.Support the show
Today's episode comes directly from a listener's question, and I love these because they tell me people are thinking about their futures. The listener didn't share a name, just their email address. Anyway, their question was what are the three best jobs in the distribution field? Now, before I answer that, I want to say, and it's the truth, in my opinion anyway, there are no bad jobs in distribution. We've learned that every role matters. Every position contributes to the movement of product, safety, productivity, and ultimately the success of the team and operation. But if you're asking me, and I'm familiar with most all of them, from loading trucks to executive leadership, the three positions that consistently stand out as strong, long-term career roles, my answer is the putaway forklift operator, the order selector, and the front-line lead and supervisor positions. I'll share some thoughts about all three, and then I want to share a bit about something just as important. Three of my go to entry level positions, or my favorite get your foot in the door tasks. Unloaders, loaders, and sanitation, because those are often the doors that open other opportunities in this industry. Ok, we'll start with the putaway forklift operator. This is the person responsible for taking inbound product and placing them into their correct warehouse location, often at height, at quite the pace, and always with safety and accuracy in mind. Put-away operators are trusted with the inventory, operating expensive equipment, they may be working in narrow aisles, with tall vertical storage, and the accuracy of the entire picking operation downstream. If the put-away goes wrong, everything past that step goes wrong. A mis-slotted pallet can cause lost inventory, missed orders, wasted man hours, and indirect time that can never be recovered. That's why experienced put-away operators are respected and valued. This role hones our forklift skills, teaches us system disciplines, and the importance of inventory accuracy, focus and patience. It's also a position that often leads to an Inventory control future, replenishment roles, lead operator positions and a track to Supervisor and front line management. And here's something people don't always realize, put-away operators are usually among the highest paid hourly associates in a facility, especially when experience, certifications, and productivity are factored in. It's not flashy. But it's an important position. And it's absolutely a career role. And If distribution has a heartbeat, the order selector is it. Order selectors are the engine that drives outbound operations. They take the orders, pick the product, build the pallets, and prepare shipments for delivery. This role teaches discipline and accountability in a way few others do. Order selectors live in a world of measured productivity, accuracy expectations, time standards and quality checks. And it's not for everyone, people sometimes look down on order selecting because it's so physically demanding. But in reality, it's one of the best training grounds in distribution. Selectors learn product knowledge, slotting logic, warehouse flow, time management, and personal accountability. They also learn how operations truly work, because when something upstream fails or gets messed up, selectors feel it immediately. The great selectors often become, lead selectors, trainers, safety champions, and Supervisors. I've seen countless leaders start as selectors, and the reason is simple, they understand the operation at ground level. And that experience cannot be taught in a classroom. Now let's talk about leadership. Front-line leads and supervisors are where experience turns into influence. This role is not just about numbers. It's about people. Supervisors are responsible for Safety, Productivity, Attendance, Training, Conflict resolution, Coaching, and Communication. They bridge the gap between Management expectations, and front-line realities. It's one of the most challenging roles in any warehouse, and, I believe, one of the most rewarding. Great supervisors, know the work, respect the team, always lead by example, hold everyone to the same standards, and I hope Coach instead of just correct their teams. This role opens doors to Operations management, Safety leadership, Training and development, Inventory and planning, and Executive leadership. In my humble opinion the best supervisors usually come from the floor. They've unloaded trucks. They've selected orders. They've operated equipment. And because of that, they lead with credibility. Ok, there's a little on three positions in the distribution field that many aspire to master. Now I want to talk about 3 positions that can help get us to them. When I'm asked how to break into warehousing I share some thoughts on the Unloader, Loader, and Sanitation positions. These jobs don't always get the respect they deserve, but they are not dead end jobs. They're great entry points and they are how many careers begin. First up is the Unloader. Unloaders are the first link in the inbound chain. They break down freight, handle every inbound piece, and set the tone for accuracy and safety on the dock. Unloaders learn product handling, teamwork, how to handle a quick pace and the Warehouse layout and inbound systems. I've seen many unloaders move into forklift roles, Receiving, Inventory and Lead positions. The flip side of the unloader is the loader. Loaders are responsible for the final step before product leaves the building. This position carries with it a lot of pressure. They must understand Weight distribution, Load integrity, Accuracy and Timing or dispatching, when the drivers will be leaving. Loaders develop attention to detail, physical discipline, and accountability. Many loaders become Drivers, Dispatchers leads and Supervisors, even Safety leaders. And then we have the sanitation position. Sanitation teams keep facilities Clean, Safe, compliant and audit ready. Without sanitation Slips and falls increase, Equipment breaks down from running over debris and Product quality can suffer. Sanitation can offer us Steady work, Consistent hours, and a foot in the door to our industry. And I've seen sanitation associates move into building maintenance, Equipment operation, Safety roles, and Supervisory tracks. Here's the truth about distribution careers. Very few people start at the top. Most start where opportunities or positions are open. I believe what separates those who grow into other positions from those who stay stuck in one isn't the starting job. It's showing up, being on time, Learning the operation, saying yes to or accepting training, maintaining a positive attitude, and always Following safety and procedures as instructed. I'm going to say it again, this industry rewards consistency. If you prove you can be trusted with Time management, Equipment, Safety, and People, more doors open for us. So, when someone asks me, what are the best jobs in distribution? I struggle with my answer. Yes, put-away forklift operator, order selector, and front-line lead or supervisor are outstanding career roles. But every career usually starts somewhere else. Unloaders. Loaders. Sanitation. Those aren't just jobs. They're starting points. And in distribution, if you're willing to learn, work, and grow, there's no ceiling on where you can go. So honestly, I think the best job in the distribution industry is the one you love doing. Thanks again for the question and thank you for spending a few minutes of your day with me. Always be planning your next step, and remember the safety of you and your team always comes first!
Agile in Construction: The DOWNTIME Strategy—Eliminating Waste Before Adding Process With Felipe Engineer-Manriquez Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. "My first rule is that I will do no harm. And if something goes wrong, I will take full responsibility with leadership. My neck is literally on the line." - Felipe Engineer-Manriquez Felipe shares his change strategy for introducing Lean and Agile into construction projects, and it starts with an unexpected principle borrowed from Hippocrates: do no harm. He explicitly tells teams this promise, putting his neck on the line to build trust. But the real magic happens in what comes next: instead of adding new processes, Felipe first helps teams stop doing things. Using the DOWNTIME acronym (Defects, Overproduction, Waiting, Transportation, Inventory, Motion, Excess processing), he identifies wasteful activities that don't add value. In construction, 60-80% of every dollar doesn't add value from the customer's perspective—compared to manufacturing (above 50% value) or agriculture (90% value). Felipe's approach: eliminate waste first to create excess capacity, then introduce new processes. On a project that was 2 years behind schedule with lawyers already engaged, he spent just 5 minutes with the team defining a visible milestone goal on a whiteboard. Two weeks later, they met their schedule and improved by 4 days—the first time ever. The superintendent said, "Never in the entire time I've worked here have we ever met a schedule commitment." The secret? Free up capacity before adding anything new. In this episode, we refer to the 8 wastes video by Orbus and WIP limits. Self-reflection Question: Before introducing your next process improvement, what wasteful activity could you help your team stop doing to free up the capacity they need to embrace change? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]
Send us a message!In this episode, we are joined by Deepak Mehrotra, founder and CEO of California Design Den, for a practical discussion on how linen decisions affect short-term rental operations over time.Drawing from more than 20 years in textile manufacturing, Deepak shares how California Design Den evolved from supplying major retailers to working directly with short-term rental operators. The conversation focuses on how linen choices shift as portfolios grow, and why decisions that seem straightforward early on can become more complex at scale.Rather than treating linens as a one-time purchase, this episode explores them as an operational system that touches guest experience, laundry workflows, replacement cycles, inventory planning, and cost control.Episode Chapters:01:07 – Deepak's background in textile manufacturing and direct-to-consumer bedding04:55 – How and why STR operators became a core customer segment16:45 – Cotton performance and durability in high-turnover environments17:45 – Common reasons linens need replacement in STR operations13:33 – Renting versus owning linens and how operators assess the tradeoffs14:43 – Laundry considerations for in-house and outsourced models25:31 – Inventory availability, fulfillment speed, and consistency at scale31:56 – How linen strategy evolves as portfolios grow28:09 – Operational simplicity when managing linens across multiple propertiesConnect with Deepak:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepak-mehrotra-9752682/ Connect with California Design Den:Website: https://www.californiadesignden.com/ ✨ Exclusive Offer to Alex & Annie Listeners:Upgrade your guest sleep experience with California Design Den.Get 10% off with code AlexAnnie10OFF.Apply for California Design Den's Linen VIP Club to access preferred pricing and dedicated hospitality support.
The Pentagon said it consolidated policies around protecting American military facilities from drone threats after unclear guidance that left base commanders scrambling on how to respond and years of increased unmanned aerial system sightings over key Defense Department assets. Drone incursions over American military bases jumped considerably over the last several years, alarming officials, and a Pentagon watchdog report released last week said the DOD's confused policies meant some facilities in the U.S. couldn't adequately protect themselves. Following the release of the Defense Department Inspector General report last Tuesday, which noted dire gaps in military counter-UAS policy that limited base responses to drone threats, the Pentagon said it had already adjusted its guidelines last month in an effort to give commanders “expanded authority and flexibility needed to dominate the airspace above their installations.” Countering drones in the U.S. is complex and has been a yearslong, thorny problem for the military, especially as the tech becomes ubiquitous for both hobbyists and adversaries. Stateside drone defense means navigating a delicate balance between protecting military installations while avoiding civilian harm or infrastructure damage. But the issue is only growing, top military officials have said, and the new guidance is the latest attempt by the Pentagon to manage it. The policies, which the release said was signed on Dec. 8 by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, expanded base commanders' defensive area around facilities, explicitly identified any unauthorized drone surveillance over installations as a threat, allowed UAS sensor data sharing between other federal agencies and authorized top service leaders to designate facilities as “covered,” a special classification that allows for drone defense. With tax filing season officially gearing up, the Treasury Department's watchdog is warning the IRS that its workforce reductions and delays to modernization projects have left the tax agency in a precarious position. In a memo sent Monday to the IRS commissioner, Diana M. Tengesdal, deputy inspector general for audit, wrote that the agency's cuts have brought staffing back to October 2021 levels, prior to the Inflation Reduction Act funding infusion aimed at strengthening enforcement on wealthy individuals and corporations and modernizing antiquated IT systems. The loss of personnel has led to a backsliding on previous agency priorities, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration official noted, pointing specifically to a pandemic-created backlog of tax returns awaiting processing. The tax agency had made serious strides in addressing that backlog, TIGTA found in a September 2023 report, but Trump administration staff cuts combined with the recent government shutdown have led to inventory levels that are 129% higher than pre-pandemic figures. “Inventory that is not worked during the current processing year will be carried into the 2026 Filing Season and may affect the IRS's ability to timely process tax returns during the filing season, especially with reduced staff,” Tengesdal wrote. “This could result in delays in taxpayers receiving refunds and could result in the IRS paying interest,” she continued. The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Monday-Friday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube.
As you move through each day, perhaps just “mowing the lawn,” as CS Lewis observes, do you not sense deep inside there has to be more to life than just keeping the lawn – your life - looking nice?
Investor Fuel Real Estate Investing Mastermind - Audio Version
In this conversation, Dylan Silver interviews Dallas Barkman, a broker specializing in new construction in Indiana and Michigan. They discuss the current trends in new construction, the impact of regulations, and the dynamics of the housing market. Dallas shares insights on the strategies employed by builders, the challenges faced in different counties, and the opportunities for first-time home buyers. The conversation also touches on the rental market, investment trends, and the experience of working across state lines in real estate. Professional Real Estate Investors - How we can help you: Investor Fuel Mastermind: Learn more about the Investor Fuel Mastermind, including 100% deal financing, massive discounts from vendors and sponsors you're already using, our world class community of over 150 members, and SO much more here: http://www.investorfuel.com/apply Investor Machine Marketing Partnership: Are you looking for consistent, high quality lead generation? Investor Machine is America's #1 lead generation service professional investors. Investor Machine provides true 'white glove' support to help you build the perfect marketing plan, then we'll execute it for you…talking and working together on an ongoing basis to help you hit YOUR goals! Learn more here: http://www.investormachine.com Coaching with Mike Hambright: Interested in 1 on 1 coaching with Mike Hambright? Mike coaches entrepreneurs looking to level up, build coaching or service based businesses (Mike runs multiple 7 and 8 figure a year businesses), building a coaching program and more. Learn more here: https://investorfuel.com/coachingwithmike Attend a Vacation/Mastermind Retreat with Mike Hambright: Interested in joining a "mini-mastermind" with Mike and his private clients on an upcoming "Retreat", either at locations like Cabo San Lucas, Napa, Park City ski trip, Yellowstone, or even at Mike's East Texas "Big H Ranch"? Learn more here: http://www.investorfuel.com/retreat Property Insurance: Join the largest and most investor friendly property insurance provider in 2 minutes. Free to join, and insure all your flips and rentals within minutes! There is NO easier insurance provider on the planet (turn insurance on or off in 1 minute without talking to anyone!), and there's no 15-30% agent mark up through this platform! Register here: https://myinvestorinsurance.com/ New Real Estate Investors - How we can work together: Investor Fuel Club (Coaching and Deal Partner Community): Looking to kickstart your real estate investing career? Join our one of a kind Coaching Community, Investor Fuel Club, where you'll get trained by some of the best real estate investors in America, and partner with them on deals! You don't need $ for deals…we'll partner with you and hold your hand along the way! Learn More here: http://www.investorfuel.com/club —--------------------
RV PODCAST NEWS EDITIONEpisode 586 - January 26, 2026Hey everybody, welcome to the RV Podcast News Edition. I'm Mike Wendland, and this is where we cut through the press releases, the hype, and the corporate spin to talk about what is really happening in the RV world.Now, quick programming note. If you are listening to this later in the week, we are watching a massive winter snow and ice storm that has affected campgrounds, travel plans, and even caused park closures across large parts of the country. Winter storm Fern has affected a huge swath of the country, 2,300 miles long, from Texas all the way to the East Coast. Ten states have reported more than a foot of snow. Many areas reported in excess of a half inch of ice. In some areas, an inch was reported, bringing down tree limbs across power lines. Well over a million customers have lost electric power and some may be without it for a week or more because of infrastructure damage and terrible road conditions.And as the snow, ice, and sleet slowly move off the eastern coast today, a massive cold front of arctic air is plunging much of the nation to dangerously cold temperatures. In the south, where temps rarely go below freezing, single-digit readings are being reported this morning.Obviously, this has affected many thousands in the RV Community. Fulltimers, even snowbirds who thought they were escaping the worst of winter in the mod south, are struggling to stay warm and keep the water running.The full affect of this storm is still be assessed but from everything we've been able to learn, RVers in the affected areas are reporting frozen water pumps at many campgrounds, propane shortages in the most affected areas and in some cases, no power. We've had reports from dozens of RVers impacted by the snow and overall, most say they are getting by. Most laid in plenty of bottled water, extra food, and made sure they had full tanks of propane and extra fuel for generators. One RVer - John, who lives in his Alliance fifth wheel in Missouri - said his biggest challenge was all the snow and ice piled on top of his slide out. He says the frigid air behind the snow isnt going to allow much melting and he is planning to get a ladder to clear the snow off.In Arkansas, a full-time couple - Sarah and Jim - said they wish they followed their friend's advice to haul their Jayco south towards Florida. “We have gone through two tanks of propane so far and the roads are so bad we can't get out to get them filled.” Her campground still has electricity but she said the lights have flickered and she expects she'll have to switch to generator power as the ice on the power lines is not melting.Perhaps the best assessment came from Ted, a Tennessee fulltimer, who lives in a fifth wheel on his own property along the Tennessee River.. “Most of us know what to do,” he said. “We can handle a week without power. We have a full fresh water tank and I have a 100 gallon propane tank to supplement the tanks in our rig. So we're dressed in heavy clothes and have extra blankets on the bed. This too shall pass.”Let's hope soon.Sop the storm dominates the RV news this week. But coming up, RVers are demanding a real voice with manufacturers, not a hand-picked group of industry insiders, and the response to that idea has been overwhelming.We will look at why campground reservations feel harder than ever to get, even as more parks are built. We will take a closer look at what is really happening in state parks, where long overdue upgrades are coming with some real tradeoffs. We will talk about used RV prices finally settling back toward reality.And we will have a little fun calling out how RV manufacturers keep copying each other's ideas, sometimes so closely it is honestly laughable.Before we get started…. a quick word about the RV Lifestyle Community at RVCommunity.com.If you are tired of ads, algorithms, and social media drama, this is different. It is a private, ad free community built by RVers, for RVers. Real conversations, real advice, real friendships.It is social media the way it SHOULD be.Learn more at RVCommunity.com.STORY 1 — It's Time RVers Had a Real VoiceFor years now, RVers have been talking among themselves about what is wrong with today's RVs.Too many quality issues. Too many poorly designed floorplans. Too many features that look great on a showroom floor but fail miserably in real life.And too often, it feels like no one in the industry is really listening.That thought hit home last week after a listener sent us a message that stopped us cold. He asked a simple but powerful question.Why don't RVers have a direct voice with manufacturers?With massive consolidation among RV manufacturers and dealers, buyers now have fewer real choices than ever before. You walk onto a mega dealer lot and see hundreds of rigs, but when you look closer, many are variations of the same designs, built by the same corporate parents, with the same lingering quality concerns.For many people ready to buy, the problem is not just price.It is confidence.They do not see the RV they actually want. And they are afraid to buy because of what they hear about reliability and workmanship.That is a terrible place for any industry to be.So it raises a bigger question.Who is speaking for real RVers?Right now, manufacturers mostly hear from dealers, sales teams, investors, and marketing departments.What is missing?Us.The people who actually live in these RVs. The ones who discover what works and what fails after thousands of miles of potholes, rainstorms, campground hookups, and real world use.Most feedback today is scattered across Facebook groups, YouTube comments, and forums. Thoughtful insights get buried in noise.That is not a system designed to build better RVs.It is a system designed to build frustration.So here is the idea that sparked a huge response.What if RVers spoke with one clear, organized, constructive voice?Imagine a live, moderated RVer Town Hall. Not a complaint fest. Not a shouting match. A serious conversation where experienced RVers present real world recommendations to manufacturers.Full timers and part timers. Fifth wheels and motorhomes. Retirees, families, weekend travelers.Talking about what actually matters.Build quality. Smarter layouts. Easier maintenance. Durability over decoration. Designs that match how people really camp.If structured properly and promoted well, manufacturers would pay attention. When customers speak thoughtfully and collectively, industries listen.Before we build anything like this, we want to hear from you.If you had five minutes with RV executives and engineers, what would you tell them?Not angry rants.Real ideas.Leave us a voicemail or send us an email at RVPodcast.com. We may feature your ideas on the podcast and use them as the foundation for a future live RVer Town Hall.This is not about tearing down manufacturers.It is about helping them build RVs that truly serve the people who buy them.Because the best RVs will not be created in boardrooms alone.They will be created when real RVers are finally heard.TRAVEL PLANNING WORKSHOP PROMOBefore we move on, a quick reminder.On February 5, I am hosting a live RV Travel Planning Workshop. This is where I walk you through how to plan smarter routes, find better campgrounds, avoid common mistakes, and build trips that actually match how you want to travel.It is practical, hands on, and you will walk away with a plan you can use immediately.Details and registration are available through our site, and I would love to have you join me.STORY 2 — Campgrounds Are Expanding, But Reservations Are Tighter Than EverHere is something RVers keep asking.If more campgrounds are being built, why does it feel harder than ever to get a reservation?On paper, things look good. New private parks are opening. Existing parks are adding sites. States are investing in infrastructure.But in practice, availability feels tighter than ever.RVers are traveling more often and staying longer. More parks are shifting toward monthly and seasonal stays for predictable income. Reservation systems make booking easier, but also more competitive.The result is a paradox.More campgrounds exist. But fewer open dates feel available.For RVers, this means planning earlier, being flexible, and sometimes looking beyond the most obvious destinations.STORY 3 — State Parks Are Upgrading, With Strings AttachedState parks are getting long overdue upgrades.New electrical systems. Rebuilt bathhouses. Extended sites for larger rigs.But these improvements come with tradeoffs.California has seen higher fees and reservation windows that fill in minutes. Florida has fewer first come, first served sites. Michigan's modernization brings 50 amp service and sewer hookups, but also higher nightly rates and tighter booking rules.Better infrastructure. Higher costs. Less spontaneity.State parks are still incredible values, but the old days of pulling in on a whim are fading fast.STORY 4 — Used RV Prices Are Finally Coming Back to EarthUsed RV prices continue to soften.Inventory is up. Buyers are cautious. Dealers are negotiating again.But buyers are selective.Condition matters. Maintenance records matter. Build quality matters.This shift is healthy. Confidence is returning, and patience is finally being rewarded.STORY 5 — Manufacturers Keep Copying Each Other, And It's Getting ObviousNow let's have a little fun, because this is one of those things you cannot unsee once you notice it.RV manufacturers love to talk about innovation.But if you walk a major RV show floor, you quickly realize how much copying is really going on.Case in point, the dinesk, that combination dining area and desk that slides, expands, and adapts depending on how you are using it.It was a standout feature in Brinkley RV models, clever, functional, and genuinely useful for how people live and work on the road.Fast forward to the Tampa RV SuperShow.Suddenly, a new Montana ad is showcasing a remarkably similar setup. And Winnebago rolls out a new towable with a nearly identical movable desk and dining combo.Coincidence? Not likely.And here is the part that makes industry veterans chuckle. Brinkley itself has been told that their dinesk concept resembles a similar idea introduced years ago by another fifth wheel manufacturer.In other words, the copying goes back generations.This is how the RV industry often works. One company takes a risk. Others watch carefully. And once the market responds, suddenly everyone has their own version.Sometimes that is healthy competition.But other times, it leads to stagnation. Instead of improving the idea, manufacturers simply replicate it, sometimes poorly, sometimes without understanding why it worked in the first place.The real opportunity here is not copying.It is listening.RVers know what features actually improve life on the road. They know what gets used every day, and what becomes a gimmick by the third trip.If manufacturers spent more time listening to real RVers and less time copying the rig across the aisle, innovation might actually mean something again.CLOSINGWhen you step back and look at all of this together, a pattern emerges.RVers want better built rigs. They want campgrounds they can actually access. They want state parks that balance upgrades with affordability. And they want to be heard.The RV lifestyle is thriving, but growth brings pressure. How the industry responds now will shape the next decade of RVing.Thanks for listening. We'll be back Wednesday with another Stories from the Road episode.
With host retail coach Wendy Batten https://wendybatten.com/podcast-intro/ Episode Overview Many shop owners lead with good intentions, but being nice instead of kind can quietly create resentment, burnout, and instability in a retail business. In this episode, I'm exploring a distinction that quietly shapes many retail businesses: the difference between being nice and being kind. While niceness can feel good in the moment, it often leads to avoidance, resentment, and exhaustion over time. Kind leadership, by contrast, is clear, fair, and professional, and it supports long term trust and sustainability. I'll walk you through how this shows up in real retail situations, including team management, pricing decisions, inventory buying, customer boundaries, and personal time and energy. These are everyday moments where shop owners often default to being nice, even when it costs them their boundaries. You'll come away with a clearer understanding of how leading with kindness protects your business, your team, and YOU, and how small shifts in leadership can reduce burnout and resentment. Our Key Topics The difference between being nice and being kind in retail leadership How niceness shows up with staff, feedback, and underperformance Pricing decisions, discounting, and apologizing for prices Inventory buying influenced by customers, reps, or fear of disappointing others Customer boundaries, policies, and professionalism Time, energy, and the cost of always saying yes The Difference Between Nice and Kind in Leadership Being nice often avoids conflict but creates long term resentment and burnout. Kind leadership is clear, consistent, and professional, even when conversations are hard. Proper pricing and margins are an act of kindness to your business and its future. Boundaries with staff and customers create fairness and predictability. Saying 'no' in the right moments protects your energy and your role as leader. "Kind leadership will not ask you to sacrifice yourself." -Wendy Batten Your next step? Notice one place this week where being kind, not just nice, could change how you lead and how your business feels. Available Resources: Back-of-the-Napkin Profit Calculator (Profit Planning Masterclass) A simple, approachable way to understand your core retail numbers without overwhelm or complicated spreadsheets. Retail Sales & Marketing Accelerator (On-Demand)A practical course designed to help shop owners stop guessing and start making clearer, data-informed decisions around sales and marketing. Join my Love List! Episode 155: Setting Boundaries and Prioritizing Rest: The Key to Sustainable Growth Episode 185: Avoid Burnout with Guest Expert Dr. Ashley Margeson About your host, Wendy Batten In case we haven't met…I'm Wendy Batten. I've been a small business owner, coach, and mentor for over 25 years. I help thoughtful, established entrepreneurs step into their role as CEO and build businesses that are profitable, meaningful, and supportive of the lives they want to live. My work blends real-world strategy with a life-first philosophy, shaped by lived experience, not theory. I've been there! Through honest conversations and practical insight, I invite you into bigger thinking about leadership, possibility, and how to build both business and life on purpose. For more support from Wendy Hang out and connect with Wendy on IG All of Wendy's current programs and services for shop owners can be found HERE. Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the Creative Shop Talk Podcast and get the tools, inspiration, and strategies you need to thrive as an independent retailer.Click here to subscribe to iTunes! Loved the episode? Leave a quick review on iTunes- your reviews help other retailers find my podcast, and they're also fun for me to go in and read. Just click here to review, select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. So grateful for you! Thank you!
In this episode of Excess Returns, Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather joins Matt Zeigler to unpack what she calls the Great Housing Reset. Rather than a housing crash or correction, Fairweather argues the market is entering a multi year transition toward something more normal, where incomes gradually catch up to home prices and affordability improves at the margin. The conversation covers mortgage rates, supply constraints, regional housing dynamics, climate risk, policy tradeoffs, and how AI is reshaping real estate decisions for buyers, renters, and investors.Topics covered in this episode• Why the current housing market is a reset, not a crash or correction• How income growth outpacing home price growth could slowly improve affordability• Mortgage rate dynamics and why rates may stay near the low 6 percent range• The mortgage rate lock in effect and why inventory may take years to normalize• Regional housing trends including the Midwest, Northeast, Sunbelt, and tech hubs• The role of wages, rents, and affordability for Gen Z and first time homebuyers• Investor activity, rental markets, and the outlook for housing as an investment• Immigration, foreign buyers, and local market distortions• Multi generational living, ADUs, and creative housing solutions• Housing policy ideas that actually address supply constraints• Why demand side policies like 50 year mortgages miss the real problem• Climate risk, insurance costs, and total cost of home ownership• How AI and conversational search are changing the home buying process• The future of MLS consolidation and real estate market structure• Practical guidance for renters, buyers, and homeowners looking ahead to 2026Timestamps00:00 Introduction and the Great Housing Reset02:00 What a housing reset really means03:30 Income growth versus home price growth05:20 Mortgage rates and the outlook for borrowing costs08:40 Fed policy, bond markets, and mortgage rates10:40 Inventory shortages and the lock in effect12:30 Regional housing market winners and losers16:00 Affordability challenges for younger buyers19:00 Rental markets and investor dynamics21:20 Multi generational living and ADUs25:00 Housing policy and supply constraints29:30 Why 50 year mortgages do not solve affordability33:00 Geographic housing outlook by life stage39:30 Climate risk, insurance, and housing costs47:00 Energy efficiency and dense housing50:20 AI, real estate search, and market structure54:30 What to watch in the housing market through 202659:30 Book discussion and where to follow Daryl Fairweather
What Signals Say 2026 Could Outperform a Strong 2025 for Retail Real Estate?2026 might be the year retail real estate finally turns momentum into pricing power. Chris Ressa and Karly Iacono open with a confident call: next year will outperform an already-strong 2025, and the data is starting to line up behind it.Holiday sales climbed roughly 4 percent year-over-year, outpacing inflation and reinforcing a simple truth: consumers keep spending, even when sentiment wobbles. The conversation breaks down the “K-shaped” economy, where higher-income shoppers drive discretionary growth while value-focused and necessity-based retail remains resilient across every income bracket.The hosts point to sharper inventory discipline and steadier supply chains as quiet margin drivers, giving retailers more control over pricing and fewer forced discounts. On the real estate side, fewer major bankruptcies and limited space givebacks are tightening supply, setting the stage for a more landlord-driven market. The result: upward pressure on rents, stronger net operating income, and potential value gains as interest rates ease.They also look ahead to demand catalysts, from global sporting events and America's 250th anniversary to a new wave of store openings coming out of late-2025 leasing. While risks remain, from AI-driven job shifts to geopolitical uncertainty, the core bet is clear: tighter supply, resilient consumers, and disciplined operators could make 2026 a defining year for retail real estate.What You'll HearThe data points behind the call that 2026 tops a strong 2025Why consumer spending keeps winning over sentimentHow the K-shaped economy is reshaping value, necessity, and discretionary retailTighter supply, fewer bankruptcies, and what that means for landlord leverageInventory discipline and supply chains as quiet drivers of pricing powerNOI, rents, and value: how the real estate math is shiftingTraffic catalysts ahead, from global events to a new wave of store openingsThe key risks still in play, from AI disruption to geopolitical shocksChapters00:00 — The Bold Call for 2026Chris and Karly open with a confident prediction that 2026 will outperform a strong 2025 for retail real estate and explain why they're leading with the conclusion.01:20 — Holiday Sales vs. Consumer SentimentA breakdown of holiday spending growth and why real consumer behavior matters more than surveys and headlines.03:55 — The K-Shaped Economy in RetailHow higher-income and value-focused consumers are shaping different lanes of retail performance across categories.05:55 — Inventory, Pricing, and Margin ControlWhy better inventory discipline and steadier supply chains are giving retailers more leverage on pricing.08:20 — Tariffs, Supply Chains, and StabilityWhat's changed since early 2025 and why supply volatility feels less like a headline risk for 2026.09:45 — Bankruptcies, Space, and Expansion PressureHow fewer large retail failures are tightening available space and reshaping store rollout strategies.12:10 — The Landlord's Market and Rent...