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In the face of angry Republican lawmakers and skeptical judges, the Trump administration halts the creation of a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund.” Xavier Becerra, Tom Steyer and reality star Spencer Pratt headline a series of California primaries. And a federal appellate court rules the dismissal of transgender service people was likely unconstitutional. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Is big money choosing Solana? Kyle Samani, co-founder of Forward, breaks down his latest deal on the main stage at Solana, a minority stake in Henri, a reinsurance RWA yielding 12-13%, funded by a Galaxy debt facility at 3.5%. He makes the case for why Solana has quietly become the dominant chain for institutional payments, tokenized equities, and real world assets. From Western Union and Visa to Meta and PayPal, the biggest names in finance are all building on the same rails. Plus, why he thinks most altcoins are bleeding out, Ethereum L2s are in trouble, and why this bear market might be the best investing opportunity in crypto right now. - Timecodes: 00:00 - Kyle Samani at Consensus Miami 2026 02:08 - Bear Markets Are Where Winners Are Born 03:30 - Why Solana Is Winning Payments and RWAs 06:00 - DTCC's Tokenized Equities Pilot and SEC's Project Crypto 08:48 - Building a Market Maker With Claude Code 10:00 - Agentic Payments and the x402 Protocol 13:46 - Why Institutions Pick Public Chains Over Walled Gardens 15:43 - Why Solana: Gas, On-Ramps, Neutrality 17:21 - Are Ethereum L2s in Trouble?
If you've spent years trying to “just eat in moderation” but keep finding yourself stuck in the same cycle with food, this episode is for you. I'm talking about the difference between moderation and food sobriety, why some foods create chaos instead of peace, and the hard truth many people struggling with food addiction need to hear.Grab your copy of my FREE 9 page Beginner's Guide to Food Sobriety https://www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/foodsobrietyguideFood Freedom Online Course: https://www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/foodfreedomcourseFood Sobriety Mini Course -https://www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/foodsobrietymcWant to learn more about me and my coaching programs? Do you need private coaching and intensive daily contact with a coach? Fill out my application so we can chat about whether or not my program is for you and which option is best for you. Payment plans available. Don't see a payment option that works for your pay schedule? Let's chat about a custom pay plan.www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/chooseyourpath Join my online community The Food Freedom Tribe! An online community of support, eduction, inspiration, accountability….. Learn more here: https://www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/tribemembership Application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1upnWHYK0RXfmyRTqlsF_R06z3NA8LZYHIMWFykq7-X4/viewformInstagram: www.instagram.com/coachmaryroberts Facebook: www.Facebook.com/ketomary71 Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4915319108493196/?ref=share_group_linkWebsite: www.foodfreedomwithmary.com Join the email list.Email: mary@foodfreedomwithmary.com
Paper checks are the easiest payment method to hate and one of the hardest to remove. They are slow, expensive, fraud-prone, and deeply baked into legacy workflows. Greg Myers sits down with Steven Faust, CEO of Dash Solutions, to unpack what it really takes to modernize business payouts and why disbursements have become one of the biggest growth engines in the payments industry.We dig into how Dash builds configurable payments software that supports multiple use cases through a single platform, from wage payments and rewards to B2B expense management and large-scale disbursements like refunds, reimbursements, and royalties. Steven explains why distribution matters as much as product, including how banks and software platforms use embedded payments and API-based connectivity to turn on modern payout capabilities faster for their customers.The conversation goes deep on “payee experience” as a competitive advantage: clear communication, faster delivery, stronger security, and real choice in how recipients receive and use funds. We also explore where AI fits, not as a buzzword, but as a practical way to monitor activation steps, identify friction, and recommend improvements that lift engagement and KPIs across the payout journey.If you lead payments, product, or ops, you will leave with a sharper view of the disbursements opportunity and a clearer sense of what “modernization” should look like in the real world.
Story Submissions: Letsnotmeetstories@gmail.comStories in this episode: Stalker in College | mothmans-cousin (0:43) The Man in my Room | Pizza_Succubus (12:26) I Came Home to Someone in My House | LaLeeBird (21:38) He Broke Into My Home and Spoke to Me | Short_Cummings (28:49) Uber Driver Tried to Kidnap Me When I Was 15 | 017daisy (33:27) Prowler Outside the Tent | laurdav66 (37:24) We Were Almost Robbed as Payment for Someone Else's Debt | RunningInCircles234 (42:54) Extended Patreon Content:Town of Nightmares | Sgt. David BuddParking Lot Predator | kowalamaTrust Your Gut Feelings | Captain NightmareMy Incessant Harasser | EmilyThe Man with Two Guns | EliShe Threatened Me With a Gun | Leigh AnnDue to periodic changes in ad placement, time stamps are estimates and are not always accurate. Want Bonus Weekly Stories? Hate Ads? Join our Patreon for only $5 a month for over 100 hours of bonus content, and it's all ad-free! Join the Discord:https://discord.gg/84WXQud4gEFollow LNM:- Twitch - https://twitch.tv/crypticcounty- Website - https://letsnotmeetpodcast.com/- Patreon - https://patreon.com/letsnotmeetpodcast- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/letsnotmeetcast/This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. You don't have to say yes to everything this summer. Find support in therapy. Sign up and get 10% off at BetterHelp.com/NOTMEET. Right now, DripDrop is offering podcast listeners 20% off your first order. Go to dripdrop.com and use promo code MEET. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners $10 off your first month's subscription and free shipping when you visit Nutrafol.com and enter promo code MEET. All of the stories you've heard this week were narrated and produced with the permission of their respective authors. Let's Not Meet: A True Horror Podcast is not associated with Reddit or any other message boards online. The stories shared on this podcast are told from the perspective of the authors. Their accounts and opinions are personal and do not reflect the stance of the production team.
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In this episode, Craig Jeffery and Christin Cifaldi of Strategic Treasurer discuss the technology component of modern payment security and the ideas covered in Strategic Treasurer's recent Payment Security Report. They explore how fraud threats are evolving through AI-enabled attacks, deepfakes, increasingly sophisticated criminal organizations, and efforts to bypass security controls. The conversation examines common gaps in payment security programs, including insufficient training, incomplete payment flow visibility, and weak verification processes. The discussion also covers faster payments, real-time settlement, layered security architectures, anomaly detection, multifactor authentication, passkeys, payee validation, banking security services, and the growing importance of treasury acting as the "superintendent of payments." They conclude with practical recommendations for strengthening payment security through staff training, process mapping, continuous monitoring, and collaboration across treasury, finance, IT, and cybersecurity teams. Links Mentioned: Payment Security Report: https://strategictreasurer.com/payment-security-report/ Webinar Registration: https://strategictreasurer.com/webinars Company Websites: Bottomline: https://www.bottomline.com/us Eftsure: https://www.eftsure.com NSKnox: https://nsknox.net/ Serrala: https://www.serrala.com/ Trustmi: https://trustmi.ai/ VendorInfo: https://vendorinfo.com/
If you're halfway through the year feeling frustrated, stuck, or tired of starting over with food and weight struggles, this episode is for you. I share a powerful wake-up call about food addiction recovery, disordered eating, accountability, and what it really takes to create lasting change and food freedom.Grab your copy of my FREE 9 page Beginner's Guide to Food Sobriety https://www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/foodsobrietyguideFood Freedom Online Course: https://www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/foodfreedomcourseFood Sobriety Mini Course -https://www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/foodsobrietymcWant to learn more about me and my coaching programs? Do you need private coaching and intensive daily contact with a coach? Fill out my application so we can chat about whether or not my program is for you and which option is best for you. Payment plans available. Don't see a payment option that works for your pay schedule? Let's chat about a custom pay plan.www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/chooseyourpath Join my online community The Food Freedom Tribe! An online community of support, eduction, inspiration, accountability….. Learn more here: https://www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/tribemembership Application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1upnWHYK0RXfmyRTqlsF_R06z3NA8LZYHIMWFykq7-X4/viewformInstagram: www.instagram.com/coachmaryroberts Facebook: www.Facebook.com/ketomary71 Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4915319108493196/?ref=share_group_linkWebsite: www.foodfreedomwithmary.com Join the email list.Email: mary@foodfreedomwithmary.com
Rumblings of a Tesla-SpaceX merger have begun, Tesla's new camera-cleaning patent resembles the human eye, Ferrari fully unveils the Luce EV and gets, uh...quite the public reaction, and more! If you enjoy the podcast and would like to support my efforts, please check out my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/teslapodcast and consider a monthly or (10% discounted!) annual pledge. Every little bit helps, and you can support for just $5 per month. And there are stacking bonuses in it for you at each pledge level, like early access to each episode at the $5 tier and the weekly Lightning Round bonus mini-episode (AND the early access!) at the $10 tier! And NO ADS at every Patreon tier! WIN AN EV WHILE GIVING TO A GREAT CAUSE: For your chance to win your dream EV in the 2026 ChesedChicago raffle, head to https://tinyurl.com/CCraffleRTL -- Hurry, tickets are limited and only 9,999 tickets will be sold, get your tickets today and use code RTL for $25 off 2 tickets or $500 off 15 tickets. Whether you win or not, you're helping a great organization help families in need. Also, don't forget to leave a message on the Ride the Lightning hotline anytime with a question, comment, or discussion topic for next week's show! The toll-free number to call is 1-888-989-8752. INTERESTED IN A FLEXIBLE EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR YOUR TESLA? Be a part of the future of transportation with XCare, the first extended warranty designed & built exclusively for EV owners, by EV owners. Use the code Lightning to get $100 off their "One-time Payment" option! Go to www.xcelerateauto.com/xcare to find the extended warranty policy that's right for you and your Tesla. P.S. Get 15% off your first order of awesome aftermarket Tesla accessories at AbstractOcean.com by using the code RTLpodcast at checkout. Grab the SnapPlate front license plate bracket for any Tesla at https://everyamp.com/RTL/ (don't forget the coupon code RTL too!). Enhance your car with cool carbon-fiber upgrades from RPMTesla.com. And make your garage door foolproof with the Infinity Shield – get yours at https://www.infinity-shield.com and use the promo code RTL at checkout for a $35 discount.
In the United States today, you can have your bank account closed, your credit cards cancelled, and your online payments revoked for any number of crimes, like funding terrorism, engaging in money laundering, or violating sanctions.Sensible, right? Well, you can also face financial ruin for teaching poetry.That's what seemingly happened to a Persian poetry teacher from Detroit whose accounts were flagged for “sanctions violations” because his students wrote “Persian classes” in their Venmo memos. There's also the story about the naked yoga practitioners who lost their payment processor for 60 days, forced to rebuild a subscriber list from scratch. And we can't forget the San Diego cannabis journalist cut off from Stripe—and from a paid Substack newsletter—because of the payment platform's rules that prohibit the promotion of the sale of cannabis.This is “financial censorship,” and it often happens when a bank, credit card provider, or payment app decides that a customer is too risky to serve. But “risky” doesn't always mean “illegal,” and when a major financial institution errs towards caution about what a customer is saying, advocating for, representing, or publishing, a lot of innocent people can be hurt in the process.That's what the digital rights activist Rainey Reitman learned in writing “Transaction Denied: Big Finance's Power to Punish Speech.” As Reitman explained about these hugely impactful decisions:“Even if they are well-intentioned, the financial systems can end up pulling in a lot of people that are not the actual target… Sometimes we talk about this as dolphins in the fishing lines.”These decisions are difficult to fight, frustratingly opaque, and nearly impossible to reverse. Compounding the problem is that that there aren't enough alternatives available for the financially censored to easily regain their freedom.The reality for hundreds of millions of people in this country is that about a dozen companies control all their finances. People mostly bank with Chase, or Bank of America, or Citigroup, or Wells Fargo. They mostly use credit cards assigned by Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Capital One. And they mostly send money to one another and to small businesses using services like PayPal, Venmo, Cash app, and Square.For most people, these companies are supposed to operate in the background of their lives, providing reliable, secure financing to sustain and manage their livelihoods.In reality, these companies can become quite interested in what you say online, what payments you receive each month, and the locations those payments arrived from.Today, on the Lock and Code podcast with host David Ruiz, we speak with Reitman—who is also the president and a co-founder of the Freedom of the Press Foundation—about the real stories of those who have been financially censored, why financial companies cut off customers for legal speech, and how a single company's decision can create cascading consequences that feel impossible to fight.“They'd be locked out of Venmo, then they'd be locked out of PayPal—which is connected to Venmo—and then they'd suddenly lose their Chase Bank account. You could see that in a lot of instances, losing one form of access to the financial system, it could result in a pattern where they would be losing access repeatedly.”Tune in today.You can also find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and whatever preferred podcast platform you use.For all our cybersecurity coverage, visit Malwarebytes Labs at malwarebytes.com/blog.Show notes and credits:Intro Music: “Spellbound” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Outro Music: “Good God” by Wowa (unminus.com)Listen up—Malwarebytes doesn't just talk cybersecurity, we provide it.Protect yourself from online attacks that threaten your identity, your files, your system, and your financial well-being with our exclusive offer for Malwarebytes Premium for Lock and Code listeners.
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse speaks at Consensus. At CoinDesk's Consensus, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse joins the stage for a wide-ranging conversation on the future of crypto, regulation, and global payments. He breaks down why he believes stablecoins could reach a $3 trillion market cap by 2031 and what's driving that long-term growth. Garlinghouse also discusses the importance of regulatory clarity in the U.S., including the potential impact of the CLARITY Act on the digital asset industry. - Timecodes: 00:00 - Brad Garlinghouse at Consensus Miami 2026 04:21 - Will the CLARITY Act Pass This Year? 06:04 - Why It Matters (and XRP's Existing Legal Clarity) 10:00 - Ripple's M&A Strategy 11:48 - G Treasury: $13T in Payments, Opportunity to Move On-Chain 14:53 - IPO Plans 17:44 - Stablecoins: $3T by 2031 19:01 - XRP News and Highlights
Eunice Giarta, Co-Founder and General Manager at the Monad Foundation, joined me to discuss how Monad, as a high-performance Layer 1 blockchain, is aiming to address the scalability limitations of existing networks such as Ethereum. Recorded on February 5th, 2026.Brought to you by
Tap on Phone has been one of the most talked-about innovations in payments, but many agents still aren't offering it to merchants. In this episode of the Merchant Sales Podcast, James sits down with Vlad Sadovskiy, CEO of Netevia, to discuss why Tap on Phone is gaining momentum, the challenges behind bringing it to market, and how ISOs can use it to compete more effectively in a Square-dominated segment. They explore real-world use cases for salons, field service businesses, events, and mobile merchants, along with instant onboarding, funding innovations, and the growing importance of creating a seamless merchant experience across devices. Plus, Patti Murphy's Today in Payments segment covers fintech access to payment rails, stablecoin developments, fraud prevention initiatives, Mastercard's latest merchant risk tools, and new same-store sales data from across the economy.
In this episode I talk about the importance of starting your day intentionally and what that may look like for you.Grab your copy of my FREE 9 page Beginner's Guide to Food Sobriety https://www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/foodsobrietyguideFood Freedom Online Course: https://www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/foodfreedomcourseFood Sobriety Mini Course -https://www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/foodsobrietymcWant to learn more about me and my coaching programs? Do you need private coaching and intensive daily contact with a coach? Fill out my application so we can chat about whether or not my program is for you and which option is best for you. Payment plans available. Don't see a payment option that works for your pay schedule? Let's chat about a custom pay plan.www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/chooseyourpath Join my online community The Food Freedom Tribe! An online community of support, eduction, inspiration, accountability….. Learn more here: https://www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/tribemembership Application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1upnWHYK0RXfmyRTqlsF_R06z3NA8LZYHIMWFykq7-X4/viewformInstagram: www.instagram.com/coachmaryroberts Facebook: www.Facebook.com/ketomary71 Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4915319108493196/?ref=share_group_linkWebsite: www.foodfreedomwithmary.com Join the email list.Email: mary@foodfreedomwithmary.com
In this episode of the Ultimate Dance Business Podcast, we're talking about one of the biggest hidden issues holding dance schools and performing arts businesses back: being too nice.If you're a people pleaser, avoid confrontation, struggle with late payments, over-give to parents and students, or constantly feel emotionally drained from trying to keep everyone happy, this episode is for you.Deborah explores the difference between being kind and being unclear, and why strong leadership, clear boundaries, and professional standards are essential if you want your dance school to grow and thrive.You'll hear practical examples of how being overly flexible can lead to lost revenue, weak boundaries, parent pushback, team issues, burnout, and resentment, plus simple ways to start tightening up your systems without becoming harsh or unkind.Book an evolution call with Deborah https://go.dancebusinesslab.com/dance-school-success-planTo find out more about Dance Business Lab and work with Deborah head to https://dancebusinesslab.comTo find out more about working with Deborah through her exclusive Dance Business Lab membership programs follow the links below.Sparks membership - https://dancebusinesslab.com/memberships/sparks Ignite membership - https://dancebusinesslab.com/memberships/ignite Illuminate membership - https://dancebusinesslab.com/memberships/illuminateIf you love the show and you would like to support then why not buy Deborah a coffee simply head to http://buymeacoffee.com/DeborahLThis episode is sponsored by Dance Studio Marketing.You can find out more about Dance Studio Marketing and how you can work with Sally to supercharge your dance business at https://dancebusinesssolutions.com/social-media-for-dance-businesses/This podcast is produced by Creative Content Studio
Angela Strange speaks with Dileep Thazhmon, founder and CEO of Jeeves, about building a global financial operating system for enterprises across Latin America using stablecoins and AI. The conversation covers the challenges of building localized financial infrastructure across 25 countries, from regulation and payments to underwriting and compliance. They also discuss why stablecoin adoption is accelerating in Latin America, and how AI is helping Jeeves scale billions in payment volume while automating underwriting, customer support, reconciliation, and KYB workflows. Resources: Follow Dileep Thazhmon on X: https://x.com/thazhmon Follow Angela Strange on X: https://x.com/astrange Stay Updated:Find a16z on YouTube: YouTubeFind a16z on XFind a16z on LinkedInListen to the a16z Show on SpotifyListen to the a16z Show on Apple PodcastsFollow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
This week on REKT Vision, Bijan Maleki welcomes Blocmates founder Grant to dissect the biggest narratives and themes currently driving cryptocurrencies, macro, and AI, including Hyperliquid's outperformance, NEAR Protocol's run, Anthropic's valuation, trouble over at Ethereum, and much more. REKT Vision LIVE with @blocmates Let Monarch do your financial 'spring cleaning' for you! Use code REALVISION at Monarch.com to get your first year half off at just $50.
Joshua Silver has spent two decades in embedded payments. Before co-founding Rainforest, he built Patient Co, a healthcare payments business scaled to billions in processing volume and tens of millions of patients, then spent several years consulting with software founders on building their payments programs. Rainforest is payments as a service, purpose-built for vertical SaaS — and in this conversation Joshua makes a compelling case that embedded payments is not just a revenue opportunity but a competitive moat.What We CoveredWhy vertical SaaS companies are still leaving money on the table with embedded paymentsThe gap in the market Rainforest was built to fillHow payfac as a service works and who it is designed forWhy the number of registered payfacs is shrinking, not growingThe $5 billion volume threshold for when becoming a full payfac makes economic senseHow Rainforest differentiates from Stripe and Adyen for vertical SaaS platformsVertical-specific risk models versus general-purpose toolsRainforest's real-time ledger and what it unlocks for complex payment structuresAdding PayPal and Venmo for untapped vertical SaaS marketsExpanding into Canada and building the playbook for international growthHow AI is being used across the business and the rising threat of AI-driven fraudWhat success looks like for Rainforest in the next five yearsKey TakeawaysEmbedded payments builds a moat. Joshua's closing point is the sharpest: once merchants are running their money through your software platform, competitors face a much harder job dislodging you. Payments isn't just a revenue line — it's a retention strategy.Vertical-specific risk models matter enormously. Stripe and Adyen have to serve everyone, so their risk tooling is built for the lowest common denominator. Rainforest has built models tuned to individual verticals — lawn care looks different from HVAC, which looks different from nonprofit donations — and it takes the fraud liability rather than passing it to the platform.The $5 billion payfac threshold is the new reality. A decade ago the rule of thumb was around $1 billion in card volume. Regulatory and compliance burdens have risen so sharply that Joshua now puts the threshold at $5 billion with line of sight to $10 billion before it makes economic sense to go full payfac.A real-time ledger is a competitive differentiator. Most legacy processors are batch-based, settled overnight on mainframes. Rainforest's ledger is real-time, enabling split payments, franchise fee hierarchies, and complex billing structures that batch systems simply cannot support.About Joshua SilverJoshua Silver is co-founder and CEO of Rainforest, a payments-as-a-service company purpose-built for vertical SaaS platforms. Before Rainforest, he co-founded Patient Co, scaling it to billions in healthcare payments volume before a sale, and subsequently consulted with software founders on building their payments businesses. He has been working in embedded payments for twenty years.Connect with Fintech One-on-One:Tweet me @PeterRentonConnect with me on LinkedInFind previous Fintech One-on-One episodes
Our food addiction recovery is mental health care. Learn why in this episode. Grab your copy of my FREE 9 page Beginner's Guide to Food Sobriety https://www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/foodsobrietyguideFood Freedom Online Course: https://www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/foodfreedomcourseFood Sobriety Mini Course -https://www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/foodsobrietymcWant to learn more about me and my coaching programs? Do you need private coaching and intensive daily contact with a coach? Fill out my application so we can chat about whether or not my program is for you and which option is best for you. Payment plans available. Don't see a payment option that works for your pay schedule? Let's chat about a custom pay plan.www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/chooseyourpath Join my online community The Food Freedom Tribe! An online community of support, eduction, inspiration, accountability….. Learn more here: https://www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/tribemembership Application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1upnWHYK0RXfmyRTqlsF_R06z3NA8LZYHIMWFykq7-X4/viewformInstagram: www.instagram.com/coachmaryroberts Facebook: www.Facebook.com/ketomary71 Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4915319108493196/?ref=share_group_linkWebsite: www.foodfreedomwithmary.com Join the email list.Email: mary@foodfreedomwithmary.com
Moving money is easy to describe and brutally hard to do well at global scale. When your network supports thousands of clients across 90+ countries and touches thousands of currency pairs, you start to see a different map of what's changing in payments and what's just noise. Greg Myers sits down with Debo Sen, Head of Payments, Services at Citi, to unpack what that vantage point reveals about the future of institutional payments.We get specific on why payments have become strategic for corporate growth, customer experience, and working capital. Debo explains how “always-on” is more than 24/7/365 uptime, it's about payments being embedded and invisible inside real business workflows. You'll also hear a sharp reframing of real-time payments as “just-in-time” optionality for treasury, along with a practical example of how holidays and global supply chains expose the limits of legacy rails.From there we dig into cross-border payments trends, including faster velocity across the ecosystem and the remaining friction that lives in the last mile. Debo shares how banks and fintech partnerships can expand endpoints like wallets, debit cards, and instant payment schemes while keeping resiliency and safety at the center. We also cover tokenization and blockchain use cases that are already operating at scale, plus what agentic commerce and AI-driven transactions could mean for controls, standards, fraud, and trust.If you care about real-time treasury, cross-border payments, payments infrastructure, tokenized deposits, and bank-grade security, this episode is for you.
This week in the Breakroom, Debbie Curtis joins Maddie News to discuss the recently released Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters final rule for 2027, specifically discussing the finalized policies related to catastrophic and non-network plans, as well as additional rulemaking we're watching for in the coming weeks.
https://heysammi.com/coaches Episode Title: Is the Best Sports Management App No App at All? Here's the truth nobody wants to say out loud: Parents didn't “stop caring.” They stopped opening apps. This episode is about the real reason your messages don't land… and why the smartest “sports tech” move might be removing tech friction, not adding more. This is not a tech debate. This is a coaching sanity episode. Because you've lived it: RSVP comes in Saturday morning instead of Wednesday You post the update in the app… then text anyway Parent says “I didn't see it” — and they're not lying The first 10 minutes of practice are chaos because half the families got the wrong info Families are overloaded. Most sports parents are managing: multiple kids multiple sports multiple team platforms plus school stuff, group chats, tournament sites, email, calendars So they do what humans do when overloaded: They mute notifications. They bury apps. They miss updates. And they default to the thing that's always open: text. This doesn't just waste time. It drains you. Because when communication gets sloppy: kids are late warmups get rushed you start practice annoyed and you spend more energy managing adults than developing players You become the “customer service department”… when you're supposed to be coaching basketball. Sammi didn't try to be a better app. Sammi is built around what parents already use: SMS text messages. No download. No login. No new account. No “check the app.” For coaches: you text what you need. Schedule changes. Reminders. RSVPs. Payment nudges. Key info. For parents: they get a text, reply to a text, and they're done. No hunting through apps. No missing updates buried under notifications. “I'm not anti-app. I'm anti-friction.” That's the whole point. Every extra step between you and parents creates missed information… and missed info creates chaos. Bracket flips Friday night Game time moves up 30 minutes Gym changes last second Uniform color changes Arrival time changes And you need ONE message that actually gets read Text is the fastest path to clarity. If you want fewer missed messages immediately: Time-sensitive updates should be texted, not “posted” Send one weekly “Sunday night” message with the whole week When something changes, keep it to one sentence: what / when / where Stop writing paragraphs. Clarity wins. Sammi is opening early access for coaches with a founding pricing window and free beta access, with a deadline coming up soon. If you want to see how it works for coaches:https://heysammi.com/coaches Show NotesThe Big IdeaWhat This Episode Is Really AboutWhy It HappensThe Coaching CostWhy Sammi Is DifferentThe Line That Sums It UpBasketball Examples Coaches Will FeelPractical Takeaways You Can Use Even If You Don't Use SammiEarly Access Mentioned In The EpisodeCall to Action Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
https://heysammi.com/coaches https://heysammi.com/coaches Episode Title: Is the Best Sports Management App No App at All? Here's the truth nobody wants to say out loud: Parents didn't “stop caring.” They stopped opening apps. This episode is about the real reason your messages don't land… and why the smartest “sports tech” move might be removing tech friction, not adding more. This is not a tech debate. This is a coaching sanity episode. Because you've lived it: RSVP comes in Saturday morning instead of Wednesday You post the update in the app… then text anyway Parent says “I didn't see it” — and they're not lying The first 10 minutes of practice are chaos because half the families got the wrong info Families are overloaded. Most sports parents are managing: multiple kids multiple sports multiple team platforms plus school stuff, group chats, tournament sites, email, calendars So they do what humans do when overloaded: They mute notifications. They bury apps. They miss updates. And they default to the thing that's always open: text. This doesn't just waste time. It drains you. Because when communication gets sloppy: kids are late warmups get rushed you start practice annoyed and you spend more energy managing adults than developing players You become the “customer service department”… when you're supposed to be coaching basketball. Sammi didn't try to be a better app. Sammi is built around what parents already use: SMS text messages. No download. No login. No new account. No “check the app.” For coaches: you text what you need. Schedule changes. Reminders. RSVPs. Payment nudges. Key info. For parents: they get a text, reply to a text, and they're done. No hunting through apps. No missing updates buried under notifications. “I'm not anti-app. I'm anti-friction.” That's the whole point. Every extra step between you and parents creates missed information… and missed info creates chaos. Bracket flips Friday night Game time moves up 30 minutes Gym changes last second Uniform color changes Arrival time changes And you need ONE message that actually gets read Text is the fastest path to clarity. If you want fewer missed messages immediately: Time-sensitive updates should be texted, not “posted” Send one weekly “Sunday night” message with the whole week When something changes, keep it to one sentence: what / when / where Stop writing paragraphs. Clarity wins. Sammi is opening early access for coaches with a founding pricing window and free beta access, with a deadline coming up soon. If you want to see how it works for coaches:https://heysammi.com/coaches Show NotesThe Big IdeaWhat This Episode Is Really AboutWhy It HappensThe Coaching CostWhy Sammi Is DifferentThe Line That Sums It UpBasketball Examples Coaches Will FeelPractical Takeaways You Can Use Even If You Don't Use SammiEarly Access Mentioned In The EpisodeCall to Action Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this episode, Russ Jones welcomes Preston McCaskill, Chief Operating Officer for Zelle, an open loop fast payments network owned and operated by Early Warning Services that moves money directly between two bank accounts in the US. Listen in as they discuss network's growth into small business payments, the onboarding process for financial institutions, and Zelle's settlement process and alias directory. They also cover expanding use cases like pilots in the bill pay domain, and Early Warning's intent to bring the same trust, speed, and convenience of Zelle to consumer cross-border payments with stablecoins.
Stablecoins are getting a lot of attention in payments right now. The bigger question is what they're actually useful for.In this episode, Jessica Cheney and Colin Swain unpack where stablecoin fits in corporate finance today, from cross-border payments and liquidity to FX risk, cost, and the real use cases behind the hype. They also explore why stablecoin is likely to sit alongside existing payment rails, becoming another asset within familiar treasury platforms rather than replacing them. Finally, the conversation looks at how AI and automation, combined with programmable money, could reshape how finance teams manage payments and liquidity.#CorporateFinance #B2BPayments #Stablecoin #TreasuryManagement #FutureofFinance
Ryan Rugg, Global Head of Digital Assets for Citibank's TTS business, joined us at the Solana Policy Institute's Summit to discuss Citibank's digital asset, tokenization and blockchain initiatives. We dive into the nuances of tokenized deposits and stablecoins and much more. Brought to you by
The data doesn't lie, and in Q1 2026, it's telling a story the freight industry hasn't seen in years.In this special episode of Supply Chain Now, Scott W. Luton and Karin Bursa welcome Bobby Holland, Director of Freight Business Analytics at U.S. Bank, and Bob Costello, Chief Economist and Senior Vice President at the American Trucking Associations, for a deep dive into the latest U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index for Q1 2026.The episode unpacks seven critical takeaways from the quarter, including a historic 12.9% spike in freight spending, a rare supply-side recovery driven by tightening capacity and surging fuel costs, and regional breakdowns across the West, Southwest, Midwest, Northeast, and Southeast, with stops on tariff impacts, cross-border trade with Canada and Mexico, and what a $7.22-per-gallon diesel price in California means for the broader economy.Together, they explore why this recovery is unlike anything we've seen since the pandemic boom, what the Goldman Sachs recession outlook gets right (and wrong), and how supply chain leaders can use real, verified freight data, not feelings, to make smarter decisions in an unpredictable 2026.Jump into the conversation:(00:00) Intro(03:29) Introducing the dynamic duo: Bobby Holland & Bob Costello(06:23) Bobby's headline summary(09:47) How industry leaders use the Freight Payment Index(10:01) National-level results: spending jumps 12.9%(10:54) A rare supply-side recovery(13:10) West region: highest shipment levels since 2023(17:20) Southwest region: 10th straight quarter of declines(21:40) Midwest region: strongest quarter since Q1 2018(26:05) Winter storms break the streak(28:11) Canada & Mexico trade: tariff impact on cross-border freight(33:20) Southeast region: the only region posting declines(41:32) Goldman Sachs vs. economic reality(44:28) Freight market forecast: what's ahead in 2026Additional Links & Resources:Connect with Bob Costello: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-costello-444bb670/Connect with Bobby Holland: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobby-holland-4a9355/Connect with Karin Bursa: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karinbursa/Learn more about American Trucking Associations: https://www.trucking.org/Learn more about U.S. Bank: https://www.usbank.com/index.htmlLearn more about our hosts: https://supplychainnow.com/aboutLearn more about Supply Chain Now: https://supplychainnow.comWatch and listen to more Supply Chain Now episodes here: https://supplychainnow.com/program/supply-chain-nowSubscribe to Supply Chain Now on your favorite platform: https://supplychainnow.com/joinWork with us! Download Supply Chain Now's NEW Media Kit: https://supplychainnow.com/media-kit/WEBINAR- From AI Pilots to Performance: How Supply Chain Leaders Are Scaling Agentic AI: https://bit.ly/49hCqIqWEBINAR- Amazon Supply Chain 101: Enabling efficiency and growth for businesses everywhere–and everywhere they sell: https://bit.ly/49r8N7DWEBINAR- The Expanding Role of Supply Chain Optimization Teams in Driving Business Impact: https://bit.ly/3PHRAAfThis episode was hosted by Scott Luton and Karin Bursa and produced by Trisha Cordes, Joshua Miranda, and Amanda Luton. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/analysis-q1-2026-us-bank-freight-payment-index-1588
In this episode I cover the four most common types of eating disorders so that you can identify and name your struggle.Grab your copy of my FREE 9 page Beginner's Guide to Food Sobriety https://www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/foodsobrietyguideFood Freedom Online Course: https://www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/foodfreedomcourseFood Sobriety Mini Course -https://www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/foodsobrietymcWant to learn more about me and my coaching programs? Do you need private coaching and intensive daily contact with a coach? Fill out my application so we can chat about whether or not my program is for you and which option is best for you. Payment plans available. Don't see a payment option that works for your pay schedule? Let's chat about a custom pay plan.www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/chooseyourpath Join my online community The Food Freedom Tribe! An online community of support, eduction, inspiration, accountability….. Learn more here: https://www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/tribemembership Application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1upnWHYK0RXfmyRTqlsF_R06z3NA8LZYHIMWFykq7-X4/viewformInstagram: www.instagram.com/coachmaryroberts Facebook: www.Facebook.com/ketomary71 Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4915319108493196/?ref=share_group_linkWebsite: www.foodfreedomwithmary.com Join the email list.Email: mary@foodfreedomwithmary.com
The mid-market is where tech decisions get dangerous. You are big enough that uptime, security, and delivery speed matter every day, but you are not big enough to burn cash on massive consulting retainers or absorb the fallout from a shaky vendor. That “valley in the middle” is exactly where David Robinson lives, and it is why he built Stratos Development Group to offer right-fit technical leadership, managed services, and software development that feels structured without being out of reach. We walk through David's journey from building early electronic medical record software in healthcare to leading engineering at a venture-backed startup, and then into entrepreneurship. From there, we get practical about what mid-market teams actually struggle with: competitors using the same licensed infrastructure, product roadmaps hijacked by one or two big customers, and the need to own real intellectual property and architecture to keep a competitive edge. For payments, fintech, and ISO leaders, the conversation goes deep on what Stratos is seeing right now: consolidation, tougher differentiation, and the technical friction that can make or break net-new deals. David shares how ISOs can approach technology enablement and custom integrations, plus the bigger opportunity of moving from ISO to ISV. If you already have a book of business, you also have a built-in feedback loop, faster validation, and a clearer path to launching software that your clients will actually pay for. We also tackle AI and the “vibe coding” era, including why agentic development can boost productivity but cannot shortcut PCI, SOC, or HIPAA compliance. If you want to modernize safely and win in a more competitive market, this one is for you.
This week, Sam Allardyce and Natalie Pike sit down to discuss all things football from the final game week of the season.They start the pod by discussing Arsenal finally clinching the Premier League title as well as give their thoughts ahead of the Champions League final and will Mikel Arteta surpass Arsene Wenger if he wins the Champions League this season?The duo also discuss in detail the remarkable end to the season for Michael Carrick & Manchester United, Pep's legacy at Manchester City as he finally leaves the club and also Sam's joy at Bolton securing promotion back to the Championship.There's also big focus on West Ham's relegation to the Championship, Crystal Palace's huge Conference League final clash and can Enzo Maresca actually replace Pep Guardiola?Plus, Sam & Natalie debate Thomas Tuchel's controversial England squad for the upcoming World Cup, which players Sam thinks will be a big miss and who are the players that shouldn't be in the final squad?We end the podcast discussing the squad of players Sam would've selected if he was England manager and can England actually win the World Cup?
Register here to attend the live virtual event "Why Investors Are Targeting Oklahoma Real Estate in 2026" on Thursday, May 27th at 8:00 PM Eastern Time. Keith explains how rent payments are starting to factor into credit scores, boosting accountability for tenants and strengthening landlords' position. He introduces the "GRE Duck" to show how a plain long-term rental can quietly build wealth through several profit centers beyond visible cash flow. Keith also shares why he expects a new era of heightened inflation and how owning real assets with long-term fixed-rate debt can help investors stay ahead of it. Finally, Keith is joined by a GRE Investment Coach, Naresh Vissa, to highlight Oklahoma as an under-the-radar, business-friendly market that many investors see as a promising "next place" for cash-flowing rentals. Episode Page: GetRichEducation.com/607 For access to properties or free help with a GRE Investment Coach, start here: GREmarketplace.com GRE Free Investment Coaching: GREinvestmentcoach.com Get mortgage loans for investment property: RidgeLendingGroup.com or call 855-74-RIDGE or e-mail: info@RidgeLendingGroup.com Invest with Freedom Family Investments. For predictable 10-12% quarterly returns, visit FreedomFamilyInvestments.com/GRE or text FAMILY to 66866 Unlock truly passive real estate income—visit flockhomes.com/GRE today to see if your properties qualify for a 721 exchange with Flock Homes. To get in the best physical, mental, and professional shape of your life, go to DanielThomasHind.com and apply for Daniel's intensive 1-on-1 coaching for burnt-out entrepreneurs and executives. 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. The American consumer is in real trouble today, and persistent inflation is poised to make it worse. How should real estate investors adjust their strategy? Learn the difference between delinquency, default, and foreclosure. Why making an early mortgage payoff is almost always ill-advised, then we explore an investment market that's poised for potential today on Get Rich Education. Keith Weinhold 0:32 You know, Mid South Homebuyers, that top Memphis turnkey provider, I learned that a secret weapon behind their explosive growth is more than just you buying their properties. It's an executive coach for nine years now. Their CEO, Terry Kerr, and his COO, Pat Nix, have worked privately with a coach who I've now learned from too, and he doesn't market himself online anywhere. After 12 years behind the scenes, that coach is now making himself available exclusively for GRE listeners. His name is Daniel Thomas Hind. If you're a hard-charging business owner or investor who wants to get in the best shape of your life, physically, mentally, and professionally, you can fill out an application for a free consult. This is private one on one coaching for those willing to go to uncommon lengths to achieve uncommon results. Thanks to Daniel, we've all become better leaders, better operators, and better men. It started by showing up for ourselves. Now it's your turn. Go to danielthomashind.com H I N D, that's danielthomamashind.com and sign up before spots fill. Keith Weinhold 1:45 Flock Homes helps multifamily owners exit the operator grind, whether it's your sixplex or a 50 unit apartment through a 721 exchange. This defers your capital gains tax. It's a strategy long used by institutions. Now you can swap tenants and toilets for passive income and zero management. Request your initial valuations. See if your property qualifies at Flock homes.com/gre that's F L O C K homes.com/gre Corey Coates 2:18 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 2:34 Welcome to GRE from Arcadia, California to Arcade New York, and across 188 nations worldwide. I'm Keith Weinhold. You're listening to Get Rich Education. Around here, we don't look at a house and see four walls, we see five profit centers quietly doing jumping jacks behind the drywall. At the same time, most people seem to think cash flow is something that you catch in a stream. Hey, well, Who's in trouble out there amidst persistent and rising inflation? Well, you know the answer, it's just another reflection of the K-shaped economy and the hollowing out of the middle class. Now we can look at how many Americans are missing their mortgage payments. The mortgage delinquency rate is historically between one and 2% That just means that's the proportion of borrowers that get seriously behind on their mortgage payments. That's the normal range over the long run. Today's figure is pretty low at 1.1% so on the low end of that historic one to 2% range. So homeowners are in good shape, but credit card and automobile loan delinquencies are now deeply concerning, and a lot of times these people can be your rent paying tenant for credit card delinquency. Back in 2022 the rate was 8% Now 13% of credit card users are seriously behind on their payments. How about automobile delinquency? Back in 2022 it was 3.6% Now it's 5.6% and then there's student loans. The proportion of seriously delinquent student loans is 10.3% That's the highest since 2020 So the average borrower entering student loan default is now fully 40 years old. Before the pandemic, it was just 36 and a half. Now, there's surprisingly few hard statistics on the exact average age at which Americans fully pay off student loans, but the best available evidence from a platform. Called the Education Data Initiative, it suggests that the typical borrower who successfully repays on a standard timeline finishes somewhere in their early to mid 40s, and a substantial share of borrowers still carry student debt into their 50s and even 60s, so the US student loan crisis is intensifying. How about your tenant in that rent payment? About one in eight renters are behind on their rent payments per the CFPB. Almost every tenant catches up. Some live a paycheck to paycheck timing game. The payment that renters are most likely to miss is for credit cards, and, like I just put the numbers to, they are more than twice as likely to miss a credit card payment than they are an automobile payment. To most tenants, losing the car would mean losing the job, so they'll make the car payment before the credit card payment, and eviction is catastrophic, so they don't want to face that. They'll make that rent payment before a credit card payment too. Alarmingly, half of American credit card users carry balances from month to month, fully half the average interest they're paying is 21 to 22% I mean, sheesh, if Luboo is in a collection of wildly overpriced Stanley tumblers that all look big enough, waste of money. Now, some debtors can tap home equity to pay their consumer debt, but a lot of them aren't homeowners, all right. So, what does this all mean for residential income property owners? Well, since 1980 rent increases have compounded at 3.9% annually, that's the number, so almost 4% rent growth since about the time that Ronald Reagan became president, but rent growth is currently lagging behind this, and I expect that rent hikes will continue to be pretty paltry for the next couple years. Inflation is stressing tenants' consumer purchases too much for them to deal with steep rent hikes. The median household income of a US renter is $55,000 Overall, it's $84,000 All right, so to be clear, that 84k household income is not for homeowners, it's 84k overall for every American household. The 55k number is just for renters. What all this means is that this coming higher wave of inflation from the Iran war, where you're now poised to potentially see the highest rate of inflation of your entire life occur in the next couple years is that when you're looking at adding rental property on your pro forma, you can see how the numbers would be with those historic 3.9% rent increases each year, but it's wiser to run your numbers with no rent increase at all, because higher inflation on all these consumer products means it's less likely that they can handle a rent hike Keith Weinhold 8:25 In the mortgage world. What's the difference between delinquency, default, and foreclosure, anyway? Because some people use a couple of those terms interchangeably, but there is a difference. The timeline is that once you're 30 days late, that is delinquency, and this condition occurs the moment that a single payment is missed. And at this early stage, your bank still hopes that this is temporary, because the bank actually doesn't want to take back your property. They're not in the business to do that. They want you to be able to keep making your payments in general, because if a borrower keeps missing payments and a bank has to take possession of the property, well, then that bank has to pay legal fees and court costs, and even property taxes if they end up taking back the property. Yeah, the bank pays all of that if they have to take it all right, so that's 30 days. What about when a borrower gets to 90 days late on payments, where we're trending closer to the bank having to take back the property? Well, 90 days, that's the point at which we're in mortgage default. When a homeowner's 90 days late on payments, the lender kind of says to themselves that bank is saying, hey, this is serious, and they file what's called a notice of default with both the homeowner and the courts at the 120 day mark. This is pre foreclosure, right? So, after about four months or more of missed pay. Payments and state timelines vary. Texas is famously Formula One fast, really lender friendly, then, but timelines can drag on for one to three years in a bunch of northeastern states, Florida, Illinois and Ohio, so they're more borrower protective, and during Covid, this was overridden, and even fast states became slow. Beyond 120 days of non-payment, this is foreclosure, the legal seizure process. This is when the home sells that auction to the highest bidder. That's sort of like Sotheby's for distressed drywall, but if no bidder raises their paddle, well, then the property returns to the bank and becomes R E O. You've probably heard this term before, that stands for real estate owned, R E O. It also kind of means bank owned, and bank owned is the phrase that kind of makes more sense. That's what REO is, all right. Yes, this is when the bank becomes the home's reluctant landlord, and if the occupant has not left, the bank can formally file for eviction. Banks don't like being in this position, and they might sell the home cheaply. Why would they do that? Because, again, banks are not in the business of owning property, and they don't want to pay those holding costs, besides paying legal fees and court costs, and the banks now having to pay property tax because they do temporarily own that foreclosed upon property. Now they're also usually paying for maintenance, repairs, and insurance, a non-paying borrower like this can typically cost a lender 1000s per month. So this is the difference between delinquency, default, and foreclosure. But, like I said, we are at a time when mortgage delinquency rates are historically low. Instead, it's consumer debtors that are more likely to default today on things like their credit cards and their automobile loans. The takeaway for real estate investors here is that in today's inflationary times, renters are increasingly cost-burdened, rent increases are historically slow. That's sort of the bad news. And then the upside, the good news is it also means that tenants must delay home ownership and keep on renting from you, because as they struggle to pay these rising expenses, it's also harder and harder for them to form a down payment and go buy their own place, that's the real lesson with the parts of the economy where you see default trends today. Keith Weinhold 12:52 Now, if you're an income property owner, like I am, you probably have mortgages with a bunch of different banks, lenders like I do. You've probably noticed more than once that various banks and mortgage servicers, a lot of times, they feature these early payoff tools, enticing you to pay your mortgage off ahead of time, before it goes its full 30 year term, or whatever your full loan duration is. I mean, a lot of banks love it when you try to pay off your own early. It's often good for them and bad for you. And there are a few reasons that banks do this. They reduce their default risk if a bank convinces you, the borrower, to aggressively pay down your principal. It also builds equity faster, and you become less likely to walk away, so it's safer for the bank during downturns. Say there's a borrower with a 300k property and a 50k loan balance, meaning it's mostly paid off. Oh, that's far less risky to the bank than one with a 300k property and a 200k loan balance, meaning that you have less equity in it. So banks value stability. Another reason that some banks want to roll out the red carpet to try to get you to pay off your mortgage early is because banks recycle capital. They don't simply hold every mortgage for 30 years. A lot of loans are sold to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, or they're bundled into mortgage-backed securities, or they're serviced for fees. So your originating bank, when they first made that loan with you, oh, they've already earned their origination fees and servicing income and cross-selling opportunities, so getting principal back from you sooner allows them to reissue new loans sooner, and see rising interest rate environments like we've been in lately that changes the incentives for banks too, because if current mortgage rates are higher than your old rate a. Wow, then banks really love getting your old low rate loan paid off. Just say, for example, you have a 3% mortgage that you got five years ago, and new mortgages today are 7% Oh, if you pay off or refinance the old loan, oh well, now the bank can redeploy that money into higher yielding loans. Now they can lend it out at today's 7% that is really valuable to them. So encouraging your payoff, that is often just some consumer service positioning and marketing. You'll see messaging like, hey, make extra payments, or hey, you can own your home faster if you make extra principal pay downs, that's sort of marketing psychology. Because emotionally, a lot of consumers, they're not thinking big, they still emotionally love debt freedom, because a lot of them don't even consider true financial freedom is something that's in the realm of possibility for them, so banks provide tools because customers oftentimes want them and like them. Regulators actually like this position too. It's positioned as responsible lending optics, and financially healthy borrowers are deemed to be safer customers, but a bank sure does not want delinquency or foreclosure from a wealth building perspective. Productive low-cost debt benefits you, the borrower, enormously. Keith Weinhold 16:34 And on previous episodes, I've talked extensively about how making extra principal pay downs on your mortgage is a bad idea, and that's whether it's rental property or your own home, and you know, I'll bring a new example to this for you. It might feel good to pay off your mortgage faster. Your bank probably likes that, as I just explained, but feeling good doesn't build your wealth. Let's just take a 400k mortgage at a 6% mortgage rate. We'll keep it simple. With a 30 year loan, your payment is about 2400 monthly, so you'll pay 864k over the life of the loan. Well, instead, with a 15 year loan, your payment's 3376 and you'll pay just 608k over the life of the loan. So, by paying extra principal with the 15 year, you save about 255k in interest over the life of the loan, and that's it. Most people stop right there, and they think, oh well, then the 15 year paying down principal faster than that has got to be the smarter way, look, I can point to this on paper and show you, no, but with that extra about $1,000 per month of mortgage payment that you made by going with the 15 year, if instead you would have just invested that at an 8% return, you would have about 1.1 million more dollars in your pocket. Some people say they sleep better because their house is paid off, but I would rather sleep knowing that my money is growing faster than my debt is costing me. I only used 8% as a return, too. If your dollars were instead invested in a different vehicle, say in buy and hold income property. We know that it can be multiples higher than 8% and all the while, if we keep our own money and avoid making an early pay down, our cash is also going to remain more liquid than if we sunk it into the house, because houses make terrible banks. It is indeed rather myopic to make extra principal payments on a mortgage loan in most cases. In fact, somewhat related to this, coming up on a future show, I'm going to tell you about the biggest financial expense you will ever have in your life, it is not taxes, it's not housing, it's not interest charges, it's not inflation, it's not paying for children, and it's not health care. Most people have never heard of it. The biggest financial expense that you'll ever have in your life. I'll talk about that coming up in a future episode. Keith Weinhold 19:23 Is today's American housing market a buyer's market or a seller's market? In fact, it's somewhat of a discussion that you can have. There's not a clear cut answer, because more so than usual, it depends on which region of the nation you're looking at. As we know, six months of available supply is a balanced market nationally. There's only 4.4 months of existing housing supply, but almost twice that much new housing supply. National median home values are only up about 1.1% year over year. And what's the future of the investment market? Good, I'm going to discuss this and more with a guest later today. I would like to seriously thank you for your listenership. GRE is a platform largely built on long form trust, podcast listeners, newsletters, coaching calls, and referrals, releasing a show 52 weeks a year for between 11 and 12 years now, and the show is delivered every week from me, a real human flesh and blood host with a pulse and sometimes a cowlick in my hair, really human stuff going on here. I say this because robot podcast hosts are becoming more common, though I still wouldn't say that robot hosts are widespread. Amazon's Alexa Plus now produces AI-generated podcasts featuring chats between two robot co-hosts, but here on GRE it's always been human delivered with no plans to change that promise, and speaking of human connection, I learned that a number of successful guests that you've heard here on the show, they've gotten counsel from a rather special executive coach that's really developed some of these people that you've heard on the show. This coach has helped people show up as the best version of themselves and build them into better leaders, better operators, and better men and women, just like you, I know there's a gap between who you are and who you could be. When someone points out that gap to you, that can be a motivator alone, and when you learn the steps to close that gap, you really start to fulfill your potential. It often takes a trained eye from the outside to get you on the right trajectory and build the sort of person that compounds and builds you closer to your optimal self and people of enormous success have a coach or mentor behind them. Steve Jobs did, Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Taylor Swift does the accountability piece alone is often enough to elevate your performance. I just learned about this coach this year. This man has been the behind the scenes key to success for a number of not just real estate related pros and GRE guests, but other people too. And interestingly, he hasn't marketed himself online anywhere. Well, I got curious, I learned more about him and kind of tracked him down, and he and I had a great lunch in California together not long ago, and I have since learned from him after 12 years behind the scenes. Well, it was quite a successful lunch, because that coach is now making himself available exclusively for GRE listeners. His name is Daniel Thomas Hind, the number of people with life-changing testimonials from working with him is pretty remarkable. So, if you're a hard-charging business owner or investor, and you want to get in the best shape of your life, physically, mentally, or professionally, you can fill out an application for a free consult. It's private one on one coaching, if you're willing to go to uncommon lengths to achieve pretty uncommon results. Thanks to Daniel, we've all become better leaders, better operators, better men. It started by showing up for ourselves. If it sounds interesting to you, now it can be your turn. You might at least look into it, since it is close personal one on one coaching. He can only help a limited number of people. So, complete an application before spots fill. You can go to Daniel Thomas hind.com H I N D is how you spell his last name, that's Daniel Thomas hind.com More next, I'm Keith Weinhold. This is Get Rich Education. Keith Weinhold 24:05 What if you got your mortgage loans the same place I get mine? You sure can at Ridge Lending Group, NMLS 42056 They provided GRE listeners with more loans than anyone, because Ridge specializes in investment property. They'll help you build a long-term plan for growing your real estate empire with leverage. Start your prequal, and even chat directly with President Chaley Ridge. While it's on your mind, start at Ridge Lending group.com That's Ridge lendinggroup.com Keith Weinhold 24:36 Let me ask you something: if you've worked hard to build wealth, is your money positioned to actually support your goals. A lot of accredited investors leave capital sitting in cash because it feels safe, but inflation and missed income opportunities can quietly erode its value. Freedom Family Investments offers Freedom Notes for investors seeking structured income backed by real estate. It's a straight. Forward approach built on real assets, not speculation. In full disclosure, I'm an investor myself. What I like is that their team walks you through how it all works, so you can decide if it aligns with your portfolio and income goals. Every investment carries risk, and nothing is guaranteed, but with a track record of consistent on-time investor payouts, they built real credibility. Go to freedomfamilyinvestments.com to book a clarity call, or text family 266866 that's Family 266866 Keith Weinhold 25:38 This is Peak Prosperity's Chris Martinson, listen to Get Rich Education with Keith Weinhold and Don't Quit Your Daydream. Keith Weinhold 25:52 For an in-house chat, I'd like to welcome back our head investment coach here at GRE. He has his MBA, but perhaps more importantly, he's an active real estate investor himself, and he spends his days helping GRE listeners cut through the noise and actually make smart real estate investing decisions, and this means helping you figure things out, like what market fits your goals, whether cash flow appreciation or even showing a tax law should be your priority, and how to think about financing and what properties, the exact properties pass the smell test, and maybe most importantly, helping investors like you avoid expensive mistakes. And yes, the coaching is free to GRE listeners at GRE Investment coach.com And basically, if the real estate world feels like Costco on a Saturday afternoon, he helps you find the free samples, find the exit, and get the good deals without getting run over by a shopping cart. It's time for you to share with the audience. Naresh Vissa. Naresh Vissa 26:53 Thanks a lot, Keith, for having me back on the show. Always a pleasure to connect with our loyal GRE listeners and followers, Keith Weinhold 27:01 a lot of loyal listeners, some that have listened to all 600 plus episodes, starting from back in 2014 and Naresh we continue to see income property builders provide incentives that we haven't seen in years. Tell us about it. Naresh Vissa 27:19 We're at a key point in this real estate cycle, Keith, regarding incentives, because we had GRE, and I think investors will tell you this, not just through GRE, but maybe in their hometowns and their local markets, that they're seeing incentives that they've never seen before, and a major reason for this is understanding why these incentives are there in the first place. If we go back five years to 2021 we didn't really see any incentives in 2021 outside of maybe like one year of free property management, which isn't the most enticing incentive out there, but today we are seeing more incentives than we've seen, at least in my career as a real estate investor, which is not very long, it's only about 10 years, but in my career as a real estate investor, in my career as a real estate investment coach, and a major reason for that is because providers, we call them providers, we can call them local market builders, or specialists, or flippers, wholesalers - we'll just call them sellers - they want to offload inventory, they want to sell their homes as quickly as possible. And why is that? Because we're not in a 2021 environment anymore, where a property gets listed and within three hours the first offer comes in, and within 24 hours multiple offers are in, and within two days of property is sold. We're not in that environment anymore. There are a variety of factors about why we're not in that environment. Part of it is economy related, part of it we talked at length about Doge, and the government contracts that have been cut. I mean, we're talking about hundreds of billions of dollars that are worth of dollars that are no longer pumping into the US economy, and the many jobs associated with that. We're also talking about the artificial intelligence, so the tech industries for the last few years, have not necessarily downsized, but changed their job functions, or removed, just eliminated job functions entirely, and this has affected markets, not the entire United States, but it's certainly affected some markets that we operate in, Florida, certainly in Texas, you can look at Austin, Texas, for example, and see the impact that the artificial intelligence and AI has had in the sector there. There are just all sorts of reasons, and so this is why builders, they're not building as much. So there were five years ago what are called spec homes. And pre construction homes, pre construction homes are homes that are to be developed and they get buyers ahead of time and they don't build until they get a buyer and then they build and they complete the property. Pre construction homes are not being done anymore as compared to custom home. A custom home is when you have a buyer and the building has started, the buyer has paid a good portion of the building, and the property is complete. But in pre-construction, they haven't even broken ground, they haven't even gotten permits, and a lot of investors have been scared away from that, saying, Why get a home like that when I can just buy a spec home or a custom home. A spec home is a home where the builder just builds a property and they hope that a buyer is going to come after it's built, and the problem with that, as we're seeing today, this is why builders are trying to offload their inventory. It's because so many of these spec homes were built because these builders thought, oh, 2021 2022 those are such amazing years, but now in 2026 they built these homes, and there aren't buyers throughout the building process, they weren't able to get buyers, and there still aren't buyers available, so what do the builders want to do, they want to offer really, really enticing incentives, because it's very highly likely they took out some type of construction loan, and they took out some other type of loan, and they've got all this debt on the property. Builders are not landlords, builders build, they want to build something and sell it off. They do not want to hold on to it and let something just sit there, that builders make money by selling their property, so all these different reasons are why we're seeing incentives like we've never seen before. And to give you an example, instead of one year of property management, we're seeing two years of property management. Yeah, instead of closing cost credits, we're seeing builders and sellers in general actually pay money to buyers, so they close on a property. Let's say they, instead of a closing cost credit, you close on a property, they'll literally just wire you or overnight you a check for x amount of dollars, and this is not like $1,000 $2,000 We've had some investors get up to $50,000 mailed to them after closing on a property, so I think this is a really, really good time for investors to find deals. You brought up Costco earlier, I'm like the Costco finder, it's a really, really good time to find deals, because through networks like GRE we have access globally, not just mainland 48 states, not just United States, not just globally, whether it's teak timber parcels in South America or in Central America, or it's duplexes, quads, single family homes in mainland United States, we have access to these deals, to these incentives, whereas your average person, they're just reading some headline saying, oh, real estate is a bad investment right now, and home values are supposed to crash, and there's so many homes available for sale, and there's going to be this big crash, and and inflation is very high, which means interest rates are really high. That's like the general consensus, but that's what the mainstream news media is telling, and that's what's creating a consensus. Keith Weinhold 33:29 That's what clicks and fear. Yes, Naresh Vissa 33:31 that's where I say that there are GRE is here to find those diamonds in a rough to find those incentives to find those good deals to find those markets, just like even in the stock market, the stock market can be at all-time highs, but you can still find those diamonds in the rough that are good, high-quality companies. Maybe they're undervalued. There's always going to be some type of diamond in the rough. I don't think we've ever gone through a period in our lifetimes where it was like, oh, everything is going so well, and there's nothing to invest in. There's nothing we should just do nothing with our money. I don't think there's ever been a point. There's always in any asset class in any industry. So that's why I say right now I'm seeing incentives. That's how I began this conversation. I'm seeing incentives that I've never seen before, and I'm excited to share them with all of our GRE followers. Keith Weinhold 34:24 Yes, there's never perfection in a market like a panacea, where everything is tuned in just right, and it's really not a buyer's market nationally, in a sense. Now it sort of feels that way, because in 2021 to 2022 we had such a frenzy and such a run up in such a seller's market that things have come somewhat back more into balance. We still have substantially less than six months of supply on a national basis, but yes, to your point, some people are really cashing in on. These incentives, and that's created a pickup in activity recently that you've seen with investors. Naresh Vissa 35:07 I have absolutely seen a pickup in activity, and there could be.. I don't want to speak in absolutes.. there could be a variety of reasons for this. Number one is the stock market has consistently reached all-time highs for the past few weeks or so, and many people, they liquidated some of their portfolio, they liquidated some of those stocks, and said, all right, it's time to get into real estate. Another reason is, yes, you do see these headlines that are doom and gloom, next big crash, and there are some markets in Florida, for example, in Texas, for example, in the DMV area, DC metro area, Maryland, Virginia, and even in some parts of California, you do see a stagnation in home values, maybe even a decline in home values in some of these areas, but I bring them up because some areas where investors own are still thriving and doing really well, and many of those investors who we work with at GRE, they opted to 1031 and say, you know what, I had this property, it appreciated by 60% since I bought it, 60% 50% whatever it might be, and I want to cash out. Well, I don't want to necessarily cash out, but I want to sell in 1031 into an undervalued market, or a market where the homes have declined, or maybe it's an up and coming market. For those who don't know, 1031 is special tax favored strategy from the tax code that allows real estate investors to sell a property and to essentially replace it with a like kind property, and there's tax break, you don't have to pay a capital gains tax or anything on it. There's nothing like that with stocks. So, if you sell a stock, for example, you can't get a more expensive stock with that capital gain and avoid paying the capital gains tax. Unfortunately, you can't do that for stocks, but for real estate, you can. So, we've had several investors do that, where they, 1031 they said this market, it's taken off, maybe it could go down, who knows, but I'm selling at the peak, and I want to buy somewhere else, so that's what we help people do, that's what I help people do, I help them find those deals, those incentives, those markets that could be up and coming, or maybe that declined, and that's why still it makes a lot of sense to be on the lookout for those deals. Keith Weinhold 37:47 Now, one such place is potentially the Oklahoma market. Last week here on the show, I had your co-host for an upcoming event with me, Richard, whom is an Oklahoma City provider, and we were sort of a phrase that I use, Naresh, is that next place, that next place, Oklahoma City, where the prices haven't run up, it's business friendly, and you do have these affordable prices, and you have landlord-friendly laws, potentially that next place where your dollar goes further, and as the Oklahoma City Thunder go deep in the playoffs, you know the nice thing about Oklahoma is that you can still buy real estate there without needing an NBA contract to afford it. In fact, we were spotlighting their $145,000 new build detached single family rental. Now it is tiny, and it comes with both LVP flooring and granite. I mean, it's something that sort of sounds like science fiction in Metro New York City and coastal California. I don't know if paying 145k would even give you permission to look at a house, but that's one opportunity that we've been talking about here. Niresh, Naresh Vissa 39:03 let me talk a bit about Oklahoma, because this is a market that we haven't covered much. In fact, we, I would say, have never covered it in writing. It's not heavily featured throughout GRE's history. Yeah, it's not prominently featured on our website. This is a newer market, and I brought up the term up and coming, so I brought up the 1031 people are 1031 into up and coming markets. Oklahoma is an up and coming market. It's a very landlord friendly state, it's a very tax friendly state. The property taxes are significantly lower in Oklahoma, for example, compared to a Texas or a Florida, which are two very popular in real estate investment states. Investors go after Oklahoma is not quite as high, their home insurance isn't anywhere as high as a Florida, for example, but the best part. It is because of all these different factors. Oklahoma has a lot of industry, and we'll go into it this Thursday on our webinar. Go to GRE webinars.com to register, but Oklahoma, the tourism is getting up and running. The energy industry still has a very important part to play in this world's energy consumption, Oklahoma, it's got huge academic areas. You have Oklahoma University, you have Oklahoma State, you have a plethora of Tulsa has a very strong university there. You have medical schools there. Oklahoma is an underrated state. People don't think about Oklahoma when they think about what are the greatest states in America, or what state that I want to move to, but Oklahoma, I think, is that next up-and-coming state, because there's actually more stuff now. I brought up tourism, you brought up the Oklahoma City Thunder, they never had really any professional sports teams, what, 20 years ago, Keith Weinhold 41:02 right? Naresh Vissa 41:03 And the Thunder now are the best NBA teams. They have been the best, and I'm rooting for them. So this is all good. That's the Oklahoma City area, where the Thunder play, but, like I said, I brought up other markets, like Tulsa, where we have inventory, and there are a few others that we're going to cover, but mostly the best properties that we're going to cover on Thursday are in the Oklahoma City area, places within 45 minutes, 50 minutes from Oklahoma City. So, as you're watching the webinar and following the Oklahoma City Thunder, that should only kind of enhance as the team does better and as Oklahoma gets more publicity, and is on TV more, and you see all those nice stills on TV, and those shots, and ESPNs covering the city, that's all very good for real estate, and for publicity, and this is like an intangible reason to invest in Oklahoma that actually makes a very big difference. So, overall, Oklahoma is what I would call, like I said earlier, up and coming, the home values, because it's up and coming. You can't get $145,000 new construction property anywhere in the United States right now. When I say anywhere, there's a little bit of hyperbole there. If you look to some boondock towns and cities, yeah, you'll find them, but are they really good renters markets? Are they good appreciating markets? Well, in fact, the most of the state of Oklahoma is now, and definitely that Oklahoma City area is. So, I'm excited about this online special event we're having this Thursday, because, like I said, this is a new market, just like the team, I mean, so many fans are just new to Oklahoma, you know, like Oklahoma, like what's in Oklahoma. Well, attend our special event this Thursday, GRE webinars.com and we're going to get down to the nitty gritty of it. I think this is out of all the up and coming markets I've covered over the last 10 years, I think this is the best one, because the problems I had with some of these up and coming markets, like Memphis, for example, crime.. it's why are they up and coming? Why are the home value solo? Well, you know, crime was a major issue. There's no comparison between an Oklahoma City or a Tulsa and Memphis, for example, or a Baltimore. There's no comparison when it comes to esthetics, when it comes to newness, niceness, crime, homicides, no comparison. So, to me, this is a no-brainer. And I think investors should be really excited about this. Keith Weinhold 43:32 There is anticipation for Thursday's live event, which you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home. You'll learn about real estate investing, you'll get to chat with Naresh and the co-host, Richard, that provides there. Ask any questions that you want to have answered in real time. The event name is why investors are targeting Oklahoma real estate this year. It is this Thursday night, the 20-eighth, 8pm Eastern, 5pm Pacific. Sign up is open@grewebinars.com It's free. Naresh, we all look forward to seeing you Thursday night. It was great having you here. Naresh Vissa 44:06 Thanks a lot, Keith. Looking forward to seeing everybody. Keith Weinhold 44:15 Yes, the Oklahoma City Thunder are the reigning NBA champions, and they've gone deep into playoffs again this season, but what you'll find more interesting about Oklahoma City's real estate investment market is that it's business friendly, still affordable population growth, job growth. There are still good deals. You don't need to have a venture capital exit just to put some rental property in your portfolio, and while those $145,000 properties are small detached cottages with LVP and granite, there are other single family rental and duplex styles, all new build, everything here is new construction, the. Like a nice looking 565k duplex in Edmond, Oklahoma. I'm looking at a photo of it right now. Edmund abuts right up against Oklahoma City. Between 2010 and 2020 it had whopping population growth of 16% That is not random. People vote with their moving trucks. Learn more about Oklahoma's growth in energy, aerospace, aviation, logistics, and tech, along with Oklahoma City's downtown revitalization. This creates the rent-paying tenants with stable incomes that we need at the event, the provider is even offering two years of free property management, and they handle all the tenant placement for you. Save your spot for Thursday now@grewebinars.com Our team will see you then. Next week, we'll have Rich Dad Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki back here on the show with us. We'll see you Thursday. I'm your host, Keith Weinhold. Don't quit your daydream. Unknown Speaker 46:08 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 46:36 The preceding program was brought to you by Your Home for Wealth building get richeducation.com
Austin Federa, Co-Founder of DoubleZero and former Head of Strategy at the Solana Foundation, joined us to discuss how the company is building a new internet layer to improve blockchain and crypto performance.Topics:- Improving blockchain performance starting with Solana - Internet and Blockchain Tech stack - Future of Blockchain adoption - Wall Street tokenization Brought to you by
Court records and newly surfaced documents indicated that Jeffrey Epstein financed the tuition of a student attending the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. According to records reviewed in the report, Epstein paid roughly $26,000 in tuition for the law student. In return, the student allegedly helped recruit or refer young women to work for Epstein as “assistants,” a term widely used within Epstein's network to describe women who often performed personal or administrative tasks around his operations. The arrangement appeared to mirror patterns seen in other parts of Epstein's network, where financial support, gifts, or opportunities were provided in exchange for helping connect him with women.The report highlighted how Epstein leveraged money and influence to build relationships within elite institutions, including universities, where tuition payments and donations could open doors. Documents suggested that paying the Berkeley student's tuition was part of a broader strategy in which Epstein used financial incentives to cultivate loyal intermediaries who could introduce him to potential recruits or associates. The revelations added to growing evidence from released files showing that Epstein repeatedly used his wealth and connections to gain access to young women while embedding himself within respected academic and professional environments.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:‘Price to pay for Berkeley': Jeffrey Epstein paid law student's tuition in exchange for ‘assistants' | National | dailycal.orgBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.
Somewhere along the way, many of us became more attached to our coping mechanisms than we are to real healing. In this episode, I'm talking about why healing your relationship with food feels so uncomfortable, why chaos can start to feel “safe,” and what it actually takes to stop choosing temporary comfort over lasting freedom.Grab your copy of my FREE 9 page Beginner's Guide to Food Sobriety https://www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/foodsobrietyguideFood Freedom Online Course: https://www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/foodfreedomcourseFood Sobriety Mini Course -https://www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/foodsobrietymcWant to learn more about me and my coaching programs? Do you need private coaching and intensive daily contact with a coach? Fill out my application so we can chat about whether or not my program is for you and which option is best for you. Payment plans available. Don't see a payment option that works for your pay schedule? Let's chat about a custom pay plan.www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/chooseyourpath Join my online community The Food Freedom Tribe! An online community of support, eduction, inspiration, accountability….. Learn more here: https://www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/tribemembership Application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1upnWHYK0RXfmyRTqlsF_R06z3NA8LZYHIMWFykq7-X4/viewformInstagram: www.instagram.com/coachmaryroberts Facebook: www.Facebook.com/ketomary71 Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4915319108493196/?ref=share_group_linkWebsite: www.foodfreedomwithmary.com Join the email list.Email: mary@foodfreedomwithmary.com
"The Doctor Is Not Always Right" Hein Van Eck is a healthcare actuary by training, a breed of thinker who sits at the intersection of data, ethics, and human behavior. He started in insurance in South Africa, was handed his career-defining job after answering a single ethical question correctly, and has spent the last 20 years on the provider side watching an industry transform in real time. He moved to Dubai in 2014 and hasn't stood still since. As CEO of Mediclinic Middle East, Hein oversees six hospitals, 27 clinics, 4,000 babies born annually, and a workforce of doctors recruited from around the world not by headhunters, but by hospital directors who fly to the UK in winter specifically to sit across a candidate and ask: would I feel comfortable if this person treated my family? That detail tells you everything about how he leads. This conversation goes places most healthcare interviews don't. Hein talks honestly about the agency problem at the heart of modern medicine doctor has the knowledge, patient consumes, insurer pays and what happens when that system breaks down. He explains why Ozempic and Mounjaro might genuinely extend lives, not just shrink waistlines. He reveals an AI model that predicts, with 95% accuracy, which patient won't show up to their appointment. And he shares his vision of what a hospital looks like in ten years: a theatre complex, an ICU, and almost everything else happening at home. If you think Dubai healthcare is second-tier, this conversation will change your mind. Timestamps: 0:00 - 20 years at one company in Dubai: why Hein never needed to leave 2:00 - From actuary to hospitals: the agency problem at the heart of healthcare 5:00 - Post-Covid consumerism: why visits per person have doubled from four to eight a year 9:00 - Peptides, Ozempic, and the traffic light system: green, amber, and outright quackery 14:00 - Insurance, self-pay, and the moral dilemmas that arise every single day 21:00 - Collaborative management without consensus: how he leads 4 million patient interactions 25:00 - The mentor, the one ethical question, and how Hein got the job 28:00 - Payment cycles: 20 days in South Africa, 100+ days in the UAE and the hidden cash flow crisis 34:00 - How Mediclinic recruits doctors: hospital directors on planes, not recruiters on LinkedIn 40:00 - Spencer's spinal fusion story and the one doctor who made it human 47:00 - Hospitals as healthcare malls and why the big scary hospital is disappearing 52:00 - AI that predicts no-shows with 95% accuracy and ambient AI that frees doctors to look up 56:00 - In ten years, a hospital will be a theatre and an ICU and everything else happens at home 1:02:00 - The blue chair in every boardroom: every decision tested against what's best for the patient 1:07:00 - Quickfire: the biggest lie in healthcare, what scares him about AI, and the hardest truth about technology adoption Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076 https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/ https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/ Follow Hein Van Eck on Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hein-van-eck-a632881a/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/mediclinic-middle-east/ https://www.instagram.com/mediclinicme/?hl=en
Tesla Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen and Engineering VP Lars Moravy both join me to discuss the legacy and history of the Model S and Model X as both cars are officially retired this week. Plus: my recap of the Model S and X Celebration event. Stay tuned! 00:12:18 Interview Start 00:13:30 How the Decision to Discontinue S and X Happened 00:18:02 S and X Would Need a Complete Redesign to Continue 00:21:55 Next-Gen Roadster News 00:25:03 Signature Numbers 00:29:03 Final S and X Production Numbers 00:29:43 The Beginning of Model S 00:36:20 More Lightning 00:36:48 Old S and X Stories 00:39:26 First Drive of the Model S...Ever 00:45:14 The EV Market and EV Adoption Rate 00:49:36 Adding Dual Motors to Model S 00:51:36 A 3rd Motor in a Model 3? 00:54:37 About the Never-Made Model S Plaid+ 00:56:58 Are 18650s done at Tesla? 00:58:10 Favorite Wheels 01:02:10 Pencils Down on S and X 01:03:22 Parting Message 01:05:07 Drive or Preserve their Signature S's If you enjoy the podcast and would like to support my efforts, please check out my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/teslapodcast and consider a monthly or (10% discounted!) annual pledge. Every little bit helps, and you can support for just $5 per month. And there are stacking bonuses in it for you at each pledge level, like early access to each episode at the $5 tier and the weekly Lightning Round bonus mini-episode (AND the early access!) at the $10 tier! And NO ADS at every Patreon tier! NEW: Level up your business with NetSuite by Oracle! Get your free business guide, Demystifying AI, at www.netsuite.com/lightning Also, don't forget to leave a message on the Ride the Lightning hotline anytime with a question, comment, or discussion topic for next week's show! The toll-free number to call is 1-888-989-8752. INTERESTED IN A FLEXIBLE EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR YOUR TESLA? Be a part of the future of transportation with XCare, the first extended warranty designed & built exclusively for EV owners, by EV owners. Use the code Lightning to get $100 off their "One-time Payment" option! Go to www.xcelerateauto.com/xcare to find the extended warranty policy that's right for you and your Tesla. P.S. Get 15% off your first order of awesome aftermarket Tesla accessories at AbstractOcean.com by using the code RTLpodcast at checkout. Grab the SnapPlate front license plate bracket for any Tesla at https://everyamp.com/RTL/ (don't forget the coupon code RTL too!). Enhance your car with cool carbon-fiber upgrades from RPMTesla.com and use the promo code RTL5-10 for 5-10% off your next purchase. And make your garage door foolproof with the Infinity Shield – get yours at https://www.infinity-shield.com and use the promo code RTL at checkout for a $35 discount.
In today's episode of Reddit Stories Podcast, a wild Karen completely loses it. You won't believe how this one ends! Sit back, relax, and enjoy this binge-worthy Reddit Stories Podcast, featuring Karen freakouts, entitled people stories, and pro revenge tales.
Newly surfaced details suggest that **Jeffrey Epstein continued to fly women into the United Kingdom and maintain them in a luxury London flat right up until the day he died in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Flight logs from Epstein's private jet — often called the **“Lolita Express” — indicate he made dozens of trips to the UK, transporting women who would stay at the rented apartment in Kensington. Payments linked to the flat, reportedly exceeding £160,000, were made through entities associated with Epstein, and communications indicate he was arranging rent and schooling for some of the women there, suggesting his network remained operational in Britain until his final months.The revelations have sparked renewed scrutiny from British authorities, with multiple police jurisdictions — including the Metropolitan Police and the National Crime Agency — examining potential sex trafficking activity and use of UK airports as entry points for Epstein's flights. Investigators are also probing whether these arrangements could tie into broader trafficking schemes similar to those documented in the U.S., and UK officials have sought unredacted files from American authorities to deepen their inquiry. The emerging picture suggests a significant European component to Epstein's activities, intensifying pressure on investigators to uncover the full extent of his operations outside American borders.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:Jeffrey Epstein flew in girls to stay at his London flat up until the day he died | Daily Mail OnlineBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.
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In this episode, I sat down with the powerhouse duo behind Pop'N Creative, Jessica Lane Alexander and Lori Hall McKissic. These two met years ago at Turner Broadcasting and spent years rising through the ranks of some of the biggest names in media and entertainment, including TBS, TNT, UPTV, and TV One, before finally betting on themselves. Their story is one of calculated risk, deep friendship, and relentless creative vision.I was so excited to finally get them both on the show and dig into the real behind-the-scenes of how Pop'N Creative came to be. They walked us through the eight-week planning process over dinners and drinks that turned into a real business, how they launched in February 2020 (yes, right before the pandemic), and how they survived and thrived when the world shut down. They bootstrapped everything, pivoted their model on the fly, and landed clients like Freeform, Hulu, and National Geographic along the way.We also got into the money conversation because the glitz and glamour of events and activations has a whole financial infrastructure behind it. We talked about payment terms, cash flow management, how to structure agency contracts, and what it really takes to grow to the $4 million revenue range as a small boutique agency. If you are building something in the creative or service space, this one is full of gems.Main TakeawaysStart before you are fully ready: Pop'N Creative launched in February 2020, and the pandemic that followed actually forced them to pivot into a social-first model that helped them grow.Use the 60% rule: Before leaving your full-time job, aim to have 60% of your target salary locked in through contracts so you have enough security to leap without operating from fear.Master cash flow, not just revenue: Payment terms of net 60 to net 90 are common in the agency world, so having a business line of credit and a great accountant are non-negotiable early hires.Your network IS your net worth: From their first capabilities presentation to their Cannes Lions shortlist, every major win came from relationships they had built over years in the industry.Highlights Include00:53 - Jessica and Lori share their individual career journeys through Turner, Kellogg Business School, Microsoft, UPTV, and TV One09:07 - The moment Jessica first told Lori "we could do this ourselves" and how she pitched the idea twice before it stuck10:35 - How they tested the business concept during eight weeks of structured planning sessions over dinner and drinks13:38 - Launching Pop'N Creative in February 2020, just weeks before the pandemic shut everything down14:01 - How Lori's unexpected layoff during the pandemic became the best thing that ever happened to her entrepreneurial journey19:06 - Landing their very first capabilities presentation with Freeform (Disney) and wowing a room of 15 people on their first try25:27 - How they bootstrapped and self-funded Poppin to retain full autonomy, and what happened when their first big event contract got canceled27:49 - The Hulu skating rink at Essence Festival and how they pivoted to experiential work post-pandemic47:14 - Pitching National Geographic on a wild-card Fashion Week idea with holographic animals that got shortlisted at Cannes Lions59:31 - Their parting advice: the 60% rule for leaving your job and why finding a business partner or lieutenant makes all the differenceLinks Mentioned in This EpisodePop'N Creative Website: https://www.popncreative.comWatch & ListenWatch this episode on YouTube and listen on all podcast platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/side-hustle-pro/id1126021323Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/13qDj08lBR4ymzGhXIKy8tYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/sidehustleproSocial MediaPop'N Creative: @popncreativeJessica Lane Alexander: @LaneJessDLori Hall McKissic: @loriJAY Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Banks are pulling credit from good borrowers — here's how to protect your farm's financial future.
Healthcare payments are often discussed as a transparency problem, but the deeper issue is structural fragmentation across contracts, claims, remittances, and workflows. In this episode, Ted Ferrin, Senior Vice President of Payments Innovation at Zelis, explains how the acquisition of Rivet is bringing provider-facing payment intelligence into Zelis's broader infrastructure. He discusses why achieving financial clarity between payers and providers has been so difficult due to fragmented systems and legacy technology. Ted highlights that true transparency goes beyond simply displaying data and requires meaningful, actionable insights. He also shares how tools like Claims Insights and Zap Edge embed intelligence into payment workflows to reduce rework, improve visibility, and create a smoother experience for providers, payers, and patients. Tune in and learn how better payment intelligence could help turn transparency from a buzzword into real operational trust! Resources: Connect with and follow Ted Ferrin on LinkedIn. Follow Zelis on LinkedIn and visit their website!
Traditional ISO models often leave agents waiting on approvals, relying on multiple systems, and giving up control throughout the merchant lifecycle. In this episode of the Merchant Sales Podcast, James sits down with Simon Kemp to discuss the growing opportunity around PayFac for ISOs and how new models are helping bridge the gap between traditional ISO relationships and full payment facilitation. They break down faster onboarding, real-time transaction visibility, AI-driven underwriting, gateway ownership, and why giving ISOs more control could fundamentally change the way payments businesses scale. Plus, Patti Murphy's Today in Payments segment covers interchange legislation, AI trends, software provider complexity, and major shifts impacting the industry.
This episode is exactly what it's titled. I share 7 ways you can begin to be a more disciplined person in your recovery. Grab your copy of my FREE 9 page Beginner's Guide to Food Sobriety https://www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/foodsobrietyguideFood Freedom Online Course: https://www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/foodfreedomcourseFood Sobriety Mini Course -https://www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/foodsobrietymcWant to learn more about me and my coaching programs? Do you need private coaching and intensive daily contact with a coach? Fill out my application so we can chat about whether or not my program is for you and which option is best for you. Payment plans available. Don't see a payment option that works for your pay schedule? Let's chat about a custom pay plan.www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/chooseyourpath Join my online community The Food Freedom Tribe! An online community of support, eduction, inspiration, accountability….. Learn more here: https://www.foodfreedomwithmary.com/tribemembership Application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1upnWHYK0RXfmyRTqlsF_R06z3NA8LZYHIMWFykq7-X4/viewformInstagram: www.instagram.com/coachmaryroberts Facebook: www.Facebook.com/ketomary71 Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4915319108493196/?ref=share_group_linkWebsite: www.foodfreedomwithmary.com Join the email list.Email: mary@foodfreedomwithmary.com
With retirement on the horizon after 41 years at the same company, is it better to take the monthly pension or the lump sum? Have a money question? Email us here Subscribe to Jill on Money LIVE Subscribe to Jill on Money Newsletter YouTube: @jillonmoney Instagram: @jillonmoney Twitter: @jillonmoney "Jill on Money" theme music is by Joel Goodman, www.joelgoodman.com.
5 'banned' methods making $15K monthly (and why creators delete videos about them) Episode Overview Discover 5 AI side hustles platforms are quietly suppressing—and why they're your best online opportunities for 2026. In this episode, we test which AI entrepreneur tactics actually work, which are overhyped, and which could trigger platform bans. You'll learn what Big Tech doesn't want you knowing about make money online strategies, plus the legal framework every parent should understand before diving in. No fluff. Just contrarian insights from 30+ years in the trenches. Tracy exposes 5 controversial AI monetization methods that violate platform terms of service but generate substantial income. From API arbitrage making $15K monthly to voice cloning services earning $10K per audiobook, this episode reveals the legal risks, expiration timelines, and moral considerations of gray-zone AI profits. https://DarkHorseEntrepreneur.com Key Timestamps & Topics 00:00 Opening 02:00 Method #1: API Arbitrage Play ($3K-$15K monthly) 04:00 Method #2: Content Generation with Attribution Loopholes ($5K-$20K monthly) 06:50 Method #3: AI Voice Cloning for Commercial Use ($2K-$10K per title) 11:15 Method #4: AI Training Data Curation (Legitimate - $10K-$30K monthly) 13:00 Method #5: Data Licensing Agreements ($3K-$8K monthly) 14:25 The Underlying Pattern 16:10 Current Method Status Analysis 17:25 Moral Considerations 18:05 Whiskered Wisdom & Closing Key Legal Frameworks Mentioned Tennessee ELVIS Act: Protects voice as personal identity EU AI Act Regulation 2024/1689: Article 50 transparency requirements California Civil Code 3344: Right of publicity protections NO FAKES Act (pending): Federal protection against unauthorized digital replicas DMCA: Digital Millennium Copyright Act exposure for data licensing Key Takeaways Technology moves faster than regulation, creating temporary profit windows Visibility increases risk - platforms notice patterns and flag accounts Payment processors quietly rejecting gray-zone AI accounts Moral considerations: Some methods involve deception Sustainable income comes from working with systems, not against them Sponsor Mention Mehro: "Calling All Angels" - emotional, cinematic track available on Spotify/Apple Music https://lnk.dmsmusic.co/mehro_callingallangels?ref=DarkHorseEntrepreneur Resources Mentioned Scale AI Remotasks: Legitimate AI training work Outlier: RLHF contractor network Upwork/Fiverr: Platforms for finding AI training gigs ElevenLabs/Descript: Voice cloning platforms (legal risks noted) Episode Quote "The most dangerous money is the money that feels too easy. When something is making you thousands of dollars a month and you're not sure why it's legal, that's not a business model. That's a countdown timer." Call to Action Sign up for AI Escape Plan newsletter at DarkHorseInsider.com for legitimate, family-friendly AI strategies that protect your time and values.
I wanted to talk to a lawyer 'cause, yeah, lawyers are the ones that see stuff that falls the whole way down to the level of legal action. But I wanted to find out what are the main categories of things that wind up in legal land when it comes to broker or EBC (employee benefit consultant) payment agreements. Like, what are the top ways that compensation agreements go horribly awry? For a full transcript of this episode, click here. If you enjoy this podcast, be sure to subscribe to the free weekly newsletter to be a member of the Relentless Tribe. Doug Aldeen, my guest today, rose to the challenge. And let me just state for the record that, while there are a whole lot of brokers and EBCs who would or do engage in some of these practices, there are also many who do not; and/or it might not be the broker/EBC themselves but the company that they work for who is up to some of the things that we're gonna be talking about in the episode today. But I really, for sure, want to support the gang of honest actors, great fee-based, integrity-based brokers and EBCs; and I wanna support them all day long, many of whom listen to the show and are part of the Relentless Health Value Tribe. But let's talk about how the rent-seeking ones roll so that you can spot them. See what they did there. So, yeah … the first kind of ground zero that Doug and I talk about today is just up-front direct compensation agreements, which may be just ridiculously complicated and/or ridiculously expensive compared to what others are charging for a similar group. Where there's mystery, there is margin. That is so relevant in so many situations, and this is just another one of them. So then, after that, Doug and I move on; and we get into three categories of stuff that sits in that undisclosed or maybe even disclosed zone, where just the whole model of payments is problematic on its face. First up (and this is a biggie), brokers/EBCs recommending rent-seeking solutions to their clients. Like, a broker or EBC suggests a solution to their client where the solution itself makes money on a perverse incentive, and then the broker or EBC gets a piece of that action, which might be called shared savings. So, yeah … even if the dollars to the broker or EBC are disclosed, a naive plan administrator might not see that overcharge for what it really is—and Doug gives a bunch of examples in the show that follows. Chris Deacon (post) and Justin Leader (post) also wrote posts about this. Donovan Pyle wrote a whole book about it. Okay … the next big category of typical payment model methodologies that Doug Aldeen (again, a lawyer) has seen plans get themselves into trouble with their EBCs and brokers—the ones who are sharks, I mean, circling the plan like it's a gold mine—this big category is undisclosed payments from vendors who the plan doesn't realize have a business relationship with the EBC or broker. This can also be a whole basket of solutions that the EBC/broker wants to install, which is basically this problematic payment model at scale. And, right, this matters because then the plan doesn't know if this particular point solution, PBM, stop-loss carrier … Right? They think their broker EBC is recommending it because it's the best option for that particular plan, not understanding that it's the right option for the broker or EBC. And these dollars can be undisclosed because, to a certain extent, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, it's a little bit unclear on certain points. There's some loopholes if you go looking for them because you are so inclined. We get into more detail on this later on. After this, Doug offers a really great roadmap with six steps in it for any plan to really think about as they consider. First, the maybe integrity of their broker or EBC and what is being recommended to the plan. And that's important because, look—and we say this in the conversation that follows, but I'm gonna say it again here loudly—if a plan realizes that their broker or EBC is not really serving the best interest of the plan, there are great options out there. There are great EBCs and brokers who are honest, upstanding that really care about their clients, their plans, their members, and doing the right thing. But telling the difference between the not-so-good ones and the good ones takes some diligence, takes some validation on the part of the plan sponsor. It just does. But the amount of dollars that can be saved is millions, and this is actually, saving those millions is actually better for the plan because it's not like those dollars were going in somebody's pocket. It's not like they were being put toward better, safer, lower premiums. These are dollars that can be cut, and the plan is actually better. My guest today, as I have mentioned at least several times already, is Doug Aldeen, who is a well-known attorney who has spent many years in the self-insured space. This podcast is sponsored by Aventria Health Group, and I do want to give a shout-out and a thanks to our 2026 series underwriter Payerset. Thank you so much for your financial support. That helps keep this podcast on the air. And with that, here is my conversation with Doug Aldeen. Also mentioned in this episode are Chris Deacon, Justin Leader, Donovan Pyle, Mark Cuban, Cost Plus Drugs, Aventria Health Group, Payerset, Cynthia Fisher, Lee Lewis, AJ Loiacono, Dave Chase, Nautilus Health, 32BJ, Andreas Mang, Jon Camire, and Tom Nash. For a list of healthcare industry acronyms and terms that may be unfamiliar to you, click here. You can learn more on Doug's Web site and by following Doug on LinkedIn. Doug Aldeen is an Austin, Texas–based Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) healthcare attorney. From 1997 to 2006, he served both as associate general counsel and general counsel for provider-sponsored HMOs in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, and San Antonio, Texas. During his tenure at Health Alliance Medical Plans in Urbana, Illinois, he had a front-row seat to the US Supreme Court ERISA case in Pegram v. Herdrich. Since 2007, Doug has owned and operated his own law firm that serves the US self-funded market. In 2016, he served as ERISA counsel for the Berkley Research Group, who served as an advisor to the private equity firm Hellman and Friedman that purchased a majority stake in MultiPlan for $7.5 billion. From 2019 to 2024, Doug served on the government relations committee for the Self-Insurance Institute of America during the period when the Consolidated Appropriations Act was being implemented. In 2022, Doug was featured by KXAN television in Austin in an investigative piece that examined the collection practices of a local hospital. KXAN's investigative work resulted in an Edward Murrow award for public service. For the past 10 years, he has published "The Sunday Morning Bathroom Read" on LinkedIn, which features a weekly tongue-in-cheek review of recent events and the implications to the self-funded market in the US healthcare industry. 00:00 Introduction to this episode. 00:59 A caveat for the record on this episode. 02:11 The first problematic payment model discussed in this week's episode. 03:27 The second problematic payment model discussed in this week's episode. 06:16 The conversation with Doug Aldeen. 06:27 Why is reviewing broker/EBC compensation so important? 08:05 The Ohio Potato Company anecdote. 10:28 The first way brokers/EBCs might get paid. 11:45 What "cost of savings" means. 12:31 EP457 with Cynthia Fisher. 14:07 A rent-seeking solution that requires a cost-benefit analysis. 19:16 Why the broker/EBC is sometimes in the dark about vendor kickbacks. 21:46 Where the CAA is unclear. 22:23 EP508 with Lee Lewis. 22:58 EP379 with AJ Loiacono. 24:04 Actionable advice for plan sponsors. 24:57 The second piece of actionable advice for plan sponsors. 25:22 The third piece of actionable advice for plan sponsors. 26:08 Demystifying the commission structure. 27:35 Using a broker RFP from an open source. 27:54 EP484 with Dave Chase. 28:31 Why you should be auditing data and claims. 29:29 EP478 (Part 1) and EP479 (Part 2) with Andreas Mang and Jon Camire. 31:29 The importance of having an "out." 33:11 Why the broker community may be at substantial risk. 35:30 EP419 with Andreas Mang. Recent past interviews: Click a guest's name for their latest RHV episode! Dr Siva and Dr Monica Lypson, Betsy Seals, Patrick Nelli, Lee Lewis, Stacey Richter with 15 experts (EP507), Jerry DiMaso, Dr Ahilan Sivaganesan, Ryan Jacobs
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Watch Us On YouTube! Announcing a new, ongoing benefit for annual subscribers of our Slack community. Annual subscribers receive a free Points Path Alerts subscription OR a 30% discount on Points Path Pro. A new credit card shows up, a new hotel status gets tested, and airline product delays keep dragging on. This week on Miles To Go, Ed and Richard break down Citi's rollout of the new American Airlines Globe Mastercard, including what happens when your existing Barclays card gets converted — whether you were planning on it or not. They take a closer look at the card's real value, including its ability to accelerate elite status, and whether the benefits justify the $350 annual fee. From there, the conversation shifts to Hilton's new Diamond Reserve status, as early real-world data points start to trickle in. Does it actually deliver better upgrades, or is it too early to tell? They also revisit Delta's ongoing seat certification delays, now stretching years longer than expected, and what that means for aircraft configurations and upgrade opportunities. Plus, a mix of travel updates — from World Cup logistics challenges to Uber dropping Discover cards — and a new personal travel goal that could reshape how Ed approaches trips going forward. https://thepointsguy.com/hotel/reviews/hilton-elite-status-diamond-reserve-versus-diamond/ https://onemileatatime.com/news/delta-a321neo-flat-beds/ Get hydrated like Ed in Vegas with Nuun Use my Bilt Rewards link to sign-up and support the show! If you enjoy the podcast, I hope you'll take a moment to leave us a rating. That helps us grow our audience! If you're looking for a way to support the show, we'd love to have you join us in our Travel Slack Community. Join me and other travel experts for informative conversations about the travel world, the best ways to use your miles and points, Zoom happy hours and exciting giveaways. Monthly access Annual access Personal consultation plus annual access We have witty, funny, sarcastic discussions about travel, for members only. My fellow travel experts are available to answer your questions and we host video chats multiple times per month. Follow Us! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milestogopodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@milestogopodcast Ed Pizza: https://www.instagram.com/pizzainmotion/ Richard Kerr: https://www.instagram.com/kerrpoints/ ✈️ What We Cover in This Episode ✈️ Citi's AA Globe Mastercard rollout Barclays cards being converted automatically Key benefits and $350 annual fee Loyalty point boosts and status acceleration ✈️ Is the AA card actually worth it? Earning structure and flight-based bonuses Companion certificate timing Who this card makes sense for ✈️ Hilton Diamond Reserve status Early real-world upgrade data Why results may vary by property Whether it's worth chasing ✈️ Hotel upgrade realities How hotel systems handle elite tiers Why even top status isn't guaranteed What to watch for with confirmed upgrades ✈️ Delta's ongoing seat certification delays A321neo seat rollout pushed further out Why certification is taking years Impact on premium cabins and upgrades ✈️ Airline Wi-Fi frustrations Continued reliability issues Starlink vs legacy systems Why this still isn't solved ✈️ World Cup travel logistics in the U.S. High transportation costs Weak hotel demand in some markets Why fan experience may fall short ✈️ Uber drops Discover cards Payment network friction Implications with Capital One changes Rare move in the payments space ✈️ The "Five and Dime" travel goal 5 new destinations + 10 new routes per year Why it's harder than it sounds Cabo Verde as a potential play ⏱️ Timestamps 0:50 – Intro and opening banter 5:20 – AA Globe Mastercard conversion explained 9:30 – Is the AA card worth $350? 14:30 – Hilton Diamond Reserve early results 18:30 – Why hotel upgrades are inconsistent 22:00 – Delta seat delays stretch even further 25:30 – Airline Wi-Fi frustrations 28:30 – World Cup travel logistics issues 31:30 – Uber drops Discover cards 33:30 – "Five and Dime" travel goal
At Google I/O 2026, Phillip sits down with Suresh Ganapathy, Senior Director of Product Management for Consumer Shopping at Google, to unpack the day's announcements: Universal Commerce Protocol's expansion into new verticals, agentic payments arriving in Gemini Spark, and the debut of Universal Cart. We trace what these foundational pieces mean for how a billion daily shoppers, and the merchants serving them, will operate in an agent-mediated economy. Enter the Delegation Era Key Takeaways: Universal Cart maintains shopper state across Search, Gemini, YouTube, and Gmail. The cart works on your behalf: tracking prices, flagging restocks, and catching product incompatibilities. Agent Payments Protocol's (AP2) tamper-proof contracts make agent purchases verifiable and accountable to shopper intent. Merchants remain seller of record, preserving customer relationships inside agentic flows. Gemini Spark becomes Google's first consumer agent with purchasing authority this fall. Key Quotes: "We're laying the foundational building blocks of agentic commerce." — Suresh Ganapathi "People come to shop at Google over a billion times a day, and we want to make sure that we're delivering the best experience to them when they do." — Suresh Ganapathi "We want to make it really simple for shoppers to enjoy the fun parts of shopping and then delegate some of these more tedious aspects to agents." — Suresh Ganapathi "Spark is the agent. AP2 is the payments protocol. Universal Cart is the ability for consumers to have less friction." — Phillip Further Reading: More on Google's AI play: Insiders: Google Solidifies Its Place in the AI Race More on agent-mediated commerce: Member Brief: Agentic Commerce and the eCommerce Site's New Existential Crisis Our 2026 Predictions: The Age of Autonomy Learn more about Google I/O Google's Universal Cart Announcement Our Links: Check out Future Commerce on YouTube Check out Future Commerce Plus for exclusive content and save on merch and print Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce world Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Tesla has begun an initial rollout of a long-asked-for Supercharging feature. Plus: Tesla expands battery production at Giga Berlin, BMW hits an EV milestone, and more! If you enjoy the podcast and would like to support my efforts, please check out my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/teslapodcast and consider a monthly or (10% discounted!) annual pledge. Every little bit helps, and you can support for just $5 per month. And there are stacking bonuses in it for you at each pledge level, like early access to each episode at the $5 tier and the weekly Lightning Round bonus mini-episode (AND the early access!) at the $10 tier! And NO ADS at every Patreon tier! WIN AN EV WHILE GIVING TO A GREAT CAUSE: For your chance to win your dream EV in the 2026 ChesedChicago raffle, head to https://tinyurl.com/CCraffleRTL -- Hurry, tickets are limited and only 9,999 tickets will be sold, get your tickets today and use code RTL for $25 off 2 tickets or $500 off 15 tickets. Whether you win or not, you're helping a great organization help families in need. Also, don't forget to leave a message on the Ride the Lightning hotline anytime with a question, comment, or discussion topic for next week's show! The toll-free number to call is 1-888-989-8752. INTERESTED IN A FLEXIBLE EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR YOUR TESLA? Be a part of the future of transportation with XCare, the first extended warranty designed & built exclusively for EV owners, by EV owners. Use the code Lightning to get $100 off their "One-time Payment" option! Go to www.xcelerateauto.com/xcare to find the extended warranty policy that's right for you and your Tesla. P.S. Get 15% off your first order of awesome aftermarket Tesla accessories at AbstractOcean.com by using the code RTLpodcast at checkout. Grab the SnapPlate front license plate bracket for any Tesla at https://everyamp.com/RTL/ (don't forget the coupon code RTL too!). Enhance your car with cool carbon-fiber upgrades from RPMTesla.com and use the promo code RTL5-10 for 5-10% off your next purchase. And make your garage door foolproof with the Infinity Shield – get yours at https://www.infinity-shield.com and use the promo code RTL at checkout for a $35 discount.