Podcasts about Servicing

Mid-summer breaking news as Dusty May is out at Michigan and on to the NBA. Where do the Wolverines go from here, will Mike Boynton keep the program rolling, and what about the state of college sports? The Tigers are starting to win some games, but do we want that? Some ideas for the name of the Owosso - Corunna trophy, a history lesson, and more! Take a listen and hit us up @3pointpod! Thanks to: Memorial Healthcare Wellness Center, Blackstone's Public House, Nelson House Funeral Home, Success Group Mortgage & Servicing, Kori Shook & Associates, Jacobs Insurance, AZee Branding Solutions, Pickpocket Sports & Outdoors, Lebowsky Center, Marrs Furniture & Mattress Barn, Shiawassee County Fair, Nichols Painting, Great Lakes Apparel Co., SportsNet MI

Champs have been crowned in both the NHL and NBA. When will we see a Detroit squad make it back to those games? The White House hosted a UFC event over the weekend, we give a few thoughts about that event and if we think more should happen on the lawn. A local football game trophy, Tedertainment Tonight, and more! Take a listen and hit us up @3pointpod! Memorial Healthcare Wellness Center, Blackstone's Public House, Nelson House Funeral Home, Success Group Mortgage & Servicing, Kori Shook & Associates, Jacobs Insurance, AZee Branding Solutions, Pickpocket Sports & Outdoors, Lebowskey Center, Marrs Furniture & Mattress Barn, Shiawassee County Fair, Nichols Painting, Great Lakes Apparel Co., SportsNet MI

Michael Smith—Managing Partner and Founder, Emerald Advisors Michael Smith shares how a client-first philosophy, niche specialization, and independence helped Emerald Advisors grow from $385mm to more than $1B in assets. In Summary What happens when an advisor builds a business around client service rather than operational efficiency? Jason Diamond speaks with Michael Smith, Founder and Managing Partner of Emerald Advisors, about the path from a successful Merrill practice to an independent RIA that has grown from approximately $385mm to more than $1B in assets. Along the way, Michael shares the story of being told he was “overservicing” clients, why that moment became a catalyst for independence, and how a highly specialized service model fueled the firm's growth. Drawing on lessons from a 24-year Navy career, Michael offers a perspective on leadership, specialization, client care, and what it takes to build a durable business in today's wealth management landscape. The Storyline Growth is often viewed as the result of marketing, referrals, acquisitions, or scale. Michael Smith sees it differently. After building a successful practice at Merrill, Michael found himself at odds with the constraints of the traditional wirehouse model. What ultimately stood out wasn't compensation, technology, or platform capabilities. It was a philosophical difference around client service. When he was told he was spending too much time helping clients navigate tax planning, equity compensation, and other financial decisions outside the traditional scope of investment management, he began to question whether the model aligned with the way he wanted to serve families. That realization eventually led him to launch Emerald Advisors in late 2019. The firm started with roughly 85 clients and approximately $385mm in assets. Today, Emerald serves more than 225 families and oversees more than $1B in assets. Throughout the conversation, Michael reflects on the lessons learned from building an independent firm, developing a niche around concentrated stock positions and executive compensation, navigating custodial and technology decisions, and creating a culture rooted in accountability and service. Underlying it all is a simple belief: when firms become highly intentional about who they serve and how they serve them, growth often becomes the outcome rather than the objective. Topics Covered Merrill breakaways and independence Client service as a growth driver Building an RIA RIA growth and scalability Organic growth strategies Concentrated stock positions and equity compensation planning Ideal client personas and niche specialization Schwab and Fidelity custody relationships Advisor succession and enterprise value Navy leadership principles in wealth management The rise of mega RIAs Advisor technology and infrastructure > Download a transcript of this episode… Listen and Learn Highlights for Advisors Why did being accused of “overservicing” clients become a turning point? (08:15)Michael explains how a conversation with management revealed a deeper misalignment between his client-service philosophy and the wirehouse model. What does client service look like beyond portfolio management? (11:30)The discussion explores how tax planning, equity compensation guidance, and proactive coordination can deepen client relationships. Why can specialization accelerate growth? (15:45)Michael shares why serving a defined niche often creates stronger referrals, greater expertise, and clearer positioning. How has the RIA landscape evolved since 2019? (20:30)Michael reflects on the rise of mega RIAs, changing technology capabilities, and why he believes independent firms still have significant advantages. What role do custodians really play in an independent business? (23:15)Michael discusses his experience working with Schwab and Fidelity and why he views custodians as strategic partners rather than competitors. Is the wirehouse model still the right fit for some advisors? (26:45)The conversation challenges the assumption that independence is the best path for everyone and explores the realities of running a business. Does reaching $1 billion in assets actually change anything? (32:45)Michael offers a practical perspective on growth, success, and why asset milestones can be misleading. What can advisors learn from the “steamboat” philosophy? (37:15)Drawing on his Navy experience, Michael shares a leadership framework that continues to shape how he approaches business building and decision-making. Key Takeaways Exceptional client service can become a meaningful competitive advantage when it extends beyond investment management. Independence gave Michael the flexibility to build a service model that aligned with his philosophy rather than adapting his philosophy to fit the platform. Developing a niche around executive compensation and concentrated stock positions helped accelerate Emerald's growth. The ability to make technology, custodial, and operational decisions quickly remains a significant advantage for independent firms. Not every advisor should be independent. Running a business requires a different set of skills and responsibilities than serving clients alone. Growth milestones are useful, but they do not define success. Michael believes success existed long before Emerald reached $1 billion in assets. High-performing teams with a clear client focus often find that growth becomes a natural byproduct of execution. https://youtu.be/RjzsMcC2DnY Quotable Moments “I literally had to go back and Google the word overservicing.” “Servicing the client is the most important thing that we can do today.” “If you serve a niche and you're very good at that niche, that word gets around.” “Growth becomes the outcome.” FAQs Can an advisor really “over-service” clients? The discussion explores the tension between efficiency and depth of service. While some business models prioritize scale and consistency, others are built around solving a broader range of client problems. The right answer often depends on the advisor's philosophy and business model. Does specialization still matter in a relationship business? Michael argues that developing expertise in a specific area can accelerate growth by making referrals easier and helping advisors become known for solving a particular set of problems. What actually changes when an advisor becomes independent? Beyond economics, independence often creates more flexibility around client service, technology, processes, and business decisions. At the same time, advisors assume responsibility for running the business itself. Is full independence the right path for every advisor? No. Michael acknowledges that many advisors benefit from the structure, support, and resources available within traditional firms. Independence offers flexibility, but it also introduces complexity and responsibility. How should advisors think about the $1 billion milestone? Michael views asset milestones as useful benchmarks but not measures of success. In his view, business quality, client outcomes, and sustainability matter more than any specific asset number. What role does an ideal client persona play in growth? Rather than trying to serve everyone, Emerald built its business around a clearly defined client profile. Michael believes that focus improves service, creates operational consistency, and supports organic growth. How can advisors balance growth with client service? One of the central themes of the episode is that growth and service are not necessarily competing objectives. In some cases, a differentiated service model becomes the reason a business grows. The discussion explores the tension between efficiency and depth of service. While some business models prioritize scale and consistency, others are built around solving a broader range of client problems. The right answer often depends on the advisor's philosophy and business model. Michael argues that developing expertise in a specific area can accelerate growth by making referrals easier and helping advisors become known for solving a particular set of problems. Beyond economics, independence often creates more flexibility around client service, technology, processes, and business decisions. At the same time, advisors assume responsibility for running the business itself. No. Michael acknowledges that many advisors benefit from the structure, support, and resources available within traditional firms. Independence offers flexibility, but it also introduces complexity and responsibility. Michael views asset milestones as useful benchmarks but not measures of success. In his view, business quality, client outcomes, and sustainability matter more than any specific asset number. Rather than trying to serve everyone, Emerald built its business around a clearly defined client profile. Michael believes that focus improves service, creates operational consistency, and supports organic growth. One of the central themes of the episode is that growth and service are not necessarily competing objectives. In some cases, a differentiated service model becomes the reason a business grows. Related Resources The Transitioning Advisor's Lament: Things I Wish I Knew Before Freedom vs. Familiarity: Is it Worth Disrupting Comfort for Something That Might Be Better? IBD vs. RIA Revisited: Two Independent Pathways for Advisors to Consider Advisor Transition Report 2026 Guest Bio Michael Smith, CPWA® is the Founder and Managing Partner of Emerald Advisors, an independent wealth management firm overseeing more than $1 billion in assets for affluent families, executives, and business owners with complex planning needs. Mike entered the wealth management industry in 2005 after a distinguished 24-year career in the United States Navy, where he served both as an enlisted sailor in the Submarine Force and later as a Limited Duty Officer aboard USS Abraham Lincoln and on major staffs around the world. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Management and an MBA with dual emphases in Finance & Accounting and International Business. Throughout his career, Mike has been known for his commitment to comprehensive planning, helping clients navigate complex issues involving concentrated stock positions, executive compensation, tax strategy, estate planning, philanthropy, and multi-generational wealth transfer. His client-first approach and passion for education have helped Emerald Advisors grow from a startup firm in 2019 to a nationally recognized RIA serving more than 225 families. Outside of the office, Mike is an avid ultrarunner, golfer, lifelong learner, and dedicated advocate for children’s health initiatives. He is a current member of the Legacy Council at Seattle Children’s Hospital and has served in leadership and board roles supporting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, the ALS Association, and the Alyssa Burnett Adult Life Center. He is also the proud father of Kat Smith. NOTE: The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Diamond Consultants. Neither Diamond Consultants nor the guests on this podcast are compensated in any way for their participation. View the transcript of this episode… From “Overservicing” Clients to Building a $1B RIA: A Merrill Breakaway Story A conversation with Jason Diamond and Michael Smith, Managing Partner and Founder of Emerald Advisors.      Jason Diamond: Welcome to the latest episode of our podcast series for financial advisors. Today’s episode is From “Overservicing” Clients to Building a $1B RIA: A Merrill Breakaway Story. It’s a conversation with Michael Smith, managing partner and founder of Emerald Advisors. I’m Jason Diamond and this is the Diamond Podcast for financial advisors. Mindy Diamond: At Diamond Consultants, we help elite advisors identify the right environment for their businesses to thrive whether that’s at a wirehouse, boutique or independent firm. With nearly three decades of experience, we’ve guided thousands of advisors and represented more than a quarter of a trillion dollars in assets transitioned and, each year, one in four advisors managing a billion dollars or more who change firms are our clients. Our process is education driven and based on building relationships starting as your strategic partner well before you’re even thinking of a move. To schedule a confidential conversation, call us at (908) 879-1002. Wondering why advisors change firms and where they’re headed? Are transition deals going up or down? Those very questions and more inspired us to create our annual advisor transition report. It’s the award-winning, data-driven resource designed for advisors that connects the dots between the motivations around movement and the firm’s appetite for top talent. Arm yourself with the knowledge you need to make smart decisions. Download your copy at diamond-consultants.com/transitionreport. Jason Diamond: Growth is often viewed as the result of better marketing, stronger referrals, a larger team and even acquisition and that’s all true yet growth can be the byproduct of something else entirely. For example, Michael Smith built a successful practice at Merrill then, one day, he was told he was spending too much time with his clients, or his management put it over-servicing clients. For Michael, that wasn’t a warning sign about his approach, it was a signal that he might have outgrown the firm and the model. Today, Michael is the founder and managing partner of Emerald Advisors, the independent RIA he launched in late 2019 with roughly 385 million in assets and 85 client relationships. Less than seven years later, the firm has grown to more than a billion in assets while remaining deeply focused on a highly-specialized client base and an unusually hands-on service model. What makes this story particularly interesting isn’t just the growth, it’s the thinking behind it. Michael’s perspective was shaped long before he entered wealth management. After serving more than two decades in the Navy, he brought a leadership philosophy centered on accountability, discipline and what he calls steamboat people, those who keep moving forward regardless of conditions, that mindset continues to influence how he builds his team, serves clients and evaluates opportunities. In this episode, we discuss the decision to leave Merrill, the realities of launching a fully independent RIA, why specialization can accelerate growth, the evolving role of custodians and technology and why he believes exceptional client service remains one of the industry’s most durable competitive advantages. Because Michael’s experience suggests that growth isn’t always the result of finding more opportunities, sometimes it’s the result of creating the freedom to execute the vision you already had so let’s jump in. Michael, thank you so much for joining us today. For starters, can you walk us through your background and what brought you to the world of wealth management? Michael Smith: Jason, thank you so much for the opportunity to be here today, I do listen to the podcast a lot especially before I left Mother Merrill. But my background and how I got into financial services is really distinct because I was on the board of JDRF back in the day and the national sponsor for JDRF was UBS PaineWebber and they’re like, “Mike, why don’t you be a financial advisor?” And my master’s degree was actually a finance and accounting in portfolio management because I’ve managed my own portfolio for years and years and so, when I couldn’t get a job, I just fell into it because I couldn’t get a job and I needed a job. That was 21 years ago, Memorial Day so that’s how I got into this industry. Jason Diamond: It’s a unique background, it’s super interesting and I want to talk more about it. You mentioned Mother Merrill, we’ll certainly get there. Before we do, give us a little bit of context on the current business you operate, Emerald Advisors, any context you can share on size, number of staff, types of clients you serve would be great. Michael Smith: Sure. So, we launched Emerald in 2019, November 2019 with about 85 clients and you always talk about this on the podcast how scared it is to launch and go independent. And I would say we took over about 95% of our clients that we wanted to bring over and today we’re at about 230 clients, I think we have some onboarding right now, we have just over a billion of assets. So, we launched with the 85 clients and around 350, 385 million, now we’re over a billion. Jason Diamond: Good for you. Michael Smith: Thank you. And I launched with four employees and we’re now at 11. And I would give a shout-out to one of my key employees because, when I launched, I actually hired somebody that had no experience with us and that was really a good thing because that allowed that person to really focus on operations and back office stuff while my business partner Emily and I were able to focus on bringing on the clients and alleviating any issues that they may have or thought. Jason Diamond: So, meaning you hired somebody basically immediately upon launch to help you with the transition and with this next chapter? Michael Smith: Correct. I hired them before but they started the day we launched. Jason Diamond: Brilliant, I love it. Oh, let’s definitely talk more about that because I think that’s a great strategy for … You’re right, you said it in a joking manner now because you’re seven years past but it’s a very real fear that advisors have and I think it’s worth talking more about. I want to mention too you have, obviously, built this business and grown this business dramatically. I don’t want to make this episode about the pandemic but you moved the business at a, certainly, a unique time. Did it impact your growth at all? Did you feel like you hit a brick wall? Just curious about your thoughts. Michael Smith: No, Jason, that’s a great observation. I would venture to say that the pandemic was actually a good thing for us. Jason Diamond: Interesting. Michael Smith: And I say that because, all of a sudden, you could hit pause because everyone was relearning how to do business, how do we do client reviews, how do we communicate with clients in a environment. So, I think the pandemic allowed us to just really reset our expectations visiting with clients because I used to fly a lot because I have clients in 38 different states so this has actually been, not just good for me, but good for the industry because I think it’s reset our expectations that we don’t have to be every day with a client facing. Jason Diamond: I agree with that largely and it’s true of our business too, by the way, it’s certainly reshaped the way people expect to be communicated with. I think Zoom has become much more mainstream, phone calls and we’ve heard from many other advisors who say something similar. I was just curious because you moved so close to or if there was an impact but I get, honestly, I think you’re right, it allowed you to have this nice natural inflection point and almost like flipping a switch of a clean slate. Michael Smith: It allowed us to learn the processes too. So, we launched in November 1st, by March we were in lockdown and so it gave us the opportunity to take several months of just learning the processes of how to be an RIA, it was pretty good. Jason Diamond: Absolutely. So, one of the things you mentioned in that was the way in which you serve clients and I’d read something funny and I think it was around the time of your move. You were talking about that, Merrill, you had a manager who spoke about that you would overserve your clients, you serve clients too much, tell me about that. Michael Smith: That was such an interesting topic because I got called down to the ops officer’s office and they’re like, “Ugh, Mike.” And it brought my admin down with me and they’re like, “Mike, these reports that you’re taking care of your clients too much,” and I’m like, “What do you mean?” “Well, you’re overservicing them.” Jason, I literally had to go back and Google the word overservicing because I was like, “How do you overservice the client? I’m not making their bed.” It was just so funny to me that I got counsel for overservicing clients when we’re in a client-facing job and I think that was part of the catalyst. Jason Diamond: Tell me more about what they meant, you think. Michael Smith: Hindsight, I think they … I like to take care of people which means I’m very intuitive towards taxes, I understand how the tax code works, I understand how everything impacts their bottom line. So, when we’re doing deferred comp enrollments or 401(k) enrollments or I’m a big believer in Roth 401(k)s and backdoor Roths and I’ve been doing them for years, I think what Mother Merrill wanted at that time was us not to do that. And, again, nothing against Merrill, I get it but this is how they wanted us to act and I wasn’t in that mold, I was taking care of clients to a much deeper depth is how I would say it. Jason Diamond: And I think that speaks to you outgrew the model not necessarily the firm. I think Merrill does a lot of things really well, you would agree with that, I think given that you built 85 clients and 350 million in assets is nothing to sneeze at. But the model that it seems like you value client service and an integrated client service experience of that and the wirehouse model oftentimes doesn’t put a premium on that. Tell me about your ethos or your thoughts around client service today and what being independent enables you to do. Michael Smith: So, that’s an interesting observation because one of my clients actually just mentioned to me that the reason we’re growing so much is because of our service model and the fact that we deliver a tremendous amount of value over just portfolio management. I said my managers is in portfolio management, I don’t do that any longer, I have a staff that handles that for me but it’s really the servicing of the clients because they don’t know what we know and I think servicing the client is the most important thing that we can do today. Jason Diamond: Give me some examples of what you mean by servicing the client in a more holistic way. I agree with you, by the way, portfolio management, table stakes, financial planning, table stakes, tell me more about what you mean. Michael Smith: By that I mean we do a quarterly review on tax. So, a lot of people don’t understand how taxes work and how estimated taxes work. So, estimated taxes are January 1st to March 31st, January 1st to May 31st, January 1st to August 31st, that’s how you do your estimated tax payments, you figure out what that is. And for compensated employees where they have RSUs that come in at different times of the year or different grants or exercise their options at a different time, that can affect their estimated tax liability and I’m not big on giving Uncle Sam any more money than they have to have until they need it. And then everyone doesn’t understand how the penalties and interest works on the IRS. And I’m big on the tax payments because that’s where we can add a lot of value for not a lot of time and we integrate it with our portfolio so we know what we’re doing with our gains. And I happen to reside in Washington State which has a long-term capital gains tax rate once you surpass about 270,000 of long-term capital gains. So, it’s super important for us to be aware of this and that’s how we service them. We also help them with their rebalancing of their 401(k)s, things that wirehouses cannot supposed to do, we are not supposed to be helping them with some of their aspects of life. Jason Diamond: Yup. That’s what I was alluding to earlier, it’s limitations on the model, not because they’re bad models, it’s just a different way, a different ethos around client service. You mentioned RSUs and corporate employees, I know that’s a niche you have is around concentrated stock positions and equity comp plans. I guess let me ask you two different questions around this. First of all, why that niche? Interested. And then, second of all, do you think a team needs to have a specialization to be competitive these days or do you think it’s okay just to be like, “My job is to be the best advisor and I want to service assets wherever those assets may come from?” Michael Smith: Another great observation. I’m going to address the niche first and foremost. I think, and I talked to R.J. Shook’s staff just recently, and having a niche gives you a specialization and it also accelerates your growth factor. If you serve a niche and you’re very good at that niche, then that word gets around. If you’re a jack of all trades, you can do lots of things but I don’t think you’re focused and you’re not hitting the right numbers that I like to see. And I think that would be my theme is the niche allows you to focus on a very specific type of ideal client, that’s a Schwab thing where you have an ideal client persona and our firm has an ideal client persona. As far as having the equity comp, I absolutely was one of the teams at Merrill Lynch that was equity compensation designated, I managed a couple of plans. My exposure to that, Jason, I haven’t thought about this in a very long time, came from UBS where I had team members that were colleagues that were associated with the Nextel Sprint plan. And I always thought that you’re taking care of the top executives but, really, my background being in the military was how do we take care of the troops, the troops, I call them sailors, and how do we educate those sailors. And one of the things I’ve always said in my entire career in the military and I still say to this day is 50% of every bonus or a promotion or something like that should go to long-term savings. So, I use that same mentality with RSUs, with stock options, with bonuses. Set that aside, let that grow because you’re not used to spending it and you will learn to spend what you make. Jason Diamond: I think that’s a great reason, it’s super smart and I love your explanation, it was a very simplistic way. Honestly, even I hadn’t thought about that around your niche, I think, becomes almost like a force multiplier for your own growth because it’s much easier to become the guy in X, Y, Z vertical than to be the guy in every financial advisor of America, across America. Let me ask you a follow-up question, you mentioned the ideal client persona. I spend a lot of time at our firm thinking about this as well, what does your ideal client persona look like. How do you think about an opportunity though that differs from that persona? So, it’s great. Obviously, everybody, it’s easy, you get somebody who’s your perfect prospect, they walk in the front door, sign me up. But when you get something that’s not down the fairway for you, is it just I evaluate it on a one-off basis or are you super disciplined to that approach because it’s who your firm is? Michael Smith: I truly haven’t given that a whole lot of thought but I will tell you how I would handle that because I am handling it with some one-offs. I like the opportunity because you’re stretching your brain in that you’re thinking about how somebody else is reacting so you’d never know. So, I like it from a learning perspective but I also know it comes with a lot of other baggage, I’ll call it baggage, because, all of a sudden, they want to short the market, they want to go long-short strategies. So, all of a sudden, they’re not in our niche and, all of a sudden, they’re taking a lot of time, they’re draining our time so I think you got to be very careful about what you wish for. And there’s a lot of great advisors out there that will walk circles around these topics that I’m like, “Okay, I would rather refer somebody so they get the right experience than give them the wrong experience.” Jason Diamond: I absolutely love that answer. The bow you just put on it, I think, is the appropriate way in my mind to put a bow. At the end of the day, wouldn’t you rather service somebody more optimally even if you don’t believe it’s yourself, I agree with that. I want to ask you one more point on the client service piece. I was playing around on your website and, on your service model, you have health as a component of the client experience of your diagram. Why do you think health matters in a financial context? Michael Smith: I always believed in a healthy mind and a healthy body will bring so much joy to you and I think health is just part of your persona. If you don’t take care of yourself and your body and your mind, then it doesn’t matter what I do, I think you got to start with health. So, I’m very big on the executive physicals, I routinely require all of our staff to have an annual physical. And, again, they’re young people but you got to have these annual … I live and breathe going to see a doctor every year to do my annual physical, not because I think I’m pretty good health, I still run, I do a lot of things but I think your life starts with being healthy. Jason Diamond: Yeah, it’s refreshing to hear that, no doubt. It’s funny to think about but 2019 is a long time ago now and, in RIA world, I almost think of it like dog years. You’ve been around the block now for a little while so I’m curious how have you seen this space change since you launched in 2019? Michael Smith: In 2019, I didn’t know what I was doing, I could barely get out a wet paper bag but I do think it’s changed dramatically. I would say the biggest thing I’ve seen in just the six and a half, almost seven years is the rise of the mega RIAs and how they’re going to shape the industry. Everyone talked about fee compression at Merrill Lynch. When I was at Merrill, we talked about fee compression, then they talked about robo-advisors and now they’re talking about artificial intelligence replacing advisors, I don’t believe that and I don’t think that’s going to happen in the RIA space. What I see the RIA space maturing is into these very big mega firms as well as these independent RIAs like myself that serve a very niche market where we can walk in our lane. The ability to transact today is so much easier as an RIA than it was at a wirehouse as well because we have instant access to technology. My military background, my Navy background says make a decision right, wrong or different, if you don’t like it afterwards or you get new data, course change. So, in our industry, we can change on a notice. I hired a tech firm last year, I didn’t like the experience nine months into it, guess what, they’re not coming back. So, I can do that but you can’t do that at the bigger firms and even the bigger mega firms would have a hard time navigating a change just like that on a dime. Jason Diamond: You bring up an interesting point. To the extent you face competition, do you find yourself competing more against traditional wirehouse type firms or RIAs like yourself, mega caps RIAs? Are your clients attuned to any of this? Michael Smith: That’s an observation I haven’t thought of either there, Jason. I would say I don’t feel that I have a … I know there’s competition out there but we have a growth issue more than we have anything else so I don’t … I can’t take on the clients that want to become my clients so I’m not competing with people too much. Jason Diamond: A capacity issue, you mean? Michael Smith: Yeah, I have a capacity issue. Jason Diamond: I think you’re not alone in that. How can I even think about competition and the like when … A lot of advisors would probably say that. I want to talk more about the capacity situation but, before I do, let’s talk a little more about the RIA setup. Who do you custody with, remind us, and why or how did you arrive at that decision? Michael Smith: Yeah. So, when I launched, I went with Schwab, Schwab is a phenomenal partner, they helped me get a lot of stuff done, I couldn’t have done it without Schwab. During the pandemic, I realized that I should probably … So, remember, during the pandemic, we had a lot of issues with the banking industry, it was almost like a financial crisis but in a very compressed time. So, during the COVID, I decided to add Fidelity as another custodian so now I have two custodians and I opened accounts on both sides of the house but I like the custodians that are there to help you, they’re very good at what they do. I don’t even consider them a competitor and they aren’t competitors, they have their own branch so I don’t consider them competitors, I think they’re my partners and both Charles Schwab and Fidelity are good partners. Jason Diamond: Yeah, I think that’s the healthy way to look at the custody relationship. That’s a very common approach, I think, is launching with one custodian and then adding a secondary custodian or a tertiary custodian down the line for one reason or another so I appreciate you sharing that because we get those types of nuts and bolts questions a lot so I figured I’d ask you. One last question on the setup and then we’ll shift gears. Has anything been a negative? So, you talked about leaving Mother Merrill behind and, Mother Merrill, we use it facetiously but obviously it implies a degree of comfort and the homeland so I’m curious if you miss anything. Michael Smith: I miss the camaraderie of being with a bunch of other folks. I mentioned this when I first launched, I mentioned it year over year with my team, the one thing that we miss as an RIA and, again, Dynasty has their benefits as well and the mega RIAs have their benefits but, if you’re a true independent like myself, we get to go to conferences that we want to and that’s a timing issue, really, a time constraint. But one thing Merrill and Morgan, JPMorgan, and the other big wirehouses have as well as the megas, they have the ability to put conferences together for their advisors or their administrators and have this education. That’s the one thing that, I think, would evolve in the RIA industry in the future as well. They’re not my competitors, they’re my business colleagues. And if we think of them as competitors, and a lot of people do because I don’t want to share my client information or what I do with my competitor because they may steal them, if you’re that insecure, then you’re probably not the right advisor in the first place. Jason Diamond: I don’t disagree with that. It’s interesting too, I hear two common answers to that question, not about Merrill but just about somebody who’s broken away, what do you miss about the captive firm world. Either on this podcast or just in conversations with advisors, brand comes up a lot and then the point you just raised. I’ll even hear like, “Hey, forget the conferences and the trainings, just being able to have an office where I’ve got eight other advisors on a row for me, it’s a little bit of a different setup than in the independent space,” and I think that’s just a reality of you take the good with the bad. And for other advisors, by the way, one of the things I want to ask you about to this point is do you believe that there are advisors that are just better served in the W2 traditional firm world or do you think that every advisor should be looking at the RIA space? Michael Smith: I think that wirehouse serves a great purpose and- Jason Diamond: Okay, me too. Michael Smith: … there’s a lot of great people that are great advisors in that wirehouse, they need the structure. What I hadn’t alluded to is, and I mentioned this to a former manager from Merrill Lynch of mine just recently, actually, I was like, “I don’t think advisors realize what it takes to run a business.” I’m not trying to sugarcoat it, running an RIA is hard work, it takes a lot of your time day in and day out to run a business as well as taking care of and servicing your clients so I do think the wirehouse venue is the right way to go. And, Jason, I want to go back to one other thing about your identity. I launched as the Smith Group because that’s what I was known at Merrill Lynch. Within three or four months, I changed that name to a firm because I did not want to be associated with it. So, when you’re at one of the wirehouses, you’re known as your team name or something of that sort, I didn’t want to be known as that, I wanted to be known as Emerald Advisors not the Smith Group because, all of a sudden, you have a single point of failure. So, brand identity, it’s not so unique inside the wirehouse because it’s a team name versus Merrill or Morgan Stanley or something like that. Jason Diamond: It’s a good segue because I’ll tell you where my mind goes when you bring that up. My mind goes is you’re smart in a way that you might not even realize or maybe you do realize which is that, if and when it ever comes time to sell this business, it is probably more valuable without your name attached to it or maybe not. But in some way, shape or form, as an RIA, you have an obligation to be thinking about that or it’s probably on your radar, maybe not an obligation. Have you given an ounce of thought to M&A either acquiring businesses, growing in that way or, ultimately, when you succeed out of this business and what the RIA space enables you to do? Michael Smith: To answer that question, yes. Everyone’s thinking about merger and acquisition, I think about succession planning from day one. I actually thought about I’m a big team person, I come from the submarine force where everyone is a key player on a submarine, every single person has a job and responsibility on a nuclear submarine. So, inside the financial services industry, I know Merrill Lynch was very big on teaming, I understand Morgan Stanley is as well because teaming gives them a breadth of responsibility where the responsibilities are shared. So, mergers and acquisitions or selling my business, I think, if you’re not thinking about that … And I’m not thinking about selling my business because that’s a distraction to me. If I needed the money, then I would’ve went to a wirehouse and that’s okay, you monetize your life’s work. Today, I’m all about what’s right for the client, what’s right for my team and what’s right for where I want to be in the next 10 to 20 years. So, I am growing, I do want to grow, I’m looking at opening offices in probably three locations in the next 24 months or so. Jason Diamond: Well, that’s what I was going to say, plenty of advisors I think would say the same, I have a lot of runway. But what about the other side of this equation which is you’ve had tremendous organic growth, you’ve tripled your client base, you’ve more than tripled the asset base, have you thought about acquisition as a mean to jet fuel the inorganic growth side of things? Michael Smith: I have but not in the typical sense that you’re looking at as buying a book of business. I want to partner with like-minded advisors that share that common thread of taking care of clients where you can serve as their trusted counsel and sit in the meetings with their attorneys and sit in the meetings with the accountants and give them sage counsel that you can only do because you’ve been with the family for 20 years. You know this family and that, not always, but I think that’s missed a lot in other firms. Jason Diamond: Yeah, I think that’s fair. I just thought of something else that you brought up. You brought Dynasty so I’m going to ask … I’m going to pull on this thread. That implies to me that you’re at least loosely aware of the supportive independence models that are out there yet you chose a very independent, autonomous path, why? Michael Smith: Because I didn’t know what I was doing. Jason Diamond: Fair. Michael Smith: Let’s be honest, I like Dynasty, I talked with Dynasty when I left. I talked to them all, I talked to Rockefeller, I talked to Morgan, I talked to Dynasty and then, when push came to shove, I wanted to be Mike Smith and launch my own firm and learn. And I will tell you, you learn drinking through a fire hose and we did that, we learned, I know the mistakes. What I didn’t want to do is just go to someplace where this is the stuff you’re going to have to use. So, I think Dynasty is a great launching platform, I think there’s other ones out there that are similar to Dynasty or the Rockefellers or the Morgans, it’s truly what you’re trying to achieve in life. What do you want for you and your clients and I always put my clients before me because I’ve always had this lifelong thing of, you do the right thing, you’re going to get taken care of. Jason Diamond: Yeah. And that’s a very common analysis, by the way, and it’s very common too for big advisors like yourself to say I did my homework across all of those different categories. I looked at the traditional wirehouses and regional firms and boutique firms, I looked at the independent broker dealers, I looked at the support platforms and the aggregators and the roll-ups and here’s ultimately what I landed on and why. Did you always know that though or was that something that it took you a diligence process to figure out? There was plenty of advisors, by the way, who come to us and they’re like, “I knew for the last five years that I was sitting there I was launching an RIA someday.” Michael Smith: Yeah. I did not know that and, to be honest with you, hindsight, I think one of those partners probably could have made me a little bit better at first because then I could have focused on clients versus focusing on, hey, how to open a business, who’s your technology … We talked about custodians and some other things but we didn’t talk about technology, how do you go find that technology. Where’s your email address come from? Who’s your chief compliance officer? When it resides on you, you got to look in the mirror. So, I think those parties out there that provide that for brand-new advisors launching could be very beneficial. I had in my mind what I needed to do and I knew I’m very frugal so mine boiled down to how much money I wanted to spend, to be honest with you. Jason Diamond: I think it is a cost benefit analysis, it is. It’s absolutely … Because if you list the functions of a support platform on paper and you showed it to somebody who didn’t know the industry, they would say, “Why on earth wouldn’t you do this? They’re taking off your plate compliance and tech and custody and the like,” and the answer is because there’s a cost associated with it and plenty of advisors decide what you decide, I wanted … Or I just wanted a greater degree of autonomy and freedom, to your point, the name on the door piece, I wanted this to be mine. Michael Smith: And, Jason, I think it also goes to the uncertainty. I had never done anything since Navy, financial advising and then launching. So, for me, I was launching with four employees I had to take care of and here I was going to hire a third party that I was going to have to spend X amount on and I didn’t even know what my income was going to be. That’s different if you’re a multi-billion dollar FA coming out of a wirehouse, the monetary dynamics are different. Jason Diamond: Agreed. Okay, here’s a good one for you. We get this concept from advisors, from firms, from private equity that a billion dollars in assets is like this magic number in our industry. Do you feel like anything’s changed now that you’re at a billion and what’s the next chapter for Emerald Advisors? Is it just continuing on this steady trajectory and serving clients and trust that everything else comes with that? Michael Smith: I go back and forth on a billion, everyone thinks that’s the right number, the biggest number that you need but I think it’s just an arbitrary numbers because it didn’t define who I was. And a lot of people define success at a billion, they define success that you’re a successful firm at a billion. I think I was a successful firm at 300 million, I was a successful financial advisor with 20 clients in 2005. I would say a billion is a multiplier, what I would tell new advisors out there today is gather assets. The more assets you have, the more revenue you generate. The more revenue you generate, the more money you can put in your pocket which means the longer you can stay in the industry. The problem with the industry is an attrition problem, not anything else. So, assets just give us the ability to have revenue which gives us the ability to grow. Jason Diamond: And is that the plan? Keep adding assets, keep growing one client at a time with the focus though, obviously, on what makes you which is a very client-centric service model. Michael Smith: Correct. There’s a lot of things I want to do in the next couple of years and expanding our footprint is our biggest one with the right partners and then just keep adding. I have a business development officer that I’m probably offer a job to here pretty soon and things are going well. Jason Diamond: Yeah, that’s great. You mentioned the tech stack and the other components of the business and I hear you on the frugal cost-benefit analysis. But who did you turn to for some of those early decisions, was it Schwab primarily who helped hold your hand through that? Michael Smith: Schwab was very good at helping me identify the tech stack at first and the tech stack is actually the one consistent, there’s a lot of things I’ve been consistent on but tech is one that I’ve stayed with them. I launched with RightSize, now they’re Advisory, they’re very good, they do the right job for us and I’m big on cybersecurity. So, tech was helpful from Schwab, Schwab helped us with that. Jason Diamond: So, we spoke a little bit about your naval experience but, I’m curious, can you tell us how has your naval experience shaped your perception or your experience in wealth management? Michael Smith: My Navy path was a lot different than many officers. I served 12 years as an enlisted person before I got my direct commission as a Mustang officer, typically called limited duty officers or loud, dumb and obnoxious as I like to say. But that experience gave me a unique perspective because I was able to be the enlisted side and officer which are the workers and then the management side so I had both experiences which was unique. When I was commissioned, Admiral Jerry Ellis, a submarine admiral that commissioned me, heard this lesson to the podium, he was just talking about me in this point but he said, “There are three kinds of people in every organization. You have rowboat people who need to be pushed, you have sailboat people who move whenever the conditions are favorable and then there’s steamboat people, they move continuously through calm or storm.” And he said, “This is Ensign Michael Smith,” he said, “Make your course.” And that’s always stood with me because you do have those three types of people in life. You got people that are just … They’re robo people, they go until they get tired. You got sailboat people that go wherever the wind blows them and then you got steamboat people that chart their own course. I would say for advisors out there make your course or just be happy with what you’re doing. But for some of us hard chargers, I think that analogy has stayed with me my entire career. Jason Diamond: It’s fantastic. I love the analogy, great naval tie in also. Thanks for sharing that. We got time for one more question. You have a fascinating background, a fascinating path to the industry, obviously, an incredibly disciplined approach around client service, any parting thoughts, words of wisdom especially as it relates to growth? That’s what strikes me most about your story is the growth that your move unlocked and that’s what every advisor who listens to our show is looking for. Michael Smith: I’m going to give another plug to Schwab on this. We actually were fortunate and I got their consulting group to come in right afterwards and I’m a big believer in having offsite. So, I’ve had an offsite, two offsites a year for my team and it’s the entire team unlike the wirehouses where you don’t take your admins and stuff like that. I take my entire team to an offsite and we group up on what we’re trying to achieve and have goals and objectives for the year. Schwab allowed us to use their consultants and we came up with our ideal client persona. Teams or firms that have this model become high performing. When you become high performing, growth becomes the outcome. I couldn’t do anything but grow. Jason, I couldn’t not grow because I had this ideal client persona, I knew how I was going to do it, it was measurable. So, growth becomes the outcome and, if you hold people responsible, then we’re all going to grow together and it’s a fun outcome. Jason Diamond: Fantastic, it’s a great place to end. Thank you so much for sharing your expertise with us, I can’t wait to see what the next chapter holds for Emerald, this has been a lot of fun. Michael Smith: Jason, thank you so much. I appreciate everything you do for the industry as well. Mindy Diamond: As a financial advisor, you hold yourself to the highest standards of integrity, honesty and credibility. You are successful because you take your professional responsibility seriously and are dedicated to your clients. But are you living your best business life? Are your goals aligned with your firms or could a better option exist? Should I Stay or Should I Go? Is a book written with you in mind? It’s a self-guided journey that walks you through the key steps that we take with our advisor clients. This strategic thought process and roadmap to professional self-discovery is designed to help you ask the right questions and think critically and objectively whether you’re considering change or not. Learn how to get your copy at diamond-consultants.com/thebook. From “Overservicing” Clients to Building a $1B RIA: A Merrill Breakaway Story A conversation with Jason Diamond and Michael Smith, Managing Partner and Founder of Emerald Advisors.      Jason Diamond: Welcome to the latest episode of our podcast series for financial advisors. Today’s episode is From “Overservicing” Clients to Building a $1B RIA: A Merrill Breakaway Story. It’s a conversation with Michael Smith, managing partner and founder of Emerald Advisors. I’m Jason Diamond and this is the Diamond Podcast for financial advisors. Mindy Diamond: At Diamond Consultants, we help elite advisors identify the right environment for their businesses to thrive whether that’s at a wirehouse, boutique or independent firm. With nearly three decades of experience, we’ve guided thousands of advisors and represented more than a quarter of a trillion dollars in assets transitioned and, each year, one in four advisors managing a billion dollars or more who change firms are our clients. Our process is education driven and based on building relationships starting as your strategic partner well before you’re even thinking of a move. To schedule a confidential conversation, call us at (908) 879-1002. Wondering why advisors change firms and where they’re headed? Are transition deals going up or down? Those very questions and more inspired us to create our annual advisor transition report. It’s the award-winning, data-driven resource designed for advisors that connects the dots between the motivations around movement and the firm’s appetite for top talent. Arm yourself with the knowledge you need to make smart decisions. Download your copy at diamond-consultants.com/transitionreport. Jason Diamond: Growth is often viewed as the result of better marketing, stronger referrals, a larger team and even acquisition and that’s all true yet growth can be the byproduct of something else entirely. For example, Michael Smith built a successful practice at Merrill then, one day, he was told he was spending too much time with his clients, or his management put it over-servicing clients. For Michael, that wasn’t a warning sign about his approach, it was a signal that he might have outgrown the firm and the model. Today, Michael is the founder and managing partner of Emerald Advisors, the independent RIA he launched in late 2019 with roughly 385 million in assets and 85 client relationships. Less than seven years later, the firm has grown to more than a billion in assets while remaining deeply focused on a highly-specialized client base and an unusually hands-on service model. What makes this story particularly interesting isn’t just the growth, it’s the thinking behind it. Michael’s perspective was shaped long before he entered wealth management. After serving more than two decades in the Navy, he brought a leadership philosophy centered on accountability, discipline and what he calls steamboat people, those who keep moving forward regardless of conditions, that mindset continues to influence how he builds his team, serves clients and evaluates opportunities. In this episode, we discuss the decision to leave Merrill, the realities of launching a fully independent RIA, why specialization can accelerate growth, the evolving role of custodians and technology and why he believes exceptional client service remains one of the industry’s most durable competitive advantages. Because Michael’s experience suggests that growth isn’t always the result of finding more opportunities, sometimes it’s the result of creating the freedom to execute the vision you already had so let’s jump in. Michael, thank you so much for joining us today. For starters, can you walk us through your background and what brought you to the world of wealth management? Michael Smith: Jason, thank you so much for the opportunity to be here today, I do listen to the podcast a lot especially before I left Mother Merrill. But my background and how I got into financial services is really distinct because I was on the board of JDRF back in the day and the national sponsor for JDRF was UBS PaineWebber and they’re like, “Mike, why don’t you be a financial advisor?” And my master’s degree was actually a finance and accounting in portfolio management because I’ve managed my own portfolio for years and years and so, when I couldn’t get a job, I just fell into it because I couldn’t get a job and I needed a job. That was 21 years ago, Memorial Day so that’s how I got into this industry. Jason Diamond: It’s a unique background, it’s super interesting and I want to talk more about it. You mentioned Mother Merrill, we’ll certainly get there. Before we do, give us a little bit of context on the current business you operate, Emerald Advisors, any context you can share on size, number of staff, types of clients you serve would be great. Michael Smith: Sure. So, we launched Emerald in 2019, November 2019 with about 85 clients and you always talk about this on the podcast how scared it is to launch and go independent. And I would say we took over about 95% of our clients that we wanted to bring over and today we’re at about 230 clients, I think we have some onboarding right now, we have just over a billion of assets. So, we launched with the 85 clients and around 350, 385 million, now we’re over a billion. Jason Diamond: Good for you. Michael Smith: Thank you. And I launched with four employees and we’re now at 11. And I would give a shout-out to one of my key employees because, when I launched, I actually hired somebody that had no experience with us and that was really a good thing because that allowed that person to really focus on operations and back office stuff while my business partner Emily and I were able to focus on bringing on the clients and alleviating any issues that they may have or thought. Jason Diamond: So, meaning you hired somebody basically immediately upon launch to help you with the transition and with this next chapter? Michael Smith: Correct. I hired them before but they started the day we launched. Jason Diamond: Brilliant, I love it. Oh, let’s definitely talk more about that because I think that’s a great strategy for … You’re right, you said it in a joking manner now because you’re seven years past but it’s a very real fear that advisors have and I think it’s worth talking more about. I want to mention too you have, obviously, built this business and grown this business dramatically. I don’t want to make this episode about the pandemic but you moved the business at a, certainly, a unique time. Did it impact your growth at all? Did you feel like you hit a brick wall? Just curious about your thoughts. Michael Smith: No, Jason, that’s a great observation. I would venture to say that the pandemic was actually a good thing for us. Jason Diamond: Interesting. Michael Smith: And I say that because, all of a sudden, you could hit pause because everyone was relearning how to do business, how do we do client reviews, how do we communicate with clients in a environment. So, I think the pandemic allowed us to just really reset our expectations visiting with clients because I used to fly a lot because I have clients in 38 different states so this has actually been, not just good for me, but good for the industry because I think it’s reset our expectations that we don’t have to be every day with a client facing. Jason Diamond: I agree with that largely and it’s true of our business too, by the way, it’s certainly reshaped the way people expect to be communicated with. I think Zoom has become much more mainstream, phone calls and we’ve heard from many other advisors who say something similar. I was just curious because you moved so close to or if there was an impact but I get, honestly, I think you’re right, it allowed you to have this nice natural inflection point and almost like flipping a switch of a clean slate. Michael Smith: It allowed us to learn the processes too. So, we launched in November 1st, by March we were in lockdown and so it gave us the opportunity to take several months of just learning the processes of how to be an RIA, it was pretty good. Jason Diamond: Absolutely. So, one of the things you mentioned in that was the way in which you serve clients and I’d read something funny and I think it was around the time of your move. You were talking about that, Merrill, you had a manager who spoke about that you would overserve your clients, you serve clients too much, tell me about that. Michael Smith: That was such an interesting topic because I got called down to the ops officer’s office and they’re like, “Ugh, Mike.” And it brought my admin down with me and they’re like, “Mike, these reports that you’re taking care of your clients too much,” and I’m like, “What do you mean?” “Well, you’re overservicing them.” Jason, I literally had to go back and Google the word overservicing because I was like, “How do you overservice the client? I’m not making their bed.” It was just so funny to me that I got counsel for overservicing clients when we’re in a client-facing job and I think that was part of the catalyst. Jason Diamond: Tell me more about what they meant, you think. Michael Smith: Hindsight, I think they … I like to take care of people which means I’m very intuitive towards taxes, I understand how the tax code works, I understand how everything impacts their bottom line. So, when we’re doing deferred comp enrollments or 401(k) enrollments or I’m a big believer in Roth 401(k)s and backdoor Roths and I’ve been doing them for years, I think what Mother Merrill wanted at that time was us not to do that. And, again, nothing against Merrill, I get it but this is how they wanted us to act and I wasn’t in that mold, I was taking care of clients to a much deeper depth is how I would say it. Jason Diamond: And I think that speaks to you outgrew the model not necessarily the firm. I think Merrill does a lot of things really well, you would agree with that, I think given that you built 85 clients and 350 million in assets is nothing to sneeze at. But the model that it seems like you value client service and an integrated client service experience of that and the wirehouse model oftentimes doesn’t put a premium on that. Tell me about your ethos or your thoughts around client service today and what being independent enables you to do. Michael Smith: So, that’s an interesting observation because one of my clients actually just mentioned to me that the reason we’re growing so much is because of our service model and the fact that we deliver a tremendous amount of value over just portfolio management. I said my managers is in portfolio management, I don’t do that any longer, I have a staff that handles that for me but it’s really the servicing of the clients because they don’t know what we know and I think servicing the client is the most important thing that we can do today. Jason Diamond: Give me some examples of what you mean by servicing the client in a more holistic way. I agree with you, by the way, portfolio management, table stakes, financial planning, table stakes, tell me more about what you mean. Michael Smith: By that I mean we do a quarterly review on tax. So, a lot of people don’t understand how taxes work and how estimated taxes work. So, estimated taxes are January 1st to March 31st, January 1st to May 31st, January 1st to August 31st, that’s how you do your estimated tax payments, you figure out what that is. And for compensated employees where they have RSUs that come in at different times of the year or different grants or exercise their options at a different time, that can affect their estimated tax liability and I’m not big on giving Uncle Sam any more money than they have to have until they need it. And then everyone doesn’t understand how the penalties and interest works on the IRS. And I’m big on the tax payments because that’s where we can add a lot of value for not a lot of time and we integrate it with our portfolio so we know what we’re doing with our gains. And I happen to reside in Washington State which has a long-term capital gains tax rate once you surpass about 270,000 of long-term capital gains. So, it’s super important for us to be aware of this and that’s how we service them. We also help them with their rebalancing of their 401(k)s, things that wirehouses cannot supposed to do, we are not supposed to be helping them with some of their aspects of life. Jason Diamond: Yup. That’s what I was alluding to earlier, it’s limitations on the model, not because they’re bad models, it’s just a different way, a different ethos around client service. You mentioned RSUs and corporate employees, I know that’s a niche you have is around concentrated stock positions and equity comp plans. I guess let me ask you two different questions around this. First of all, why that niche? Interested. And then, second of all, do you think

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Summertime NFL news means big time trades, but the Lions seem to be standing pat with their roster. How long will we "let Brad cook", or is it time for the Lions to make a big move? Speaking of big moves, will the Tigers trade Tarik Skubal at the deadline or lose him this offseason for nothing? Stanley Cup Finals, NBA Finals, Prep Spotlight updates, and more! Take a listen and hit us up @3pointpod! Thanks to: Memorial Healthcare Wellness Center, Blackstone's Public House, Nelson House Funeral Home, Success Group Mortgage & Servicing, Kori Shook & Associates, Jacobs Insurance, AZee Branding Solutions, Marrs Furniture & Mattress Barn, Shiawassee County Fair, Nichols Painting, Great Lakes Apparel Co., SportsNet MI

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The Pistons still hold home court advantage vs the Cavs, but after dropping 2 games in Cleveland are we starting to see the cracks in Detroit's squad? The Tigers appear to be falling apart as they start off slow in May, the PGA Championship is this weekend, Lions get to go to Germany for a game this fall, and plenty more! Take a listen and hit us up @3pointpod! Thanks to: Memorial Healthcare Wellness Center, Marrs Furniture & Mattress Barn, Blackstone's Public House, Nelson House Funeral Home, Success Group Mortgage & Servicing, Kori Shook & Associates, Jacobs Insurance, AZee Branding Solutions, Shiawassee County Fair, Nichols Painting, Great Lakes Apparel Co., SportsNet MI

In this week's episode we talk about:TikTok creator summereidy has 9 kids with 5 baby daddies and she's pregnant againA DC homeowner is back in court facing a $500,000 lawsuit from a former Airbnb guest who squatted in her home for monthsA couple were accused of racketeering and running a prostitution scheme out of their house, where Godley police officers were reported to have frequently spent time atTwitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/PnLJudgementals⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@pnljudgementals⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/PnLJudgementals⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/the__judgementals⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pnljudgementals@gmail.com⁠Music: Bread Crumbs - Successful

In this episode, Ted Tekippe, CEO of ZimpleMoney, shares insights into how his platform simplifies loan management for private real estate lenders, discusses key features, and explores growth strategies in the fintech and real estate sectors.   Professional Real Estate Investors - How we can help you: Investor Fuel Mastermind:  Learn more about the Investor Fuel Mastermind, including 100% deal financing, massive discounts from vendors and sponsors you're already using, our world class community of over 150 members, and SO much more here: http://www.investorfuel.com/apply   Investor Machine Marketing Partnership:  Are you looking for consistent, high quality lead generation? Investor Machine is America's #1 lead generation service professional investors. Investor Machine provides true 'white glove' support to help you build the perfect marketing plan, then we'll execute it for you…talking and working together on an ongoing basis to help you hit YOUR goals! Learn more here: http://www.investormachine.com   Coaching with Mike Hambright:  Interested in 1 on 1 coaching with Mike Hambright? Mike coaches entrepreneurs looking to level up, build coaching or service based businesses (Mike runs multiple 7 and 8 figure a year businesses), building a coaching program and more. Learn more here: https://investorfuel.com/coachingwithmike   Attend a Vacation/Mastermind Retreat with Mike Hambright: Interested in joining a "mini-mastermind" with Mike and his private clients on an upcoming "Retreat", either at locations like Cabo San Lucas, Napa, Park City ski trip, Yellowstone, or even at Mike's East Texas "Big H Ranch"? Learn more here: http://www.investorfuel.com/retreat   Property Insurance: Join the largest and most investor friendly property insurance provider in 2 minutes. Free to join, and insure all your flips and rentals within minutes! There is NO easier insurance provider on the planet (turn insurance on or off in 1 minute without talking to anyone!), and there's no 15-30% agent mark up through this platform!  Register here: https://myinvestorinsurance.com/   New Real Estate Investors - How we can work together: Investor Fuel Club (Coaching and Deal Partner Community): Looking to kickstart your real estate investing career? Join our one of a kind Coaching Community, Investor Fuel Club, where you'll get trained by some of the best real estate investors in America, and partner with them on deals! You don't need $ for deals…we'll partner with you and hold your hand along the way! Learn More here: http://www.investorfuel.com/club   —--------------------

May is always a good month for sports, even without football. The Pistons completely turned around their playoff run, should they be favorites in the East? The Tigers have been hit with the injury bug and are falling apart, is there any hope for this season? The Kentucky Derby always delivers, a 'Michael' review in Tedertainment Tonight, and more! Take a listen and hit us up @3pointpod! Thanks to: Memorial Healthcare Wellness Center, Blackstone's Public House, Nelson House Funeral Home, Success Group Mortgage & Servicing, Kori Shook & Associates, Jacobs Insurance, AZee Branding Solutions, Shiawassee County Fair, Nichols Painting, Great Lakes Apparel Co., SportsNet MI

In today's episode, we look at the figures surrounding America's aging housing stock. Plus, Robbie sits down with Chris Marshall of Sagent at its 2026 Ignite Conference, as well as Scott Rodeman (Evergreen Home Loans), Chris Wittrig (Land Home), and Jane Roethler (Idaho Housing and Finance Association) for a discussion on the latest and greatest in servicing technology. And we close by examining MBS coupon performance across the stack.Welcome to The Chrisman Commentary, your go-to daily mortgage news podcast, where industry insights meet expert analysis. Hosted by Robbie Chrisman, this podcast delivers the latest updates on mortgage rates, capital markets, and the forces shaping the housing finance landscape. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just looking to stay informed, you'll get clear, concise breakdowns of market trends and economic shifts that impact the mortgage world.Thank you to FirstClose, which provides fintech solutions to HELOC and mortgage lenders nationwide. Their home equity lending platform accelerates the home equity lending process, reducing application to closing times from 45 days to less than ten. 

The NBA Playoffs are on another level, and the Pistons are still alive after falling behind 1-3 to the Magic. Can they complete the comeback? The Lions didn't do anything 'splashy' in the NFL Draft this season, but have they done enough to get back to the playoffs? The Tigers are hovering around .500, but is there not much to be hopeful for with this year's squad? All that and more on Ep. 406, take a listen and hit us up! Thanks to: Memorial Healthcare Wellness Center, Blackstone's Public House, Nelson House Funeral Home, Success Group Mortgage & Servicing, Kori Shook & Associates, Jacobs Insurance, AZee Branding Solutions, Shiawassee County Fair, Nichols Painting, Great Lakes Apparel Co., SportsNet MI

This video was previously aired as an audio, it is being replayed to broadcast the video version. Oh F*ck Yeah with Ruan Willow podcast, season 6, Episode 738: A deep dive into the alluring world of BDSM relationships, impact play, and adult content creation with the enchanting Dani Synclair. Standing tall at 5'9", this ebony pro switch and OnlyFans siren shares her journey from personal exploration to professional success in the realm of kink. Discover how a simple foot fetish led Dani to embrace her desires and transform them into a fulfilling career. Connect with Dani: Instagram at danisynclair.xo Twitter/X at DaniSynclair In this episode, Dani opens up about her experiences in the dungeon, the connections she forms with clients, and the fascinating stories behind their fetishes. From the psychological aspects of kink to the importance of communication and consent, Dani reveals the intricate dynamics that make up her world. Learn about the various kinks she enjoys, her creative process for content creation, and how she navigates the complexities of being a public figure in the adult industry. With a focus on self-care, mental well-being, mental health, and sexual health, Dani emphasizes the importance of understanding one's own boundaries and desires. Whether you're curious about BDSM, an aspiring content creator, or simply interested in the stories that shape our intimate lives, this episode is packed with insights and inspiration. Tune in for an unforgettable conversation that celebrates the beauty of self-expression and connection. Quotes from Dani from the interview: "The most enjoyable part is meeting people, whether it's clients or other creators in the industry." "It's like a whole mental thing where it's not just the feeling of getting spanked." "Once your face is out there, you can't get rid of it. It is there forever." Timeline: 00:00 - Ruan Willow introduces Dani Synclair, a professional BDSM switch 02:55 - Do you find most people have like, a story that led to the fetish? 06:32 - Talk a little bit about the dungeon that you go to  10:04 - Now what kind of kinks do you engage in there 15:56 - If someone asked you what you like about spanking, what would you say 21:45 - How did you become involved in Impact play at such a young age 27:48 - I'm very claustrophobic, so that sounds very terrifying to me 31:00 - Do you do filming too? Yes. So I do the whole content creation 36:00 - Now is this when you first started doing this kind of thing 37:58 - Do you prefer one over the other? Doing the videos versus the live events 41:42 - Do you get a lot of piracy or do you just have no idea  44:07 - Do you have any regrets of what you've done so far 46:48 - Do you do a lot of editing yourself? Yeah, I do 48:42 - The future  50:07 - When you're traveling it's literally just for work 52:56 - How do you get your brain ready for a scene before you do it Clip from the end of the episode: Servicing the Workmen audiobook at https://books.ruanwillowauthor.com/servicingtheworkmenherfilthyhotwifeadventuresaudiobook In ebook and paperback https://books.ruanwillowauthor.com/servicingtheworkmenherfilthyhotwifeadventures New book, dark romance, thriller, suspense, stalker, lots of sex and erotic spicy storytelling, Beach House Views, now only $0.99 https://books.ruanwillowauthor.com/beachhouseviewsbook

BNY's Emily Portney goes Inside the ICE House to explain how asset servicing quietly powers global markets and why it has moved from the background to the center of financial innovation. She details how the convergence of ETFs, alternatives, and private markets is reshaping fund operations, investor experiences, and the scale and expertise required of leading asset servicers. Portney also discusses how digital assets, tokenization, and AI—along with a culture of innovation and human leadership—are redefining the future of asset servicing at BNY.

It's been 2 weeks since the Wolverines won the national title, why not relive it with the voice of Michigan hoops, Brian Boesch? He joined us on Ep. 405 to talk about the title run, Dusty May, '89 vs '26, and more! Pistons start 0-1 in the playoffs, Tigers up 'n down start, Michigan spring football, and more! Take a listen and hit us up @3pointpod! Thanks to: Memorial Healthcare Wellness Center, Blackstone's Public House, Nelson House Funeral Home, Success Group Mortgage & Servicing, Kori Shook & Associates, Jacobs Insurance, AZee Branding Solutions, Shiawassee County Fair, Nichols Painting, Great Lakes Apparel Co., SportsNet MI

For all your automotive Information Tune in or if you have questions, please feel free to call us live at The Answer San Diego @1-888-344-1170. Below are the Links for the New Apps to listen live no matter where you are! https://www.iheart.com/live/the-answer-san-diego-6020/ https://www.radio.com/theanswersandiego/listen You can also find all the listening info at: WESTAUTOMOTIVEGROUP.COM THROUGH THE https://theautomantv.com/auto-talk-radio/ Podcast of Show available @ Apple Products, Google Podcast, Pandora, Deezer, Spotify, iHeart, Radio.com and TuneInSupport the show: https://theautomantv.com/auto-talk-radio/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michigan has a rich music history, specifically in Detroit. Brian Maloney founded Sonic Detroit to give classic rock fans a spot to listen and honor the genre. He joined us on Ep. 404 in Tedertainment Tonight to talk about his radio station, rock n roll, and more! Also, Rory gets his 2nd Green Jacket, Tigers win a few at home, Pistons playoff run starts soon, and plenty more! Take a listen and hit us up @3pointpod! Thanks to: Memorial Healthcare Wellness Center, Blackstone's Public House, Nelson House Funeral Home, Success Group Mortgage & Servicing, Kori Shook & Associates, Jacobs Insurance, AZee Branding Solutions, Shiawassee County Fair, Nichols Painting, Great Lakes Apparel Co., SportsNet MI

On this episode of The AZREIA Show, longtime investor Dave Franecki shares his experience navigating multiple market cycles and explains why he focuses on buying and subdividing land to keep investing simple. He walks through his approach to finding deals using guerrilla marketing and MLS searches, particularly targeting properties with high days-on-market. Dave dives into his creative financing strategies, including seller-financed lots, typically around $30,000 with larger down payments, 12% interest, and shorter-term balloons. He also explains how he assigns or sells notes and uses a servicing company to manage them efficiently. Plus, he shares lessons learned from past high-rate environments and the performance of note investing after 2008. He also offers timely advice for investors facing uncertain markets: anticipate economic shifts, reduce debt, build liquidity, and partner with experienced investors. Dave emphasizes the importance of doing strong due diligence, including surveys and flood zone checks, while treating people fairly. His insights provide actionable strategies for creating value, controlling inventory, and finding opportunity even in challenging times. 01:06 Meet Dave Franecki 01:31 Why Dave Chose Land 02:31 Seller Financing Strategy 05:02 Avoiding Landlord Life 07:24 Creative Deals in High Rates 09:17 High DOM Negotiation Edge 11:57 How to Pitch Seller Carry 16:19 Partnering and Mentorship 17:12 Notes Explained and Deal Math 19:24 Seller Carry Note Setup 20:28 Servicing and Assigning Notes 21:27 Finding Dirt Deals on MLS 21:57 Tonopah Growth and Solar 23:15 Due Diligence and Flood Zones 24:21 Market Outlook and Liquidity 26:52 Home Run Deals and Notes 29:57 Deal Pain and Problem Solving 31:28 Notes Business Today 32:19 Contact Info and Resources 34:21 Final Takeaways and Wrap -- Contact Alden of Silver Crest Opportunity Fund at http://silvercrestopportunityfund.com "AZREIA does not endorse specific investments. Please do your own due diligence." Want to grow your real estate business?

The Wolverines capped off a historic '25-26 season with a national title, beating UConn in Indy. We give our thoughts on Michigan's title run, March Madness altogether, Dusty May turning around the program, and more! The Pistons are staying at the top of the East, but can they win without Cade in playoffs? Tigers are off to a slow start, and the Red Wings are faltering in March again. All that and more on Ep. 403, take a listen and hit us up @3pointpod! Thanks also to: Memorial Healthcare Wellness Center, Blackstone's Public House, Nelson House Funeral Home, Success Group Mortgage & Servicing, Kori Shook & Associates, Jacobs Insurance, AZee Branding Solutions, Shiawassee County Fair, Nichols Painting, Great Lakes Apparel Co., SportsNet MI

Your spreadsheet won't hold up in foreclosure court—and it's killing your note's resale value. Here's the fintech solution that costs less than your monthly Netflix subscription.In this episode, Dave and Nathan sit down with Ted Tekippe, CEO of Zimple Money, to explore how cloud-based loan servicing software is revolutionizing note investing. Ted breaks down exactly why third-party loan records beat your spreadsheet every time, how to pass 100% of servicing costs to your borrowers, and why note buyers like Dave pay HIGHER prices for professionally serviced notes.To obtain this week's Real Estate Notes Show guest Ted Tekippe's information, use this link https://bit.ly/472pftV

You know those people… the plugs. Servicing your car? They’re like, “Don’t go to the dealership, I’ve got a guy.” Fragrances? “Why are you paying full price? Same smell, half the cost.” Clothes, groceries, tech, somehow they always know where to get it cheaper. They move like a walking discount code And now suddenly, with all this talk about Ozempic having super cheap generics out there… everyone’s an expert overnight. Everyone’s got a cousin, a friend, a “trusted plug”. But here’s the thing…At what point does being “plugged” become risky? Like, are you saving money… or cutting corners you shouldn’t be? So, let’s talk about it, Are you the plug? Or do you have one? Hang out with Anele and The Club on 947 every weekday morning. Popular radio hosts Anele Mdoda, Frankie du Toit, Thembekile Mrototo, and Cindy Poluta take fun to the next level with the biggest guests, hottest conversations, feel-good vibes, and the best music to get you going! Kick-start your day with the most enjoyable way to wake up in Joburg. Connect with Anele and The Club on 947 via WhatsApp at 084 000 0947 or call the studio on 011 88 38 947Thank you for listening to the Anele and the Club podcast..Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays from 06:00 to 09:00 to Anele and the Club broadcast on 947 https://buff.ly/y34dh8Y For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/gyWKIkl or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/K59GRzu Subscribe to the 947s Weekly Newsletter https://buff.ly/hf9IuR9 Follow us on social media:947 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/947Joburg/ 947 on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@947joburg947 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/947joburg947 on X: www.x.com/947 947 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@947JoburgSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Adam Torres interviews Eitan Freilich, CPO at Hypercore, about how AI agents are revolutionizing loan servicing for private credit funds. Eitan shares insights on automation, efficiency, and the future of fintech ahead of the Venture Debt Conference in New York City. Follow Adam on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/askadamtorres/ for up to date information on book releases and tour schedule. Apply to be a guest on our podcast: https://missionmatters.lpages.co/podcastguest/ Visit our website: https://missionmatters.com/ More FREE content from Mission Matters here: https://linktr.ee/missionmattersmedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of The Consumer Finance Podcast, Chris Willis is joined by Consumer Financial Services Partners Stefanie Jackman and Nicholas O'Conner to dissect the shifting risk landscape for servicers, collectors, and debt buyers as federal scrutiny eases and state regulators surge to the forefront. As a segment of the Year in Review and Look Ahead series, the trio talks about Reg F's post-Loper Bright staying power, the explosive growth of state medical debt restrictions and FCRA preemption battles, and the rapid spread of coerced debt/economic abuse statutes reshaping account handling. They also explore the evolving role of debt settlement companies and their use of AI, in addition to offering practical tips on building national policies and procedures to prepare for the next wave of litigation and enforcement. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In today's episode, we go through some acquisitions taking place in the servicing space. Plus, Robbie sits down with Ocrolus' Rebecca Seward for a discussion on analyzing borrower documents and loan data to automatically generate, justify, and track underwriting conditions, while keeping human underwriters in control as the final decision-makers. And we close by looking ahead to the potential outcomes of the Federal Reserve's March meeting.Thank you to Ocrolus. Ocrolus is transforming the mortgage industry with AI-powered data and analytics, featuring cutting-edge tools for automated indexing, income analysis, and now automated conditioning. Ocrolus is empowering lenders to make timely, confident lending decisions. Whether you need to verify income across complex pay scenarios or review borrower documents with confidence, Ocrolus helps mortgage teams move at the speed of automation with the precision of human oversight. Learn more at ocrolus.com/mortgage.The Chrisman Commentary is your go-to daily mortgage news podcast, where industry insights meet expert analysis. Hosted by Robbie Chrisman, this podcast delivers the latest updates on mortgage rates, capital markets, and the forces shaping the housing finance landscape. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just looking to stay informed, you'll get clear, concise breakdowns of market trends and economic shifts that impact the mortgage world.

March Madness is in full swing with the brackets being released and everyone talking about who they're taking to the Final Four. We give our thoughts on the brackets, and are also joined by 2 former Corunna Cavaliers who are now state champion head coaches. Kyle Clough with his Rockford Rams and John Fattal with his Freeland Falcons won titles over the weekend, we talk to both of them about the whole experience. USA in the WBC and more, take a listen and hit us up @3pointpod! Memorial Healthcare Wellness Center, Blackstone's Public House, Nelson House Funeral Home, Success Group Mortgage & Servicing, Kori Shook & Associates, Jacobs Insurance, AZee Branding Solutions, Shiawassee County Fair, Nichols Painting, Great Lakes Apparel Co., SportsNet MI

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the consumer financial services industry. From underwriting and fraud detection to customer engagement and collections, financial institutions are increasingly deploying advanced AI tools to automate processes, personalize services, and improve operational efficiency. We are releasing today, on our Consumer Finance Monitor Podcast show, a discussion of what may be the next major technological shift for the industry: Agentic AI in Consumer Financial Services — AI systems capable of acting autonomously, making decisions, and interacting directly with consumers. The discussion featured Professor Oren Bar-Gill of New York University School of Law, along with Ballard Spahr partners Joseph Schuster and Adam Maarec.  The discussion was hosted by Alan Kaplinsky, the founder and practice group leader for 25 years of the Consumer Financial Services Group and now Senior Counsel. The panel examined how agentic AI differs from earlier forms of automation, the benefits it offers financial institutions and consumers, and the significant legal and regulatory risks it may create. Below are the key takeaways from the discussion. What Is Agentic AI? Agentic AI refers to AI systems that can independently take actions on behalf of users or organizations. Unlike traditional automation, which performs predefined tasks, or generative AI, which primarily produces content, agentic AI systems can: ·                 Make autonomous decisions ·                 Interact directly with consumers ·                 Initiate actions such as transactions or communications ·                 Learn from prior interactions In financial services, these systems may soon conduct customer service interactions, initiate collections calls, execute payments, or manage purchasing tasks for consumers. While these capabilities promise major efficiencies, they also raise complex legal questions regarding accountability, fairness, and consumer protection. Understanding AI-Driven Consumer Harm Professor Bar-Gill framed the discussion by examining potential consumer harms associated with AI-powered decision-making. Drawing on his recent book with Cass Sunstein, Algorithmic Harm: Protecting People in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, he explained that the impact of AI depends largely on the type of market in which it operates.  The book is available on Amazon here. Sophisticated vs. Unsophisticated Markets Bar-Gill distinguishes between: ·                 Sophisticated markets, where consumers are generally able to make informed decisions ·                 Unsophisticated markets, where consumers are more likely to misunderstand complex products In sophisticated markets, AI-driven personalization, such as individualized pricing, can increase efficiency and expand access to products by offering lower prices to consumers with lower willingness to pay. In contrast, in markets involving complex financial products, such as credit cards, mortgages, or insurance, AI-powered personalization may harm consumers who misjudge product costs or benefits. For example, if a consumer mistakenly overestimates the value of a financial product, an AI system may set the price just below that mistaken valuation, leading the consumer to pay more than the product is actually worth. Algorithmic Price Discrimination One area of growing concern is AI-enabled price discrimination, where algorithms tailor prices to each consumer's willingness to pay. Examples cited during the discussion included: ·                 Airlines experimenting with AI-based pricing strategies ·                 Online retail platforms offering individualized prices for identical products ·                 Insurance companies using algorithms to optimize premiums While pricing based on individual risk, such as in insurance underwriting, is widely accepted, pricing based on willingness to pay raises significant consumer protection concerns. As these practices expand, they are likely to attract increased attention from regulators and lawmakers, particularly at the state level. AI Use Cases in Consumer Finance The panel also highlighted several areas where AI is already being deployed across the consumer financial services lifecycle. Marketing and Customer Acquisition Financial institutions are using AI to analyze large data sets and create highly personalized marketing campaigns. Large language models can generate customized messaging tailored to specific demographic groups or individual consumers. While this personalization improves targeting and engagement, it also creates compliance challenges related to: ·                 Misleading advertising ·                 Disclosure requirements ·                 Potential discriminatory targeting Underwriting and Credit Decisions AI-driven underwriting tools allow lenders to analyze alternative data, such as cash-flow information, to assess creditworthiness. These tools may expand access to credit for consumers who previously lacked traditional credit histories. However, they also raise fair lending concerns under laws such as the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and its implementing regulation, Regulation B. Because many AI models operate as "black boxes," institutions may struggle to explain how decisions are made, an issue that can complicate discrimination analyses and regulatory oversight. Fraud Detection AI is particularly powerful in fraud detection, where pattern recognition is essential. Advanced models can analyze transaction behavior in real time to identify suspicious activity while minimizing unnecessary transaction declines. These tools also allow financial institutions to communicate with customers instantly, confirming transactions or investigating suspicious activity through automated interactions. Servicing and Collections Agentic AI may soon conduct both inbound and outbound customer interactions, including: ·                 Customer service conversations ·                 Dispute resolution ·                 Collections calls In some cases, AI-driven voice systems can conduct conversations that are indistinguishable from human interactions. While this technology may improve efficiency and reduce costs, it raises legal concerns about consumer deception, harassment, and compliance with debt collection laws. Core Legal Risks Despite the novelty of the technology, many of the key legal risks arise from existing laws, not new AI-specific statutes. Liability for AI Actions As Joseph Schuster emphasized, AI is a tool, not a liability shield. Institutions remain responsible for the actions of AI systems just as they would for the actions of employees or third-party vendors. Traditional legal doctrines, including agency law, vicarious liability, and unfair or deceptive acts or practices, continue to apply. UDAP Risks AI systems interacting with consumers may create risks under federal and state UDAP laws if they: ·                 Provide inaccurate information ("hallucinations") ·                 Fail to deliver required disclosures ·                 Exhibit overconfidence in uncertain responses ·                 Engage in manipulative behavioral targeting. Fair Lending and Discrimination AI models can unintentionally produce discriminatory outcomes, even when protected characteristics are not used as inputs. As Professor Bar-Gill noted, future litigation may increasingly focus on disparate impact analysis, which examines whether outcomes disproportionately affect protected classes regardless of the model's internal logic. Governance and Risk Management Given these risks, institutions are increasingly adopting governance frameworks for AI deployment. Common practices include: ·                 AI governance committees with cross-functional participation ·                 Model inventories and risk-tiering systems ·                 Vendor due diligence for AI providers ·                 Data mapping and validation processes ·                 Continuous monitoring of AI outputs. Financial regulators are already asking supervised institutions detailed questions about how AI is being used. Institutions that implement structured governance processes are better positioned to respond to these inquiries. The Rise of Agentic Commerce One emerging application of agentic AI involves autonomous purchasing. For example, a consumer might instruct an AI assistant to plan and purchase supplies for a birthday party. The AI would then select vendors, place orders, and initiate payments using the consumer's stored payment credentials. But what happens if AI makes a mistake, such as ordering supplies for 1,000 guests instead of 10? Such scenarios raise difficult questions involving: ·                 consumer authorization ·                 merchant liability ·                 payment network rules ·                 dispute resolution These issues are only beginning to receive attention from regulators and industry participants. Key Takeaways for Financial Institutions The panel concluded with several recommendations for institutions exploring AI deployment. First, distinguish beneficial uses from harmful ones. AI can deliver significant consumer benefits, but firms must remain vigilant about potential misuse or unintended harm. Second, prioritize governance. Robust policies, oversight structures, and risk management processes are essential. Third, remember that existing laws still apply. AI systems must comply with the same consumer protection, fair lending, and disclosure requirements that govern traditional processes. Finally, institutions must recognize that failing to adopt AI also carries risks. As fraudsters increasingly deploy advanced technology, financial institutions may need AI tools simply to keep pace. As AI technology continues to evolve, the legal framework governing its use in financial services will also develop. For now, however, the most important lesson is that innovation must proceed hand-in-hand with careful legal and compliance oversight. Consumer Finance Monitor is hosted by Alan Kaplinsky, Senior Counsel at Ballard Spahr, and the founder and former chair of the firm's Consumer Financial Services Group. We encourage listeners to subscribe to the podcast on their preferred platform for weekly insights into developments in the consumer finance industry.

March Madness is here, is this the year the Wolverines make a championship run after sweeping the regular season vs the Spartans? The NFL offseason has been busy, but what are the Lions doing? World Baseball Classic drama, an 83 point game in the NBA, and some former Corunna guys making a Final Four run in the Prep Spotlight. All that and more, take a listen and hit us up @3pointpod! Thanks to: Memorial Healthcare Wellness Center, Blackstone's Public House, Nelson House Funeral Home, Success Group Mortgage & Servicing, Kori Shook & Associates, Jacobs Insurance, AZee Branding Solutions, Shiawassee County Fair, Nichols Painting, Great Lakes Apparel Co., SportsNet MI

This week on Tales from the Attitude Era, former WWF writer Tommy Blacha and co-host Rob Pasbani are in Hartford for the post-King of the Ring fallout! With The Rock away in Hollywood, the show undergoes a "soft reboot" under the leadership of the brand-new Commissioner, Mick Foley.We break down the scary moment in the ring when Kurt Angle landed a chaotic moonsault directly on Hardcore Holly, resulting in a legitimate compound fracture to Holly's forearm. Tommy Blacha shares the backstage reaction to the injury and how it stalled a major singles push for the "Big Shot."We also witness the formal arrival of Steven Richards and the Right to Censor, as they target the Godfather's "sexuality" and begin cleaning up the WWF. Plus, we discuss the "Boiler Room" office of Mick Foley and his instant chemistry with Edge and Christian.In this episode, we also discuss:- Steve Blackman ending the "shenanigans" of the Hardcore Title with a brutal nunchuck assault.- The Undertaker debuting his new finisher, The Last Ride.- The birth of ""D-Von, Get The Tables!"0:00 - Intro 0:43 - Welcome to Hartford and the "Soft Reboot" summer season1:15 - Where was The Rock? Hollywood meetings and 400 phone calls4:53 - Tommy's "51/49" mindset: Should I stay or go to LA?8:07 - Commissioner Mick Foley: Changing the vibe of SmackDown11:57 - MICK FOLEY'S BOILER ROOM OFFICE: DIY leadership13:37 - Match 1: Guerrero & Rikishi vs. Benoit & Venis15:16 - The "Time to Dance" debate: Servicing the live crowd19:01 - Ratings pressure and the shift to quarter-hour analysis20:41 - Match 2: Kurt Angle vs. Hardcore Holly23:21 - THE BROKEN ARM: Behind the scenes of the Moonsault disaster27:58 - Mick Foley's Hartford history and "Aerodynamic" haircut34:02 - Match 4: Bull Buchanan vs. The Godfather34:29 - THE BIRTH OF RIGHT TO CENSOR: Steven Richards intervenes39:16 - Match 5: Kane vs. Christian / The first "Conchairto"41:14 - Why Taz was in the "Doghouse" with WWF management43:39 - Match 6: Edge vs. Undertaker / Debut of THE LAST RIDE45:52 - Al Snow's hard-luck spit take and Hardcore title hype47:15 - Match 7: Crash Holly vs. Al Snow (Hardcore Title)49:14 - STEVE BLACKMAN wins the Hardcore Championship50:35 - Blackman vs. The Mean Street Posse: A high-production beatdown54:25 - Main Event: DX vs. Chris Jericho and the Dudleys58:22 - Sunday Night Heat Recap 1:05:35 - Outro / Dean Malenko's locker room humorFollow Tales from The Attitude Era on all social mediahttp://youtube.com/@TFTAttitudeEra http://twitter.com/TFTAttitudeErahttp://instagram.com/TFTAttitudeErahttp://tiktok.com/@TFTAttitudeEra Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For all your automotive Information Tune in or if you have questions, please feel free to call us live at The Answer San Diego @1-888-344-1170. Below are the Links for the New Apps to listen live no matter where you are! https://www.iheart.com/live/the-answer-san-diego-6020/ https://www.radio.com/theanswersandiego/listen You can also find all the listening info at: WESTAUTOMOTIVEGROUP.COM THROUGH THE https://theautomantv.com/auto-talk-radio/ Podcast of Show available @ Apple Products, Google Podcast, Pandora, Deezer, Spotify, iHeart, Radio.com and TuneInSupport the show: https://theautomantv.com/auto-talk-radio/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Season 6, Episode 720: Servicing the College Fence Builders Excerpt, An Age Gap Hotwife Novella, written and narrated by podcast host Ruan Willow. Blurb: In this MMMMMF, John continues to lead his wife through sharing events with work men who come to the house, and the big surprise of the day is she's helping the work men work this time! She gets a special 'uniform', which is skimpier than one would expect anyone to do work in, but that's not the biggest shocker of the day. When the workers arrive, Laney's jaw drops as she had expected one man, but it's a crew! Not just any crew, this is a band of five sexy strong male college students who build, repair, and paint fences. As John dictates the rules for the day, and for the spicy event that will be the hot delicious finale, all the men and Laney are ready to tear into the day with lusty excited hopes. They are all ecstatic about all the potential dreamy flirty pitstops along the way as they do their duty to get the fence job done, but with much more salacious edging than any of them had expected. Being the female in the group, Laney is looking forward to so many high riding peaks, her highest count ever will surely be achieved with a full beefy crew like this. John's certainly not left out of the fun though! He has outdone himself this time in delivering a scheme for one of Laney's topmost unmet fantasies, and his beaming smile tells all. He's not only overindulgent with his wife, but he's going to reap all the steamy benefits once the guys head home, and for years and years to come thereafter. He's no dummy! Novella 5 in the Servicing the Work Men, My Filthy Hotwife Adventures Series. This contains affiliate links. Get the novella: https://books.ruanwillowauthor.com/servicingthecollegefencebuildersanagegaphotwifestory Get the FULL book: https://books.ruanwillowauthor.com/servicingtheworkmenherfilthyhotwifeadventures Ruan's Links, Newsletter Signup, Affiliate links and Deals:  PodNation Podcast Affiliate link, Get 15% OFF with code podna15 on Ryze Coffee at ⁠https://www.ryzesuperfoods.com/⁠ ⁠Support the show and get exclusive content⁠ Sign up for Ruan's Newsletters ⁠https://subscribepage.io/ruanwillow Get 10% OFF ENTIRE ORDER (min. purchase $69, no usage limits) with code RUANWILLOW10 on pleasure sex toys at https://www.kiiroo.com/ https://offers.feeliate.com/to92wTJh Strokers for men: https://offers.feeliate.com/?lp=5&offer=1&uid=019bea75-2e7d-75cf-a618-850a2d3e8d59 "I especially love my pearl toys from Kiiroo!"says RUAN. Toys with responsive touch are best! See them here: https://www.kiiroo.com/products/pearl3-for-performers All Ruan's links and books: ⁠https://linktr.ee/RuanWillow⁠ Affiliate link, collect your body's health and sexual health info with a wearable device for men from Firm Tech 15% OFF with code ruan15 ⁠https://myfirmtech.com/ruanwillow⁠ BeeDee app. Enter the code ohfuckyeah on the Whips ('superlikes') page to get 1 free Whip, use my affiliate link to check out this app at ⁠https://beedee.app/?r=ohfuckyeah⁠ The Fantasy Box, where you can try out a similar fantasy in a box, or find a theme you like! (affiliate link) ⁠https://thefantasybox.sjv.io/c/6250602/2141126/26423⁠ ⁠Copyright 2026 Pink Infinity Publishing. All Rights Reserved.

Think of recent times when Apple, Samsung, or Google have once again claimed to change the phone, just for you to find out that you can now photograph everyone's wrinkles a little more clearly. Ronan believes we're in an age where performance bikes are like phones, and of course, the geeks discuss it.On Geek Warning this week, Dave and Ronan discuss Cannondale's latest bikes and what they may spell for some other emerging trends. Meanwhile, the PSA segment returns with a warning regarding increasingly common hood slippage. All of that is free to all, while members of Escape Collective also gain access to our popular Ask a Wrench segment at the end of the episode. From our favourite bearing greases to headset woes, there's plenty answered and discussed this week. Happy geeking! Time stamps:  1:45 - Cannondale SuperSix Evo 4.5 12:50 - TT frames as aero road bikes?  24:00 - Favero doubles battery longevity, for free 25:50 - Trek turns 50  26:30 - New Factor Ostro Gravel spotted  30:30 - RIP King Liu  31:30 - Performance bicycles are like phones  45:00 - PSA related to slipping hoods  54:30 - Ask a Wrench with Boulder Grupetto (member only) 55:48 - Mixing and matching SRAM Transmission with other cassettes  1:00:15 - Specialized Crux headset loosening woes 1:10:00 - Quick connectors for fully integrated drop bar bikes?  1:17:20 - Servicing versus replacing bottom brackets, and our go-to bearing greases 

We took a week off but we're back with a lot to talk about! Super Bowl LX and halftime show thoughts, the Tigers are making some moves to make a World Series run, the NBA All-Star Weekend is continuing to decline in excitement, and the Wolverines are #1 in the country and poised for a run in March. A quick Prep Spotlight and a few Tedertainment Tonight recommendations too. Take a listen and hit us up @3pointpod! Thanks to: Memorial Healthcare Wellness Center, Blackstone's Public House, Nelson House Funeral Home, Success Group Mortgage & Servicing, Kori Shook & Associates, Jacobs Insurance, AZee Branding Solutions, Shiawassee County Fair, Nichols Painting, Great Lakes Apparel Co., SportsNet MI

Guest: Bob Zimmerman. Starfish Space wins Pentagon contracts for satellite servicing; a new constellation, Logos, enters the market, while India plans an ambitious lunar sample return mission.1931

Season 6, Episode 716: This excerpt is from the novella Anderson, The Pool Service Man Turned Bull https://books.ruanwillowauthor.com/andersonthepoolservicemanturnedbullaudiobook and is a part of the longer book Servicing the Work Men, Her Filthy Hotwife Adventures Full audiobook I've been nominated for books in the Golden Pigtails Awards! I'm super honored to have been nominated! Please vote for my books before February 14 to get me through to the next round. My books are John Gives His Wife Hot Adventures, The Drink Master, and The Arousal Package, plus the anthology I'm in Summer Teases 2. Please vote for me https://alexasommers.com/the-golden-pigtails-2025-semifinals/ Ruan's Links, Newsletter Signup, Affiliate links and Deals: Happy Valentine's Day! Get 10% OFF ENTIRE ORDER (min. purchase $69, no usage limits) with code RUANWILLOW10 on pleasure sex toys at https://www.kiiroo.com/ I especially love my pearl toys from Kiiroo! Toys with responsive touch. See them here: https://www.kiiroo.com/products/pearl3-for-performers PodNation Podcast Affiliate link, Get 15% OFF with code podna15 on Ryze Coffee at ⁠https://www.ryzesuperfoods.com/⁠ ⁠Support the show and get exclusive content⁠ Sign up for Ruan's Newsletters ⁠https://subscribepage.io/ruanwillow⁠ All Ruan's links and books: ⁠https://linktr.ee/RuanWillow⁠ Affiliate link, collect your body's health and sexual health info with a wearable device for men from Firm Tech 15% OFF with code ruan15 ⁠https://myfirmtech.com/ruanwillow⁠ BeeDee app. Enter the code ohfuckyeah on the Whips ('superlikes') page to get 1 free Whip, use my affiliate link to check out this app at ⁠https://beedee.app/?r=ohfuckyeah⁠ The Fantasy Box, where you can try out a similar fantasy in a box, or find a theme you like! (affiliate link) ⁠https://thefantasybox.sjv.io/c/6250602/2141126/26423⁠ Copyright 2026 Pink Infinity Publishing. All Rights Reserved.

Introduction Josh Hollander sits down with Vishal Sankhla, Co‑Founder & CEO of OutMarket, to get specific about what “AI in insurance” looks like when it actually changes operations. The focus is commercial insurance workflows—where work still runs through email, PDFs, spreadsheets, and agency management systems—and how to cut cycle time and errors without creating new risk. Guest bio Vishal Sankhla has led product teams at Uber and Meta and previously served as Head of Product at Ethos Life, helping build profitable acquisition channels, the underwriting engine, and the agency partners business. At OutMarket, he's building an intelligence layer for commercial insurance: agent-assisted workflows that make teams faster and more consistent. Key topics discussed Why AI pilots stall: fragmented data, manual handoffs, and inconsistent processes across the submission-to-bind journey. Data first, workflows second: where insurance data lives, how it breaks, and why workflow redesign is the unlock. Policy intelligence: turning policies into structure so teams can summarize coverage, surface gaps, and improve proposals. Servicing and renewals: reducing back-and-forth, re-keying, and avoidable errors with agent-assisted workflows. Integration reality: fitting into agency management systems and carrier ecosystems instead of trying to replace them. Measuring impact: cycle time, hit rate, and error reduction (not vanity metrics). Trust, privacy, isolation: what it takes to earn permission to touch sensitive client data. Quotes “Because so much of this is happening manually, I think a lot of this data tends to get very, very fragmented.” “we built workflows that now literally allow them to drag and drop, and within a few seconds, they know exactly a quick summary” “We've seen a lot of use cases where people are now winning their businesses because of some AI workflows.” Resources mentioned OutMarket Uber Meta Ethos Life Call to action Subscribe for more operator-grade conversations on insurance and insurtech. On YouTube, drop a comment with the workflow you'd most like to fix—and why it's stuck today.

It's the first weekend without football in quite some time, so what are we watching? Starts off with the Wolverines beating MSU at the Breslin Center, Pistons still rolling, new spot to catch UFC, and waiting for that big Super Bowl matchup. A few Prep Spotlight updates, Tedertainment Tonight recommendations, and more! Take a listen and hit us up @3pointpod! Thanks to: Memorial Healthcare Wellness Center, Nichols Painting, Blackstones Public House, Nelson House Funeral Home, Shiawassee County Fair, AZee Branding Solutions, Success Group Mortgage & Servicing, Kori Shook & Associates, Jacobs Insurance, SportsNet MI

Sohail Badruddin joins host Mark Monroe on this must-listen episode of the Real Estate Power Play Podcast titled “Seller Financing Loan Servicing.”With nearly 60 years of combined industry experience, Mark and Sohail deliver a no-fluff, highly educational breakdown of seller financing, subject-to transactions, and professional loan servicing, and why doing these deals incorrectly is putting investors, sellers, and borrowers at serious risk.What this episode covers:• Why seller liability never disappears in subject-to deals• How to properly structure compliant seller-financed notes• The real risks with FHA and VA loans• Why professional loan servicing mattersSohail brings deep insight from loan servicing, Fannie Mae, and compliance, while Mark shares real-world investor lessons you won't hear from gurus.If you're doing, or planning to do seller financing, wraps, or subject-to deals, this episode is essential listening.#SellerFinancing #sellerfinancingstrategies #markmonroe #realestateinvesting #realestate  #cashflow #realestatetips #RealEstatePodcast #taxStrategies #assetprotection

We're approaching February, which means the Super Bowl matchup is set and it is full on college basketball season! We talk about the NFL's big game, and a huge one coming up between the Wolverines and Spartans! Also, Michigan passed a rule for high school athletes now being allowed to make money off their NIL; we talked to a rep from the MHSAA about that ruling and a few other topics. A Tedertainment Tonight, Pistons still rolling, and more! Take a listen and hit us up @3pointpod! Thanks to: Memorial Healthcare Wellness Center, Blackstones Public House, Shiawassee County Fair, Nelson House Funeral Home, Nichols Painting, AZee Branding Solutions, Jacobs Insurance, Kori Shook & Associates, Success Group Mortgage & Servicing, Great Lakes Apparel Co, SportsNet MI

Former WWF writer Tommy Blacha and co-host Rob Pasbani are back in the Windy City (or at least Rosemont) to recap a star-studded June 15, 2000 episode of SmackDown. The headline is the guest appearance of Samuel L. Jackson as Shaft! We break down the surreal crossover segments in Time Square and WWE New York, including the legendary moment where Shaft offers to "protect the booty" of Hardcore Champion Crash Holly.Tommy Blacha provides unique insight into the "on-the-fly" nature of the Shaft shoot and what it was like working with a Hollywood A-lister at the peak of his powers. We also discuss the acoustics of the old Rosemont Horizon, the mystery of The Undertaker's sudden arrest for "carjacking," and why Vince McMahon thought Dean Malenko needed to be paired with the Godfather's ladies to get over.Other major discussion points include:- The Dudley Boyz taking a 10-foot plunge off the stage inside a tied-up dumpster.- The Rock, Undertaker, and Kane dealing with a new high-stakes stipulation for their King of the Ring main event.- Lita carving her own path: How her legitimate in-ring ability in Mexico and Mexico's CMLL forced WWE to take the women's division seriously.- The ongoing "Faction vs. Regime" branding war and Triple H's questionable grammar.- Chris Jericho getting "splashed" by a bucket of water from Stephanie McMahon.Don't forget to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and tell your enemies about us!Follow Tales from the Attitude Era: Email: tftattitudera@gmail.com Instagram/TikTok/X: @TFTattitudeera0:00 - Intro1:40 - The "Stay Out" Bar and Rosemont's 23-hour liquor laws3:54 - WWE Post-Production: Making Linda McMahon sound dramatic6:55 - Match 1: Edge vs. Grandmaster Sexay (KOTR Qualifier)7:50 - Stone Phillips in the front row / Celebrity cameo talk10:42 - McMahon-Helmsley promo: The new KOTR stipulation17:03 - Crash Holly, Brisco, & Patterson take Time Square17:53 - Match 2: The Hardys vs. T&A / Lita makes the save19:54 - Lita's rise: From a bus to Mexico to the Attitude Era21:19 - Undertaker arrested for carjacking / Spitting tobacco on Bull Buchanan23:21 - Match 3: D-Lo Brown vs. Scotty 2 Hotty (KOTR Qualifier)24:00 - Match 4: Kane vs. Chris Benoit (The "Smart Mark Waiver" finish)25:44 - Edge & Christian's "Mom" drama / Faction vs. Regime debate27:56 - Vince McMahon and the XFL Chicago press conference28:34 - Match 5: Dudley Boyz vs. Edge & Christian29:42 - THE DUMPSTER SPOT: The Dudleys tossed off the stage32:14 - Match 6: Chris Jericho vs. Bull Buchanan 33:42 - Is Jericho being "Herbed"? The verb defined34:57 - Pat Patterson wants to go to the leather clubs35:58 - Val Venis vs. Rikishi brawl / The vicious chair shot39:19 - SAMUEL L. JACKSON meets Crash Holly43:00 - The Sweet 16 King of the Ring Brackets revealed44:20 - The Rock Scooby-Doo promo: "It doesn't matter!"45:23 - Shaft drops Pat Patterson at WWE New York47:02 - Main Event: The Rock vs. Kurt Angle48:22 - Stephanie throws a bucket of water / The Schmoz finish49:42 - Servicing the live crowd energy vs. repetitive booking53:04 - Sunday Night Heat Recap: Benoit, Jericho, and Hardcore Holly57:27 - Outro Follow Tales from The Attitude Era on all social mediahttp://youtube.com/@TFTAttitudeEra http://twitter.com/TFTAttitudeErahttp://instagram.com/TFTAttitudeErahttp://tiktok.com/@TFTAttitudeEra Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Not sure there's a crazier story in recent sports history than Indiana football winning a national championship. What an awesome season for the Hoosiers, we talk about that game as well as the transfer portal and how it's affecting college football. NFL Playoffs are always great, injuries and coaching changes, and what about the Lions' new OC? Prep Spotlight updates, Tigers low-balling Skubal, the Landman season finale, and more! Take a listen and hit us up @3pointpod! Thanks to: Memorial Healthcare Wellness Center, Great Lakes Apparel Co., Success Group Mortgage & Servicing, Kori Shook & Associates, Jacobs Insurance, AZee Branding Solutions, Blackstones Public House, Nelson House Funeral Home, Shiawassee County Fair, Nichols Painting, SportsNet MI

The NFL Playoffs are underway and the CFP national title game is still waiting to be played. Big storylines galore with coaching changes, upsets, thousands of kids in the transfer portal, and more! Some Prep Spotlight notes and a Tedertainment Tonight as well on this week's podcast. Take a listen and hit us up @3pointpod! Thanks to: Memorial Healthcare Wellness Center, Blackstone's Public House, Nelson House Funeral Home, Shiawassee County Fair, Nichols Painting, AZee Branding Solutions, Success Group Mortgage & Servicing, Kori Shook & Associates, Jacobs Insurance, SportsNet MI

In this insightful and thought-provoking episode of the FinTech Hunting Podcast, host Michael Hammond sits down with Trina, Senior Director of Servicing Product Strategy at ICE Mortgage Technology, to explore how AI is transforming mortgage servicing and borrower experience.Learn how AI tools like call prediction, note summarization, chatbots, and intelligent virtual agents (IVAs) are driving:Reduced call handling timesImproved borrower empathy and personalizationSelf-service capabilities that match borrower preferencesIncreased retention and repeat businessDiscover how lenders can meet borrowers where they are, increase satisfaction without sacrificing efficiency, and support them during difficult financial moments—without judgment.Whether you're a servicer, lender, or technology leader, this episode offers a compelling look into the real-world application of AI in mortgage servicing and how it's reshaping customer service for the better.

2026 is here and we're back with a loaded podcast! Ferris State won another national title, their 4th in 5 years, and their offensive coordinator Steve Annese joined us for a chat about the Bulldogs, the transfer portal, and the program they've build in Big Rapids. The Lions end the season with a win in Chicago, but what can they do to get back to the playoffs next season? Michigan has a new coaching staff, storylines galore in college football, the CFP is down to the final four teams, and plenty more! Take a listen and hit us up @3pointpod! Thanks to: Memorial Healthcare Wellness Center, Blackstone Public House, Nelson House Funeral Home, Shiawassee County Fair, Jacobs Insurance, Nichols Painting, AZee Branding Solutions, Kori Shook & Associates, Success Group Mortgage & Servicing, SportsNet MI

This week's episode is perhaps a little more behind the scenes than most. Ronan tells Dave about his nine-month tyre-testing project and why he is now ready to actually test tyres. There's chat about the struggles in picking products for our favourite things lists. And you'll hear a conversation that involves a lot of cliches such as ‘you don't know what you don't know' and ‘listen to your bike and body'. Of course, there's a PSA, and somehow the conversation even turns to elephant asses. Oh yes, the Geeks cover some real ground in this one!Members of Escape Collective get all of that plus the Ask a Wrench segment (with pro mechanic Brad Copeland). It's a big segment this week with five questions answered, but like every other week, it's only available on the member-feed. Speaking of which, members can now access these episodes on Spotify!Time stamps:00:45 - Ronan's long-awaited tyre testing15:10 - The struggle of picking our favourite products23:00 - It's the last 5% that counts the most39:00 - The latest Rabbit Holes42:00 - PSA: The organised mess51:00 - Ask a Wrench (members only)52:00 - Servicing hubs and dealing with freehub drag1:01:25 - Singlespeeds and chain wear1:08:30 - Toe spikes and dealing with faulty shoes1:14:00 - Our preferred safety window for Hookless Road1:21:00 - A torque adapter question

In this episode of The Everything Electric Podcast, Robert Llewellyn speaks with Sajid Hasan, Chief Product Officer for BYD Australia and New Zealand, about BYD's meteoric global growth, breakthrough EV technology, and why Australia is one of the most important proving grounds for the future of electric mobility.   From BYD's LFP Blade Battery and DMO Super Hybrid platform to the rollout of 1-megawatt "flash chargers" capable of adding 400km in just five minutes, Sajid reveals the innovations driving the brand's incredible success — and how they're changing the automotive industry forever.   Robert also discovers how BYD has overtaken Tesla in EV sales in Australia, achieved millions of NEV deliveries worldwide, and is pioneering Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology that can turn your EV into a mobile power plant for your home.   0:00:00 - Introduction 0:00:47 - Sajid Hassan, BYD Australia& New Zealand 0:01:03 - Australia as an EV "Test Bed" and Export Market 0:01:43 - BYD's History and Global Scale 0:03:46 - The Staggering Size of BYD 0:05:06 - Why Right-Hand Drive Australia is a Key Market 0:06:33 - Australia as a Competitive "Proving Ground" 0:08:00 - Australia's Imported Car Market & Rise of Chinese Brands 0:10:45 - The Everyday User Experience: BYD Owners Who Just Drive 0:11:48 - EV Adoption Rate and Achieving Price Parity in Australia 0:12:59 - Battery Longevity, Vehicle Warranty, and Consumer Fears 0:14:04 - Deep Dive: The Benefits of BYD's LFP Blade Battery 0:14:50 - BYD: A Battery Company That Started Making Cars 0:15:37 - BYD's Vertical Integration (Semiconductors, Mines, etc.) 0:16:03 - The Future: V2G & Cars as "Mobile Power Plants" 0:16:46 - BYD's V2G Trial with Origin Energy and Amber in Australia 0:18:41 - Legislative Barriers Slowing V2G Adoption 0:20:49 - BYD's EV Sales Leader Status in Australia (vs. Tesla) 0:21:56 - The BYD Shark Ute and the DMO Hybrid Platform 0:23:19 - Explaining the "Electric First" DMO Super Hybrid 0:27:43 - The BYD Shark's Initial Success in the Ute Segment 0:28:31 - Addressing the PHEV Charging Misconception 0:30:35 - Servicing and the Legacy Dealership Model 0:31:59 - BYD's Rapidly Expanding Dealership Network (80+ Sites) 0:32:26 - Lower Maintenance Costs of Electric Vehicles 0:34:36 - The Future of Charging: BYD's 1 Megawatt "Flash Chargers" 0:35:54 - 400km Range in 5 Minutes: Charger Speed Comparison 0:37:02 - How Large Battery Packs Support Megawatt Charging 0:38:07 - Which Future BYD Model Will Get Megawatt Charging? 0:38:46 - The Quiet Revolution on China's Streets 0:41:41 - The Challenge of Loud ICE Vehicles in Australia 0:43:25 - Shifting Consumer Attitude and the "First Drive" Effect 0:44:39 - The Synergy of Solar Panels and EVs in Australia 0:46:50 - Have EV Costs Reached a Plateau? Battery Chemistry's Role 0:49:03 - Levelling Up: More Tech, Range, and Luxury for the Same Price 0:50:32 - Final Thoughts: The Pace of Evolution in the Auto Industry   Why not come and join us at our next Everything Electric expo: https://everythingelectric.show   Check out our sister channel Everything Electric CARS: https://www.youtube.com/@fullychargedshow   Support our StopBurningStuff campaign: https://www.patreon.com/STOPBurningStuff   Become an Everything Electric Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/fullychargedshow   Buy the Fully Charged Guide to Electric Vehicles & Clean Energy : https://buff.ly/2GybGt0   Subscribe for episode alerts and the Everything Electric newsletter: https://fullycharged.show/zap-sign-up/   Visit: https://FullyCharged.Show   Find us on X: https://x.com/Everyth1ngElec Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/officialeverythingelectric   To partner, exhibit or sponsor at our award-winning expos email: commercial@fullycharged.show   Everything Electric MELBOURNE - Melbourne Showgrounds 14th, 15th & 16th November 2025 Everything Electric SYDNEY - Sydney Olympic Park 6th, 7th & 8th March 2026 EE NORTH (Harrogate) - 8th & 9th May 2026 EE WEST (Cheltenham) - 12th & 13th June 2026 EE GREATER LONDON (Twickenham) - 11th & 12th Sept 2026   #fullychargedshow #everythingelectricshow #homeenergy #cleanenergy #battery #electriccars #electric-vehicles-uk #byd #tesla #australia