Podcasts about Uncle Sam

Topics: Feeling Stuck, Collect Calls, Getting Older, Spa Etiquette, Social Media Anger, Blocking People, The Real Jesus, Giant Sloths, Listener Uniforms, Saying "I Love You," Uncle Sam, Meaningful Work BONUS CONTENT: Coffee From a Bowl Quotes: "You're not stuck. And this day will pass." "I think blocking people on Facebook or Twitter can be very loving." "Maybe that could form our conception of Jesus instead of Twitter." "There's nothing truly mundane when you see that God has infused your whole life with that kind of meaning." . . . Holy Ghost Mama Pre-Order! Want more of the Oddcast? Check out our website! Watch our YouTube videos here. Connect with us on Facebook!

Are you accidentally leaving your retirement savings vulnerable to an uninvited silent partner? In this episode of Retirement Coffee Talk, host Charisse Rivers breaks down why relying solely on stock market growth or blindly draining your 401k can trigger devastating tax traps. Through real-life client stories, discover the critical difference between what you make and what you actually keep. Learn how balancing growth with safe money strategies and proactive tax planning can protect your wealth, clear the path for your bucket-list dreams, and help you transition into a confident retirement. Like this episode? Hit that Follow button and never miss an episode!

Key Takeaways: Tax Incentives Support Clean Energy: Tax credits and deductions can make it more affordable for businesses to invest in energy solutions like solar panels. Use Depreciation to Lower Taxes: Bonus depreciation allows businesses to deduct the cost of certain energy-efficient equipment more quickly, improving cash flow. Choose the Right Business Structure: Creating separate companies to own assets like energy systems can help reduce liability and improve tax efficiency when done correctly. Turn Tax Planning Into a Growth Strategy: Understanding tax laws helps businesses make smarter financial decisions that support long-term growth instead of simply reducing taxes. Invest in Your Community: Spending money on projects that benefit the community can strengthen your business, build trust, and support long-term success for everyone involved.   Chapters: Timestamp Summary   0:00 Tax Benefits of Energy Independence and Solar Panel Incentives 2:11 Energy, Tax Incentives, and Community Prosperity 4:08 Business Tax Incentives for Solar Energy and Infrastructure Investment 8:43 Reframing Tax Payments as Community Support 10:27 Creative Tax Strategies for Business Efficiency and Growth Powered by ReiffMartin CPA and Stone Hill Wealth Management   Social Media Handles    Follow Phillip Washington, Jr. on Instagram (@askphillip)   Subscribe to Wealth Building Made Simple newsletter https://www.wealthbuildingmadesimple.us/   Ready to turn your investing dreams into reality? Our "Wealth Building Made Simple" premium newsletter is your secret weapon. We break down investing in a way that's easy to understand, even if you're just starting out. Learn the tricks the wealthy use, discover exciting opportunities, and start building the future YOU want. Sign up now, and let's make those dreams happen!   WBMS Premium Subscription   Phillip Washington, Jr. is a registered investment adviser. Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and, unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Be sure to first consult with a qualified financial adviser and/or tax professional before implementing any strategy discussed herein. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.

Welcome back to the Dollar Wise Podcast. In this episode, Andrew Barnhardt, CFP, and Brett Herron, CFP, take a deep dive into Roth conversions — what they are, why so many pre-retirees and retirees are asking about them, and when they do (and don't) make sense. Andrew and Brett walk through the core benefits of converting pre-tax retirement dollars to Roth, including lowering future required minimum distributions, creating a tax-free pot of money for large expenses, hedging against potential future tax increases, and leaving a tax-free inheritance to heirs. They also cover the practical side of paying the resulting tax bill, scenarios where converting may not be the right move — including charitable giving goals — and real examples of when conversions have paid off for clients. Throughout, they emphasize that Roth conversions are a personal, best-guess optimization strategy that should be made in coordination with a tax professional and financial advisor, not a one-size-fits-all recommendation.Tune into this episode to also learn:● What a Roth conversion is and how it differs from a regular Roth contribution.● How Roth conversions can help reduce future required minimum distributions.● The most tax-efficient ways to pay for a Roth conversion when it comes due.● Why charitable giving goals can change whether a conversion makes sense.What we discussed● [00:00:31] Kicking off the episode: introducing today's topic, Roth conversions.● [00:00:50] What a Roth actually is — after-tax contributions, tax-free growth, and tax-free qualified withdrawals.● [00:03:27] What a Roth conversion is and how it differs from contributing directly to a Roth account.● [00:06:54] Advantage #1: how converting to Roth can lower future required minimum distributions (RMDs).● [00:09:13] Smoothing retirement income over time to avoid higher tax brackets and other income-based traps.● [00:09:54] Advantage #2: building a tax-free pot of money for large or unexpected expenses.● [00:11:46] Advantage #3: using conversions as a hedge against potential future tax rate increases.● [00:13:11] Advantage #4: tax-free inheritances and gifting Roth dollars to heirs.● [00:15:46] How to actually pay the tax bill on a conversion — cash, taxable accounts, and what to avoid.● [00:19:16] Three scenarios where a Roth conversion may not make sense.● [00:21:41] Qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) and leaving pre-tax IRAs to charity.● [00:23:36] A real client example: how consistent conversions during low-income years changed one business owner's retirement picture.● [00:24:13] Why peak earning years are usually the wrong time to convert.● [00:25:49] Closing thoughts: Roth conversions are a personal decision based on your own goals, not trends.3 Things To Remember1. Roth conversions are about optimization, not necessity — they're rarely what makes or breaks a retirement.2. Whether a conversion makes sense depends on your own tax bracket today versus your expected bracket later — not on trends or what your neighbor is doing.3. How you pay the tax on a conversion matters — paying from cash or a taxable account is generally more efficient than withholding from the conversion itself.Memorable moments:(00:06:54) "Roth conversions are a way of moving some of that income forward into your retirement to lower your RMDs, therefore lowering the tip that you give Uncle Sam."(00:11:46) "It's a hedge against future tax rate increases... if you convert money from pre-tax to Roth, you insulate yourself somewhat against some of those tax potentials in the future."(00:19:16) "If doing a Roth conversion is going to hurt you financially for your retirement, it would be more necessary to not do it."Useful LinksConnect with Brett Herron: bherron@hfmadvisors.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-herronConnect with Andrew Barnhardt: abarnhardt@hfmadvisors.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-barnhardt-cfpLike what you've heard...Learn more about HFM HERE: https://hfmadvisors.com/Schedule time to speak with us HERE: https://calendly.com/hfminquirycall/360102 WEST HIGH STREET, SUITE 200GLASSBORO, NJ 08028HFM Investment Advisors, LLC is a registered investment adviser. All statements and opinions expressed are based upon information considered reliable although it should not be relied upon as such. Any statements or opinions are subject to change without notice. Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. All investments involve risk and are not guaranteed. Information expressed does not take into account your specific situation or objectives and is not intended as a recommendation appropriate for any individual. Listeners are encouraged to seek advice from a qualified tax, legal, or investment advisor to determine whether any information presented may be suitable for their specific situation. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.

This week's Trends Journal cover features Benjamin Netanyahu as Uncle Sam, raising a question millions of Americans are asking: Who is leading the U.S. into war? We examine how the Iran War unfolded, why Washington expected to be drawn in, and the growing influence of Israel on U.S. foreign policy. Plus, the latest on what's next for stocks and the global economy. Get the critical geopolitical and economic trends shaping the future—before they become the headlines. Access our premium content, subscribe to The Trends Journal: https://trendsjournal.com/subscribe The Trends Journal is a weekly magazine analyzing global current events forming future trends. Our mission is to present Facts and Truth over fear and propaganda to help subscribers prepare for What's Next in these increasingly turbulent times. The Trends Journal Shop: https://trendsjournal.com/shop Follow Gerald Celente on X: https://x.com/geraldcelente Follow Gerald Celente on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geraldcelentetrends Follow Gerald Celente on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gcelente/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@trends.journal Follow Gerald Celente on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@geraldcelentetrends Follow Gerald Celente on Gab: http://gab.com/geraldcelente Substack: https://Trendsinthenews.substack.com Follow Gerald Celente on Truth: https://truthsocial.com/@TrendsJournal Follow Gerald Celente on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/Trends-Journal/ Copyright © 2026 Trends Research Institute. All rights reserved.

“Guadalcanal is not the name of an island. It is the name of the graveyard of the Japanese army.”This is the story of America's first major offensive in the Pacific since Midway.Amid hard fighting among the frozen peaks of Attu at the tail end of Alaska's Aleutian Islands, the Americans are gaining ground. But the cost is steep. Carrying out banzai charges, Japanese soldiers are prepared to fight to the last man. This is the case in the Solomon Islands as well, where US Marines—or "Uncle Sam's Miserable Children," as they call themselves—are storming the beaches of Guadalcanal. The island is only barely held, largely thanks to the almost unbelievable bravery of Medal of Honor recipient Sergeant John Basilone.Meanwhile, American codebreakers have obtained Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku's flight plans. The man who surprised America at Pearl Harbor is about to get a surprise of his own.____Connect with us on HTDSpodcast.com andorder Prof. Jackson's bookgo deep into episode bibliographies and book recommendationsjoin discussions in our Facebook communityget news and discounts from The HTDS Gazette come see a live showget HTDS merchor become an HTDS premium member for bonus episodes and other perks.HTDS is part of Audacy media network. Interested in advertising on the History That Doesn't Suck? Contact Audacyinc.com.

Closer to Christmas Podcast – June 27th – “181 Days, Christmas Music Temptation.” Closer to Christmas Podcast – June 28th – “180 Days, You Made It…Now What?” Horror for the Holidays Podcast – June 28th – “Uncle Sam.” Tis the Podcast – June 29th – “How Do You Think Grandmas Got Those Legs of Hers? […]

Recording a podcast from a beach sounds relaxing until your phone is overheating, the ocean looks suspicious, and a family nearby is yelling like it's a competitive sport. We're out on the road with Discombobulated, posted up in the shade on the Georgia coast, letting the scenery steer the conversation: Sea-Doos ripping past, vacation chaos, and that specific touring-comedian brain where every random moment becomes a bit before it becomes a feeling.We bounce from pure riffing to real-life honesty fast. There's the strange emptiness of “I love you” rituals, the whiplash of drunk “I miss you” texts, and the low-grade burnout that shows up when you've been driving city to city, sleeping in the car, and still trying to deliver onstage. We also get into the fantasy of money as an exit plan, the desire to feel grounded again, and what it means to keep creating when your life is basically a moving parking lot.Then the travel stories hit: watching Disney fireworks near Orlando while dressed up as Uncle Sam, standing among Disney adults who can flip from normal dinner mode to full soundtrack devotion in seconds. Add a broken hotel hot tub, a poolside makeout scene that feels illegal to witness, and a final stretch of coastal driving that lands on Jekyll Island at sunset. If you like comedian podcasts, road stories, and unfiltered behind-the-scenes tour life, this one has all of it.If you laughed or related even a little, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so we can keep this thing moving. What part hit you the hardest: the beach chaos, the Disney moment, or the car-sleeping honesty?Support the showhttps://www.patreon.com/c/DiscombobulatedwithBobbyJaycox

We want YOU to listen to this episode on the straight-to-video 1996 slasher, Uncle Sam.

Why are you still writing big checks to Uncle Sam even after your working years are over? Many retirees face a sudden tax shock due to forced retirement account distributions, rising Medicare premiums, and unexpected structural penalties. In this episode of Retirement Coffee Talk, Charisse Rivers breaks down the reality of long-term tax burdens in retirement and discusses how strategic planning handles these pitfalls. Discover how shifting toward an all-weather portfolio can help manage market volatility and protect your legacy without relying on guesswork or market timing. Like this episode? Hit that Follow button and never miss an episode!

Well, we made it through July 4th weekend! The "Great American State Fair" continued to frustrate and disappoint the weird few who insisted on attending. Or trying to, anyway. Fake "pavilions" filled with half-assed "exhibits" that lots of states wanted nothing to do with. Even so, some were made to look like they were participating, even when they weren't. And the look was not good! All-in-all, we should just be glad they didn't burn anything down. Greg Dworkin was here to remind us that there was plenty of other stuff happening this weekend, anyway. Bribery, marching Nazis, FIFA corruption. You know, the usual. Speaking of those marching Nazis, know why it was so easy to get so many of them into DC on July 4th? Probably because they were already there. Interesting developments in the Michigan Senate race, where state senator Mallory McMorrow ended her campaign, leaving just two main Dem contenders in the race. Where will her voters go? Not easy to tell. They'll probably all turn socialist! But not for the reason you might think: i.e., that they're socialists now. They probably just want someone who'll kick a little ass. And there are a lot that need kicking. Meanwhile, the regular onslaught of corruption stories continued unabated. Along with a bunch of people Trump claimed were jailed for "fixing their cars," he also pardoned (by strange coincidence) yet another Perv-A-Lago fraudster, this time one maybe tied to a wee bit of murder. And just for a bit of semiquincentennial fun, what movies best capture America? Well, hold onto your Uncle Sam hats, because America's Poet Laureate might just be the creator of Beavis and Butt-Head.

Midnight Terrors is back with our weekly episode! It's 4th of July weekend...so we decided to get a little festive with this week's episode! As it's 4th of July weekend AND the 4 year anniversary weekend of Midnight Terrors being a podcast...Kevin and Roy decided to sit down to discuss the ever so outrageous dark comedy...Uncle Sam from 1996! What did your co-hosts think of this movie? Find out now on episode 174 of The Midnight Terrors Podcast!Thank you all for 4 years of MTP! 4 down...many to go!! Check out MTP's Linktree:midnightterrorspodcast Official: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook | Linktree

Today on Cruise News: cruise lines are increasingly building voyages around celebrations, entertainment, and personal passions. Carnival Cruise Line, an official America250 partner, opens its shipboard celebrations of America's 250th anniversary with a June 28 event aboard Carnival Pride at the Port of Baltimore, followed by July 4 gatherings across its fleet and a 40-foot Uncle Sam hat on deck. Cunard unveils its 2027 entertainment lineup across Queen Mary 2, Queen Anne, Queen Elizabeth, and Queen Victoria, with themed transatlantic crossings including Theatre at Sea, Dance the Atlantic, a National Symphony Orchestra voyage, and a Literature Festival at Sea. And Azamara adds 23 golf-focused cruises for 2028 in partnership with Premier Golf, pairing a PGA Professional onboard each sailing with access to celebrated courses from Valderrama in Spain to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.

Are you writing checks to Uncle Sam in retirement and wondering why the tax bill hasn't stopped? In this episode of Retirement Coffee Talk, Charisse Rivers of Zinnia Wealth breaks down the shocking reality of retirement taxes, from escalating RMDs to the steep financial impacts of the "widow's penalty." Discover why traditional, cookie-cutter advice fails and how building a proactive, all-weather portfolio can protect your savings from market meltdowns. Learn how strategic tax planning and custom income bucket strategies can unlock more wealth during your prime "go-go" years. Like this episode? Hit that Follow button and never miss an episode!

Dave Cohen in for Tommy Tucker. There are plenty of events going on this weekend. We'll get the details on the Uncle Sam Jam from Tripp Rabalais, the director of Lafreniere Park.

The guys talk about The World Cup, fireworks, and the 4th of July. They also learn a about Uncle Sam.You can follow the show on X/Twitter: @passthegravypod, @AlexJMiddleton, and @NotPatDionne

Jeremy Schaap is embedded with Team USA in Santa Clara for tonight's Knockout game against Bosnia and on Saturday he'll be in NY hosting Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. Call him Uncle Sam!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stephanie talks about the bizarre antics surrounding Trump's Great American Fair, where a MAGA supporter dressed as Uncle Sam was caught engaging in lewd acts. They dissect the absurdity of the situation while also discussing the empty promises of the Trump presidency, like his so-called "budget presidency" and the gaudy decor that comes with it. The conversation takes a turn as they address the recent Supreme Court rulings, including one affirming Trump's status as a rapist while simultaneously granting him sweeping powers. Guests: Charlie Pierce and Jody Hamilton.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episode Notes The big theme tonight: America is throwing itself a 250th birthday party, but the guest list is divided, the decorations are partisan, and democracy may have left early. Segments include: America Turns 250, But Half the Country Already Left the Group Chat A Reuters/Ipsos poll shows a grim national mood heading into July 4, with many Americans skipping Independence Day celebrations and questioning whether the country will survive another 250 years as one nation. America's 250th Birthday Party Got Taken Over By the Weird Uncle With a Fog Machine The Guardian's look at Trump's America 250 rollout frames the anniversary as a tacky, Trump-centered spectacle involving Freedom 250, the Great American State Fair, military flyovers, UFC branding, and a reflecting pool disaster that is almost too symbolic. Uncle Sam Wants You… To Please Stop Doing That In Public A MAGA livestreamer dressed as Uncle Sam was arrested at the Great American State Fair after witnesses reported lewd behavior during an acrobat performance, adding another surreal layer to the already chaotic America 250 rollout. Mamdani Builds the Socialist Avengers, Democratic Establishment Starts Googling “Panic Room Near Me” Zohran Mamdani's endorsements helped progressive and DSA-aligned candidates win key New York primaries, signaling a growing left-wing challenge to the Democratic establishment. Supreme Court Gives Trump the “You're Fired” Button for Independent Agencies The Court's Trump v. Slaughter decision expands presidential power over independent agencies, weakening long-standing protections that were meant to keep certain regulators insulated from political pressure. Supreme Court Says Your Vote Can Survive the Mail, Somehow Republicans Are Furious In a rare voting rights win, the Court upheld states' ability to count mail ballots that arrive after Election Day, as long as voters cast or postmarked them on time. The Case That Won't Go Away The Supreme Court may consider whether to hear Trump's appeal in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case, keeping one of his most high-profile legal battles alive in the national spotlight. Europe Is Boiling Over A deadly heatwave across Europe is being linked to more than 1,300 excess deaths, highlighting how extreme heat is becoming a public health crisis and not just a seasonal inconvenience. Silverdeer Interview Los Angeles duo Silverdeer joins the show to talk about their shift from saturn 17 into a heavier, more atmospheric sound, the friendship behind the project, House of Devotion, and their upcoming single “Anywhere,” out July 24. 411 on the 405: Kevin Spacey Says Hollywood Jail Is Over, Everyone Else Checks the Locks Kevin Spacey says he feels more welcomed in Hollywood again after years of allegations, legal battles, and industry exile, raising the uncomfortable question of when legal outcomes become cultural permission. Box Office: Toy Story 5 Beats Supergirl, Proving America Still Trusts a Cowboy Doll More Than DC Toy Story 5 stayed at No. 1 while Supergirl opened in second, showing that audiences will still show up for familiar franchises — but only when the emotional contract still works. Twista Gets Twisted Up With the IRS Twista pleaded guilty to willfully failing to pay federal income taxes, proving once again that even celebrities cannot outrun the IRS. LINKShttps://instagram.com/itsnewstoushttps://tiktok.com/@itsnewstous Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this edition of The Iconograph, Jack and Miles are joined by journalist/podcaster/fictive 2nd Amendment Santa, Robert Evans to talk about everybody's favorite Unc: Uncle Sam! They'll explore his sexy creation, his tantalizing evolution, why he's so hot and everybody wants him and so much more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Show Note Special Presentation: Spirit of ‘76 This week Host Dave Bledsoe is celebrating 250 years of America by dressing as Uncle Sam and getting piss drunk at a cookout. (It is tradition) On the show this week, we drop in this Special Presentation about the last Big Birthday Blast America put on back in 1976! From Tall Ships to Winnebagos, from fire hydrants to twenty five cents worth of history we explore all the way America celebrated 200 years!  Our Sponsor is Numismatics who wants you to check your swear jar before you dump them in Coinstar.  We open with ABC coverage of America's Big Day and close with John Williams and the Boston Pops. Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/ Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music: https://youtu.be/7t2LGv-iR1Y?si=nHXxCEBfCvxoUBea Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: Your Bicentennial Memories Are Here: The Year of an Unusual Public Art Project https://bicentennialmemoryproject.substack.com/p/1976-bicentennial-fire-hydrants Bicentennial Wagon Train https://www.kophistory.org/bicentennial-wagon-train/ MARKETING: Bucks From The Bicentennial https://time.com/archive/6847235/marketing-bucks-from-the-bicentennial/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's episode, we offer 7 tips indie authors can use to help their audiobooks turn a profit on production costs. This coupon code will get you 25% off the ebooks in the Ghost Night series at my Payhip store: JUNENIGHT The coupon code is valid through July 13, 2026. So if you need a new ebook this summer, we've got you covered! TRANSCRIPT 00:00:00 Introduction and Writing Updates Hello, everyone. Welcome to Episode 309 of The Pulp Writer Show. My name is Jonathan Moeller. Today is June 26th, 2026 and today we are sharing seven tips for audiobook profitability for indie authors. Before we get to that, we will have Coupon of the Week and an update on my current writing, publishing, and audiobook projects. First up is Coupon of the Week and this week's coupon code will get you 25% off the ebooks in the Ghost Night series at my Payhip store. That code is JUNENIGHT. And as always, the coupon code and the links to my Payhip store will be available in the show notes for this episode. This coupon code will be valid through July the 13th, 2026. So if you need a new ebook series to read this summer, we have got you covered. Now let's have an update on my current writing, publishing, and audiobook projects. I am pleased to report I am on the second editing pass of Blade of Thieves. I am about 13% of the way through that. And so if all goes well, I think the book will be out after the 4th of July weekend/second week in July, if all goes well. I have a few real life things to do that might slow that down, but I am very, very keen to finally have this book out after the 4th of July weekend. After Blade of Thieves is published, my next project will be Cloak of Frost, the 15th book in the Cloak Mage series. I am 17,000 words into that and I am hoping that will be out in August, if all goes well. I have no audiobooks currently in production, but that will change next month because Brad Wills will be recording Blade of Thieves once it's done. Hollis McCarthy will be recording Cloak of Worlds and Leanne Woodward will be recording Dragon-Mage. So we'll go from having no audiobooks being worked on to a bunch being worked on all at once. Funny how things tend to bunch up like that. So that is where I'm at with my current writing and publishing and audiobook projects. 00:01:59 The Economics of Audiobook Production for Indie Authors [All money amounts mentioned are in USD.] Now today I want to talk about a very advanced level indie author topic, namely audiobook production and the economics of it. Recently there's been some controversy because ACX (which is Amazon's audiobook production platform) has been changing its royalty model and rolling out what they call synthetic voice, which is basically an AI generated voice. Some writers have been using it because it's a lot cheaper than a good human narrator, but the flip side is that not many people like listening to it and won't pay money for it. Admittedly, synthetic voice is not fundamentally a new technology. Text to speech has been around forever. Macs have had it since I believe 1984, back when 120 kilobytes of RAM was a lot. As a brief digression, I wish the term AI hadn't been bandied about so liberally. Before the public backlash began against generative AI and data centers, the term AI was trendy, so it got slapped on a lot of things that are actually wildly different than generative AI. I saw a post where someone was complaining about the locations in Starfield being AI generated, when in fact they're procedurally generated, which is something totally different. Anyway, synthetic voice is just a more advanced version of the text to speech technology that's been around since the early 1980s. The fear is that AI generated audiobooks will swamp the market and dominate most of ACX's payment model. Now, while that is a valid fear, I strongly suspect that it is not going to work out that way, given the hostility I have observed towards synthetic voices, especially in fiction. I think what'll happen is authors who use synthetic voice will save a lot of money by not paying a narrator, but then they won't actually make any money because no one will want to buy these machine voiced audiobooks. I have some basis for that because in the early 2020s, I experimented with making synthetic voice versions of my Silent Order science fiction series and putting them on YouTube. The overwhelming response was that people liked the story but hated the computer generated voice. It might be different for nonfiction. A romance novel with a synthetic voice would obviously be quite flat, but that wouldn't matter as much for a primer on tax law or agriculture or something similar. So there's a lot of uncertainty on whether or not audiobooks can still be profitable for indie authors. However, I suggest this is nothing new. Audiobooks have always been indie publishing on hard mode, partly because they're expensive to produce and partly because they're harder to sell than ebooks and sometimes even paperbacks. That said, I'm on my eighth year of self-publishing audiobooks and some of them have made back their production costs and turned a profit. So I thought it would share seven tips on how to have profitable self-published audiobooks. #1: Think long term. If you want your audiobooks to be profitable, you need to think in the long term. ACX has this program called Royalty Share where rather than pay a narrator, you and the narrator split the royalties on the audiobook for the next seven years and after those seven years are passed, you get all these subsequent royalties. I've never taken this option, but I cite it here because I think seven years is not an unreasonable amount of time for an audiobook to earn back its production cost. People always blanch a bit when I say that, but I've been doing self-published audiobooks for eight years now, so let's see how some of them have done. The Frostborn audiobooks, 100% of them have earned back their production cost. Of the 24 Ghosts books in audio, about the first 10 have earned back their production cost. For Cloak Mage, of the 12 Cloak Mage books currently in audio, about the first three and a half have earned back their production cost. For Dragonskull, of the nine Dragonskull books, the first three and a half have earned back their production cost. For Malison, of the four Malison books, they have 100% earned back their production cost. It helps that they're short. For The Shield War, of the six Shield War books, the first one has earned back its production costs, but I only started the series in 2023. The Linux Command Line Beginner's Guide (my one nonfiction book) has totally earned back its production cost. So I don't think seven years is an unreasonable length of time to earn back the production cost for an audiobook. That means you have to think long term, almost like a small business owner buying a new piece of equipment. Depending on the business, the owner might budget for the equipment making back what he paid for it in four or five years, or if he has to take out a loan to buy the equipment, he'll calculate how long it'll take to pay back that loan. Like for example, I just had to pay a lot of money to have these struts in my car fixed and I expect the garage owner carefully considered how much he would spend on his vehicle hoist since I believe a new vehicle hoist and installation typically costs between $7,000 and $12,000 and how long it would take him to make back that money. All successful small business owners have to think like this. Now this mindset is a bit tricky for indie authors because we often have a strong tendency to think in the short term, especially new indie authors who want their books to make a ton of money right now. But as I said above, audiobooks are self-publishing on hard mode, so you need to decide whether it is worth the investment and if you're comfortable waiting a few years to earn back the production cost over time. The reality is that if you are paying a professional narrator to create an audiobook, you're paying $200 per finished hour or above, which is a small business expense. So for that kind of money, you need to think about the audiobook like a small business owner. #2: Deductions First off, I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice and I am not an accountant and this is not investment/financial advice. If you want financial/investment advice, you should talk to an accountant or financial planner properly certified with the tax laws of your state, province, and nation. If you want legal advice, you should talk to a lawyer licensed to practice in your jurisdiction. The way my writing business is set up, I can take the production cost of audiobooks as a deduction against my taxes. This initially was one of the reasons I got into self-published audiobooks in the first place way back in 2018. I realized that if I was going to have to pay the money in taxes anyway, I might as well spend some of it on audio production instead, since that way I'll at least get a revenue generating asset out of it. Other small businesses will sometimes do this when they approach the end of their fiscal year and realize they have more tax liability than expected, so it's probably time to invest in some new equipment or upgrades that they would need anyway. Like maybe the garage owner we mentioned earlier has a really good year so he decides it's a good time to spend that $12,000 on a new vehicle hoist so he doesn't have quite so high a tax bill at the end of the year. I once had someone tell me rather self-righteously that this was a tax dodge and therefore immoral, but that's ridiculous. [Transcriptionist's side note: I wish I had that person's level of unearned confidence. I'd use it for cliff diving or starting a library just for puppies and the weirdest, clumsiest orange cats. Literally anything else.] No less of an authority than Jesus Christ himself said that to render under Caesar what is Caesar. If Caesar says that audiobook book production is a deductible business expense, it is a deductible business expense. Business deductions are the government's way of saying, "spend this income on something that benefits the national economy or will take it as taxes." To a more immediate point, the IRS itself says you have the legal obligation to pay exactly the amount of taxes you owe, but there are also legal ways such as business deductions to reduce the amount of taxes you owe. Besides, no matter what you do, the government gets its cut anyway. At the end of the year, I have to file 1099s for the narrators because their payments are taxable income and every time one of the audiobooks sells, the government gets sales tax, the stores owe taxes on that income, and I owe taxes on the payment from the store. Uncle Sam has a lot of practice at getting his cut and he's very good at it. So depending on your business structure and the local tax laws where you live, audiobook production might be a deductible expense, which is very helpful on the financial side of it. #3: Promote the ebook. The easiest way I found to sell an audiobook is to have the audiobook of an ebook that sells well. Admittedly, this is a bit of a chicken and egg problem, isn't it? However, that can help you choose which titles to make into audiobooks. Like I mentioned above that Frostborn has paid back 100% of its production costs, and that's because it's my most popular series. It was easy for the audiobooks to sell well because the ebooks were selling well. By contrast, an ebook that sells more slowly will have a harder time selling audiobooks. One of the reasons I experimented with using synthetic voice on YouTube with the Silent Order series earlier in the 2020s was because I knew I would never make Silent Order into actual audiobooks because the series didn't sell well enough to merit it. So if you want your audiobook to sell, the easiest way to do it is to promote the ebook. If the ebook sells well enough, it will likely generate some audiobook sales as well. This can also help you determine whether or not you should even produce an audiobook of a particular ebook. If the ebook does not have strong sales, it is probably not a good idea to make an audiobook out of it. #4: Diversify We started out by talking about ACX, but ACX is not the only game in town. The other big audiobook distribution platform is INaudio, which is owned by Spotify. It was previously known as Findaway Voices, but then Spotify bought it and changed the name to INaudio. ACX will get your audiobook into Audible, Amazon, and Apple. INaudio will get your audiobook into every other platform: Google Play, Kobo, Storytel, Chirp, the library distributors, and a bunch of others. So if your audiobook is not exclusive to ACX, it's a good idea to use INaudio as well. That said, Google Play and Kobo now have direct upload for audiobooks and if your audiobook is not exclusive to ACX, it's a good idea to use the direct upload for Google Play and Kobo instead of relying on INaudio. There are a few significant advantages to this. First, you make a little bit more money since INaudio is not taking its distribution fee and the cumulative effect of that over time can be significant. Second, your audiobook will be eligible for Kobo Plus, which can generate extra revenue. I've had some of my best months on Kobo in 2026 thanks to Kobo Plus. Third and perhaps most importantly, you won't be completely dependent on INaudio because INaudio is frequently quite glitchy and in my frank and unbiased opinion, has gone downhill noticeably in quality since Spotify took over. Every single problem I've ever had with INaudio has come after Spotify bought Findaway and turned it into INaudio. I'm afraid that Spotify, like many other publicly traded corporations in the US, has the chronic problem of an upper management class who are buzzword prone MBA drones with an unhealthy enthusiasm for generative AI and indulging in self-destructive cost cutting and layoffs right before it's time to file quarterly reports. Very frequently, the QA process on INaudio will go berserk and declare that a book is AI generated and ineligible for distribution even when it's not. So direct upload to Google Play and Kobo avoids that problem. Because of these problems, another distributor called Author's Republic has been growing, but I haven't tried that out yet. Despite these problems, INaudio also gets you access to Chirp, which is our next bullet point. #5: Chirp Deals I said earlier that the best way to promote your audiobook is ebook promotion, but the one exception to that is Chirp. Chirp is run by BookBub, which is an email newsletter service that offers discounted ebooks to its subscribers. BookBub wanted to expand to audiobooks, but Audible very famously does not let indie authors control their prices and definitely doesn't let them do discounts. So to get around that slight problem, BookBub started its own audiobook store in the form of Chirp, which does let indie authors control their prices and therefore offer discounts. I've had some excellent results with Chirp deals over the years, usually with Child of the Ghost and Cloak of Dragons. In May, I had a Chirp deal with Dragonskull: Sword of the Squire, but since the dashboard on INaudio only updates every 30 days for Chirp, I'm not sure how it did yet. If you get a Chirp deal and you want to take a big swing with it, you can also set temporary discounts on the subsequent books in the series. For my earlier Chirp deals for Cloak of Dragons and Child of the Ghosts, the price for Cloak of Dragons was at $0.99 and I set the price of the subsequent two audiobooks at $2.99 each. I got good results from that and some of my best months on INaudio. For the recent Dragonskull deal, Sword of the Squire was at $0.99 and I temporarily set every other audiobook in the series at $2.99 on Chirp. It was the biggest swing I've taken with a Chip deal, so I'm curious to see how it plays out. #6: Direct sales It's a good idea to have a direct sales platform of some kind, whether it's Shopify or Payhip or Gumroad or a similar platform and offer direct sales of your audiobooks. There are numerous advantages to this. You can set your own price, which as we mentioned above, ACX does not let you do. You can very easily run sales and discounts. If you're a regular reader at the site, you know I do a different Coupon of the Week for my Payhip store every week and it's often for audiobooks. As I mentioned with the problems with INaudio, it provides a platform to get your audiobook to listeners even if the other stores are having technical problems. Sometimes ACX processing can take weeks and the site's past troubles sometimes stretched [it] into months. The difficulty is getting people to actually use the store. The term vendor lock-in means that the more a customer uses the platform, the less likely they are to switch. If someone has been building up their Kindle library or Audible library since 2009, they're unlikely to switch to a competitor. Most of my direct sales come from a combination of Coupon of the Week and new releases to people who don't like DRM. So having a direct sales platform is a long haul, but still worth doing. Besides, everything in audiobooks is a long haul. #7: Direct reader relationship via Patreon or a similar site. I've never done this myself so I don't have any specific tips, but I have seen some writers do it quite successfully. That said, you should only have a Patreon or a similar site if you're willing to put in the work. Readers are very unforgiving of a writer who does not live up to his or her Patreon obligations. However, if you include audiobooks as one of your patron tiers that can go a long way towards audiobook profitability. A regular Patreon type income can help fund regular audiobook production. Conclusion Audiobooks are indeed indie publishing on hard mode, but hopefully these tips will help increase the chances that your audiobooks will be profitable. Lastly, thanks to everyone who has listened to one of my audiobooks. So that's it for this week. Thanks for listening to The Pulp Writer Show. I hope you found the show useful. A reminder that you can listen to all the back episodes at https://thepulpwritershow.com, often with transcripts. If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave a review on your podcasting platform of choice. Stay safe and stay healthy and see you all next week.

It's a very sports-oriented edition of the show. We check in with the woman who stole a trash can from the Knicks parade and got fired over it. This results in another shouting match about the Knicks. We watch a hilariously awkward segment on the Mets pregame show yesterday. We learn of a Uncle Sam lookalike that got a bit too handsy and the Great American Fair. Plus, we check in with Danzig's next movie and Dave Mustaine's views on politics.Watch the episode on Youtube for free. Join our Patreon and get a bonus episode each month, and other behind-the-scenes goodies. More info here.Follow us on: Twitch, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and our Discord Chat. Also don't forget about our Spotify playlist. We also have merch if you're into that kind of sharing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To be "fair," Nitwit Nero's carnival is a big, ol' flop. But if you go, watch out for Uncle Sam. Vile, thy name is (Nut)Megyn. Or Katie Miller. Or Or Or . . . 

Charles Barone of the National Parents Union joins Mike Petrilli to debate the Senate's bipartisan READ Act. Would additional federal funding help states strengthen teacher preparation and expand evidence-based reading instruction, or could a larger federal role politicize the science-of-reading movement and repeat the mistakes of Reading First?Then, on the Research Minute, Amber Northern reviews a new study examining why tutoring's impact on student achievement tends to shrink when programs scale up.Recommended content:Is the Senate's READ Act a Reading First redux? —Michael J. Petrilli, SCHOOLEDThe READ Act: A National Commitment to Literacy —National Parents UnionFrom the Teacher's Desk: A Science of Reading Progress Report —David Griffith and Brian Fitzpatrick, Thomas B. Fordham InstituteToo Good to Last: The True Story of Reading First —Sol Stern, Thomas B. Fordham InstituteWhat Impacts Should We Expect From Tutoring at Scale? Exploring Meta-Analytic Generalizability —Matthew A. Kraft, Beth E. Schuele, and Grace T. Falken, SAGE Journals (2026)Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our show? We would love to hear them. Send them to thegadfly@fordhaminstitute.org

In recent years, “Christian Nationalism” has become a ubiquitous term in American political discussion.It is said by many with fear and loathing, and by others with great excitement and conviction.Among the enthusiasts include Doug Wilson, who is the pastor of Pete Hegseth, the United States' Secretary of War. And it's not just Hegseth who has ties to the ideology, Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House of Representatives, has also been described as a Christian Nationalist. And many members of Trump's administration and the pro-Trump media have flirted with the idea that Christians and, maybe more accurately, the Bible, ought to be the guiding force behind the government's actions.Last month, Trump hosted Rededicate 250, an event which sought to, in the administration's own words, “rededicate America as One Nation under God.”But as much as Christian Nationalism has become an emotional buzz word, the belief system it describes has varied over time—and the current MAGA-adjacent evangelical iteration is only a small piece of the story of how Christianity and American society have pushed and pulled on each other for centuries.As we recognize the U.S.'s 250th birthday, the question of whether or not America is a Christian nation or whether or not it was intended to be one, continues to show its face in social media feeds, newspapers, podcasts, pulpits and schoolrooms. So, to sort through the complicated relationship between Jesus and Uncle Sam, Joseph Holmes sat down with three American Christian professors: Matthew Parks, Joseph Loconte and David Corbin. The group discusses whether or not the U.S. is a Christian country, whether that's even possible and to what extent Christian beliefs ought to influence political decisions.If you'd like to hear more from our guests today, you can listen to the Democracy in America Today podcast, which is hosted by David Corbin and Matt Parks. Joseph Loconte has written several books, but he is most well known for his writings on C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, the most recent of which was 2025's “The War For Middle Earth.”

Topics:  Skydiving, Hansen 2042, Contentment, Remember, Breaking Animal News, Attractiveness, Searching BONUS CONTENT: Attractiveness Follow-up, Who's A Christian   Quotes: "I think children are welcome in the kingdom of God as they are." "God's grace is wider than ours." "Contentment. A lot of people don't like it when you're content, but it is the best way to live." "Remembering: putting together the big picture again." . . . Holy Ghost Mama Pre-Order! Want more of the Oddcast? Check out our website! Watch our YouTube videos here. Connect with us on Facebook!

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

Are we seeing a major policy shift when it comes to American cotton? ACSA President Buddy Allen drops in to discuss how federal policy pivots from only treating the symptoms to finally focusing on the cause.

National Go fishing day. Entertainment from 2005. War of 1812 began, Napolean defeated at Waterloo, Sally Ride 1st US woman in space. Todays birthdays - James Montgomery Flagg, George Mallory, Paul McCartney, Carol Kane, Isabella Rossellini, Nathan Morris, Blake Shelton. Clarence Clemons died.Intro - God did good - Dianna Corcoran  https://www.diannacorcoran.com/I wanna go fishing - Randy HeavinWe belong together - Mariah CareyMaking memories of us - Keith UrbanBirthdays - 50 Cent   http://50cent.com/She love you - The BeatlesEnd of the road - Boys II MenAustin - Blake SheltonExit - Whisikey & Tequila - Robinson Treacher  https://robinsontreacher.com/History & Factoids about today Playlist on SpotifyHistory & Factoids about today webpagecooolmedia.comcountryundergroundradio.comNational Days - May Puzzle BookGrace & Grit Christian Country Radio

This week, we kick things off with the successful Freedom 250 celebration at the White House. Patriotism, festivities, and enough red, white, and blue to make Uncle Sam ask everyone to tone it down a notch. Apparently, America knows how to throw a birthday party.Speaking of parties, Barack Obama casually revealed that there were some pretty wild gatherings during his White House years. Which naturally leaves us wondering: were these classy soirées, or was somebody playing beer pong in the Lincoln Bedroom? We discuss the comments and speculate on what exactly "wild" means when you're living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.Then we head to the golf course, where Phil Mickelson reportedly found himself in the rough after allegedly behaving inappropriately with a woman and getting shown the clubhouse door. Apparently, "playing through" doesn't apply to personal conduct.Finally, across the pond, thousands of people in the United Kingdom took to the streets to voice concerns about immigration, national identity, and the future of their country. We break down the protests, the reactions, and why Europeans seem to have mastered the art of expressing frustration while standing in the rain.From White House celebrations to presidential party stories, golf course drama, and political unrest overseas, this episode has more twists than a British roundabout.So grab your favorite beverage, avoid getting kicked out of any country clubs, and remember: if someone says there were "wild parties" at the White House, everybody immediately starts wondering who was in charge of the playlist.

Episode Synopsis:Is the United States really the land of the free and home of the brave, or is all of that just clever propaganda disguising the true nature of the federalized empire of Uncle Sam?We talk about this and much more, including:How long did it take for the United States to violate the values espoused in its founding documents?Why was the Louisiana Purchase considered an illegal purchase?How does the United States justify denying lawful protection to its own citizens?Why was Sanford Dole, the founder of the Dole fruit company, the president of Hawaii?How does the United States operate the “Footprint of Freedom,” an illegal 15-mile-long military base off the coast of Africa?Original Air DateShow HostsJason Spears & Christopher DeanOur PatreonConsider joining our Patreon Squad and becoming a Tier Operator to help support the show and get access to exclusive content like:Links and ResourcesStudio NotesA monthly Zoom call with Jason and Christopher And More…ORP ApparelMerch StoreConnect With UsLetsTalk@ORPpodcast.comFacebookInstagram

Anthropic pulled the plug on its Mythos / Fable 5 model after the U.S. government raised concerns, and IREN has completed its acquisition of Nostrum for 490 MW of capacity in Spain. Welcome back to The Blockspace Podcast! Anthropic and Uncle Sam are trading blows again, with the frontier LLM company pulling its recently released Mythos / Fable 5 model after whistleblowers said the model's guardrails were bypassed. Lygos Finance's CEO Jay Patel joins us for his reaction to the news and the market rally with a reported, imminent peace deal coming for the Iran War this week. For other news, we cover IREN's closing its acquisition of Nostrum, which will give it a 490 MW foothold in Spain for AI data center development, and the EPA's stance that it won't regulate AI data centers. Check out Dimetrics, the AI industry's Bloomberg terminal. Track financial metrics and news for AI stocks, GPU rental prices, state-by-state data center pushback, and more with the compute industry's most powerful dashboard. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates for all of our shows and content.

Sacrilegious Sunday is back, and this one goes from Hollywood acting debates to full-blown current-events chaos.Chino, Homeboy, and the crew open with the eternal question: Denzel Washington vs. Will Smith, one-take greatness, Training Day, Malcolm X, Glory, After Earth, Mark Wahlberg, and why some actors have magic while others just memorize the damn script.Then the show swerves into the news: Charlie Kirk free-speech fallout, people getting fired or arrested over social media posts, First Amendment lawsuits, settlements, and why everyone suddenly remembers free speech when the consequences start costing real money.From there, the military-veteran segment kicks in hard: veteran mental health, DD-214 life, military trauma, civilian coworkers, social anxiety, sleep deprivation, CPAP survival, and the secret inner violence of trying to complete a grocery list without losing your soul.A brand-new blue fish gets discovered in Venezuela… and Chino & Homeboy immediately prove why the internet should not be allowed to name anything.This episode kicks off with the viral fish-naming chaos: Bonnie Blue, blue waffle jokes, “Finding Cleto,” Victoria's Secret, and a full David Attenborough-level breakdown of one of the most cursed marine biology conversations ever recorded. From there, the show goes completely off the rails into AI restrictions, Uncle Sam killing Chino's coding momentum, public car hookup laws, OnlyFans creator drama, police videos, military gym roasting, Filipino culture fights, earthquake stories, Jollibee damage, Deadpool, He-Man, World Cup immigration chaos, and more unfiltered podcast madness.If you like dark comedy, military humor, internet culture, AI rants, pop culture arguments, adult jokes, and two dudes turning every topic into a crime scene, this one is for you.In this episode:New blue fish discovery, viral fish name suggestions, AI model drama, government restrictions, car sex legality, OnlyFans entitlement, police misconduct, military fitness fails, Filipino food, Philippines earthquake, Jollibee collapse, Deadpool, He-Man, World Cup visas, immigration talk, soccer, and Chino & Homeboy being absolutely wrong for two hours.Like, subscribe, comment, and tell us what you would name the fish.#ChinoAndHomeboy #ComedyPodcast #FunnyPodcast #DarkHumor #PodcastClips #BlueFish #InternetCulture #AIPodcast #MilitaryHumor #FilipinoHumor #MexicanHumor #OnlyFansDrama #Deadpool #HeMan #WorldCup #UnfilteredComedyTimecodes00:00 Intro / Sacrilegious Sunday01:37 Uncle Sam, AI restrictions, and Chino's coding rage08:42 New blue fish discovered in Venezuela13:19 Fish sushi question sends everything downhill21:11 Pinot Grigio jail-smuggling story31:20 Historical medical devices and cursed internet research42:26 Trans dating debate46:18 Cop video and public hookup laws52:06 OnlyFans creator collab drama01:04:49 Secretary of War Crimes gym roast01:24:09 Body found in San Diego Bay01:31:11 Bonnie Blue pregnancy controversy01:38:03 Dean Cain, Supergirl, and Millie Alcock01:57:19 Philippines earthquake and Jollibee damage02:04:14 Deadpool02:10:17 He-Man / Masters of the Universe02:16:14 Bachelor party and soccer confusion02:18:50 USA vs Paraguay02:20:24 World Cup visas and immigration chaos02:23:13 Outro

Today on Bit Public Radio, Host Luke Bovard explores the strange and unpredictable world of misconception. Correspondent Angelina Washington reports from Troy, New York, where a Flag Day celebration honoring Uncle Sam escalates into civic confusion, alphabet panic, and unexpected papal involvement. Next, Mandy Keyes investigates food misconceptions at a farmer's market in Pashook, Iowa, where a simple question about tomatoes leads to nightshade conspiracies, unusual educational materials, and some deeply confusing ideas about reproduction. Finally, in her first-ever field report, Gail "Shut Up Gail" Shephard accidentally investigates immaculate conception instead of misconception, uncovering mysterious pregnancies, impossible football outcomes, secret societies, and gardening techniques that defy explanation. Misunderstandings were made. Conclusions were reached. Facts became optional. Apologies Residents of Troy, New York, Uncle Sam,   Karate schools, karate students, karate parents, people named Xavier, Xander, and Yolanda, Zachary; Sesame Street, literacy advocates, the Vatican, Pope Leo, RC Cola, Fanta, farmer's markets, tomato growers, eggplant farmers, nightshade researchers, conspiracy theorists, sex education teachers, bananas, tomatoes, condom manufacturers, PBS cooking programs, Las Vegas sportsbooks, giant communities, golden geese, secret student societies, ACE Award nominees, workplace birthday cards. Also... SHUT UP GAIL! Credits Director and Creator: Billy Merritt Producer, Editor & Graphics: Hill Kane Featuring: Billy Merritt - Himself  Luke Bovard - Himself  Angela Washko  - Angelina Washington Amanda Keyes - Lisa Steckman Gail Shephard - Hill Kane Amber Bellsdale, Brent Kohler, Don Slovin, Jim Tripp and Katya Vasilaky - various and sundry characters and oddball sound effects. Music: BPR Theme Song: Lyrics Hill Kane, musical composition created on SUNO AI Hosting: Libsyn "The BIT" and "The BIT Improv Comedy Network" are trademarks owned by Billy Merritt. © 2024–2026 Billy Merritt. All rights reserved. Inquiries: TheBitComedyNetwork@gmail.com Website: BITComedyNetwork.com  Production + Graphics: Hill Kane, Raising Kane Media + Marketing

Hour 2 Segment 1 Tony starts the second hour of the show talking about Markwayne Mullin refusing to commit to following court orders to DHS. Hour 2 Segment 2 Tony talks about The Black Crowes lead singer shutting down USA chants after their mascot wore an Uncle Sam outfit at their show in Tampa. Hour 2 Segment 3 Tony gets into three more things: President Donald Trump signing an executive order to seek early access to powerful AI models before release, studies showing remote work isn’t helping college graduates in the workplace, and NPR changing headlines on anti-racism protests during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hour 2 Segment 4 Tony wraps up the second hour of the show talking about Scott Pelley getting fired from CBS News and 60 Minutes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hour 1 Segment 1 Tony starts the first hour of the show talking about Spencer Pratt finishing second in the Los Angeles mayoral race. Tony also talks about Adam Hamawy winning the Democrat House primary in New Jersey. Hour 1 Segment 2 Tony talks about President Donald Trump going off on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the phone due to strikes in Lebanon. Hour 1 Segment 3 Tony is joined with podcast host and occasional fill-in guest host Kira Davis, to talk about the primary election results in California. Hour 1 Segment 4 Tony wraps up the first hour of the show talking about Marco Rubio testifying on foreign policy and The View speaking on experience of Pete Hegseth. Hour 2 Segment 1 Tony starts the second hour of the show talking about Markwayne Mullin refusing to commit to following court orders to DHS. Hour 2 Segment 2 Tony talks about The Black Crowes lead singer shutting down USA chants after their mascot wore an Uncle Sam outfit at their show in Tampa. Hour 2 Segment 3 Tony gets into three more things: President Donald Trump signing an executive order to seek early access to powerful AI models before release, studies showing remote work isn’t helping college graduates in the workplace, and NPR changing headlines on anti-racism protests during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hour 2 Segment 4 Tony wraps up the second hour of the show talking about Scott Pelley getting fired from CBS News and 60 Minutes. Hour 3 Segment 1 Tony starts the final hour of the show talking about Scott Bessent testifying on President Donald Trump’s 2027 budget. Hour 3 Segment 2 Tony talks more about Adam Hamawy winning the Democrat House primary in New Jersey. Hour 3 Segment 3 Tony talks Thom Tillis’s displeasure of Bill Pulte for him replacing Tulsi Gabbard. Hour 3 Segment 4 Tony wraps up another edition of the show talking more about warehouse items seized from fraudsters. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3581: Dr. James Dahle explores the tradeoff between earning more and reclaiming your time, explaining how marginal utility, taxes, and fixed expenses influence the value of working additional hours. He highlights how financial obligations, lifestyle goals, and changing priorities throughout life shape the point where more income stops adding meaningful happiness and more free time becomes the greater reward. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.physicianonfire.com/diminishing-returns-work/ Quotes to ponder: “Both time and money are limited and fungible (exchangeable), and it is up to you spend them as will do the most good and bring you the most happiness.” “Once your house and student loans are paid for, you may find working 3 weekends a month isn't exactly what you want to do for the rest of your career.” “Lots of docs assume there is a point at which it isn't worth working because Uncle Sam gets everything extra you make. That is very rarely true.” Episode references: The White Coat Investor: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3581: Dr. James Dahle explores the tradeoff between earning more and reclaiming your time, explaining how marginal utility, taxes, and fixed expenses influence the value of working additional hours. He highlights how financial obligations, lifestyle goals, and changing priorities throughout life shape the point where more income stops adding meaningful happiness and more free time becomes the greater reward. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.physicianonfire.com/diminishing-returns-work/ Quotes to ponder: “Both time and money are limited and fungible (exchangeable), and it is up to you spend them as will do the most good and bring you the most happiness.” “Once your house and student loans are paid for, you may find working 3 weekends a month isn't exactly what you want to do for the rest of your career.” “Lots of docs assume there is a point at which it isn't worth working because Uncle Sam gets everything extra you make. That is very rarely true.” Episode references: The White Coat Investor: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rental properties can give you cash flow, appreciation, and loan paydown from tenants. But tax benefits are often the unsung hero of real estate investing. Today, we're sharing some of the best real estate tax strategies so you can keep more of your hard-earned money from Uncle Sam!   Welcome back to another Rookie Reply! Should you do a cost segregation study? Many investors use this tax strategy to accelerate depreciation and create massive paper losses, but what's the catch? Stay tuned as we break down the potential pitfalls and everything you need to know before getting started. What about a 1031 exchange? This strategy allows you to defer capital gains taxes when selling a rental property, but what if you're flipping houses?   Every landlord wants a great tenant in their rental property, but how do you find them? From credit scores and income requirements to employment verification and background checks, we show you how to dial in your tenant screening criteria so that you make the best possible decision! Looking to invest? Need answers? Ask your question here! In This Episode We Cover Real estate tax strategies that will help you keep more money from the IRS How to accelerate rental property depreciation with a cost segregation study Offsetting your active income with the short-term rental tax “loophole” The two ways to qualify for Real Estate Professional Status (REPS) How to select the best tenant for your rental property (fairly and legally) Whether you can do a 1031 exchange when flipping a house And So Much More! Check out more resources from this show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BiggerPockets.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠h⁠t⁠⁠tps://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/rookie-724⁠. Interested in learning more about today's sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠advertise@biggerpockets.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DOWNLOAD THE DV RADIO APP ON ANDROID RIGHT NOW!!   The latest BARRACKS TALK podcast episode is waiting, press 'play' now!   In this week's episode of BARRACKS TALK from DV Radio: The DV Radio Crew reminisce about Middle Eastern sandstorms to navigating the "extreme" anxiety of Veteran healthcare screenings, this episode explores the gritty reality of aging with the broken parts Uncle Sam left behind. They tackle the therapeutic potential of psychedelics, the hazards of self-medication, and the looming dread of medical "probes" alongside reflections on the true weight of Memorial Day. It's a raw, humor-filled look at life after service where golf rants, tactical simulations, and mortality are always on the menu. #DVRadio #BARRACKSTALK #VeteranLife #MilitaryHumor #MemorialDay #PTSDAwareness #VetHealth #MilitaryHistory #AnxietySupport #MentalHealthMatters #GrittyVets #MilitaryTransition #TacticalSims #PsychedelicHealing #VetsHelpingVets #ZeroFucks #VeteranRealities - GOFUNDME CAMPAIGNS MENTIONED Ms Lynn:: https://www.gofundme.com/f/standing-with-lynn-through-her-cancer-battle - Grab Your DV Radio Merch! https://bit.ly/DVR-StreamLabs-Merch - Respawn Finance + Free Budgeting App https://respawnfinance.com/ - Star Spangled Brewing Co. [THE OFFICIAL BEER OF DV RADIO] https://www.starspangledbrewingco.com/ - Hard Of Hearing, Deaf, or Have Other Hearing Issues? READ THE TRANSCRIPT! https://dvradio.net/accessibility - Hope For 22 A Day [Pin-Ups For the 22 A Day] https://hopefor22aday.org/ - Liberty Risk Podcast [Brothers Like None Other] https://beacons.ai/libertyriskpodcast - INERT Mugs [OFFICIAL SPONSOR] www.inertmugs.com - Laugh It Off [The Comedy Wing of DV Radio] https://www.laughitoff.org/ - Want To Sponsor DV Radio? No pricing model beats DV Radio when it comes to sponsorship. https://bit.ly/SponsorDVRadio DV Radio on Rumble https://rumble.com/c/DVRadio DV Radio on twitch.tv https://www.twitch.tv/dvradio - [NOTE: Click these links!] ---------- DV Farm Septic System Fundraiser https://donorbox.org/dv-farm-septic-system ---------- Parental Control Apps https://bit.ly/ChildSafeInternet ---------- Backpacks For Life https://backpacksforlife.org/ ---------- Wah-Tie Woodturning https://wahtiewoodturning.com/ ---------- Backpacks For Life Fundraiser https://ko-fi.com/dvradio/goal?g=1 ---------- Edited by Munkee Bawlz Media https://www.munkeebawlzmedia.com/ ---------- Are you a Veteran Owned Business? Have unique, handmade items that we can buy and review on a show? Contact us, show us what you have, and we'll (at least Bo) will spend up to $50 per month and speak openly about your product(s)!! ---------- Find Out More About Betsy Ross At Her Website https://bit.ly/Fight-With-Betsy-Ross ---------- *Got an idea for BARRACKS TALK or any other show? Want to be a guest? Then please feel free to contact us by sending an email to info[at]dvradio.net or oink[at]dvradio.net.* ---------- **LINKS TO CHECK OUT** EVERYTHING DYSFUNCTIONAL VETERANS https://whereisdv.carrd.co  ---------- DV RADIO PARTNERS, SPONSORS, and AFFILIATES https://dvr-listen-support.carrd.co

Avec son haut-de-forme étoilé, sa barbe blanche et son doigt pointé vers le spectateur, l'Oncle Sam est devenu l'un des symboles les plus célèbres des États-Unis. Mais une question demeure : pourquoi ce personnage représente-t-il l'Amérique ?L'origine de l'Oncle Sam remonterait à la guerre anglo-américaine de 1812. À cette époque, un fournisseur de viande nommé Samuel Wilson travaille pour l'armée américaine dans l'État de New York. Les barils de viande qu'il envoie aux soldats portent les lettres « U.S. », pour « United States ».Mais les soldats plaisantent en disant que ces initiales signifient en réalité « Uncle Sam », car Samuel Wilson était surnommé « Uncle Sam » par ses proches. Peu à peu, l'expression commence à désigner le gouvernement américain lui-même.L'histoire pourrait sembler anodine, mais le surnom va progressivement se répandre dans tout le pays au XIXe siècle. L'Oncle Sam devient alors une personnification des États-Unis, un peu comme Marianne représente la République française.Au départ, cependant, son apparence n'est pas encore fixée. Les caricaturistes le dessinent de différentes façons. Ce n'est qu'au fil du temps qu'il prend son image actuelle : un homme âgé, mince, avec une barbe blanche, un costume bleu, rouge et blanc, et surtout un chapeau décoré d'étoiles américaines.Mais l'image la plus célèbre apparaît pendant la Première Guerre mondiale.En 1917, l'illustrateur James Montgomery Flagg crée une affiche devenue mythique. On y voit l'Oncle Sam pointer directement le doigt vers le spectateur avec cette phrase :« I Want YOU for U.S. Army »« Je vous veux pour l'armée américaine. »L'affiche connaît un succès immense. Des millions d'exemplaires sont imprimés. Elle devient l'une des images les plus célèbres de l'histoire américaine. Pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, elle sera encore réutilisée massivement.Pourquoi cette figure a-t-elle autant marqué les esprits ? Parce qu'elle donne un visage humain à l'État américain. L'Oncle Sam représente à la fois l'autorité, le patriotisme et l'idée d'une nation qui parle directement à ses citoyens.Aujourd'hui encore, l'Oncle Sam apparaît dans les caricatures politiques, les films ou les campagnes de propagande. Il symbolise parfois la puissance américaine, parfois l'interventionnisme des États-Unis dans le monde.Tout cela à cause d'une simple blague faite par des soldats sur des barils de viande marqués « U.S. ». Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.

This week on Everybody's Got A Pod, we're dipping back into the Hacksaw Hour archives for a look back 35 years to WrestleMania 7 and Jim Duggan's experience at the big show! Topics include the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame inductees, The Main Event V, dressing as Uncle Sam at WrestleMania, and much more! Special thanks to our sponsors! BlueChew - Right now, when you buy two months of BlueChew Gold, you get the third for FREE with promo code EGAP. That's promo code EGAP. Visit http://BlueChew.com for more details and important safety information, and we thank BlueChew for sponsoring the podcast Morgan & Morgan - If you're ever injured, you can check out Morgan & Morgan. Their fee is FREE unless they win. For more information go to ForThePeople.Com/EGAP or dial #LAW (#529) from your cell phone Follow us on YouTube at http://YouTube.com/@GoldenEraNetwork for clips of the podcast AND a chance to win free signed merchandise from Ted DiBiase himself! Follow Ted on social media at MDMTedDiBiase and follow Marcus at MarcusPDeAngelo on X!

CHEERS Season 9, episode 26: “Uncle Sam Wants You” Hosted by Ryan Daly with special guest John Trumbull from SNL Nerds Podcast. Let us know what you think! Leave a comment or send an email to: RDalyPodcast@gmail.com. Like the CHEERS CAST Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/cheerscast/ This podcast is a proud member of the FIRE AND WATER PODCAST NETWORK. Visit our WEBSITE: http://fireandwaterpodcast.com/ Follow us on TWITTER – https://twitter.com/FWPodcasts Like our FACEBOOK page – https://www.facebook.com/FWPodcastNetwork Use our HASHTAG online: #FWPodcasts Subscribe to CHEERS CAST on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/cheers-cast/id1403495561?mt=2 Or subscribe via iTunes as part of the FIRE AND WATER PODCAST: http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/the-fire-and-water-podcast/id463855630 Support CHEERS CAST and the FIRE AND WATER PODCAST NETWORK on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/fwpodcasts Thanks for listening!

CHEERS Season 9, episode 26: “Uncle Sam Wants You” Hosted by Ryan Daly with special guest John Trumbull from SNL Nerds Podcast. Let us know what you think! Leave a comment or send an email to: RDalyPodcast@gmail.com. Like the CHEERS CAST Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/cheerscast/ This podcast is a proud member of the FIRE AND WATER PODCAST NETWORK. Visit our WEBSITE: http://fireandwaterpodcast.com/ Follow us on TWITTER – https://twitter.com/FWPodcasts Like our FACEBOOK page – https://www.facebook.com/FWPodcastNetwork Use our HASHTAG online: #FWPodcasts Subscribe to CHEERS CAST on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/cheers-cast/id1403495561?mt=2 Or subscribe via iTunes as part of the FIRE AND WATER PODCAST: http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/the-fire-and-water-podcast/id463855630 Support CHEERS CAST and the FIRE AND WATER PODCAST NETWORK on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/fwpodcasts Thanks for listening!

Today on Word Balloon, we welcome writer Steve Darnall to talk about his new prose adaptation of Marvels, the landmark series created by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross that redefined how readers looked at the Marvel Universe. The new novel with new cover and illustrations by Alex  is out in the next 2 weeks from Abrahms. Steve has a long history with Alex Ross, including their acclaimed collaboration on DC's Uncle Sam, and he also played an important role in the original Marvels project itself, co-writing the Marvels #0 story that explored the origin of Human Torch, the Golden Age android hero Jim Hammond. We talk about translating Ross's iconic painted imagery and Busiek's emotional storytelling into prose form, revisiting the history of the Marvel Universe through the eyes of ordinary people, and what it was like working alongside Ross during the formative years of some of his most celebrated projects. It's a great conversation about comics history, superhero mythology, and the lasting influence of Marvels.

Why can't politicians just tell the truth? Particularly Leftists?And I know for a fact they lie. Almost all the time. I'm replaying a clip from this woman who want Smith-Mundt back. And with good reason.[X] SB – Woman wants Smith-Mundt back…Passed in 1948, the law governed how the U.S. government could conduct public diplomacy abroad. Think Cold War messaging like Voice of America beaming into Eastern Europe.One key restriction: The government wasn't supposed to aim those materials at domestic audiences. The idea was to prevent Uncle Sam from running a propaganda loop on its own citizens.Lying has become second-nature for Leftist politicians and the media.They are philosophically tied to lying. I speak of Contrarians often and have recently, because I'm sick of them.I hate Trump!Why? Because of inflation. He didn't cause it.Why? Because of the deficit.He didn't cause it.Why? Because I just do and I've run out of excuses to rationalize being a LEMMING.People hate to be wrong. It causes physical and psychological pain with the latter being the worst.What does it say about a person unwilling to admit he or she is wrong? I know the answer, but will leave it for others to ponder.I know this, I hate being ignorant, which is why I detest the ignorant who won't admit it.I'm dumb in so many things. And I freely acknowledge it. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Connect with Rohit Punyani: https://ownersasset.com/resource-libraryBook a call: https://remnantfinance.com/calendar Out Print the Fed with a 1% target per week: https://remnantfinance.com/optionsEmail us at info@remnantfinance.com or visit https://remnantfinance.com for more informationFOLLOW REMNANT FINANCEYoutube: @RemnantFinance (https://www.youtube.com/@RemnantFinance)Facebook: @remnantfinance (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560694316588)Twitter: @remnantfinance (https://x.com/remnantfinance)TikTok: @RemnantFinanceDon't forget to hit LIKE and SUBSCRIBE_____________________________In this episode, Hans is joined by Rohit Punyani, co-founder of The Owner's Asset and a former Wall Street CIO who oversaw $4 billion at a multi-family office and community bank. After 20+ years in financial services starting as a large-cap stock picker, moving into wealth management at Wilmington Trust, and ultimately running money for hundred-millionaires and billionaires—Rohit fell in love with whole life insurance. Now he's built a firm dedicated to helping small business owners buy whole life with pre-tax dollars through cash balance plans.Chapters: 00:00 – Opening segment 01:50 – Rohit's background: from $2B mutual fund to multi-family office CIO 04:30 – How the wealthiest clients actually think (structure over IRR) 06:00 – Why affluent families pushed Rohit toward whole life 08:35 – The five pillars of wealth (and why investments rank third) 09:05 – Overcoming bias: how a Wall Street guy learned to love whole life 13:30 – Banking function: sourcing capital and the limits of margin loans 17:50 – Asset vs. liability: how to think about policy loan repayment 22:35 – Introducing cash balance plans: the 96% cousin of the 401(k) 25:25 – The four major differences between 401(k)s and cash balance plans 26:25 – Contribution limits: putting away up to $400K per year 28:45 – The three-to-five year commitment requirement 33:15 – Who's the ideal candidate (quarterly estimated tax payers) 38:00 – Why you can't use a PUA rider in a cash balance plan 42:25 – The "synthetic PUA": getting Uncle Sam to fund your policy 51:25 – The optionality argument: why this beats chasing rate of return 55:15 – Enhanced ERISA creditor protection inside the plan 58:55 – Building self-escrow systems for retirement 01:03:55 – Wholesale vs. retail pricing on whole life premium 01:06:25 – The distribution mechanics: pulling life insurance out of the plan 01:21:35 – Converting term insurance into a cash balance plan policy 01:24:35 – Asset allocation rules: the 40% life insurance cap 01:31:30 – The 5% corridor: why the IRS caps your returns 01:33:30 – The 50% excise tax on overfunded plans 01:39:55 – Whole life as the "high ground" in your portfolio 01:43:15 – Statement wealth vs. contractual wealth 01:53:55 – Pairing annuities with whole life inside the plan 02:00:00 – Rohit's personal retirement plan 02:06:35 – Designing your 401(k) as your pension (not "on steroids") 02:11:00 – Closing segment Key Takeaways:The wealthy don't worship at the altar of IRR. After running money for hundred-millionaires and billionaires, Rohit learned that affluent clients optimize for structure, behavior, and optionality before they optimize for return. TThe "synthetic PUA" reframes everything for IBC practitioners. You can't use a PUA rider inside a cash balance plan, which might make IBC enthusiasts dismiss it immediately. But think of the tax deduction itself as a synthetic PUA. .Wholesale pricing changes the math entirely. To pay $100,000 of premium with after-tax dollars, you have to earn roughly $140,000 to $150,000 depending on your state. The distribution arbitrage is the cherry on top. When you pull a $1 million policy out of the plan, you owe taxes just like an IRA distribution. But unlike an IRA, the custodian cannot withhold from the policy itself.

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3545: Jeff Rose explains how rolling over a 401(k) into an IRA can expand your investment choices, streamline your finances, and give you more control over retirement income and tax strategy. His insights highlight how greater flexibility and consolidation can make managing long-term wealth far more efficient. It's a practical guide for making smarter decisions with old retirement accounts after a job change. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.goodfinancialcents.com/should-your-rollover-your-401k-into-an-ira/ Quotes to ponder: "First and foremost, you want more investment choices." "If you change jobs several times, why not consider consolidating and simplifying your life." "When it comes to retirement planning and income planning, the less that you have to pay upfront to Uncle Sam, the better." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices