Podcasts about Vanguard

Don and Tom tackle a Wall Street Journal financial decision-making quiz that explores how to prioritize competing goals such as retirement savings, high-interest debt, mortgages, and student loans. The discussion highlights the importance of employer matching contributions, the damaging impact of credit card debt, and the reality that many financial decisions depend on individual circumstances and risk tolerance. They then answer listener questions about retirement portfolio allocation, Fisher Investments' sales tactics and fees, stock ownership concentration among wealthy Americans, and whether a federal retiree should consolidate TSP assets into a Vanguard IRA. The episode emphasizes building a financial plan before making allocation changes, avoiding market predictions, and simplifying finances where possible.0:00 Wall Street Journal financial decision-making quiz begins1:23 Prioritizing 401(k) matches versus high-interest debt4:31 When to pay down credit cards instead of investing more5:20 Borrowing from a 401(k) to eliminate 22% credit card debt6:07 Mortgage payoff versus other debt reduction strategies7:55 Mortgage prepayment versus additional retirement savings9:35 Building a hierarchy for financial priorities11:07 Listener Bob asks about retirement readiness and portfolio allocation13:02 Fisher Investments' fees, sales tactics, and active management claims16:15 Why retirement planning should come before allocation decisions19:40 Stock ownership concentration among the wealthiest Americans22:03 Why markets are not a zero-sum game23:51 Will retiring Baby Boomers hurt stock prices?25:52 Listener asks about consolidating TSP and Vanguard retirement accounts29:18 Comparing Vanguard and TSP target-date fund allocations31:57 Benefits of simplifying and consolidating retirement accounts35:06 Don discusses sales and distribution of The Line UncrossedQuestions? Comments? Click!

Adam Turnquist, chief technical strategist at LPL Financial, says it's "hard to argue" with a stock market that has returned to record high levels on the back of a 9-week winning streak for the Standard and Poor's 500. Turnquist says that kind of streak has only happened 10 times before, with the momentum leading the market higher a median return of 8 percent six months after the streak. Turnquist added a note of near-term caution, saying he will not be surprised to see some summer consolidation, particularly in the technology space, but he made it clear that he expects those temporary declines to be buying opportunities. In The Big Interview, Ron Deutsch, head of portfolio strategy at Magnus Financial Group, discusses why investors who are scurrying for safety, wanting to reduce their fears are pursuing strategies that may come up short under the pressure of today's markets. He discusses how balancing risks may involve moving money to areas that safety-first investors think are high risk — but which the market has shown to be relatively safe — without going too far to the end of the spectrum. Tiana Patillo, financial advisor manager at Vanguard, discusses a recent survey by the firm, which found that more than 70% of women say they are confident about saving money, yet nearly half of them acknowledged that their savings may not be keeping pace with inflation. And speaking of inflation, Chuck answers a listener's question about whether his son's use of "buy now, pay later" programs at the gas pump makes any financial sense at all.

Most DIY investors spend their energy optimizing investments. The wealthiest investors optimize systems. According to Vanguard, a great advisor can add roughly 3% to your portfolio -- not by picking better stocks, but by keeping you from wrecking what you already have and by making the boring structural decisions most people skip. Joe and OG walk through the return boosters that actually move the needle, none of which involve a single exotic investment. OG and Anna follow up with the retirement withdrawal sequence that turns a good tax strategy into a great one.What You'll Walk Away WithWhy staying invested is the single highest-return move available to most investors -- and the Wall Street Journal archive experiment that proves it better than any chartHow news addiction creates the three portfolio killers: panic selling, market timing, and the constant feeling that today is the day to make a moveWhy your investment policy statement is a shock absorber between your emotions and your account -- and why advisors often beat DIY investors not by picking better funds but by being harder to reach on bad daysAsset location: the quiet return booster that moves money into the right tax shelter without changing a single investmentWhy tax loss harvesting is widely marketed to the wrong people -- and who actually has a strong use case for itSocial Security timing as a portfolio decision: why "I don't have to decide today" is sometimes the most financially sophisticated answer availableThe sequence of return risk trap that turns retirement into a constant anxiety loop -- and the simple margin of safety that makes it irrelevantThe lightning round: concentrated stock, leverage, crypto yield products, options trading, rebalancing, and tax efficiency -- return or trouble?OG and Anna on the distribution ladder: how to sequence withdrawals from pre-tax, brokerage, and Roth accounts to minimize taxes in retirementWhat IRMAA is, why it shows up two years after the decision that caused it, and why Roth conversions need to happen in November -- not MarchWhy This Matters NowIf you've been dollar-cost averaging into index funds and calling it a day, this episode is the next conversation. The gap between a well-built system and a random pile of investments isn't measured in which funds you chose -- it's measured in taxes paid, sequence of returns survived, and whether you had a plan when everything felt uncertain.From the BasementJoe and OG dig into the return boosters that have nothing to do with picking better investments -- recorded while OG is already inside Hollywood Studios at 4 AM trying to figure out the Lightning Lane math. OG and Anna deliver episode four of their financial basics series with a full walkthrough of tax-efficient withdrawal sequencing, including the IRMAA trap, Roth conversion timing, and why the tax triangle you built in season one is the whole point. Doug arrives with Studebaker trivia. The community delivers an anonymous car buying post that may be the most actionable 200 words the basement has produced all year. And the Stacking Benjamins Inner Circle scam gets called out by name.Resources MentionedStacking Benjamins Scorecard -- stackingbenjamins.com/scorecard; free tool to evaluate your current financial positionStacking Benjamins Basics Guide -- season one and season two workbooks free at stackingbenjamins.com/basicsguideStock Market Maestros episode -- linked at stackingbenjamins.com; on the habits of the world's best investorsStacking Benjamins YouTube channel -- youtube.com/stackingbenjamins; full OG and Anna basics seriesStacking Benjamins Vault -- stackingbenjamins.com/vaultStacking Benjamins Newsletter (The 201) -- stackingbenjamins.com/201Stacking Benjamins Community (The Basement) -- stackingbenjamins.com/basementStacking Benjamins Meetups (BAD Groups) -- stackingbenjamins.com/BADSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 3580: Jeff Rose highlights practical financial lessons that can shape a more secure future, from understanding credit scores and investing early to recognizing the value of entrepreneurship. Through relatable examples and simple explanations, he shows how small financial decisions made young can compound into long-term wealth and opportunity. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.goodfinancialcents.com/7-personal-finance-lessons-wish-everyone-learned-high-school/ Quotes to ponder: "Your credit score is an important part of your overall financial health, and it can make a huge difference in how you manage your finances as an adult." "I believe the earlier we teach students about financial basics, the better off they'll be." "When people don't know better, they don't do better." Episode references: Fidelity Investments: https://www.fidelity.com/ Experian: https://www.experian.com/ TransUnion: https://www.transunion.com/ Vanguard: https://investor.vanguard.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don and Tom tackle some of the most common retirement planning mistakes, with a particular focus on taxes and the danger of becoming overly obsessed with them. They discuss taxable Social Security benefits, the importance of diversifying across account types, Roth conversion considerations, tax-loss harvesting, and why most retirement decisions ultimately fall into the category of “it depends.” They also answer a listener question about navigating poor 403(b) plan options and the advantages of a 457 plan for educators. Finally, they dive deep into a thoughtful challenge from a listener regarding Avantis and Dimensional factor funds versus traditional Vanguard index funds, examining the evidence for factor tilts, the role of risk premiums, costs, and whether higher expected returns justify modestly higher expense ratios.0:05 Retirement planning mistakes, taxes, retirement income, financial independence, retirement readiness1:58 Tax obsession, retirement taxes, income planning, financial priorities, wealth management2:43 Social Security taxation, taxable benefits, retirement income, Social Security myths, tax planning5:14 Tax diversification, traditional 401(k), Roth accounts, brokerage accounts, retirement savings7:57 Roth IRA, young investors, compound growth, retirement investing, tax-free income9:11 Tax-loss harvesting, brokerage accounts, capital gains, tax strategy, investment management10:03 Roth conversions, Medicare IRMAA, retirement taxes, financial planning, tax efficiency12:03 Inherited IRAs, heirs, estate planning, retirement accounts, legacy planning13:35 403(b) plans, 457 plans, retirement savings, school employees, listener question15:29 403(b) Wise, 457B Wiser, educator retirement plans, high fees, retirement options18:35 Roth IRA investing, small-cap funds, emerging markets, diversification, asset allocation19:38 Avantis funds, Dimensional funds, Vanguard funds, factor investing, index investing23:55 Fama-French research, small-value premium, indexing, active management, factor premiums26:08 Rules-based investing, passive investing, factor tilts, portfolio construction, diversification27:02 Small-cap value investing, fund performance, index comparisons, advisor value, investment returns30:25 International small value, emerging markets, factor premiums, diversification, expected returns32:55 Academic investing research, Nobel Prize economics, risk premiums, value investing, factor investing35:18 Portfolio construction, asset allocation, diversification, retirement planning, investment strategy36:16 Free portfolio review, financial advice, portfolio allocation, retirement readiness, fiduciary planningQuestions? Comments? Click!

Welcome to this week's episode of the PEBCAK Podcast!  We've got four amazing stories this week so sit back, relax, and keep being awesome!  Be sure to stick around for our Dad Joke of the Week. (DJOW) Follow us on Instagram @pebcakpodcast   Please share this podcast with someone you know!  It helps us grow the podcast and we really appreciate it!   Simple 6 signup link https://simple6.co/r/CFUR98   Microsoft releases a temporary mitigation script for "YellowKey," a BitLocker-bypassing Windows zero-day with no permanent fix yet https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-shares-mitigation-for-yellowkey-windows-zero-day/   Researchers uncover FAST16, a state-sponsored cyber-sabotage framework from 2005 that silently corrupted precision engineering calculations — predating Stuxnet by at least five years and linked to NSA tooling https://www.tomshardware.com/software/security-software/decades-old-pre-stuxnet-cyber-sabotage-tool-breaks-cover-nsa-listed-it-as-nothing-to-see-here-fast16-targeted-nuclear-reactors-dam-design-and-other-high-precision-civil-engineering-software-years-before-stuxnet-broke-cover https://www.wired.com/story/fast16-malware-stuxnet-precursor-iran-nuclear-attack/ https://www.sentinelone.com/labs/fast16-mystery-shadowbrokers-reference-reveals-high-precision-software-sabotage-5-years-before-stuxnet/   Riot Games clarifies its Vanguard anti-cheat doesn't brick PCs — it just renders $6,000 worth of DMA cheat hardware completely useless https://www.ign.com/articles/riot-games-says-it-would-not-and-cannot-use-vanguard-anti-cheat-to-brick-pcs-after-rumors-spread https://www.tweaktown.com/news/111774/valorants-vanguard-anti-cheat-now-destroys-dma-cheat-firmware/index.html https://x.com/dexerto/status/2057785616255860991   Apple is developing an "anti-snatch" feature that automatically locks an iPhone the moment sensors detect it's been ripped from a user's hand — and London thieves already prefer iPhones over Samsungs https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/05/27/rumored-anti-snatch-feature-will-automatically-lock-iphones-yanked-out-of-a-users-hand https://appleinsider.com/articles/25/11/18/london-thieves-snatching-iphones-but-dont-want-no-samsung   Dad Joke of the Week (DJOW)   Find the hosts on LinkedIn: Chris - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chlouie/ Brian - https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandeitch-sase/ Ben - https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamincorll/

Vanguard manages over $10 trillion in assets, but their dominance in search and AI visibility isn't just because of their size. Most big brands their size are leaving millions of visits on the table. Vanguard isn't.This video breaks down the Vanguard digital marketing strategy behind 6.2 million monthly organic visitors, an AI visibility score of 85/100, and 74,500 AI mentions, and the lessons any marketer can steal from it.Here's what I cover:Why Vanguard built their entire website around customer goals, not products, and why that single shift is the foundation of everything else they're doingThe topic cluster content strategy generating 6.2 million US organic visits a month, and how they've structured it to cover every stage of the buyer journeyHow their educational articles are structured to get cited in AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Gemini, including the exact formatting choices that make AI tools want to pull from their contentWhy their retirement income calculator has attracted 462 linking domains and 74,000 monthly visits to a single page and how to replicate this for your industryThe internal linking and CTA strategy that turns content readers into customers (and why most brands get this badly wrong)The 7 lessons any marketer at any size business can apply immediately to build this kind of search and AI visibilityVanguard isn't winning because they're Vanguard. They're winning because they're doing the work. Here's exactly what that looks like.Book a consultation call for a live review of your website and marketing

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 3580: Jeff Rose highlights practical financial lessons that can shape a more secure future, from understanding credit scores and investing early to recognizing the value of entrepreneurship. Through relatable examples and simple explanations, he shows how small financial decisions made young can compound into long-term wealth and opportunity. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.goodfinancialcents.com/7-personal-finance-lessons-wish-everyone-learned-high-school/ Quotes to ponder: "Your credit score is an important part of your overall financial health, and it can make a huge difference in how you manage your finances as an adult." "I believe the earlier we teach students about financial basics, the better off they'll be." "When people don't know better, they don't do better." Episode references: Fidelity Investments: https://www.fidelity.com/ Experian: https://www.experian.com/ TransUnion: https://www.transunion.com/ Vanguard: https://investor.vanguard.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

News and Updates: OS Age Verification Laws: California's Digital Age Assurance Act (2027) requires operating systems to collect and share user age ranges with apps, sparking major privacy concerns nationwide. Vanguard Bricks Cheaters: Riot Games' latest Vanguard anti-cheat update permanently disables DMA cheat firmware on PCs, forcing full OS reinstalls — Riot's response was unapologetic and blunt. Waymo Flooding Woes: Waymo suspended robotaxi operations in Atlanta and San Antonio after vehicles drove into flooded roads, prompting a voluntary recall of nearly 4,000 vehicles for software fixes. China's Underwater Data Center: A $226 million, 24-megawatt subsea facility off Shanghai houses 2,000 servers, using passive ocean cooling and offshore wind power to achieve exceptional energy efficiency. Data Centers in Space: SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Google are pursuing orbital AI data centers powered by massive solar arrays, but engineers warn the economics remain extremely challenging and unproven.

We often associate Taiwan with chips. Taiwanese chips. It's their thing right? But Taiwan's strength is actually only in logic chips. In the industry's other big sector, memory and DRAM memory in particular, Taiwan is second-tier. Hardly a player. It's not that the Taiwanese haven't tried to break into DRAM before. In fact, they spent billions trying for two decades. They just keep losing at it over and over again. In this video, we look at Vanguard, TI-Acer, Taiwan Memory Corporation and Taiwan's DRAM failure.

Are you tired of the "fear porn" industry telling you that everything is collapsing without offering a single solution? In this powerful episode of the Awakening Podcast, we welcome back Peter Wilson, a leading voice in the sovereignty movement and organizer of the iconic "Checkmate the Matrix" event. Peter shares the incredible success of his recent three-day summit in Newcastle, where hundreds gathered to learn practical, actionable steps for reclaiming their health, finances, and energy. We dive deep into the systemic corruption behind gas and electricity prices in Ireland and the UK, exposing the roles of companies like Centrica, BlackRock, and Vanguard. Peter doesn't just point out the problems; he provides the blueprint for creating your own power, cleansing your own water, and moving toward decentralized financial platforms. If you're ready to stop waiting for a "knight in shining armor" and start becoming the hero of your own story, this episode is for you.     ⏱️Timestamps Timestamp Topic Description 0:00 Welcome & Introduction to Peter Wilson 0:47 The "Checkmate the Matrix" Event: A three-day success in Newcastle 2:13 Why Newcastle? The iconic venue and safe community space 3:23 Moving Beyond "Fear Porn": Focusing on solutions, not moaning 4:12 Sovereignty in Practice: Food, health, and financial independence 5:01 The "Plastic Bag" Solution: Why dropping out of the system isn't the answer 6:12 The "Waiting to be Saved" Trap: Why you are your own rescuer 7:43 The Biscuit Factory: A unique venue for a unique movement 9:17 Audio-Visual Evolution: Improving the streaming experience for next year 11:04 The Corruption of Energy: Exposing the sale of Board Gáis to Centrica 12:54 BlackRock & Vanguard: The hidden hands behind global energy profits 14:35 The Irish Oil & Gas Scandal: How royalties were scrapped for "golden handshakes" 16:13 Comparing Ireland to Norway: A masterclass in national resource mismanagement 25:57 Wind Energy Innovation: The "Tin of Beans" silent turbine 27:11 Micro-Inverters & Solar Power: Plugging directly into your home grid 29:03 The Ed Miliband "Paperwork" Delay: Legal vs. safe energy solutions 30:14 Apartment Solar: How to collect energy from a balcony 36:31 Cleaning Solar Panels: Improving efficiency and potential business ideas 37:08 The Water Cooling Hack: How to make solar panels perform better in heat 41:48 Sovereign AI: Using technology to build independent income streams 54:39 Direct Democracy & Accountability: Learning from international models 56:51 "A Real Collusion": Using fiction to expose political truth 65:21 The Organ Donation Crisis: A call for systemic reform 87:04 Outro: RoyCoughlan.com, sponsorship, and the Sovereign AI Blueprint 88:02 Special Announcement: Your Sovereign AI Income Blueprint training            

Story of the Week (DR):BP ousts chair over ‘serious' governance, oversight concerns MMThe board said the decision was unanimous. In a statement, Amanda Blanc, BP's senior independent director, described the board as having been caught off guard by what it found: "The board has been surprised and disappointed to learn of governance oversight and conduct issues it deems unacceptable and has taken decisive action."The oil giant's board removed Albert Manifold from his roles as chair and director this week, effective immediately. He faced a contingent of investor opposition at BP's recent annual meeting.Internal leaks and a whistleblower report point to a pattern of "aggressive," "verbally abusive," and "bullying" behavior toward multiple colleagues, alongside accusations of withholding info from the board and leaking privileged data.Ousted BP Chair Hits Back at ‘Lies' About His ConductThe boardroom turmoil at BP deepened after its ousted chair, Albert Manifold, claimed allegations about his conduct were “lies”.In a new and lengthy statement, Manifold disputed reports about his conduct, saying: “At no point in my tenure as chairman of BP has anyone raised with me any issue about my conduct or my relationship with my colleagues.”He also described media reports that he wanted to exert control of the FTSE 100 company like an executive chair as “nonsense”. Manifold said he had “many other commitments” and had only spent 13 days in BP's London office so far this year.“What I do not accept is that lies can be told about me, nor that anyone should be allowed to hide behind anonymity when commenting on my time at BP.”Manifold conceded he may have “pushed hard and challenged people directly” amid his “determination to drive change on costs, performance, the balance sheet and shareholder communications”.However, he disputed reports from the company about his behaviour, adding: “There is a considerable distance between driving an organisation with urgency and the characterisation of my conduct that is now being put about.”He said such “accusations” had not been previously made about his behaviour during his 40-year career. He added that he “called out … unnecessary or excessive expenditure” but felt not everyone shared his priorities.Manifold said he turned down many of the benefits traditionally enjoyed by top executives, which he called a “culture of entitlement”, including chauffeur-driven cars, being flown by private jet or taking advantage of corporate hospitality: “I had no interest in having a dedicated chauffeur-driven limousine at my beck and call on the occasions that I was in London. I, like most people, walked, took taxis, trains, etc. I had no interest in taking private aviation nor in availing myself of corporate tickets for sports events. I made my own coffee, bought my lunch in the local cafe. I sat in a small office, eschewing the grand corner-office privilege of previous chairmen.”Ian Tyler has been named interim chair, BP said, with the board set to begin a formal process to identify a permanent successor: "The Board and leadership team have deep conviction in the strategic direction we have laid out, and the company is moving at pace to deliver it."This marks BP's fourth abrupt top-tier departure in three years, following the rapid exits of previous chair Helge Lund and chief executives Bernard Looney and Murray Auchincloss.BoardIan Tyler Interim Chair 2025Meg O'Neill CEO 2026Kate Thomson CFO 2024 (Interim in 2023)Dame Amanda Blanc Senior Independent Director 2022Dave Hager 2025Tushar Morzaria 2020Hina Nagarajan 2023Satish Pai 2023Dr. Johannes Teyssen 2021Manifold took up the chairmanship just last October. At last month's annual general meeting, just 81.8% of shareholders backed his electionAmong the most consequential decisions of Manifold's short tenure: pushing out former CEO Murray Auchincloss and overseeing the selection of Meg O'Neill to succeed him — a hire that marked the first time BP had recruited an external CEO and the first time a woman had led one of the oil industry's largest players.Dell wins a $9.7 billion Pentagon software deal after donating to Trump accountsDell stock skyrockets 32%, heads for best day ever as AI server revenue soarsMichael Dell added $35.8 billion to his personal fortune in a single day.Michael Dell pledged $6.25 billion to Trump AccountsThis greatly helps with $100M Dell ($4M personally for Michael) had to pay in 2010 for its Intel Cookie jar Scandal: Dell was telling investors that its high profits were due to amazing management and great computer sales. In reality, a massive chunk of their profits came from secret exclusivity payments from Intel so that Intel could shut out their competitor AMD.SpaceX's Unconventional Corporate Arrangements Favor Elon MuskDanish pension fund rejects SpaceX IPO over valuation and governance concernsStandard Chartered CEO apologises for ‘lower-value human capital' remarksStandard Chartered CEO Bill Winters triggered a massive PR firestorm by describing the bank's plan to replace back-office staff with automation as replacing "lower-value human capital" with financial investmentStandard Chartered is cutting roughly 7,800 jobs—representing about 15% of its global back-office corporate support roles—over the next four years to make room for AIJPMorgan's Jamie Dimon downplayed the viral backlash against Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters—calling it an "inartful" slip-of-the-tongue from a friend.Tyson Foods hands CEO role to directorIncoming CEO Jeffrey K. Schomburger is Lead Independent Director (2016-)Goodliest of the Week (MM/DR):DR: Ride-Share Drivers in Massachusetts Formally Unionize MM DRDR: Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner stands by ad accusing Red Sox private equity owners of ruining the teamDR: Supreme Court lets Vermont's Meta lawsuit proceed, opening door to 50-state legal waveThe Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a push to avoid a lawsuit alleging that Facebook and Instagram harmed young users, a decision that comes as social media companies increasingly face legal scrutiny.Meta had argued that it can't be sued in Vermont court because neither the company nor the app design has specific ties to the state. Vermont countered that the sites' large number of teen users gives its courts jurisdiction.DR: New Hampshire data center developer withdraws plans hours before opponents were to pack town meetingMM: The world's largest data center was supposed to run on 100% natural gas. Utah's Republican governor says ‘never.'Must include solar, geothermalMM: Labor union participation is on the rise even as U.S. companies spend $1.7 billion annually to halt union formation MM DRAssholiest of the Week (MM):Index funds should just quit pretending DRExxon wins shareholder backing for legal move to Texas71.3% supportWe know ~22% of that is BlackRock, Vanguard, and State StreetWe can GUESS that ~13% of that is retailEstimated 40% of shares are retail28% voted prior to retail vote capture plan by ExxonIf we GUESS that maybe only 10% of retail voters adopted vote plan when they sent it out at the end of 2025, and if we GUESS that half of them were non voters, we can figure that maybe 33% of retail voted this go around - giving management ~13% of the vote before the vote startedWhich means individuals with no idea and index funds voted 35% in favor - and the rest of investors voted 36% in favorYOUR INDEX FUNDS HATE YOUR VOTING RIGHTSThrow in that the SHP to add more options to retail voting plan - which included an option to default vote AGAINST management - only got 23.5% support, and we know that BLK/Vanguard/SS voted against it and retail voted with management, the real vote in favor: 36% - EXACTLY THE NUMBER OF REAL INVESTORS THAT VOTED AGAINST REDOMESTICATIONThis is unlikely a coincidence - ACTUAL INVESTORS with ACTUAL KNOWLEDGE like rights, but index funds and uneducated retail could fucking care lessSafe Harbor Financial Expands Board of Directors with Appointment of Tyler Klimas and Sean TonnerTwo dudes added to an all dude board overseeing weed banking at a non dual class company… because women don't do banks or weed I guess? Investors, what say you?Last year, they said “we don't care” - 97% in favorMeanwhile, in the UK…Investors tell BP to fix shareholder rights and governance after chair removalTech bros should quit pretendingMeta commits additional funding to Oversight Board through 2028$13m - Zuck owns a $300m yacht and spent $13m for a bunch of well meaning reporters, academics, and human rights experts to help him decide what to do about horrible human behavior on his platformsWhen they decide, he listens… 42% of the timeHere's one they listen to: from September 2025, decided in April 2026 (inside a year!), and Instagram post listed the reasons dating someone in a wheelchair is great, and a comment said it was also good because they can't run away. Meta left the comment up, but the board found it in the appeals and said it should come down - and Meta took it down under its bullying policyMeanwhile, for AI driven fake content for war and conflict, Meta is considering it… OpenAI Foundation is committing $250 million to help workers navigate AI disruptionOh, thank god, we're savedMarc Andreessen Sputters Incomprehensibly at Question About How AI Will Actually Benefit Humankind"I mean, look, so it, it is, alright — I mean, alright I'm gonna give you the deepest of all pitches, I'm gonna give you the, the — okay."Just stop pretending it's for “humankind” and not for YOU TO MAKE TRILLIONSThe NY Post and “baby naming expert”New York's most popular baby names trend towards 'traditional' as reaction to woke Mayor Mamdani: expertLiterally everything in this headline is incorrect - and so is this quote from “baby naming expert” Taylor A. Humphrey: ““Mayor Mamdani is so divergent from tradition and I do wonder if that played some part in Gen Z parents moving back towards more traditional heritage,” adding that Mamdani was campaigning, and in the spotlight for much of 2025.”The data is very inconvenient for this narrative - 77 of the 100 names are exactly the same from 2023, and here are the different “new traditional” names according to Taylor:Archer, Arthur, August, Beau, Bennett, Brooks, George, Lincoln, Parker, and Rowan replacing names like…Abraham, Austin, Eli, Hunter, Ian, Jonathan, Jordan, Kai, Ryan, and ZacharyAdeline, Clara, Daisy, Delilah, Eden, Georgia, Iris, Kennedy, Margot, Parker, and Sloane replacing names like… Anna, Ariana, Ashley, Autumn, Bella, Hailey, Jade, Rachel, Rose, Sarah, and SavannahAlternate theory using spurious data, because yes, this is what I spend my time doing:I looked at all 2023 NY state names vs. all 2025 NY state names and compared them to the number of corporate board directors with those names at those times - I can show that the name changes are definitely positively for sure related to the rise or fall of that name on corporate boards because parents are increasingly focused on who runs their companies. The biggest growth was in the name Zoe (ZOHRAN! Not made up!) from 2 active directors to 7 in 2025! In the top 10 of names includes… Amir!!! From 18 to 22 names!Second biggest drop - the decidedly unwoke, “traditional” name Oliver, down 22%Headliniest of the WeekDR: New Website Detects Apocalypse If Billionaire Jets Start Fleeing en MasseMM: Kevin O'Leary slams people who want work-life balance: ‘I hope they work for my competitors'Who Won the Week?DR: BP Bully Albert Manifold's now famous coffee maker. Or maybe Michael DellMM: Illinois state house of reps, lead by Daniel Didech, much to the annoyance of state senator Bill Cunningham who introduced SB 3444 to exempt AI companies from liability for mass death, passed one of the strongest laws in the country to force third party audits of AI companies, and it passed 110-0PredictionsDR: Based on the survey which reveals that 99 Percent of CEOs Are Preparing to Lay Off Workers and Replace Them With AI Within Two Years, it is revealed that the 1% of CEOs who are not preparing to lay off workers and replace them with AI understood AI to mean Actual IntelligenceMM: OpenAI's upcoming S-1 filing reveals that, not to be outdone by Musk's SpaceX insecurities, Sam Altman gives himself dual class shares worth 300 votes and 99% voting power, has a classified board, incorporates in Nevada, has mandatory arbitration clauses and a minimum lawsuit threshold of 100% of the stock ownership, and the first board member is Illinois state senator Bill Cunningham

Dan and Scott discuss the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) letter to the SEC regarding collective investment trusts (CITs) in 403(b) plans. They also discuss Vanguard's position.  Advice Only Network 457bwiser.org Learned by Being Burned (short pod series about K-12 403(b) issues) 403bwise.org Meridian Wealth Management 403bwise & 457bwiser Facebook Group Nothing presented or discussed is to be construed as investment or tax advice. This can be secured from a vetted Certified Financial Planner (CFP®).

Send us Fan MailIn this Season 7 episode of ETF Battles, Ron DeLegge ‪@etfguide‬ referees an audience requested battle between VOO and SGOV, asking if it's better for the next two years to keep your portfolio in equity or bonds. ETF Battles is sponsored by DirexionDirexion Daily Leveraged & Inverse ETFs.Know the risks.Trade Boldly.Visit Direxion.com https://www.direxion.com/product/dail...Program judges Mike Akins at ETF Action, and Tony Dong, an independent ETF analyst, examine this ETF battle between VOO, (Vanguard), and SGOV (iShares). Each ETF is judged against the other in key categories like cost, exposure strategy, performance, yield and a mystery category. Find out who wins the battle!#equity #bonds #ETF

Mexican authorities broke down the door of a Puerto Vallarta villa in March 2018. Keith Raniere, the man who required followers to call him Vanguard, was found hiding in a closet. His follower Lauren Salzman tried to stop the agents. He stayed hidden.The arrest came months after the New York Times exposed the existence of a secret inner circle within NXIVM. The FBI investigated. Raniere fled to Mexico and was tracked down and extradited. A federal judge denied bail. His trial in Brooklyn lasted six weeks and featured testimony from former followers and one cooperating co-defendant who described the organization's inner workings in detail.In June 2019, the jury convicted Raniere on all seven federal counts: racketeering, wire fraud conspiracy, forced labor conspiracy, and trafficking among them. In October 2020, he was sentenced to 120 years in prison after the court heard impact statements from fifteen women.Since the conviction, Raniere has pursued every available legal avenue. His direct appeal was denied by the Second Circuit in 2022. The Supreme Court declined his first cert petition in 2023. His claim that the FBI fabricated evidence was rejected at the trial level and on appeal. A second cert petition is now before the Supreme Court. A habeas corpus petition raising ineffective-counsel claims is on hold.The pattern is clear: every motion denied, every argument rejected.Part three of a four-part Hidden Killers investigation into NXIVM and Keith Raniere.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#NXIVM #KeithRaniere #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers #120Years #NXIVMCULT #FederalTrial #TheVow #TrueCrimePodcast #CriminalJustice

He called himself Vanguard. He claimed to be a once-in-a-generation intellect. When authorities came for him, Keith Raniere was crouched in a closet in Mexico while his follower confronted armed agents on his behalf.The investigation began after a 2017 exposé brought the secret inner circle into public view. The FBI raided NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman's home. Raniere had already fled to Mexico. On March 26, 2018, he was arrested in Puerto Vallarta and extradited to Brooklyn, where a federal judge denied bail and designated him a flight risk.The six-week trial in 2019 built a methodical case through cooperating witnesses, financial records, and digital evidence. Lauren Salzman testified in detail about the hierarchy, the control, and the arrest. The jury convicted Raniere on all seven counts. He was sentenced to 120 years after fifteen women delivered impact statements to the court.Every legal challenge since has failed. The Second Circuit denied his direct appeal. The Supreme Court denied certiorari. His claim that the FBI manufactured evidence was rejected by the trial judge and unanimously upheld on appeal. As of early 2026, a second cert petition is before the Supreme Court and a habeas petition remains on hold.He has been told no at every level. He keeps filing.Part three of a four-part Hidden Killers investigation into NXIVM and Keith Raniere.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#NXIVM #KeithRaniere #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers #120Years #NXIVMCULT #FederalTrial #TheVow #TrueCrimePodcast #CriminalJustice

We continue “The Matrix” series with Layer 3 — The Financial Matrix, an unflinching examination of central banking, fiat currency, inflation, debt slavery, digital currency systems, corporate monopolies, and the growing consolidation of financial power. This episode follows the money trail through institutions like the Federal Reserve, BlackRock, Vanguard, Wall Street banking giants, and the international financial architecture shaping modern society from behind the scenes. We explore how inflation acts as hidden taxation, how consumer debt creates dependency, why endless consumption culture keeps populations distracted, and how economic fear can be used as a mechanism of control. From credit score systems to the emerging push toward centralized digital currencies, this episode asks a difficult question: has the modern financial system become a structure designed not to create freedom, but dependence? Featuring Scripture including Book of Proverbs 22:7 and concluding with the legendary lecture by G. Edward Griffin on Jekyll Island meeting, this is one of the deepest and most hard-hitting installments of the series so far.Email: thefacthunter@mail.comSupport us via Zelle: 719-651-0642

If you're drowning in debt and someone offers a lifeline, make sure it's not really an anchor. When debt feels overwhelming, it's natural to look for a way out. And there are several options that sound helpful at first: debt consolidation, debt settlement, and debt management. But while those terms are sometimes used interchangeably, they are not the same—and they can lead to very different outcomes. Neile Simon, a Certified Credit Counselor with Christian Credit Counselors (CCC), joined the show today to explain the differences and help listeners understand which approach best reflects both financial wisdom and biblical responsibility. Debt Consolidation: A Quick Fix With Real Risks Debt consolidation is often appealing because it rolls multiple debts into one new loan. Instead of making several payments to different creditors, you make one payment on the consolidation loan. That may sound simpler and, in some cases, reduce confusion. But Neile explains that these loans often come with interest rates between 15% and 22%, depending on your credit score. And while consolidation may feel like a fresh start, it does not necessarily solve the deeper problem. The biggest risk is that consolidation allows you to keep your credit card accounts open. If spending habits don't change, many people end up running up new credit card balances while still owing on the consolidation loan. In other words, consolidation can turn one debt problem into two. Proverbs 13:11 says, “Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.” Debt freedom usually doesn't come through a quick fix. It comes through steady, faithful steps over time. Debt Settlement: A Dangerous Path Another option people often hear about is debt settlement. These companies typically promise to negotiate with creditors so you can pay less than the full amount owed. But Neile warns that debt settlement can be misleading and financially damaging. In many cases, debt settlement companies require you to stop paying your creditors. That means your credit may be severely damaged, and the impact can be almost as serious as bankruptcy. There are other consequences as well. Any forgiven debt may be treated as taxable income, and you may receive a 1099-C at the end of the tax year. In addition, after a period of nonpayment, creditors may pursue legal action, which could result in liens on property or wage garnishment, depending on your state. For Christians, there's also a biblical concern. Psalm 37:21 says, “The wicked borrows but does not pay back.” While every situation requires wisdom and compassion, Scripture calls us to take responsibility for what we owe whenever it is in our power to do so. Debt Management: A More Faithful Way Forward Debt management is different from both consolidation and settlement. Through a credit counseling agency like Christian Credit Counselors, you can enroll in a debt management program that helps you repay your debts in full while often reducing your interest rates and monthly payments. Instead of taking out a new loan, you make a single monthly payment to the credit counseling agency, which distributes it to each creditor in the program. The goal is not to avoid the debt, but to pay it back in a structured and manageable way. Neile explains that interest rates through a debt management program may range from 1% to 12% APR, allowing many people to pay off debt much faster. One important thing to know is that creditors typically close the accounts you enroll in the program. However, you are not required to enroll every account. That can actually be a benefit. Closing accounts helps break the cycle of relying on credit and builds new habits of spending, saving, and stewardship. Proverbs 3:27 says, “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.” Debt management reflects that principle by helping people honor their debts while finding a sustainable path forward. Why Debt Management Is Often the Best Option Debt management is often the preferred solution because it addresses both the financial and behavioral sides of debt. It lowers interest rates and simplifies payments, but it also requires a change in habits. That matters because debt freedom is not just about reducing balances. It's about learning to live differently going forward. The team at Christian Credit Counselors begins with education and offers a free consultation to help people understand their options. They also approach debt repayment from a biblical perspective, offering prayer, encouragement, and support along the way. For anyone feeling overwhelmed by debt, the first step is not to panic. It's wisdom. Get the facts, understand the differences, and choose a path that helps you repay what you owe while building healthier financial habits for the future. To learn more, visit FaithFi.com/CCC. On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions: I know you're not generally a fan of annuities, but I have a diversified portfolio—about $1.3 million in IRAs and a 401(k), plus about $200,000 in liquid assets. If my five-year annuity matures and I roll the full amount into another annuity without taking withdrawals, will I owe taxes on that rollover? I've saved enough to cover about four or five years of living expenses, and we have no debt. Should I live off those savings before tapping into retirement benefits, or preserve them and start drawing from retirement now? I'm considering converting $575,000 from my traditional IRA to a Roth IRA over five years and paying the taxes as I go. Once the money is in the Roth and meets the five-year rule, will future interest and gains be tax-free? I have a 10-year HVAC service contract that costs about $41 a month and includes spring and fall maintenance visits, though service calls still have a fee. Since I already have a 10-year manufacturer's warranty on major components, is this service contract worth keeping? I've been with my employer for 44 years, am moving to part-time, and plan to retire fully in August. I have about $500,000 in my 401(k), recently started Social Security at 65, and am still contributing. Should I roll part of my 401(k)—maybe $100,000—into an IRA now for supplemental income, or wait until later? And should I keep it with Empower or move it to Fidelity, Vanguard, or Schwab? Resources Mentioned: Faithful Steward: FaithFi's Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner) Christian Credit Counselors (CCC) Our Ultimate Treasure: A 21-Day Journey to Faithful Stewardship by Rob West Wisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on Money Look At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and Anxiety Rich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich Fool Find a Certified Kingdom Advisor® (CKA) FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions every workday at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. You can also visit FaithFi.com to connect with our online community and partner with us as we help more people live as faithful stewards of God's resources. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

“You can't manage other people unless you manage yourself first.” — Peter DruckerWhat if the biggest thing holding people back in their careers…is that they don't even know the real game being played?In this episode, Jay sits down with Booker Farrior—former enterprise operator, executive coach, systems thinker, and founder of Coaching By The Book.With experience leading inside organizations like Vanguard, Merck & Co., and Bristol Myers Squibb, Booker brings a rare perspective that blends leadership, behavioral science, systems thinking, and career strategy.This conversation is a masterclass in modern leadership, career ownership, and understanding how organizations actuallywork.Inside this episode:Why every professional should think like a companyWhat it means to truly become the CEO of your own careerThe difference between “doing your job” and strategically managing your trajectoryWhy many employees are unknowingly playing the wrong game inside organizationsThe hidden “second scorecard” that determines promotions, opportunities, and influenceHow reputation quietly shapes careers more than most people realizeWhy self-awareness is becoming one of the most important leadership skills in the modern workplaceHow organizations unintentionally disable growth—even while saying they support itWhy attention spans, side hustles, and disengagement are changing company culture foreverBooker also breaks down one of the most practical frameworks shared on the podcast yet:Antecedent → Behavior → ConsequenceA simple but powerful model for understanding feedback, behavior change, leadership, and culture. One of the biggest takeaways from this episode:There are two scorecards in every organization.The first measures your output, KPIs, and deliverables.The second measures how people experience you, perceive you, trust you, and advocate for you when you are not in the room.Most people only know the first scorecard exists. This episode is for:Leaders trying to develop people more effectivelyProfessionals who feel stuck despite producing resultsEntrepreneurs building teamsAnyone who wants to better understand influence, growth, and modern workplace dynamicsBecause career growth is not just about working harder.It's about understanding how value, perception, relationships, and leadership actually operate in the real world.And once you understand that…everything changes.

What happens when you trade the comfort of a small town for the beautifully unpredictable journey of a music career? In this episode, country-pop singer-songwriter Neah McMeen sits down with Jamie to share the raw truth about chasing dreams in Music City. From balancing online health science studies at Kansas University to finding creative sanctuary on long drives, Neah opens up about the exact moment she decided to pursue music with a "no holds barred" mindset. We dive deep into how her heartland roots in Webber, Kansas shape her worldview, the pressure of singing the national anthem versus a vulnerable Nashville songwriter round, and the vital importance of surrounding yourself with the right team. If you're trying to navigate your own season of uncertainty, Neah's story is the reminder you need that sometimes not knowing the destination is the most honest part of the road. ⚡️ JOIN THE INNER CIRCLE: Before you listen, make sure you are signed up for The Vanguard, our weekly newsletter. Get premium music journalism, exclusive industry insights, and curated cultural commentary sent straight to your inbox. Sign up at our website today.

The Mercantilist Restoration - https://anthonyfatseas.substack.com/p/the-mercantilist-restoration-howInterview recorded - 22nd of May, 2026On this episode of the WTFinance podcast I had the pleasure of welcoming back Professor Vali Nasr. Vali Nasr is a Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and one of the most authoritative voices on Iran, having advised American policymakers and diplomats on the country for decades. He is also the author of Iran's Grand Strategy: A political history.During our conversation we spoke about the current situation in the Middle East, what has led up to this conflict, Iran's surprising resilience, their grand strategy, potential escalation, reshaping the Middle East and more. I hope you enjoy!0:00 - Introduction3:05 - Lead up to war5:48 - Surprised about escalation8:38 - Iran resilience10:48 - Iran's Grand Strategy13:18 - October 6th impact16:23 - Conflict resolution20:09 - Military escalation24:11 - How have views changed?28:17 - Iranian proxies over?29:47 - US withdrawing from Middle East?34:11 - Guerrilla warfare35:25 - One message to takeaway? Vali Nasr is the Majid Khadduri Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and Non-Resident Senior Advisor in the Middle East Program at CSIS. He served as the eighth Dean of Johns Hopkins SAIS between 2012 and 2019 and served as Senior Advisor to U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke between 2009 and 2011.Professor Nasr is the author of Iran's Grand Strategy: A Political History, The Dispensable Nation: American Foreign Policy in Retreat; Forces of Fortune: The Rise of a New Middle Class and How it Will Change Our World; The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam will Shape the Future; Democracy in Iran: History and the Quest for Liberty; Islamic Leviathan, Islam and the Making of State Power; Mawdudi and the Making of Islamic Revivalism; Vanguard of Islamic Revolution: Jama'at-i Islami of Pakistan, and co-author of How Sanctions Work: Iran and the Impact of Economic Warfare; as well as numerous articles in scholarly journals and commentary in Financial Times, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal. He has advised senior American policymakers, world leaders, and businesses, including the President, Secretary of State, senior members of the Congress, and presidential campaigns. He has written for New York Times, Foreign Affairs, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post, among others.Vali Nasr - X - https://x.com/vali_nasrBook - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Irans-Grand-Strategy-Political-History/dp/0691268924/WTFinance -Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/67rpmjG92PNBW0doLyPvfniTunes -https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wtfinance/id1554934665?uo=4LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-fatseas-761066103/Twitter - https://twitter.com/AnthonyFatseas

The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk Read my NEW BOOK -- The Price of Becoming -  www.LearningLeader.com/Becoming Eric Ries is the author of The Lean Startup, one of the most influential business books of the past 25 years, and the founder of the Long-Term Stock Exchange, the first new U.S. exchange to both list and trade multiple stocks since NASDAQ launched 50 years ago. His new book is Incorruptible. Key Learnings The more successful a company becomes, the more valuable it is as a target. Companies are worth stealing and taking over. Most founders are naive about this and don't understand what's coming for them. They've been following the so-called best practices about how companies should be built, structured, and governed. Most of those best practices are value-destroying. Sol Price was a lawyer before he became an entrepreneur. He believed a lawyer had a fiduciary duty to put the client's interests before his own. So when he became a retailer, he asked: "Who's my client?" The customer. He treated the customer as the person he would rather die than betray. When competitors sold a product for less, he'd put up signs in his own store: "Don't buy this from me. You can get it cheaper somewhere else." He capped his margins at 14 percent. He paid above-market wages. It is so much easier to destroy than to create. One day, Sol came into work and couldn't get into his office because the locks had been changed. Investors had pushed him out and forced Fedmart to practice retail best practices. Within seven years, they bankrupted the company. We've built an economy that rewards people for cost-cutting without holding them accountable for the consequences to trustworthiness, brand, or culture. The origin story of Costco: Sol took two weeks off, then leased the office upstairs from Fedmart and started Price Club. One of the young guys who left with him, Jim Sinegal, had worked his way up from stock boy. Jim eventually started his own company using the Sol ethos. A few years later, their companies merged to form what we now call Costco. Wall Street routinely calls Costco the exception to every rule. Wall Street analysts say things like: "At Costco, they take money that rightfully belongs to shareholders and instead invest it in the customer experience." As if that's a criticism. Costco endures because it's protected by a governance fortress. A series of worst practices that resist outside pressure structurally. The $1.50 hot dog has been the same price since 1986. A McDonald's Big Mac was $1.60 in 1986. Today that same Big Mac in California is over $7. Costco sells more hot dogs than every Major League Baseball stadium in America combined. If they raised the combo to $7, it would be a billion dollars of extra net income. They could do it. They choose not to. "If you raise the price of the effing hot dog, I will kill you. So figure it out." Jim Sinegal said it to his COO in 2008 when costs were rising. Figure it out. Costco vertically integrated the hot dog supply chain. They own hot dog production plants in multiple cities. They worked deals with soda vendors. They did all that extra work for the privilege of not making more money on the hot dog. Harder is easier. "When you take the hard road, when you make a principled commitment, you get these almost unbelievable values. Because you're generating the most underrated and most valuable asset in all of business: trustworthiness." "Easy choices, hard life. Hard choices, easy life." Jerzy Gregorek, Olympic weightlifter. "Everybody wanna be a bodybuilder. Nobody wanna lift these heavy ass weights." Ronnie Coleman, eight-time Mr. Olympia. Everyone wants the outcome. Nobody wants to do the actual thing. Culture and mission can be cultivated, not commanded. Most leaders get this wrong. They say "I'm in charge of my team." But can you command your team to have integrity? Can you command it to have a particular culture? You have to make consistent, responsible choices, just like cultivating health in your body. Get reps. Eric gave practice talks at a Hobee's restaurant at 7 AM to six people just to get the reps. Caring and trying to do a good job is so unbelievably rare. That alone is a competitive advantage. Feedback tells you something about the person giving it, not about yourself. If someone reads Eric's manuscript and says, "This book sucks," he hasn't learned anything about the book. He's learned this person doesn't like this kind of book. When he stopped arguing with negative customer reviews and started studying who they came from, he noticed patterns. People 16 and younger loved the product. People 16 and older hated it. He learned who his product was for. Separate qualitative from quantitative feedback. Qualitative is for hypothesis generation. Quantitative is for hypothesis validation. When test readers told him a chapter wasn't working, that was qualitative. When the platform data showed nobody was getting past that chapter, that was quantitative. You need both to know what to fix. It is always too early until it's too late. Eric tells the story of a multibillion-dollar founder he warned before his IPO. The founder talked to his bankers, lawyers, and CFO. They told him Eric was a downer. The founder went public anyway with conventional governance. Five months later, his stock dropped 90 percent, and he was ousted. The best time to plant a tree is 40 years ago. The second-best time is today. Eric's checklist for building an incorruptible company: Encode your mission into the corporate charter. Most founders have never read their charter. If your mission statement says one thing but your legal charter says another, you're lying. The easiest fix: file a public benefit corp filing (PBC). Two pages. 44 states. Your lawyer can do it tomorrow. Identify your fiduciary commitments. Who would you rather die than betray? Is it your customers? Your employees? Product quality? You decide. If your answer is nobody, you're a sociopath. The whole book is for the people who actually want to accomplish something. Align your employees to that mission. Make sure everybody on the team is committed to the same fiduciary priority. Create a director's oath. Like the Hippocratic Oath for doctors, but for your board. They must pledge to commit to the company's mission. Board betrayal and investor pressure are leading causes of death of companies in the modern world. Make the directors accountable to somebody. Power without accountability is corrosive to the human spirit. Novo Nordisk is governed by a nonprofit foundation. Patagonia is governed by a perpetual purpose trust. John Lewis Partnership in the UK is governed by an employee ownership trust. IKEA, Vanguard, and REI all have these structures. The data shows these companies are dramatically more stable and higher performing than conventional structures. You are not stuck in traffic. You are traffic. People love to blame the system. But you're not just a passenger. You're part of what creates the system. Where you work. What you buy. What you give your attention to. Every one of those choices is fueling somebody's company, somebody's algorithm, somebody's bonus. The richest people in the world spend billions on PR because they know your individual choices matter. Use that power. Eric's champagne moment a year from now: a grassroots movement around Incorruptible. This book won't get wall-to-wall media coverage. It's antagonistic to people in power. So Eric hopes readers will hand it to their founders, their bosses, their friends. If consumers and employees start demanding, "I want to work in an incorruptible company," that's the toast. Reflection Questions What is your equivalent of Costco's hot dog? The one commitment you'd defend even when it's financially painful, even when the easy move would be to abandon it? Have you ever read your corporate charter, or the foundational document of your team or department? Does what's actually written match what you say you stand for? Where in your work or life would the harder short-term path build something more durable in the long run? Are you willing to lift the heavy weights? More Learning #258: Jesse Itzler: Creating Your Life Resume & Living Outside the Box #529: James Clear: Setting Up Your Future Self & Becoming an Optimist #565: Noah Kahan: The Art of Asking For What You Want Podcast Chapters 00:00 The Price of Becoming - Pre-Order Now!  01:03 Meet Eric Ries  02:55 Is It Possible to Build an Incorruptible Company?  04:04 Why Culture Alone Won't Save You  05:13 Sol Price, Fedmart, and the Locks That Got Changed  07:56 Why Wall Street Calls Costco the Exception  09:11 The $1.50 Hot Dog Story  13:59 Harder Is Easier: The Principle Behind It All  16:48 Why Governance Is Just Soul Craft  19:50 Building the First New Stock Exchange Since Nasdaq  22:33 Eric's Communication Style: Reps, Not Talent  30:52 The Opportunity Hiding in Broken Markets  31:59 How to Know Which Feedback to Listen To  35:39 Qualitative vs. Quantitative: Why You Need Both  37:23 The Whole Foods Cautionary Tale  40:25 The Founder's Checklist for Building Something Durable  43:44 Encode Your Mission Into the Corporate Charter  47:35 You Are Not Stuck in Traffic. You Are the Traffic.  52:37 The Champagne Question: A Grassroots Movement  55:27 James Clear, Author's Equity, and the Future of Publishing 56:43 EOPC

In this episode of the White Coat Investor Podcast, we answer a range of financial questions relevant to both new and experienced physicians. Topics include handling a parent's reverse mortgage, refinancing during residency, structuring compensation within an S-corporation, whether brokerage accounts belong inside an LLC, and evaluating a Vanguard variable annuity. We also recognize graduating physicians entering the next phase of their careers and discuss practical financial decisions that can have long-term implications. This episode focuses on thoughtful financial planning, avoiding unnecessary complexity, and understanding tradeoffs before making major decisions. Today's episode is brought to us by SoFi, the folks who help you get your money right. Paying off student debt quickly and getting your finances back on track isn't easy, but that's where SoFi can help — they have exclusive, low rates designed to help medical residents refinance student loans—and that could end up saving you thousands of dollars, helping you get out of student debt sooner. SoFi also offers the ability to lower your payments to just $100 a month* while you're still in residency. And if you're already out of residency, SoFi's got you covered there too. For more information, go to https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/Sofi SoFi Student Loans are originated by SoFi Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. Additional terms and conditions apply. NMLS 696891. The White Coat Investor Podcast launched in January 2017, and since then, millions have downloaded it. Join your fellow physicians and other high income professionals and subscribe today! Host, Dr. Jim Dahle, is a practicing emergency physician and founder of The White Coat Investor blog. Like the blog, The White Coat Investor Podcast is dedicated to educating medical students, residents, physicians, dentists, and similar high-income professionals about personal finance and building wealth, so they can ultimately be their own financial advisor-or at least know enough to not get ripped off by a financial advisor. We tackle the hard topics like the best ways to pay off student loans, how to create your own personal financial plan, retirement planning, how to save money, investing in real estate, side hustles, and how everyone can be a millionaire by living WCI principles. Website: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com  YouTube: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/youtube  Student Loan Advice: https://studentloanadvice.com  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewhitecoatinvestor  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewhitecoatinvestor  Twitter: https://twitter.com/WCInvestor  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewhitecoatinvestor  Subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/whitecoatinvestor  Online Courses: https://whitecoatinvestor.teachable.com  Newsletter: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/free-monthly-newsletter 

Don and Tom unload on sensationalized financial journalism, taking aim at recent articles claiming the 4% withdrawal rule and classic 60/40 portfolios are “failing” retirees. They argue that the media increasingly prioritizes fear-driven headlines over practical investing wisdom, pushing emotionally charged narratives that ignore investor behavior and long-term historical returns. The duo also push back against claims that target-date funds could wipe out retirees, explaining why diversified portfolios remain far less risky than headlines suggest. Listener questions cover Robinhood's controversial 2% transfer bonus, SEC transaction fees on ETF sales, Roth IRA liquidity concerns, rebalancing discipline, and the dangers of emotionally reacting to politics and markets. Along the way, Don discusses the release of his Civil War novel The Line Uncrossed, while Tom manages to squeeze in Morse code, Rasputin, and model bomber references for absolutely no good reason whatsoever.0:05 Don and Tom rant about the collapse of quality financial journalism1:43 Criticism of Money.com article attacking the 4% rule and 60/40 portfolios2:44 Morningstar's 3.7% withdrawal study versus the traditional 4% rule4:21 Why “100% stocks beats 60/40” ignores investor psychology and risk tolerance5:03 Emotional pain, market crashes, and why most investors cannot handle full equity exposure6:02 Financial media sensationalism and clickbait retirement headlines7:32 Seattle Times article warning target-date funds could destroy retiree savings8:35 Critique of claims that target-date funds are dangerously risky at retirement9:41 Discussion of Vanguard 2025 target-date allocation and global diversification12:00 Why diversified global portfolios are far less risky than fearmongers suggest13:16 Media outrage, sensationalism, and why Talking Real Money avoids scare tactics14:48 Listener comment about Don's books appearing on Amazon15:15 Reality check on book royalties and publishing economics15:49 Discussion of Don's Civil War novel The Line Uncrossed17:19 Book pricing, Kindle strategy, and avoiding Amazon exclusivity18:41 Transition to listener questions19:10 Caller asks about Robinhood's 2% IRA transfer bonus and possible tax issues20:10 Why IRA transfers and Robinhood bonuses are generally not taxable21:05 Concerns about Robinhood's gamified investing culture versus Vanguard's philosophy22:03 Risks of getting lured into speculative products after transferring assets22:59 Caller explains working with a fee-only fiduciary advisor and self-managing investments24:48 SEC transaction fees on ETF sales explained25:47 Why the SEC fee is effectively meaningless for ordinary investors26:15 Listener question about moving Roth IRA money to CDs due to market fears29:10 Why emotionally reacting to politics and market fears can hurt long-term investing31:17 Importance of maintaining an appropriate long-term asset allocation31:41 Tom jokes nervously about a meeting with HRQuestions? Comments? Click!

From 1933 to 1988, the liberal spiritualist wing of the trans-Atlantic bourgeoisie had something of a think tank for spiritual and cult technology and grand strategy in the yearly gatherings of philosophers, psychologists, and anthropologists like Carl Jung, Mircea Eliade, and Gershom Scholem, known as Eranos and organized by the wealthy socialite and occultist Olga Fröbe-Kapteyn at a lakeside resort in Switzerland. Jung disciple Gustav Heyer memorably called their activities there Aetherhurerei “aether whoredom”. I am joined by Scott Ryan of The Dustlight Archives Podcast for the opening episode of a series on this little-known but very important gathering which has deep links both with earlier modern “gnostic” and bourgeois-occult, satanic-orientalist secret society movements, contemporaneous developments like the Nazis as well as the proto-hippie youth movements of which Nazism was the shadow, and also NXIVM and other present-day developments of the same social and spiritual technologies of the ruling-class vanguard, which Scott is covering so brilliantly on his show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Send us Fan MailShe was paying off debt. Building nothing. And telling herself she'd start investing "when this was done."In this episode, Dr. Latifat sits down with Dr. Valerie, a psychiatrist and 6 to 7 alum who grew up in a family where money was never discussed and spent years unknowingly delaying her own wealth because of it. In just a few months inside the program, everything shifted. She opened a Vanguard account. Converted her rental to a hybrid short-term and midterm property. Paid off her car and kept it. And negotiated her way into a telepsych position that pays her $60,000 more than she was making three months ago.This one is full of real numbers, real mindset shifts, and real talk.In this episode:Growing up where money was taboo, even with a CPA sister in the family The "finish this first" trap that kept Dr. Valerie stuck for years Why paying off debt while building zero wealth is not a strategy How she went from accepting whatever salary she was offered to negotiating $60K more Switching to telepsych: earning more, working from home, and reclaiming her afternoons The foster care dream she's never shared publicly — until now Why your life should be an asset, not just your investments "I wasn't building wealth. I was just paying off debt. But I could be doing both."If you're tired of feeling like medicine is something you have to keep doing instead of something you get to choose, this workshop is for you.Join us to learn how busy women physicians are creating financial freedom, building real options, and designing lives they do not need to escape from without waiting for traditional retirement.

Vanguard is the most effective vehicle ever created for participating in the fruits of American capitalism. Today it's the single largest equity owner of the majority of corporations in the S&P 500, on behalf of 50 million clients (including, likely, many of you). And yet Vanguard itself is essentially a communist organization — it has no shareholders, makes no profits, and operates more like REI than Fidelity. If you own a Vanguard fund, you own a piece of the firm itself. Any excess margin instead gets returned to clients in the form of lower fees, which since 1975 have added up to roughly five hundred billion dollars transferred out of Wall Street managers' pockets and into retail investors' savings accounts. And oh yeah, it all started as a cockamamie revenge plot by a guy who'd just been fired by his partners. Today we tell the story of communist capitalism at its finest — Vanguard.Sponsors:Many thanks to our fantastic Spring '26 Season partners:J.P. MorganWeAreDevelopers eventServiceNowVercelStatsigLinks:Sign up for email updates, get our takeaways and research photos from each episode, and vote on future topics!Our Vanguard "episode preview" in WSJStay the Course: The Story of Vanguard and the Index Revolution by John C. BogleThe Bogle Effect by Eric BalchunasWorldly Partners' Multi-Decade Vanguard StudyWorldly Partners' Article Generational Investing: The Discipline Behind 100+x OutcomesAll episode sourcesCarve Outs:Our WSJ pieces on Ferrari and VanguardMacBook Pro M5 MaxMichael MacKelvie on YouTubeThe Super Mario Galaxy MovieBrooks Vanguard sneakersMore Acquired:Get email updates and vote on future episodes!Join the SlackCheck out the latest swag in the ACQ Merch Store!00:00:00 Start00:00:41 Intro00:05:30 Jack Bogle's Early Life & Family Ruin (1929)00:12:34 Princeton Thesis & Mutual Funds Emerge (1949-1951)00:27:20 Joining Wellington Management (1951)00:30:38 The Go-Go Years & Fidelity's Ascent (1958-1965)00:40:36 Jack Takes the Reins & The Ivest Merger (1965)00:46:04 The Go-Go Bust & Jack's Crisis of Conscience (1970-1973)00:53:28 Jack is Fired: The Genesis of Vanguard (1974)01:13:03 The Journal Article That Inspired It All (1974-1976)01:35:02 Building the Fund & Early Struggles (1976-1981)01:44:32 The Rise of Indexing & Vanguard's Growth (1988-1992)01:49:06 Jack's Health & The CEO Transition (1995-1996)02:00:06 The ETF Debate & Jack's Second Firing (1999)02:24:18 The 2008 Financial Crisis: Vanguard's Moment02:30:46 The Warren Buffet Bet (2008-2019)02:41:28 Fidelity & BlackRock's Resurgence (Post-2008)02:52:04 Salim Ramji: Vanguard's First Outside CEO03:04:43 Wellington's Comeback & Mutual Ownership03:08:23 Analysis03:30:58 Quintessence03:39:35 Carve-Outs + Outro‍Note: Acquired hosts and guests may hold assets discussed in this episode. This podcast is not investment advice, and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. You should do your own research and make your own independent decisions when considering any financial transactions.

In this episode of the Meaningful Money Podcast Q&A, Pete Matthew and Roger Weeks answer six real listener questions on UK personal finance - from inheriting a SIPP (and the under-75 vs over-75 rules), to how inheritance tax could hit a property-heavy estate. They also discuss what to do with a large Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) holding, whether a longer 35-year mortgage can be a safer option, and the realities of financial planning for UK expats. Finally, they tackle a growing concern for many UK investors - how to protect wealth from increasingly sophisticated scams and impersonation fraud. Shownotes: https://meaningfulmoney.tv/QA49  02:04  Question 1 Hello Pete & Rog. Thanks for the wonderful podcast I will keep it as brief as possible as it means hopefully you can squeeze more content for your listeners. I am a 35 yr old renting in London with a salary of approximately 35k and would consider buying my own place if I could build up enough of a deposit. My mum died a long time ago but my dad has just been informed that he has a medical condition which will probably end his life in the next 5 years or so. He is currently 73. I don't have any siblings and my dad has shared with me the details of his assets which primarily comprise of a SIPP of around 200k (he has taken and spent his 25% tax free amount). My question may sound a bit morbid but it reflects the reality of life unfortunately. It's about the rules of inheriting this SIPP. I'm not sure I fully understand the 'rules' about if my dad passes away before 75 or after he is 75. My understanding is that if less than 75 I can just 'cash in' the 200k tax-free and for example use it as a deposit for a house. That seems straightforward. But hopefully he will get well past his 75th, so if that's the case I understand the 200k would be taxed as income, so I would be crazy to take it all out in that way. So what would be my options in that case? - Is there any way to take it out of the pension wrapper without having to pay tax to give a bit more flexibility? - could I just inherit it as a pension and if so, would I still be able to take 25% tax free? - can I draw down from before I reach pension age e.g. to pay the mortgage or rent (mindful not to go up into the next tax bracket)? Have I got the rules right and are there any other options I could consider? Regards, Steve   07:08  Question 2 Hi Pete & Roger Love the content and just discovered your YouTube podcast! I'm concerned about my wife parents (Mid 70s) inheritance tax liability and was wondering if you had any advice on how to structure the portfolio to reduce it or if it was worth considering a gifting strategy. Primarily I'm concerned as the recent inclusion of pensions into IHT from 2027 and I'm pretty sure their estate is over 2m and therefore a reduced residence nil rate. Rough figures are below: Current house - 1.1m (according to Rightmove - jointly owned) Own another house 800k (according to Rightmove - jointly owned) Own a holiday letting business (retirement business) which has three properties circa 1.1m (according to Rightmove - jointly owned) With this in mind I put their IHT liability at 2m+ without factoring their pensions Questions What do you consider the ball park IHT bill to be? How do you suggest my wife (mid 30s) approach this issue? Or should she just deal with the cards as they lie in the future? Tony   14:05  Question 3 Hi Pete & Roger, I wanted to start with a thank you for your podcast - specially for acting as the friendly, inclusive and relatable voices of finance. The podcast is a welcome change to the scarier world of finance which many of us sometimes run and hide from! My question for you is regarding my ESPP. I was employed by a US-based company around 10 years ago. During my time there I was able to sacrifice a percentage of my salary which was put towards the purchase of company shares at a discounted rate. It's a very effective scheme, and although my salary there was modest, I've been able to leave the shares alone which are now worth around £230k. The predicament I now have is what to do with these shares. I've been happy to let the shares sit and grow, which they have been doing extremely well, though the value of them now has me wondering what my future strategy should be. For reference, the 10 year growth on these shares is around 850%. As far as I'm aware, I'll need to pay tax on these shares when it comes to selling them as there's no way to transfer them into my stocks & shares ISA or similar. So it's either leave them where they are, or sell some/all of them now and transfer the cash (after tax) into my stocks & shares ISA, SIPP or elsewhere. I'm 40 and looking to purchase a house next year with my partner - though we don't need these funds for that purchase. I have a stocks & shares ISA, a cash ISA and a SIPP, as well as a modest amount in a LISA and cash savings. Whilst I don't feel like I have all of my eggs in one basket, I do feel increasingly nervous about the value of the shares which are entirely dependant on the success of one company. That said, the returns to date have been incredible and I wouldn't want to miss out on future growth. I'd love to know if you have any guidance on this, and if there's any factors that I haven't considered yet. Thanks again, Ian   20:36 Question 4 Hi Guys, Love your podcasts. You've helped me a lot with understanding my finances and I'd love to ask a question. My wife and I are 36 and have been back in the UK for 3 years. We are hoping to buy our first property in 2026. Due to our age, is it okay and safer to do a 35 year mortgage and pay more off monthly to pay the mortgage off quicker? We aren't high earners but hoping to put any extra onto the mortgage principle. Hope to hear from you. Kind Regards, Dhiren   23:49 Question 5 Dear Pete and Roger Thanks a lot for all the education and sensible insights you are providing to all I am an avid listener of your podcasts and  watch your videos regularly.  Now I can see Roger as well.  Both very handsome and knowledgeable. Your discussions are lively and interesting. I am also a member of the academy from the beginning. Also on Facebook community. Currently working my way through retirement guide. I am working abroad for nearly 8 years. I was told by a financial planner that he can't advise non UK tax payers as per regulations. Since then you have been my main source of information and guidance. I am an Ex NHS consultant and now receiving pension. I have a very small SIPP and substantial Investment ISA which I can not contribute to. So my main investment is through GIA. All via Vanguard. Apart from this I have stocks and shares account with a couple of providers which helps me to keep thinking about investment opportunities. I am not a big risk taker and currently doing well with my stocks. I read and listen to a variety of educational materials to help with this I have 2 questions. Is it possible to get financial planner help for UK citizens while working abroad? What should I do with my investments before coming back to UK to live, for tax planning and reduce risk of huge tax for selling investments after coming back? Currently I am in Middle East with zero percent income tax. My pension is also at zero percent under DTAA arrangements. Sorry for long question. Thanks a lot again for your suuuuuuuuuper work. Continue great job Kind regards, Sudhakar Link: Perceptive Planning https://www.perceptiveplanning.co.uk/world-citizens  28:37  Question 6 Hi Roger and Pete, Love the podcast. Thank you for everything. This is about to be a long question, for which I'm not at all sorry. I've seen articles and videos about the increased sophistication of hacks and scams. Things like stealthily getting access to accounts and for years collecting information that can then be used to impersonate you to socially engineer access to bank accounts. AI plays a part in letting people change how they sound to make impersonating on calls easier than ever. Going forward, I'm worried that one of the biggest threats to my wealth is not a market crash, but someone getting access to my investments through fraudulently calling support lines and impersonating me, or alternatively getting access to my money through 'traditional' password leaks and viruses. To this end, I've been overpaying my mortgage as a way of having money locked away in an asset that cannot be liquidated without a solicitor (and hopefully more stringent checks of identity), but I'm going to be mortgage-free in less than 5 years at this rate.  My question is: Am I overblowing the risk here, and what are my options if I want to reduce the my risk from this perspective? I have considered: - Having multiple S&S ISAs with different providers should mean that only a fragment of my portfolio can be lost through any one hack. - Buying 'real' estate as an investment seems appealing from a security standpoint, regardless of expected returns, and although recent changes have made BtL less attractive, the old Rothschild saying of "Buy when there's blood in the streets" could mean that now might be a good time to buy. Is there an advantage in having overseas property as a wealth storage mechanism? - Putting money in my DC pension pot will lock the money away until retirement, but suddenly becomes fair game to foul play once I do. - Buying an annuity is not as fiscally efficient as drawdown, but is an attractive way of mitigating risk of losing it all to a scam caller. Especially if I'm old and doddery and more likely to fall for a scam. - Buying physical gold (and a safe or a Swiss safety deposit box) doesn't appeal to me, but I have considered it. Please assume that I'm being sensible with passwords and 2FA. My question isn't about basic IT security practices, but which of these decisions you think might be a good/bad decision and whether there's anything I haven't considered. Thank you, Alex Link: Cal Newport - https://calnewport.com/    

Don and Tom tackle the strange psychology of politics and investing, exploring how Republicans and Democrats consistently perceive the economy and markets differently depending on who occupies the White House. Drawing on research from Spencer Jakab, the University of Michigan, and Dimensional Fund Advisors, they argue that long-term market performance has historically shown little correlation to presidential party affiliation, despite investors' emotional reactions. The episode also features a thoughtful listener discussion about pensions in public safety careers, including the hidden risks of not paying into Social Security and the limitations of pensions as wealth-building tools. Additional listener questions cover Vanguard target-date fund combinations and the drawbacks of holding a costly variable annuity inside an IRA. The show wraps with commentary on pay-to-play podcast awards, Don's surprisingly modest Amazon book ranking triumph, and updates on his upcoming Civil War novel The Line Uncrossed which has been pre-released for podcast listeners in an exclusive ebook bonus package at donmcdonald.com0:05 Politics, perception, and the “presidential puzzle”2:26 Partisan views on the economy and stock market3:51 Why presidents have limited long-term market impact6:03 Emotions, investing, and politically themed ETFs8:18 Why asset allocation matters more than politics8:51 Performance of the MAGA ETF vs. expectations10:51 Listener question: pensions, Social Security, and public safety careers15:11 The importance of supplemental retirement savings alongside pensions16:38 Why pensions provide income but not generational wealth19:45 Listener question: mixing Vanguard Target Date 2035 and 2040 funds21:48 Debate over “rebalancing” target-date funds22:57 Listener question: variable annuity inside an IRA at Edward Jones24:28 Why variable annuities can be expensive and inefficient25:11 Fake podcast awards and pay-to-play recognition schemes27:07 “Financial Physics” Amazon ranking discussion28:32 Don's upcoming novel The Line Uncrossed and Civil War inspirationQuestions? Comments? Click!

Should you pay off debt, invest more in your 401(k), or do both? Lance Roberts & Jon Penn walk through five real-world financial decisions that millions of Americans face every year. Using new Vanguard research and simple math, we break down how to prioritize credit cards, mortgages, student loans, retirement savings, and employer matches to maximize long-term wealth. We also discuss why the mathematically correct answer is not always the emotionally correct one, and how personal priorities, risk tolerance, and peace of mind factor into financial planning. Key topics include: 0:00 - INTRO 1:12 - Six Weeks of Market Advances - What Happens in Week-7?4:36 - Economic Data Review 5:30 - Narrow market Rally Poses Portfolio Risk 10:35 - Birthday Table & Coming Attractions 12:00 - Five Questions to Help You Make Better Financial Decisions 13:45 - Everybody Starts from Scratch 18:20 - Invest or Pay off Debt? 20:54 - Not Everybody Contributes to 401k Plan 25:50 - The Number One Asset is Time 30:21 - Taking a Loan Against Your 401k? (NO!) 32:51 - Margo Has Money Troubles & Other Streaming Treats 35:12 - Inherited Money: Pay Off Mortgage? (NO!) 43:04 - Healthy Debt vs Unhealthy Debt Hosted by RIA Advisors Chief Investment Strategist, Lance Roberts, CIO, w Senior Investment Advisor, Jonathan Penn, CFP Produced by Brent Clanton, Executive Producer ------- Articles Mentioned in Today's Show: "Commodity Supercycle: The Enemy Of The Bull Thesis (Part 1)" https://realinvestmentadvice.com/resources/blog/commodity-supercycle-the-enemy-of-the-bull-thesis-part-1/ "Earnings Estimate Revisions Are Very Optimistic" https://realinvestmentadvice.com/resources/blog/earnings-estimate-revisions-are-very-optimistic/ "Parabolic Semiconductor Rally Is Pricing In 2028 Already" https://realinvestmentadvice.com/resources/blog/parabolic-semiconductor-rally-is-pricing-in-2028-already/ ------- Do you enjoy our content? Rate us on Google: https://bit.ly/4b9JtEo ------- Watch Today's Full Video on our YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/rZ1lej68NvE ------- Watch today's "Before the Bell" feature, "Tech Rally Risk Is Rising" here: https://youtu.be/RU_xjKIGiDs ------- Watch our previous show, "Annuities: Smart Move or Costly Mistake?" https://youtube.com/live/6Rag3wz8r3k ------- * REGISTER for our next Candid Coffee, Saturday, May 16: "Financial Organization Made Simple:" https://streamyard.com/watch/SA6aj2aMdMhf -------- Download Lance's Latest e-book, "Laws of Money & Wealth:"https://realinvestmentadvice.com/ria-e-guide-library/ -------- SUBSCRIBE to The Real Investment Show here: http://www.youtube.com/c/TheRealInvestmentShow -------- Visit our Site: https://www.realinvestmentadvice.com Contact Us: 1-855-RIA-PLAN -------- Subscribe to SimpleVisor: https://www.simplevisor.com/register-new -------- Connect with us on social: https://twitter.com/RealInvAdvice https://twitter.com/LanceRoberts https://www.facebook.com/RealInvestmentAdvice/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/realinvestmentadvice/ #TechnologyStocks #XLK #StockMarket #Investing #MarketRisk #FinancialPlanning #401k #DebtManagement #RetirementPlanning #PersonalFinance

Should you pay off debt, invest more in your 401(k), or do both? Lance Roberts & Jon Penn walk through five real-world financial decisions that millions of Americans face every year. Using new Vanguard research and simple math, we break down how to prioritize credit cards, mortgages, student loans, retirement savings, and employer matches to maximize long-term wealth. We also discuss why the mathematically correct answer is not always the emotionally correct one, and how personal priorities, risk tolerance, and peace of mind factor into financial planning. Key topics include: 0:00 - INTRO 1:12 - Six Weeks of Market Advances - What Happens in Week-7?4:36 - Economic Data Review 5:30 - Narrow market Rally Poses Portfolio Risk 10:35 - Birthday Table & Coming Attractions 12:00 - Five Questions to Help You Make Better Financial Decisions 13:45 - Everybody Starts from Scratch 18:20 - Invest or Pay off Debt? 20:54 - Not Everybody Contributes to 401k Plan 25:50 - The Number One Asset is Time 30:21 - Taking a Loan Against Your 401k? (NO!) 32:51 - Margo Has Money Troubles & Other Streaming Treats 35:12 - Inherited Money: Pay Off Mortgage? (NO!) 43:04 - Healthy Debt vs Unhealthy Debt Hosted by RIA Advisors Chief Investment Strategist, Lance Roberts, CIO, w Senior Investment Advisor, Jonathan Penn, CFP Produced by Brent Clanton, Executive Producer ------- Articles Mentioned in Today's Show: "Commodity Supercycle: The Enemy Of The Bull Thesis (Part 1)" https://realinvestmentadvice.com/resources/blog/commodity-supercycle-the-enemy-of-the-bull-thesis-part-1/ "Earnings Estimate Revisions Are Very Optimistic" https://realinvestmentadvice.com/resources/blog/earnings-estimate-revisions-are-very-optimistic/ "Parabolic Semiconductor Rally Is Pricing In 2028 Already" https://realinvestmentadvice.com/resources/blog/parabolic-semiconductor-rally-is-pricing-in-2028-already/ ------- Do you enjoy our content? Rate us on Google: https://bit.ly/4b9JtEo ------- Watch Today's Full Video on our YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/rZ1lej68NvE ------- Watch today's "Before the Bell" feature, "Tech Rally Risk Is Rising" here: https://youtu.be/RU_xjKIGiDs ------- Watch our previous show, "Annuities: Smart Move or Costly Mistake?" https://youtube.com/live/6Rag3wz8r3k ------- * REGISTER for our next Candid Coffee, Saturday, May 16: "Financial Organization Made Simple:" https://streamyard.com/watch/SA6aj2aMdMhf -------- Download Lance's Latest e-book, "Laws of Money & Wealth:"https://realinvestmentadvice.com/ria-e-guide-library/ -------- SUBSCRIBE to The Real Investment Show here: http://www.youtube.com/c/TheRealInvestmentShow -------- Visit our Site: https://www.realinvestmentadvice.com Contact Us: 1-855-RIA-PLAN -------- Subscribe to SimpleVisor: https://www.simplevisor.com/register-new -------- Connect with us on social: https://twitter.com/RealInvAdvice https://twitter.com/LanceRoberts https://www.facebook.com/RealInvestmentAdvice/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/realinvestmentadvice/ #TechnologyStocks #XLK #StockMarket #Investing #MarketRisk #FinancialPlanning #401k #DebtManagement #RetirementPlanning #PersonalFinance

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

Australian investors have fully embraced Exchange Traded Funds. Now, as the gap between managed funds and index funds narrows, investors want to know what's next on the menu? Daniel Shrimski, CEO of Vanguard Australia joins Associate Editor, James Kirby in this episode. In today's show, we cover: The changing shape of ETFs Industry leaders warn on CGT changes Vanguard's ISA plan for Australia The ETF dilemma - Selling a stock that's done too well See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This Q&A episode of Talking Real Money covers a wide range of listener questions, from proposed “youth retirement accounts” and 529 plans to the deceptive marketing tactics behind indexed annuity steak dinners. Don also shares details about his upcoming Civil War novel, The Line Uncrossed, releasing May 22. Other topics include Vanguard's ETF stock split, the difference between quantitative investing and factor-based investing used by firms like Dimensional and Avantis, and a bizarre Apple Podcasts glitch that incorrectly labeled a recent episode as explicit content. Along the way, Don delivers a passionate takedown of indexed annuity sales tactics and marvels at modern AI audio cleanup tools0:05 Q&A episode kickoff and listener question backlog talk1:13 Don discusses dictation vs typing and listener engagement2:21 Announcement of Don's debut Civil War novel The Line Uncrossed3:35 Decoration Day origins and Memorial Day history4:38 Question about proposed youth retirement accounts and 529 plans6:30 Why proposed 530A accounts currently cannot fund 529s7:40 Reminder about free fiduciary advisor meetings at TalkingRealMoney.com8:09 Listener reports attending a free steak dinner annuity seminar9:47 Indexed annuity “54% bonus” pitch dissected11:29 Why indexed annuity charts are misleading13:25 Hidden caps, fine print, and low long-term returns14:49 The truth behind “bonus” annuity money15:51 Don unloads on indexed annuity sales tactics and commissions17:26 Vanguard's mega-cap ETF stock split explained18:40 Why ETF stock splits can help small investors19:30 Difference between quantitative investing and factor investing20:49 Demonstration of AI audio cleanup software21:23 How Dimensional and Avantis use evidence-based investing rules23:33 Listener reports Apple Podcasts flagged “War vs. Markets” as explicit24:06 Don investigates the mysterious Apple Podcasts explicit label25:34 Apple appears to have manually overridden the explicit setting27:02 Request for more listener questions and podcast sharing27:55 Final reminder about Don's novel presale availabilityQuestions? Comments? Click!

« Nous ne pouvons pas laisser nos citoyens humiliés dans votre pays », met en garde la ministre des Affaires étrangères nigériane. C'est le titre d'un article du média nigérian Vanguard, qui relate les déclarations de la représentante du gouvernement. Elle dit avoir eu une conversation téléphonique avec son homologue sud-africain sur ce sujet brûlant. « Elle a également condamné la 'rhétorique violente et aveugle' des groupes politiques xénophobes en Afrique du Sud, déclarant ensuite que les Nigérians ont fait preuve, et continuent de faire preuve, d'une retenue louable face à la crise actuelle », rapporte le média. Ces manifestations et tensions xénophobes en Afrique du Sud ont aussi fait l'objet d'un éditorial dans les colonnes de Vanguard. Son auteur estime que de nombreux Sud-Africains ont toujours été hostiles, et pointe la responsabilité de Pretoria : « le plus scandaleux, écrit-il, c'est que le gouvernement sud-africain agisse comme si de rien n'était. » Il évoque ensuite les réactions de différents pays africain face à cette situation, ce qu'il voit comme un message d'espoir : « des voix s'élèvent pour réclamer des sanctions. J'espère que les efforts diplomatiques permettront d'envoyer les signaux nécessaires aux instances compétentes. » En RDC, les réactions s'enchaînent après l'annonce de Félix Tshisekedi Le président s'est dit prêt pour un potentiel troisième mandat à la tête du pays si il y a une demande populaire, « et la société civile redoute une aggravation des tensions politiques », titre Radio Okapi, en évoquant ensuite l'appel de la nouvelle société civile congolaise, à l'ouverture d'un débat démocratique et apaisé suite aux annonces du chef de l'État. Félix Tshisekedi se dit prêt à « revenir » une troisième fois si les Congolais le lui demandent, via un référendum, mais pour Afrik.com, « La formule est connue, usée jusqu'à la corde sur le continent ».  « Le président congolais semble découvrir une passion très africaine : le goût au pouvoir prolongé », estime le site, avant d'ajouter que : « le plus inquiétant n'est d'ailleurs pas seulement l'évocation d'un troisième mandat. C'est la banalisation progressive de l'idée même de toucher à la Constitution. L'article 220, censé verrouiller la limitation des mandats présidentiels, constituait jusqu'ici l'un des rares garde-fous encore respectés, dans une région où les Constitutions sont devenues des brouillons réécrits au gré des ambitions personnelles », affirme Afrik.com « Aujourd'hui, le président Tshisekedi ouvre clairement la porte à sa remise en cause », conclut Afrik.com, avant de s'interroger : « au fond, la vraie question n'est pas de savoir si les Congolais peuvent demander à Félix Tshisekedi de revenir. La vraie question est de savoir si lui est encore capable d'imaginer quitter le pouvoir. » Le retour de trois supporters sénégalais à Dakar, après trois mois de détention au Maroc ne passe pas inaperçu dans la presse sénégalaise Un retour au pays avec « un accueil triomphal », célèbre PressAfrik. Les trois supporters sénégalais détenus au Maroc à la suite des incidents survenus lors de la finale de la Coupe d'Afrique des Nations le 18 janvier ont regagné le Sénégal ce jeudi soir, après avoir purgé leurs peines de prison pour hooliganisme, prononcées par la justice marocaine. « Ils ont été accueillis en héros par les membres du 12e Gaïndé, comité de supporters de l'équipe nationale du Sénégal, raconte PressAfrik. Vêtus de tenues et casquettes aux couleurs du Sénégal, drapeaux à la main, les militants du groupe " Allez Casa" se sont joints à la mobilisation pour soutenir leurs trois confrères. » La Radio Télévision Sénégalaise renchérit, en rapportant, qu'ils ont été « chaleureusement accueillis par une foule nombreuse composée de proches, de supporters et de sympathisants. » Autre signe, s'il y en avait besoin, que ce retour était attendu : plus tôt cette semaine, Le Quotidien titrait que « Les trois «Gaïndé» rentraient au bercail ce jeudi. » Quinze supporters sénégalais restent néanmoins en détention. La justice marocaine les a condamnés à des peines allant de six mois à un an de prison. 

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themmadrawpodcast.substack.comThe UFC is back on the road, this time to New Jersey, where fans are never rude or disrespectful. Never ever…right? All kidding aside, this card, especially the main portion is top notch. There are four ranked bouts, with two titles on the line, and it just feels like a card worthy of being a numbered event. That Van-Taira fight is going to be so good, …

Paul sits down with Chris Pedersen and Daryl Bahls for the first Q&A session in months — and this one is built around the questions readers and listeners ask most often. Chris and Daryl share what they're working on next (Best-in-Class ETF updates, Target Date Fund work, telltale charts, risk-adjusted return analysis), Paul talks about a smarter way to use AI for the questions outside our wheelhouse, and the team works through six reader questions about portfolio design — from combining model portfolios to choosing between fund families.If you've ever wondered whether your portfolio is "right," this conversation will help you think about it the way Chris and Daryl do.8:30 — Should I combine the Worldwide Four Fund, U.S. Four Fund, and Worldwide All Value with a small cap value tilt?16:00 — How do I read the Sound Investing tables to compare portfolios?30:30 — Worldwide All Small Cap Value vs. the U.S. Two Fund — which is better?38:15 — My Vanguard Four Fund uses VOO, VTV, VB, and VBR — am I using the right ETFs?41:30 — How do Vanguard, Fidelity, Schwab, DFA, and Avantis compare on size and value exposure?46:30 — How do I get help with Merriman portfolios when I need it?Table B2 Table H2 Fine Tuning Tables Portfolio ConfiguratorYou'll get the full answers, the data behind them, and Chris and Daryl's reasoning by watching or listening.Watch the video here- https://youtu.be/BdTNOkALpuQ

James Seyffart, Senior Research Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, sat down with us at the Solana Policy Institute's Summit to discuss Morgan Stanley's Bitcoin ETF, BlackRock's potential altcoin ETFs, outlook on the crypto ETF market, and much more.Brought to you by

Justin Humphries reveals his fundamental principles for rapidly growing opportunities and income in an uncertain job market.— YOU'LL LEARN — 1) How to multiply your inbound opportunities2) The simplest way to expand your professional network3) The key that keeps people coming back to youSubscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep1149 for clickable versions of the links below. — ABOUT JUSTIN — Justin Humphries is a dedicated Loan Officer with experience since June 2021, specializing in VA, first-time homebuyer, and DSCR loans. A Nashville native, Justin is deeply motivated by personal and professional growth, drawing strength from his faith, family, and a passion for building meaningful relationships. He takes great pride in helping clients align their mortgage strategies with their life goals, aiming to support them in building long-term wealth. Justin values the opportunity to develop lasting connections with customers who return to him year after year for their mortgage needs.Beyond his professional work, Justin is actively involved in his church community, serving on the parish council and volunteering with the Society of St. Vincent DePaul to assist families at risk of homelessness. He is happily married to his wife Stephanie and is a proud father of three young children, including twins.• LinkedIn: Justin Humphries• Profile: Justin Humphries• Phone number: +1 615-438-8125• Email: jhumphries@loandepot.com— RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW — • Tool: Claude for Google Chrome• Article: “Researchers Asked LLMs for Strategic Advice. They Got “Trendslop” in Return.” by Angelo Romasanta, Llewellyn D.W. Thomas and Natalia Levina• Study: “Death Squared: The Explosive Growth and Demise of a Mouse Population” by John B. Calhoun• YouTube: Squat University• Book: Rebuilding Milo: A Lifter's Guide to Fixing Common Injuries and Building a Strong Foundation for Enhancing Performance• Book: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: 30th Anniversary Edition by Stephen R. Covey• Previous episode: 184: Building Your Network Before You Need It with Dr. Ivan Misner— THANK YOU SPONSORS! — • Keepsake Voices. Get mom something special and save about $100 with keepsakevoices.com/pete• Scribe. Book a personalized enterprise demo with scribe.how/awesome• Narwhal. Treat your home to spotless, fresh floors with us.narwhal.com/pete.• Monarch.com. Get 50% off your first year on with the code AWESOME.• Gusto. Get three months free when you run your first payroll with gusto.com/AWESOME• Shopify. Sign up for your $1/month trial at Shopify.com/awesomepod• Vanguard. Give your clients consistent results year in and year out with vanguard.com/AUDIOSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What if the market going down isn't a signal to flee, it's a signal to see? In this episode I want to take you out of the noise and into something more useful: your own state of allowing. Because the truth is, whether you're staring at a red portfolio or sitting on the sidelines with cash you're afraid to move, the real conversation is never about the market. It's about who you're being in relation to money. I also want to offer you a clear contrast between the old world money paradigm and the new world paradigm that actually matches the economy we're living in right now. In this episode: The difference between time and timing, and why giving up on time gives you access to so much more Why savings alone is no longer a path to freedom — and what expanding money actually means How to read market noise as an owner rather than a trader What the CEO of Vanguard said that perfectly illustrates the wealth builder's mindset Why investing is no longer optional, and what it really means to invite money in The one shift that removes the ickiness from money management for good Join me for my FREE 5-part series starting on May 4th. Visit thespiritualinvestor.com/expandingmoney to learn more.

Starting in the mid-1960s, an array of anomalous, semi-aquatic oddities made a massive splash in and around the beaches, lakes and waterways of the already ocean locked Florida peninsula... Was this mini-incursion merely a chance for our marine brethren to explore terra firma? Or was this the Vanguard of an attack from the true ruler's of this waterlogged orb we call home: All hail the Aquanauts! The Cryptonaut Hotline:315-370-6853  The Cryptonaut Podcast Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/cryptonautpodcast  The Cryptonaut Podcast Merch Stores:Hellorspace.com - Cryptonautmerch.com  Stay Connected with the Cryptonaut Podcast: Website - Instagram - TikTok - YouTube- Twitter - Facebook 

The late Bob Chapman reveals the foundational leadership principles behind Barry-Wehmiller's stunning success.— YOU'LL LEARN — 1) The case for caring as a business strategy2) The one skill to transform your relationships3) How to dramatically boost team morale with one simple practiceSubscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep1148 for clickable versions of the links below. — ABOUT BOB — BOB CHAPMAN is the chairman of Barry-Wehmiller, a $3.6 billion global manufacturing company. Under his leadership, the company grew from $20 million in revenue to over $3.5 billion while pioneering "Truly Human Leadership"—refusing to lay off employees during the 2008 recession and instead implementing shared sacrifice that saved $20 million while protecting everyone's livelihood. Featured in a Harvard Business School case study taught at 70+ business schools worldwide, Chapman has addressed the United Nations, Congress, and leading academic institutions on human-centered leadership. His approach has been validated by research showing that workplace stress is the fifth leading cause of death in America, and that good bosses create more wellness than wellness programs do. • Book: Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People Like Family--Expanded 10th Anniversary Edition, with Raj Sisodia• Website: Barry-Wehmiller Outreach— RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW — • Study: “Truly Human Leadership at Barry-Wehmiller” by Dylan Minor and Jan Rivkin• Book: "The New One Minute Manager: A Timeless Guide to Effective Leadership, Stress Reduction, and Success in a Rapidly Changing Workplace" by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson— THANK YOU SPONSORS! — • Keepsake Voices. Get mom something special and save about $100 with keepsakevoices.com/pete• Narwhal. Treat your home to spotless, fresh floors with us.narwhal.com/pete.• Monarch.com. Get 50% off your first year on with the code AWESOME.• Gusto. Get three months free when you run your first payroll with gusto.com/AWESOME• Shopify. Sign up for your $1/month trial at Shopify.com/better• Vanguard. Give your clients consistent results year in and year out with vanguard.com/AUDIOSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

People look forward to retirement as a time of fewer obligations, but it can also be a time of lower taxes, especially if you have money in Roth retirement accounts. However, if you earn too much money, you can't contribute directly to a Roth IRA. But you may still have an option. Host Robert Brokamp lays out the five steps to contributing to a backdoor Roth IRA, and highlights a landmine to avoid. Also in this episode:-The stock market posted one of its best 10-day returns – what does history say happens next?-A new study finds that heirs spend inheritances remarkably quickly. What are ways to leave an inheritance that won't be squandered?-The input costs for food companies almost doubled in March, and prices may rise even more over the next three to six months.-Happy 50th birthday to Vanguard's S&P 500 index fund, the first index fund available to individual investors. Host: Robert BrokampEngineer: Bart Shannon Disclosure: Advertisements are sponsored content and provided for informational purposes only. The Motley Fool and its affiliates (collectively, “TMF”) do not endorse, recommend, or verify the accuracy or completeness of the statements made within advertisements. TMF is not involved in the offer, sale, or solicitation of any securities advertised herein and makes no representations regarding the suitability, or risks associated with any investment opportunity presented. Investors should conduct their own due diligence and consult with legal, tax, and financial advisors before making any investment decisions. TMF assumes no responsibility for any losses or damages arising from this advertisement.We're committed to transparency: All personal opinions in advertisements from Fools are their own. The product advertised in this episode was loaned to TMF and was returned after a test period or the product advertised in this episode was purchased by TMF. Advertiser has paid for the sponsorship of this episode.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A rapid-fire Friday Q&A dives into one of retirement's biggest debates—flexible withdrawals versus the traditional 4% rule—with Don explaining why adaptability may be the key to never running out of money. The episode also tackles ETF vs. mutual fund tax efficiency at Vanguard, pushes back on “fancy” portfolio add-ons like managed futures and long-term bonds, clarifies why employer 401(k) matches are always pre-tax, and gives a pragmatic take on so-called “Trump accounts” (free money… with strings). As always, the throughline is simple: keep it low-cost, flexible, and grounded in reality—not marketing.0:05 Friday Q&A kickoff and podcast growth update1:17 5% flexible withdrawals vs. 4% + inflation debate3:33 Why flexibility reduces the risk of running out of money4:43 Real-world comparison: 2000–present withdrawal outcomes5:34 Vanguard mutual funds vs. ETFs—tax efficiency question6:16 When ETF conversion matters (and when it doesn't)7:51 Managed futures, long-term bonds, and gold in retirement portfolios9:05 Real-world performance vs. theoretical “safe withdrawal” claims10:33 Costs, complexity, and why “portfolio decoration” often fails12:12 Why employer 401(k) matches are always pre-tax13:26 “Trump accounts” (aka 530A?): free money vs. better tools16:22 Restrictions, taxation, and practical usefulness17:17 Bottom line: free money is still free money18:44 Listener suggestion on naming the accounts (530A)19:51 When to use a real advisor vs. podcast answersQuestions? Comments? Click!

Bestselling rhetorician Jay Heinrichs shows just how powerful and fun this ancient art can be.— YOU'LL LEARN — 1) How shifting tenses can ease tensions2) A huge tip from Donald Trump about speaking in 12-second periods3) The essential steps of making a persuasive argumentSubscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep69 for clickable versions of the links below. — ABOUT JAY — Jay Heinrichs is the author of the bestselling book, Thank You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion. His book, Word Hero, teaches how to craft memorable content. Combining tested tools of classical rhetoric with modern neuroscience, Jay has given presentations, workshops, and consults around the world. Jay has served clients including Southwest Airlines, NASA, the Pentagon, Walmart, Ogilvy UK, Mindshare, the National Association of Realtors, Harvard, Dartmouth, University of Virginia, Beachbody, and Kaiser Permanente.He maintains one of the leading language websites, Figarospeech.com, along with Arguelab.com. With more than 30 years in publishing as a writer, editor, and executive, Jay has written for several dozen publications, from The New York Times Magazine to Reader's Digest.• Book: Thank You for Arguing• Website: ArgueLab.com• Website: JayHeinrichs.com• Profile: Bloomberg Business— RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW — • Study: Gottman Marriage Research• Book: Moby-Dick: or, The Whale by Herman Melville— THANK YOU SPONSORS! — • Keepsake Voices. Get mom something special and save about $100 with keepsakevoices.com/pete• Narwhal. Treat your home to spotless, fresh floors with us.narwhal.com/pete.• Monarch.com. Get 50% off your first year on with the code AWESOME.• Gusto. Get three months free when you run your first payroll with gusto.com/AWESOME• Shopify. Sign up for your $1/month trial at Shopify.com/better• Vanguard. Give your clients consistent results year in and year out with vanguard.com/AUDIOSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Re-releasing a DAT listener favorite! Kiera is joined by Brad from Kleer to talk about the perks of membership plans over dental insurance, why a membership plan can create consistent revenue for your practice during uncertain times, and how to even start putting together such a plan. Kleer, by the way, helps roll out membership plans effectively and successfully to uninsured patients Kiera and Brad also touch on why patients may be hesitant to sign up for a membership plan and dental practice resistance, and how to overcome each. Episode resources: Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Schedule a Practice Assessment Leave us a review Transcript: Kiera Dent (00:00) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera. And today we are bringing you something so special. I am so excited because this is one of our most popular episodes from the archives. Whether you're hearing this for the first time or catching it again, I am so excited because it's jam packed with a ton of takeaways that you can start using right now in your practice. We have released thousands, literally thousands of episodes. And I wanted to start bringing a few of these amazing episodes back for you. So I hope you enjoy. And as always, thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time.   on the Dental A Team podcast.   speaker-0 (00:32) And you guys, I am so excited to welcome back one of my dear friends, someone that I just respect. I respect their company a ton. And right now, I think it's super relevant for everybody out there because we all know dental insurance is not the greatest. It's shifting. It's changing. It's unpredictable times. So I'm so jazzed to be bringing on Brad. He's with Kleer. Brad, how are you today? How are you, Kiera? I'm doing really well, thanks. So. ⁓   speaker-1 (00:53) Good night, how are   speaker-0 (00:57) Brad, I said real quickly, Kleer. didn't give any thing behind it. People who have listened to the podcast have definitely heard me talk before about Kleer for membership programs. So just for those who don't know, let's just have you kind of share what Kleer is, how they can connect with you. And then we're going to dive into it. always like, I hate at the end where it was like, and by the way, if you want to hang out with Brad, so I'm just going to give you guys Brad's info, what Kleer is about, and we're going to dive into how to like really make a predictable income.   in unpredictable times. get ready, but Brad, how can people connect with you? What is Kleer all about? Let's just give our listeners a little bit of background on you guys.   speaker-1 (01:33) Yeah, so Kleer got started in 2018. And so this is now our fourth year in dentistry and having our software available. And basically what we do is we work with dentists and office managers to help implement and stand up and easily manage their own membership plans, something that's scalable that ⁓ can be successful for their practices.   Like, should I go for membership plans as well? ⁓ Or do you feel like most of the airplanes kind of knows that?   speaker-0 (02:05) Like let's just at least I mean if you haven't heard of membership plans guys now is the time to get on board with membership plans because I just did a podcast the other day where we were talking about how tis the season for dropping insurance plans like it is becoming rampant people are realizing with inflation what insurance plans are reimbursing that it's really not sustainable and so a lot of people are shifting dropping insurance plans and I think membership plans are the number one way to go which is why I wanted Kleer to get on the podcast today to talk to you guys about it   as a great solution to a problem that if you're not experiencing it, you will be experiencing it. I don't think it's a matter of if, it's a matter of when your practice will experience it. So yeah, dive into membership plans just so people understand if you haven't heard of a membership plan yet.   speaker-1 (02:50) Yeah, so membership plans are basically like an alternate coverage options for your primarily uninsured patients. Because like real quick background research is a lot of our data shows us that uninsured patients, they come in less frequently, and they accept a lot less treatment compared to their insured counterparts. So what can we do to provide some type of coverage option that doesn't have the red tape and restrictions that insurance traditional insurance has?   And this is where with membership plans, these practices can create their own care plans and offer them directly to the patients at a monthly or annual subscription. So like what's included with the membership plan, we see that pricing is anywhere typically between like say $260 a year all the way up to like $380 a year. It can go higher or lower, but what the patient's paying for when they're paying for that 260 to 380,   they are getting access to their hygiene and preventative care. And in addition to that, they'll get say a 10, 20 % discount off other procedures. So like I said, the practices have full autonomy. There's no more third party that's really meddling with that relationship and dictating the fees and the treatment protocol. Practices are in full control. They offer a dressing to the patient. So it's a really good patient retention tool.   Patients appreciate the benefits that they're now receiving directly from the practice. And we actually see that the membership plan patients are more profitable than the other patients that still remain without coverage. And like over the past two years, like Carrie, you know that a lot of practices have been implementing membership plans, but the pandemic has really acted as like a catalyst during that time because   a lot of practices and practice owners who are very cognizant of their patients want some type of coverage option, some type of alternate that they can offer to their patients, whether they're going through financial hardships, they refer load, whatever it is. ⁓ But yeah, that's essentially what membership plans 101, if you will. That's what they are. We help practices automate processes with our platform.   and make sure that it's easy to manage and implement and be successful.   speaker-0 (05:14) Which I love and Brad, it's funny because for those of you who heard my and Brad's podcast, gosh, it's probably been over a year now. Um, but we talked about me as a fee for service patient and we literally did, like, I was a case study because I wasn't going to sign up for my six month cleaning. Um, because like I work with hundreds of dentists for me to get a cleaning. It's pretty simple to do. I'm on the road often. I really do. Like offices are super nice to me. I can get a cleaning at any practice I go to.   But Brad, we like it was a case study where I signed up for the membership program at my dental practice and I literally scheduled my six month cleaning because it was quote unquote free. And so I am a literally a walking in testament that membership plans do work even for somebody who's been in the dental field. And I think I'm pretty savvy when it comes to what people are doing. But just, mean, they got me and it made sense. And something I feel people don't realize is one, a lot of offices right now   I've been seeing and Brad, I'm curious from your guys's research, which is why I love Kleer. guys research things so much. So you're very data driven from the research rather than just feelings. And I've been seeing from a lot of our practices that the topics are, how can we drop insurance plans? And I'm always like, the first question I ask is, okay, perfect. Do you have a membership plan in place? Because as soon as you drop this insurance, I don't think practices realize that patient becomes a free agent. They are no longer tied to you.   They're going to go somewhere with insurance or if you can get them on a membership plan, they're no longer a free agent patient. They're now tied to you in some way. But guys, like if I'm a fee for service patient, I am literally a free agent walking around and I can go to whatever practice I want to go to. I'm going to choose an office based on location, their responsiveness to me, their cleanliness, if I like their dentist or not, how their billing is, but I'm not tied to that practice. And so without these membership plans, I think a lot of practices don't realize   that you can drop insurance plans and get patients to stay and retain and even become higher paying patients than they were before by implementing a membership plan. So that's what I've seen. I'm sure you guys have data on it. Anything that you guys have found Brad in conjunction with that or things you guys have seen on your side.   speaker-1 (07:28) Yeah, it's pretty funny. And I touched on how the pandemic has acted as this catalyst. But now the dust has kind of settled after two years. People are understanding how to adapt and how to behave when it comes to COVID-19. But what's really interesting is there's all different types of reasons why practices are implementing these membership plans. Because every practice is different and their priorities are different. So one that you mentioned that's a huge one right now is that they want   membership plans in place when they're planning on dropping one, a couple, or several PPO's because they want to leverage the membership plan as a patient retention tool. But we're seeing other reasons too. It's like, I mean, you said so yourself, you were a case study. We're seeing that more and more. Like you heard it throughout the past like six months, the great resignation. It's been, they've been talking about it since like September, October of 2021, but   We're seeing that there are more people that are starting small businesses. There are more people that are retiring from their jobs earlier than anticipated. And there's more gig economy workers out there now that we're seeing these larger tech companies like Uber, ⁓ Lyft, whatnot, all these gig economy jobs are in place. And we're slowly seeing that the amount of uninsured when it comes to dental benefits in the marketplace or in the United States.   it's growing more and more, what almost feels like day after day. ⁓ So you definitely want to make sure that like when it comes to your retirees, a lot of them have primarily had some type of dental coverage their whole lives and they'll be looking for it as soon as they retire and lose it. So you want something in place for them, for yourself, someone that's a younger business owner, perhaps a millennial, ⁓ those are the types of people that are used to monthly subscriptions.   So you want something in place for them, like who doesn't want coverage? So millennials fit the bill. And then lastly, like you said, a lot of practices are starting to really overcome that fear of dropping insurances because we know it's kind of been this necessary evil, if you will, but a lot of practices, they've wanted to do it. They've been a bit hesitant, but now you're seeing a lot of them are.   starting to do that and they're being pretty methodical with their approach. I guess long story short with dropping the PPOs, you definitely just want to make sure no matter what you're going to lose patients, but what can we do to mitigate that number? And that's where a lot of practices have them in place.   speaker-0 (10:09) Right, I think it's something that is not hard to set up. You guys make it very easy to do it. You manage it. Because I think so many practices get scared of that, like, ugh, how am going to manage this? And that's honestly why I love you guys as a company. I think you guys have amazing values. guys, I've helped with your team so they know dental. They're super innovative. You guys are very, cognitive of learning the dental lingo, understanding the ledgers and how to make it make sense and set it up in a simple, easy way.   But Brad, there's something else that membership plans are starting to get a lot of accolades for, and that is creating consistent revenue in inconsistent times, which honestly I've watched a lot of my offices, like they go up and down and they're riding these waves of, ⁓ like in January, was cancellation after cancellation after cancellation because of the Omnicron variant. I was guilty of that. got it too. Like it was just, it was crazy. so people had like,   January's it just tanked when in traditional times that wasn't the case. I know September historically is called suck timber It's not a great month. It tends to just be harder But yeah, I know membership plans are really getting like I said these accolades for creating more consistent revenue And that's something I know you guys have been working on So can you kind of touch and explain how a membership plan can create this consistent revenue? When to me I'm like Brad, it's like 200 bucks a month like not even a month like a year   How can I create some consistent revenue when I'm used to producing five, 12, $20,000 a day? How can this actually create some consistent revenue for me?   speaker-1 (11:41) Yeah, well, there's all types of businesses, whether it is health care or not, deal with ebbs and flows, or they deal with some type of seasonality. So if you just think of ourselves as consumers, I have about probably six different subscriptions, maybe more. And a lot of those business executives know exactly what they're doing. They understand that.   You know what? It's better to just have this recurring revenue, whether they're charging me month over month or year over year. They know that I am a loyal consumer to their brand and we'll just use like Netflix as an example. That's why so many different businesses, if you go out there and you're on the Internet or you're just walking from store to store as a shopper, like everywhere now is offering some type of membership loyalty program, rewards program, you name it. It's almost harder to find a business that's not doing it.   And basically like why not dentistry? And right now that's what the membership plans are doing. You're getting all of these patients to subscribe to practice where month over month, year over year, you know that you have this predictable revenue stream coming into your practices doors and into your bank account. So no matter what, like God forbid there's another ⁓ variant that shuts things down, I doubt it happens, but.   I think the real thing right now is you're starting to see, it's very topical, it's inflation. A lot of people are dealing with financial hardships. You're seeing that all these borrowing rates and interest rates are going to increase. So like, what can the practices do to offer something that seems very empathetic to your patients? You know they don't have coverage. Let's create these care plans and offer it to them. And at the same time,   If you see that some of your patients are starting to scale back or push out patient visits because they might be having a tough month financially, this is where no matter what, with having a bunch, whether it's dozens, whether it's hundreds, thousands, whatever, of patients on your membership plan is a better business model for your practice.   speaker-0 (13:52) Mm-hmm. think it's a something that I didn't realize until I created a membership if you will I used to do when we first started the consulting company. I was a one Visit and I would bill you after I traveled to your practice and I would send you to the penny the travel and I was almost going broke like complete transparency because it was such like I was always delayed on my revenue coming through and   I had a lot of smarter people than myself say, Kiera, you really should switch out to where they just pay monthly, like figure out what your costs are, have them pay monthly. It's easier for the client. They're not getting hit with these huge costs right away. And it's going to be much easier for them. And I will say as a business, it became so much easier for me, like good months, bad months, high months, low months. It's a more consistent revenue stream. And so I think for practices, I had an office and they're a really like adorable office. It's a husband and wife.   duo there, Volt Dentist, and the husband was all pro a membership fee. He was like, this is gonna be great. We're gonna be able to, it's going to be awesome for our patients. It's gonna create consistent revenue for us. And the wife was adamant. This is so much work, probably because she knew she was going to have to set it up. Husband's like, this will be great. Wife's like, I don't wanna do this. They ended up setting it up. And it was crazy because last year she told me, she's like, Kiera, it's crazy how much money is actually coming off of these membership plans month over month over month.   and we're able to have more retention of our patients. So that's ⁓ a testimonial of a practice that saw the benefits of it. A lot of practices will set these up in separate bank accounts. So it also can become, if you're not needing that cash, a lot of offices were using it to rebuild their stashes of ⁓ emergency funds and rainy day funds and practice growth funds because the membership fees were doing that. So again, I mean,   What? How much is Netflix, Brad? You've got that subscription. Do you even know how much your subscription is?   speaker-1 (15:49) I think like $12.99 or something.   speaker-0 (15:51) Right, I don't even know and that's what I think so cool is because it's 200 to 350 375 They're very low monthly fees that people forget about them It's really not that much and they're still coming to the dentist So I think that that's a very smart logical plan and truth be told like for me as a small business owner for Millennials, I know my sisters my brothers. They don't want to go spend two three hundred dollars to go to the dentist But if it was only fifteen dollars a month   they get their two quote unquote free cleanings, which are actually free on a membership plan. It's not dependent on a insurance plan. Why would they not do it? So it's really, I think, taking the, like there's no reason not to do it. It's just, it makes logical sense. And I think you guys are eliminating a lot of the objections through this that's going to retain patients coming to your practice every six months on a much more consistent basis. So I'm all for, I think offices should do it.   ⁓ But Brad, I know people are always hesitant. So what are some of the objections you guys get as to why, like, patients don't want to sign up for it or why offices might not want to implement this? Because I hear like, it's just too much work. But honestly, you guys make it very easy. So like, that's eliminated. But what are some of the objections you guys hear so we can help the listeners realize like, this is a true awesome, like, it's not a necessary evil. It's a necessary goodness.   Like there's no evil to it. feels so good. What are some of the objections you hear the concerns offices have that we can mitigate for them?   speaker-1 (17:18) really good question. on the patient, I'll answer the patient question first, just because it was the first one that you brought up. But believe it or not, the biggest pushback that we see from patients has nothing to do with like their actual experience once they sign up for the membership plan. A lot of it are patients giving the office feedback that they're looking for the catch because they think that the offer is too good to be true. So that is like always, not always.   but we hear it consistently from some of our practices. They're like, our patients see it as such a good deal that they feel like that they're gonna get the short end of the sticks somehow. But I think like everything that we're looking at in our economy, it's just like, it's all value driven and it's all consumer experience. So like best user experience possible. And if we're just like comparing a membership plan to traditional insurance or a traditional discount plan,   whatever it may be, there are restrictions, there's maximums, there's waiting periods, a lot of red tape for these patients. And that is what the membership plans are essentially removing. mean, who knows what their patients need more than the actual practitioners and the actual front office teams within these dental practices? No one. mean, they know what's best for their patients. And that's the beauty about the membership plan.   the patient, they need four crowns, whatever it may be, they can say, hey, is this possible? The doctor can say, of course, like there's no waiting periods. We can get this as soon as you are ready to get this done. So that's really where that seamless process for the patient and that better experience for the patient comes into play. And they perceive more value in your practice as well. So that is the patient question is it's too good to be true.   But we do, our success team and support team do help practices overcome that objection. But on the dentist side or on the office manager side, there's some resistance with maybe some high-end or fee-for-service practices that look at the membership plan and say, like, I don't want to cannibalize my cash-paying patients. Like, they're supposed to be paying me 100 % out of pocket. They're supposed to be my most profitable patients.   et cetera, et cetera, why would I want to give them a discount through the membership plan? And there's several reasons why. I mean, the biggest glaring ⁓ solution for that is that we see that the membership plan patients are generating twice as much revenue. So that's hygiene revenue, treatment acceptance revenue, and then overall production. They're generating twice as much, and that's extremely consistent across all of our customers. So that is first and foremost,   ⁓ Another reason why is because you definitely want to build the patient loyalty like what you mentioned earlier that you were a free agent, you definitely want to make sure that you're retaining those patients. And like if you go and check out, say like, I hate to mention names, like names here, but if you go to Delta Dental's website, and you see their homepage, they're actually proactively marketing to individuals, small business owners, retirees. So the last thing you want   are those fee for service patients to go and look for individual insurance plans where you're probably getting the worst reimbursement possible.   speaker-0 (20:49) That was a politically nice way to say that.   speaker-1 (20:56) And then the last thing is a lot of the practices, like I get it. Like you think that the members that these uninsured patients are coming in consistently, but honestly our data and what we've seen from our prospects, like it just is very consistent where the average uninsured patient really does come in once every two years and they accept 50 to 75 % less treatment than insured counterparts. And on top of that,   a lot of practices, they'll just give out like these arbitrary discounts to cash paying patients, 5%, 10%, 15%, we've seen up to 20%. So based upon the data we've been collecting, the fee that they collect ultimately from the average uninsured patient is lower than the membership plan patients. you know, I understand it seems very counterintuitive of, you know, this patient might pay me a hundred percent out of pocket.   And if I give them the membership plan, I'm giving them a 10 % discount, I'm losing that money. But you kind of just have to trust the process and a lot of the data that we've been putting out there is it's extremely consistent and it shows that you will ultimately double your revenue and your patients will have the best experience possible and see more value in your practice with the membership.   speaker-0 (22:15) Well, and I love Brad one of reasons I love our podcast is one. just like you I like your company but the second one is I feel like I really get to be a walking testimonial for membership plans like in my practice that I ran that we were doing 365 a month like it was insanity in a five-up practice Guys, I like close the bulk of my cases with membership plans because there was no waiting period There was no deductible there was there was nothing I really could just give these patients an amazing discount and like you said Brad   A lot of patients or practices are terrified to give these discounts, but myself, I'm literally a walking advertisement of what it's like to be in a practice and offer a membership plan. But then on the patient side, remember, so the practice that I was going to, I didn't love their membership model. was like, you could join like silver gold or platinum or whatever. And I thought I'm not going to have much work done. Honestly, if I need work done, I work with hundreds of dentists. Well, it turns out I had a filling chip and it was driving me nuts and it was   Just bothering me and I wasn't going on the road for a week. So I thought, well, I'll just like go to the practice. So they were upgrading me to a higher membership fee, but I literally didn't pay out of pocket for the filling. I upgraded my membership to get a discount on my treatment. like just that mindset, I'm a fee for service patient. I'm a, and again, I hope offices are really gathering fee for service. Patients are not loyal to you. Yes, they like you, but just think of them as free agents. They can go anywhere at any time.   If you are too far away or they don't like your front desk or the way it was scheduled, they didn't like there's nothing that tethers them to you at all. So with this membership plan, they're going to come in for two cleanings. So two opportunities for exams, better patient care, most likely you'll probably diagnose something on them. You give them a discount for me seeing that filling at what 350 I think was the filling. Maybe it was 500. I just was like,   shocked. been a long time since I paid for dentistry. Thank you to everyone who's given me free dentistry my whole life. Like, whoa! ⁓ But the fact that I got a 10 % discount on my filling, even though that's $35 on 350, I did the filling same day. Whereas if there's no decay, just smooth it, I don't really need this filling fixed, I could probably get by. But because I had a discount, because I had a loyalty program, if you will, I did the treatment. So   Kiera Dent, who I think is one of the strongest dental advocates out there, knows their ploy, knows what they're doing, knows the membership plans, knows all these things. I talked to Brad, I know Claire, I've worked with you guys for so long, and even myself, with that small discount, I did more treatment, I didn't go on the road, it was convenient, and I was tethered to my practice. So I really feel that offices, again, like I said earlier, this isn't an if, it's a when, and I think for us in our consulting company,   We have a checkbox of making sure our practices have membership programs in their practices. That like, I don't care if you're fee for service. I don't care if you're a DSO. I don't care if you are corporate. I don't care if you are a solo practice because membership fees, I am such a believer in them. I'm a believer that it's better for the patient. I don't believe that dental insurance serves the patient. I think it serves somebody else. Whereas membership fees, really do believe in membership plans serve the patient. There's no deductible. There's no waiting period. Like,   It's so cheap to get those fillings or those cleanings done. We had unlimited x-rays. thought that that just sounded better. And honestly, nobody ever took advantage of us. And then we did like, you could do 10 or 20 % off of treatment. So it really, to me, I like, I people to dump their insurance plans on their own, like canceling when it was open enrollment in November, because the membership plan just makes sense if you explain it to patients. So Brad, I just love that you guys do.   this. I love that Kleer is such an easy path for getting a membership plan because I think sometimes it can feel daunting of how do I do this? How do I track it? How do I make sure I'm compliant for my state? You guys also have like brochures and flyers and so much information for the patients that I feel you guys are a plug and play solution for membership plans that for practices who want to get started, which all of you like to me, if you're a Dental A Team listener, it's not an option. Like just do it. Just sign up for a membership.   Plan program. So Brad, how does it work? So let's say I'm in office, I've listened to the podcast and I've said, okay, you've convinced me, I'm gonna take my fee for service practice and I'm gonna turn it into a membership. I feel like you're stabbing me in the heart, but I don't want my patients being free agents. I heard Kiera, I'm gonna try this. How do people even start? What is the process to start a membership program?   speaker-1 (26:50) Yeah, so I mean, the first thing that they can do is they can visit our website that just Kleer it's Kleer.com ⁓ or they can shoot me an email. It's just Brad@Kleer.com And the first step is just sitting through a demo that typically takes about like 30 minutes. And that's just where someone walks you through all the intricacies of the software, our success team, all the processes that we have in place to make sure they're successful.   And then as soon as they've seen the demonstration and they want to move forward, there's really just two calls. The first is our onboarding, what we call the fee consultation. That's where we help design the plan. So we configure the plans. We set the pricing, ⁓ set the fee schedule, all that good stuff. And then the next call is really the training call. And then they're ready to launch. So it's funny. We talked to a lot of prospects and they think that it's going to be a burden.   to get this going, I mean, that's essentially why you're outsourcing it. A lot of teams, we understand they might be struggling with turnover, but at least with Kleer, this is providing some type of consistency, some type of rock, regardless of new employees or losing employees. ⁓ But as soon as they're up and running, ⁓ it's honestly just, it depends on the team's availability. ⁓ And then we can get them going, we'll launch your plans.   We have some move within a week ⁓ of after the demo. And then once they're launched, patients can sign up and they're ready to go. It's that easy.   speaker-0 (28:27) That's awesome because I will just put it out there. I was an office manager. I was a front office. I listened to a lot of content and I heard a lot of great ideas and there is a difference between like knowledge and execution and execution will trump knowledge every single day of the week. So you can sit here and hear this, but getting it executed, implemented and utilized I think is the biggest piece. So I'll just pose a question. Like we've talked about this quite a bit on the podcast and I'm going to say choose your heart.   or choose your own adventure here, but I think choose your heart is a smarter one. Is it harder for you to constantly call insurances and get an insurance breakdown? Like just tell me how much time that actually takes versus calling Kleer and having a 30 minute demo and having it signed up and getting your patients to transfer away from insurance plans. To me, like if I could give up and never have to call another insurance verification program ever again in my life, I would switch to a membership plan immediately because on membership plans,   You don't have breakdowns. You don't have to go and figure out what the insurance is estimated to pay. You don't have to fight claims. You literally sign them up. They pay you monthly or in full and you give them a discount. And it is that simple. So I would just say, I love Kleer. think you guys, there are cheaper membership programs out there. However, I think you guys have the best customer success and the best patient experience as far as the portal goes and making it easy.   that I like, yeah, you guys can go find a cheaper membership program. I'm not going to beat around the bush. I hear it from a lot of clients like, but Claire was so expensive. And I'm like, you're right. But the patient experience is top notch. And that's what your patients are going to complain about. If it's not top notch and it's not easy for them, they're going to drop the membership program because it's not easy. Like think of the apps that you just give up because they're just dumb and junky and you can't handle it. Like I'm ready to dump TD Ameritrade as my investing company. I'm so sick of their freaking app.   Like if you ask me one more time to transfer and have to give you all my information, like I'm quitting Vanguard is like leaps and bounds better. So just thinking of the two differences. So Brad, I am just grateful for you guys. And I truly am like petitioning you guys, like get your dang memberships in play. Insurance droppings happening. Inflation is going up. You've got to find a way to retain these patients. And I think membership plans are the solution plus residual income in uncertain times. So Brad, super jazz guys reach out Brad again. How do they get in touch if they want to talk to you?   speaker-1 (30:46) If they want to reach out to me, just shoot me an email. It's Brad@Kleer.com and I will get back to you ASAP.   Kiera Dent (30:55) I hope you all loved today's episode as much as I did. It is crazy to think that this many episodes have been released since we started the Dental A Team Podcast. And I started looking to say, my goodness, our listeners need to be reminded of some of the things they may have learned a year ago or two years ago or five years ago, because so many things in our practices weren't relevant back then when we heard them, but they are relevant today. And I would be doing you a huge disservice if I didn't re-release some of these episodes for you to remember, to refine.   to optimize and really truly if you ever need a topic or you're like, my gosh, I wonder if the Dental A Team has anything like this, go onto our website, TheDentalATeam.com, click on our podcast tab and you can literally search any topic. So whether it's overhead or hiring or firing or team morale or engagement or case acceptance or hygiene or associate onboarding or whatever it is, we have so many episodes for you. And so I am going to intentionally be   re-releasing some of the top best episodes for you, pulling back some of the ones that I needed to remember, some of the things that I feel for you to really, really relearn right now and to re-remember, or if it's the first time, welcome. I'm so happy you're listening to it, but I hope you truly enjoyed today's episode. I hope that you share this with somebody. I hope that you go and implement today because we only have one day. We only get today. And so making today the best that it possibly can be. If we can help you in any way, shape or form, reach out Hello@TheDentalATeam.com.   And as always, thanks for listening and we'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.

Leidy Klotz shares simple shifts for creating more spaces that improve well-being. — YOU'LL LEARN — 1) The three core needs that well-designed spaces meet 2) How to feel in control of spaces you can't control3) How to harness the “home turf” advantage anywhereSubscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep1147 for clickable versions of the links below. — ABOUT LEIDY — Leidy Klotz is a behavioral scientist and engineering professor at the University of Virginia who studies how and why humans design. He has written for the Washington Post, Fast Company, Scientific American, and Harvard Business Review; has published his work in top journals like Nature and Science; and has been interviewed on Hidden Brain, Freakonomics, Mindscape, and The Atlantic's How to Build a Happy Life. Klotz has advised clients ranging from the Departments of Energy and Homeland Security to CapitalOne and Amazon.• Book: In a Good Place: How the Spaces Where We Live, Work, and Play Can Help Us Thrive• Website: LeidyKlotz.com— RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW — • Study: “Location in negotiation: Is there a home field advantage?” by Graham Brown and Marcus Baer• Book: Shatterproof: How to Thrive in a World of Constant Chaos (And Why Resilience Alone Isn't Enough) by Tasha Eurich• Book: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo• Book: The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact by Chip Heat and Dan Heath• Past episode: 317: How to Form Habits the Smart Way with BJ Fogg, PhD• Past episode: 684: Achieving More by Tapping into the Science of Less with Leidy Klotz• Past episode: 1066: How to Thrive When Your Resilience Runs Out with Dr. Tasha Eurich— THANK YOU SPONSORS! — • Narwhal. Treat your home to spotless, fresh floors with us.narwhal.com/pete.• Monarch.com. Get 50% off your first year on with the code AWESOME.• Gusto. Get three months free when you run your first payroll with gusto.com/AWESOME• Shopify. Sign up for your $1/month trial at Shopify.com/better• Vanguard. Give your clients consistent results year in and year out with vanguard.com/AUDIOSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Rodney Comegys is the CIO of Vanguard Capital Management and its Head of Global Equity Indexing, where he oversees $8.5 trillion in index assets across domestic, international, and multi-asset strategies. Rodney joined Vanguard twenty seven years ago and has worked across operations, customer service, risk management, and investing.    Our conversation covers the philosophy and mechanics behind running one of the world's largest index fund operators. We discuss Vanguard's ownership structure, values, product selection, and mechanics of delivering an index fund. We then turn to common issues around indexing, including concentration in U.S. equities, corporate governance, private assets, and AI.  Learn more about our Strategic Investments: Thema. Learn More Follow Ted on Twitter at @tseides or LinkedIn Subscribe to the mailing list Access Transcript with Premium Membership   Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (⁠https://thepodcastconsultant.com⁠)

In this episode of the White Coat Investor Podcast we review key takeaways from a Vanguard white paper on index fund investing, focusing on what actually drives long-term results. We then cover several practical financial topics relevant to physicians and high-income professionals, including strategies for handling inheritances, considerations when inheriting a home with a mortgage, and how industrial real estate fits into an investment portfolio. We also discuss tax planning decisions such as paying taxes through withholding versus quarterly estimated payments, along with approaches to reducing capital gains taxes after a windfall. This episode provides a grounded look at how to apply evidence-based investing principles alongside real-world financial decision-making. Today's episode is brought to us by SoFi, the folks who help you get your money right. Paying off student debt quickly and getting your finances back on track isn't easy, but that's where SoFi can help — they have exclusive, low rates designed to help medical residents refinance student loans—and that could end up saving you thousands of dollars, helping you get out of student debt sooner. SoFi also offers the ability to lower your payments to just $100 a month* while you're still in residency. And if you're already out of residency, SoFi's got you covered there too. For more information, go to https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/Sofi SoFi Student Loans are originated by SoFi Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. Additional terms and conditions apply. NMLS 696891. The White Coat Investor Podcast launched in January 2017, and since then, millions have downloaded it. Join your fellow physicians and other high income professionals and subscribe today! Host, Dr. Jim Dahle, is a practicing emergency physician and founder of The White Coat Investor blog. Like the blog, The White Coat Investor Podcast is dedicated to educating medical students, residents, physicians, dentists, and similar high-income professionals about personal finance and building wealth, so they can ultimately be their own financial advisor-or at least know enough to not get ripped off by a financial advisor. We tackle the hard topics like the best ways to pay off student loans, how to create your own personal financial plan, retirement planning, how to save money, investing in real estate, side hustles, and how everyone can be a millionaire by living WCI principles. Website: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com  YouTube: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/youtube  Student Loan Advice: https://studentloanadvice.com  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewhitecoatinvestor  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewhitecoatinvestor  Twitter: https://twitter.com/WCInvestor  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewhitecoatinvestor  Subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/whitecoatinvestor  Online Courses: https://whitecoatinvestor.teachable.com  Newsletter: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/free-monthly-newsletter