All About Your Benjamins

In this special episode, I get to help a friend launch his new Registered Investment Adviser (RIA), which is a huge honor. Allow me to introduce you to Matt Fizell, founder of Harmony Wealth. Matt is a great friend of mine, a fellow member of The AGC™, a top-notch financial advisor, and an overall great human being. I asked him to join me for a special episode of The Pursuit to discuss how starting his own company aligned with his vision and allowed him to continue down the path of his own Pursuit. We may be talking about launching a financial planning firm but Matt's experience translates to all entrepreneurs and dreamers. As of today, July 2nd, the audio version of the podcast is not ready--full disclosure I haven't had the chance to record my introductory segment but I will this weekend. So, be sure to check back next Tuesday for the audio version of this episode. For now, check out the video--you're only missing my ramblings, so you'll probably be just fine. https://youtu.be/gO6K7_i9NcQ Google Podca

In a recent call with Khe Hy, he challenged me to consider planting a single seed--shaking out everything else I work on to go all-in on one thing. This episode of All About Your Benjamins is an extension of that call. This was a fun conversation and a little personal as we each shared insight into decisions we make and why we've planted so many seeds in the past. This will also be the last episode before taking a short break from the podcast to focus more energy on nurturing the existing trees I've grown and focusing more attention on a single seed. I'll be back and I have no doubt the podcast will be better than ever because I'll have more time and energy for it--it will be one of the couple seeds I'll be focusing on at that time

As you go along your Pursuit you will most likely need a little help from loved ones, friends, and even strangers. You will not be able to open every door needed to reach your goals but others will--that door being opened could be an introduction to someone, could be an offer of employment, or it could just be a little emotional support to pick you up and keep you on your journey. Others cannot help you---they cannot open those doors--if they do not know where you are going. Talking about your goals and aspirations is good because it has a similar effect as writing down your goals, which we've discussed in the past. But speaking about your aspirations is the only way other people will know when and if they can help you. So, without being selfish and making conversations solely about yourself, share where you would like to be going or what you would like to be doing with others. You never know who might be able to help you get to the next stop on your Pursuit. And don't forget to open doors for others whene

This week's episode was inspired by my friend Derick Grant's visit to The AGC™. Derick's talk was centered around mindset but he spent a little bit of time discussing "fear" and he lead off with "Fear is not real. It's the feeling of fear that is real." Insert head exploding emoji here. Tune in to hear more about Derick's visit, how the feeling of fear, not fear itself, is slowing your Pursuit, and a few examples of how to handle your fear. Also be sure to check back on the blog Monday for a blog post that will have some exercises to help identify and overcome your feelings of fear. "Fear, fear’s a powerful thing. I mean it’s got a lot of firepower. If you can figure out a way to wrestle that fear to push from behind rather than to stand in front of you, that’s very powerful." -Jimmy Iovine Google Podcasts Apple Podcast Spotify Derick Grant's Website Derick Grant's Twitter   Disclaimer: Nothing on this blog should be considered advice, or recommendations. If you have questions pertaining to your i

In this week's episode, we'll take a look at how the last few years have led me to taking the position of VP of Marketing and Brand at Onramp Invest--in hindsight it's so obvious why I was doing the things I was. We'll also talk about how when you're living on purpose the ability to manage multiple ventures and accomplish more becomes easier. Read more about this week's announcement here. Google Podcasts Apple Podcasts Spotify Disclaimer: Nothing on this blog should be considered advice, or recommendations. If you have questions pertaining to your individual situation you should consult your financial advisor. For all of the disclaimers, please see my disclaimers page.

In this week's episode of The Pursuit I briefly put my financial advisor hat on to discuss the importance of financial planning for your pursuit and share how a financial advisor, who understands you have bigger aspirations that retirement and college planning, can help not only identify what you value the most, but help you align your finances with your pursuit. It's a little self-serving as this is the type of planning we do at RLS Wealth but I share this because it is important for your personal pursuit and to let you know there are more financial advisors taking this approach to planning--help is out there, you just need to know where to look. If you need help finding the "right" advisor to help you with your pursuit, let me know--I know plenty and would happily connect you with the advisor I think would be best to assist you. Before we get to the importance of planning, I share some thoughts about how along your pursuit opportunities, conversations, and even chapters of a book present themselves at the

What if I told you by putting your pursuit out in the Universe you are more likely to reach your destination or goals than if you kept it to yourself? Now, I don't have any scientific data to back this up, but I have numerous real life experiences, both personally and through others, to convince me that I am more likely to reach my goals by sharing them with others--I rarely keep a goal or important aspiration to myself. I need it out in the universe so it can manifest itself. Let's talk a little more about this... Google Podcast Apple Podcast Spotify My Notes For The Episode I don't usually "script" as much as I did for this episode, but as I began to write out my thoughts I couldn't stop writing. I ultimately decided it could have been a blog post and maybe someone would rather read it. So, don't get use to having a written version of every episode

Chef Lauren Owens, the official chef of FinTwit, joins me for a real life look at leaving a "safe" situation for one that brings more fulfillment, purpose, and happiness. In this episode, Lauren shares her journey to becoming a chef, then to branching out to become her own boss, to becoming the finance community's favorite chef, and her pursuit to opening The Tiny Onion. Following your passions and aligning your career and life with those passions is not always possible and it certainly is not easy. But, hearing from those who have successfully navigated those waters and are on their way to bigger and better can be inspiring, informative, and even entertaining. I will bring more guests on to share their journey, but today, let's hear from Chef Lauren Owens... Video Coming Early Next Week Listen On: Google Podcasts Apple Podcasts Spotify Lauren's Twitter Lauren's Instagram While Lauren promotes eating your veggies, and not so much ice cream, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to sneak in a video f

Amanda Goetz took the lessons she learned with her first startup to help her launch her latest venture, House Of Wise. There's one major difference between the two businesses, House Of Wise is being built on a mission fueled by passion. In this episode, Amanda shares how she came to discover cannabis and how that led to the launch of House Of Wise. She shares how she was able to take a non-traditional approach to her startup, how it fuels her desire to help and empower women, why it is important for her to have purpose in her work, and how she balances it all while being a mom. There's a lot jam-packed into this episode. https://youtu.be/RTcO8WnAoYk Listen On: Google Podcasts Apple Podcasts Spotify House Of Wise Amanda's Twitter Amanda's Instagram Disclaimer: Nothing on this blog should be considered advice, or recommendations. If you have questions pertaining to your individual situation you should consult your financial advisor. For all of the disclaimers, please see my disclaimers page.

The description of feeling like a "cog in the wheel" came up in two conversations this week and I really felt the pain these individuals felt when they were in scenarios where they felt underappreciated or lacked the ability to make the impact they desired. Not everyone finds themselves feeling like a cog, but for those who do it is a feeling that has to be addressed and addressed quickly. As we talked about last week, life is too short to not feel fulfilled and as if you can't reach your full potential. This week on The Pursuit, I talk about my experience as a number within a large organization and why it's important for those feeling stuck to find their next stop--I also talk about how it is 100% ok to never feel like a cog in a wheel because it's not something everyone will experience. Google Podcasts Apple Podcasts (Coming Soon) Spotify Disclaimer: Nothing on this blog should be considered advice, or recommendations. If you have questions pertaining to your individual situation you should consult you

Your pursuit does not always have to be career-oriented. As the great Stoic Seneca, reminds us life is short and it is important to live today. In this episode, I share some thoughts on pursuing happiness and fulfillment today, while still being responsible for your long-term goals. Google Podcasts Apple Podcasts Spotify (Coming soon) https://youtu.be/koVHN6eO4Xg Disclaimer: Nothing on this blog should be considered advice, or recommendations. If you have questions pertaining to your individual situation you should consult your financial advisor. For all of the disclaimers, please see my disclaimers page.

  https://youtu.be/cVBpjBYGuBM Erin Angerer and Nate Wyne left comfortable jobs with a bank to build a company that will help reinvent the financial system. Floodlight was born to help investors and financial professionals make values-aligned investing decisions and this is their story of how and why they made values-aligned decisions for their careers. Listen On: Google Podcasts Apple Podcasts (Coming soon) Spotify (Coming soon) Floodlight Erin's Twitter Nate's Twitter Disclaimer: Nothing on this blog should be considered advice, or recommendations. If you have questions pertaining to your individual situation you should consult your financial advisor. For all of the disclaimers, please see my disclaimers page.

Pursuing your passion may not be right for you. But, if it is you'll want to shorten the leap of faith you'll be taking to increase your chances of success. I discuss this and more on this week's episode of The Pursuit. Listen on your favorite podcast player: Google Podcasts Apple Podcasts Spotify Disclaimer: Nothing on this blog should be considered advice, or recommendations. If you have questions pertaining to your individual situation you should consult your financial advisor. For all of the disclaimers, please see my disclaimers page.

In the last episode, we discussed the importance of saying "no" to be able to say "yes" to the people and activities that mean the most to you. Before you can find your way to knowing what you should say "no" to you need to say "yes" to a lot. Confusing...right? Let me explain why you have to say yes to be able to say no to be able to say yes

https://youtu.be/UoETjcOCUU8 Do you know what is enough for you? Enough money? Enough time? Enough prestige? Enough stuff? This episode of The Pursuit begins to explore how starting with your "why" can help you determine your "enough". I was inspired by the blog posts Enough and Why Do We [Truly] Do What We Do? by Jeremy Walter. So, I decided to talk about it a bit and then bring Jeremy on to talk about the post, his definition of "enough", how one conversation gave him a new perspective, and why it is such an important concept to understand. Listen on Google Listen on Apple (coming soon) Calibrating Capital: Enough Calibrating Capital: Why Do We [Truly] Do What We Do? Calibrating Capital: Enough Part 2--A Framework Jeremy's Twitter Disclaimer: Nothing on this blog should be considered advice, or recommendations. If you have questions pertaining to your individual situation you should consult your financial advisor. For all of the disclaimers, please see my disclaimers page.

  The WSJ: Keith Gill Drove the GameStop Reddit Mania. He Talked to the Journal. The WSJ: U.S. Economy Shrank in 2020 Despite Fourth-Quarter Growth The WSJ: Janet Yellen Confirmed by Senate to Serve as First Female Treasury Secretary The WSJ: GM to Phase Out Gas- and Diesel-Powered Vehicles by 2035 People who focus on money and not wealth don't realize they're playing the wrong game until it's too late. While money can be measured, wealth matters more. — Shane Parrish (@ShaneAParrish) January 26, 2021 Morgan Housel: Why It’s Usually Crazier Than You Expect "Find a feedback loop and you will find people who underestimate how crazy prices can get, how famous a person can become, how hard it can be to change people’s minds, how irreparable a reputation can be, and how tiny events can compound into something huge. They take small trends and turn them into big trends with unforeseen momentum. And they happen in every field." Michael Baker: Muscle Memory--Train Yourself To Endure "I shouldn’t have to tell

"Here's my point: The solution to an overbusy life is not more time. It's to slow down and simplify our lives around what really matters."  -The Ruthless Elimination Of Hurry by John Mark Comer   The Ruthless Elimination Of Hurry   Disclaimer: Nothing on this blog should be considered advice, or recommendations. If you have questions pertaining to your individual situation you should consult your financial advisor. For all of the disclaimers, please see my disclaimers page.

  https://youtu.be/hIXyJ_BAD9I Most Americans are behind on their savings for retirement and many are left to tackle their saving, planning, and investing for retirement on their own. While there are plenty of blog posts, podcasts, and articles to give people fractions of the information they need to have a chance to navigate the retirement savings waters, there are few books written in a way that actually help readers put it all together. That was until Ben Carlson dropped Everything You Need To Know About Saving For Retirement earlier this year. Ben is the author of the blog A Wealth Of Common Sense, the Director of Institutional Asset Management at Ritholtz Wealth Management, co-host of the podcast Animal Spirits, and one of my favorite bloggers. I was lucky to snag a little bit of his time to record this bonus episode of AAYB too discuss some of my favorite sections of his book. If you plan on retiring one day or know someone who would, then I highly recommend you grab a copy of the book--link down be

https://youtu.be/rCMtPu8y5l4 The WSJ: Joe Biden Calls on Nation to ‘Start Afresh’ at Inauguration as 46th President The WSJ: Trump Impeachment Trial to Start Week of Feb. 8 The WSJ: U.S. Business Activity Gains at Start of Year The WSJ: U.S. Existing-Home Sales Reach Highest Level in 14 Years You attract what you are ready for and are given exactly what you can handle. That means that GOOD DAYS and BAD DAYS are one and the same: they are both opportunities for celebration, acceptance, and growth. — Brittney Castro,CFP® (@Brittneycastro) January 19, 2021 Morgan Housel: Personal Finance Philosophies "There are few universally right answers. Just lots of shades of gray that work for people’s unique personalities and situations. A lot of finance arguments happen when people get upset after realizing that not everyone has, or wants, the same life as you."  Kyle Moore: When The Future Never Comes "Financial planning is a never-ending balance between living for today vs. planning for tomorrow. We don’t know

https://youtu.be/K-MaolSI814 I've been fortunate to get to know Josh Brown on a personal level and I can assure you he is an even better person than you think he is. I'm happy to share the story of how I weaseled my way into calling him a mentor in person with you whenever conferences start back up--it all started with an email late one Friday night and now I take him out for dinner every fall when I visit NYC. JB and I in the basement of Bobby Van's in front of JP Morgan's old vault. Given my respect and admiration for JB, it was a huge honor to have him join me as my first guest on The Pursuit. I'm not going to spoil any of the conversation--just hit play, sit back, and enjoy! The Reformed Broker The Compound YouTube Disclaimer: Nothing on this blog should be considered advice, or recommendations. If you have questions pertaining to your individual situation you should consult your financial advisor. For all of the disclaimers, please see my disclaimers page.