Independence by Design™

#466: Lawrence Lepard | The Fiat Game Is Rigged: Fix the Money Fix the World


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Most business owners I know can feel it... the harder you work, the less it seems to matter. You’re producing real value, taking real risk, and yet the system keeps changing the rules.The system isn’t broken… It’s working exactly as designed. But it’s designed to steal your time. 
 
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In this episode, I sit down with Lawrence Lepard, author of The Big Print and sound money advocate, to unpack the truth about how fiat currency erodes value, distorts incentives, and traps business owners inside a system they were never meant to win. We break down how inflation isn’t just an economic concept — it’s a moral failure. The rules of the game have been rewritten to reward those who can borrow and print, while punishing those who produce and save. But there’s a way out. We talk about sound money — and why Bitcoin represents more than a new asset class. It’s the modern evolution of fairness, freedom, and real capitalism. This conversation connects history, economics, and ownership into one simple idea: if you understand how money works, you can finally design a life and business that align with reality, not illusion. 

What We Covered 

  • Why inflation is a mechanism of theft, and who it really serves 
    • How fiat money distorts incentives and disconnects value from effort 
      • The historical cycle of empires, debasement, and decline 
        • Why sound money (and Bitcoin) rebalances fairness and accountability 
          • The link between ownership, time, and personal sovereignty 
            • What it means to “opt out” as a business owner, without checking out of society 
              • How this transition might reshape capital markets, valuations, and freedom itself 
              • Who This Is For 
                For any business owner who feels like the game keeps changing, this episode will help you understand why. If you’ve ever wondered why your hard work isn’t compounding the way it should, or what Bitcoin actually means beyond speculation, this conversation connects the dots between money, time, and ownership. 

                Lawrence Lepard is a professional investment manager who has been a long time advocate for a return to sound money. He manages funds which focus on companies involved with gold and silver mining and Bitcoin. He is an active contributor to the "sound money" discussion on X, using the handle: @LawrenceLepard, and he recently published his first book: THE BIG PRINT: What Happened to America and How Sound Money Will Fix It. 

                 

                 

                 

                The book is a discussion of how America's monetary system has gone astray and caused enormous pain for millions through inflation. The history of this process is laid out in the first part of the book: The Problem. The second half of the book is titled The Solution and explains what we must do to restore the American Dream. It offers investment insights that are relevant to all individuals and families and shows people how to protect themselves from inflation. The book is timely because as Mr. Lepard shows the problem is getting worse and is likely to result in a crisis very soon. 

                Chapters:  

                • (0:00) Why The Big Print was written for the average person 
                  • (2:58) The fair game of capitalism that no longer exists in America 
                    • (4:35) How inflation functions as theft and steals your time 
                      • (7:41) Cost of capital inequality between insiders and average workers 
                        • (9:13) COVID example reveals universal basic income and financial corruption 
                          • (16:48) Business owners as capital allocators navigating rigged system 
                            • (35:42) Bitcoin as sound money and the solution to fiat currency 
                              • (58:23) Valuation impacts and investment strategy in transition to sound money 
                                • (1:27:18) Finding peace and sovereignty through understanding Bitcoin 
                                  • Rate, comment, and share with the owner/operators you know! 
                                  • Resources: 
                                    Lawrence Lepard Twitter/X: @LawrenceLepard 
                                    Ryan Tansom Website https://ryantansom.com/

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                                    Independence by Design™By Ryan Tansom

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