Welcome back to Beachwalk and Beyond — local stories and events from the 210 corridor in St. Johns, Florida.
Host Fred Amato (owner of Stroll Beachwalk) sits down with Joseph Tolbert Jr. — Navy veteran, author, and CEO of Corner Stone Group Financial, a private equity company with businesses across Northeast Florida. From the oldest of ten kids in Detroit to quitting the Chrysler assembly line on the spot, Joseph’s story is about discipline, mentorship, and faith — and about teaching people to stop letting money talk to them and start telling their money what to do.
In this episode we cover:
• From Detroit — the oldest of ten kids — to the U.S. Navy, and a promise to build a financial legacy
• The day he quit the assembly line: “Do we have a plant in Jacksonville, Florida? No? I quit.”
• Two garbage bags, a 27-inch TV, and a Ford Probe — and getting fired from his first Florida job
• What Corner Stone Group Financial does: private equity, real estate, semi trucks, and lending
• The portfolio: an esports facility, a salon, a software platform that teaches futures trading, and a comedy club deal downtown
• The trading rule he taught his son: don’t lose what you made yesterday
• Win 30 days in a row — no home runs, all base hits
• Trading in the Zone, mindset over mechanics, and why he says 90% of retail traders fail
• Fred’s own trading story: the mentor’s challenge and nine months without a red day
• Find the thing you can do every day — discipline in health, marriage, and business
• The Anti Mediocre Podcast and refusing to accept average
• 550 men at 6 a.m. — faith, the 1122 men’s group, and “trust and obey”
• Why he says most retirees end up back at work — and how to tell your money what to do
Reach Joseph:
• Corner Stone Group Financial: thecornerstonecontract.com
• Email: [email protected] · Phone: (904) 762-6057
• Joseph’s book, A Quick Guide to Discovering the Best You, is available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/0aOYOalh
Beachwalk and Beyond is brought to you by Stroll Beachwalk and LBW Productions.
Have a story, a business, or an event to share with the 210 corridor? Email Fred at [email protected] — we’d love to have you on the show.
Subscribe so you never miss an episode — new episodes every Tuesday.
00:00 Welcome to Beachwalk and Beyond
00:13 Meet Joseph Tolbert Jr. — how he and Fred met
00:30 Detroit, the oldest of ten kids, and the Navy
01:02 “I didn’t want to be average” — a mentor and a legacy
01:32 A $5,000 start — and a calling to include everybody
01:54 What Corner Stone Group Financial does
02:27 Out of the Navy, back to the Chrysler plant
02:52 “Do we have a plant in Jacksonville? I quit.”
03:16 A Ford Probe, two garbage bags, and a trailer
03:47 Fired from his first Florida job
04:00 Esports, a salon, semi trucks, and a comedy club
04:45 Fred the equities trader; a son who trades futures
05:16 Teaching futures trading — two classes a week
05:38 “An extra $2,000 a month from your laptop”
06:20 How Fred trades now: core positions and swings
07:26 Trading in the Zone — mindset over mechanics
07:48 Checkers with dad: trying not to lose
08:14 The rule: don’t lose what you made yesterday
08:53 Win 30 days in a row — all base hits
09:26 “Only $50?” — 15 minutes on a laptop
09:43 Fred’s story: starting at the top of the 1999 market
10:28 The mentor’s challenge: green every day for a month
12:12 Nine months without a red day
13:01 The Heat rule: be able to walk away from anything
13:48 Discipline at 58 — health, food, and showing up
14:31 Find the thing you can do every day
15:41 Books and the Anti Mediocre Podcast
16:07 “What are you top notch at?”
18:38 His book: A Quick Guide to Discovering the Best You
19:07 Fred’s morning: the Bible and prayer
19:26 550 men at 6 a.m. — the 1122 men’s group
20:43 Faith as the foundation for hard times
21:31 Fred’s baptism — November 8, 2020
22:14 “Trust and obey — there’s no other way”
23:29 Knocking on a stranger’s door at 10 p.m.
24:22 Why most retirees end up back at work
24:51 The one constant: the need to earn money
25:20 Money talks to you — or you tell it what to do
26:36 How to reach Joseph
26:56 Wrap-up — share your 210 corridor story
