Collin Plume Show

Tesla is taking $50,000 reservations for a Roadster with no confirmed final price or delivery date…years after the car was originally expected to reach customers.

But Collin Plume argues this story is about much more than Tesla.

In this episode of The Collin Plume Show, Collin looks at what really happens when you give a company money before it delivers the product. From Tesla’s long-delayed Roadster to failed EV startups, refund policies, credit-card protections, wire transfers, and bankruptcy rules, he breaks down the financial relationship most consumers rarely think about:

• Why Tesla’s $50,000 Roadster reservation caught Collin’s attention

• What it means when a company holds your money before delivering a product

• Why a refundable deposit still creates financial risk

• The difference between paying by credit card and sending money by wire

• What consumers should know about refund and dispute protections

• What happened to customers who placed deposits with companies like Canoo and Fisker

• How bankruptcy can change where depositors stand in line to recover their money

• Why written refund terms, pricing, and delivery dates matter

• The four questions Collin believes you should ask before putting down a large deposit

  
  

Collin’s larger point applies far beyond cars.

Whether you’re putting money down on a vehicle, hiring a contractor, remodeling a kitchen, booking a major trip, or paying in advance for something that hasn’t been delivered yet, understand the terms before the money leaves your account.

Because if the product never arrives, the question becomes much simpler:

If this company disappeared tomorrow, would you be okay losing the money you gave them?

Follow The Collin Plume Show for weekly conversations examining money, business, government, and the decisions that affect everyday Americans.

Think deeply. Decide wisely. 

Check out our YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@CollinPlumeShow

Connect with Collin on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/collin-plume/

Visit https://noblegoldinvestments.com/collinplumeshow

Today on The Collin Plume Show Live, it’s all about housing. Alan Taylor, our Los Angeles realtor, is back to talk about what mortgage rates near 7.4% are doing to buyers, whether homes can ever sell below what it costs to build them, and which kinds of LA homes look the most overpriced.

First, a quick catch-up. Oil is back above $106 a barrel as of Monday. Stocks had a strong week, with the S&P 500 up about 1.2% to a record. And the bond market is closed today for Columbus Day, so there are no Treasury moves.

Then Alan and I get into the housing market:

• Interest rates: the 30-year average hit 7.40% on October 8, according to Freddie Mac, the highest since November 2023. What’s changed at Alan’s desk since he was last on the show in September, who’s still buying at these rates, and what he’s telling clients to watch.

• Replacement cost: what it means when a home sells for less than it would cost to rebuild, why Los Angeles land makes that question different here, and whether any LA homes are close to that line.

• Overpriced homes: the tells that a listing is priced above what comparable homes are actually selling for, like days on market, repeated price cuts, and sales well under asking. We keep this about types of homes and areas, not individual listings.

Also on the week ahead: big bank earnings Tuesday, September inflation numbers Wednesday, and retail sales Thursday, ahead of the Fed meeting on October 27 and 28.

Alan is a working realtor, so he has a stake in this market.

Nothing in this show is advice to buy, sell, or wait. It’s a conversation about what he’s seeing.

New Live episodes every Monday. Catch Rally on Tuesdays and the Main Show on Thursdays, and subscribe so you don’t miss one.

#TheCollinPlumeShow #MortgageRates #HousingMarket #LosAngeles

#RealEstate

Weak jobs report, a record-high Nasdaq, and bond yields that still won't quit.

But the biggest money story today might be sitting in a shoebox in your closet: the trading card market.

On today's Live, I'm joined by David Meredith, who buys and sells Pokémon and sports cards for a living, to talk about what he's actually seeing at the counter.

Which cards are hot and which are cooling, how Pokémon has overtaken sports in the grading business, why PSA's grading backlog means it can take months to get a card graded, what

first-time buyers should watch out for (fakes, altered cards, mystery boxes), and whether this is a hobby or an investment.

Then the bond market. The Fed may be done hiking, but long-term rates haven't gotten the message.

The 10-year Treasury yield is above 5%, and the average 30-year mortgage rate just hit its highest level since November 2023.

I break down why a Fed pause isn't the same as a rate

cut, and what to watch this week: Wednesday's 10-year Treasury auction and the Fed minutes.

Also in today's show: a recap of Friday's jobs report and the week ahead.

David buys and sells cards, so he has a business interest in this market.

Nothing in this show is investment advice.

It's a conversation about a hobby that has turned into a big business, plus a market briefing.

New Live episodes every Monday. Subscribe so you don't miss one, and catch Rally on Tuesdays and the Main Show on Thursdays.

#TheCollinPlumeShow #PokemonCards #SportsCards #BondMarket

#MortgageRates #pokemon

Raising kids in America has gotten dramatically more expensive, but what’s actually driving the increase?

In the premiere episode of The Collin Plume Show, Collin examines the rapidly growing cost of youth sports and the pressure families feel to spend thousands of dollars to keep their kids from “falling behind.” From travel teams and early specialization to private equity entering the youth sports industry, Collin explores how fear has become part of the business model surrounding childhood.

But youth sports are only part of the story.

Collin follows the same thread into childcare, where American families are facing rising costs, limited availability, industry consolidation, and difficult financial decisions just to make everyday family life work.

Rather than looking for one easy villain, Collin asks a bigger question: What happens when industries discover that parents will pay almost anything when they believe their child's future is at stake?

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why youth sports have become significantly more expensive

• How the pursuit of scholarships helped fuel the travel sports economy

• Why early sports specialization may not provide the advantage parents think it does

• How private equity and consolidation are influencing youth sports and childcare

• What rising childcare costs mean for working American families

• Why parents should understand the actual math before accepting the “everyone does it” price tag

• How fear can influence some of the biggest financial decisions families make

Whether you're spending your weekends driving between tournaments, paying for childcare, or simply wondering why raising a family feels more expensive than it used to, this conversation will hit close to home.

Follow The Collin Plume Show for weekly conversations examining the stories, trends, and decisions affecting American families, businesses, and everyday life.

Until next time: Think deeply. Decide wisely.

Youth sports and childcare may seem like completely different industries, but Collin Plume argues they're exposing the same pressure facing American families: rising costs, limited choices, and the fear of falling behind.

In the premiere episode of The Collin Plume Show, Collin follows the money to understand why raising kids has become so expensive—and what parents should consider before simply accepting the price.

• Youth sports have transformed from recreation into a major family expense. Collin uses his own experience as a father to illustrate how travel sports can now resemble another monthly household payment.

• Fear of falling behind is driving spending. Parents are often sold the idea that children must specialize and compete earlier to preserve future opportunities.

• More spending doesn't necessarily mean better outcomes. Collin argues that fun, multi-sport participation, and avoiding premature specialization deserve more attention.

• Childcare exposes a similar financial pressure. Families face rising costs while many have little practical choice but to pay for care.

• The private-equity story is more complicated than it first appears. Collin deliberately discusses research that challenges a simple “private equity caused everything” narrative.

• Parents should know the actual math. His larger message is to question the assumptions—and fear—behind major recurring family expenses.

  
  

  Learn more about Collin and Noble Gold Investments at

  noblegoldinvestments.com/collinplumeshow and our YouTube Page at

  https://www.youtube.com/@CollinPlumeShow