This week it's "What Grinds My Gears," the monthly segment where Jim and Alayna vent their frustration on a topic of their choosing. This month, Jim wants to talk about the common assertion, "Renting is throwing your money away." With the current administration eager to prevent us from being "a nation of renters," the issue of renting is due for a conversation.

How can LOs differentiate themselves in the current market? For this month's Mortgage Industry Vibe Check, Jim and Alayna discuss how lenders can find their niche. Also, some thoughts on conference season, and how lenders and vendors can find harmony in shared goals.

We're ending January 2026 with the LodeStar update segment—except this month has something special... LodeStar is unveiling a new feature powered by AI which has already saved our clients tons of money. Listen to the episode to find out more!

This week on the Full Disclosure Podcast, it's time for "What Grinds My Gears," when Jim and Alayna vent their frustrations. Up for discussion: New Years Resolutions, why they fail, and whether snow is a good thing or a bad thing.

This week we're back to Jim's book club, our regular segment on the Full Disclosure Podcast where we get to hear what Jim is reading lately and how it's affected business at LodeStar and SettleWise.

It's officially 2026, and Jim and Alayna are kicking off a new year of the Full Disclosure podcast with a brand-new mortgage industry vibe check.

For the final Full Disclosure episode of 2025, Jim and Alayna are taking a moment to reflect on the past year and look ahead to changes in 2026.

Tired of hearing about how AI is going to change your job? We sure are... That's exactly why the way we think about AI in relation to our work needs to be reshuffled. This week, Jim is eager to share one of his latest reads, which helps us reframe how we think about AI.

Here's one last mortgage industry vibe check before the holidays. With just three and a half short weeks before break, Jim and Alayna give their take on the state of the mortgage industry.

This is a special episode of Jim's Book Club on the Full Disclosure Podcast. Lodestar's very own Alayna Gardner recently published an essay in a book, Rethink Everything You Know About Networking.