Invest Like a Boss

Sam Marks and Johnny FD are self-made entrepreneurs who invest their own money and use modern technology to invest like a boss. During this episode, Sam and Johnny FD provide their perspectives on managing investments at different wealth levels as the COVID-19 pandemic progresses. They’ll share an update on how their portfolios have been performing over the last quarter.

Where we are:

• Johnny FD – Sri Lanka / IG @johnnyfdk
• Sam Marks – North Carolina / IG @imsammarks

Sponsor:

• Support the Show: Join our Patreon
• Sponsor: Boardwalk Wealth

Discussed:

• Book: Unshakeable Book
• Book: Simple Path to Wealth
• Interactive Brokers
• Johnny's Investing 101 Blog Post
• ILAB 125: Vetting Real Estate Deals Terms, with Omar Khan
• ILAB 112: FIRE – Financial Independence, Retire Early

Like these investments? Try them with these special ILAB links:

• ArtofFX – Start with just a $10,000 account (reduced from $25,000)
• Fundrise – Start with only $1,000 into their REIT funds (non-accredited investors OK)
• Betterment – Get up to 1 year managed free
• Wealthfront – Get your first $15,000 managed free
• PeerStreet – Get a 1% yield bump on your first loan

*Johnny and Sam use all of the above services personally.

Time Stamps:

• 05:37 - Investing in individual stocks vs investing in index funds
• 10:15 - "You are not investing in stocks to make 10x, you are investing in stocks to make 8% over the next 20-30 years."  - Sam Marks
• 10:23 - Understanding investment fees
• 15:05 - Creating an emergency saving fund before investing
• 21:45 - Books to read before investing
• 25:00 - How much money should you invest
• 27:00 - "If you put the money all at once and the market is going down, you are losing in total value, but if you are putting money each month, you are actually buying when it's going down and it's gonna benefit you in the long-run." - Sam Marks
• 30:22 - Index funds to choose for first-time investing
• 35:00 - Advice for investors outside of the USA
• 40:00 - Situation with stocks right now
• 43:43 - "And the reason why we know the economy is going to recover, it's because it always has." - Johnny FD
• 47:58 - Stocks vs bonds
• 50:00 - Taxable and Non-Taxable accounts in the USA
• 55:46 - Websites where you can invest

If you enjoyed this episode, do us a favor and share it! Also if you haven't already, please take a minute to leave us a 5-star review on iTunes and claim your bonus here! 

Copyright 2020. All rights reserved. Read our disclaimer here.

Joe Magnotti is the CEO of Empire Flippers, an Inc. 5000 company and the #1 curated marketplace for buying and selling established, profitable online businesses. Joe has a background in engineering and spent the 90’s at a startup in San Francisco before moving onto the mortgage business. Now Joe spends the majority of his time in Manila, Philippines. 

In this episode, we will discuss the 2020 trends for buying and selling online businesses. Expect to hear predictions of where this industry is headed including ways to navigate businesses during the COVID-19 crises. Whether you are buying a business and want to grow it, or you want to sell your business for maximum value, you’ll discover insight to help achieve that goal.

Where we are:

• Johnny FD – Sri Lanka / IG @johnnyfdk
• Sam Marks – North Carolina / IG @imsammarks
• Joe Magnotti – Manila, Philippines

Sponsor:

• Support Invest Like a Boss: Join our Patreon
• Sponsor: Automation Finance

Discussed:

• Empire Flippers State of Industry -  Trends Report
• ILAB 10 – Empire Flipper’s CEO: Investing in profitable, cash flow websites

Recommended:

• ArtofFX – Start with just a $10,000 account (reduced from $25,000)
• Fundrise – Start with only $1,000 into their REIT funds (non-accredited investors OK)
• Betterment – Get up to 1 year managed free
• Wealthfront – Get your first $15,000 managed free
• PeerStreet – Get a 1% yield bump on your first loan

*Johnny FD and Sam use all of the above services personally.

Time Stamps:

• 02:09 - Discussing business and personal goals during the quarantine
• 10:23 - The silver lining to the COVID-19 pandemic
• 18:46 - The upside to a remote office structured company
• 21:38 - “For me, I love it, I’d never want to go back to an office if I can avoid it” - Joe Magnotti
• 25:44 - Economy insight & current digital trend in the Philippines
• 28:51 - What is an Inc 5000 company?
• 29:58 - What is Empire Flippers and how does it work?
• 37:19 - 2019-2020 Trends for buying and selling online businesses
• 40:46 - Amazon FBA business tools and techniques
• 42:21 - “If you have a physical product business and you’re not on Amazon, you’re doing yourself a disservice” - Joe Magnotti
• 44:43 - Selling distressed assets along the economic COVID-19 cycle
• 55:02 - How the international supply chain is affecting businesses
• 58:17 - The easiest online business to buy and manage
• 1:06:05 - Should you buy an Amazon-based business?
• 1:10:13 - Analyzing 2019 trends for buying & selling online businesses
• 1:17:46 - Appreciating our podcast listeners!

If you enjoyed this episode, do us a favor and share it! Also if you haven't already, please take a minute to leave us a 5-star review on iTunes and claim your bonus here! 

Copyright 2020. All rights reserved. Read our disclaimer here.

John McAfee is a US computer programmer, businessman and fugitive millionaire, who is well known for his antivirus software company McAfee. John McAfee is wanted in the US for various crimes and he is in hiding.

In this episode, Sam and Johnny FD, talk with John McAfee about his life in hiding, his view on coronavirus pandemic and his predictions about cryptocurrency future. Hear John McAfee tells stories from the early days of McAfee antivirus company and how he escaped jail in Guatemala. Listen to the episode till the end to learn what Sam & Johnny FD predict about the future of the economy after the coronavirus outbreak is over.

Where we are:

• Johnny FD - Sri Lanka
• Sam Marks - Charlotte
  
• John McAfee - Undisclosed Location

Discussed:

• Automation Finance
• Patreon
• Unshakeable Book
• Simple Path to Wealth
• Interactive Brokers

Recommended:

• ArtofFX – Start with just a $10,000 account (reduced from $25,000)
• Fundrise – Start with only $1,000 into their REIT funds (non-accredited investors OK)
• Betterment – Get up to 1 year managed free
• PeerStreet – Get a 1% yield bump on your first loan
• Wealthfront – get your first $15,000 managed free

Time Stamps:

• 00:30 - INTRO: Quarantine update from Sri Lanka and North Carolina
• 13:45 - Conversation with John McAfee
• 17:30 - What is a success: a point of view from John McAfee
• 24:33 - Stories from McAfee company's early days
• 31:30 - The most exciting chapter of John McAfee's life
• 34:00 - John McAfee's opinion on coronavirus
• 36:00 - John McAfee's predictions on cryptocurrency
• 37:20 - OUTRO: Discussing John McAfee's interview, world economy future after COVID-19 and cryptocurrency potential

If you enjoyed this episode, do us a favor and share it! Also if you haven't already, please take a minute to leave us a 5-star review on iTunes and claim your bonus here! 

Copyright 2020. All rights reserved. Read our disclaimer here.

People across the world are shaken by the rapid spread of the coronavirus. Stocks are plunging and the economy crash feels inevitable. And as bad as news seems to every person this situation might have some new opportunities for everyone to finally start investing.

In this episode, Sam and Johnny, who are long term investors, discuss the current situation with the market. They explain why this might be the best time to look into investing. They explain the basics of investing for beginners, give advice on what stocks to look into, how to avoid typical mistakes and what books to read about the topic. Learn why investing in index funds the safest way and how to balance your stock portfolio.

Where we are:

• Johnny FD - Sri Lanka
• Sam Marks - North Carolina
  

Discussed:

• Patreon
• Automation Finance
• Unshakeable Book
• Simple Path to Wealth
• Interactive Brokers

Recommended:

• ArtofFX – Start with just a $10,000 account (reduced from $25,000)
• Fundrise – Start with only $1,000 into their REIT funds (non-accredited investors OK)
• Betterment – Get up to 1 year managed free
• PeerStreet – Get a 1% yield bump on your first loan
• Wealthfront – get your first $15,000 managed free
• Vanguard - Open an Online Account

Time Stamps:

• 05:37 - Investing in individual stocks vs investing in index funds
• 10:15 - "You are not investing in stocks to make 10x, you are investing in stocks to make 8% over the next 20-30 years."  - Sam Marks
• 10:23 - Understanding investment fees
• 15:05 - Creating an emergency saving fund before investing
• 21:45 - Books to read before investing
• 25:00 - How much money should you invest
• 27:00 - "If you put the money all at once and the market is going down, you are losing in total value, but if you are putting money each month, you are actually buying when it's going down and it's gonna benefit you in the long-run." - Sam Marks
• 30:22 - Index funds to choose for first-time investing
• 35:00 - Advice for investors outside of the USA
• 40:00 - Situation with stocks right now
• 43:43 - "And the reason why we know the economy is going to recover, it's because it always has." - Johnny FD
• 47:58 - Stocks vs bonds
• 50:00 - Taxable and Non-Taxable accounts in the USA
• 55:46 - Websites where you can invest
  

If you enjoyed this episode, do us a favor and share it! Also if you haven't already, please take a minute to leave us a 5-star review on iTunes and claim your bonus here! 

Copyright 2020. All rights reserved. Read our disclaimer here.

Nicholas Shaxson is a renowned financial journalist from Germany who authored the book, The Finance Curse: How global finance is making us all poorer. He is a journalist, campaigner, and world expert on both tax havens and financial centers, as well as the resource curse. His writing has appeared in Vanity Fair, the Financial Times, the Economist, the Economist Intelligence Unit, and many others.

On this episode, Nick talks about his take on the issues in the economy based on his experiences. He shares his insights about the schemes in the business industry which poses a great danger to the economy and democracy. During the discussion, he delves into the paradox of financialization to a country and enlightens the listeners to the idea of monopoly and imbalance to the business. This episode reveals the problems that an investor may encounter in the business industry.

Where we are:

• Johnny FD - Sri Lanka
• Sam Marks - North Carolina

Links:

• Book - The Finance Curse by Nicholas Shaxson

Sponsor:

• AutomationFinance.com/Boss

Time Stamps:

• 07:44 - How Nick conceptualized ideas for his book
• 13:51 – What are the impacts of the financial curse to a country?
• 16:18 – Understanding the financialization of an economy
• 19:23 – How monopoly is related to the corporate imbalance
• 24:41 – The harms that tax haven bring to a country/state
• 28:09 – Downsides of investing to a private equity
• 30:17 – “Private equity is a profitable business but the problem is that they make very high internal returns” – Nicholas Shaxson
• 35:30 – Difference in banking system between the UK and USA
• 38:15 – How powerful people control the market and the economy of the country
• 40:25 – Most corrupt and rotten banks in the history
• 44:15 – “I’m a strong believer that tax havens have been a very negative problem for the world economy; and similarly, finance being too big is something that I would like to change” - Nicholas Shaxson
• 50:53 – The problem of a growing company

If you enjoyed this episode, do us a favor and share it! Also if you haven't already, please take a minute to leave us a 5-star review on iTunes and claim your bonus here! 

Copyright 2020. All rights reserved. Read our disclaimer here.

Andrew Henderson is a lifelong entrepreneur and the world’s most sought-after expert on offshore strategies and global citizenship. He coordinates Nomad Capitalist’s global strategy, R&D, and media efforts as part of his mission to help millions of people go where they’re treated best. Andrew has spent the last twelve years personally studying and applying the principles of Nomad Capitalist.

In this episode, you will learn how to go offshore, keep more of your wealth, and enjoy an unprecedented level of global freedom. Find out what you need to consider when renouncing your US citizenship including insight into the best passport to obtain as a digital nomad and international investor. After listening to this in-depth conversation, you’ll understand why you need to ultimately go where you’re treated best!

Links:

• NomadCapitalist.com

Where We Are:

• Johnny FD - Weligama, Sri Lanka
• Sam Marks - Bodrum, Turkey
• Andrew Henderson - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Discussed:

• Indeed (Get a $50 credit to sponsor your first job on Indeed)
• Patreon.com/investlikeaboss

Recommended:

• ArtofFX– Start with just a $10,000 account (reduced from $25,000)
• Fundrise– Start with only $1,000 into their REIT funds (non-accredited investors OK)
• Betterment– Get up to 1 year managed free
• PeerStreet– Get a 1% yield bump on your first loan
• Wealthfront– get your first $15,000 managed free

Time Stamps:

• 02:10 - Traveling Turkey and other non-popular locations
• 08:45 - Does the USA treat you the best?
• 11:17 - What to consider when renouncing your US citizenship
• 18:15 - Obtaining additional citizenships by investments
• 18:53 - “I gave up my US citizenship in late 2017, I don't know that the United States is the best place.” - Andrew Henderson
• 21:47 - Best countries for visa-free travel
• 25:57 - Countries that provide citizenship through a straight forward investment
• 31:56 - The golden visa in popular countries
• 38:31 - The truth behind Diplomatic passports & immunity
• 42:57 - Will it be easier to move around internationally in the future?
• 44:34 - Nomad capitalist: An inside look
• 44:55 - “The first thing I think everyone should do is have a plan. Cover your finances, lifestyle residence and citizenship, and your investments.” - Andrew Henderson
• 47:15 - Benefits to the Thai Elite Visa from Thailand
• 48:03 - Should more countries offer better visa programs
• 50:54 - The best passport to have as a digital nomad
• 57:22 - Lessons learned from attempting to hold the ultimate travel documents
• 1:03:24 - Thank you Patrons and Apple Podcast reviewers!

If you enjoyed this episode, do us a favor and share it! Also if you haven't already, please take a minute to leave us a 5-star review on iTunes and claim your bonus here! 

Copyright 2020. All rights reserved. Read our disclaimer here.

Kylon Gienger is the president of KingMakers, an investment fund and accelerator for small business buyers. He founded and operated multiple business investments in the construction, food service, fitness, real estate, online education, and digital marketing industries.

On this episode, Kylon talks about investing in small businesses that would potentially grow to a million-dollar business, with the help of his company, the KingMakers. He explains some key points in strategically building industry by starting with leverage and having a partnership to successfully pay the loan and gain the profit. There are more ideas and lessons to learn here, so listen in!

Where we are:

• Johnny FD - Sri Lanka
• Sam Marks - Barcelona

Links:

• Website: KingMakers.co
• New Site: Acquira.com
• Patreon: Patreon.com/InvestLikeABoss

Sponsor:

• DiversyFund.com – Use coupon code BOSS20

Time Stamps:

• 06:01 – The idea of building over buying a business
• 09:22 – The start of KingMakers
• 12:00 – Taking business commission by website’s affiliate links
• 19:41 – Buying businesses and growth plans
• 24:48 – How an investor creates profit in buying a business by a leverage
• 28:57 – “Turn the profit knob and start earning those dollars back eventually and exit for a lot more than you paid for” - Kylon Gienger
• 30:51 – Kylon explains the minority and majority share to a business
• 33:50 – “When working with a business partner, you want to make sure that you work well together” - Kylon Gienger
• 34:58 – Managing and analyzing the business for the best quality
• 40:57 – Reinvesting in dying businesses and earning profit from it
• 43:42 – How business partnership operates
• 49:50 - Eliminating failures in the business
• 52:29 – The best ways to manage the business

If you enjoyed this episode, do us a favor and share it! Also if you haven't already, please take a minute to leave us a 5-star review on iTunes and claim your bonus here! 

Copyright 2019. All rights reserved. Read our disclaimer here.

Chris Penrose is Senior Vice President of AT&T’s Advanced Solutions organization. He has responsibility for leading AT&T’s business development and specialized sales efforts for next-generation technologies, including 5G, Internet of Things, edge computing and networking solutions.

During the episode, Chris reveals how AT&T conceptualize and plan out their innovations, especially on coming up with the best ideas for technological developments. He explains the advancements in the new 5G and IoT technology; and how they will be delivered to the consumers. He also shares what AT&T is looking forward to in the next years.

Where we are:

• Johnny FD - Bangkok
• Sam Marks - Barcelona

Links:

• Website - Business.ATT.com
• Newsroom -  ATT.com/News
• Twitter - AT&T News

Sponsor:

• Indeed.com/ILAB

Time Stamps:

• 04:55 – The foundation and purpose of AT&T
• 05:48 – How AT&T plan out their innovations
• 06:10 – “Innovation is one of the forefronts of what we try to do at AT&T” - Chris Penrose
• 09:54 – How AT&T come up with the best ideas
• 11:41 – IoT vs. 5G
• 17:15 – What are the exciting concepts that he sees in the future?
• 17:36 – “If it doesn’t serve a purpose, then don’t do it” - Chris Penrose
• 23:00 – What are the advances that 5G offers as compared to 4G?
• 24:50 – Two new products that AT&T introduced this year
• 26:26 – How will 5G be delivered in the market?
• 30:53 – The future of cell sites
• 34:24 – Providing priority connection to first responders
• 35:31 – The expansions in technology in the next 10 years
• 36:17 – “The speed of innovation is only going to continue to increase” - Chris Penrose
• 38:12 – Advantages of autonomous driving

If you enjoyed this episode, do us a favor and share it! Also if you haven't already, please take a minute to leave us a 5-star review on iTunes and claim your bonus here! 

Copyright 2019. All rights reserved. Read our disclaimer here.

As the year 2020 begins, Sam Marks and Johnny FD give a head start to those business-minded individuals with their investment advice. Sam and Johnny are self-made entrepreneurs who use their hard-earned cash to invest in the best investment platforms, grow their net wealth, and live their dream.

In this episode, Sam and Johnny share their investment strategies, one of which is generating passive income. They reveal a ton of insights on how to handle your finances by sharing their own investment choices. They also provide advice to cope with the plummeting economy and provide effective ways to manage funds. So sit back and listen to this episode’s investment ideas for 2020.

Links:

• InvestLikeABoss.com/Patreon
• DiversyFund.com
• Support ILAB on Patreon: Patreon.com/InvestLikeABoss

Time Stamps:

• 04:10 - A look back from the past years
• 08:55 – Dividend vs. Distribution
• 14:00 – House Lending and Real Estate
• 16:15 – What are the best cash saving accounts?
• 18:35 – What’s it like to invest in Spain
• 23:15 – Investing with PeerStreet
• 27:25 – The beauty of passive income
• 35:27 – Effective property funds
• 44:06 – “Places that I plan to go back every year, I might leave money on bank accounts” – Johnny FD
• 45:51 – Sam and Johnny’s stocks and equity of the year
• 53:49 – What is Diversification?
• 55:40 – How to survive a potential recession?
• 58:45 – “Try to figure out to eliminate some of the heavy fix cost” – Sam Marks
• 1:04:19 – Having a passive investment with Airbnb

If you enjoyed this episode, do us a favor and share it! Also if you haven't already, please take a minute to leave us a 5-star review on iTunes and claim your bonus here! 

Copyright 2019. All rights reserved. Read our disclaimer here.

As the year 2019 comes to an end, it is time for Sam Marks & Johnny FD to share their year in review. Both Sam and Johnny are digital nomads, investors, and travelers who love exploring the world while growing their net worth.

During the episode, Sam and Johnny share their amazing travels for the year, including the Trans-Siberian Trip, which has been on Sam’s bucket list for quite some time. They share their experiences while on their adventures and their realizations throughout the year. They also reveal their top purchases for the year, the books they read, and their ultimate goals for 2020.

Where we are:

• Sam Marks and Johnny FD – Chiang Mai, Thailand

Links:

• Diversyfund.com – Use coupon code BOSS20
• Get Your FREE audiobook
• ILAB 124: Q3 2019 Updates: Sam & Johnny FD Review Investments, Lifestyle, and Quarterly Plans

Recommended:

• ArtofFX– Start with just a $10,000 account (reduced from $25,000)
• Fundrise– Start with only $1,000 into their REIT funds (non-accredited investors OK)
• Betterment– Get up to 1 year managed free
• PeerStreet– Get a 1% yield bump on your first loan
• Wealthfront– get your first $15,000 managed free

Books:

• Cocaine Nights - J G Ballard
• Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

Trans-Siberian Trip:

See Sam’s pics of trip on Instagram @imsammarks

Costs
> Visa - $400
> Train & Hotels (18 days) - $2,015
> Activities - $1,800
> Flights - $600
Total: $4,815
+ $1,500 cash
Grand Total: $6,315

Note from Sam: this was an extended 3-week trip starting in Helsinki. We traveled in first-class sleeper trains, stayed in the nicest available hotels, and at the finest restaurants. The trip could easily be done for ½, but the value is so good, I would recommend trying to do as much as you’re able to. If you go, I would recommend using the travel agency below who arranged everything for us and arranged a guide at each stop.

Travel Agency:

• Company: NomadTrain
• Website: NomadTrain.co
• Email: [email protected]

Note: contact Olga or Irina and mention “Invest Like a Boss” sent you and they will give you $50 off your trip

Time Stamps:

• 14:34 – “I took the Trans-Siberian Railway. It’s been the top trip I wanted to do my entire life ever since I heard about it” – Sam Marks
• 19:52 – Crazy adventure in Russia
• 25:40 – What items in the Bucket List they crossed off this year
• 29:01 – Overcoming an internet disconnection dilemma
• 31:42 – Organizing the Nomad Summit
• 35:54 – Going back to a $250 apartment
• 37:29 – “Speaking of leveling up, a big part of it is learning and growing” – Johnny FD
• 37:32 – Books they read this year
• 41:51 – Learning Russian through audiobooks
• 45:41 – Johnny‘s travel log
• 46:32 – “My ultimate goal would be a maximum of 4 countries a year” – Johnny FD
• 48:10 – Travel plans for 2020
• 51:15 – Sam’s top purchases for the year
• 53:46 – Johnny’s product purchases for the year
• 1:00:44 – Rapid progressions in the world

If you enjoyed this episode, do us a favor and share it! Also if you haven't already, please take a minute to leave us a 5-star review on iTunes and claim your bonus here! 

Copyright 2019. All rights reserved. Read our disclaimer here.