This week’s solo episode I pick back up with Morgan Housel’s The Art of Spending Money. As I read through it, the book continues to prove how much of our relationship with money is shaped by our upbringing and expectations. I discuss why contentment matters as much as income, why comparison is not only the thief of joy but can be poisonous, and how money buys freedom only when you stop letting others' opinions steer your choices.

I also dig into the bigger themes Housel raises around happiness, independence, and the quiet traps people fall into when they chase status instead of meaning. It’s a reminder that good money decisions start in your head long before they show up in your bank account.

Also this week’s biggest political and financial stories – from Venezuela tensions and US military moves to IQ data, poverty studies, S&P dominance, housing costs, global investing trends, consumer stats, America’s shifting cultural landscape, and much more.

In this solo episode, I share highlights from The Art of Spending Money by Morgan Housel. I talk about getting what you want vs. what you need, how money shapes our independence, and why the book hit me at the right time. I also get into how our upbringing, culture, and past struggles influence our every financial decision. One of my favorite quotes from the book is: "Personal finance is more personal than finance."

I also discuss why admiration rarely comes from material things, and how understanding someone’s background can make their behavior [with money] make sense. The ultimate goal is this: Spend money in ways that reflect who you are, not who you’re trying to impress.

There's also an update from "the best movie ever." Political leaks and immigration failures, civil–conflict warnings, media fraud, the Seditious Six, Afghan vetting disasters, political polarization, and much more.

I'm back solo this week. Thanks for your patience - there was no episode last week. I'm in Houston trying to figure out the best path forward to finally cure my neck issues.

In this episode, I give a quick recap of last week’s intense discussion on ibogaine and psychedelic therapy. Feedback from that episode was 100% positive, and I want anyone struggling with addiction, depression, anxiety, or PTSD to know there is help out there. If you're stuck in a bad cycle, psychedelic therapy might be worth exploring.

I also share the latest in the "best movie ever," rap music, the feminization of American men, climate change predictions, global communism, BBC’s fiasco, my doctor visit, and much more.

Justin Jackson's back! It took us a while to put Round 2 (and ourselves, frankly) out there for this one. And some of you may be shocked to hear our stories.

In this episode, we share the toughest battle each of us have faced—the sort of challenges that remind us we all have a cross to bear in life.

Justin's a former Marine gunship pilot turned entrepreneur. He served 25 years in uniform and still misses his Cobra (they wouldn't let him keep it). He shares more this round about his time as a Marine pilot, the toll of multiple deployments, and the transition to civilian life,

Then it gets heavy. We discuss trauma, PTSD, depression, addiction, and emotional numbness.

You'll hear our life-changing experience with psychedelic therapies—specifically the role psilocybin and ibogaine have played in our roads to recovery. Our plant medicine journeys helped us to heal, to rediscover gratitude in its highest form, and ultimately reconnect with the Divine.

Justin & I have a passion for helping people, whether through candid conversations like ours, veteran advocacy, or simply pointing those in desperate need of help toward a proven cure that's given us our lives back.

If one person hears this episode and gets help, we'll consider this discussion our biggest success of 2025.

Solo again from Costa Rica. We're soaking in the beach sun,, hiking in nature a little, and overall enjoying a slower pace than what we had in Warsaw or Prague.

In this episode, I dive into the AI revolution and what investors can learn from the dot-com bubble 25 years ago. I talk about how hype and leverage repeat through history, why it’s nearly impossible to know which companies will last, and why sometimes it’s wiser to buy the whole haystack instead of trying to find the needle.

I also discuss Ferdinand Magellan, New York’s growing migrant crisis, some lie detection, and Obama’s comments on the places we've spent the past two summers.

Coming to you solo again from beautiful Costa Rica, which means "rich coast." I've had lots of time to think here, while working on my tan and watching surfers in the Pacific Ocean from our balcony.

In this episode, I talk about life, travel, and things on my mind lately—specifically the Kyren Lacy tragedy, which is a story that hits close to home—not just because one of my best represents him, but because of my own connection to the Lacy family in Louisiana. It's the sort of sad situation that reminds us of what really matters.

I also discuss market euphoria and investor greed, Buffett’s lessons on leverage and patience, the Big Tish indictment, the Nobel Peace Prize controversy, and much more.

Coming to you solo from Costa Rica this week. In this episode, I unpack the growing conversation around Christian nationalism—how the media has weaponized the term, what it reveals about global propaganda, and why nationalism itself has been wrongly vilified. I share my thoughts on how this kind of messaging shapes what people believe about faith, identity, and patriotism.

I also share a personal story about losing my wallet in Costa Rica and how it led to a conversation about money—specifically, my thoughts on the market, inflation, and investing. I even consider whether it’s time to sell some Netflix stock and shift toward Spotify, reflecting on how companies’ values & cultural direction can influence long-term investment decisions.

I also talk about the UN’s push for global AI oversight, Tesla’s record-breaking performance, the rise of Grokopedia, Trump’s Gaza peace deal, and so much more.

Coming to you solo from Houston this week. In this episode, I reflect on the Charlie Kirk memorial and the extraordinary moment when Erika forgave her husband’s assassin in front of tens of thousands. It was the most powerful display of faith I’ve seen this year, and a reminder that forgiveness—while counter to our instincts—is the only way forward for a broken country.

I also dive into the indictment of James Comey, why it matters, and what it signals about accountability finally catching up with the deep state.

I also discuss cancel culture and Big Tech censorship, the climate change “green scam,” Elon Musk quoting the Lord’s Prayer, and so much more.

Benjamin Rutledge is a Czech-American Christian with a diverse academic and professional background, which includes military service, international political economy studies, and teaching at a Czech private school.

Benji & I met a few weeks ago in Prague and became fast friends. When we met for lunch last Friday, he told me about Charlie Kirk & Iryna Zerutska's memorial in Wenceslas Square. Afterward, I posted an Instagram reel of us laying flowers there and it's been viewed over 600k times! What a worldwide outpouring of support!

This one wasn’t easy to do. Coming to you solo from Prague to discuss the biggest story in the world right now—the assassination of Charlie Kirk. I’ll never shake the video of Kirk getting shot from my memory. It was so horrific. I didn’t think for a second that was something he’d survive.

Charlie Kirk was a happy warrior who spoke truth and gave young people a reason to believe in the nuclear family, their faith, and their country.

I discuss a few other topics—Iryna Zarutska, the nature of evil communists, Thomas Sowell’s books, and other musings.