Start making passive income here: https://bit.ly/48Sh5nS

If you were to die today, would you honestly be happy with the life you've lived? That's not a hypothetical question for today's guest. In this powerful and emotional episode, I sit down with Derek Carlson, CEO of Realty ONE Group MVP, to unpack how a near-death experience forced him to radically change his life, his health, and the way he leads one of the fastest-growing real estate organizations in the country.

Derek didn't just face adversity, he was hit from every direction. At the peak of his success, running a top-100 real estate brokerage nationwide and closing over $2 billion in annual sales volume, Derek suffered multiple heart attacks while on vacation in Europe. What makes this story even more shocking is that he didn't realize what was happening until he returned to the United States and collapsed into urgent care, where a doctor told him he was actively having a heart attack.

That moment became the turning point of Derek's life.

In this episode, Derek shares how sitting alone in a hospital room forced him to redefine what success actually means. He introduces the MVP Framework, which now stands for Mindset, Vision, and Purpose, and explains how this shift saved his life and reshaped his company culture from the inside out.

But the challenges didn't stop there. Just months later, Derek's business was targeted during the National Association of Realtors class-action lawsuit, putting his company and livelihood at risk. Instead of collapsing under pressure, Derek doubled down on discipline, surrounded himself with elite mentors and mastermind groups, and made a bold strategic pivot by aligning with Realty ONE Group, ultimately becoming CEO of 10 franchises across Florida.

We dive deep into what it really takes to lead through adversity, why health is often the missing piece for entrepreneurs, and how surrounding yourself with the right tribe can compress decades of growth into months. Derek also shares how his transformation sparked a ripple effect across thousands of agents helping them lose weight, get off medication, invest in real estate, and rediscover purpose beyond commission checks.

This episode isn't just about business success. It's about what happens when life forces you to slow down and ask harder questions. If you're an entrepreneur, business owner, or high performer who feels burned out, stuck, or disconnected from your why, this conversation may be exactly what you need to hear. Derek's links: - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derekcarlson/ - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/derekcarlsonmvp/?hl=en - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/275638393296257/user/100004702208963/

Start making passive income here: https://bit.ly/4j657Mi

Where is the future of real estate going from here? Is real estate doomed, or are we staring at one of the best opportunity windows we've seen in years?

That's exactly what I dig into today with my friend Tim Bratz (Legacy Wealth), a real estate investor and operator who's owned and managed thousands of units and has bought over 6,000+ doors over his career. If you've been watching the last few years unfold rising rates, shrinking cash flow, insurance spikes, expense inflation, and multifamily values getting hammered you're not alone. The question is: what happens next, and where should smart investors be looking now?

Tim and I cut straight to what matters: supply and demand. He explains why the 2008 crash had a very different setup (too much supply), and why today's environment has a different problem a housing shortage that keeps getting worse. He breaks down what he's watching as new construction slows, builders hesitate, and the pipeline for new units starts drying up. If the next several years bring fewer deliveries while demand keeps building, that creates pressure in rents, pricing, and demand for the right kind of housing.

We also talk about what "the right kind" actually means. Tim's conviction is clear: the opportunity isn't in giant luxury homes or chasing whatever looks sexy on social media. The opportunity is in workforce housing the older, well-located homes and apartments that real people can afford. We discuss why properties priced under typical "new build" replacement cost can get more attention, why older multifamily with larger unit layouts may become more valuable, and why families may increasingly need more bedrooms as affordability stays tight.

Then we pivot into a topic I'm hearing more investors obsess over: management and efficiency. Tim shares why he believes bad property management has destroyed more value than most investors want to admit and how weak systems, fragmented tools, and poor data lead to missed income, wasted expenses, and operational chaos. That's why he built Smart Management, an all-in-one, AI-enhanced property management software designed to consolidate operations and automate decision-making from spotting utility bill anomalies to streamlining maintenance workflows and tenant communication. He's used tools like AppFolio, Yardi, RealPage, Rent Manager, Buildium, DoorLoop, Entrada, and more and he explains what's been missing and why efficiency is the real advantage going forward.

If you've been afraid of real estate lately, I'll say what I always say: fear can be a signal… especially when fundamentals still point to demand.

The key is positioning buying the right assets, with the right strategy, and refusing to make permanent decisions based on temporary circumstances.

Tim's links: - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timbratz/ - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timbratz/?hl=en - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tlbratz/ - Website: https://legacywealthholdings.com/

Start making passive income here: https://bit.ly/3Y1kgoq

Do you remember those old Spike Lee Nike commercials where he kept saying, "It's gotta be the shoes"? Everybody wanted to believe Michael Jordan's greatness came from Air Jordans.

But we all know the truth: it wasn't the shoes, it was the player. And in money, it's not the investment that makes you wealthy… it's the investor.

In this episode, I'm breaking down a trap I see all the time: people chasing the "hot" investment like it's a magic bullet. Real estate. The stock market. The perfect policy. The newest strategy.

Everyone's looking for the shortcut, and I get why. I've been on countless podcasts where people ask me, "Chris, what's the best investment right now?" But the real question should be: "How do I become the kind of investor who wins in any market?"

I share why your results aren't determined by the vehicle, but by the person behind the wheel. That's exactly why some people gamble in the stock market and lose their shirt while a small group consistently wins. It's why some people buy rental properties that never appreciate, or end up with "cheap" houses that come with headaches, vacancies, and regret. And it's why people can invest in multifamily syndications and still lose money when they don't know what questions to ask, what risks to identify, or how to verify what's actually happening behind the curtain.

I'm also adding context to the popular line from Rich Dad Poor Dad: "There are no risky investments, only risky investors." I agree with the principle, but I'm also going to be blunt: there are investments that are just plain stupid. I've watched investors chase hype, speculation, and "get rich quick" plays… and the market eventually exposes all of it.

I walk through the key perspectives that separate investors from gamblers, including why the belief that "high risk creates high returns" is backwards. Risk is the chance of loss. A higher chance of loss does not magically increase your odds of winning. That idea often benefits the people collecting fees while you take the volatility.

Then I shift into one of the biggest lessons I learned from downturns: liquidity matters. Markets can change fast, and long time horizons can magnify risk if you're not protected. We saw it in the last recession, and we saw it again when interest rates spiked and valuations dropped in commercial real estate, retail, self-storage, and multifamily. I explain why short-term strategies can reduce market-timing exposure, and what you should be looking for when evaluating operators, audits, financial transparency, and cash reserves.

Finally, I pull back the curtain on infinite banking and why people misunderstand it. I explain why it's not enough to pick a "good" carrier like Penn Mutual, MassMutual, or Guardian. Not all agents are created equal. I walk through a real example from a neurosurgeon who was put into a poorly designed whole life policy where her first-year cash value was zero after paying $60,000. Then I contrast it with how we design it, where the first-year cash value is about $50,000 same company, same health rating, totally different outcome because the levers matter.

This is what I teach my VIP clients and inside the Work Optional Blueprint and Wealth Accelerator Academy: become an investor first, and the investments take care of themselves. Stop chasing the shoes.

Start becoming the player.

Start making passive income here: https://bit.ly/4qil70f

You've heard the same retirement advice for decades: max out your 401(k), live below your means, get out of debt, and hope it all works out. Susie Orman, Dave Ramsey, and the Wall Street machine have been preaching that message for years. But if their retirement planning formula really worked, why are so many retirees still coming up short, stressed, and feeling like they'll never be able to stop working?

In this episode, I pull back the curtain on the traditional retirement playbook and show you why it is failing today's retirees and future retirees. I walk through what Suze Orman is currently teaching about "guaranteed income," annuities, pensions, Social Security, and 401(k)s, and I break down the math on why even a seven-figure portfolio often isn't enough to create the income people actually need. We look at the Fidelity millionaire stats and why having $1 million in your 401(k) or IRA still often only translates to $30,000–$40,000 a year of income. That is not the financial freedom most people are dreaming of.

I also go through Dave Ramsey's advice around budgets, 401(k)s, living debt free, and "just stay in the market and ignore the news." While there are solid principles buried in there like being intentional and having a plan the strategy of simply saving more, spending less, and praying the stock market cooperates is broken in today's economy. With rising housing costs, healthcare, college costs, and general inflation, simply "saving harder" is not the answer.

Then I shift to something even the mainstream financial media is beginning to acknowledge: the traditional 401(k)-only model is not working. I reference a Yahoo Finance piece talking about the retirement savings shortfall and how firms like Goldman Sachs, BlackRock, T. Rowe Price, Empower, and Voya are now pushing private assets things like private equity, private credit, infrastructure, and real estate inside retirement plans. On the surface that sounds exciting, but I explain the hidden risks: higher fees, less transparency, illiquidity, and the danger of big institutional money creating bubbles and buying bad deals with your retirement dollars.

From there, I contrast that with how I invest and how my clients invest using true 401(k) alternatives: private real estate, private lending, and other alternative investments that can actually create cash flow now, not just someday. I talk about the difference between blindly handing your money to Wall Street and being part of a community that shares real experiences, real due diligence, and real results. I even share how staying out of one "hot" real estate deal years ago saved people from an operator who is now literally going to prison.

If you've ever looked at your 401(k) balance, run the numbers, and thought, "There is no way this gets me where I want to be," this episode is for you. I show you why the "set it, forget it, save forever, spend nothing" model is dying, and why getting your money liquid, out of retirement account prison, and into real assets that pay you passive income can completely change your trajectory.

My goal is not to give you investment advice or tell you what to sell. My goal is to open your eyes to the fact that there is another path a path where your money actually works harder for you, so you do not have to work so hard for it. If you are ready to become work optional and move toward true financial freedom, this episode will challenge what you have been told and help you start thinking like a real investor, not just a saver.

Start making passive income here: https://bit.ly/4ixiEfx

You keep hearing it in the news: "The real estate market is done. Prices can't go any higher. It's not worth investing anymore." But is that actually true everywhere? Are there still pockets of the U.S. real estate market where you can find solid deals, strong cash flow, and real opportunity, especially in affordable housing? In this episode, I sit down with Ohio real estate investor and educator Tiffany High to answer that question head on.

Tiffany runs a high-volume, systematized real estate flipping business and wholesale operation based in Columbus and Toledo, Ohio, and her story is powerful. She walked away from a corporate career in oil trading and building materials, jumped into flipping houses by maxing out a credit card for education, and did around 40 flips in her first year just by hand-writing lists at the courthouse and door knocking. From there she scaled into wholesaling, doing over 160+ contracts in a year.

But it wasn't all up and to the right. Tiffany shares how putting the wrong people in the wrong seats nearly destroyed her company, led to deep burnout, and even a suicide attempt. She's incredibly open about ending up in a mental institute for a week, what that did to her perspective, and how a pivotal conversation with her father convinced her not to walk away. Instead, she rebuilt everything from the ground up with a one-on-one mentor from the corporate world who helped her install true infrastructure: recruiting, onboarding, training, scorecards, leadership, and real KPIs.

Today, Tiffany runs a streamlined operation that's obsessed with data-driven comps, days on market trends, and staying within the median home price and affordable housing range in each zip code. We talk about why she loves markets like Toledo, Ohio, where renovated homes in the $150,000–$185,000 range are still accessible to blue-collar families, and why investors from California and other high-cost markets are flooding in to buy these properties as cash-flowing rentals.

We also get into how she's shifting more into private lending and wealth preservation, turning two into four and four into eight instead of holding every rental forever. Tiffany explains how she works with private lenders on her flips, why she pays 12% annualized interest, and the protections she gives lenders personal guarantees, conservative ARVs, strong reserves, and the ability to come walk her operation in person.

If you've been feeling nervous about the headlines but still want your money working hard in real estate, this conversation is for you. We cover mindset, market selection, leadership, and how to build a business that doesn't own your life. Whether you want to be hands-on or passive, you'll see how Ohio real estate investing done right can still be a powerful path to cash flow, equity, and long-term wealth. Tiffany High's links: - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiffanyhighofficial?igsh=dnFnMjF0dzlxam5u - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffany-high-66535118/ - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialtiffanyhigh/ - Website: https://resultsdrivenrei.com/

Start making passive income here: https://bit.ly/4otFJ3X

If you're waiting for the economy, the market, or your confidence to all line up perfectly before you invest, you're going to be waiting forever. In this episode, I break down exactly how overcoming fear of investing really works, and why the people who win financially are the ones who move before they feel fully ready without gambling everything.

I start by talking about a pattern I've been seeing everywhere: people are frozen. They're standing in a shaky boat, gripping the sides, hoping the waves calm down instead of simply stepping onto the dock, reassessing, and getting into a better boat. That same fear of doing anything different shows up in marriages, health, careers, and especially investing. If you do nothing and hope it all works out, it almost never does.

I share one of my favorite quotes from Will Rogers: "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." Then I dive into what I've learned from coach Bill Belichick in his book The Art of Winning. He makes a powerful point: you're not born confident, and you can't just talk yourself into confidence with affirmations and visualization. Real confidence is built through repetition and practice. He used that approach with the New England Patriots, leaning into what they repeatedly practiced the passing game with Tom Brady rather than overthinking and trying to be "tricky" when it mattered most.

I connect that directly to money and investing. I tell my own story of going from a shy, introverted kid who hated speaking in front of even two people, to someone who now presents, records this podcast, and gets feedback from people like Shannon, who told me she was completely drawn into my story. That transformation didn't come from magically waking up confident it came from doing it again and again.

Then I share a real conversation I had with a guy who had just been laid off. He had time, he had money freed up from his 401(k), he had a slow season in his new business coming up which made it one of the best times for him to make a strategic move. And yet he was completely paralyzed by uncertainty, waiting for a crystal ball to tell him exactly what to do. That's what analysis paralysis looks like in real time: wanting guidance, but refusing to act on it.

I compare that mindset to sitting in your driveway waiting for every traffic light between you and your destination to turn green before you'll even start the car. Life and markets don't work that way. The lights change while you're on the road. The waves keep coming whether you're in a crappy boat or a better one. The investors who win don't ignore risk they take thoughtful, guided action with imperfect information.

I also talk about how even someone like Warren Buffett doesn't sit on the sidelines doing nothing. He's cautious, he keeps cash ready, he's picky, but he still invests. He doesn't live on "hopium" and neither should you. The difference between people who create real passive income and those who just dream about it is simple: they take the first step, learn from mistakes, and keep moving.

If you're tired of spinning in your head, scared of losing money, or waiting for the "perfect time," this episode is your wake-up call. I'll show you how successful investors build investing confidence through calculated action, how to avoid letting fear quietly drain your future, and why having the right mentors and community around you changes everything.

Start making passive income here: https://bit.ly/49EJjEX

If you've ever waited until the end of the year and then panicked about taxes, this episode is for you. I'm sitting down with CPA and founder of Better Books Accounting, Chris McCormack, to walk through last-minute, real, practical year-end tax planning moves you can still make before December 31. These aren't abstract theory ideas; these are tax strategies that can literally change how much you owe the IRS in a few weeks from now.

Chris came out of the Big Four world at PwC, where he worked with some of the largest corporations, financial service companies, insurance firms, and real estate investment companies in the world. He saw firsthand how big players use the tax code to reduce taxes, preserve wealth, and reinvest more efficiently. Now he brings that same level of strategy down to real estate investors, entrepreneurs, and small business owners who are chasing financial freedom, not just a refund.

We talk about why December 31 is such a critical cutoff date and how just buying a rental property a few weeks earlier can unlock powerful depreciation and write-offs that disappear if you wait until January. We also discuss how accelerating expenses you already know you're going to incur in the new year can give you an immediate tax discount and more control over your cash flow.

One of the biggest topics we unpack is the Qualified Business Income (QBI) deduction. Chris explains how this 20 percent deduction on business profit really works, who qualifies, why entity structure matters, and why so many business owners are missing out simply because their CPA isn't being proactive. If you're anywhere near the QBI income thresholds, a single smart decision before year-end could mean tens of thousands of dollars in tax savings.

We also hit some of the most overlooked areas: choosing between S corp and C corp status, understanding when a C corporation's flat 21 percent rate might actually help high earners, using employee benefits the right way, and documenting meals, travel, and other business expenses so they don't get thrown out in an audit. Chris explains why sloppy bookkeeping can completely undermine even the best tax strategy and why getting your books right is step one if you want to pay less in tax and build real wealth.

On top of that, we touch on charitable giving as both a powerful tax deduction and a way to expand your impact when your tax bill shrinks. Chris shares how his faith motivates the way he serves clients and how saving people money in taxes often leads directly to more generosity, more peace, and more margin to live life on purpose.

If you're serious about keeping more of what you make, creating passive income, and using the tax code the way the wealthy do, you don't have time to procrastinate. Listen in, take notes, and then take action before the clock strikes midnight on December 31. Chris' Links: - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismccormackcpa/ - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chrismccormackcpa/ - Wesbite: https://www.betterbooksaccounting.co/ - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrismccormackcpa?igsh=YzJoM3R4OGZid29r

Start making passive income here: https://bit.ly/4paT1nh

Is it really possible to stop paying your mortgage forever and actually have your mortgage pay you instead? In this episode, I dig into one of the most misunderstood tools in retirement planning: the reverse mortgage. If you're in your 50s, 60s, or beyond or you have parents in that stage of life and you're "equity rich but cashflow poor," this conversation could be a game changer.

I'm joined by Marc Gertz, mortgage broker and founder of Reverse Your Thinking Mortgage, who has been in the mortgage world since the 1990s. Marc doesn't just dabble in reverse mortgages; he specializes in them, along with divorce-related lending and private lending. More importantly, he spends most of his time educating people, clearing up the myths and fears that have surrounded reverse mortgages for decades.

We start by tackling the biggest misconception head-on: "Do I have to give up the title to my home?" Marc explains why that hasn't been true since the 1980s and how today's reverse mortgages are simply liens on your property, just like any other mortgage except you have the option not to make payments. Instead of your balance going down, the interest simply accrues and the loan balance goes up over time, while you keep ownership and control of your home.

Marc and I walk through the history of the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) program, originally signed into law under Ronald Reagan as part of a broader effort to help middle-class Americans supplement Social Security and retirement savings. We talk about why the government created this program, how actuarial tables and age-based loan-to-value limits work, and why younger borrowers (even as young as 55 with certain products) might want to set up a reverse mortgage before they actually need it.

You'll hear how reverse mortgages can:

• Eliminate an existing monthly mortgage payment
• Turn trapped home equity into a tax-free source of cash
• Be structured as lump sum, monthly payments, a growing line of credit, or a combination
• Help protect investment portfolios by allowing you to live on your home equity in down Marcets
• Even be used (in some cases) on second homes, vacation homes, and short-term rentals

We also address the number one emotional concern: "What happens when I die, and what about my kids?" Marc explains how heirs can still inherit remaining equity, how they can sell or refinance the property, and why these loans are designed so that your family is never personally on the hook if the loan balance ever exceeds the home's value.

If you've ever worried that a reverse mortgage meant "giving your house to the bank," or if you've been looking for ways to create more passive income and reduce your monthly overhead in retirement, this episode will help you see this tool in a very different light. As always, my goal is to help you become work optional so you work because you want to, not because you have to and for some people, the right reverse mortgage strategy might be an important part of that plan. Marc's Links: - Website: https://www.reverseyourthinking.com/ - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathius-marc-gertz/ - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rytreverse?igsh=MWVkbnd0M2xneHplbQ==

Start making passive income here: https://bit.ly/4a5w0NL

Can AI actually give you better financial advice than a real human who's been in the trenches? In this episode, I put that to the test. I sit down with ChatGPT and ask it to build a full retirement plan for me as if I were a typical disciplined saver: 35 years old, earning $150,000 a year, with $150,000 in a 401(k), a mortgage, a car payment, and a goal to retire at 62 with at least $100,000 a year in today's dollars. Then I start pressing the AI with the same tough questions I ask Wall Street–trained financial advisors.

What you'll hear is how quickly AI financial advice starts sounding like the same old traditional playbook: max out your 401(k), open a Roth IRA, throw extra money into a taxable brokerage account, buy index funds and bonds, rebalance, hope the 4% rule works, and cross your fingers that inflation stays low and the markets cooperate. On the surface, it seems logical. But when I start pushing on the assumptions higher inflation, lower safe withdrawal rates, realistic market returns the numbers explode. Suddenly, you "need" $10–12 million saved and you're supposed to be putting away 25–30% of your income for decades.

I walk you through how those tiny tweaks moving from 3% inflation to 4.5%, or from a 4% withdrawal rate down to 3–3.5% completely change the math and expose how fragile traditional retirement planning really is. I show how even advanced AI financial planning tools are still drinking from the same well as Google and mainstream financial media: they're optimizing the wrong game.

Then I shift the conversation to what actually works in the real world. I press AI to talk about alternatives: real estate, private lending notes, cash-flowing businesses, syndications, and infinite banking using high cash value life insurance. I highlight where AI finally starts pointing to multiple streams of passive income, tax-efficient strategies, and becoming work optional in 10–15 years instead of waiting until your 60s. But even then, it can't tell you who to follow, how to vet deals, or how to integrate strategies like max ROI infinite banking the way I do with my clients.

I also share why tools like ChatGPT are great for speed and research, but dangerous when you blindly trust them with your financial future. Algorithms haven't retired early. Algorithms don't invest their own money. Algorithms can't sit down with you, look at your situation, and design a custom game plan that gets you to freedom faster and with less risk.

If your goal is to become work optional, retire earlier, and create real financial independence; not just hope your 401(k) lasts this episode will help you see the difference between theory and results. I explain how I've used passive real estate investments, private lending, and infinite banking together to create a more predictable path to financial freedom, and why my mission is to help 1,000 families become financially independent by 2030.

If you're ready to stop getting the same old advice dressed up in AI clothing, and you want a plan that actually works in the real world, this episode is for you. And when you are serious about becoming one of those 1,000 families, you can connect with me at MoneyRipples.com and start building your own work optional blueprint.

Start making passive income here: https://bit.ly/4ppT7ax

If you've been watching the markets lately, you know something is off. The stock market keeps climbing even though the fundamentals are wildly out of balance. And while everyday investors are being told to "buy and hold," Warren Buffett arguably the greatest investor alive is quietly doing the exact opposite. He's sitting on more cash than at any point in his 73-year investing career. Berkshire Hathaway is now holding $381.7 billion in cash. Not stocks. Not crypto. Cash. And he's been selling more than he buys for twelve straight quarters.

In this episode, I break down exactly why Buffett is hoarding cash, what he's preparing for, and what that means for you if you actually want to keep your wealth intact and position yourself to profit when the tide finally goes out. Because make no mistake it will go out. And when it does, those who've been overleveraged, overconfident, and oversold on hype will be exposed. Buffett knows it. That's why he's holding more than thirty percent of his portfolio in cash-type instruments like T-bills. And he's still outperforming the market.

I dig into the Buffett Indicator, which now sits at more than 220 percent, meaning the market is more than double the valuation of the actual economy. That's not sustainable. That's not normal. And that's not something a value investor ignores. While most people are chasing overpriced stocks, Buffett is bargain-hunting, just like he did during the Great Recession when he swooped in and made deals on Bank of America, Apple, and others. History may not repeat itself perfectly, but patterns absolutely do.

So what does that mean for you? Do you dump your stocks? Do you wait for the crash? Do you sit on cash making nothing? Not necessarily. I walk through practical, real-world alternatives that give you the liquidity and safety Buffett seeks, but with better tax advantages and stronger growth than parking your money in a savings account or money market fund. That's why I show you how I personally use Max ROI Infinite Banking to store my cash, earn tax-free growth, stay liquid, and prepare for the next big buying opportunity whether that's in real estate, businesses, or discounted assets.

I'm not predicting the market will crash tomorrow or even this year. But the math doesn't lie. We are in the late stages of an everything bubble, and leverage, speculation, and emotion are driving prices not fundamentals. If you want to be prepared, you need to think differently than the amateurs. You need to act like the pros do, not like they tell you to. You need liquidity, safety, and strategy.

This episode gives you clarity on what Buffett is signaling, what I'm doing personally, and how you can position yourself so that when the correction comes whether that's 2025, 2026, or later you're not the one swimming naked. You're the one with cash, opportunity, and confidence.