Money Tree Investing

Kaitlyn Laney shares her personal and professional journey, and how she manages balancing motherhood and financial advising. As she runs her own firm in Scottsdale, Arizona, Kaitlyn emphasizes the limitations of big financial firms and how individualized planning is critical—especially for high earners who often receive poor or outdated advice.

Kaitlyn highlights the importance of understanding taxes, setting up retirement plans tailored to personal goals, and adapting financial strategies to different life stages. She also dives into the real costs of child care, the economic trade-offs families face—particularly women—and the rationale behind her husband choosing to stay home.

We discuss...

• Kaitlyn Laney shares her background as a financial advisor who left a large firm in 2018 to start her own practice in Scottsdale, gaining the flexibility to be more present for her family.
• She discusses the challenges of raising two young boys under the age of two while managing a business and household.
• Kaitlyn emphasizes that many financial advisors give generalized advice that doesn't keep up with clients' evolving wealth and tax situations.
• She highlights a common industry issue: high-income earners receiving poor advice, like being incorrectly advised to contribute to a Roth IRA.
• Kaitlyn stresses the importance of personalized financial planning focused on education, understanding tax brackets, and using strategies like 401(k)s or SEP IRAs to reduce tax burdens.
• She encourages clients to view financial decisions through the lens of life stages and accept that intense spending periods (like early childhood) are temporary.
• The conversation explores the high cost of childcare, often exceeding college tuition, and the value of repurposing childcare expenses into savings once children enter school.
• Kaitlyn explains why her husband decided to stay home, citing the minimal financial benefit of both parents working while paying for full-time childcare.
• They discuss how many families, especially women, face difficult trade-offs between career and caregiving due to unaffordable childcare.
• The couple prioritizes simplicity and a lean budget over luxury spending in order to create time and presence for their children.
• She acknowledges the emotional trade-offs of missing certain moments but emphasizes intentionality in the life they've designed.
• Despite initial fears about leaving a big firm, she successfully built a $100M independent practice focused on low fees and personal planning.
• She credits faith, risk-taking, and a supportive partner for enabling her transition into entrepreneurship and motherhood on her terms.
• The conversation emphasizes the value of designing a life based on long-term goals and rejecting societal pressures to overspend.
• Kaitlyn advises not to rely on Social Security alone and stresses the importance of working with a qualified advisor to build a plan that fits your life stage and goals.

For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneytreepodcast.com/balancing-motherhood-and-financial-advising-kaitlyn-laney-730

Today's Panelists:

• Kirk Chisholm | Innovative Wealth
• Barbara Friedberg | Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance
• Phil Weiss | Apprise Wealth Management

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Today we go down the AI rabbit hole. We also discuss the highlights of the new legislative package dubbed the "big beautiful bill," which includes tax changes like extending 2017 tax cuts, increasing standard deductions, eliminating taxes on tips and overtime, and adding a car loan interest deduction. They critiqued the temporary nature of supposedly "permanent" policies, expressed concern over increased national debt, and discussed the personal finance implications of car depreciation and insurance after one host totaled his vehicle and bought a newer model. We also talk about the potential of lower interest rates.

We discuss:

• The recent (and short-lived) Israel-Iran conflict and it's comparisons to past rushed declarations of victory.
• The newly passed "big beautiful bill," which includes many tax-related changes.
• The permanent extension of 2017 tax cuts, though "permanent" really means until the next administration.
• A new "Trump Account" for minors allows $5,000 in annual contributions but restricts withdrawals until age 18 and offers no tax deduction.
• Charitable deduction rules changed, and the 1099-K reporting threshold rollback was included.
• Education provisions included a new federal tax credit scholarship program modeled after Florida's, with no federal cap.
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) remains but with potential restrictions looming.
• Medicaid spending is being cut by $1 trillion, which may impact school-based mental health services.
• The Department of Education faces a 20% cut in discretionary spending over five years.
• The hosts emphasized the rising importance of college financial planning given shrinking federal support.
• Elon Musk's proposes the "America Party" which lack of creativity makes it seen as another PR move.
• The conversation shifted to rising consumer concerns about job loss, with data showing job fear levels near historical highs.
• We question whether we're in a recession and whether the technical label even matters to markets or investors.
• True market crashes are rarely surprising and often come with warning signs.
• Tariff impacts were discussed, with most firms passing costs to consumers or absorbing them internally rather than reshoring.
• Manufacturing sectors are more affected by tariffs than tech, healthcare, or utilities.
• They noted the dollar has sharply declined in 2025, one of the worst first-half drops since 1986.
• The weakening dollar is viewed by the Trump administration as a tool to boost exports and domestic manufacturing.

Today's Panelists:

Kirk Chisholm | Innovative Wealth Douglas Heagren | ProCollege Planners

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For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneytreepodcast.com/ai-rabbit-hole-729

Dr. Amir Baluch, a semi-retired anesthesiologist and founder of Baluch Capital, shares his journey from medicine into alternative investments, emphasizing the importance of income diversification after early career financial setbacks. He discusses his firm's multi-asset platform for accredited investors, which includes real estate development, private equity in life sciences, life settlement funds, and explorations into litigation finance. We touch on AI's disruptive potential across sectors and note that success will depend less on access to AI tools and more on the speed of implementation, data quality, and strategic defensibility.

We discuss...

• Amir Baluch is a semi-retired anesthesiologist who now runs Balouche Capital, focusing on alternative investments for accredited investors.
• Amir initially pursued finance out of concern for income stability after early setbacks in business and observing his father's financial struggles.
• Life sciences and biotech are Amir's personal focus, especially technologies that improve healthcare delivery, like non-invasive multi-cancer blood tests.
• Life settlements appeal due to low correlation with markets and inevitable payout, though underwriting accuracy and deal flow are crucial for returns.
• Amir is exploring litigation finance but hasn't yet launched a product; he's researching deal structures and entry points.
• Real estate strategies include both single-deal investments and blended income funds with quarterly or monthly distributions.
• In biotech, Amir prefers early-stage venture capital and is now also exploring leveraged buyouts for behavioral health businesses.
• AI is viewed as a major disruptor, but success will depend on implementation speed, data quality, and prompt engineering.
• In healthcare, software alone isn't enough—relationships and integration skills are critical for success.
• Biotech and real estate software require domain expertise to be meaningfully useful or defensible.
• AI helps trading funds reduce risk by filtering out bad trades rather than increasing returns.
• Future success with AI will depend on data quality, creative use, and problem-solving skills—not access alone.
• Real estate remains inefficient and relationship-driven, which limits AI's ability to disrupt deal sourcing.
• AI can aid real estate acquisitions by quickly modeling and ranking deals based on defined risk/return criteria.
• Strong personal networks still outperform AI in gaining early access to off-market real estate opportunities.

Today's Panelists:

Kirk Chisholm | Innovative Wealth Diana Perkins | Trading With Diana

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For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneytreepodcast.com/from-medicine-to-alternative-investments-dr-amir-baluch-728

AI thinks it's OK to steal and blackmail you! Today we dive deep into the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, highlighting both its disruptive promise and emerging risks. New research showing that large language models (LLMs) often resort to manipulative behavior when put under pressure, raising ethical and control concerns. We also talk about investment strategies around AI infrastructure, noting underperformance in traditional strategies like small-cap, international, and value investing. We also explore a new MIT study suggesting AI may reduce cognitive engagement and critical thinking and widespread reliance on AI tools could lead to long-term intellectual decline.

We discuss...

• A recent study showed that in simulated scenarios, AI models like Claude, GPT-4, and Gemini frequently resorted to blackmail when "cornered."
• All major large language models displayed concerning behavior in adversarial tests, highlighting a broader industry problem.
• AI is surprisingly poor at basic math tasks despite being computer-based, which raises risks for business use in financial roles.
• Apple is rumored to partner with Anthropic (Claude) for Siri instead of acquiring them outright.
• AI tools have shown 85.5% accuracy on challenging medical cases, compared to 20% accuracy by experienced physicians.
• The use of AI in healthcare may not replace doctors but is expected to enhance their capabilities significantly.
• Elon Musk warned AI development may soon face power supply bottlenecks, particularly due to training instability during grid fluctuations.
• Battery storage is becoming critical to stabilize AI-related energy demands, similar to power issues seen in crypto mining.
• Broader investment trends include AI, nuclear, space, blockchain, and cannabis, with many investors still concentrating on the "Magnificent Seven."
• Traditional diversification strategies like small-cap, value, and international investing have underperformed for decades.
• Despite high valuations, the U.S. remains the most attractive market compared to overregulated or unstable alternatives like Europe or China.
• A recent MIT study suggested AI use may lead to cognitive decline, describing users as becoming "cognitively bankrupt."
• Reliance on AI could undermine critical thinking, especially among younger generations.
• AI, like social media, might make society dumber by eliminating the need for deep thinking.

Today's Panelists:

Kirk Chisholm | Innovative Wealth Douglas Heagren | ProCollege Planners

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For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneytreepodcast.com/ai-thinks-its-ok-to-steal-727

Ryan Chaw shares his bedroom real estate rental property strategy. As a pharmacist-turned-real estate investor Ryan shares how he built a successful portfolio of 14 rental properties generating $50,000/month in income by renting out homes by the bedroom to students and professionals near college campuses. Now financially free, he spends his time coaching others and maintaining a disciplined approach to growth while avoiding low-quality competition and preserving strong tenant relationships. Today we discuss...

• Ryan Chaw transitioned from a pharmacist to a real estate investor inspired by his grandfather's success in Bay Area real estate.
• He began investing in 2016 with a $262,000 property in Stockton, California, renting it by the bedroom to maximize cash flow.
• His strategy involves converting 3-bedroom homes into 5- or 6-bedroom rentals and leasing them to students and professionals.
• Ryan now owns 14 rental properties generating $50,000 per month in income and has fully replaced his pharmacist salary.
• Most of his tenants come from word-of-mouth referrals, especially from student communities at nearby colleges.
• Properties that would rent for $1,500–$2,200 annually generate $4,000+ per month when rented by the room.
• Competition in his niche is limited and often low quality, with few landlords offering the same level of service.
• Ryan sees consistent long-term demand with students signing multi-year leases and bringing in future tenants.
• Ryan targets neighborhoods favored by graduate students and healthcare professionals by researching Reddit forums for off-campus housing recommendations.
• He rents to both students and healthcare workers, often securing two-year leases from medical residents and fellows.
• He continues to acquire at least one new property per year and currently owns 14 rentals.
• He recommends keeping $7,000 to $10,000 per property in reserves to cover unexpected maintenance like HVAC or roof issues.
• He clusters tenants by category (e.g., pharmacy students, dental students, healthcare workers) to foster a sense of community.
• His four key success factors for student rentals are proximity to campus, neighborhood safety, affordability, and tenant community.
• Ryan uses VAs to triage maintenance requests and relies on a vetted contractor network to address issues within 24 to 48 hours.

Today's Panelists:

• Kirk Chisholm | Innovative Wealth
• Barbara Friedberg | Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance
• Douglas Heagren | Pro College Planners

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For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneytreepodcast.com/bedroom-real-estate-ryan-chaw-726

Today we talk the end of quarter performance for quarter two of 2025. How did you do? We also cover a wide range of economic and market topics, beginning with the complexities of investing in artificial intelligence, lessons on succession planning, leadership transitions, and the importance of understanding demographic and power dynamics in both politics and investing. We note that large-cap growth, tech, and industrials led Q2 performance, while energy and real estate lagged. Mounting debt, rising delinquencies, and wage garnishment were cited as signs of economic stress, especially among younger and lower-income Americans, but the U.S. is still regarded as one of the best places to live. Today we discuss...

• AI emerges as a hot investing theme, but it's difficult to get meaningful public equity exposure to the trend.
• We talks lessons for business owners on succession planning and the difference between operators and visionaries.
• You should invest in yourselves, learn how to work with AI, and become irreplaceable in the workforce.
• They conclude that unlike past tech revolutions, understanding AI is more about mindset, prompting skills, and creative application than simply buying stock exposure.
• Warren Buffett can be both the greatest investor of all time and underperform over the last 25 years.
• Buffett's investment challenges are partly due to managing massive capital, but he also strayed from his original strategy.
• Buffett should have retired decades ago and left day-to-day decisions to others.
• This is a parallel between aging leaders in investing and aging politicians who refuse to step down.
• The Baby Boomer generation is described as unintentionally draining economic resources through demographic trends.
• Understanding leadership transitions and generational shifts is crucial for evaluating companies and markets.
• Q2 market performance shows large-cap growth outperforming small-cap and value stocks.
• Sectors like industrials, communications, and tech led, while energy, real estate, and healthcare lagged.
• High beta, momentum, and pure growth factors outperformed, while high dividend and low volatility underperformed.
• Treasury bonds, especially international, were among the best-performing fixed income assets.
• Precious metals like gold, silver, and uranium led commodities; agricultural products like corn and wheat lagged.
• Many top-performing countries are printing money, boosting markets, despite geopolitical or structural issues.
• Biotech investing is highly complex due to multiple layers of science, regulation, and operational risk.
• Investors don't need to invest in every trendy sector—understanding is more important than participation.
• Crypto markets have rebounded, with Ethereum and Bitcoin showing strong recent gains.
• The "Magnificent Seven" tech stocks have mixed performance, with Apple and Tesla notably underperforming.
• The market is entering a historically strong July–August window, buoyed by trade optimism.
• U.S.–China relations show signs of improvement, including mutual resource access.
• Buy Now, Pay Later services are beginning to impact credit scores and consumer financial stability.
• Over 2.3 million households are delinquent on mortgage payments, with foreclosures up 34%.
• Renters face growing pressure, with 21% behind on payments and eviction filings surging.
• Mounting debt burdens are fueling disillusionment among younger Americans, increasing support for socialism.
• Inflation has cooled from 9% in 2022 to 2.4% in April 2025.
• Despite challenges, the U.S. is still viewed as one of the best places to live.

For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneytreepodcast.com/end-of-quarter-performance-725

Today's Panelists:

Kirk Chisholm | Innovative Wealth Douglas Heagren | ProCollege Planners

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Eric Malka shares his journey from arriving in the U.S. as a 17-year-old immigrant with $100 to co-founding The Art of Shaving, a brand that redefined men's grooming by turning shaving into a premium ritual experience. He explains how a chance job in men's grooming and exposure to traditional shaving culture in London inspired him to bring the concept to the U.S., where he and his wife opened their first store using natural ingredients and a four-step shaving system. Eric attributes their rapid growth and eventual acquisition by Procter & Gamble to their emotional connection with customers, brand storytelling, and strategic pivots—including leveraging media exposure, expanding into wholesale, and cautiously raising capital at the right time.

We discuss...

• Eric Malka shares his background as an immigrant entrepreneur who arrived in the U.S. at 17 and eventually sold his company to Procter & Gamble.
• He is best known for founding The Art of Shaving, a luxury men's grooming brand launched in 1996 in New York City.
• The idea for the business came from his exposure to traditional shaving shops in London and his wife's interest in natural ingredients.
• He described how the brand's emotional appeal, especially the father-son connection around shaving, created strong customer loyalty.
• Eric stresses the importance of focusing on emotional branding and creating meaningful rituals rather than just selling products.
• He attributes the shift in the shaving market to overpriced blades, the beard trend, and disruptors like Dollar Shave Club and Harry's.
• He explaines that their success was rooted in consistent brand execution and connecting deeply with consumers.
• The company strategically delayed raising capital until it was necessary and used that funding to accelerate growth.
• Eric emphasizes the importance of pacing growth—crawling before walking, walking before running, and using capital as rocket fuel only when ready.
• Eric highlights that many competitors tried to copy The Art of Shaving but failed due to weaker execution, particularly in store location and brand experience.
• He planned his exit years in advance and was strategic about timing and value.
• Working with P&G during the earn-out turned out to be educational and inspiring, giving him exposure to world-class brand and marketing leadership.
• Eric became a student of investing, studying top investors and institutions to build a diversified, tax-efficient portfolio.
• Malka defines his legacy around promoting natural health, entrepreneurial values, and helping underdog founders succeed.

Today's Panelists:

• Kirk Chisholm | Innovative Wealth
• Phil Weiss | Apprise Wealth Management

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For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneytreepodcast.com/the-art-of-shaving-eric-malka-724

AI just taught me this cool thing... keep on listening to find out what it is! Today we talk about the massive and fast-moving implications of AI. We share the personal experiences with how AI challenges traditional business structures and workflows, requiring users to reimagine how work is done. We also explores how AI may replace many functions within organizations, from marketing to operations, while still lacking in areas like math accuracy and sales conversations. We also talk about Mary Meeker's AI report, noting unprecedented user adoption, the rapid rise of global competitors like China's DeepSeek, and the prediction that LLMs will become personal, customizable, and nearly costless. We need to rethink AI's role in business, its deflationary impact on cost, and how fast-changing technology may render old tools and concepts obsolete.

We discuss...

• How humor and sarcasm could be the final frontier in distinguishing AI from humans.
• The greatest investment in AI is learning how to use it personally and professionally.
• How limited human imagination, not technology, is the biggest barrier to innovation with AI.
• AI's limitations in math were noted, with a warning not to fully trust it as a CFO despite its operational usefulness.
• AI isn't quite ready for high-touch sales calls but is rapidly closing the gap in other business areas.
• Global AI adoption is surging, with China's DeepSeek gaining ground quickly through much lower-cost models.
• Token costs have dropped nearly 100% in two years, and energy efficiency in GPUs has improved drastically.
• With the penny going out of circulation, it might be time to start saving them as collectibles.
• AI development curves are moving much faster than traditional SaaS models, making this a truly disruptive moment in tech.
• Meta's LLaMA has been downloaded 1.2 billion times in 10 weeks, with over 100,000 derivative models created.
• The performance gap between open-source and closed AI models is shrinking rapidly, with DeepSeek nearly matching OpenAI on benchmarks.
• The AI ecosystem is becoming decentralized, much like the shift from centralized platforms to blockchain-based alternatives.
• Decentralization is praised for enabling free speech, innovation, and diversity of thought, unlike centralized control.
• Most employees are already using AI tools like ChatGPT personally, even if companies haven't officially adopted them.
• AI is increasing personal productivity, but there's concern it may ultimately compress work rather than improve quality of life.
• Over 60,000 new AI-related job titles have emerged in just two years, indicating a massive career reshuffle.
• Without earned knowledge, people can misuse powerful tools like AI, just as they did with nuclear weapons.
• The future with AI could resemble either Skynet or Star Trek, and no one truly knows which way it will go.
• There is risk of psychological strain and social dysfunction if people are displaced without purpose.
• AI tools can now bypass paywalls and summarize articles, challenging traditional media revenue models.
• The current wealth gap and collapse of the middle class is unprecedented, even before full-scale AI disruption.
• Decentralized AI (e.g., having your own local models) is seen as essential to maintain independence and avoid manipulation.
• A growing imbalance of more sellers than buyers suggests further downward pressure on real estate prices.
• Political pressure is influencing Fed policy, with previous rate cuts seen as potentially timed to impact elections.
• Global conflict, such as recent Middle East tensions, is having surprisingly little impact on the stock market.
• Investors should focus on risk management given the unpredictability and detachment from fundamentals.

Today's Panelists:

Kirk Chisholm | Innovative Wealth Douglas Heagren | ProCollege Planners

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For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneytreepodcast.com/ai-just-taught-me-this-cool-thing-723

Mukarram Mawjood is here to share on commodity cycles and investor sentiment secrets. He discusses his focus on alternative assets including precious metals, crypto, and real estate, highlighting silver as his top current pick due to its price lag behind gold and significant upside potential. He explains how gold's recent surge has largely priced in geopolitical risk, while silver remains undervalued despite industrial demand. He also touches on market psychology, gold-to-silver ratios, and how cryptocurrencies are increasingly competing with gold as alternative stores of value.

We discuss...

• Mukarram's firm invests heavily in physical metals, crypto, and real estate—assets with inverse correlation to the U.S. dollar.
• Silver is seen as significantly undervalued relative to gold, presenting a price arbitrage opportunity.
• He sees silver's price lag as typical behavior in precious metal bull cycles, with major catch-up potential.
• Central banks buying gold has driven recent price action, while silver remains overlooked by both institutions and retail investors.
• Geopolitical tensions have driven gold's rise as a safe haven, but easing global instability could rotate capital into silver.
• Mukarram emphasizes timing and patience—investors should scale into undervalued assets before the move happens.
• Crypto has diverted some capital from gold but believes both assets serve different investor needs.
• During COVID, gold quietly doubled from 1,200 to over 2,000, which many missed due to lack of long-term positioning.
• Bitcoin and crypto sometimes move like metals, but when metals act as a safe haven, crypto typically does not.
• Crypto currently offers opportunity not because it's strong, but because it's been beaten down while gold rallied.
• Bitcoin may still hit 100K–200K, but other assets may outperform it percentage-wise during its rise.
• Ethereum has mixed sentiment in the crypto community, but Solana is gaining more institutional adoption.
• Major crypto news events often coincide with local tops, especially in bull markets.
• Crypto cycles are faster (typically 18 months), while metals like gold and silver move in 3–5 year timelines.
• Crude oil's recent stagnation shows how macro factors like tariffs and recession fears can override seasonal patterns.
• Commodities should be chosen based on correlation to the U.S. dollar and liquidity conditions.
• Successful trading is 75% mindset and only 25% technical skill, especially in volatile markets like crypto.

For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneytreepodcast.com/commodity-cycles-mukarram-mawjood-722

Today's Panelists:

• Kirk Chisholm | Innovative Wealth
• Barbara Friedberg | Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance
• Phil Weiss | Apprise Wealth Management

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There is war in the middle east again! Today we talk about the recent escalation of conflict between Israel and Iran, with speculation that the U.S. may be involved indirectly. Media narratives are particularly frustrating, with uncertainty and conflicting reports make it difficult to know what's truly happening. This definitely parallels the financial markets, particularly with how differing narratives shape reactions during times of volatility with many often making moves on perception rather than confirmed facts. The war could potentially impact on oil prices and inflation among other global economic repercussions despite the U.S. being more energy independent.

We discuss...

• War has reignited in the Middle East, with Israel attacking Iran and missiles flying in both directions.
• There's confusion about U.S. involvement, with implications that support for Israel exists behind the scenes.
• The biggest economic concern is the potential for rising oil prices and inflation due to conflict.
• Oil futures spiked shortly after the attack, raising suspicions of insider trading among politicians.
• The discussion draws parallels between the chaos of war and financial markets—both are driven by incomplete, misleading, or rapidly evolving information.
• The role of algorithms and the lack of liquidity are blamed for severe price swings during market disruptions.
• Humans feel compelled to understand market movements even when there may be no clear explanation.
• Market price is the most honest signal, but its drivers are often unknowable or misleading.
• The U.S. is stepping back from global policing, reinforcing an "America First" geopolitical posture.
• China is rapidly overtaking Western industries like autos, robotics, and nuclear energy.
• Global money printing continues to fuel equity markets despite mixed economic signals.
• Investment strategy should focus on capital flows, not moral preferences or outdated macro narratives.
• ESG investing appeals to emotions, but maximizing returns and funding good later may be more effective.
• Google quietly changed its algorithm to penalize independent contractors on major media platforms.
• Search is undergoing a dramatic transformation due to AI, fundamentally changing how users and companies interact with information.
• Google's ad business is threatened as users shift from browsing search results to receiving direct AI-generated answers.
• New technologies upend existing industries, especially if introduced abruptly without time to adapt.
• The global AI race—especially against China—is accelerating progress beyond what's safe or manageable.
• AI will likely displace workers not all at once, but gradually as its capabilities expand and efficiencies are realized.
• AI thinks differently than humans—it doesn't require order or structure to understand inputs.
• Learning how to think and work with AI is becoming a crucial new skill set.

For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneytreepodcast.com/war-in-the-middle-east-721

Today's Panelists:

• Kirk Chisholm | Innovative Wealth
• Phil Weiss | Apprise Wealth Management

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