#087.  What if the best way to teach your kids about money isn't a piggy bank or a savings account — but a silver coin they can hold in their hand?  In this episode, Justin sits down with Dana Samuelson, president of American Gold Exchange and a 45-year veteran of the precious metals industry, for a conversation that will change the way you think about gold, silver, and how to pass real financial wisdom on to your kids.

Dana and Justin cover:

• Why gold and silver aren't investments — they're a savings technology, and why that distinction matters
• The history of gold as money, and why most North Americans have lost touch with precious metals culture
• Why central banks around the world are buying gold at record levels — and what that signals for everyday families
• The macro forces currently driving gold and silver prices, including debt, de-dollarization, and geopolitical tension
• The growing counterfeit problem in the physical metals market and how to protect yourself
• Why a one-ounce silver coin is one of the most powerful financial teaching tools a parent can put in their child's hands
• Physical gold and silver vs. ETFs — and when each makes sense
• The stepped-up cost basis advantage of passing precious metals on to your heirs

Justin also shares how this conversation inspired him to take his own kids to their local gold and silver dealer — and convert their savings into Canadian Silver Maple Leafs as a hands-on money lesson.

Whether you're a seasoned precious metals investor or have never owned an ounce of gold in your life, this episode is essential listening for any parent who wants to raise financially literate kids.

Connect with Dana Samuelson:
American Gold Exchange — amergold.com | [email protected]

Show notes and more at:

https://moneydadpodcast.com/session087

Support the show

#086.  Most parents think about building wealth through savings, investments, or real estate. But what if one of the most powerful financial literacy tools you could give your kids was a business they could actually see working in real time?

In this episode, Justin sits down with Jon Ostenson, founder of FranBridge Consulting and one of the top franchise consultants in the US, to explore how business ownership — specifically non-food franchising — can be both a wealth-building vehicle and a live classroom for the next generation.

Jon shares how leaving the corporate world changed not just his income, but the money conversations he has with his kids. From paying his children through the business and building them a tax-advantaged nest egg, to teaching his son about the marketing funnel on the school run — Jon is doing exactly what MoneyDad is all about: making real money lessons part of everyday life.

In this episode we cover:

• Why business ownership changes your relationship with money in ways investing alone never does
• The non-food franchise categories seeing the most momentum right now
• What "franchise stacking" is and how families are using it to build diversified income streams
• How some parents are buying franchises specifically for their kids to operate — acting as the capital partner while the franchisor provides the support system
• Franchise vs. buying an existing independent business
• The one money lesson Jon believes every parent should be teaching their kids right now

Whether you're seriously considering business ownership or just starting to think about it, this conversation will challenge how you think about wealth, lifestyle, and what you're modelling for your children.

Resources mentioned:

• FranBridge Consulting: franbridgeconsulting.com
• Free download: Non-Food Franchising by Jon Ostenson (available at franbridgeconsulting.com)

Show notes and more at:

https://moneydadpodcast.com/session086

Support the show

#085.  In this episode, Justin sits down with Lisa Clements, founder of Clear Springs Wealth and a former corporate HR leader at Meta and Accenture, who left a nearly 24-year corporate career to help single women build wealth on their own terms. Lisa brings both professional expertise and lived experience — she's built significant financial independence as a single woman herself, and that perspective shapes everything she teaches.

We dig into why Lisa believes girls need the same expectation boys often get by default: get a job in high school, start managing your own money, and make your money mistakes while you're still under your parents' roof — not for the first time in a college dorm. Lisa shares real stories from her own family and clients about what happens when daughters are — or aren't — brought into financial conversations early, including why opening up the family budget at 14 can build confidence instead of anxiety.

We also cover:

• Why Lisa sees "learned helplessness" show up differently in women around money — and how to tell if it's authentic or a self-protective story
• The decision-making frameworks she teaches clients (and her nieces and nephews) for big money choices — the timeline test, the flexibility filter, and the future-self test
• How everyday moments — a disputed grade, a tough coach conversation, friend drama — are actually financial advocacy training in disguise
• What the Stanford marshmallow experiment gets wrong, and what it means for how we build financial patience in kids
• Practical, low-pressure ways to start a money conversation with your daughter this week

Whether you're raising a daughter, a son, or both, this conversation offers a clear-eyed look at where financial confidence really comes from — and how small, early experiences with money and self-advocacy compound over a lifetime.

Connect with Lisa:
Website: clearspringswealth.com
Instagram/TikTok/YouTube: @clearspringswealth
Email: [email protected]

Show notes and more at:

https://moneydadpodcast.com/session085

Support the show

#084.   What if everything we were taught about money was designed to keep you dependent — on debt, on social security, on a system that was never built for your family's success?

Rebecca Irey grew up watching her family lose a 3,000-acre South Dakota ranch during the Farm Aid crisis of the 1980s — not because they didn't work hard, but because they didn't know the rules of the financial game. Her father was brilliant and driven, but when things went sideways, he didn't know how to pivot. Wealthy families do. And that one difference changes everything.

Rebecca is the founder and CEO of Blue Sky Financial, a certified financial fiduciary, PhD, homeschooling mom of seven, and grandmother of six, who is on a mission to change the financial trajectory of American families — moving them away from dependence on broken systems and toward true legacy wealth and financial independence.

In this episode, Justin and Rebecca cover:

• Why the financial system is designed to create workers — and how to raise kids who think differently
• The importance of building a financial foundation first, so everything above it can be aggressive, experimental, and bold
• Why there is almost no point in life where you cannot start over — and why starting early makes it nearly impossible to fail
• How Rebecca teaches her seven children to become their own safety net, and the vision-casting technique that makes saving feel exciting at any age
• Why debt is not the enemy — and how wealthy families use it as a tool to build wealth rather than spend it
• The testing strategy that can give your kids up to two years of college credit before they ever step on a campus — debt-free
• The retirement tax time bomb hiding in your IRA — and why Roth conversions may be the most important financial move you're not making
• Why the market always comes back — but why that's cold comfort if your timing is wrong
• The story behind the name Blue Skye Financial, and why every family deserves someone in their corner when life knocks them down

Show notes and more at:

https://moneydadpodcast.com/session084

Support the show

#083. What if the financial system your kids inherit looks nothing like the one you grew up with? According to Silicon Valley venture capitalist Matthew Le Merle, that's not a hypothetical - it's already happening. Matthew is the co-founder of Fifth Era and Blockchain Coinvestors, and has backed over 750 blockchain and AI companies, including 75+ unicorns. In this episode, he breaks down why the digitalization of money is the next great transformation — and what it means for parents raising kids today.

We cover:

• Why blockchain is to finance what the internet was to communication - and why you don't need to understand the technology to benefit from it
• How to invest in innovation the right way, including why venture capital follows a power curve, not a normal distribution
• The money values Matthew and his wife Allison passed on to their five kids - and why "money is energy" is the framework that changed how he thinks about wealth
• Why the skills that will matter most in an AI-powered world aren't content-based - they are creativity, critical thinking, and the ability to keep learning
• The real reason your kids are better positioned for the future of finance than you are

Show notes and more at:

https://moneydadpodcast.com/session083

Support the show

#082. What if the financial industry has been quietly working against you all along? In this episode, Justin sits down with Robert Rolih - international bestselling author of The Million Dollar Decision and long-term investing mentor to clients in over 73 countries — to unpack the hidden forces draining everyday investors' wealth and the refreshingly simple strategies that actually work.

Robert shares his personal story of building a business from the ground up in Slovenia, only to lose most of his profits by blindly trusting financial advisors. That wake-up call sent him on a mission to master personal finance — and what he discovered changed everything.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why a seemingly small 1% management fee can cost you over $1 million by retirement
• The only investment products worth your money (and the ones to avoid completely)
• Why the simplest investing strategy outperforms most professionals — including Warren Buffett
• How to build a stress-free, long-term portfolio without following the news
• Robert's practical framework for teaching your kids about money, investing, and delayed gratification
• Why keeping your children off social media might be one of the smartest financial parenting moves you make

Whether you're just starting your investing journey or looking to simplify what you already have, Robert's message is clear: investing doesn't have to be complicated — and the industry's dirty secret is that it never was.

Show notes and more at:

https://moneydadpodcast.com/session082

Support the show

#081. What if the best investment for your kid has nothing to do with what worked for you?

In this episode, Justin sits down with Russ Morgan, co-founder of Wealth Without Wall Street and host of the Wealth Without Wall Street Podcast, to unpack one of the most overlooked concepts in building family wealth — Investor DNA.

Russ grew up in a home where money was scarce, watched his mom freeze her credit cards in a block of ice to avoid spending, and stumbled into the financial advisory world just in time to have everything he thought he knew blown up by the 2008 financial crisis. That reset sent him on a mission to find a better path — one that doesn't require waiting 30 years to start living.

In this conversation, Justin and Russ explore:

• Investor DNA — why every person, including your kids, is wired to invest in different ways, and how discovering that early can prevent decades of costly mistakes
• The financial freedom formula — passive income greater than monthly expenses, and how to use that simple scoreboard to make smarter decisions with every dollar
• The "just try" mindset — why imperfect action beats perfect paralysis, and why the best investors hit singles, not home runs
• Real-world passive income for kids — from vending machines to short-term rentals, how to get your kids building income streams before they even leave high school
• Why passive doesn't mean hands-off — the front-end work that separates successful investors from disappointed ones
• The family time you can't get back — why financial freedom isn't just a money goal, it's a parenting one

Whether you're just starting to think about building passive income or you're already on that path, this episode will give you a fresh framework for how to think about money — and how to pass the right lessons on to your kids before the wrong ones take hold.

Resources mentioned: WealthwithoutWallStreet.com/moneydad

Show notes and more at:

https://moneydadpodcast.com/session081

Support the show

#080. In this episode, Justin sits down with Deb Kierstead - educator, homeschooling pioneer, and creator of the Live Skills Money programs — to talk about why most kids graduate without the financial skills they actually need in life, and what parents can do about it right now.

Deb shares her framework for building real money confidence in kids of any age, the three saving strategies she teaches (including the Mars Method — her favourite), and why budgeting is actually about freedom, not restriction.

Her son used these habits to buy his own home at 24. This episode is the playbook.

What you'll learn:

• Why financial habits start locking in by age 7
• The three-question spending test that eliminates guilt
• How to model healthy money habits even if you didn't grow up with them
• Why good debt and bad debt are conversations worth having with your 8-year-old

Show notes and more at:

https://moneydadpodcast.com/session080

Support the show

#079. In this episode, Justin sits down with Peter Swain — serial entrepreneur, AI strategist, and dad of two — to explore how artificial intelligence is radically reshaping the world of business, parenting, and financial freedom.

Peter has spent his career at the cutting edge of disruptive technology, from building some of Europe's earliest websites and working directly with Steve Jobs, to now advising entrepreneurs and organizations around the world on harnessing AI without losing their humanity. And his message is clear: when it comes to AI, there is no middle ground. There's a thrive option and a die option — and the clock is ticking.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why AI is not optional for entrepreneurs and what "thrive or die" really means for your business and your family's financial future
• The four levels of AI adoption — and how to move from using it as a glorified Google to building end-to-end businesses that run without human intervention
• How Peter is building a business he projects could generate over $100 million a year with zero human employees — and the jaw-dropping math behind it
• Why context matters more than prompting — and the 500-to-1 ratio that will immediately improve everything you get out of AI
• Peter's simple 15-minute-a-day prescription for any parent or entrepreneur who doesn't know where to start with AI
• The concept of "whole life decision making" — how Peter feeds AI his spiritual, financial, family and personal goals so every business decision serves his whole life, not just his bottom line
• What 30% unemployment could actually look like — and the three solutions being discussed at the highest levels of government and business
• Why Peter is focused entirely on soft skills when raising his kids — empathy, adaptability, resilience and communication — and why those are the skills AI still can't replicate
• How Peter's kids are already learning entrepreneurial thinking at home — with debit cards, chores, and pitching dad for what they want

This episode will challenge the way you think about work, freedom, technology and what it means to set your kids up for a future that looks nothing like today.

Show notes and more at:

https://moneydadpodcast.com/session079

Support the show

#078. In this episode, Justin sits down with educator Robert Coutts, who has built a real-life “classroom economy” where students earn income, pay expenses, run businesses, and even pay a mortgage on their desks.

Instead of just teaching financial literacy, Robert creates an environment where kids experience money decisions every single day—learning lessons about saving, spending, investing, and responsibility in a hands-on way.

From classroom jobs to business fairs, and even dealing with debt and consequences, this system is helping students build real-world money skills long before adulthood.

We chat about how a classroom economy system actually works, the power of delayed gratification and early money habits, why ownership and accountability are important skills, and practical ways to teach money lessons at home.

Show notes and more at:

https://moneydadpodcast.com/session078

Support the show