In this episode of the Rate of Return Podcast, we're going to be showcasing a separate episode I recorded for iHeartRadio and Intuit Quickbooks alongside Jannese Torres -- Mind the Business: Small Business Success Stories.

To follow Mind the Business, click here!

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Owning a small business can be one of the most rewarding and challenging things a person does. Amid an uncertain economy and ever-evolving consumer trends, there is a lot to figure out and navigate to ensure your business thrives. Join hosts Jannese Torres (Yo Quiero Dinero) and Austin Hankwitz (Rate of Return) as they connect with small business owners and hear their stories about managing the ups and downs of starting and growing a small business. Listen and learn valuable lessons from their experiences that will guide you along the way through your own small business journey.

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In business, you have to spend money to make money. But you also have to have money to spend it. Hosts Austin and Jannese discuss how to decide which type of funding makes sense for your small business and explain the differences between angel investors, VC funding, crowdfunding, small business loans, and grants.

Later, Ami Kumordzie, founder of fintech company Sika Health, joins the show to share her empowering story of beating the odds as a Black woman who raised a $6.2M seed round from world-class investors during a pandemic.

Learn more about how QuickBooks can help you start, grow, and fund your business:

• https://quickbooks.intuit.com/

• https://quickbooks.intuit.com/capital/

For more resources and insights around growing a new business visit: 

https://quickbooks.intuit.com/r/starting-a-business/

https://quickbooks.intuit.com/r/small-business-data/new-business-insights-2023/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Austin Hankwitz sits down with Troy Cates, co-founder of NEOS Investments, to learn more about income-focused ETFs. The ETFs covered in this podcast are $SPYI, $BNDI, and $CSHI. To learn more about each ETF, please visit their website and do your own research. 

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Disclaimer: This is not financial advice or recommendation for any investment. The Content is for informational purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

In this episode of the Rate of Return podcast, John Eringman (@johnefinance) joins us to explain his journey as a "house hacker." 

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More about John:

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More about Fundrise:

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Fruitful's CEO, Josh McManus, joins Austin Hankwitz to finally introduce his company to the world. After two years in stealth, Fruitful emerges as the world's first financial membership. We discuss the "messy middle," building generational wealth, how he manages his company to emphasize "for progress" instead of "for profit," and how he manages his personal finances. 

Fruitful is an incredible wealth-building tool - unlocking Certified Financial Planners to folks who might not have been afforded the opportunity without them. Their public-launch is slated for October 2022, but to sign up for their waitlist use the link below. 

https://fruitful.co/

IperionX's managing director and CEO, Taso Arima, walks us through his experience founding the Lithium giant Piedmont Lithium (PLL), where his desire in metals technology stems from, issues with the global Titanium supply chain, and how IperionX is reimagining how the United States approaches extraction and distribution of the all-important asset that is Titanium. 

Austin Hankwitz sits down with serial entrepreneur Mike Mayer to talk all things.. air conditioners? 

Mike Mayer, the co-founder of Windmill Air, walks us through his initial idea for the product, when he believes it's time to go "all-in" on building a startup, the major problems Windmill Air solves for their customers, as well as their positive impact on the Earth's environment. 

Paid non-client of Betterment, and views may not be representative. Click to learn more.

Betterment's Senior Vice President of Product Strategy & Sustainable Investing, Boris Khentov, joins Austin Hankwitz to talk everything ESG. We discuss product expansion since launch, the company's ESG-focused investing strategy, how they ensure their ESG investments properly reflect this ever-evolving landscape, and the rise of employer-sponsored ESG investing. 

Learn more about this relationship at www.betterment.com/austin. See more reviews at the App Store and Google Play Store.

Austin Hankwitz sits down with Dr. Roman Yampolskiy, Professor of Computer Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Louisville’s Speed School of Engineering, to discuss the basis of AI, superintelligence, and cybersecurity. 

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Dr. Roman Yampolskiy holds a PhD from the Computer Science and Engineering Department at the University at Buffalo, Bachelor’s & Master’s degrees in Computer Science from the Rochester Institute of Technology, and worked at the Center for Advanced Spatial Analysis at the University of London. He is the author of over 100 publications, has been cited by over 1,000 scientists, and his research has been featured over 250 times in media reports across 22 languages.

Paid non-client of Betterment, and views may not be representative. Click to learn more.

Betterment's Vice President of Crypto Investing, Jesse Proudman, joins Austin Hankwitz to talk everything crypto. Jesse's background and first exit to IBM, the 2018 crypto bull-run, starting Strix Leviathan during a bear market, the company's strategy for selecting "blue chip" cryptos, and Makara's recent sale to Betterment. 

Learn more about this relationship at www.betterment.com/austin. See more reviews at the App Store and Google Play Store.

Karat Financial's co-founders Eric Wei and Will Kim walk us through their experience building the "Black Card" for online content creators, their master plan for where they're taking their business, how they were able to get other incredible entrepreneurs on their cap table, and their thoughts on underlying trends being seen in the Creator Economy.