The Human Revolution with Dylan Bain

In today's episode, Dylan talks about the system versus the individual debate. Are we completely responsible for our place in society? Can our individual actions meaningfully change the system? How do we begin to approach this hotly contested political football?

Show Highlights

• [03:29] Things in the political realm that hold true for Dylan
• [06:52] The system versus the individual
• [09:15] On people who believe systems are paramount
• [13:44] The core of the "systems are paramount" idea
• [17:41] On the idea that the individual is paramount
• [20:18] On people who believe that the individual is paramount
• [22:17] Why systems and individuals have a symbiotic relationship
• [26:14] Why the system versus the individual debate matters when it comes to personal finance

Links and Resources

• Fiscally Savage
• Fiscally Savage Tools
• Fiscally Savage Suggested Reading
• Fiscally Savage on Instagram
• Fiscally Savage on Facebook
• Fiscally Savage on Twitter

Books Mentioned

• Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results by James Clear
• As a Man Thinketh by James Allen
• The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith
• A More Complete Beast by Jack Donovan

ChatGPT is the latest artificial intelligence (AI) sensation that can generate human-like text. Following its launch last December, ChatGPT took the internet by storm, sparking fears that it could put creative professionals out of work in the near future.

But AI tools like ChatGPT are unlikely to make humans obsolete anytime soon, even if a tech-driven future is closer than we may think. As with previous technological advances, how we interact with the world will likely change in the era of widely accessible AI tools. Whether for better or worse, though, is anyone's guess.

In today's episode, Dylan wades into AI territory, offering sobering but hopeful commentary on the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. He also talks about whether AI tools will take over jobs and how we can prepare for an uncertain future in a world of AI.

Show Highlights

• [01:49] ChatGPT and what it does
• [05:08] Automation during the Industrial Revolution
• [08:40] The economic impact of the North American Free Trade Agreement
• [13:38] How we can prepare for an AI takeover, according to ChatGPT
• [16:24] How we can actually prepare for an uncertain future in a world of AI
• [21:46] The silver lining

Links and Resources

• Fiscally Savage
• Fiscally Savage Tools
• Fiscally Savage on Instagram
• Fiscally Savage on Facebook
• Fiscally Savage on Twitter

Seemingly simple day-to-day interactions between parents and children can have lasting effects on the latter. For instance, they can give rise to money wounds — stories, beliefs, and thought patterns around money that keep us from abundance.

If left unchecked, money wounds can trickle down from generation to generation. But they don't have to. We can and should break the cycle for our children, and it starts with understanding our role as parents.

In today's episode, Dylan talks about how children grow and mature, what our roles as parents are, and how this all connects to our financial lives.

Show Highlights

• [03:31] Why children are intensely human
• [05:45] The Freeman attachment cycle
• [11:23] How the Freeman attachment cycle is often interrupted in a Western context
• [15:53] How Dr. Benjamin Spock influenced generations of parents
• [20:05] How parents can unwittingly perpetuate trauma
• [25:05] How the Freeman attachment cycle connects to our financial lives

Links and Resources

• Duey Freeman
• Gestalt Equine Institute of the Rockies
• Fiscally Savage
• Fiscally Savage Tools
• Fiscally Savage on Instagram
• Fiscally Savage on Facebook
• Fiscally Savage on Twitter

Books Mentioned

• The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture by Gabor Maté

Politicians are once again preparing to play the world's dumbest game of chicken over the national debt ceiling.

Last week, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned that the country is on track to hit the debt ceiling — the maximum amount of money that the federal government can borrow to meet funding needs.

The news has prompted warnings from economists about a potential fiscal crisis if Congress doesn't take action soon. But it's not clear whether congressional leaders will agree to raise the debt ceiling without strings attached.

In today's episode, Dylan explains what the debt ceiling is and how it works, what will happen if Congress doesn't raise it, and why it matters to the average American.

Show Highlights

• [01:50] What the debt ceiling is
• [04:58] The debt ceiling through the years
• [07:15] How the debt ceiling works
• [11:49] What the debt ceiling fight boils down to
• [13:28] What will happen if Congress doesn't raise the debt ceiling
• [18:22] The likely bargaining chips in the debt ceiling fight
• [21:25] The bottom line of the debt ceiling fight

Links and Resources

• Fiscally Savage
• Fiscally Savage Tools
• Fiscally Savage on Instagram
• Fiscally Savage on Facebook
• Fiscally Savage on Twitter

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is one of the most well-known theories of motivation. It states that our actions are motivated by certain physiological and psychological needs, each more complex than the last.

A similarly important hierarchy worth discussing is the hierarchy of service.

In today's episode, Dylan picks up from last week's discussion about the state of play when it comes to service by taking a look at the three levels of the hierarchy of service.

Show Highlights

• [04:07] The first level of the hierarchy of service
• [06:12] Why self-care is not optional
• [06:12] The second level of the hierarchy of service
• [10:59] The third level of the hierarchy of service
• [15:54] How you can start being of service to yourself

Links and Resources

• Fiscally Savage
• Fiscally Savage Tools
• Fiscally Savage on Instagram
• Fiscally Savage on Facebook
• Fiscally Savage on Twitter

Over the past few months, tech companies as big as Amazon, Meta, and Netflix laid workers off by the thousands. And announcements of job cuts keep coming.

Despite the gloomy headlines, however, tech layoffs aren't actually that big of a deal for the economy as a whole. The need for tech talent remains steady across other sectors and tech hiring is still strong, as per the recently released US jobs report. So, the question we should ask ourselves is: Why are these companies laying these people off?

In today's episode, Dylan discusses the recent tech layoffs and their many nuances, quiet hiring, and US labor productivity.

Show Highlights

• [02:33] Why layoffs are inherently emotional
• [04:32] How expecting a recession can trigger a recession
• [07:57] Why tech companies' profits are going down
• [14:35] On quiet hiring
• [17:06] Why US productivity growth is so slow
• [21:51] On the importance of working for yourself

Links and Resources

• Fiscally Savage
• Fiscally Savage Tools
• Fiscally Savage on Instagram
• Fiscally Savage on Facebook
• Fiscally Savage on Twitter

Sitting at the top of Maslow's hierarchy of needs is self-actualization. Maslow describes this level as the desire to reach our full potential — to do everything we can, to become the most we can be.

One way we may perceive this need is to have a strong desire to use our full powers in the service of others. Unfortunately, the reality for many people is that service is just another vehicle to make themselves feel good, not unlike the way buying a new car or a new smartphone can make you feel good.

In the age of social media, it's really trendy to talk about wanting to serve others or to reframe things that we do as being of service. So, in today's episode, Dylan gets down to the nitty-gritty of service. What are the ways we may reframe our desires as being of service to others? Why do we, as a culture, have an issue with service? And how do we actually be of service to others?

Show Highlights

• [03:43] The two sides of wanting to serve others
• [12:47] Why we generally have an issue with service
• [15:46] Why broke people can't be of service to anyone
• [19:03] Why you can't be of service to others if you're stressed
• [21:26] On setting yourself on fire to keep others warm
• [23:54] How you can start being of service to others

Links and Resources

• Fiscally Savage
• Fiscally Savage Tools
• Fiscally Savage on Instagram
• Fiscally Savage on Facebook
• Fiscally Savage on Twitter

Books Mentioned

• No More Mr. Nice Guy by Robert A. Glover

In this first Friday episode of Fiscally Savage in 2023, Dylan answers some interesting questions from his Instagram followers, tackling relevant topics like inflation and offering some hard-hitting personal finance advice while he's at it.

Show Highlights

• [01:22] Where you can start on your personal finance journey
• [06:06] Explaining zero-based budgeting to friends and family
• [07:56] On slipping backward with your budget
• [10:25] The most significant resistance to changing your relationship with money
• [18:07] Dylan's biggest inspiration in the workplace
• [19:40] Transitioning from a blue-collar job to a commission-based job
• [25:14] Myths about financial security
• [29:15] On purchasing power and inflation
• [34:30] What you can do about inflation

Links and Resources

• Venus and Mars Podcast with Anya Shakhmeyster
• Fiscally Savage
• Fiscally Savage Tools
• Fiscally Savage on Instagram
• Fiscally Savage on Facebook
• Fiscally Savage on Twitter

It's that time of year — the in-laws have left, the fridge is full of leftovers, and you have a laundry list of things you want to start doing differently so you can live your best life this year.

But change inherently means conflict. When you start to reinvent your life to serve you on your terms, you'll inevitably run into something called the social problem.

In today's episode, Dylan talks about change. What makes it so difficult? Why do we struggle to change? And how do we face it head-on?

Show Highlights

• [03:31] On humans' tribal nature
• [08:24] Examples of major cultural hallmarks that create a tribal identity
• [13:19] The personal part of the social problem
• [16:12] The political part of the social problem
• [18:55] The three things that will happen when you make a change in your life

Links and Resources

• Fiscally Savage
• Fiscally Savage Tools
• Fiscally Savage on Instagram
• Fiscally Savage on Facebook
• Fiscally Savage on Twitter

Books Mentioned

• The Swoly Bible: The Bro Science Way of Life by Dom Mazzetti

As the year draws to a close, Dylan looks back at 2022 — his year of growth — and shares some of the lessons he learned in his self-development journey, how he has run his life for the last eight years, and his hopes for the new year — his year of emancipation.

Show Highlights

• [02:52] Why Dylan joined men's groups
• [04:02] On breaking the year into four sections
• [07:29] Dylan's theme for 2023
• [09:22] Why the US educational system and industrial food system are anti-human
• [16:09] How humans' attitudes towards exercise changed over time

Links and Resources

• Episode 25: Set Yourself up for Success With a New Year's Theme
• Fiscally Savage
• Fiscally Savage Tools
• Fiscally Savage on Instagram
• Fiscally Savage on Facebook
• Fiscally Savage on Twitter

Books Mentioned

• The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington
• Sovereignty: The Battle for the Hearts and Minds of Men by Ryan Michler