The rain has stopped. The storm is over. But what happens to Houston in the months and years afterwards?

 

In this episode, I talk with economist Reid I’Anson about the economic toll Hurricane Harvey is having and will have on Houston and the other areas impacted by the storm. Since we both live in Houston, we each share our personal story about what we experienced during the storm.

 

We discuss:

-Hurricane Harvey facts

-Our personal stories during the storm

-Short term and long term economic impacts of Harvey

 

 

 

If you didn’t think bitcoin was complicated enough, another layer of complexity has emerged in the cryptocurrency world to keep you confused – Initial Coin Offerings.

 

-Content Level: Advanced-

 

In this episode, I talk with Coinvault ATM’s Chief Information Officer Darrell Malone about his take on the evolution of cryptocurrencies and the emergence of initial coin offerings. Through his technical expertise, Darrell gives us a deeper understanding of how cryptocurrencies work and what is going on with these ICO’s.

 

We discuss:

-Coinvault ATM

-the genesis of Bitcoin

-reasons for the existence of cryptocurrency

-problems in the current money system

-the story of Mt. Gox

-security behind cryptocurrencies

-Initial Coin Offerings

 

 

 

Cars can be a huge money sink. They’re a big ticket item and they depreciate fast, so you never really even expect to get back more than your started with.

 

-Content Level: Beginner-

 

In the continuation of this episode, I talk with my cousin Andy and my dad about car maintenance. Andy has been a car mechanic for the past 17 years and currently handles anything from rebuilding engines and transmissions to A/C work and regular service maintenance. My dad has been the self-proclaimed owner of over 60 different old “junker” cars over the course of 50 years and learned the hard way through experience and trial and error how to handle car maintenance.

 

We discuss:

-top recommendations to save money on repairs

-how to decide whether it’s better to poor money into repairs or get a new car

 

 

Cars can be a huge money sink. They’re a big ticket item and they depreciate fast, so you never really even expect to get back more than your started with.

 

-Content Level: Beginner-

 

In this episode, I talk with my cousin Andy and my dad about car maintenance. Andy has been a car mechanic for the past 17 years and currently handles anything from rebuilding engines and transmissions to A/C work and regular service maintenance. My dad has been the self-proclaimed owner of over 60 different old “junker” cars over the course of 50 years and learned the hard way through experience and trial and error how to handle car maintenance.

 

We discuss:

-what can go bad on your car

-preventative maintenance you can do to extend the life of your car

-the really expensive things to fix on your car

-fixing minor things yourself

 

 

Imagine a scene out of Mad Max. It’s a post-apocalyptic world where everyone is fighting for survival and chaos reigns supreme. Now watch a real clip from Venezuela in 2017:

 

 

Not much difference. Gangs of people chase down a sugar truck to raid it for supplies because there is so little to go around.

 

-Content Level: Advanced-

 

In part 2 of this episode, I continue to speak with Gus about the chaotic situation going on in Venezuela right now. Gus is a Venezuelan living in America with family still living down in Venezuela. Gus reveals the ugly details of what is happening and how it came to be.

 

We discuss:

-the rise of Hugo Chavez and the Bolivarian Revolution

-the institution of social welfare programs

-continuation of the Revolution under Nicolás Maduro

-dangers of socialism

-social unrest and protests in Venezuela

 

 

Imagine a scene out of Mad Max. It’s a post-apocalyptic world where everyone is fighting for survival and chaos reigns supreme. Now watch a real clip from Venezuela in 2017:

 

 

 

Not much difference. Gangs of people chase down a sugar truck to raid it for supplies because there is so little to go around.

 

-Content Level: Advanced-

 

In this episode, I speak with Gus about the chaotic situation going on in Venezuela right now. Gus is a Venezuelan living in America with family still living down in Venezuela. Gus reveals the ugly details of what is happening and how it came to be.

 

We discuss:

-the state of Venezuelan society

-Venezuelan hyperinflation

-Venezuelan dependence on oil

-Citizens’ dissatisfaction with the Venezuelan government

 

 

Remember the scene from Dumb and Dumber when the bad guy opens the money briefcase to find a bunch of pieces of paper instead of money?

 

Bad Guy: “Where’s all the money?”

 

Lloyd: “That’s as good as money, sir. Those are IOU’s. You can add them up yourself. Every penny’s accounted for.”

 

As ludicrous as the situation is, it isn’t that far from the truth…

 

 

-Content Level: Advanced-

In this episode, I continue the talk from last week with Murray about the banking system, discussing how it works and pontificating on the systemic risk that is inherent in the current structure of banking.

 

We discuss:

-fractional reserve banking

-bank runs

-FDIC insurance

-how risky is too risky in the banking system

-economic cycles theory

 

 

Remember the scene from Dumb and Dumber when the bad guy opens the money briefcase to find a bunch of pieces of paper instead of money?

 

Bad Guy: “Where’s all the money?”

 

Lloyd: “That’s as good as money, sir. Those are IOU’s. You can add them up yourself. Every penny’s accounted for.”

 

As ludicrous as the situation is, it isn’t that far from the truth…

 

 

-Content Level: Advanced-

 

In this episode, I talk with Murray about the history of lending and how the current banking system came to be.

 

We get into:

-the history of money lending

-reasons to borrow/lend

-the purpose of collateral behind a loan

-the evolution of modern banking

-fractional reserve banking

 

 

Med school is only one case of “If only I knew then what I know now”, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to ponder the subject if you’re in medias res.

 

-Content Level: Beginner-

 

In this episode, Dallas interviews Zach, a doctor entering residency. As someone who has gone through medical school, Zach has experience having to take out large student loans to commit to long-term career choices. Zach shares his perspective on the decision-making process he has encountered while progressing through the medical field.

 

We get into:

-differences and variety within medical specialties

-positives and negatives of being a doctor

-determinants of excelling as a doctor

-considering the full cost of medical education

-wages of doctors

-the trade-off between cost and salary in evaluating the decision to get into medicine

-student loans and how to handle them

 

 

 

The true art of a deal – negotiation. Figuring out what you have that someone else wants so that you can get what they have and find a win-win solution.

 

-Content Level: Advanced-

 

In this episode, Dallas interviews Brett Bollinger about the art of negotiation. As an engineer who has moved into sales, Brett has experience in preparing bids in response to Request for Proposals for large gas turbine installations and negotiating multi-million dollar deals. Brett shares his perspective on negotiation through personal anecdotes and lessons learned from experience.

 

In part 1 of the episode, we went into:

-the purpose of negotiation

-why negotiation skills are valuable

-the opportunity for win-win negotiations

-thinking about negotiation in your real-life circumstances

-price exploration during negotiation

-negotiation tactics

 

 

In part 2 of the episode, we go deeper on negotiation tactics and address:

-making your offer the best option to your counter-party

-being the “easy button”

-knowing what’s most important to you in the negotiation

-determining in advance what unacceptable terms would be for you

-the value of rapport

-hostile negotiation

-game theory

-identifying alternatives in the event of no deal