The Beatles are considered the most influential popular music act of the twentieth century, widely recognized for their influence on popular culture. The inability of other bands and artists to imitate their fame has prompted questions such as: How did the Beatles become so successful? What factors contributed to their success? Why did they break up? Ron and Ed will explore these questions and more in their interview with Professor Samuel R. Staley, author of The Beatles and Economics

Drones are among the most exciting and promising new technologies to emerge in the last few decades. Photographers, firefighters, filmmakers, engineers, and retailers have all used drones to improve public safety, innovate, and enhance creativity. Yet drones pose unique regulatory and privacy issues, and lawmakers at the federal and state levels are adopting policies that both ensure the safety of our national airspace and restrict the use of warrantless aerial surveillance. At a time when low-flying drones are affordable and ubiquitous, how useful are the airspace regulations and privacy laws designed for traditional airplanes and helicopters? Is there a way to build a regulatory and legal environment that ensures entrepreneurs and hobbyists can safely use drones while also protecting us from intrusive aerial surveillance?

Ron and Ed welcome back Professor Baruch Lev from NYU Stern Business School. He was last on back in July 2016 and we discussed his book, The End of Accounting and the Path Forward for Investors and Managers. We talk more about that book and his more recent article in Accounting Today, The sad state of accounting standards.

Would you rather pay for healthcare or for better health? For school or education? For groceries or nutrition? A car or transportation? A theater performance or entertainment? In The Ends Game, Marco Bertini describes how some firms are rewriting the rules of commerce: instead of selling the means (their products and services), they adopt innovative revenue models to pursue ends (actual outcomes). Ron and Ed are thrilled to have Marco on the show for what promises to be a stimulating conversation.

Ed and Ron are honored to welcome back Dan Morris, CPA, to the show. He's a master at the value conversation, and implemented Value Pricing back in his firm in 1996. He specializes in cryptocurrencies, wealth management, asset protection, multinational tax structures, tax optimization and much more. An excellent conversationalist, you don't want to miss this episode with one of the most innovative CPAs we know.

Inspired by A. J. Jacobs when he appeared on Russ Robert's great podcast EconTalk, Ron and Ed have each been keeping a One Thing journal for the last few years. In this episode, they will share some of the best One Things.

We miss Free-Rider Friday's, so were it bringing it back, but just this once. We used to do this on the last Friday of every month. Most of our shows are “topic” driven, where we dive deep into one subject. Free-Rider Fridays were designed to be “event” driven, whatever issues are in the news that we (or you) find worthy of commentary. In economics, free riding means reaping the benefits from the actions of others and consequently refusing to bear the full costs of those actions. This means Ed and Ron will free ride off of the news, and each other, with no advanced knowledge of the events either will bring up. It's also a chance to clear out our stacks of stuff!

In Episode 349, Ron and Ed shared their thoughts and concerns about Woke Capitalism. In an email, Dr. Kimberlee Josephson wrote them saying, I just began listening to your podcast and I’m glad to have stumbled upon it! I wanted to reach out about your Woke Capitalism/ESG segment since this is an area I am trying to voice concern over. Well, in this episode we look forward to Kimberlee sharing those concerns with us.

Joining Ron and Ed this week is two-time Guest Joe Woodard. Joe's vision is to transform small businesses through small business advisors. In the service of that vision, he and his team educate, coach, provide resources and build communities for small business advisors, with the overarching goal of empowering them to play a powerful, high-impact advisory role with their clients.

In addition to a general Subscription Economy update, Ed and Ron will discuss what happens when the subscription model collides with a legacy model. There are essentially three ways to a launch a subscription model. What does the empirical report so far on the most optimal approach? Can you have two business models within the same organization? Join us for an in-depth look at these issues.