This Time Is Different

The Fintech sector is responsible for the rapid transformation and digitalization of financial tools that help consumers intelligently manage and understand their money. Making an incredibly positive impact, financial services companies distance consumers from the legacy banking system and provide access to historically underrepresented communities. Despite this progress, it is a well known fact that a disproportionate number of entrepreneurs and decision makers within Fintech do not adequately reflect their consumer base. In light of this, there are calls for diversifying all levels of the industry to build a more inclusive financial system.

When financial service products are developed through a narrow lens of beliefs, experiences, and assumptions, underbanked or marginalized communities may be affected in unintentional ways. Alternatively, financial tools built with a broader lens adequately predict these impacts and may ultimately translate to a stronger bottom line. Techworkers of today have a unique opportunity to rewrite a stained past of discriminatory financial practices by designing and marketing the inclusive financial tools of tomorrow. The diversification of perspectives within the Fintech community will provide immense benefit to US consumers as well as increase a solution’s marketability to a global audience.

In this episode, Malcolm sits down with Drew Glover, Founding Partner at Fiat Growth, a strategic marketing shop working with some of the largest fintech, insurtech & rewards brands such as Chime, Lemonade, and Motley Fool. With the vision to scale products accessible to all, Fiat Growth aligns the most impactful companies to collaborate and empower the global consumer, regardless of socioeconomic status. Drew focuses on providing growth, mentorship, and venture capital to start-ups that help streamline and diversify the FinTech acquisition funnel. He believes that everybody deserves access to financial tools that build wealth and simplify life.

Drew Glover discusses:

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About Our Guest:

Drew is a Founding Partner of Fiat Growth and General Partner at Fiat Ventures. He is no stranger to the world of growth, technology, and marketing. From his time at Steady where he led marketplace development and growth to Namely, Fjord, and Portal A, he navigated the ins and outs of Go-to-Market strategies and user acquisition. He has helped companies like Root, JP Morgan Chase, adidas and Nike bring award-winning services and partnerships to market.

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Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

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Equity is an important aspect of any tech worker’s overall compensation. This employee perk gives you a stake in the company and incentive to perform. Not only should it be negotiated upon hire, but also leveraged to its full-potential as your career progresses. When times are good, it’s comfortable to continue taking shares, but what happens when the market sours? The looming recession is forcing some workers to navigate falling stock prices for the first time. 

While it’s tempting to mitigate risk by increasing cash compensation, it often provides marginal lifestyle comfort to high-earning workers. In contrast, continuing to receive equity has advantages that are often overlooked. Whether you have stock options or restricted stocks, today’s episode provides an alternative narrative to the doom and gloom of financial downturns. We'll explore how to identify bear market opportunities, as well as strategic advice for those debating on how to manage their options. Through this lens, you’ll be well-equipped to weather recessions and make the most of your equity compensation.

In this episode, Malcolm Ethridge sits down with Brooke Harley, Founder and CEO of ClassRebel, an online e-learning company that offers affordable and relevant courses on wealth-building, angel investing, and the basics of managing equity. Through her work with ClassRebel, Brooke levels the playing field by making these investing topics available to anyone that wants to learn. She believes that anyone receiving equity compensation should view bear markets as a moment of opportunity rather than a moment of panic. Prior to founding ClassRebel, Brooke worked as a corporate attorney, venture investor, and startup board member.

Brooke Harley Discusses: 

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LinkedIn: Malcolm Ethridge

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MalcolmOnMoney Newsletter 

@MalcolmOnMoney

About our Guest:

Brooke Harley is the Founder and CEO of ClassRebel, an online e-learning company that offers affordable and relevant courses on wealth-building, angel investing, and the basics of managing equity. After deploying capital from her first VC fund, Brooke realized that many entrepreneurs had a distinct socio-educational advantage in raising money. Class Rebel represents her efforts to level the playing field by making these investing topics available to anyone that wants to learn them. Prior to founding ClassRebel, Brooke worked as a corporate attorney, venture investor, and startup board member.

Mentioned in this episode:

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

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The process of assets changing hands from one generation to the next within a family is what we mean when we use the term "generational wealth." But in actuality, the next generation may not be equipped to manage the money they inherit. However, it is also true that family wealth can be diluted as it is divided amongst children and other heirs, especially if each has a different stance on how to invest or manage their individual finances. And to make matters worse, if the proper legal documentation and instructions are not in place, it can be difficult for families to protect what they've worked so hard for.

That’s why estate planning is so important. It provides a mechanism for transferring assets from one generation to another without costly tax implications or legal complications. By establishing an estate plan, individuals can provide clear instructions of how to divide their assets and ensure that their wishes are carried out in the end. This can help ease both the emotional and the financial burden, and create much-needed peace of mind for all parties involved.

In this episode, Malcolm Ethridge sits down with Martha Underwood, co-founder and CEO of Prismm, a company leveraging technology to ensure wealth transfers appropriately at the end of a life. They discuss the ways in which Martha is leveraging her 25 years of experience in technology to develop products and services that help people manage the tedious administrative tasks that require attention when a loved one passes away.

Martha Underwood discusses: 

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Connect With Malcolm Ethridge:

LinkedIn: Malcolm Ethridge

Capital Area Planning Group

MalcolmOnMoney Newsletter 

@MalcolmOnMoney

About Our Guest:

From IBM in Florida to Silicon Valley and now Birmingham, Alabama, Martha has built a storied career in the software technology industry. Her accomplishments include building enterprise solutions for insurance carriers, working on the earliest iterations of healthcare patient portals, and positioning startups for acquisition by designing business models and optimizing product offerings.

Martha currently serves as the CEO of Prismm, a company dedicated to leveraging technology to ensure wealth transfer at the end of life. Her focus is on taking a creative and innovative approach to handling documents and assets using best-in-class digital practices. With more than 25 years of experience, Martha is putting her enthusiastic passion for technology to work developing products and services to help people manage the often daunting affairs and tedious administrative tasks that require attention when a loved one transitions this life.

Mentioned in this episode:

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

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It’s widely believed that work is something that is supposed to happen between the hours of 9 to 5, 40 hours per week, 5 days per week, 50 weeks per year, for 40 years, until age 65 or later. Then, and only then, are you allowed to think about and prioritize the people and things that matter to you the most. Or at least that’s how it seems. But in reality, you should also be spending your younger years enjoying time together with friends and family, exploring and traveling, and dedicating your time to the causes that you care about - not just when you're older.

In order to enjoy that level of time freedom, it will require you to reach some semblance of financial independence earlier in life. But these days, when people hear the term financial independence, their minds automatically envision the super-rich tech entrepreneur who founded a company from their dorm room and the next day, sold it for billions of dollars. Or they think of the extreme case of winning a multi-million-dollar lottery prize or some other sort of life altering windfall. But this doesn’t have to be the case.

In this episode, Malcolm Ethridge shares his thoughts on financial independence; what it is, what it’s not, and what it will take to reach it in this lifetime. As a millennial on his own financial independence journey, Malcolm [take this from the back jacket text]

Malcolm Ethridge Discusses: 

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Long gone are the days of investing solely for the bottom line. A growing percentage of investors want to put their hard-earned money behind organizations that align with their personal values. Some want to move away from a one-size fits all basket of blue-chip stocks, for one that supports initiatives that actually matter to them. While some may strictly invest in this manner as an outward expression of their values, others believe this is a winning formula for people and the planet.

Are the supply chains ethically developed? Do the employees receive fair compensation? What is the background of C-Suite executives and the board of directors? When investors base financial decisions on these factors, it is known as ESG investing. ESG Investing is a strategy that takes into account the Environmental, Social, and Governance factors of an organization. How a company affects the environment, how it treats its employees and communities, and how leadership governs the organization all contribute to a company’s ESG profile. But from a financial standpoint, are these initiatives really worth the hype?

In this episode, Malcolm Ethridge sits down with Daniel Naim, founder and CEO of Fennel, an ESG investing platform created to empower retail investors with the knowledge required to advance the “engaged shareholder movement”. Daniel shares how after beginning his own personal investing journey, he observed the ways in which traditional investment platform models fail to encourage the alignment of customer and company values. Daniel shares the key ESG metrics he believes investors should pay attention to, as well his personal mission to promote shareholder activism across the industry.

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About Our Guest:

Daniel Naim is a physics PhD who grew up in Beirut Lebanon and went to university at Berkeley. He is intent on making the world a better place.He also developed an anti-neutrino detector that could be used to measure the plutonium production of nuclear reactors from over 100 miles away. This detector simultaneously pushed the frontier of dark matter detection in the WIMP candidate space by over 3 orders of magnitude.

Mentioned in this episode:

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

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In this episode, Malcolm Ethridge sits down with friend of the show, Chris Hill, to discuss ways to identify and develop your own investor personality. Chris reflects on some of his best and worst investing decisions over the years. And the pair share some of their own rules for determining which stocks to buy and when.

Chris Hill discusses: 

Resources: 

Quartr Insights 

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About Our Guest:

Chris Hill hosts "Motley Fool Money", a daily podcast. He also oversees The Motley Fool's growing network of podcasts and audio programming. A graduate of Boston College and The American University, Chris lives and works in Alexandria, Virginia.

Mentioned in this episode:

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

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According to a recent survey conducted by Bankrate dot com, Americans’ biggest financial regret is not saving enough for emergencies. In fact, 20% of respondents gave this answer - even topping the reigning top response related to saving too little for retirement. And when broken down further, older millennials (36 percent) were more than twice as likely than baby boomers (14 percent) to say they regret not having a strong enough emergency fund. And when asked what they intend to do with their money going forward, 26% of respondents said they will save more for emergencies, while another 21% said they will spend less.

Of course, this poll was administered in the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic and all of the financial disruption that has come along with it. But it got my attention that when asked about financial regrets, the answer had nothing to do with saving for the long term. It was about the here and now.

In this episode, Malcolm sits down with Aja Evans, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who specializes in financial therapy, to discuss the concept of financial regret, how to recognize it when you feel it, and how to move past it once you do. Aja and Malcolm share some of their own personal stories, and Aja remembers the very moment she realized she wanted to work with people to take control of their emotions around money.

Aja Evans discusses:

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About the Guest:

Aja Evans is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who specializes in financial therapy. She likes to say that she is on a mission to get more individuals engaged in living their best life, while attuning to their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors around money. In January 2015, she launched Aja Evans Counseling, a New York-based financial therapy practice where she supports clients to begin working towards a better version of themselves. In addition to her work as a financial therapist, Aja is a speaker, writer, and fintech consultant, focusing on the intersection of mental health and money. She believes that whether you are struggling with anxiety, self-esteem, relationships, or regret, gaining control of your finances will help you live the life you want.

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As a founder, it can be challenging to know when to make the shift from pouring every dollar you have into getting your startup off the ground to taking a few chips off the table to eventually paying yourself first. However, every business owner should begin to separate their own personal finances from the business as soon as possible for a few different reasons.

In this episode, Malcolm Ethridge sits down to discuss best financial practices for founders and how to know when it is time to begin to allocate your revenue to more personal goals. Malcolm runs through tools and tricks to grow your business and build sustainable financial habits for you and your business. 

Malcolm discusses: 

• Reinvesting extra cash flow into retirement and diverse investments 

• Protecting what you have built and your loved ones through insurance 

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• @MalcolmOnMoney

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For startups, investors often put a lot of emphasis on cap tables. They want to see a diluted picture of equity ownership among you as a founder, any co-founders or partners, early investors, and key employees before they’ll seriously consider handing over a check to invest themselves in your company. That’s because a healthy cap table illustrates not only your business’s potential for growth in the future, but also communicates to your investors just how solid your judgment is as a CEO.

In this episode, Malcolm Ethridge speaks with Jason Ray about how to tell a compelling story to potential investors. Jason shares why investing in what matters to you as a business owner and to your business doesn’t always sacrifice an investment return, and how it can help attract investors who are interested in your cause. He also dives into why it’s important to know your key performance indicators from the very beginning, why some businesses are hesitant to take loans and how that can prevent them from growing, and what goes into good financial modeling and forecasting.

Jason discusses: 

Resources: 

• Survival of the City by Edward Glaeser and David Cutler

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About Our Guest:

Jason founded Zenith Solutions to deliver accessible, high-quality financial education and advice to individuals and institutions. His work is inspired by racial and age wealth inequality that exists in society.

Prior to founding Zenith, Jason helped renovate a longstanding independent wealth advisory firm, Carnegie Wealth Management, by building new technology, private placement structures, and research capabilities. He delivered investment advice and financial plans to families with a net worth upwards of $10M. Earlier in his career, Jason also gained extensive experience evaluating and creating solutions for financial advisors at Lincoln Financial and FS Investments. 

Mentioned in this episode:

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

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Though it may seem like a very distant and high-class problem that only the super-wealthy among us will ever have to contend with, for many tech workers who have accumulated a significant sized stake in their employer, it is not unlikely that estate taxes are something they will have to consider as a part of their overall financial plan. In fact, with the number of bills currently floating around the halls of Congress with the intention to increase tax revenue by lowering the estate and gift tax thresholds, there could be significantly more Americans who will be impacted by this “problem” soon enough.

In this episode, Malcolm Ethridge speaks with Aaron Rubin, a partner at Werba Papier, about some of the lesser-known estate planning challenges facing those with concentrated equity positions. Aaron also shares some of the more common mistakes he sees clients make prior to and immediately following an IPO that could be avoided with proper planning.

Aaron discusses: 

Resources: 

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• LinkedIn: Aaron Rubin

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About Our Guest:

Aaron Rubin is a partner at Werba Papier, a wealth management firm that caters to pre-IPO executives and early employees. Prior to his current firm, Aaron spent time at Deloitte where he worked on trust and estates and honed his skills in their private client advisory. He also received his JD from the University of Illinois. In 2019, he published Financial Adulting, a guide to help young professionals navigate the challenges of taxes and investments in estate planning.

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