Last week was the problem. This week is the solution.

This is Episode 14 of What the Wealthy Do, Part 2 of the Retirement Strategy Series. In Part 1 we covered why relying solely on your 401k is risky, how the retirement tax trap works, and what required minimum distributions will do to your money at 73 if you have not planned for them. Today Stephanie Dorsey builds the actual blueprint.

The framework covers three pillars. The first is tax diversification, which means spreading your retirement money across four buckets: tax deferred accounts like your traditional 401k and IRA, tax free accounts like your Roth IRA and Roth 401k, a regular brokerage account, and alternative investments like real estate, private equity, and venture capital. Each bucket has different tax treatment, different rules, and different advantages depending on where you are in your career and what tax bracket you expect to be in at retirement.

The second pillar is asset diversification across stocks, bonds, real estate, and alternative assets. The third pillar is income stream diversification so that no single account or market crash can wipe out your retirement income.

This episode also breaks down how your retirement strategy should shift by age, from aggressive wealth building in your late 30s and early 40s, to tax optimization in your late 40s and early 50s, to preservation and income planning in your late 50s and early 60s, to tax smart withdrawals and legacy planning in retirement. The backdoor Roth IRA strategy for high earners is covered, along with how the wealthy use portfolio loans to avoid selling their investments, how to think about Social Security timing at 62 versus 70, and the specific action steps you need to take right now to audit and rebalance your accounts.

This is one of the most practical episodes in the series. By the end you will have a clear picture of what your retirement strategy should look like and exactly what to do next.

Join the next Sovereign Collective cohort for high-earning Black women ready to build real generational wealth: joinsovereign.co

This podcast provides financial education and not financial advice.

Most of us think we know what retirement is going to look like. But here is the truth that nobody really says out loud. For most people, a 401k alone will not be enough to fund the retirement they actually envision for themselves.

This is Episode 13 of What the Wealthy Do, Part 1 of a two-part series on retirement strategy. If you are between 38 and 55, this episode is for you.

Stephanie Dorsey, CEO and Co-Founder of Margins Capital, breaks down why relying solely on your 401k puts your retirement at serious risk and what the wealthy do differently to protect their money from taxes before and after they retire.

The 401k was introduced in 1978 as a supplement to pensions, not a replacement. Corporations eventually shifted the entire weight of retirement planning onto employees, and now millions of Americans are trying to retire on a savings vehicle that was never designed to carry 20, 30, or 40 years of retirement on its own.

Three core problems get covered in this episode. The first is that contribution limits are simply too low to build the retirement wealth most people need. The second is zero tax diversification, meaning every dollar in a traditional 401k will be taxed at ordinary income rates when you withdraw it, and the IRS will force you to start withdrawing at age 73 whether you need the money or not. The third is limited investment options that keep most 401k savers locked out of the asset classes where the wealthy actually build wealth.

Stephanie also walks through what required minimum distributions really mean for your finances, how the retirement tax trap works in practice, and how the wealthy spread their money across tax deferred, tax free, and taxable accounts to control their taxable income in retirement.

Next week in Part 2, we build an actual retirement portfolio strategy. But today is about making sure you understand what is at stake and what needs to change right now while you still have time.

Join the next Sovereign Collective cohort for high-earning Black women ready to build real generational wealth: joinsovereign.co

This podcast provides financial education and not financial advice.

There are people out here with fancy websites, impressive titles, and slick pitch decks who have no business managing anybody's money. This episode is your protection against all of them.

This is Episode 12 of What the Wealthy Do and the finale of the Due Diligence Series. Over the past three episodes we broke down how to evaluate stocks and how to assess private equity and venture capital deals. Now we go one level deeper. Today is about vetting the people who are asking you to trust them with your hard earned money.

Here is the brutal truth most investors don't realize until it's too late. The fund manager matters more than the fund. A great manager can turn a mediocre strategy into outsized returns. A bad manager can destroy even the best one.

Stephanie Dorsey, CEO and Co-Founder of Margins Capital, walks you through the exact four-pillar framework that sophisticated investors use to evaluate any fund manager, wealth advisor, or investment firm. She even applies it to herself. Because anyone who gets an attitude when you ask hard questions about their track record, their fees, or their process is telling you everything you need to know.

The four pillars are track record and performance, investment philosophy and process, team and organizational structure, and integrity and alignment of interests. You will also learn how to run a background check on any fund manager, how to use AI to review a Limited Partner Agreement without paying a lawyer, and what questions to ask reference investors before you commit a single dollar.

A note on emerging managers is also included, including why the data shows they often outperform more established funds, and what to reasonably expect when evaluating a newer firm.

Margins Capital has a minimum investment of $25,000 and invests 20% of its own capital in Fund 1 alongside its investors.

Just 20 seats for high-earning Black women ready to stop second-guessing and start building real generational wealth. Learn more at joinsovereign.co.

This podcast provides financial education and not financial advice.

That is a wrap on the Due Diligence Series. You now have the complete framework the wealthy use to evaluate stocks, private equity deals, venture capital opportunities, and the people managing it all.

Share this episode with someone in your circle who needs to hear it, leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and if you are ready to invest in a diversified portfolio of institutional quality alternatives starting at just $25,000 with a team that has skin in the game right alongside you, visit Margins Capital at https://www.marginscapital.com/

See you next week.

The stock market is just the beginning. The truly wealthy, the ones building generational, life-changing wealth are doing it through private equity and venture capital. And in this episode, Stephanie Dorsey is giving you the exact playbook.

This is Episode 11 of What the Wealthy Do, and it's part three of our Due Diligence Series. In Episodes 9 and 10, we broke down how to evaluate public stocks: qualitatively and quantitatively. Now we're going into private markets, where the real wealth is built, and where most people are locked out.

Until now.

Here's what we cover:

Private Equity vs. Venture Capital: What's the difference, what's the risk, and what are the returns? PE targets 15–25% annually. VC targets 3x–10x your money (with the understanding that most will fail, which is why Margins Capital focuses on late-stage VC).

The 2-Question Framework: The same questions Margins Capital asks for every deal: Does this make sense? And can they win?

Team Evaluation: In private markets, there's no analyst coverage, no public scrutiny. It's all on the founders. Stephanie breaks down exactly what she looks for and what makes her walk away.

Key Metrics for PE & VC: Revenue growth rate (50%+ for VC, 10–20% for PE), EBITDA margins, LTV to CAC ratio, burn rate, and total addressable market.

Red Flags: Lack of transparency, unrealistic projections, no exit strategy, and founders who aren't coachable.

The Fizz Story: A real example of why Margins Capital invested in a Gen Z fintech company backed by Kleiner Perkins, and what the "secret sauce" looked like in practice.

How to Access These Deals: Whether you're an accredited investor ($200K+ income or $1M+ net worth) or not yet, Stephanie breaks down the exact platforms and pathways: AngelList, Republic, SeedInvest, Fundrise, and more.

Margins Capital's minimum investment is $25,000: significantly lower than the traditional PE fund minimum of $250,000.

Join The Sovereign Collective: a judgment-free space built specifically for high-earning Black women ready to build real generational wealth. Founding cohort launches April 21st. Just 20 seats. Learn more at joinsovereign.co.

This podcast provides financial education, not financial advice.

Most people give up on analyzing stocks because they try to learn 20 metrics at once. The wealthy don't do that. They focus on the numbers that actually matter — and that's exactly what this episode is about.

This is Part 2 of our Stock Due Diligence Series. In Part 1, we covered how to think qualitatively about a company — does the strategy make sense and can they win? Now, in Part 2, Stephanie Dorsey (CEO & Co-Founder of Margins Capital) breaks down the 5 essential metrics you need to evaluate any stock, in plain language, no finance degree required.

What you'll learn in this episode:

1. PE Ratio — Are you overpaying for the stock? How to compare it to the company's history, its industry, and the S&P 500 average.

2. Profit Margin — How much of each dollar in revenue does the company actually keep? What's healthy vs. a major red flag depending on the industry.

3. Revenue Growth — Is the business growing or dying? Because one of those two things is always happening.

4. Debt-to-Equity Ratio — Can the company handle its debt obligations? Too much debt is dangerous, especially when interest rates shift.

5. Free Cash Flow — Is the profit real, or just accounting magic? This is the metric the wealthy swear by.

Master these 5 and you'll know more than 90% of retail investors. Combine them with the qualitative framework from Part 1 and you'll know more than 97%.

Where to find these numbers for FREE: Yahoo Finance, Google Finance, your brokerage app (Fidelity, Schwab, Robinhood), or the company's investor relations page (look for the 10-K or 10-Q).

Join The Sovereign Collective — a judgment-free space for high-earning Black women ready to build generational wealth. Founding cohort launches April 14th. Just 20 seats. Learn more at joinsovereign.co

Margins Capital provides women and people of color access to an institutional quality portfolio of alternative investments.

This podcast provides financial education, not financial advice.

Are you buying stocks based on your cousin's advice or a finance bro on TikTok? Let's fix that.

In this episode of What the Wealthy Do, Stephanie Dorsey — CEO & Co-founder of Margins Capital — breaks down the exact due diligence framework she uses to evaluate stocks the same way she evaluates private equity and venture capital deals.

Here's what you'll learn:

✅ The 2-part framework: Does it make sense? Can they win?

✅ How to evaluate a company's strategy in ONE sentence

✅ Why macroeconomic trends can make or break your investment

✅ How to assess leadership, competition, and competitive moats

✅ Red flags that should make you walk away immediately

✅ How to use AI (like Claude) as your investing thought partner

Whether you're just starting your wealth-building journey or you're a seasoned investor, this episode will change how you look at every stock you consider.

📌 NEXT WEEK: Part 2 — The quantitative metrics (PE ratios, alpha, beta, profit margins & more)

🔗 Join The Sovereign Collective (Founding Cohort — 20 seats only!): https://joinsovereign.co

Margins Capital provides women and people of color access to an institutional quality portfolio of alternative investments.

⏱ Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

02:00 Why buying stocks = buying a business

04:30 The 2-part due diligence framework

07:00 Does the strategy make sense?

10:00 Macroeconomic indicators explained

14:00 Unit economics basics

17:00 Can they win? — Leadership

21:00 Competition & competitive moats

25:00 Secret sauce & red flags

29:00 Where to find this information

32:00 How to use AI as an investing partner

Welcome back to Season 2, Episode 8 of What the Wealthy Do.

In this final episode of our Alternative Investment Series, Stephanie Dorsey, CEO and Co-Founder of Margins Capital, breaks down one of the most overlooked — yet powerful — wealth strategies used by the ultra-wealthy:

Investing in fine art and luxury goods.

We’re talking about assets like paintings, watches, handbags, wine, sneakers, and even classic cars — not as status symbols, but as strategic investments that can appreciate, hedge inflation, and diversify your portfolio.

In this episode, we cover:

• How fine art and luxury goods actually generate returns

• Why wealthy investors allocate to passion assets

• Art market fundamentals: artist recognition, provenance, rarity

• Luxury assets like Rolex, Birkin bags, sneakers, wine, and classic cars

• How these assets hedge against inflation

• Risks: illiquidity, authenticity, storage, and market trends

• How to get started (even without millions)

This episode is about shifting your mindset:

Wealthy investors don’t just spend money.

They acquire assets that appreciate — and enjoy them while they grow.

Because wealth isn’t just built in spreadsheets.

It’s built in how you allocate your money, your lifestyle, and your strategy.

Subscribe for more conversations on alternative investments, private markets, and generational wealth in the United States.

Welcome back to Season 2, Episode 7 of What the Wealthy Do.

In this episode, Stephanie Dorsey, CEO and Co-Founder of Margins Capital, breaks down two asset classes that may sound boring — but quietly generate billions for wealthy investors:

Infrastructure and Natural Resources.

While the public is chasing the latest tech or AI stock, ultra-high-net-worth investors are buying the systems that keep the world running — toll roads, power plants, pipelines, data centers, copper mines, farmland, and energy infrastructure.

These are the investments that produce predictable cash flow, inflation protection, and multi-decade wealth.

In this episode we break down:

• What infrastructure investments actually are• Natural resources and commodity-based investing• How wealthy investors generate long-term cash flow from essential assets• Why infrastructure often acts as an inflation hedge• The role of utilities, energy systems, transportation, and metals in global markets• Different ways investors can access these asset classes• The risks, long timelines, and capital requirements involved

This episode is part of our Alternative Investment Series, where we unpack how wealthy investors diversify beyond traditional stocks and bonds.

Because wealth isn’t built chasing hype.

It’s built by owning the systems the world depends on.

Subscribe for more conversations about private markets, alternative investments, generational wealth, and financial strategy in the United States.

🔗 Check out the High Earner Tax Playbook here: www.whatthewealthydo.com

Welcome back to Season 2, Episode 6 of What the Wealthy Do.

In this episode, Stephanie Dorsey, CEO and Co-Founder of Margins Capital, breaks down one of the most mysterious and misunderstood investment vehicles in finance:

Hedge funds.

You’ve heard the term in the news, in movies, and in conversations about billionaires and institutional investors. But what actually is a hedge fund — and why do wealthy investors allocate billions of dollars to them?

In this episode, we unpack:

• What hedge funds actually are

• How hedge funds make money in bull and bear markets • The famous “2 and 20” fee structure

• Long/short equity, global macro, quant funds, and arbitrage strategies

• Why institutional investors use hedge funds for diversification

• The risks, high fees, and transparency issues investors should know

• Why understanding hedge funds can make you a smarter investor

This episode is part of our Alternative Investment Series, where we break down the strategies wealthy investors use to build and protect generational wealth.

Even if you never invest in a hedge fund directly, understanding how they operate will help you better understand risk management, portfolio construction, and how money actually moves in financial markets.

Because wealth isn’t accidental.

It’s structured.

Subscribe for more conversations about alternative investments, private markets, generational wealth, and financial strategy in the United States.

Welcome back to Season 2, Episode 5 of What the Wealthy Do.

In this episode, Stephanie Dorsey, CEO & Co-Founder of Margins Capital, breaks down one of the most proven wealth-building strategies in America: commercial real estate investing.

This is part of our Alternative Investment Series — following private equity and venture capital — where we unpack how wealthy investors actually structure generational wealth.

Inside this episode:

• What commercial real estate really is

• Multifamily vs office vs retail vs industrial

• Cash flow, appreciation, leverage and tax advantages

• Cap rate, NOI, LTV and vacancy rate explained

• REITs vs syndications vs direct ownership

• How wealthy investors use real estate for income, tax strategy, and legacy

Wealthy investors don’t just buy property. They buy income streams, tax advantages, and long-term leverage.

If you're a high earner, entrepreneur, or investor ready to think beyond earned income, this episode is for you.

Because wealth isn’t accidental. It’s structured.

Subscribe for weekly breakdowns on private markets, alternative investments, and wealth strategy in the United States.

Check out the High Earner Tax Playbook: www.whatthewealthydo.com