Talking Billions with Bogumil Baranowski

Bogumil Baranowski

EVERY MONDAY A NEW EPISODE. I READ ALL MY EMAILS - contact form on my website - www.bogumilbaranowski.com. TELL ME YOUR STORY. I’m Bogumil Baranowski, an author, a TEDx speaker, an investor, and an investment advisor to families and individuals. Intimate conversations about money, wealth, and living a rich and fulfilling life. We talk about big ideas, big inspirations, big topics. We take on the hardest subject of all – money: how to make it, save it, keep it, but our conversations lead us to an even bigger question — what it means to live a rich life beyond money. NOT INVESTMENT ADVICE.

  1. 1D AGO

    Matthew Stafford: What's Keeping You Up at Night? Building Wealth Through Give-First Relationships: How To Grow a Global Network by Being Helpful Without Expectation

    Matthew Stafford is a venture capitalist, angel investor, and co-founder of Nine Others—a global entrepreneur network spanning 5,000 founders across 50 cities—who transformed from school dropout to successful investor by proving that authentic, give-first relationships create more wealth than transactional networking. 3:00 - Matthew explains the Nine Others concept: monthly dinners for 10 people where founders share their biggest challenge by answering "What's keeping you up at night?" The community has run for 14 years and inspired his new book of the same title. 7:20 - School dropout story: Matthew shares the uncomfortable reality of dropping out after weeks at college, feeling lost in his early 20s, before finding his path through IT work and eventually earning a computer science degree at Durham University at age 27. 10:45 - The turning point: Seeing his now-wife graduate sparked his return to education. He proved he could excel academically while surrounded by 18-year-olds with straight A's, learning to balance work, study, and life. 18:30 - Building Nine Others: Started with simple dinners to help founders solve problems together. Matthew deliberately enabled connections without trying to capture value, trusting that "being helpful without expectation" would compound over time. 28:15 - Give-first philosophy: "If I tried to capture things short term it wouldn't last five minutes." Matthew contrasts his approach with transactional networkers who only make introductions when there's something in it for them. 35:40 - Investment approach: Focuses on knowing founders deeply before investing, understanding their sustainability and motivation. At early stages, the people behind the business matter more than the product. 54:09 - Long-term greedy: Matthew references Guy Spier's concept, explaining how 10 years of being helpful, honest, and trusted creates "super easy" opportunities that feel like shortcuts but are actually the result of patient relationship-building. 56:27 - The real shortcut: "How do you make wealth creation really easy? Know the right people, have them come to you, watch them build big businesses. That's the shortcut—doing that stuff and then having it easy." Podcast Program – Disclosure Statement Blue Infinitas Capital, LLC is a registered investment adviser and the opinions expressed by the Firm’s employees and podcast guests on this show are their own and do not reflect the opinions of Blue Infinitas Capital, LLC. All statements and opinions expressed are based upon information considered reliable although it should not be relied upon as such. Any statements or opinions are subject to change without notice. Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed.

    1h 1m
  2. 6D AGO

    Jen Laun: The Art of Receiving: Why We Struggle to Accept Gifts: Spiritual Capital, Sacred Flow, and Learning to Receive as Generously as You Give

    Beyond celebrating, holidays are often also about giving and receiving. It's a timely episode that explores both, and so much more. Jen Laun is a well-being facilitator who guides family wealth professionals and rising generation members through transformative experiential learning focused on the sacred flow of giving and receiving, spiritual capital, and helping successful wealth creators—who excel at giving—learn the equally vital practice of receiving well. 3:00 - Jen shares her upbringing as an only child with loving parents who encouraged her creativity and freedom to be herself. Her Italian family background brought warmth and strong support for her natural drive and interests. 5:00 - CORE CHALLENGE INTRODUCED: Jen explains why wealth creators struggle with receiving. The first step is awareness—recognizing "I don't like to receive" or "it's not easy for me to receive." She emphasizes that receiving difficulties show up in complex ways, especially when money is involved. 6:30 - BREAKTHROUGH INSIGHT: "When we have trouble receiving well, it also ends up blocking what someone is trying to do by giving." Jen shares transformative story from her workshops: a generous family wealth professional whose sick daughter forced him to receive from community. The healing on his face when he realized "I'm now in a place where I'm receiving more than I'm giving out. And I need that" stayed with her for years. 8:30 - THE REFRAME: Jen teaches that receiving is an act of generosity—it gives others the opportunity to give. When you're not open to receiving, you're blocking another person who may experience joy by giving. She shares how her mom used this wisdom with a cousin who struggled to let friends pay for dinner. 25:00 - Jen introduces spiritual capital: the intangible resources like wisdom, presence, and authentic connection that create lasting value beyond financial wealth for families. 35:00 - Jen's evolution from corporate sales to well-being facilitation, guided by curiosity and inner knowing. Her friend Sam, age six, crystallized her purpose: "Jen, you help people." 45:00 - Discussion of what truly creates legacy—not what we accumulate but the wisdom, presence, and authenticity we share. 57:00 - JEN'S SIGNATURE QUESTION: "Where do we grow from here?" First requires knowing where you are right now, then exploring what would support your flourishing. Jen's sprout metaphor reminds us that growth begins beneath the soil, unseen, and even tiny growth matters. 59:20 - ON SUCCESS: Jen defines success as being yourself and sharing that with others. Her friend Ruth (who died at 107) always said: "Tell people about your mistakes. Be real." Success means honoring yourself entirely—the good, bad, and ugly—and being authentic. Podcast Program – Disclosure Statement Blue Infinitas Capital, LLC is a registered investment adviser and the opinions expressed by the Firm’s employees and podcast guests on this show are their own and do not reflect the opinions of Blue Infinitas Capital, LLC. All statements and opinions expressed are based upon information considered reliable although it should not be relied upon as such. Any statements or opinions are subject to change without notice. Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed.

    1h 7m
  3. DEC 22

    Dave Sather: Quality, Integrity, and the 2 AM Test: Building a $2B firm through patient investing and authentic relationships

    Dave Sather is a Certified Financial Planner and founder/CEO of Sather Financial Group, a $2 billion fee-only investment management firm in Victoria, Texas, who has built authentic client relationships through disciplined value investing over 25+ years while creating the award-winning Bulldog Investment Company student internship program at Texas Lutheran University. Episode Sponsor: Fiscal AI is a modern data terminal that gives investors instant access to twenty years of financials, earnings transcripts, and extensive segment and KPI data—use my link for a two-week free trial plus 15% off: https://fiscal.ai/talkingbillions/ 3:00 - Dave shares formative childhood shaped by Depression-era parents who instilled frugality, work ethic, and educational investment. Required to save 50% of all earnings for college from early age, working multiple jobs at 14 to fund goals. 6:30 - Career path story: From El Paso military town to Texas Lutheran education, initially resisting Victoria, Texas but relocating for family obligations. Started advisory firm during 1990s Texas recession when banks and real estate were collapsing. 9:00 - Building relationships in small-town Victoria became competitive advantage. “If I do the right thing by my clients, word of mouth is going to take care of me.” Community connections and authentic service created organic growth without marketing spend. 15:00 - Philosophy shift from finding cheap investments to recognizing exceptional value. “I can pay a premium for really good stuff that can grow for a long time versus buying things that are just cheap.” 27:00 - The Bulldog Investment Company program: Student-run fund managing real money, teaching ownership and accountability. Students present investment cases, debate merits, vote democratically on portfolio decisions. 42:00 - Client relationship insights: Treating wealth transitions with care, understanding accumulation psychology. “This client didn’t just wake up one day with five million dollars and decide to behave like an idiot.” 54:00 - Success definition: Access to basics (water, food, healthcare, safety), meaningful work, strong marriage, 40-year friendships that pass the “2 a.m. test” - relationships where you’d help immediately without excuses. Podcast Program – Disclosure Statement Blue Infinitas Capital, LLC is a registered investment adviser and the opinions expressed by the Firm’s employees and podcast guests on this show are their own and do not reflect the opinions of Blue Infinitas Capital, LLC. All statements and opinions expressed are based upon information considered reliable although it should not be relied upon as such. Any statements or opinions are subject to change without notice. Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed.

    1h 7m
  4. DEC 19 · BONUS

    Chris Mayer and Robert Hagstrom on the Dangers of Abstraction | 100 Year Thinkers on Excess Returns

    The Third Episode of the Series! (Scroll down the earlier ones below). Matt Zeigler and I had the privilege of hosting Robert Hagstrom (The Warren Buffett Way) and Chris Mayer (100 Baggers) for a special 100-Year Thinkers Edition of the Excess Returns Podcast. Two legendary investors and authors. One hour packed with timeless wisdom on long-term thinking and wealth creation. This is the conversation we’ve been wanting to have—and we think you’ll find it as valuable as we did. Available now on Excess Returns Podcast and Talking Billions. 🎧 I’m excited to share this episode with you—it’s reposted here with permission and blessing from both Matt and Jack. Don’t miss it! And follow their work, links below.In this episode of the 100 Year Thinkers, we bring together Robert Hagstrom and Chris Mayer for a wide-ranging conversation on how great investors really think. Rather than focusing on formulas, factor labels, or short-term market predictions, the discussion explores investing as a discipline grounded in philosophy, language, psychology, and long-term business fundamentals. Drawing on ideas from Warren Buffett, Charlie Munger, Bill Miller, and thinkers from outside finance, this conversation challenges many of Wall Street’s most common assumptions and offers a deeper framework for making better long-term investment decisions. Topics covered in this episode Why value investing has nothing to do with price to earnings or price to book ratiosThe false divide between value and growth investing and why growth is a component of valueHow abstractions and labels distort decision making in marketsGeneral semantics and how language shapes investing mistakesCharlie Munger’s concept of worldly wisdom and the latticework of mental modelsWhy reversion to the mean is a flawed way to think about marketsThe stock market as a complex adaptive system rather than a predictable machineWhy most market forecasts fail and why people still believe themMyopic loss aversion and how frequent evaluation destroys long-term returnsThe importance of time horizon, patience, and long-term compoundingHow great investors think about conviction, uncertainty, and being wrongWhen to hold through difficulty versus when to exit an investmentLessons from Buffett, Munger, and Bill Miller on thinking independentlyPodcast Program – Disclosure Statement Blue Infinitas Capital, LLC is a registered investment adviser and the opinions expressed by the Firm’s employees and podcast guests on this show are their own and do not reflect the opinions of Blue Infinitas Capital, LLC. All statements and opinions expressed are based upon information considered reliable although it should not be relied upon as such. Any statements or opinions are subject to change without notice. Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Information expressed does not take into account your specific situation or objectives, and is not intended as recommendations appropriate for any individual. Listeners are encouraged to seek advice from a qualified tax, legal, or investment adviser to determine whether any information presented may be suitable for their specific situation. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.

    1h 13m
  5. DEC 15

    Ehsan Ehsani: How to Survive the AI Revolution in Investing - Investor & Columbia professor shares what separates winners from losers as AI transforms fundamental analysis

    Ehsan Ehsani is executive director at Crescendo Partners, adjunct assistant professor at Columbia Business School, and author of “How Not to Be Replaced by a Spreadsheet That Talks” who uniquely bridges quantitative analysis, and traditional fundamental investing while organizing Columbia’s generative AI conference. The episode is sponsored by TenzingMEMO — the AI-powered market intelligence platform I use daily for smarter company analysis. Code BILLIONS gets you an extended trial + 10% off. https://www.tenzingmemo.com/ 3:00 - Born in western Iran at 14,000 feet, strict education emphasis pushed Ehsan toward chemical engineering before discovering his talents lay in management and innovation. 5:30 - Winding path to NYC: Sweden and MIT master’s degrees, European consulting, project-driven relocation to New York in late 2000s. 7:30 - The Prometheus Warning: AI companies like Alphabet disrupted by their own creations. “Analysts benefit from using Gen AI tools in automating repetitive activities, but by embracing such technologies, they’re working themselves out of a job.” 12:00 - Sell-side blueprint: Top 10 banks had 200-300 analysts each; now 300 total combined. Buy-side headcount could drop to two-thirds or half within 20 years. 18:00 - “Gen AI is transformative because it allows automation of not just repetitive tasks but core analytical functions”—fundamentally different disruption than Bloomberg or alt data. 25:00 - Size advantage: Large firms will mine 15 years of institutional memory—emails, memos, channel checks—to identify patterns smaller funds can’t access. 35:00 - Contrarian take: Beyond “do more with less” hype, rapid bifurcation looms: “This separation of better and worse performance will happen much faster than with previous technologies.” 45:00 - Next frontier: Voice/video training. CEO says “no” versus “no...”—transcripts miss hesitation that reveals truth. 55:00 - “We humans tend to forget. It’s a blessing in general, but for pieces of wisdom we read, they might not remain top of mind. AI can remind us.” 60:00 - Success definition: “Tranquility and content where your values, interests, and priorities align with what you’re doing. I didn’t define it in economic form because that doesn’t embody true success.” Podcast Program – Disclosure Statement Blue Infinitas Capital, LLC is a registered investment adviser and the opinions expressed by the Firm’s employees and podcast guests on this show are their own and do not reflect the opinions of Blue Infinitas Capital, LLC. All statements and opinions expressed are based upon information considered reliable although it should not be relied upon as such. Any statements or opinions are subject to change without notice. Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Information expressed does not take into account your specific situation or objectives, and is not intended as recommendations appropriate for any individual. Listeners are encouraged to seek advice from a qualified tax, legal, or investment adviser to determine whether any information presented may be suitable for their specific situation. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.

    1h 8m
  6. DEC 12 · BONUS

    Bogumil Baranowski: Infinite Investing & Forgotten Money on Ritavan's Part Maven, Part Maverick Podcast

    A wonderful discussion on Ritavan's podcast. Reposted here with full credit to him. Check out his show -- Part Maven, Part Maverick. I open with a story of a very memorable chance encounter with the billionaire investor and founder, Ken Langone, in my early years in New York City. We talk about trust, money, compounding, and so much more. Tune in this weekend! Bogumil Baranowski has spent two decades managing wealth for families. He speaks about how there are a thousand ways to make money, a thousand ways to live a happy life, and a thousand ways to keep and grow a family fortune, but the patterns that endure are timeless: patience, simplicity, and mindfulness. Bogumil has written 4 books, hosted the Talking Billions podcast fore more than 3 years with over 200 guests. His first book, Outsmarting the Crowd, strips investing down to its core. Stocks are not tickers; they are ownership in real businesses. Markets are emotional machines that transfer money from the impatient to the patient. Good investing isn’t about intelligence or predictions. It’s about behavior. The ability to think independently and sit still when others panic beats any complicated financial product or analysis. In Money, Life, Family, the scope expands. Making money is the easy part. Keeping it and staying grounded is harder. Bogumil breaks the pursuit into three parts:Money: Let capital compound quietly in the background.Life: Build a life you don’t need to run away or retire from.Family: Pass down discipline and values before assets. The lesson is to treat wealth as something to be maintained, not chased. Staying rich is about avoiding mistakes, not finding genius trades. Simplicity, patience, and humility win. Crisis Investing was written during COVID, when the world lost its mind. The core idea: a crisis doesn’t change your principles; it reveals whether you ever had them. Those who held cash, owned good businesses, and stayed calm survived. Those who built on leverage and noise didn’t. Survival is underrated. So is sitting still. His more recent essays refine these ideas. He moved from chasing “cheap” stocks to owning great businesses. Cheap is useless if the business is bad. Quality, held long enough, does the heavy lifting. Investing isn’t about finding magic moments. It’s about enduring long stretches of boredom without losing discipline. He also writes about the psychology of money. Wealth doesn’t change who you are; it amplifies what’s already there. If you were anxious before, money gives you new ways to worry. If you were grounded, it gives you ways to live on your terms. The fix isn’t more money; it’s clarity about what’s enough and why you’re doing any of it in the first place.Podcast Program – Disclosure Statement Blue Infinitas Capital, LLC is a registered investment adviser and the opinions expressed by the Firm’s employees and podcast guests on this show are their own and do not reflect the opinions of Blue Infinitas Capital, LLC. All statements and opinions expressed are based upon information considered reliable although it should not be relied upon as such. Any statements or opinions are subject to change without notice. Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Information expressed does not take into account your specific situation or objectives, and is not intended as recommendations appropriate for any individual. Listeners are encouraged to seek advice from a qualified tax, legal, or investment adviser to determine whether any information presented may be suitable for their specific situation. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.

    1h 7m
  7. DEC 8

    Ted Merz: From Bloomberg's 15th Hire to Media Innovator: How To Build Networks That Matter

    Ted Merz is a veteran media and product leader with 30+ years shaping financial journalism, rising from Bloomberg's 15th newsroom hire to Managing Editor for the Americas and leading product innovation with AI-driven analytics before co-founding Principles Media and Pricing Culture. Episode Sponsor: Fiscal AI is a modern data terminal that gives investors instant access to twenty years of financials, earnings transcripts, and extensive segment and KPI data—use my link for a two-week free trial plus 15% off: https://fiscal.ai/talkingbillions/Find me on Substack! 3:00 - Ted discusses New York's unique advantage: unlike cities dominated by single industries (SF/tech, DC/politics, LA/entertainment), New York offers everything—tech, finance, media, advertising—creating endless opportunities to learn from the best across multiple domains. 8:00 - The Bloomberg origin story: When Ted joined as the 15th hire in 1990, nobody knew it would become dominant. People questioned whether a data company had the right to produce news. Bloomberg fought for White House credentials, viewed as illegitimate by established media. 15:00 - Bloomberg's founding insight: Mike Bloomberg created the first B2B SaaS company before the term existed, building a real-time financial information platform that fundamentally changed how markets consumed data. 25:00 - Career transition wisdom: Your network changes dramatically when you leave big institutions. Ted learned to broaden his approach—meeting people not for immediate transactions but for perspective, serendipity, and unexpected connections. 35:00 - The evolution of media: Ted emphasizes the importance of "learning in public"—creating content that reaches beyond immediate circles. Even 1,000 views represents an audience unimaginable in the 1980s. 55:00 - On building networks: Don't only meet people who can hire you. Meet broadly for perspective on what you should do, how to do it, and who else is playing the game. Matt Ziegler exemplifies the "one plus one equals a thousand" connector. 1:04:00 - Redefining success: Ted's perspective evolved dramatically from Bloomberg days when titles and team size mattered. Now success means doing passionate work—writing, communicating, shaping words—while making a living and meeting great people. 1:06:00 - The Friday night test: Bogumil shares his realization—spending Friday evening researching a company out of pure curiosity, not obligation. When you love the process itself, you've found something meaningful. Podcast Program – Disclosure Statement Blue Infinitas Capital, LLC is a registered investment adviser and the opinions expressed by the Firm’s employees and podcast guests on this show are their own and do not reflect the opinions of Blue Infinitas Capital, LLC. All statements and opinions expressed are based upon information considered reliable although it should not be relied upon as such. Any statements or opinions are subject to change without notice. Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Information expressed does not take into account your specific situation or objectives, and is not intended as recommendations appropriate for any individual. Listeners are encouraged to seek advice from a qualified tax, legal, or investment adviser to determine whether any information presented may be suitable for their specific situation. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.

    1h 12m

Trailer

5
out of 5
18 Ratings

About

EVERY MONDAY A NEW EPISODE. I READ ALL MY EMAILS - contact form on my website - www.bogumilbaranowski.com. TELL ME YOUR STORY. I’m Bogumil Baranowski, an author, a TEDx speaker, an investor, and an investment advisor to families and individuals. Intimate conversations about money, wealth, and living a rich and fulfilling life. We talk about big ideas, big inspirations, big topics. We take on the hardest subject of all – money: how to make it, save it, keep it, but our conversations lead us to an even bigger question — what it means to live a rich life beyond money. NOT INVESTMENT ADVICE.

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