Not Your Average Financial Podcast™

Not Your Average Financial Podcast™
  • 4.7 (121)
  • Business
  • Updated Biweekly

Think different about your money, your economy and your future. Be curious. Be stable. Be sane.

  1. 4d ago

    Episode 472: No Loose Ends – The Estate Planning System You Can Actually Use with Adam Zuckerman

    In this episode, we ask: Who is in the silver tsunami? What do we do with the bills, accounts, passwords, life insurance policies, heirlooms, etc.? Who is Adam Zuckerman? What is Buried in Work? Have you read No Loose Ends? What about Adam’s new digital platform, Heirloom and Tell? How do you start the conversation before it’s too late? …and more! Adam Zuckerman (JD/MBA) is the founder of Buried in Work, a leading resource that helps individuals, families, and businesses simplify estate planning and end-of-life tasks. Buried in Work’s resources include more than 150+ information hubs, 2,000+ articles, 100+ checklists and guides, service provider directories, a podcast, and innovative tools like the Executor’s Summary Report, CLEAR Kits, and card games that facilitate meaningful conversations about legacy and preparation. Adam’s mission is simple yet powerful: to make life’s hardest moments a little easier by helping families get organized, communicate openly, and prepare comprehensively for the unexpected.

  2. Sep 11

    Episode 471: The F in TGIF – Financing – Unlimited Compound Growth while Buying the Stuff of Life

    In this episode, we ask: Does buying stuff feel like a rigged game? What about leverage? What changes the game entirely? Have you heard the previous three episodes? What does TGIF stand for? Why is your need for financing greater than any other financial need? What are you handling? Are you in the driver’s seat? How do you buy everything? What about opportunity cost? Do you pay cash? Do you pay interest to a third party? Who benefits from the compound interest? Are these line items or wealth transfers? Does how you buy stuff matter? What happens to compounding growth when you spend? What about collateral? What about uninterrupted compound growth? What about paying debt service? What does all of this mean? What about liquidity? What about lifetime costs? How about examples? What does true leverage mean? What’s the good news here? How about case studies? What about liquidity, growth and access? What about efficiency, control and safety? What about having your money multitask for you? Would you like to hear Episode 32 on policy loans? Would you like to listen to Episode 206 on mechanics on how this really works? Would you like to focus on Episode 41 on real estate? Would you like to see the episodes in a list? Would you like to view the playlists? What are the key takeaways? Would you like to meet with Mark or one of Mark’s associates?

  3. Sep 4

    Episode 470: The I in TGIF is Insurance; It is The Asset that Changes Your Family Tree

    In this episode, we ask: Can you picture it? What about term life insurance? What about a 401(k)? Who fears running out of money? Is it too morbid? Is it impolite? What happens when the term ends on term life insurance? What about rising internal costs? What doesn’t pay a death benefit at all? What about real estate? What about property fights? What is the result? What will happen in the end? Are you protecting the people that matter the most? What has happened with the “buy term, invest the rest” story? Who gets the lion’s share of your life’s work? What about the death of a spouse or parent? What are the implications of the death of business owners? What patterns play out in real families and businesses? Is the death benefit a secondary feature? What is the contrast between temporary and permanent protection? Will it actually deliver? Would you like to hear Episode 187 on Term to Whole Life Conversions? Would you like to listen to Episode 297 on giving out over 500 Death Benefits? Would you like go through Episode 313 on taxes and fees? Would you like to play Episode 392 on “Buy Term and Invest the Rest”? Would you like to take in Episode 465 about a creative professional who build a Bank on Yourself style system that protected her work and her family? Would you like to dig into Episode 395 and Episode 396 on Buy-Sell agreements for business owners? What are the takeaways? If I were gone, what would create the most financial stress for you? Will you listen carefully to the answers? What is on your documents? Would you like to meet with Mark or one of Mark’s associates? Would you like to leave us a review?

  4. Aug 28

    Episode 469: The G in TGIF – Guarantees – The Ironclad Foundation Bank On Yourself® Delivers When Everything Else Wobbles

    In this episode, we ask: Have you noticed something? Do you know what won’t disappear? Will the rules quietly change mid-game? What about the guarantees? Where are the guarantees in the financial universe? What about the stock market? What about guaranteed fees? Who gets the guarantee? What about the government’s guaranteed cut? What about conservative allocations? What about property taxes and insurance costs? Is real estate property guaranteed? What about temporary or partial guarantees? What happens with CDs? What about maintaining real purchasing power? Is hope a plan? What about savings accounts? What about money market funds? How fast do interest rates change? Did you factor in inflation and taxes? What about bonds? When do bond prices fall? What happened in 2022? Do I need to risk more? What about individual stocks? What about cryptocurrency? What about regulatory trouble? What about spectacular runs? What about spectacular crashes? Who gets the guarantees in these transactions? What about insurance and annuity products? What about indexed universal life policies? What about caps and participation rates? What happens later in your retirement years? Is that data helpful? What about the average return? What is guaranteed to you? What happens when needs arise? Do you want to be forced to keep earning? What happens to cash value? Are dividends guaranteed? Have you seen the rings on the tree? How does guaranteed growth work in a Bank on Yourself® type whole life insurance policy? What about the guarantee that the premiums will never rise as you age? How are these guarantees delivered? How have these companies held up over 160 years of history? Have you felt that quiet frustration while others rack up their own guarantees? What is your posture? What will the market do next? What about the kids? How long are you going to live? What is theoretical? What is the conventional playbook? Where are the actual guarantees? What is a contractual guarantee? What are some tools and products that can structure guarantees for you? What are the mechanics of how these guarantees work? Do you have a contract? What are the takeaways? Who needs to hear this? Would you like to meet with Mark or one of Mark’s associates?

  5. Aug 21

    Episode 468: The T in TGIF: Tax Advantages of Bank On Yourself® – Taking Control Back from the Tax Trap

    In this episode, we ask: What about stability and sanity? What about an insane question? Is there someone at the I.R.S. that you’re particularly in love with? Who is the largest beneficiary on your IRA upon death? Are you going to leave your IRA this way, now that you know the truth? How about an example? How do you get tax free access? What about a tax free legacy? How does this directly solve the problems? When will you pay taxes? How about an example of two retired brothers? What happens to a 401(k) upon death? Why is deferring taxes a good idea? Who benefits from this? What did Ed Slott say? What did Pamela Yellen say? What are the takeaways? What are the action items? What will your beneficiaries actually receive? Do you have the eyes of a Bank on Yourself® Professional? Would you like to meet with Mark or one of Mark’s associates?

  6. Aug 14

    Episode 467: Real, Recession-Proof Freedom: Fusing Utilitarian Short-Term Rentals with Bank On Yourself®, with Kirby Atwell

    In this episode, we ask: What is the 1% net rule? Would you like to listen to Episode 316? Why does layering on Bank on Yourself® strategies to real estate make a whole lot of sense? What is Kirby’s story? What is over looked in the short term rental space? What is counterintuitive? Where can one buy properties for a fraction of the cost of what you can buy in the city centers? What can one charge for short-term rental income? Why does Kirby help other investors? What is the purpose of financial freedom? Do you own your day? What happened in 2021? How does Kirby have a positive impact on others? What systems are in place? What has been the biggest challenge? Do the higher end areas yield the best income? What is the backup plan? Is the property upside down? Does the property cash flow? Does it cash flow 1% net? What about the banks? What about private credit? What about DSCR lenders? What ratio are they looking for? What is the underlying asset that we are lending against? Can banks change their mind at any given point? Why does layering on the Bank on Yourself® strategy with a short term rental business work so well? When is the best time to buy? Is real estate going to crash? Where do you put your money when everything is uncertain? What about inflation? What about the stock market? Do we need shelter? What has intrinsic value? What about the underlying value of the property? What about the cash flow? What about buying solid assets? If your current plan fails, what will you do then? What about liquidity? What is a dynamic duo? What about recency bias? When you stress test it, does it still work? Are you standing on the X? Is not making decision still making a decision? What about catastrophe thinking? What can I expect in terms of a good short term rental? What strategies are outside of the box? What is the rule of thumb? What are the parameters? What are the results so far? What are they doing? What is the safest thing you could do? Would you like to reach out to Kirby at livingoffrentals.com/start? What are the takeaways? Would you like to meet with Mark or one of Mark’s associates? Kirby Atwell served six years as an officer in the U.S. Army, after graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point. During his service, he developed a strong interest in real estate and purchased his first rental property in 2006.In 2011, Kirby left the military to pursue real estate full time. He launched a Chicago‑based investment company and went on to flip roughly 70 properties over five years. Although the business generated significant revenue, the highly transactional model left him with no passive income and a growing treadmill of stress, overhead, and marketing costs. That realization pushed him to pivot toward building assets that produced reliable monthly cash flow.Kirby eventually discovered the power of utilitarian short‑term rentals—affordable, practical properties near major population centers that serve everyday travelers such as workers, families, and medical guests. This strategy transformed his financial life. By 2021, after acquiring eight units producing about $1,000 per unit in net monthly cash flow, he was able to leave his corporate job. Today, he owns and operates 39 short‑term rental listings, supported by systems that keep his time commitment low while delivering high, stable returns.In addition to running his portfolio, Kirby teaches other investors how to replicate this model. Through his coaching program, he has helped hundreds of people select the right markets, secure financing, set up their rentals, and manage them efficiently without expensive property managers. Kirby is the host of the Living Off Rentals podcast and YouTube channel, where he shares strategies, interviews, and insights for building recession‑resistant rental income and achieving true financial freedom. Set up a call with Kirby Atwell at livingoffrentals.com/call.

  7. Aug 7

    Episode 466: The Real Wins and Losses of Bank on Yourself® Over 13 Years with Phil Smith

    In this episode, we ask: Have you heard Episode 462? Who is Phil Smith? What is a super awesome privilege? Why was Mark cautious? What helped Phil? How did Phil find the right balance with his Bank On Yourself® type whole life insurance policies? What is so cool about having friends as clients? What were some of Phil’s early concerns about taking policy loans? What about paying off debt? What about real estate? What about investments? How did Phil pivot, as life happened? What is the new financial normal? How can I route some of my major life purchases through this policy? How might I keep my money growing at the same time? What did Nelson Nash say? What about arrival syndrome? What about the beginner’s mindset? What did C.S. Lewis say? Would you like to meet Phil? Phil Smith is an Associate at Lake Growth Financial Services, bringing more than 17 years of banking and credit‑union experience to the firm. A Bank On Yourself® client since 2013, Phil has personally used the strategy to navigate major life transitions, eliminate debt, fund investments, and build long‑term financial resilience—giving him a rare dual perspective as both a seasoned practitioner and a long‑term policyholder. Known for his disciplined, thoughtful approach, Phil draws inspiration from his journey in traditional kung fu, where he is a fourth‑degree black belt soon testing for master level. He applies the art’s core principle—time and effort—to helping clients build stable, flexible, and future‑focused financial strategies. Phil serves clients nationwide and can be reached at philsmith@lakegrowth.com.

  8. Jul 31

    Episode 465: Client Spotlight: Bank On Yourself® for Creatives: Building a Music Empire with Janet Kuester

    In this episode, we ask: How can you make your side hustle the main event, without money stress? Who is Janet Kuester and how did she grow the Music Connection to hundreds of students? What did Janet do with her Bank On Yourself® type whole life insurance policy? What is a music activist? What did Janet discover on her journey? What did Janet learn in the Orchestra? Who is looking for a tribe? What about communicating without words? What happened when Janet was 5 years old? When did Janet start playing an instrument? Could you believe the sound? What was the journey like? How did Janet found and build the Music Connection school in 2004? What was Janet’s “entrepreneurial seizure”? What happened when she was bursting at the seams at the Orland Park location? What happened with the Suburban Youth Symphony? What about kids getting access and opportunity? What happened when Janet learned about Bank On Yourself®? How did Janet sell her business? What happens after work? What did Janet do with her policy when she turned 70? What about an amazing experience? What about Janet’s children book, Try It and See? What about Janet’s new book, More Than Music Lessons: Wisdom Beyond the Notes? …and more! Janet Kuester describes herself as a music activist. As a young woman, she doubted her music ability, though she was filled with a love for classical music. After a 28-year detour into a nursing career, she felt called to start a music school and that started a 20-year journey into founding and running her own music school business, the Music Connection, which she sold in 2020. She is a firm believer in life’s chapters and is in the middle of the next one!

See All (300)

4.7
out of 5
121 Ratings

About

Think different about your money, your economy and your future. Be curious. Be stable. Be sane.

Information

You Might Also Like