Critical Thinking Required
Welcome to Critical Thinking Required, hosted by LBW Wealth Management. Our goal is simple: we want to challenge you to think differently about finance and business. Join us, and start the journey today!
Episodes
170 episodes
A 1031 Exchange for Real Estate Investments: Is it Right for You?
When it comes to private investments, guess what topic we get asked the most? Yes, real estate! Today, we will discuss a strategy called the “1031 exchange”. The biggest advantage is the tax deferral function. You can keep rolling from one real...
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Season 3
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Episode 35
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13:12
How to pick a Financial Advisor? Part 1 - Fiduciary Duty
This is our “How to pick a financial advisor” mini-series. First, did you know that only roughly 15% of financial advisors are “fiduciaries”, meaning we are legally and ethically bound to act in the best interests of our clients. Th...
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Season 3
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Episode 34
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10:05
Investment Champagne Tower - Where To Invest Your Money?
Today, we’re breaking down the order to invest your money. We hear this question from our clients all the time: my friends are investing in this private deal, should I do something like that as well? Well, hold the horses a bit, bec...
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Season 3
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Episode 33
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10:00
Which is More Important: Risk Mitigation or Return Maximization?
Investing can often feel like walking a tightrope. Balancing risk mitigation and return maximization is essential for any successful investment. Should you take a high risk in the hope of a high return? Or should you aim for safety ...
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Season 3
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Episode 32
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6:10
How Do High Interest Rates Impact Your Daily Life
Nathaniel talked about how high interest rates impact your investments previously. In this episode, Tim discusses how interest rates impact daily financial planning, from mortgages, car loans, and credit cards, to savings and budgeting.&n...
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Season 3
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Episode 31
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7:49
How Do High Interest Rates Impact Your Investments?
As you may have already heard, the Federal Reserve announced that it plans to hold interest rates steady amid high inflation, and forecasted just one cut in 2024 instead of three to six. In this episode, Nathaniel discussed what that mean...
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Season 3
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Episode 30
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5:02
Retirement Investment Accounts for Self-Employed People
Today we're diving into a topic that's crucial for self-employed individuals: investment account types. Whether you're a freelancer, consultant, or small business owner, understanding these options can be a game-changer for your financial futur...
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Season 3
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Episode 29
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7:49
2024 First Quarterly Commentary: Stock Markets, Inflation, And The US Election
This is our 2024 first-quarter commentary. Nathaniel discussed 3 main topics: US stock market performance, and why the S&P 500 doesn’t truly reflect the overall stock market; inflation, and how it impacts your investments; and lastly,...
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Season 3
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Episode 28
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5:02
Financial Planning For New Parents (and Parents-To-Be)
If you are planning to have a child, or you just had one, there are some financial preparations that you may find extremely beneficial in the long run:1. Cash Flow: Create a realistic budget and increase your emergency fund;2. Estat...
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Season 3
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Episode 27
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33:27
Performance: Why Are My Stocks Not Doing As Well As The S&P 500?
In this episode, Nathaniel and Tim discussed what the S&P 500 index is, its performance, and does it truly represent the overall stock market. From January 1 to June 20, 2023, the S&P 500 increased 14.3%. That's well above t...
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Season 3
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Episode 26
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24:36
What Happens To Your Digital Assets After Death?
In this episode, Tim and Nathaniel discussed estate planning for digital assets. This is a relatively new concept for older generations. Most of us are familiar with wills and trusts for cash, real estate, and other investments.&nbs...
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Season 3
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Episode 25
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21:41
Private Investments - The Top 1%'s Favorite (Dangerous) Game
In this episode, Tim and Nathaniel discussed private investments: what're their qualifications, why they have income/assets restrictions, and how should one view them. A couple of research filters to go through: define your goals, underst...
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Season 3
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Episode 24
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30:48
Twitter vs Threads: Who Gets To Sit On The Iron Throne?
Threads is Meta’s latest social media app. It’s a Twitter-like product with short missives you can share with followers. It lets you post text, photos, links, and videos. It reached 100 million subscribers in a record time: wi...
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Season 3
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Episode 23
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19:08
Investing In Music
For this episode, Nathaniel and Tim discussed investments within the music industry. The earning method has changed in the past decade with streaming services. Nathaniel used Taylor Swift as a perfect example of how top artists can ...
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Season 3
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Episode 22
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29:48
Spending Habits Part II: Things About Budgeting That People DON’T Talk About
In the last episode, we discussed some frequent spending habits we’ve seen, and how we should interpret them. For this episode, we are going to discuss budgeting. Before we start, understand that this is going to be an emotional and...
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Season 3
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Episode 21
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25:27
Spending Habits I: Do You Have These Red Flags?
This is part one of our spending habits discussion. Dan and Tim listed what people call “spending red flags”: frequent small expenses like coffee and restaurants; unused subscriptions and memberships; impulse purchases; and trying to keep...
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Season 3
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Episode 20
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24:46
The New Trend: Investors Flee From Crypto to AI
The crypto ETFs are not doing too well for the past year. The fall of some leading players like Tierra/Luna and FTX hurt investors greatly, and the potential criminal fraud investigation is even more alarming. And now, with the rise...
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Season 3
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Episode 19
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22:23
4 Hot Industries We Will Not Invest In & Our Exceptions
In this episode, Nathaniel discussed 4 hot industries that he won’t invest in, and what his exceptions are:1. No commodities like oil, gold, and silver, etc., but yes to commodity royalties.2. ...
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Season 3
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Episode 18
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37:05
What If The U.S. Defaults On Its Debt?
The U.S. government has never defaulted on its debt, and it’s unlikely it will default this time either. But if it were to happen theoretically, it would have severe consequences for the country's economy and global financial markets, fro...
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Season 3
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Episode 17
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27:17
Warren Buffett & Charlie Munger's Take On Investing, Elon Musk, & Life Advice
Charlie Munger and Warren Buffett are Nathaniel's all-time favorite investors. As always, they offered a lot of wisdom (and a couple of zings) at the 2023 Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting. Tim and Nathaniel discussed the duo's take...
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Season 3
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Episode 16
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32:24
ChatGPT vs. Google Bard: How Will They Change Financial Planning? Part 2
For this episode, we asked ChatGPT and Google Bard: "Write a podcast outline on how will ChatGPT/Google Bard change the financial planning industry?" Here is the second part of each chatbot's outline.Discuss potential concerns and...
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Season 3
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Episode 15
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14:56
ChatGPT vs. Google Bard: How Will They Change Financial Planning? Part 1
For this episode, we asked ChatGPT and Google Bard: "Write a podcast outline on how will ChatGPT/Google Bard change the financial planning industry?" Here is the first part of each chatbot's outline.From Chat GPT:I. Introd...
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Season 3
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Episode 14
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30:41
Disney World vs Florida: Ready? Fight!
In this episode, Ying and Nathaniel discussed the fight between Disney World and the state of Florida. Back in 2022, the state of Florida passed the Parental Rights in Education bill, aka “Don't Say Gay” law. Because of Disney World...
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Season 3
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Episode 13
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18:29
Can Money Buy Happiness?
Many studies have been done from quality and quantity perspectives on whether money can buy happiness. It can, to a certain level. Caroline recommended reading the book: "Happy Money: The New Science of Smarter Spending" by Elizabet...
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Season 3
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Episode 12
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24:21
Social Pressure - Do I Really Need That Beach House/Porsche/Hermes?
In today's world, with social media's help (or curse?), we are beyond "keeping up with the Joneses." Billions of people on the internet are our "neighbor Jones" that we are trying to keep up and compete with, from the five bedrooms house ...
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Season 3
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Episode 11
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15:12