The Tech Money Podcast

In this episode, Malcolm Ethridge shares the reasons why he believes it’s (almost) always a good idea to take your 401(k) with you whenever you change jobs or retire. He also shares some of the potential pitfalls to be aware of, as well as some helpful insights about a little known option available to those who own substantial shares of their company’s stock inside the plan. 

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Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

In this episode, Malcolm Ethridge discusses the phenomenon of frugality inertia, and why it keeps retirees from being able to enjoy their retirement. He shares his insights on how it can help to reframe your focus and spend that retirement nest egg on things that will enhance your quality of life, ultimately leading to a happier and healthier version of yourself.

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Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

In recent years, the rise of digital currencies has revolutionized the way we think about money and finance, with more and more individuals and businesses embracing the potential of blockchain technology. However, with this rapid growth has come a significant amount of uncertainty and confusion around the legal and regulatory frameworks that govern this new asset class. And as the crypto industry continues to grow and evolve, the issue of regulation and security will remain a key focus for lawmakers and industry stakeholders alike.

One of the biggest challenges facing the crypto industry today is the issue of security, with several high-profile exchange hacks and collapses leading to the loss of billions of dollars in assets. In response, lawmakers and regulators around the world have been grappling with how to protect consumers and investors in this space. In the US, Congress is currently considering several bills aimed at increasing oversight and regulation of the crypto industry, including measures to require crypto exchanges to register with the SEC and establish minimum capital requirements.

In this episode, Malcolm sits down with Andie Kramer, Founding Member of ASKramer Law, to discuss the current state of regulation in digital assets, such as cryptocurrencies and stable coins. Andie shares her thoughts on regulatory, tax, and governance issues both globally and in the U.S.

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About our guest:

Andie is a nationally recognized authority on the regulatory, tax, commercial, and governance matters that arise in trading environments. She provides clients with practical and effective counsel to allow them to move forward with confidence and predictability as they navigate complex, high-stakes transactions. Andie applies a unique multidisciplinary approach to the taxation and regulation of financial products, markets, and participants.

Mentioned in this episode:

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

Investing is a way to grow your money over time, and secure your financial future. When you invest without a clear plan, you're more likely to make decisions based on emotions, rather than logic. You may be tempted to buy a stock because it's the latest hot trend or sell a stock because you're afraid of losing money. However, when you invest with a purpose, you have a plan in place that guides your investment decisions. And thus, you're less likely to make impulsive decisions that can lead to unnecessary financial losses.

Investing with a purpose means having a clear understanding of your financial goals and investing accordingly. And it requires taking the time to evaluate your financial situation, your willingness, and capacity to take financial risk, and your overall objectives for the capital you plan to put to work. It is not about chasing the latest investment fad or trying to beat the market in the short term. Instead, it's about creating a plan and investing in a way that maximizes your chances of success.

In this episode, Malcolm Ethridge sits down with Jessica Inskip, Director of Education and Product for OptionsPlay, to discuss the importance of investing with purpose, as well as the need to have a firm grasp of the basics prior to jumping into the more complex world of options trading. Jessica shares her unique insight into the different strategies investors can take to limit their risk when investing, as well as how to know when it’s time to introduce more complex strategies into your investment mix.

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Jessica joined the financial industry in 2009 and most recently accepted a position with OptionsPlay. She has held various positions within the brokerage industry across multiple firms, including roles specializing in strategy, product management, high frequency trading, complex options and derivative strategies, and the relationship management of high-net-worth affluent investors.

Mentioned in this episode:

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

Nobody enters a marriage expecting to get divorced. Yet, regardless of our best intentions, relationships can and do fall apart. While the emotional roller coaster of divorce is difficult enough, the added frustration of financial litigations can make a situation that much worse. Unfortunately, the current system of divorce in the United States does a poor job of educating clients on the alternatives to litigation. And in the event legal arbitration is the only choice left: where does one turn?

Given their higher salaries and equity arrangements, tech workers are more likely than most to enter marriages with lop-sided assets or income, or both. Furthermore, as a tech worker, it is common to spend your early years building a career, resulting in a later-life marriage, and sometimes with children from a previous relationship. Because of this, some parties may stand to walk away from a marriage with much more than they came into it with. These realities of life should not be ignored when considering a marriage. Even the most rational, cool-headed individuals can be sucked into the emotional damage that is typical of divorce.

On this episode, Malcolm Ethridge sits down with Andrew Hatherley, Certified Divorce Financial Analyst and founder of Wiser Divorce Solutions, to discuss his work helping divorcing couples and individuals avoid the financial and emotional hazards of divorce. Having been divorced himself, Andrew has first-hand experience with the broken and frustrating U.S. “Divorce System” and seeks to do his part to help change the way divorce is handled in this country. 

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Andrew Hatherley is a divorce financial advisor and understands the fear and uncertainty many of you are feeling. He went through his own divorce several years ago. He knows that the extreme emotions that come with divorce can lead to damaging financial mistakes, both short and long term. Having learned the hard way, He is determined to help others avoid some of the pitfalls that can make divorce such a difficult process

Mentioned in this episode:

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

Picture this: you’re working for one of the FANG companies, in a high-paying role, with unlimited PTO, free food, and plenty of responsibility -- sounds pretty ideal right? But there’s one big problem: you can’t take it anymore. On one hand, you feel guilty because you’ve ascended to a position many of your peers could only dream of. On the other, you’re unmotivated, unproductive, and struggling to make the commute to the office--or perhaps more telling--your kitchen table. What was once a challenging and fulfilling endeavor has soured. And the pressing question isn’t if you should leave, but when? 

Don’t get me wrong, feeling stuck in a high-paying white collar gig is a good problem to have, but it’s not sustainable. Regardless of your annual salary and all the bells and whistles, nobody is immune to career burnout. And worst of all, the cost of staying in a role that no longer serves you can steal your time, freedom, and creativity. And after the life-altering experience of living through the COVID-19 pandemic and plenty of introspection, many workers made the tough decision to protect their peace of mind and walked away. But aside from the financial implications, many more stayed in jobs they hated due to the fear of disappointing their parents and/or their cultural expectations, possible backlash from colleagues left holding the bag, or even just the fear of being seen as ungrateful. 

On this episode, Malcolm Ethridge sits down with Michael Lin, Founder of All-In Engineering Consulting, to discuss why he walked away from a nearly half a million dollar a year job at Netflix. In 2022, Michael made headlines after publishing a letter titled “Why I Quit a $450k Engineering Job at Netflix.” His words illuminated the reality of career burnout from high-demand, high-paying roles. So, he and Malcolm sat down to discuss his journey and lessons learned that other tech employees can benefit from.

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About our guest:

Michael Lin is an ex-Netflix tech lead turned entrepreneur. By day, he runs All-In Engineering Consulting, where they help VC-backed startups build MVP’s. By night, he writes a weekly newsletter about entrepreneurship, engineering, and life.

Mentioned in this episode:

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

The most common example of social trading is when individual investors follow successful traders on social trading platforms and copy their trades. This can help investors who lack the time, experience, or confidence to invest on their own to achieve similar returns to more experienced traders. But, if you’ve ever traded stocks or crypto on Robinhood, and immediately received a prompt letting you know which of your friends also bought that stock earlier that same day, then you’ve experienced social investing. Or, if you’ve ever found yourself knee-deep in a Reddit thread debating the merits of bottom-up versus top-down company analysis, then you’ve experienced social investing as well.

For better or for worse, financial influencers play a significant role in the trend of social investing because they have established a following and built a reputation for their perceived knowledge and expertise in the financial markets. They are adept at using social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok, and Youtube to share their investment strategies, insights, opinions, and ideas with their followers. 

On this episode, Malcolm Ethridge sits down with Manning Field, CEO of Follow, a new social investment startup encouraging investors to bolster and diversify their portfolios by mirroring the trades of today’s top financial creators. The pair share their differing opinions on the rise of fin-fluencers, the so-called Reddit rebellion, and the expected long-term impact of social investing on a generation of newer, younger investors.

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Manning Field is the Chief Executive Officer at Follow. He previously worked as the Chief Operations Officer at Acorns. Prior to Acorns, he launched market-leading products and programs at JPMorgan Chase like Chase Sapphire, Chase Freedom and Chase Ultimate Rewards, and was named an Ad Age "40 Under 40." He spent four years in Beijing,China, as CMO of JPMorgan Chase's consumer team and while there, founded a local credit card business. During his 18 year tenure at Chase, Manning oversaw many departments including Branding, Advertising, Product Development, Marketing, Corporate Development, Innovation, Sales Strategy, and, lastly, as the Managing Director of Loyalty Innovation.

Mentioned in this episode:

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

Traditionally, we are taught from a young age that anyone who fails to pay their bills on time and in full is either irresponsible, lazy, or otherwise bad with money. By the time a person reaches young adulthood, they have essentially learned rule #1 of managing your personal finances: pay every bill on time, no matter what.

The reality though is that the importance of paying yourself supersedes paying anyone else. As cliché as it sounds, paying yourself first is an important financial lesson to learn and one that will serve you well in the long run.

In this episode, Malcolm Ethridge discusses the concept of paying yourself first, his belief that we should work, save, pay taxes, pay bills, and then spend what’s left in that order, and some recommendations for how to set up an automatic savings plan designed to take out as much of the human element out of the equation as possible.

Mentioned in this episode:

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

The promise and allure of passive income is undeniable. The idea of making money “while you sleep” has led to a proliferation of personalities and influencers telling us how to build income streams through dividends, real estate, online courses, e-books, and more. Unlike the day-to-day income most workers are accustomed to, passive income allows you to receive earnings, royalties, or sales in perpetuity, well after the initial investment. Passive income streams compliment one’s salary and provide stepping stones to creating a life with greater financial freedom.

Historically, real estate investing has represented one of the most popular income building strategies beyond stocks, bonds, or a primary residence. However, for many busy tech workers, the idea of becoming a landlord, dealing with broken pipes, and evicting tenants can quickly quell any ideas of building a real estate portfolio. In contrast, passively investing in car washes, multi-family properties, or public storage facilities are attractive opportunities that provide cash-flow andappreciation without the active management of traditional real estate. Beginning the transition from active investing to passive real estate investing begins with finding a trusted and experienced investment team.

In this episode, Malcolm Ethridge sits down with Whitney Elkins-Hutten, the Director of Investor Education at Passive Investing dot com, a national passive real estate investment firm based in the Carolinas with a portfolio valued at over 1.3 billion dollars and fueled by 2,000 investors. The pair discuss Whitney’s passion for helping busy professionals achieve financial freedom through passively investing in cash-flowing real estate in their local communities, as well as why she has a bit of a unique emphasis on self-storage units and car washes.

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Whitney Is A Real Estate Maven Who, After Purchasing Her First Rental In 2002, And Hitting A Homerun, Then Nearly Losing It All On Her Second Deal, Took Control And Figured Out How To Invest In Real Estate The Right Way. She Realized That Success Must Leave Clues. So, She Studied And Replicated The Very Personal Finance And Wealth Creation Strategies The Wealthy Use To Create Financial Freedom. Today, Whitney Is A Partner In $700M+ Of Real Estate —Including Over 5000+ Residential Units (MF, MHP, SFR, And Assisted Living) And More Than 1400+ Self-Storage Units Across 7 States—And Experience Flipping Over $3.0M In Residential Real Estate.

Mentioned in this episode:

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

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.

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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.

Mentioned in this episode:

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

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.

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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

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.

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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

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]

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Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

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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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

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.

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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

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.

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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.

Mentioned in this episode:

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com