Knock Knock
What does a pawn shop employee, a property manager, a proprietor of a tile business, and a proud papa have in common? If you’re Chase Knock, at some point in your life you were all of these. It’s often funny how one option leads to another in life. And although it’s one thing to be…
Read MoreCrabs in a Bucket
A single crab placed in a bucket will generally escape easily (although not without some irritation for having been placed in a bucket). However, if you put a group of crabs in a bucket, every time one of them tries to escape another will inevitably grab on to them and pull them back down. Sure,…
Read MoreCrafting Community
After moving to the Midwest from Louisiana, Stephen Smith knew something was missing…backyard BBQs. There just weren’t very many. And sure, the food at that type of thing was always good, but it’s the intentional community, the people, and the vibe of gathering that he missed. But how do you re-create that in the Midwest?…
Read MoreYear End Dilemmas
Year-end is when all the big questions get together and beg for your attention. Business questions like how much did we make? What do we have in cash? What about taxes? How do we want to grow next year, should we pay down debt? But then you need to layer in considerations for you and…
Read MoreEstate Planning
Thinking through the impacts of our absence in the world seems both a luxury and intangible compared to the problems and opportunities that we face in the present. But as our guest Charles Bottenberg reminds us in this episode, “Whether you have an estate plan or not, you have an estate plan.” The choice is…
Read MorePaying With Time
In this episode’s Simple Step, we’re talking about the power of thinking about your spending through the lens of time. How many work hours does it take to cover that car payment, the grocery store visit, or that bocce ball set your spouse is certain you will lose your passion for in a few weeks?…
Read MoreSideline Cash
In a market that is unpredictable at best and recessive at worst, sometimes it feels like the most prudent thing to do is get out and put your cash on the sidelines. But doing so can often be counterproductive as high inflation chips away at the underlying value as your cash sits and you miss…
Read MoreSurprise
Entrepreneurship is often a twisting, winding, surprising sort of affair. As Becky Pospisal, owner of the Knotty Nail will tell you, those surprises can come both in the form of challenges (as in adapting when your well-made plans don’t work out as expected) and blessings (like finding that folks really like your business). Although you…
Read MoreMentorship
In this Simple Step episode, we talk about the importance of mentors. A good mentor can not only help you realize when you aren’t being your authentic self but can also call you up to a version of yourself you never knew existed. We don’t ever graduate from the benefits of coaching and guidance, we…
Read MoreMaking Money Playing Games
Part of the Uncommon path is believing that there’s a way to monetize the thing you’re passionate about. When you can set yourself free of that limiting thought, that no one could possibly pay you for this thing, it starts to open your eyes to all kinds of opportunities and avenues you never knew existed.…
Read MoreRetirement Plans
Sorting out the alphabet soup of letters and numbers that describe various retirement plans can seem like a daunting task. But employees and employers alike can use these plans to reduce current tax liability and gain investment exposure, so it’s valuable to understand these tax-advantaged options and how to use them to advance your goals.…
Read MoreDo the Thing
If you’re going to do the thing, do the thing. If you’re Jeni Lee of Mac’d, the thing is creating a meal prep service that combines providing a tasty variety of food, making it easy to get, and ensuring it covers the balanced nutrients you need to meet or exceed your fitness goals. This week…
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