Category Archives: Podcast

GMB #130: Innovation in Stock Market Structure: A 40 Year History Lesson With Kenny Polcari

With the widespread adoption of retail investing and the usage of handheld devices, investing and stock trading have become easier than ever. However, in the 1980s, it used to be an entirely different story. This week on Grow Money Business, we bring you an informative and entertaining conversation with a stock trading veteran who has been in the industry during many of the defining moments of the financial markets over the last four decades. Kenny Polcari, Managing Partner Kace Capital Advisors, joins us today to dive deep into how the stock market structure has evolved over the last few decades.

 

 

Show Notes

[02:54] Getting to Know Kenny – We start the conversation with Kenny’s long career in the financial sector and discuss what the New York Stock Exchange was like when Kenny began his career in the 80s.

[08:16] Building a Career – Kenny reflects on a couple of stories from the early years of his career and how he progressed through the industry.

[15:23] Stock Trading in the 80s – Kenny talks about the way stock markets worked in the 80s and why that environment was exciting.

[22:50] Members of Stock Exchange – Kenny explains the role of a member of the New York Stock exchange.

[27:17] Technology – Kenny discusses early applications of computer-based analytics for financial markets and how relying too much on technology led to a meltdown in the financial markets across the globe.

[42:19] The Tech Boom – Kenny shares his thoughts on how the massive expansion of technology that took place in the 90s shaped the financial markets.

[48:36] The Evolution – How the stock markets and the technologies used for stock trading has evolved over the last few decades.

[54:06] Impact of 9/11 – Kenny reflects on how the September 11th attacks destroyed the infrastructure of the New York Stock Exchange and the process of recovering from that destruction.

[1:00:55] Modern Stock Trading – How the modern stock trading systems make use of the latest technology available in order to make stock trading more reliable and immune to threats.

 

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GMB Ep #129: No, Index Investing Isn’t Bad For The Markets

 

With recent developments in the financial markets, we’re seeing quite a bit of people who are concerned about index investing and the effects it may have on the economy. We dedicated today’s episode of Grow Money Business to addressing some of these concerns. Throughout the episode, Grant shares his thoughts on four of the biggest arguments against index investing and some studies that question the legitimacy of each.

 

 

Show Notes

[03:18] Recent Developments – How the recent developments in the financial markets reignited the discussion against index funds.

[06:15] Competition – One of the major arguments against index investing is that it reduces competition within an industry. Grant shares his thoughts on why this notion is not valid.

[13:11] Corporate Governance Standards – Grant explains how index funds allocate their resources in a way that’s beneficial to shareholders and why index investing won’t create corporate governance issues.

[16:46] Price Discovery – Grant breaks down how the price discovery mechanism works and why index investing is unlikely to hurt price discovery.

[28:20] Income Inequality – Grant shares his take on the argument that index investing exacerbates income inequality.

 

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GMB Episode #128: Using Technology to Drive Business Value With Chris Hood

 

We live in the era of tech giants, where technology-driven businesses keep innovating and newly emerging technologies are becoming a key factor in driving business value. Our guest today, Chris Hood, is the Head of Business Innovation and Strategy at Google Cloud. Throughout the conversation, Chris discusses how he assists enterprises in driving economic value through the smart application of technology.

 

 

Show Notes

[01:38] Chris’s Background – Chris shares his background, as well as some of his daily duties at Google.

[04:48] Digital Strategy – Chris describes how the process of deploying technology changes based on the desired customer experience and explains how difficult this can be to navigate in larger organizations.

[15:20] Frequent Technologies – Chris cites specific types of technology that he sees commonly employed and explains how they assist organizations in generating commercial value.

[22:56] API – Chris expresses his thoughts on API monetization.

[27:41] AI and Machine Learning – Chris describes common applications of AI and machine learning.

[39:12] The Future – Chris shares his predictions for the future.

[47:09] Business Owners in Transition – Chris provides some important considerations for business owners in transition.

[54:58] Twitter Deal – Chris comments on Elon Musk’s $44 billion offer to acquire Twitter.

 

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GMB Ep #127 – Should You Adjust Your Bond Holdings Since Interest Rates Are Rising?

 

If you’ve been paying attention to the financial markets lately, you’ve probably noticed that interest rates have been increasing, resulting in a decrease in bond prices. Other recent developments, such as Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition and the decreased performance of popular growth stocks, have a lot of people questioning if it is time to adjust their portfolios. In today’s episode, Grant reviews the relationship between interest rates and bonds, how investors should react to increasing interest rates, and some of the stock price behaviors related to acquisitions.

 

 

Show Notes

[03:30] Market Updates – Grant recaps some of the interesting developments in the financial markets.

[05:26] Growth Stocks – In recent months, some of the popular growth stocks, such as Netflix and Amazon, have not been performing very well. Grant shares his thoughts on the implications of this trend.

[07:18] Bonds and Interest Rates – Grant dives into how the value of bonds fluctuates based on the interest rates and some of the methods used to evaluate bonds.

[13:31] Responding to Interest Rates – How investors should respond to increasing interest rates and why this is not a good reason to sell your bonds.

[20:25] Bond Funds – How bond funds work, differences between stock funds and bond funds, and how to evaluate bond funds.

[27:14] 60/40 Portfolios – Grant shares his thoughts on whether 60/40 portfolios are a good asset class to invest in.

[29:46] Twitter Share Prices – Grant discusses Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, and what this means for investors.

 

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GMB Episode #126: Pulling the Wisdom From Jeff Bezos’ Investor Letters With Steve Anderson

 

It’s an undeniable fact that Jeff Bezos did some exceptional work to develop Amazon into the e-commerce giant it is today. What if you could discover Amazon’s secrets and translate them into your business? Our guest today took on the task of analyzing every investor letter addressed by Jeff Bezos to Amazon shareholders dating back to 1997. Steve Anderson, Co-Founder & CEO at Catalyit™, and the author of the international bestseller, The Bezos Letters, joins us to dive into the 14 principles that created the Amazon that we know today.

 

 

Show Notes

[02:52] Summary of Letters – Steve starts the conversation with a synopsis of the letters, as well as what we can take away from them as we manage our own businesses.

[05:08] Beginning of Amazon – Steve explains Jeff Bezos’s background, how his childhood inspired him, and how he ended up launching Amazon.

[11:14] Becoming a Tech Giant – Steve dives into the growth of Amazon from its IPO in 1997 to current day.

[24:38] Four categories– Steve discusses the four categories mentioned in his book, and provides an excellent explanation of the 14 principles.

[31:44] High-Velocity Decisions – Steve explains how Jeff Bezos used a unique decision-making process to accelerate Amazon’s growth.

[45:56] Amazon’s Culture – Steve expresses his thoughts on Amazon’s culture.

[54:40] Steve’s Background – Steve shares his background, his career as an entrepreneur, and how he came to produce his phenomenal work.

 

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GMB Ep #124: Managing Burnout As An Entrepreneur With Bunny Young

 

As an entrepreneur, wearing too many hats can quickly lead to burnout. This week on Grow Money Business, we talk about how and why it is so important for entrepreneurs to monitor their mental health and wellbeing. Bunny Young, a business consultant, former therapist, and third-generation entrepreneur joins us today to discuss what burnout it, how to prevent it, and some valuable lessons she has learned along the way.

 

 

Show Notes

[02:40] Levels of Burnout – We start the conversation with different levels of burnout and how to cope.

[05:38] PTSD –Bunny shares some signs that suggest we might be experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder.

[10:17] Burnout & PTSD – Bunny compares the signs & symptoms of burnout against that of PTSD and shares how businesses can help their staff approach mental health in a positive way.

[14:00] Preventing Big Burnout – Bunny shares her thoughts on how we can prevent a small burnout from snowballing into a big burnout.

[18:00] Workweek Patterns – Bunny gives her thoughts on why our centuries-old 40-hour workweek is no longer efficient and how entrepreneurs can make it better.

[26:00] Making Good Decisions – Bunny shares her advice for making objective and logical decisions while experiencing burnout.

[31:28] Business Background – Bunny is a third-generation entrepreneur. We talk about the businesses her parents and grandparents developed.

[38:31] Bunny’s Journey – Bunny shares her own entrepreneurial journey, and some of the career pivots she made along the way.

[53:15] Consulting – Bunny talks about her consulting firm and how they help family-centric small business owners spend more time with their loved ones.

 

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GMB Ep #123: Tax Efficient Crypto Gifting With Pat Duffy

 

The world of cryptocurrency is innovative and ever-expanding. In today’s episode of Grow Money Business, we are joined by Pat Duffy, a cofounder of The Giving Block. The Giving Block is a platform that enables non-profit organizations to receive cryptocurrency donations. Throughout the episode, Pat and Grant dive deep into the tax benefits related to crypto donations, and discuss how The Giving Block is changing the future of charitable giving.

 

 

Show Notes

[03:14] The Giving Block – We start the conversation with a brief look at what The Giving Block does and how it helps donors and non-profit organizations.

[07:10] The Process – Pat walks us through the process of what happens when someone interested in crypto gifting signs up with The Giving Block.

[10:00] Donor Advised Funds – Pat explains the process of donating via a Donor Advised Fund.

[16:33] Why Crypto? – Pat shares his take on some of the reasons why non-profit organizations may want to take crypto donations.

[19:05] Barriers – Pat discusses some of the challenges non-profit organizations face when starting to accept crypto donations.

[27:30] Getting Traction – Pat shares with us what it was like at the beginning of his service and what it took to get enough traction for the service.

[31:30] Business Model – Pat shares with us how the business model of the Giving Block works and some of the areas the platform will be expanding into in the near future.

[36:52] Managing Growth – Pat dives into their strategy of managing their growth.

[42:54] Shift4 – The Giving Block was recently acquired by the payment processing solutions company, Shift4. Pat shares what opportunities and possibilities this acquisition will open up.

[49:10] Tips for Donating – Pat shares some advice for those who own crypto assets and want to make a crypto donation.

 

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GMB Ep #122: How to Retain Top Employees Amid the Great Resignation With Jeff Kortes

 

In today’s day and age, it takes more than just money to keep top performing employees from moving on to better opportunities. Jeff Kortes joins us today to discuss employee retention amid the Great Resignation. Jeff possesses a wealth of experience in this subject, and spent ten years in human resources before resigning and establishing his consulting practice. Throughout the episode Jeff shares the importance of workplace culture, as well as tips for hiring and retaining the right people for your business.

 

Show Notes

[02:51] Great Resignation – Jeff describes the Great Resignation and how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the workforce.

[05:41] Shifts in the Workforce– Jeff explores the implications of younger workers seeking other opportunities or relocating within an industry.

[06:36] Give Your Employees C.R.A.P – Jeff discusses the correlation between workplace culture and employee retention, and shares a few ways that businesses can kill employee loyalty.

[13:33] Jeff’s Work – Jeff describes how his practice helps companies diagnose the underlying cause of their issues.

[17:52] Employee Retention Problems-  Jeff describes how he determines whether a business has undetected or misdiagnosed staff retention issues.

[20:30] Strategy and Correction – Jeff shares their top strategies for correcting issues they find along the way.

[27:35] Finding the Right People – Jeff provides his perspective on how to know that you are hiring the right type of individual for your company.

[34:19] The Future of Work – Jeff discusses the recent shift in the workplace, and how this will affect future generations’ work habits.

[36:17] Virtual Connection – Jeff and Grant discuss how to develop and sustain culture in the day and age of remote work.

[44:04] Jeff’s plans – Jeff shares his future plans and how people can connect with him.

 

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GMB Ep #120: A CFO’s Perspective on Managing Cash, M&A, ESOPs, & the Changing Business Environment

 

Have you ever heard the saying that revenue is vanity, profit is sanity, and cash is reality? Today’s guest, Robert E. Bendetti, is the CFO at Life Cycle Engineering. He holds a master’s degree in accounting and financial management and an MBA specializing in small business management and entrepreneurship, as well as being a certified public accountant. Throughout the episode, we cover several key concepts that help business owners grow their businesses and adapt to ever changing markets.

 

 

Show Notes

[03:21] Background – Robert shares his background and the company’s operations.

[05:20] Cash Flow Management – Robert emphasizes the importance of cash flow management and gives his perspective as a CFO on appropriate cash management for small enterprises.

[08:48] Cash Conversion Cycle – Robert discusses approaches to optimize the cash conversion cycle, emphasizing the importance of timely invoicing, collection challenges, and the smoothness of the payment process.

[11:50] Tips – Robert shares an approach for reducing turnaround time and illustrates a simple mechanism to increase collection rates.

[20:29] Profitability – Robert points out how to convert cash to profit, describing what balance sheet and income statement items need to be monitored.

[23:25] Paying Yourself vs. Reinvesting – Robert outlines how to decide whether to invest additional funds to boost profitability and future growth or pay yourself.

[31:41] Transition – Robert addresses what individuals approaching retirement or transition should consider 18 months before leaving a firm.

[40:25] Employee Stock Ownership Plan – Robert dives deep into ESOP and related topics.

[51:31] Global CFO Council – As President and Founder of Global CFO Council, Robert mentions what he hopes to accomplish through the organization.

 

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