Compound Growth

One Year In: What Compound Growth Actually Means

• Compound Growth • Season 2 • Episode 18

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One year ago, Wheeler and Colin hit record on a podcast with no script, no audience, and no certainty it would go anywhere. This episode marks that anniversary — and uses it as a lens for the thing the show has always been about: what does it actually take to build something that compounds over time?

The conversation opens with a riff on jargon — why professionals in every field lose the ability to explain themselves to the people they care about most, and what that says about the gap between expertise and genuine communication. From there, it moves into reflection. What consistency really looks like when no one is watching. Why early decisions that look small — staying independent, saying no to the wrong opportunities, betting on your own voice — tend to be the ones that matter most in hindsight.

Wheeler and Colin discuss the moment they turned down a well-resourced firm that had everything except room for this, a podcast. They talk about the first year of advisors and what separates the ones who last. They revisit why growth, in any domain, is less about the headline moments and more about the accumulated weight of small, repeated choices.

This anniversary episode is a honest conversation about where the show started, direct about where it's going, and grounded in the same belief that has run through every episode: that money, work, and the way people build things are all worth talking about clearly, without the jargon getting in the way.

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Credits:
Created By: Wheeler Crowley and Colin Walker
Production, Editing and Post-Production: Tori Rothwell

She was talking a lot- Okayof stuff about, like, women's biology.Ok- okay.And trying to educate me- Yeahon women's biology and how things work there.It was, like, 10 minutes.I have no idea what she said the entire time.I was in my head.I'm thinking through, like, my next car purchase, where I wanna go on vacation.I was, like, going through my memory log of, like, funny things that happened in high school.So many things happened-in my mind in that 10 minute, but what I can tell you what didn't happen-is pertaining anything about women's biology.I know absolutely nothing that she said.Because I'm not interested.This sounds horrible, and I know this is gonna be the only episode-that she watches the entire year.That she actually listens to this.But I guess my thing is is if I'm going on a tangent about lap times of this McLaren that- SureI'm really interested in, I'm not expecting her to remember the lap time, you know?I just need to talk about it.No, but you're essentially comparing the lap times of a McLaren to, like, the women's biology that she's experiencing.No, no, no.I'm not saying it's the same thing-or the same level of importance.It sounds kind of like you're saying that.I need to rewind because w- it all comes down to interest.Growing up, I remember my parents couldn't get me to read, unless it was, like, a car magazine.Yeah, sure.Yeah, yeah, yeah.Okay.Because I was interested in it, so that's how you get, like, a kid to read, is you get them into subjects that they're interested in.Right.But, like, if Mikayla's not into, like, algebra- Sureshe's not gonna, like, willingly go read an algebra brook andbook and then maintain it all.Well- You know what I mean?It's funny 'cause they have, like, those word problems that are, like, trying to help kids understand the math.And, like, if train A is traveling at blah, blah, blah, and train B is traveling atYou know those word problems.Yeah, yeah, yeah.Yeah.Okay.Speaking Greek to you.But, like, you're right, is, like, storytelling is, like, how you, like, understand things.Yeah.So is it that Kaylee is not telling a story with the biology?Like, is she just, like, like, naming things and not really bringing you in and engaging you with a narrative?Well, to those that don't know, my wife is in the medical field.She's a urology provider.And I do think that she speaks in a lot of jargon that- Like us.We do that.I'm guilty of it as well.Yeah.And I have no idea what any of the jargon means.And all these different terms and codes and numbers, and- RightI'm like, "Mm-hmm,"- Surein my head, though.High school.High school.Yeah.But, you know, it seems like what you need is a podcast that explains all the jargon.Would you listen?Well, okay.No, your initial instinct was to say no.IWell, yeah, because I'm not really interested in medical jargon, I have to say, but I do think that now that I am attending more appointments because my mom is getting older, and, like, I have to- Yeah.This is a weak spot for me.I, I am very poor in this area of life, of- Like medical stuff?medical stuff.Like paying att- I feel like I should be taking notes or, or, like, I should bring our Jump AI recording agent into this so I can actually, like, keep track of what's being said.But I do think that actually understanding some of the, the jargon, like the way that some of these doctors' minds work, it's just, like, it's kind of like they're going through a checklist.Like, thatAnd they're, like, rattling things off, th- like this, it might be this, might be this, might be whatever.That's how she talks.And yeah.I think it's actuallyIt's almost like it's, it's wired into them.Mm-hmm.And they don'tThey're not born this way, but, like, just when they go through the education process, it's like they just start to think this way.And I can't keep up with it, and I need them to slow down.And I wonder if that's what some, some clients sometimes feel with, like, finance because I, we talk about this stuff day in and day out.Our brains naturally connect the dots in ways that I don't think that everybody who's not doing this all day, they won't have that same experience.It's 100% the case because what's jargonWell, I'll say what we see as normal day-to-day conversations is jargon.Right.But when you do it for 10 plus years, you forget what you didn't know before.Right.It's funny 'cause I'll walk around this office, and we'll have CNBC on or something.There will be, like, some headline or some interview, and I'll just, like, I'll throw out, like, a one-sentence thought about it and just see who picks up on it.And, like, Dan will cue.He's like, "What?Yeah, let's talk that."He's interested.Like, he wants to talk about it.Right.Shay just ignores me.Totally.Yeah, just no interest.She just does not care.No interest whatsoever.And I, yeah, it'sI think it is hard.It's like that there's no, there's no common thread to the way that all of these little different areas work, and understanding it, it takes a lot, and we have to really, like, slow down and explain things very clearly.And I need that when I'm sitting in the doctor's office.And I can't believe this conversation led naturally into our podcast today.That is actually insane.I know.Listen, Tori, I'm sorry.You gotta tell us when we're starting so Colin- Maybe not.Maybe it's better.Welcome to the Compound Growth Podcast with Colin and Wheeler, where we talk all things growth.From financial growth to career growth, personal development to societal progress, we explore how each layer builds on the next, compounding over time to shape who we become.Each week, we break down complex ideas and emerging trends into clear, actionable insights.Because growth isn't just about numbers.It's about understanding the world and our place in it.Maybe it's better off the cuff.But, but one year, one year.I don't know what we were talking about in the intro episode one year ago, but I think it started off with a rant.Did we have, like, a soft open?I think we did.No, I don't think we did.I think I asked, "What is compound growth?"Maybe that's a good place to start now.I feel like that was the first line of the podcast.If I remember correctly.And yeah, I think I've been thinking that a lot this morning, 'cause we happen to be recording this, like, the day that we've had, like, the best kind of turnout or, or highest watch- Episodeepisode.Only 2 days in, yeah.Yeah.So it's just like- By a long shot.It's funny that I'm thinking about things a little bit from that context today when we come into this conversation.Yeah.So Colin, what is Compound Growth?Not the term, not the podcastNot the actual term, but the actual podcast.I think it's evolved a lot from where we first started, and compound growth to me is consistency.Okay.And- Yeahhere's what I mean by that.I was thinking about our journey, and my own personal journey and my career in general, and what led me here.Yep.And when I first started off as a financial advisor, this might actually be a good podcast actually at some point to talk about what it's like to get going as an advisor.Yeah.Yeah, yeah, yeah.But when I was first getting going as a financial advisor, you know, I started and there were 92 people I think is what I started with in my, like, initial class.The class, like the starting group of advisors.The starting group of advisors.Yeah.Yeah.And out of those 92, I know of apart from myself, 2 that are left.Mm-hmm.And when we first started, it was made very clear to us that if you wanna succeed, you just have to find what's effective and do the same thing every day for many years, and you'll be successful.And there was a lot of truth to that.It was consistency in marketing, going out and sponsoring as many events as I could, and talking to as many people as I could, and getting myself out there.And then the evenings making your cold calls.Yeah.Every single day, even on Saturday mornings coming in and making your cold calls.And because of that, I found some success.I think when it comes to Compound Growth and this podcast in general, we didn't necessarily know what episodes were gonna stick, and we didn't know going into it what our niche would be.And most businesses typically don't when they first get going, because the whole point of an initial startup is to just start up.But I think for us, and for me in this podcast, it has just been about consistency of putting out content and consistently making it better.Yeah, I do think that that's a really good point, that consistency, like, we put a lot of reps in.Yes.I listened to an episode of the Founders Podcast yesterday while I was cooking, and it was about Arnold Schwarzenegger.And- I listened to an Arnold Schwarzenegger podcast yesterday.No, you did not.I swear to God.Yes, I did.That's super weird.That's very odd.All right.So I, we watched that Netflix s- show.Mm-hmm.You and I separately, at the same time.And this was about just his bodybuilding days.Like, it wasI think this b- It was his first autobiography, and it was written in, like, I wanna say late '70s, early '80s.So these are the Pumping Iron days.Yes.It's not, you know, it's, it's not movie star Arnold- Mm-hmmor Governor, Governator whatever.And I, I didn't listen to this because I was, like, super excited about it.I like the podcast, and I'mI remind myself every so often that I should listen to things that are not interesting on the surface to me, so that I can learn more about it and find new ways that it might connect to something else.And that's kinda the way I look at Compound Growth, is like you have all of these different, like, inputs, and they come together to help build you, and you continue to grow on your journey.Mm-hmm.That's kind of the way I've, I've looked at it.And it's funny that you listened to an Arnold podcast yesterday the same day that I just randomly listened to this one, and it's also funny that I listened to it for this exact reason.I listened to it in case there was something that came out of it that I wasn't expecting, and here I am talking about it the next day for that reason.And it was his version of compound growth.It was basically, like, he went to the gym.He realized this is what he wanted to do with his life.He was, like, 13 or something like that.And he said, "I'm just going to work on this consistently day in, day out.Everybody works out one or 2 hours.I'm gonna work out 2 to 4."Right?"Or I'm gonna have 2, like, 2hour sessions a day, and I'm, I'm gonna measure my muscles," and like, whatever.And by definition, like, his muscles grew on top of themselves, right?Like, it's that- Right, they compoundedyeah, and that work that he put in just compounded on itself un- until he achieved his goals, which was to be, I think, a Mr. Universe or something like that.It was.And he won Mi- he was the youngest winner of Mr. Universe ever.Yeah, and he lost a couple times in the way.Like, he- Yeahyou know, it wasn't exactly an overnight success, right?And it took years and then decades, and then that t- same approach is what led to his movie stardom- Mm-hmmyou know, and then to politics, et cetera.Yeah.For me, what stood out about the Arnold Schwarzenegger thing that I listened to was he had a vision going into it.Yeah, yeah.And he was very direct with his vision, which is, "I wanna be Mr. Universe, and I'm gonna take what- or I need to do whatever I need to do to get to be Mr. Universe and move out of Austria."'Cause Austria right after World War II was not a very happy place to be.Yeah.So he wanted to get out of his current environment.He became Mr. Olympia, and he won it, I think, 6 or 7 times.Yeah.And then he decided to pivot, and then he wanted to become a movie star, become rich and famous, get into real estate.Then he also wanted to become governor, and so on and so forth.But every single time, he had a very clear and direct vision.For us starting this off, we wanted toI know personally in my mind, I actually wrote down a few goals when we first started this.As you know, I'm big into- Mm-hmmwriting down goals.Okay.What were those goals?Do you wanna know what the first one was, is to be consistent with the output.Yep.So to do an episode every week.Mm-hmm.Do you wanna know my year one goal?Sure.To have an episode that had 100 views on YouTube.Really?And- It pulled it out of the wireour most recent episode-is well over 100 views.Yeah.And we are at the very, very last point of the year.Wow.So.What was your other goal?Uh, well, they're future goals.So those are my 2 year one goals.Okay.And then I have future ones, but I'm not gonna- You don't wanna share the future goals?But you ha- if you share, the more you share them, the more you manifest them.That's fair.Okay.So I'm on board with that.So year 2 goal, 1,000 views.Yep, in one episode.In one episode.Yep.Yep, and then moving on after that, 10.So I want it to compound by 10 every time.Okay.But I, I wanna say that we talk about this a lot as a group.There's a big difference between a goal and an expectation.It is not my expectation that we reach 1,000 views per episode by the end of this year.I think that is just a personal goal, and how you get there, in the same way that Arnold Schwarzenegger didn't know whether or not he was gonna win Mr. Universe.But he had the skill set, and he knew what work he needed to put in to get to that place.And by consistently generating good content, upgrading certain things to make ourselves better, to have the right people in the right places is the right framework to get us there.Yeah.I think it, it's funny because this, this is why we yin-yang balance each other s- out so much because you're very numbers and goals- Mm-hmmoriented.Yes.And I'm more like, I just want to feel good about the content that we put up, and, you know, and to feel like we're at this place today where, you know, the, the podcast viewership has, like, doubled what our previous best, you know, outcome was before.And I find myself thinking, "Did I say anything important?Did anything I say have an impact on anybody?Was it worth listening to?"You know, it's, when I look at the numbers, and Tori gathered numbers, and I'll share some of them, you know, we have 58 YouTube subscribers.It's not a lot.There's not thousands of people listening- No, of course notto this podcast right now.Not at the moment.Um, I'm just thinking about, like, the number of hours that people have watched us on YouTube, and this is YouTube focused, which was not the goal of the podcast for me.I have to say, I had to push very, very hard to get us on YouTube.It's true.It's true.And it's like people, what'sI love YouTube algorithms in some sense because they are helping us find our audience.I don't love some of the algorithms in other sense from, as a pa- from a parent standpoint.Um, but I, I do think that, like, I'm embracing YouTube more now- You arebecause I recognize that it naturally f- helps you find your audience in a way that, you know, Spotify and Apple Podcast and whatever don't.But I, I think that the way I look at this, and I, I think Tori and I talked about this a few weeks back, having a podcast like this is like having a band.It's like a small band.Yeah.This is what, this is our, like, little garage band, and we are kind of bringing this little garage band out into the world.And when I think of things from, like, a music perspective, there are a couple things I, I don't want.I don't expect or want, like, overnight, quote-unquote, success.Mm-hmm.Right?Like, everybody doesn't need to know who we are right now, and I don't know if I ever want them to.And I also don't want to get pigeonholed and say, "Okay, well, here's this episode did, and it was our most successful episode in terms of viewership, listening hours, downloads," whatever it was."Let's just recreate that over and over and over again."Because I would definitelyI don't, I wouldn't say that I would be like all Bob Dylan and never sing the hits anymore.But I, I can imagine what it's like to be those bands that tour, and they just like, they, they play the hits every night because that's what people wanna hear, and that's, like, their role in the world.But some of them get really sick of playing the same songs over and over again.Yeah, like, do you think Bruce Springsteen ever gets, like, sick and tired of playing- I actually don't.I think he loves it.I think he, he loves it.He loves it.But I, I know that there are other bands that are likeOr they'll change up the song.We were talking aboutAnd God, I'm, like, skipping into another podcast episode I wanna have at some point.But there was, um, a Maggie Rogers viral song, um, like 10 years ago that we were talking about.Yeah.Alaska.And I watch her record it now 10 years later, and it sounds nothing like the song that went viral.Yeah.Right?Because that's, like, who she is 10 years later is very different from, like, the 21, 22-year-old college g- kid- Yeahthat wrote it then.And I think that's interesting, and that's part of her compound growth journey.But I really want to feel like what we are putting out there is worth hearing, worth watching, worth caring about.And most of the time I do, and that's what makes me feel successful in this role.Yeah, you want people to remember you for something that you're proud of.I don't even know that remembering, that's legacy.That's like- Fair.But let me ask you this.What have been your favorite episodes?If you wereOkay, let's just say for example your idol comes out, whoever it might be.You don't need to mention my name.You're my idol, Colin.Yeah.So that person comes in and says, "Well, what episode should I watch?"Right."To start with?"Huh.Let me ask you this too.Do you have an answer to that question?I, I think I do.But let me also ask you this.Do you think that after a year we've defined a niche just yet?I think that you and I really enjoy exploring and figuring out what things are and what they could be.I don't know if we've found a niche, but I found, I think we've found several things about this podcast that really work.One is those, the market recaps.People like hearing what- Mm-hmmtheir advisors have to say month over month over month.And that was one of the things I always, one of the reasons behind this was, like, let's broadcast what we're saying to our clients all at the same time so we don't have to call them all up individually to share it with them, right?And it's all on demand for them.They can listen to it whenever they wanna listen to it.There's a lot of value in that, and that's, like, one role of our podcast.Let's also bring on guests, 'cause we are curious people, and we like to have interesting, curious conversations with other interesting people.And that has been one of my favorite parts of this journey, is, like, getting to have these conversations, and it's also what frequently and consistently leads to episodes that resonate with our listeners or viewers.Yeah.For me, my favorite episodes were actually some of the more recent ones.Yeah.I really enjoyed the When to Fire Your Financial Advisor podcast.No one else listened to that one.No.That was not a good performing episode, but that's fine.Yeah.It's, it was one of my personal faves because it took me back to why we do what we do.And it was a good reflection on where we try our best to add value- Yeahand where we've seen issues pop up before.And also, I think after doing this for so long, getting a general understanding of what it is that clients are looking for, for me that was a refreshing episode.To echo your point, I also agree that whenever we have financial conversations, I do really enjoy those, because it's something we're always talking about already.I thought the SpaceX one was great, because I think it, it was talking about relevant and timely news, and it's potentially a huge shock to the system.And then even going back, the market recaps I find to be really awesome as well.I don't know if we've found our niche though, because I also were rewatching some of the interview episodes.Jess, your wife- Mm-hmmher episode was awesome.I really love Daryl's, and even some of the other ones we've had on with economists and clients have been amazing.So while we, I think, have things that we do tend to gravitate towards in terms of conversation, I do think that we have to remain open into some conversations that might be unexpected.Yeah, I think it's that intersection, right?It's culture and finance, and how they intertwine with each other.And whenever we are bringing on a guest, we have to ask ourselves, like, how is this culture?How is this finance?Is it too much one or the other?And I think that frequently it's not about the guest.Like, the guest can be an economist, and that can feel like, well, it's gonna be very finance heavy.But it's culture that informs the economy, or i- they're intertwined, right?And like, you know, I, I was thinking about this today as we prepped for our next monthly recap, and we think about all the things that happen in the market, and all the things that happen in the world, and all the reasons the market should go up or should go down don't actually create that outcome.Mm-hmm.You know, we have like a, a crazy inflationary environment, and we're crazy.I mean, it spikes to 9% following COVID, right?Y- and everybody's like, "Well, how can you have a strong economy and a strong resilient stock market in the fa- in the face of inflation?"Right.Well, the greatest bull market in history included the '80s.Which was the highest inflationary And high interest rates, and like, you know, so and then everybody's like, "Well, the market's gonna go up when the Fed cuts rates."Well, why?It went up with when we had high interest rates in the '80s and '90s.It went up when we had 0% rates in, you know, following the financial crisis and during COVID.Like, it's, it goes up regardless, and I think that's what people have to wrap their heads around.And I'm getting ahead of myself, but, um, I think it's just so interesting to think about how much of the market is actually math and finance, and how much of it is actually just human behavior and culture.I think the whole thingNot the whole thing, but I, a lot of it is behavioral.Behavioral finance was always one of my favorite subjects- Yeahlike ever that I ever took, because the, like never underestimate the predictability of humanity, you know?It's people will actually make the same mistakes constantly, and we were just talking about this recently for a different application, but if someone shows you who they are, believe them.Right.Yeah, yeah.And, and the market consistently shows you what it is, and the investors in that market are constantly showing you what matters the most to them.Question for you.As we come into year 2 of this podcast, we are still a garage band, but stretch goal, if you could have 2, I'll give you a third if you want it- Okayguests, dream guests- Oh, geezand it doesn't have to be 2026.Who would they be?If you were to say, "This person's on my podcast," and be like super jazzed up about it.This is just not the way my brain works.Really?I, yeah.I- If someone was sitting in this seat right now.I, I don't think things like this.I don't like say, "Man, who would I want in that seat?"Like- Well, who do you wanna have a conversation with?Well, like that, you know, like your, you know, dinner guest conversation thing.Like, you know, which living and dead would you invite to your table?Sure.I never play that game the right way.I feel like w- I can't, I can'tI say somebody, and then like my list is like 30 people long later, and I can't do that.Start with a few.No.Turning it around on you.All right, fine.I have a list.You know I have a list.Exactly.See, this is the way your brainArnold Schwarzenegger I think would be a really good one.After watching that podcast yesterday, and going through the, you know, docuseries on Netflix, which whoever hasn't watched that, I would recommend.Would he have to smoke a cigar during the interview?Yes, 100%.Okay.Yep.That's a requirement.I think Arnold Schwarzenegger would be very, very cool.He's up there on my list for sure.I thinkWho's another person I'd really like to have?It's hard when you have to narrow it down to just like a few.Yeah.Tony Robbins would be a really good one.I would not want Tony Robbins.No?We saw him speak, and it was very good.He's very impactful, but I, I know what you mean.I think what I wanna do when we have a guest on, and both of the people that you brought on, or you suggested there are very, like they're large personalities.Very polarizing.Very, and very polarizing, sure.But I, I think sometimes there's a lot of value in having a conversation instead of just like a, like a one-way interview type of thing.And I think that some podcasts, they do a really good job of interviews, and others do a really good job of conversation, and I'm more interested in the conversation.And I think about this from a, from a podcast standpoint because the, the regular podcasts that I listen to, I think some of their conversational quirks and, and the way they ask questions kind of find their way to me.Like, they influence me.And then I'll listen to another podcast, maybe even the same guest on a different podcast, and the way that the host either doesn't create space for the guest to speak or just like throws their own ideas onto the guest and like it's not really about the guest, that always bothers me.It bothers me when it's vice versa.It's kinda like, well, this person thinks that everything they have to say is more important.Is more important.And that's why they're here, right?They're here to share their opinions and their thoughts, but I just prefer the conversations that are a little bit more like the, the guest can learn from the host, and the host can learn from the guest, and it's like a symbiotic relationship.Yeah.I, I enjoy the interview style I think a little bit more personally.Yeah.Just because in-We were talking about this recently.There was a guest on a podcast that I was really excited to listen to, and the person that was interviewing probably did more than half of the talking.Yeah.I'm like, "I do not wanna hear from you."Like, I clicked on this to hear this guy.To hear the guest.Like, I hear you on all the other podcasts- Yeahthat I subscribe to with you.You know?Like, I need to hear from this guy.So I don't know.For me, that would be a really, really cool one.I think there are a million other people I would love to have on.Maybe it would be great to have, like, a really cool doctor to talk about, you know- Surewe've already had one to talk about the anatomy that I missed out on-in our conversation.Those, those, uhThat's a perfect example of, like, I'll, I'll listen to a Diary of the CEO, uh, episode about- Yeahwomen's health just to try to understand what my wife is going through right now, and that falls into the Arnold Schwarzenegger weightlifting.Like, it's just, like, random.I'm not gonna go be a bodybuilder, and I honestly, you knowYeah.I, I have, I feel like, curious reasons to listen to things.I think, Tori, one of the things you did prepping for this episode was to reach out to some of our regular listeners- Mm-hmmand hear from them what type of guests we'd wanna have, what type of conversations we wanna have.Anything you wanna share?Um, some responses we got from listeners were to lean more into behavioral finance, client-advisor psychology, advisor stories, interviews, financial planning themes, and some credit to you guys that you are crushing it, and keep putting your personalities out there.See, they want the personality.Yeah, they do.It's the- they- it's not just about the guest, Colin.I enjoy the ones where it's just the 2 of us.So what I'm hearing there is a lot of, like, f- it's, "Hey, financial advisors, do your jobs, and, and talk about the things that- Yeahwe pay you to talk about" which is fair.The, uh, first episode that we did, maybe it was the second or third or 4th, I don't remember, once we got past our own bios- Yeahuh, a lot of the advice, feedback I got from clients was like, "I thought this was gonna be, like, a what I should change with my portfolio."Yeah.Yeah, yeah.I'm like, "Well, we can't give investment advice, technically, on a podcast."Too broadly speaking.Too broadly speaking.Everybody should do this one thing.Yeah, exactly.Yeah.But with that being said, we could certainly get more into the financial advisory stuff.Yeah.And maybe it would be a good episode to talk about what it takes to make it as a financial advisor.Yeah, I think that that'sBecause there's a lot to take away from that, even though, uh, we hadI mean, 'cause we had different paths.And my, you know, uh, class vintage is a little bit older than yours, so things have changed a little bit.More mature.More mature.But I, I, I do think that that's part of what we do is, like, we help simplify and clearly communicate things that are pretty complicated.Mm-hmm.And a lot of that, like we were talking about at the beginning of this podcast, finance is all jargon and, and overly complex.So I think there's a lot of value to continuing to do that.I think we've been doing that, and that is obviously something that resonates.I find it to be an awesome industry to be in, and I would highly advise anyone that's considering it to dive in, 'cause there's a lot of opportunity.So I do think that there would be room for an episode- Yeahall about that, and just what our actual industry and field looks like.I'm going to break the, the streak here and talk about AI.Oh.Don't yell at me, Tori.I have one more response I wanna read.Tori already has something loaded for this.I know what's coming.Can I read this response from one of our listeners, Jeremy?Yes.Please, yes.All right.I'll read the whole thing to you guys.Okay."Episodes that show how the sausage is made have been invaluable.Interviews with market analysis, background on how COFI partners, vendors, and clients inform the guys' management.The What Just Happened series is a great way to keep tabs month to month.Sometimes I worry conversations steer much into AI.It's understandable.There are important discussion points, but just something to be aware of."And that's perfectly fair.And I hear Jeremy, and I hear you, Tori.And yet, I think this is something that changes our relationship with the world around us.I think that's what AI is going to do.It's going- Behavioral financeit's going to change, it's gonna change our relationship with the world, it's gonna change the world.It, it's gonna have a big impact on everything, and it's gonna have impact on behavioral finance, on the jobs that we do, on the clients that we serve, et cetera.So it's hard for me to not think about that.That's kind of like i- it'sI don't know.It's almost, it's not all-consuming, but it's a big part of, of what we need to talk about because it's going to have an impact on everything that we talk about.Well, it already has.Our business has changed pretty dramatically- Surein the last year and a half because of it.Even our editing here.And our podcast.On our existing podcast, yes.But I, I do, I think at some point it would be nice if it kind of fades into the background.It will be normalized at some point, just like the internet is,Yeah.I mean, no one's talking about flat screen TVs anymore.Yeah.Nobody's talking about how we can fly across the globe anymore.Right?It will, it will fade into the background and just be kind of like listening It is what it is.Yeah.So I, I hear that, and I, I think that we can endeavor to talk a little bit less about AI or maybe, um, in the context of AI without talking aboutMaybe we can just not say the word AI.Would that help with- Talks about AI.Hey, Tori.I have a question for you.Yes.Do you have anybody that you would like to see come on the podcast?Ooh.What's your stretch?Um- You're into, like, social stuff.I have an answer to this question now.I do.Well, okay.Well, hang on.After Tori.After Tori.I know.I know, after Tori.Um, I, I mean, I don't know.I, I always find my favorite podcasts that I listen to, I would go to, like, Celebrity on Celebrity to listen to people talk.Like Matthew McConaughey would be a good one.But we're not the celebrity.We only have- No, I knowwe, we only have half of that equation.By the time we get to Matthew McConaughey, we might be.So you don't know.I don't know.I just feel like there's far better conversations with more so, like, the common man or, the localI don't know, the local celebrity per se, because I just think relatability is something I look for when I listen to podcasts.I get what you mean though about the grassroots type of thing because those are really good and interesting and relatable conversations.Sure.Which actually sparks a few ideas in my mind that we should talk about afterwards.Okay.But yeah, yeah, yeah.So I, I agree with you because it's very relatable, soOkay.I could bring a celebrity in.Let's say if I were to choose a celebrity, I would maybe choose, like, Jennifer Garner, who is, like, really well diversified in her career- Mm.Yeahand her role.She's, like, she's a really good oneshe, she is an actress but a business owner and investor.She invested I think in, was it Angel City?I, I think it, there's a lot ofSometimes what I'm curious about is once you achieve a certain level of success, what do you do with that success?And what other various forms of financial success and societal success can it lead to?So I'd be really curious to have those conversations.And then I'd like to have, um, like a strategist like Tom Lee on because I think that the way- That would be a, that would be a good one.That would be a goodRight?It's- Yeahit's, it's finance.But I, I also think that the way he thinks about things is very useful to fall back on t- too as like a framework when I'm trying to think about, like, how I should feel about the market, which is not a good way to think about anything.But, like, what I think is going to happen next and what the various different ramifications are because it's rarely ever the one that I expect that comes to fruition.Yeah.But it's, like, nearby.It's like a neighbor to what I thought was going to happen.Well, what's cool about that is it's a unique perspective.And I think his perspective is very different than most people's.Yeah.And that's what's interesting in a conversation is when you're listening to someone that has a completely different, way of thinking than you do.Yeah.Which is really, really cool.That's like I always love listening to futurists- Right.who are, like, telling you the way things are gonna be down the line.Yeah.And it's reallyYeah.I enjoy those types of conversations.There are a few local business owners around here that have built up some globally recognized brands that would be really awesome to have on now that I'm thinking about it, and you can probably see where I'm going with this, but- Yeah.Yeahyeah.All right.So a moment of reflection.Mm-hmm.You've, you've talked about the goals that you've hit for year one, what some of your stretch goals and year 2 goals are, et cetera.What has this podcast taught you personally?It's a reflection on putting in reps- Mm-hmmand consistency- Mmlike I was saying before.I think what it's taught me is Lord of the Rings.There's a quote in Lord of the Rings which is, "It's a dangerous business walking out your front door because you never know where the road's gonna take you."And I didn't necessarily know coming into this that some of the episodes that we did would be more enjoyable than I thought and more successful than I thought they would be.Yeah.And it's surprising in a positive way, and just a reflection that you don't know what your niche is until you actually start.I hate this word niche because, like, in the financial advisor world everybody's like, "What's your niche?"And I'm like, "I don'tfeel like I have a niche, and then somebody will say, "Well, your niche is this."I'm like, "Well, maybe my niche is that."And then I don't- This goes back to the goals versus expectations, though.I think so many people are afraid to set goals because they're afraid of not reaching them.But a goal isn't an expectation.A goal should be inspirational versus, like, an expectation is fear-based.Yeah.And when it comes to niche, niche seems to me like an expectation that's been put on us, and I don't want those expectations because it turns into an obligation to have a niche, and that doesn't feel very good.I think a niche is something that you just genuinely enjoy doing, and you wanna keep doing it.Yeah.I think enjoyment is what I'm chasing- Yeahwith this podcast.And it's gonna come across if you do enjoy it.Right.You're gonna have more people resonate.People wanna watch things that are fun and enjoyable.Right.Yeah.We'll gloss over the news.I mean, like, it's the, the first year of this podcast has been, you know, in the context of a really difficult political climate and background.I think that's been the last narrative.Yeah, we've kicked off in a pretty tumultuous time.Yeah.And, you know, I don't know if there's ever a simple time in humanity.This one feels more and more difficult and harder to navigate, like, in general.And I think that for me, this podcast has been, and hopefully continues to be, the answer to a question that I was wondering, maybe not out loud, but just internally or beneath the surface.There was a firm that we were considering joining at 1 point, and we had a lot of reasons to leave the firm that we were at prior to starting our own thing.One of those was content creation, and just feelingI f- I was personally feeling very muzzled, right?Um- You're a creative.Right.I'm very, I am creative, and I was trying to find ways to do that, and I had to find, like, outside the box workarounds, et cetera, because the firm just didn't want me to, like, speak.Just, "Do what we tell you to do."And, and, uh, you know, there, there are some RIAs out there that I've, I've followed closely f- over the years and really respected the content that they put out, and one of them invited us to join them, and I was really at 1 point kind of blown away by that because this is, this is like being asked to join a, you know, a team that you really have admired from afar for a long time.and it was a big ask.Yeah.They wanted you to start the Boston office and- Yeahexpand and- Yeahit was a big, big deal.It was very cool, but I wanted to do a podcast.And they said, "Well, we have enough of those already."And- "Why don't you just join one of ours?"No, not even join.The, "We have that covered.Don't, don't worry about that."Oh, that's right.Yeah, that later on down the line they said that.And then, and then I was like, "Well, what if I do a newsletter?"Like, "Well, we, you know, we have a lot of blogs and stuff.You know, we're-" Stay in your lane.Just, just be an employee.Um, and, you know, it's funny.We, weDo, do you remember this conversation we had at Future Proof?And we were, we were explaining to them why we weren't going to join their firm, and I had recently read Dave Grohl's autobiography, and he was talking about how after Nirvana broke up, or not broke up, after Nirvana ended tragically, he was trying to figure out what was next, and he was invited to be the drummer for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and he had at the same time, like, recorded the first Foo Fighters album.And he decided to forego the Tom Petty thing even though it came with all the, like, the traps of luxury and, and success, like, you know, your own tour bus and all this money, et cetera, and just do his own thing.And I, I was telling this story to the guy at the other RIA firm, and he looked at me and he said, "You're not Dave Grohl."And I was like, "That's notI wasn't trying-" You just don't get it."I didn't mean to"And it's, you know, sometimes when you compare yourself to something, like, you know, people who compare themselves to Jesus or whatever when they're trying to, like, make a point.They're really just trying to make a point.Yes.And it's providing context for the, the point that they're trying to make.But his, his ta- his comment kind of s- struck me, and it wasn't that I'm, I was trying to be Dave Grohl.In, in many ways, I don't want to be Dave Grohl.But I wanted to know that I, you know, if we were given the opportunity, we could do our own thing and have it be successful.And I think over the last one year, we've proven that we can do our own thing, and that people do actually care what we have to say.Tune in, like week over week, to listen to us or watch us or whatever, and that means so much to me, and I'm very, very happy that we're here.I feel extremely appreciative that people actually take some time out of their day to hear ridiculous things- Whatever we dothat I have to say, and that we have a great team-helping and supporting us.Yep.I also am very thankful that we are, I'll use the word scrappy.Very scrappy.Very scrappy, and we, you know, have plenty of opportunities to go and hire big, expensive marketing firms and people to help us with production.But the fact that, you know, we kept it grassroots as much as possible and just really thought about what it is we wanna do, and we'll continue to evolve.And I think my promise to our audience is that we'll always do our best to improve.Yeah.That's a great promise, and I, I think a very easy one for us to keep- Mm-hmmbecause we're very dedicated to that type of trajectory- Yesin general.And Tori, thank you- Yes.Thank you, Torifor everything that you do.You get to sit in the chair for a little while.You did that.Take on a lot of production and now editing roles, and, uh, you know, we're very fortunate to have a good team surrounding us.We are.Yeah.So thank you everybody.Yeah.Like, subscribe, share with a friend.Thank you for tuning in.Share your thoughts, comments, questions, concerns, and tell us- We're excited to stop talking about AI.Yes, and, uh- I'm excited to see where we're at a year from now.All right.Thanks.Thank you.The information in this material is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.Investment advice offered through Integrated Partners doing business as CoFi Advisors LLC, a registered investment advisor.Integrated Partners does not provide legal, tax, mortgage advice or services.Please consult your legal tax advisor regarding your specific situation.Past performance is no guarantee f- of future results.All investing involves risk, including loss of principal.No strategy assures success or protects against loss.The economic forecast set forth in this material may not develop as predicted, and there can be no guarantee that the strategies promoted will be successful.Compound Growth with Wheeler and Colin.Sponsored by CoFi Advisors.Reach out today.Yay.