Wealth-Building Made Simple

Retirement Investing 101 series: Investing Myths
This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"

Retirement Investing 101 series: Investing Myths
This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"

Retirement Investing 101 series: Investing Myths
This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"

Retirement Investing 101 series: Investing Myths
This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"

Retirement Investing 101 series: Investing Myths
This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"

"The Country Club" for me is the Starbucks off 1382 in Cedar Hill (TX).
I know when I show up every Friday for my weekly business accountability meeting with my buddy David Darty, who owns a local dry cleaner, we will spend a few minutes talking trash to a group of "wise men with lots of experience in life" about sports teams and philosophizing on how to fix the current problems with world.  
It's a highlight of my week.
One Friday, I walked in and there was a police officer in uniform sitting down and joining in on the trash talk. 
They called me over to join in and introduced me to the new Police Chief of Cedar Hill, Chief Ely Reyes.  
I was impressed how he held his own in the back and forth banter and was also into Podcasting, so I asked him to come on the podcast to talk about how he planned to keep Cedar Hill safe with all the new excited changes happening in the city.  
This is that interview.  
If you're a Cedar Hill resident or just interested in how law enforcement keeps a city safe, you will enjoy this interview. 
 
 

Today's question was asked by my cousin Charleston Phillips (AKA "The Legendary Yeti") DJ and Podcast host of "Sunday Music Study"
This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"

Every summer as far back as I can remember, my Pops made me read books on African Americans who achieved the unthinkable throughout history. 
I was not allowed to go outside until I read at least one chapter and wrote a one page report on what I read. 
At the time, it felt like a pointless annoyance.  As I got older, I began to truly appreciate the blessings those summer homework assignments sowed into my life.
One of the biggest blessings was an unrelenting confidence that NO PERSON was better than me and that despite the obvious prejudices in our society, I could do anything I put my mind to.
(Side note...One petty, but useful blessing was that it's next to impossible for someone to get into a political debate with me and give me fake news around the history of when America was "great".)
It's only natural, that I want to bless my two sons the way my pops blessed me, so I bought a few books for children from a local (Fort Worth, Texas) company called, Melanin Origins.  
My boys loved the books and learned a lot.  
I'm was so impressed with what the brothers who co-founded Melanin Origins are doing to educate our youth on African America heroes that I asked the CEO Louie McClain to come on the Podcast.    
It was an absolutely great episode!  

This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"

This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"

In the noisy world of social media, it takes some hard work to get 10,000 REAL PEOPLE to follow you.
It takes talent to also have your community actually view and engage with your posts.  
There are many reasons people want 10,000+ followers on Instagram (or any other social media platform).  
Some people just want the admiration.
Some people want to build a brand.
Some people are interested in using the attention to sell more of their goods and services.  
Whatever your reason, I believe you will get some value out of listening to this episode where Instagram expert Brandon Moore (@Mooreindallas on Instagram) and I discuss marketing and branding in the digital age.  
Enjoy the conversation.  

Successful real estate investor Keith Stone and I hosted a live Q&A session on buying and selling real estate on April 22, 2019 in Cedar Hill, Texas.  
This the last 20 minutes of the session which included the following questions:
What should I do with my home in Mansfield?
How much in cash reserves should I have before I buy a rental property?
Should I sell my home now?
Where should I reinvest the proceeds from the sale of my home?
And more...
You will see why Keith was able to retire himself from his corporate job by acquiring 20+ properties before becoming a real estate agent.  He is one sharp professional.  
Enjoy the episode!

This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"

This is the the worst time in the history of America to be a lazy person.
50 years ago you could live in America (or some other developed country), be lazy and still a descent job because the internet wasn't at scale yet (if it was even invented).  
Today, if you don't develop skills relevant to the changing economy, you are going to be exposed financially and "robots" or other skilled professionals in countries with cheaper labor will take your job...And contrary to what they tell you, there is NO POLITICIAN who can save you. 
They couldn't save blacksmiths, horse and buggy drivers, paper boys, borders, blockbuster, or any other people or companies in the past who didn't adjust.  
At the same time, it's never been easier to develop skills relevant to make the transition if you drop the entitlement mindset, and get to work.  
In the episode, I speak with Felecia Pittman, CEO of Pittman Training and Staffing, about how to make the transition in the new world we are moving into.
And for those of you who think you're safe...the transition is just getting started.  No one is safe that isn't making a conscious effort to adapt to this fast moving digital world.  
Enjoy this episode.  I know I did.

This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"

This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"

I would be absolutely miserable if I hated Sunday nights or Monday mornings.  
If you don't love what you do, it's kind of hard to be truly happy because we spend SO MUCH of this one life we get working.  
The good news (in my opinion) is that it's never been easier to do what you love.  
There are people making a living literally playing video games all day, selling slime, or reviewing toys on YouTube...just to list just a few.  
It may take some introspection, courage, and some short term pain to get to a point where you are doing what you love, but trust me...it's worth it!
My podcast guest on this episode, local (DFW) music legend Don Diego, has been getting paid to do what he loves for the last 30 years.  
He has a great story and I learned a lot.  
I'm sure you will enjoy this one.  
https://www.dondiegojazz.com/

Ladies will find a way to look good in good economies and bad economies which is why it's an industry I pay close attention to for my investment business.  
In this episode, I talk with Shemieka Pitts, owner of Salon Hairtopia, to discuss the current state of the hair business and lessons she's learned along the way. 
Believe it or not, I really enjoyed learning about how to maintain healthy hair and how to manage a hair-care business.  
Enjoy!

I'm pretty sure I'm never giving up bacon, fried fish, or Sweetness's (My wife) peach cobbler.  
That being said, I'm making it a point to do a better job of eating healthy 80% of the time so I can enjoy AMAZING food 20% of the time guilt free.  
This is what lead me to interview Kristi Andrew and Louis Edmond, the co-owners of Manna Juice Bar in Mansfield, Texas. 
A juice bar literally right outside of my neighborhood.
The juices and shakes tasted great and I learned alot about the juicing business. 
If you're health conscious, you're going to enjoy this episode.    

This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"

A previous podcast guest, Kendra James Episode 105, pointed out that there's a difference between knowing how to make money and knowing how to manage the money you make.  
In this episode, me and Peter Yobo (Managing Director of TYG consulting), basically have a recorded brainstorming session on how to think strategically as a business to improve your bottom line.  
Lots of nuggets dropped!
 

If you invested $100,000 at an average annual return of 8% a year, your original $100,000 investment would be worth a little over $1,000,000 in 30 years. 
In this episode, I go over a few ideas on how to save up an extra $100,000.
 
This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"
 

Brand is another word for reputation and for as long as I know, humans have done business based on reputation.  
On this podcast, I invited Nicole Smith, CEO of Smitn Marketing and Consulting (not a typo) why branding is important and her expertise in working with organizations to help them build their brand.  
Here's a little bit about her in her own words from her website bio:
"I started Smitn to help clients just like you – founders, solopreneurs, and professionals who are great at what they do, but need help to get the attention they deserve. Some of the biggest brands in the world have trusted me to develop, grow and protect their brands. Let’s put that experience and know-how to work for you.
A little more about me…
After graduating from UCLA I spent the early years of my career in entertainment marketing, including six years with The Walt Disney Company. After earning my MBA from the University of Michigan, I joined the San Diego Padres as Director, Brand Development, where I had oversight of all marketing and branding initiatives. Following my time in San Diego, I moved to Daytona Beach to drive NASCAR’s effort to appeal to a younger and more diverse fan base as Senior Director, Growth Segment Marketing. In May 2016, I relocated to Dallas to lead marketing and fan experience as the CMO for Dallas-Fort Worth’s WNBA team."
 
Lots of good stuff in this episode.  I know you will enjoy it. 

Even-though I earned good grades in school, I told my Dad I didn't want to go to college because I didn't see how it would help me become a successful business owner.  
My young often overconfident brain couldn't comprehend how someone who wasn't an entrepreneur could charge me all this money to teach me how to do something they've never done before. 
Well if you have black father you know that didn't fly, so I went to college, graduated, and racked up student loan debt (that I'm still paying off). 
There aren't many things I can go back to my Pops and say that I was right about, but this is definitely one of those topics I haven't budged on. 
As a matter, after years of meeting many financially successful, happy people with no college degree and meeting too many people with Masters degree and PHDs with no money in the bank, I think it's solidified my thoughts around our OVERPRICED education system.  
I'm not saying it's not for some people.  What I'm saying is it's not for everyone and it's definitely way to expensive for the value it provides.  
My buddy Jeff Postell, owner and CEO of "The Post L Group" and I talk about the benefits of alternative career paths.  
 

Have you known someone who throws off so much positive energy that every time you are around them or talk to them their energy stays with you for a while?
Dr. Brad Bellard is one of those brothers.  
He is the founder and CEO of Dr. Brad MD LLC where he instructs and inspires other professionals to maximize their performance so they can experience peak levels of professional success and personal fulfillment. He has an absolute passion to create transformation in individuals that want more out of life so they can realize the best version of themselves. He focuses on coaching successful professionals on the principles and tools needed to achieve even higher levels of results, purpose, and fulfillment. He is a best-selling author and sought-after keynote speaker, delivering impactful messages on topics including elite performance, purpose clarity, resilience, and his personal story of going from ordinary to extraordinary.
Dr. Brad is also a double-boarded Emergency and Sports Medicine physician. He has served as a team physician for multiple professional teams including the National Basketball Association Dallas Mavericks. As a non-operative sports medicine specialist,he helps people of all activity levels achieve their fitness and lifestyle goals by using cutting-edge medical procedures to avoid surgery, decrease pain, and improve function for his patients. He also serves as regular guest on the Dallas affiliate of ESPN 103.3FM radio show, “Inside Sports Medicine”, where he helps to educate and inform the general public on sports medicine topics ranging from diagnosis, treatment, and the business side of medicine.
 
Dr. Brad is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of the Honors College at the University of Texas San Antonio and earned his medical doctorate at the University of Texas-Southwestern in Dallas. He completed his Emergency Medicine Residency training at Emory School of Medicine and Sports Medicine fellowship training at Geisinger Health System in Pennsylvania.
 
He is married to his high-school sweetheart, Cristina Bellard, and together they have 3 beautiful children (Reina, Kingston, and Lincoln). In his free – time he enjoys maintaining his physical fitness, reading, and vacationing.
 
Check out his website here: https://drbradmd.com/
Follow him on Instagram @dr_bradmd 

This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"

This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"

It's hard to know what questions to ask when interviewing a financial advisor...you don't know what you don't know.
I asked my homie Terrie Chantel, personal finance expert, to come on the show and ask me the questions she would ask when deciding which financial advisor would work best with her family.  
Very informative episode if I don't say so myself!

In the new world we live in where content is used to drive the sales of products and services, learning how to protect your brand and intellectual property is a must. 
In the episode I interview Yasmine Salem Hamdan, an attorney/business owner with an expertise in helping companies protect their brand and intellectual property.  
If you are building a brand, own a business, have a YouTube channel, podcast, Instagram page, or blog, you're going to get a ton of value from this episode.  
 
 
 

This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"

This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"

This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"

Listen to this episode if you have any excuses for why you "can't" save money.
 
As a single mother, Yolanda Patrick worked multiple jobs and cut expenses ruthlessly to find the money she needed invest in real estate and build up her retirement accounts.
Now at only 49 years old she's 3 years away from being in a position to work because she wants, not because she has to.
In this episode, we discuss how she did and the mindset required to eliminate ALL excuses and relentless push toward your financial goals.
Her story inspires me and I'm sure it will inspire you as well.  
 
This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"

"I love investing in my friends that have good ideas because if it's a great idea and I have assessed it, I understand it's going to help me and it's going to help them."
                                                                                                 -Chris Ibezim
This quote pretty much sums up why Chris is so successful. 
Many people believe to be successful in business you have to be cut throat and heartless. 
That couldn't be more further from the truth I know.
Chris Ibezim dominates in business and just about anything he puts his mind to while being a nice guy....who says nice guys finish last.
In this episode we talk about how: 
How Chris became the #1 salesperson for a very large well-know home-builder
His experience modeling for Essence Magazine as their "Eye Candy of the Week"
What it took to come back from a big financial set back
The art of excellent negotiation
How to make time to exercise
And more!
I learned so much from this brother and I'm blessed to know him.  
Enjoy the episode.  
Check him out here on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yo_iman05/
 
 

This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"

This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"

This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"

We live in an abundant world FULL of opportunities.  
Sure, robots and computers are eliminating some jobs.  However, at the same time, technology is enabling us to make money in ways we never thought possible.
If I told you 10 years ago, that someone in 2019 would be making millions of dollars a year playing video games, you would have laughed me out the room. 
Or, that someone would be making millions of dollars reviewing toys on YouTube.
Or, that if you wanted to become a full time musician, you no longer needed the record labels.  You could make a legit $184,000 a year building a fan base on internet, getting paid to be an influencer, and doing shows.  
There are thousands of these types of stories I hear about every day which make me super optimistic about the future.  
Lots of folks have excuses for why they don't this and why they don't that.
Not Alex Martin...when he made the mental decision to get serious about content creation he has taken off and in a relatively short period of time built a consistent clientele of big time influencers, entertainers, and business people!
This was fun episode for me and I'm sure you will enjoy it!
 
This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"

Many OGs have told me that one of the keys to a long and happy marriage is finding mutual passions and interests.  
You don't have to have all the same interests, but finding a few that you both love together is important in strengthening that bond.  
My guests on this episode, Alan and Gayle Sims, have been married 46 years and they absolutely share a mutual passion for their community.  
In this episode we discuss: 
How they ended up in Cedar Hill
The changes that have happened within the city since they moved there
Why they are so passionate about being involved in their community
How to turnaround a school district
Marriage advice they would give to their 22 year old selves
This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"
 

This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"

This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"

My CPA is a black woman. 
The attorney who advised my wife and I on our estate plan is a black woman. 
My business attorney is a black woman.
My banker is a black woman...and when I first noticed that was the case a few months ago, I was telling a friend about it and he said, "Did you do that on purpose?"
I was like, "No.  It never crossed my mind. I just each time looked for the professional who I thought would be the best person I knew and trusted for the job."
Here's my point (other than engaging in a little humble bragging) ...In this new economy, if you let sexism, racism, or any other prejudice keep you from surrounding yourself with the best talent regardless of race, sex, religion, or sexual orientation YOU ARE GOING TO LOSE IN BUSINESS...Period!
And if you don't believe me, just listen to this episode.  If you do believe, you will LOVE this episode.  
The New Roundtable is an organization filled with high achieving women of color helping other women of color get their well deserved seat at the table. 
I got to talk with the organization's President and co-founder Chasity Henry about how the organization got started and their mission. 
Lots of nuggets dropped in this episode.   
 
This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"
 

This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"

Jeremy Patton (Affectionately known as JP to the OT Nupes) is one of the coolest brothers I know. 
He's found a way to transfer that cool into the art, pictures, and videos his company, Immersion Media Company, is hired to create for people and businesses.
In this episode we discuss:
What determines what an art piece of will sell for
How to create great art, pictures, and videos
Why using pictures and videos to sell your products or services can help you make more money
The Good, The Bad, and Ugly of entrepreneurship
...and more
I'm sure you're going to enjoy this episode.  
This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"

This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"

The ability to sell someone an idea, product, or service is one of the MOST (if not the most) valuable skills in the world today...and has been since the beginning of time.
When you study history you find that, the best leaders, politicians, and business people were master salesmen and saleswomen.
The principles around selling don't change, but the context around how you use them change often. 
For example, door-to-door sales worked well in the early 20th century (and might still work as long as you aren't knocking on my door), but once everyone had a telephone in their home, it became a lot more effective to use telephone to establish an initial connection. 
Those businesses who adjusted to change slowly, were jumped past by businesses who stayed up to date on the context around how to best approach their target customer/client. 
My guest today is Donald Kelly ,"The Sales Evangelist", and in my opinion, he is one of the best at understanding and executing on the changing context around effective selling in the new world we live in.   
I'm confident you will enjoy this one.  
This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"
 
 

You don't have to be Stevie wonder to see the inequity in the justice system in the U.S.
The haves are treated a whole lot better than the have-nots. 
The only way to change the system is to understand the system and that's why I'm going to start weaving in interviews of attorneys (AKA the warriors of a "civilized" society's battleground...the legal system).
In this episode I interview my friend Charles Gearing, President of the Dallas Young Lawyers Association.
We discuss: 
What it takes too be a good lawyers
Why the justice system has so many inequities
What does the Dallas Young Lawyers Association do
Will computers eventually replace attorneys too
I definitely learned a ton in this episode.  I hope you enjoy it.  
 
This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"

40 years ago, people were not as concerned about eating right and working out consistently. 
Today, it's hard to find anyone who does at least make it part of their New Year resolution.  
As more information came out about the negative effects of not taking care of our body, it scared many of us into being intentional about improving our health.  
I personally believe we are in the beginning stages of understanding the negative impact of not taking care of our mental health as well.  
Drug addiction and suicides are plaguing communities all around the world and many believe the "cure" lies in taking better care of our minds as well as our bodies.
On this episode I interview Crystal Holmes, owner of Luminous Wellness, about the benefits of using Yoga to strengthen your mind and body.  
I learned a WHOLE LOT in this interview.  

This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"

"You'll only go as far as the 'brothas' you talk to for no reason"  
This was advice given to Curtis Jackson (AKA "50 Cent") by his grandfather as a child and it's a quote I have thought about often since my friend shared it with me a few years ago.
Mr. Johnny Wallace, CEO of Ameritex Vending, also believes in that principle and has used it build a very successful business.
This episode I ask him to walk me the process of how he went from starting with just 2 vending machines to 700 vending machines while also becoming a real estate investor.  
This episode is brought to you by Stone Hill Wealth Management.
www.stonehillwealthmanagement.com
"Are you on track to retire comfortably?"