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Index/Leadership/Office Hours with David Meltzer
Office Hours with David Meltzer artwork

IG Live | How to Build Wealth, Avoid Crypto Scams & Turn Your Career Into Financial Freedom

Office Hours with David Meltzer · 2026-05-27 · 32 min

0:00--:--

Key moments - from our scoring

Substance score

27 / 100

Five dimensions, 20 points each

Insight Density5 / 20
Originality4 / 20
Guest Caliber7 / 20
Specificity & Evidence7 / 20
Conversational Craft4 / 20

David Meltzer hosts a live Instagram Q&A covering three distinct areas of financial empowerment with specialized guests. Tayo from the 1% University discusses wealth-building frameworks rooted in Robert Kiyosaki's philosophy, emphasizing that financial freedom means passive income exceeding expenses - with Meltzer introducing a tax-free compounding twist specific to high-tax states like California. He and Tayo explore financial trauma (the scarcity mindset that persists even after wealth accumulation) and the critical importance of defining your "why" beyond just accumulating dollars. Courtney Werning, a 13-year investor protection attorney now launching Crypto.Court, addresses the emerging legal landscape around cryptocurrency fraud, hacking, SIM swaps, and phishing - protecting both crypto traders and traditional investors through InvestorClaims.com. Finally, Lori Atwood from Fearless Finance (20+ years in practice) emphasizes the hourly advisory model and the power of financial visibility: stop avoiding your accounts, look at what's broken, and seek help to fix it. For B2B operators, wealth advisors, and anyone managing digital assets, this episode cuts across mindset, legal protection, and practical accountability systems.

Key takeaways

  • →Define financial freedom as when your passive income or asset interest exceeds your expenses, with potential tax-free strategies providing significant advantages in high-tax states like California
  • →Address financial trauma from childhood scarcity by processing emotions rather than running from them, as unresolved trauma creates behavioral roadblocks to wealth building
  • →Cryptocurrency exchanges and financial institutions need stronger investor protection standards including safeguards against SIM swaps, phishing, and smishing attacks to maintain mainstream adoption
  • →Money itself doesn't guarantee happiness; financial freedom requires connecting your wealth-building goals to a larger purpose and mission that drives daily action
  • →Work with an hourly financial advisor proactively to avoid costly mistakes rather than waiting until crisis forces intervention, as advocacy helps both prevent losses and accelerate wealth goals

In this episode

  1. 1Building Wealth and Breaking Financial Trauma
  2. 2Defining Financial Freedom Beyond Money
  3. 3Protecting Digital Assets and Cryptocurrency Fraud Prevention
  4. 4Creating Fearless Finance and Legacy Wealth

Mentioned

David MeltzerNapoleon HillRobert KiyosakiSharon LechterTim StoreyJay AbrahamNick SabanBill WalshTayo LucciCourtney WerningLori Atwood1% University

Guests

Tayo (1% University founder)Courtney Werning (cryptocurrency attorney)Lori Atwood (Fearless Finance advisor)

Topics in this episode

Napoleon Hill Institute1% UniversityInvestorClaims.comcrypto.courtFearless FinanceRobert KiyosakiCryptocurrency fraud protectionSIM swapsDigital asset securityTax-free compounding strategies

Questions this episode answers

What is the definition of financial freedom according to Robert Kiyosaki that Tayo teaches at 1% University?

Financial freedom occurs when your net worth exceeds your yearly expenses multiplied by how many years you want to live (accounting for inflation), or when your passive income exceeds your expenses - with Tayo recommending passive income be three times expenses to create a safety cushion for fluctuations.

What types of crypto fraud cases does Courtney Werning at InvestorClaims.com handle?

She represents investors with claims against cryptocurrency exchanges and financial institutions for hacking, SIM swaps, phishing, smishing, and account breaches, working across the country primarily through arbitration.

How does financial trauma hold people back from achieving financial freedom?

Financial trauma from childhood poverty creates a scarcity mindset - like traveling extra distance to save 30 cents - that acts as a psychological roadblock; processing and releasing these emotions through methods like shadow work is key to moving forward.

What is Lori Atwood's primary advice for people fearful of their financial situation?

Stop avoiding your finances and look directly at what's actually happening; 90% of financial friction is fixable, and she recommends seeking hourly financial advisory help rather than avoiding mail and accounts.

What is the difference between tax write-offs and tax-free income according to David Meltzer?

Write-offs reduce taxable income but still leave you paying taxes on the difference, whereas tax-free income (like certain investments) eliminates tax liability entirely - creating a 52% gain advantage in California where taxes are 52.5%.

What our scoring noted

Our reviewer’s read on each dimension, with quotes from the episode.

Insight Density

5 / 20

The episode is dominated by self-promotion, event announcements, and recycled motivational platitudes, with almost no novel or actionable insight for a B2B operator. The one concrete data point - Fearless Finance's hourly rate structure - barely offsets the overwhelming ratio of filler to substance.

When God makes you wait, then act like a waiter and serve.
Money doesn't buy love or happiness, but it allows you to shop. And if you shop for the right things, for the right reasons, you'll be happy.

Originality

4 / 20

Nearly every framework cited is a hand-me-down from Kiyosaki, Napoleon Hill, or generic motivational coaching; the episode produces zero original analytical claims and relies on wordplay aphorisms rather than first-principles thinking.

I got it from Robert Kiyosaki. Retire young, retire rich
I am chairman of Napoleon Hill Institute and in outwitting the Devil, Napoleon Hill says the greatest fear we have is either losing everything or death

Guest Caliber

7 / 20

Courtney Werning is a genuine 13-year practitioner in investor-protection law pivoting credibly into crypto fraud, and Lori Atwood runs a real hourly-planning firm, giving the episode two legitimate (if small-scale) practitioners; Tayo reads as a coach-influencer with no demonstrated operating track record at scale.

So I have spent my entire career as an attorney, 13, 14 years now, representing investors who have claims against financial institutions.
when I started this firm nine years ago, I was like, I want to help regular people get financial advice

Specificity & Evidence

7 / 20

A handful of real specifics exist - hourly rate tiers, meeting structure, named fraud vectors (SIM swaps, smishing), a Morgan Stanley case anecdote - but these are scattered and underdeveloped; the bulk of the episode trades in vague abstraction and personal anecdote without data.

our normal hourly rate is $280 an hour for the initial plan, which is typically two to four hours, spread over two to three meetings
in one week I might represent like a 93 year old widow in a claim against Morgan Stanley and Then also a 25 year old crypto trader whose account was hacked

Conversational Craft

4 / 20

The host consistently redirects conversations toward his own stories - his Pelican Hill staycation, his Westlaw history, his Ohio connections - rather than probing guests with follow-up questions; there is no pushback, no challenge to any claim, and questions are largely promotional springboards.

I couldn't help myself. Underneath the sink, you know, you get a whole villa, ocean views, golf course. I look under the sink and they have dishwasher, uh, pellets
I am, uh, born and raised in my childhood in Akron, Ohio. Yeah, so we have Sheridan, just was with, uh, Urban Meyer

Conversation analysis

Computed from the transcript - who did the talking, and the words that came up most.

Share of words spoken

  • Speaker A54%
  • Speaker B20%
  • Speaker E17%
  • Speaker C9%
  • Speaker D1%

Most-used words

financial26money15help15assets13first10crypto10finance10thank9freedom9trauma9love9digital9today8back8million8university8

Episode notes

Adetayo “Tayo Lusi” Ibijemilusi is a strategic operator, investor, and founder of The 1% University, where he helps high-earning tech professionals build long-term financial freedom. His work focuses on helping professionals increase income, create leverage, and transition away from trading time for money by using positioning, strategic relationships, and intelligent investing. Known for his execution-driven approach, Adetayo blends real-world operating experience with practical frameworks that help clients scale their income without burnout, while building authority and long-term wealth. Courtney Werning is a Principal Attorney at Meyer Wilson Werning, a nationally recognized law firm specializing in securities and investment fraud cases. She represents investors in complex disputes involving financial advisors, brokerage firms, and investment professionals through litigation, appellate courts, and FINRA arbitration. Courtney also serves as a leader within investor protection organizations and is launching Crypto.Court, a platform focused on cryptocurrency fraud and digital asset investor safety.

Full transcript

32 min

Transcribed and scored by The B2B Podcast Index.

Speaker A: Uh, good morning. It is more good news Wednesday. Redefining Wednesday used to be hump day. Used to want to get over, get around and get through it. Lie to achieve it, Manipulated, deny it, but no longer. We're here to supply it. Supply it with more good news through gratitude, forgiveness, accountability and effective communication utilizing the infinite amount of energy, intuition, intelligence that's available to you. And we're blessed to have so many great friends coming on here with us today. Uh, let me see if we have any questions. I want to pin up, uh, uh, my contact information if you want to be invited or informed. We're going to be at South Coast Plaza today doing a meet up, holding court interviews with the amazing Bill Walsh at the CEO Summit. Come and join us at Maggiano's in South Coast Plaza. Then tomorrow, Newport beach with Tim Storey, Jay Abraham M, the amazing John Coyle myself. Meetups, holding court interview VIP dinners for charity. Come and join us. Uh, and then as well we'll be on to Japan. Meetups, holding court interviews in Japan. Thank you, Colleen. I will pin up, uh, how to be invited, how to be informed. David means beloved at d is my first initial. Meltzer means servant David meltzer.com or if you'd like to be text invitation information of all the cities from South Coast Plaza, Newport beach, then we go to Japan, then Louisville, Kentucky with Nick Saban and Matt Ebert, then to Chicago, then to Kalamazoo, Washington, then to Las Vegas, Nevada for season 11 of Offers Hours, then back to, to, uh, Newport Beach. Uh, so lots going on, uh, for all of you. You just gotta text me. 949-298-2905. We got a jingle to remember it. 949-298-29 05. Very, uh, good Nick, welcome. Uh, looking to see you very soon. You got questions in the house. What qualities you look for in a leader? It's not qualities, it's values. I look for gratitude. To find perspective, forgiveness, to be at ease controlling it with accountability. And then finally, effective communication. Four values to impact great leaders. Based in Washington D.C. hopefully can join us at our 250th anniversary in Washington D.C. with 8,000 people, 3 million online. Tayo, thanks for joining me.

Speaker B: It's good to be here.

Speaker A: Well, you know, you and I share the 1% philosophy. It's part of Napoleon Hill's uh, strategy and philosophy. Most people drift through life and it takes the 1% university mentorship programs that you have in wealth building frameworks in utilizing the conversations to position ourselves for long term financial freedom. Financial freedom has taken on an interesting definition. For me, it's when my assets, the interest on my assets compound exponentially, tax free. That's uh, my new goal is to have the interest from my assets exponentially compound, tax free. I guarantee generational, uh, wealth. Um, what are some of the things that you teach at the 1% university for strategic wealth mentoring. Uh, to give people the gift of freedom.

Speaker B: Yeah. So number one, thank you for having me on here. It's truly a blessing. And, um, number two, I never heard the tax free aspect. Right. Because my philosophy, I got it from Robert Kiyosaki. Retire young, retire rich is, you know, he defines retirement in two different ways. Um, if your net worth is more than your yearly expenses, um, and multiply that by how many years you want to live on this earth. Of course there's inflation, um, to consider and lifestyle can go up or down. But, um, for a general rule of thumb, he looks at that number in terms of do you have the amount of money to spend while you're on this earth, um, and, or when your passive income is more than your expenses. For me specifically, I want my passive income to be three times as much because it can fluctuate. And so even if it drops down, you still have some cushion. Right. So for me, I have both in terms of my definition, but, um, I never heard the tax free. That is honestly genius. And so, uh, you know, don't come at me if I start to use that.

Speaker A: It's for everyone, man. My mission in life is to empower people like you, to empower others. Make it part of the university where you can give me credit, do it. If not, don't worry about it. Uh, but I know with taxes being 52% here in California, anytime I do anything tax free, there's a 52 and a half percent, uh, for me gain. Uh, compared to most people who are trying to just do write offs to go against taxes, uh, that's not the same as tax free. There's so many great 150% tax credit write offs and car washes and other investments of assets that are also income generating. In Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter's philosophy of may the income, uh, from your assets, uh, be greater than your expenses. Then you don't have to worry about the years. I've just made it a little bigger goal. In the position I'm in, May the interest that I have from my assets not only compound exponentially be greater than my expenses, but be tax free. Which became a 52% raise. Uh, here In California. Anyways, um, you know, a lot of people don't have the right mindset when it comes to money because they carry a lot of financial trauma. Let me explain, man, because you're going to laugh at me. I did a staycation, uh, over the holiday at Pelican Hill is probably the most expensive hotel here in Southern California. Montage or Pelican Hill. I got a villa for my family. Nothing is inexpensive at Pelican Hill. But my money mindset, I couldn't help myself. Underneath the sink, you know, you get a whole villa, ocean views, golf course. I look under the sink and they have dishwasher, uh, pellets, you know, the things you put in your dishwasher to clean the dishwasher. And there's four of them. And in my mind, I think to myself, I should take those home with me.

Speaker B: My mom is like that, too.

Speaker A: Yeah, that is a trauma, right? It's kind of. It's kind of like overeating. You know, when you grow up poor with five siblings, you learn to eat fast and you finish everything. And no matter how much you tell yourself, I can afford to eat, there's still this trauma of not being able to afford to eat. When you were a kid. I couldn't afford shit, man. And so I have to deal with the difference between frugality and scarcity. Uh, how do you see traumas? And you help people at the 1% university get over their financial trauma.

Speaker B: So, um, I kind of see it firsthand with, uh. And I don't really talk too much about it, but even with my mom, um, you know, because of the upbringing that she experienced, you know, her parents, they were farmers, they were illiterate, and the goal was to own your own farm, right? Was no education, you know, and so coming from poverty, and I mean poverty in Nigeria to, you know, building themselves up to, you know, living in Bowie, it's one of the, you know, richest places you can live in Maryland. But, um, you know, they're. Even though they're at a, you know, decent place in life, there's still that trauma that shows up in different aspects. For example, my mom would travel, let's say 20 minutes or 30 minutes to, you know, further to find maybe a cheaper, you know, um, grocery store. Right. Maybe you're saving, like, 30 cents on, like, tomatoes or 60 cents, but not really thinking about the time right aspect. Um, but there's just things that shows up in terms of the trauma that kind of acts as, um, you know, roadblocks as to actually, you know, getting through going. Going, uh, up in that financial, uh, journey for financial freedom. And so I think that because of the PA that people have experienced when they were younger, trauma, you know, within my, you know, community, you know, I teach different principles, I teach different mindsets in terms of, you know, it's not just about working. Right. It's about working smarter. What skill set can I. Can you learn that can have you make more money and work less? Right. And it's a mindset shift, too, as well. But in terms of that emotional aspect that's still within yourself, that, you know, that's not my specialty. I actually hired somebody that does a lot of shadow work for myself, um, to really bring up the trauma that stems from our childhood and to really face them and to feel those emotions and, like, release them. Right. So that's something I've done personally myself. But a lot of people that's gone through that trauma, it's really just a matter of them really facing those memories, those emotions that comes up and knowing how to process those emotions and not running away from them, but really feeling them and releasing them. Right. Because those are things that I've seen firsthand that holds people back from actually getting where they want to go when it comes to financial freedom.

Speaker A: So true. And financial freedom, again, making sure that your assets are paying you more than you're expensive, then you're free. But freedom, also financially, has a component of meaning to it. And I'm going to finish up here. You know, when I was under the auspice of I'll be happy when I make my first million 10 or 100, and I did all three of those. I made my first one, I made my first 10, and I made my first hundred. But I never got the happiness. Uh, it wasn't until I asked myself, for the sake of what am I going to make a million dollars, for the sake of what am I going to make $10 million, or for the sake of what am I going to make 100 million? In my mission today to make over a billion dollars, to empower over a billion people to be happy, to change the world, I'm fired up and applying my why every day. Uh, how much of financial freedom comes from asking the question, for the sake of what? Instead of I'll be happy when?

Speaker B: Um, so I would say so I'm the youngest out of four sons. Four. You know, I have three older brothers, and so I always like to learn from my older brothers. I remember my brother, he got his butt spanked, and I'm like, okay, what did you do. Let me not do that. Yeah, I would always, you know, uh, you know, even before I got into business, like, I actually, you know, learned from you too as well. But in terms of like, you know, what I've learned and for my mentors, what I've learned is a lot of people that focus on money, money, money, and they don't really build relationships, they don't really have a purpose or meaning. My mentor has told me that all the wealthy people that he uh, that he knows, they're extremely miserable and depressed. And you know, as I'm still, you know, even now, I'm still on my journey, you know. But even when I first started, I told myself, obviously money is not going to bring happiness because I've seen it all over the place, you know. And so my mentor had told me it's the balance of, you know, impact, purpose, finding a way how you can serve people and still be compensated for that, even though the money's not everything, right? But there is a balance. And so even before I started coaching and teaching, like I didn't want to actually do something that's not in alignment of God's will. So I prayed, I said, God, if this, even though this is what I want to do a lot, like don't allow me to coach or teach, if this is not in alignment with your will and show me signs and make the signs so obvious that I will. I know for a fact this is your sign. He showed me three different signs that. Hey, green light. And so to answer your question, I think that the, what you're doing is so important because it's like, you know, you can make. I've heard, I haven't, I've heard an scene actually. People that have a lot of money, but there's a void, right? There's a lack of fulfillment, there's a lack of purpose, there's a lack of, like you said, things that lights you up. Like in terms of the. Built the um, the billion dollars, right? Well, people that's like, you know, money is really non existent even at your level, like, money's not really going to move you too much.

Speaker A: And so I'll tell you what I did learn as I finish up. Money doesn't buy love or happiness, but it allows you to shop. And if you shop for the right things, for the right reasons, you'll be happy. And remember this as we finish up, and I want everybody to sign up for the 1% university mentorship programs. Go to the 1% university IO follow my friend Tayo Lucyolucy Uh, but to finish up. When God makes you wait, then act like a waiter and serve. Mhm. Hm.

Speaker B: Mhm.

Speaker A: Feel that everyone. It comes from the beloved servant himself, David Meltzer. David means beloved. Meltzer means servant or waiter. So when God makes you wait, act like a waiter, serve. And that's what my friend Tayo has been doing for years. Serving a community to provide financial freedom. The 1% university. The 1% university. IO promise me you'll come on my other shows. Let's hook up in person when I'm in D.C. at the 250th anniversary of our country. We got a big event with 8,000 people, 3 million online. You got to be a part of it for financial literacy. I'll be there.

Speaker B: I'll be there.

Speaker A: See you there, man. Thanks, Tyo.

Speaker B: Thank you.

Speaker A: What a stud. 1% be in the 1%. Don't be a drifter. Uh, as we have learned ourselves. Uh, all right, we'll bring our final friend on here. It's more good news Wednesday. Investor claims. A whole new area of the law. InvestorClaims.com Find how we can protect ourselves with cryptocurrency fraud in digital asset investor protection. Incredible. Courtney Werning, thank you for joining us.

Speaker C: Uh, thanks for having me.

Speaker A: Well, it was perfect timing for me because as our crypto assets are growing, uh, I'm consistently thinking about how do we protect those digital assets? Uh, as an investor myself, um, and understanding it, and it's nice to know the law is following the trend. What, uh, was your previous background before you got into this area of cryptocurrency fraud and digital asset protection?

Speaker C: So I have spent my entire career as an attorney, 13, 14 years now, representing investors who have claims against financial institutions. So, you know, in the early years it was Ponzi schemes, sometimes, you know, unsuitable investments, misrepresented investments, things like that. And I still do that work. But you know, we've seen a shift in the landscape of investors into digital assets. And with that, obviously now new financial institution negligence and claims have come about. And so diving into that was really sort of a natural progression of what I already did for a living. So, you know, in one week I might represent like a 93 year old widow in a claim against Morgan Stanley and Then also a 25 year old crypto trader whose account was hacked. It's really been sort of a process in learning the new landscape of, um, digital assets. Have they kind of become more mainstream?

Speaker A: Queen Carvania stood haloed by the morning sun.

Speaker B: An army hung on her every word.

Speaker D: My champions. I have sold my chariot on Carvana. Twas a lovely suv, an inexplicably queenly offer. They're even coming to the castle to collect it. Tonight we feast. An offer you can feast on. Sell your car today on Carvana. Pick up. These may apply.

Speaker A: I think it's so cool. I'm a recovering lawyer. I don't know if you know that. I was an oil and gas litigator who got into technology and was one of the first four people at Westlaw. So back in 1992.

Speaker E: Oh, no way.

Speaker C: Okay.

Speaker A: Yeah. People told me the Internet was a fad and it would never last. Justice Scalia told me personally nobody would ever do research on a computer. You needed books. Uh, you can imagine, uh, the resistance you may have faced when you started in the crypto world.

Speaker C: Yeah, it's a different world now. Even, you know, the legal research world is changing and progressing, even with, like, the, you know, new AI features that Westlaw and Lexis and all these companies have. It's wild.

Speaker A: Yeah, it is wild. But you're launching a crypto court, crypto dot court, uh, dedicated to these fraud cases, um, and protecting investors. Uh, obviously, a lot of people just need awareness. They have no idea of the protections they're afforded, um, under the law. So give me an idea. What crypto is it? Crypto dot court.

Speaker B: Is that.

Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. And it's really sort of an offshoot of what we already do. It's a brand that we are undertaking as sort of, um, sort of leaders in this industry. I do a tremendous amount of lobbying efforts as well in some of my leadership roles in a bar association that represents investors. And so trying to, uh, really lobby for sensible market regulation is important. And then, on the other hand, representing the folks who have been harmed by, you know, hacking or SIM swaps or, uh, phishing or smishing or some of these other things that, um, impact crypto trading sort of regularly. It's pervasive. And, um, you know, these institutions, if they want to become more mainstream and say, yes, everybody should invest in these digital assets, then it's my position that they need to come into the future of, like, investor protection as well. Right. If you want your aunts and uncles and grandparents and parents to embrace this technology, then it needs to be safe. And so that's kind of what we have been doing. Uh, we represent people who have claims against cryptocurrency exchanges and other financial institutions for those types of failures.

Speaker A: Yeah, it's nice to know how and what protection, uh, we're afforded not just in crypto, but in investments in general. And like you said, there are a lot of 90 year old ladies, uh, that get manipulated and taken advantage of in traditional ways, uh, as well. Um, now, are you still in Columbus, Ohio?

Speaker C: I live in Columbus, Ohio, yeah. Yeah. So we represent folks all over the country. Um, typically these cases proceed in arbitration. And so I can do arbitration cases anywhere, but I call Columbus home. I grew up in northeastern Ohio just outside of Cleveland, and then came down to the a Buckeye and never really left.

Speaker A: I love it. I am, uh, born and raised in my childhood in Akron, Ohio. Yeah, so we have Sheridan, just was with, uh, Urban Meyer, by the way, with a group from Columbus and get there frequently represented the Pro Football hall of Fame in Canton. So great favor to the Buckeyes out there. And, uh, definitely if you're looking for protection or education, uh, Courtney will be happy to help you. It's investorclaims.com or you can go to cryptocurrency, uh, which is crypto court, I believe. I want to make sure I got that right. Uh, just being aware and educated is the first step. You can also follow her on Instagram, Vestercle claims, both traditional and digital. Uh, she can help you around our country. Even probably Puerto Rico, which is probably a good venue as well. Uh, Courtney, promise me you'll come on our other shows.

Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker A: Super interesting. I definitely will give you a call in Ohio, as long as you don't mind eating at Swenson.

Speaker C: I would love that. Yep.

Speaker A: Come visit me. I got to eat Swenson's hamburgers every time I go to Ohio.

Speaker C: Of course you do.

Speaker B: Absolutely.

Speaker A: Not good for the diet, but good for my heart and soul. It's a security food. Courtney Werning, thank you for everything you're doing to protect us, especially in this digital age. You'll see you soon. Take care.

Speaker C: Sounds good. Thank you.

Speaker A: Um, great job. All right, we got all kinds of great protections coming today. Financial, digital, Courtney, Warning, go to vestor claims or investor claims dot com. Really easy. All right, that'll do it. We are here, as always, on Wednesdays. Uh, oh, no. We added a guest. How did I get extra guests on here? Am I losing my mind?

Speaker B: Oh, no.

Speaker A: I got one more guest. I'm miscounting. All right, Lori Atwood is here. I'm so sorry, guys. Fearless Finance again, uh, out of dc Fearless finance dot com. And once, uh, again, we will talk about, uh, financial advice to build, uh, uh, legacy wealth and utilizing, uh, our assets in the Right. Mindset to abundance. Welcome Lori, and thank you for your patience. By the way, Lori Atwood, welcome to More Good News Wednesday.

Speaker E: Thank you so much for having me, David.

Speaker A: Well, I love the idea of fearless finance, but I prefer the term of shortening, uh, the distance of resistance. I believe fear is always there. It's how we react to it. But there's no greater fear. I'm chairman of Napoleon Hill Institute and in outwitting the Devil, Napoleon Hill says the greatest fear we have is either losing everything or death. Um, financial insecurity or death. So this idea of fearless finances is absolutely something that can provide a greater ease in life. Uh, you have been doing this for over 20 years.

Speaker B: What are some of the ways that

Speaker A: we can dissipate, dissolve or disappear the fear that surrounds our financial perspective?

Speaker E: Uh, I love this question and honestly the first thing I say to clients and going to say it in response to you is that stop, uh, the avoidance. Look at it. You have to be able to see what's actually going on in your financial life. And what I also say to people all the time, and I'm going to say it here, is that 90% of whatever it is that is creating friction or fear for you is fixable. You may not love the medicine, but it is fixable. And so the key is not to avoid what's going on, but however you gather your strength. Maybe you need to walk in nature for a while, maybe you want to sit with a friend for a while. However you gather your strength, take a look, get help, get help from an hourly planner like us to take a look at what's actually going on.

Speaker A: I think that's the best piece of advice, whether it's in our healthcare, our finance, care, our social care. Advocacy is so important. The dummy tax in financial, uh, realm is so high. You're looking at someone who lost everything. And part of the reason I lost for everything is I didn't ask for help. I was too afraid of what people would think of me. Uh, I made so much money and you get into these avoidance modes. I didn't want to open my mail. Now I'm in a daily non negotiable practice through mentorship that. But I study all of my accounts every day. I have a minimum amount of time, I believe. And people are so impressed. And I do have a mathematical mind, but they're so impressed because I believe my accounts have its own consciousness. And so if you do it for 20 years like I have studying my accounts, I know exactly where they all are at. I mean Something will happen. And I'll tell my CEO, hey, this is a couple hundred bucks off. And he's like, how the hell do you know that? How did you have time to. I said, because I've studied this, and it has, and I'm not avoiding it anymore. I don't avoid my mail. I don't avoid opening my credit card accounts and everything that's involved. Um, and so let's talk about the advocacy that you give. One, it's hourly, so you don't have to have a long term commitment. And two, uh, you can see the medicine. And look, I'm someone that took a lot of medicine, but here I am, 20 years later, I lost over $100 million. I make more money for the sake of helping others and having fun than I ever imagined. And if I would have had advocacy, I never would have lost it. But two, if I had advocacy, I would have got here a lot faster. Uh, as well. Um, possibly.

Speaker E: Yeah.

Speaker A: So retirement is probably a big issue that people avoid.

Speaker E: Yes, absolutely.

Speaker A: That you help people with that.

Speaker E: So we work by the hour. We're kind of like a financial doctor. You go into your doctor, you say, hey, you know, I think I might have twisted my ankle walking the dog the other day. Can you take a look? So sometimes you know, what's going on. Like, hey, I'm not sure how I'm doing on retirement. Can you take a look for me? And we can help. And we help by the hour. Again, no strings attached. You don't have to turn over your savings to us. And a lot of times what we. Nor do you have to pay us 1%. Um, and what we find is, you know, you're doing great. I think what we want to do is make. Make a little change here, make a little change there, and we give you tasks in a task list. We're an accountability partner. You can come back and see us. We, we ask that people see us annually. You can come back and see us quarterly or half yearly. If you just prefer a little more interaction, that's fine too. And we're always there by email or text message. Hey, I've got a question. Hey, this went bump in the night financially for me.

Speaker A: That's so cool. How about, you know, for example, Dynasty Trust? I have a Dynasty Trust I want to learn about and would like to know, would that be a question to hire you to examine whether a Dynasty Trust was okay with me or if I had a tax question? Are those things that you handle as well?

Speaker E: Yeah. So I have, uh, one of my colleagues there are 10 of us. Um, and around the country, we do virtual financial planning by the hour. My colleague in Spokane, Washington, is also an enrolled agent with the irs. And so if you came to me with a tax problem, I would quickly send you to her, because although I know a lot about tax, I'm not a tax expert. I'm not regulated that way the way she is. And so we also have somebody on staff who's a student loan expert, for example, and, uh, somebody who helps people figure out. I mean, because there's student loans, but then there's also people who help people figure out how to get the kid through college.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker E: You know, and as the parent of a senior in high school, I'm feeling very intimate with this. So some of us have specialties, some of us are general generalists with the trust. We would talk about the financial aspects of the trust and then recommend, if you don't have an estate attorney structuring the trust and the documents, that's out of our hands. We're not attorneys.

Speaker A: And real estate, another area of expertise.

Speaker E: Uh, the financial aspects of real estate. Yes. So we can, we certainly have. We have lots of clients who make their living from passive investment, owning properties, or even some that just manage properties or manage short term properties, Airbnb type properties. Um, and we work with people in that role as well. I mean, we work with people who are gig workers. We work with people who are independently wealthy, who've taken their companies public. Uh, I mean, that's something that's always surprised me because when I went into this, when I started this firm nine years ago, I was like, I want to help regular people get financial advice so they can feel more secure and be better community members. That's what I want. That's why I wake up every morning. That's why we all wake up every morning. But what ended up happening is people who needed help came, and so did people you wouldn't expect needed help, like very wealthy people. And they also came with their questions because they're afraid of being, you know, scammed and this or that. They like the hourly way of doing things. It's something people understand.

Speaker A: Yeah. I have to introduce you to a company I invested in called modi, which, uh, it's a platform for virtual consulting. Um, you put your rate in, they put their credit card in, and it charges them per the minute so that there's no rounding up, but you collect immediately. Because my big philosophy as a lawyer is 80% of being a lawyer is collecting.

Speaker E: That's a fair point.

Speaker A: Yeah, I'll make that introduction. Um, real quick. What, what's the range of the hourly rates? So I'm, um, somebody that comes in. What's the normal hourly rates that you guys charge?

Speaker E: So our normal. This is not my rate, but our normal hourly rate is $280 an hour for the initial plan, which is typically two to four hours, spread over two to three meetings. Depends how complex your life is financially. You're young and single. It's going to be two hours, no problem. Um, and then $240 when you come in for that, that check in or that, that annual physical or if something changes. Hey, I got a new job. Hey, we're having a baby. Hey, we want to fix the basement, then that's 240an hour. We will charge to the quarter hour. Unlike, um, I think attorneys charge to, like, six minutes. We don't. We charge to the quarter. We charge to the quarter hour. So you don't have to worry about running over a little bit and getting charged again. And that is it. You don't get charged for any prep time any other time period.

Speaker A: I love it. What a great business model. No management fees, no percentages, no pushing products for commissions onto you. All the things that I've learned over the years, uh, it's Fearless Finance. And if you remember, fearless finance.com, lori Atwood. Promise me you'll come back on. We got other shows. Once again, we're doing a financial thing for the military, for US vets on 250th anniversary, 8,000 people, 3 million online. We'd love to get you involved with US in Washington, D.C. if you're still there.

Speaker E: Uh, I would love it.

Speaker A: And I'll make the introduction you got at Fearless Finance, Fairless finance dot com. Get a lawyer. I mean, get help with your finances with no pressure. Lori Atwood, thanks for joining me.

Speaker E: Thank you so much.

Speaker A: Awesome job. What a great business model. All right, we're blessed. Fearless, uh, finance a lot about finance today with our three friends. With Tayo, uh, of course with Courtney, and of course with Lori. Protect yourself, promote yourself. Perfect yourself. DavidMeltzer.com, uh, remember, if God makes you wait, uh, then become a waiter and serve David, beloved @d first initial Meltzer servant, davidmeltzer.com. let me be your servant. We will be in South Coast Plaza today, Newport beach tomorrow, Bill Walsh today, Tim Story tomorrow with, uh, Jay Abraham. Just amazing. Then Japan. Then when we come back, we'll be, uh, in Louisville, Kentucky with Nick Saban and Matt Ebert. We'll be in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Chicago. We'll be in Vegas, at the Wynn, in the lobby. We'll be back to Newport Beach. 200 cities a year. If you want to be informed, if you want to be invited. It's for everyone in our community. 949-298-2905. We will text you information and invitations. 949-298-29 05. Remember, most importantly, be more interested, uh, than interesting. Be kind to your future self and do good deeds. See you tomorrow.

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