If your finances are a house, then your budget is its foundation. Budgeting plays a key role in helping you achieve your financial goals, but creating a budget and living by it are two different things. It’s easy to create a budget plan outlining your income and expenses for the month. The hard part is sticking to that plan day in and day out. In today’s episode, Dylan discusses budgeting and the importance of grounding it in reality. Show Highlights [02:38] What happens when you start getting y...
Mar 07, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 45
This week, the Supreme Court heard two cases challenging President Joe Biden’s one-time student loan forgiveness plan. The plan, which will determine whether over 40 million people in the US can have up to $20,000 in debt canceled, has sparked conversations about whether it’s fair just days after it was announced. One important conversation you won’t hear in the media, though, is how we ended up here in the first place. That is, how did we end up with so much student debt, and what can we do abo...
Mar 03, 2023•35 min•Season 1Ep. 44
Creating and sticking to a budget doesn’t have to be a daunting task. On the contrary, the process of taking a closer look at your spending habits and then making necessary adjustments can make you feel in control of your finances and help you save money to reach your financial goals. The only problem is many people don’t know where to start this conversation. In this episode of Fiscally Savage, Dylan discusses what budgets are and walks you through the first step in creating one so you can take...
Feb 28, 2023•18 min•Season 1Ep. 43
On Feb. 3, a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, igniting a fire that covered the town in smoke. The incident has since turned into a political football and spectacle — one that continues to generate headline after headline in the media. If there’s one thing you should take away from this, it’s the idea that you can’t rely on anyone to save you. It’s in your best interest to be prepared, whether for train derailments, statewide power outages, or any other disaster — ...
Feb 24, 2023•27 min•Season 1Ep. 42
Budgeting is one of the best tools you have to take control of your money, achieve your financial goals, and set yourself up for success. Unfortunately, it’s not always a given. Many people avoid discussions about budgeting at all costs, mostly because they don’t know where to start. Do they need to save money? Can they even save money? Should they invest it instead? In today’s episode, Dylan breaks down the three stages of a personal finance journey — income, saving, and investing — to help you...
Feb 21, 2023•26 min•Season 1Ep. 41
From toxic clouds to record-high inflation, the barrage of bad news can push even the best of people into pessimism and dredge up some existential questions, like what gives life meaning? Why are we even here? What should we do with our lives? These questions all circle around the notion of having a purpose — a reason to wake up, move forward, and find joy. Unfortunately for too many people, that sense of purpose has been absent for a while or has steadily withered over time. For some, it was ne...
Feb 17, 2023•16 min•Season 1Ep. 40
Cons. Frauds. Scams. Whatever you call them, people have been falling for them since time immemorial. Though their means may change, scammers have always been with us and, unfortunately, are often successful in their ploys. But what makes scams so hard to resist and so easy to perpetuate in the first place? In today’s episode, Dylan talks about the idea that we have to be sneaky in order to make money, why we often fall for scams, and how we can protect ourselves from them. Show Highlights [04:1...
Feb 14, 2023•39 min•Season 1Ep. 39
The COVID-19 pandemic triggered an urban exodus. In the US, many city dwellers fled to rural and suburban areas after the pandemic hit in early 2020. Data from the US Census Bureau shows that many of them have stayed, putting down roots in smaller, more affordable cities and suburbs. Despite that, rent prices continue to go up, even as the depopulated American downtowns of 2020 and 2021 see more rental units being built by the day. That's not how the law of supply and demand should work, so what...
Feb 10, 2023•30 min•Season 1Ep. 38
It’s easy to get caught up in the shiny promises of get-rich-quick schemes. After all, who doesn’t want to become a millionaire overnight? But the truth is there’s really no fast track that will do all the work for you. If you truly wish to take control of your financial life and live free, you should stick to slow, “boring” solutions instead. In today’s episode, Dylan talks about get-rich-quick schemes and their veneer of success, the merit of taking on a systematic approach to your finances, a...
Feb 07, 2023•30 min•Season 1Ep. 37
On Jan. 19, the US outstanding debt hit its statutory limit. With the clock ticking for the country to avoid a default on its debt, experts are sounding the alarm about potential disruptions to Social Security. But should we actually be concerned? In today’s episode of Fiscally Savage, Dylan explains what Social Security is, how it came about, and how it works. He also addresses some common talking points on Social Security — that it’s going bankrupt, that it’s exploding the national debt, and t...
Feb 03, 2023•32 min•Season 1Ep. 36
In today’s episode, Dylan talks about the system versus the individual debate. Are we completely responsible for our place in society? Can our individual actions meaningfully change the system? How do we begin to approach this hotly contested political football? Show Highlights [03:29] Things in the political realm that hold true for Dylan [06:52] The system versus the individual [09:15] On people who believe systems are paramount [13:44] The core of the “systems are paramount” idea [17:41] On t...
Jan 31, 2023•30 min•Season 1Ep. 35
ChatGPT is the latest artificial intelligence (AI) sensation that can generate human-like text. Following its launch last December, ChatGPT took the internet by storm, sparking fears that it could put creative professionals out of work in the near future. But AI tools like ChatGPT are unlikely to make humans obsolete anytime soon, even if a tech-driven future is closer than we may think. As with previous technological advances, how we interact with the world will likely change in the era of wide...
Jan 27, 2023•27 min•Season 1Ep. 34
Seemingly simple day-to-day interactions between parents and children can have lasting effects on the latter. For instance, they can give rise to money wounds — stories, beliefs, and thought patterns around money that keep us from abundance. If left unchecked, money wounds can trickle down from generation to generation. But they don’t have to. We can and should break the cycle for our children, and it starts with understanding our role as parents. In today’s episode, Dylan talks about how childr...
Jan 24, 2023•29 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Politicians are once again preparing to play the world’s dumbest game of chicken over the national debt ceiling. Last week, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned that the country is on track to hit the debt ceiling — the maximum amount of money that the federal government can borrow to meet funding needs. The news has prompted warnings from economists about a potential fiscal crisis if Congress doesn’t take action soon. But it’s not clear whether congressional leaders will agree to raise the de...
Jan 20, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is one of the most well-known theories of motivation. It states that our actions are motivated by certain physiological and psychological needs, each more complex than the last. A similarly important hierarchy worth discussing is the hierarchy of service. In today’s episode, Dylan picks up from last week’s discussion about the state of play when it comes to service by taking a look at the three levels of the hierarchy of service. Show Highlights [04:07] The first leve...
Jan 17, 2023•20 min•Season 1Ep. 31
Over the past few months, tech companies as big as Amazon, Meta, and Netflix laid workers off by the thousands. And announcements of job cuts keep coming. Despite the gloomy headlines, however, tech layoffs aren’t actually that big of a deal for the economy as a whole. The need for tech talent remains steady across other sectors and tech hiring is still strong, as per the recently released US jobs report. So, the question we should ask ourselves is: Why are these companies laying these people of...
Jan 13, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Sitting at the top of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is self-actualization. Maslow describes this level as the desire to reach our full potential — to do everything we can, to become the most we can be. One way we may perceive this need is to have a strong desire to use our full powers in the service of others. Unfortunately, the reality for many people is that service is just another vehicle to make themselves feel good, not unlike the way buying a new car or a new smartphone can make you feel goo...
Jan 10, 2023•27 min•Season 1Ep. 29
In this first Friday episode of Fiscally Savage in 2023, Dylan answers some interesting questions from his Instagram followers, tackling relevant topics like inflation and offering some hard-hitting personal finance advice while he’s at it. Show Highlights [01:22] Where you can start on your personal finance journey [06:06] Explaining zero-based budgeting to friends and family [07:56] On slipping backward with your budget [10:25] The most significant resistance to changing your relationship with...
Jan 06, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 28
It’s that time of year — the in-laws have left, the fridge is full of leftovers, and you have a laundry list of things you want to start doing differently so you can live your best life this year. But change inherently means conflict. When you start to reinvent your life to serve you on your terms, you’ll inevitably run into something called the social problem. In today’s episode, Dylan talks about change. What makes it so difficult? Why do we struggle to change? And how do we face it head-on? S...
Jan 03, 2023•26 min•Season 1Ep. 27
As the year draws to a close, Dylan looks back at 2022 — his year of growth — and shares some of the lessons he learned in his self-development journey, how he has run his life for the last eight years, and his hopes for the new year — his year of emancipation. Show Highlights [02:52] Why Dylan joined men’s groups [04:02] On breaking the year into four sections [07:29] Dylan’s theme for 2023 [09:22] Why the US educational system and industrial food system are anti-human [16:09] How humans’ attit...
Dec 30, 2022•24 min•Season 1Ep. 26
New Year’s is a time to reflect and ponder resolutions. Maybe you want to lose weight by eating more healthily or exercising more frequently. Maybe you want to read more books, discover new music, or see your friends more often. The list goes on. But resolutions like these are usually abandoned by mid-January because they leave little room for meaningful growth. They force you to change your habits through sheer willpower, rather than work to change your attitudes and motivation. If you’re one o...
Dec 27, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Crypto investors have had their share of market meltdowns this year. Last month, all eyes were on the cryptocurrency exchange FTX, whose founder and former CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried, was recently arrested by Bahamian authorities in connection with multiple fraud charges involving FTX. The FTX collapse has sent shockwaves through the crypto space and will likely continue to do so for some time. But how exactly did a once multi-billion dollar company implode so spectacularly? In the last episode of...
Dec 23, 2022•41 min•Season 1Ep. 24
With Christmas just around the corner, brands and retailers are keen to make the most of the holiday rush, blasting ad after ad of children opening presents, families eating together, and similar moments that tug at people’s heartstrings. But make no mistake. Advertisements are never as innocent as they seem. In this week’s episode, Dylan unwraps the truth about advertising, the ways they evoke emotion, and what we can do about it. Show Highlights [04:34] What advertising is [09:08] What adverti...
Dec 20, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) is an emerging financial technology that is based on peer-to-peer transactions through blockchain technology. Via blockchain, DeFi increases access to financial services, circumventing traditional financial institutions like banks. But DeFi is constantly evolving. And because it is unregulated, it is riddled with infrastructural mishaps and controversies. In part three of this four-part series on cryptocurrency, Dylan talks about DeFi and how it works, its promises, ...
Dec 16, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 22
There is an emotional element in our attitudes and decision-making around money. And when that element takes over, financial challenges like overspending can occur. In this episode, Dylan walks us through the emotional wounds that lead to overspending, the ways we fall victim to them, and how we can take back control over our personal finances. Show Highlights [03:05] The four things that are at the root of most people’s overspending [04:29] How the childlike excitement over having money dovetai...
Dec 13, 2022•24 min•Season 1Ep. 21
14 years ago, a mysterious individual or group of people known only by the pseudonym “Satoshi Nakamoto” published the Bitcoin Whitepaper. It introduced Bitcoin as the world’s first and most valuable entrant in the emerging class of digital assets known as cryptocurrencies and outlined the original plan and protocol for Bitcoin. In part two of this four-part series on cryptocurrency, Dylan discusses Bitcoin and the technological fundamentals outlined in the Bitcoin Whitepaper. Show Highlights [01...
Dec 09, 2022•26 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Security. Zero debt. Passive income. These are just some of the many different visions people have of what it means to be financially successful. However, these are merely pseudovisions, i.e., things that society tells you will somehow make you complete, like a college degree, a high-paying job, and a house with a yard and a white picket fence. But if you are to take control of your financial life and live free, you need to create an authentic vision, one that is gripping, inherently emotional, ...
Dec 06, 2022•29 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Cryptocurrencies have demonstrated their value in recent years. Bitcoin, for instance, is worth over $16,000 today, and there are currently over 19,000,000 Bitcoins in circulation. But apart from the declared price of cryptocurrencies, those invested in them appear to rely on a perceived “inherent value” of cryptocurrencies, something that fiat currency — like the US dollar — generally does not have. This, among other things, has sparked debates over whether cryptocurrencies are better than “rea...
Dec 02, 2022•26 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Money and emotion go hand in hand. We work hard to take care of ourselves, provide for our families, and save up for the future, so it’s hardly surprising that money is an emotional topic for many people. In this episode of Fiscally Savage, Dylan talks about the dynamic between emotions and money, how emotions can affect your financial decision-making, and why managing your money starts with your emotions. Show Highlights [03:24] Why money is emotional [05:35] Why money is foundational to Maslow...
Nov 29, 2022•29 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Practically everything served at a traditional Thanksgiving dinner is heavily domesticated, from roast turkey and mashed potatoes to cranberry sauce and corn on the cob. But, as the saying goes, it takes one to know one. That is to say, humans are just as much a product of domestication as dogs or cows are. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In this episode, we take a look at domestication in the wake of Thanksgiving. What is it? How did we domesticate animals and plants? And what does this...
Nov 25, 2022•30 min•Season 1Ep. 16
