MyFinJourney

You work 2,080 hours a year to make money. But what is your money doing? If you earn $200K a year, does your portfolio grow $200K a year on its own? In this episode, Mustafa Ladha kicks off Season 2 of MyFinJourney by breaking down how to make your money work harder than you do — and why the best money decision is the one that lets you sleep at night, not just the one that wins on paper. Season 1...

A third of Americans making $250K a year live paycheck to paycheck. Mustafa once spoke to a 32-year-old earning $250K with $200K in savings — top 1% for his age — who still felt broke. In this solo episode, Mustafa breaks down why: financial literacy, opportunity cost, lifestyle inflation, and the comparison trap that social media feeds. He also covers why investing is a skill that takes 5–10 year...

A friend asked Mustafa a deceptively simple question: what numbers do I actually need to track with my money? Most people know two — income and expenses. In this solo episode, Mustafa breaks down the five numbers every household should actually be tracking: income, expenses, cash flow, net worth, and liquidity — plus why the "3 to 6 months of savings" rule might be holding you back, and how to thi...

There are really only two ways to build wealth in business: sell an expensive product to a few wealthy buyers, or build a cheap product for the masses. Tesla did the first (Roadster → Model S → Model Y). Facebook did the second. In this solo episode, Mustafa Ladha breaks down both models and how he's using the same framework to build financial literacy content and grow an investing platform that h...

Everyone says "take risks" and "embrace failure" — but Sameer Ranjan says that advice is dangerous if you can't put food on the table. His fix is a simple, concrete rule: build six months of runway first, and it becomes "f-you money" that lets you take real risks safely. In this episode he breaks down reinvention, why comfort leads to boredom, how to think of yourself as a startup, and how to navi...

Most founders think their problems are accounting problems. Salma Hatim says they're really visibility problems — CEOs making big decisions while flying blind on their cash flow, KPIs, and profitability, thinking they're growing when they're actually growing poorly. In this episode she breaks down cash flow forecasting, the KPIs that actually matter, when to hire a fractional CFO, and how to get r...

Think networking means awkward events, forced small talk, and pretending to be someone you're not? Greg Roche built an entire career — and now a business — without any of that. In this episode he breaks down networking for introverts: how to grow your career, your income, and your opportunities by building real relationships on your own terms, starting with the people you already know. In this epi...

In the AI era, technical skills are everywhere — but soft skills are what actually set you apart. Sayre Blake, founder of SkillSage, argues that communication, adaptability, and the ability to grow are now the most valuable and most overlooked skills for your career and your finances. In this episode of MyFinJourney, Mustafa Ladha sits down with Sayre Blake — systems engineer, classically trained...

Why do the wrong people keep getting promoted? Ellza Malok has a sharp answer: companies confuse a title with a leader. The best salesperson gets made manager, keeps their quota, has never led anyone — and a year and a half later, the whole team still quietly goes to "Joe," the person who actually earned their trust. In this episode of MyFinJourney, Mustafa Ladha sits down with Ellza Malok, founde...

Are video games actually bad for kids? Jennifer Javornik has spent over a decade making games that teach — and her answer surprises most parents: well-designed games may be a better use of your kid's time than passive social media scrolling. In this episode she explains the psychology behind why games are so engaging, how to tell a healthy game from a manipulative one, and what to do instead of ju...

Why do 9 out of 10 startups fail? Cristina Imre says it's almost never the product — it's what she calls "people debt": the compounding cost of unresolved leadership friction, founder burnout, and organizational misalignment that investors consistently fail to spot until it's too late. In this episode of MyFinJourney, Mustafa Ladha sits down with Cristina Imre — fractional executive, strategic adv...

August Biniaz started as a real estate agent, then built custom homes through his own development company. Then he realized something: home building has a ceiling. Private equity real estate doesn't. Today, as Co-Founder and CIO of CPI Capital, he's helped close more than $225 million in US multifamily acquisitions. In this episode of MyFinJourney, Mustafa Ladha sits down with August to unpack why...

Ghiath Arodaki was born and raised in Kuwait — but could never be a citizen. No right to own a home, no path to belonging, and the constant knowledge that he could be deported at any time. He describes it as "renting a life." Today, he works at the intersection of AI and enterprise strategy at IBM, and teaches kids the financial literacy nobody taught him. In this episode of MyFinJourney, Mustafa...

Sally Gimon got a phone call that changed her life: a surprise $94,000 tax bill. Instead of paying it, she spent five months researching how wealthy families legally reduce their taxes — and built a business that has since saved clients millions. Mustafa Ladha sits down with Sally Gimon, real estate investor and tax strategy educator, to break down the trust structures most people have never heard...

Danny DelVecchio made seven figures in four years — without spending a single dollar on ads. Everything came from organic content. In this episode, he breaks down the exact system, and why chasing views is quietly killing most people's businesses. In this episode of MyFinJourney, Mustafa Ladha sits down with Danny DelVecchio, founder of Content on Easy Mode, who helps founders build content system...

Most people think real estate means houses, rentals, or Airbnbs. But there's a quieter, lower-risk niche almost nobody talks about: flipping vacant land. Mike Deaton buys land for as little as $5,000-$15,000 and resells it for 2-3x — and he's been doing it for 10 years. In this episode of MyFinJourney, Mustafa Ladha sits down with Mike Deaton, who along with his wife Ligia left corporate America (...

A man who built a market-making firm to a $1 billion balance sheet — and sold it to a NASDAQ-listed company — has some advice that might surprise you: don't go to college to code, become a plumber or an electrician, and learn to build AI agents. In this episode of MyFinJourney, Mustafa Ladha sits down with Michael J. Frank — exited founder, capital markets operator, independent board director, and...

Most high-income earners give 37% of their paycheck to the government. But there's a perfectly legal short-term rental tax loophole that can save you $50,000 to $200,000 a year — and Taylor Jones has used it to acquire 431 Airbnbs. In this episode of MyFinJourney, Mustafa Ladha sits down with Taylor Jones, Founder of STR Search — the data-driven Airbnb acquisition firm helping high-income professi...

Most people fail at business — but 90% of franchise owners are still in business after 5 years. Why? Because they follow a proven system instead of guessing. In this episode of MyFinJourney, Mustafa Ladha sits down with Laura Rolfe, CEO of Mint Franchise Consultants, who helps aspiring entrepreneurs evaluate franchise opportunities with clarity and confidence. After 25 years in nonprofit and being...

At 52, Ken Sher was told by his boss: "You will never live up to my expectations." A few months later, he was out of a job, with two kids in college and one in high school. What he did next built him a thriving executive coaching business — and a leadership framework now used by CEOs across the country. In this episode of MyFinJourney, Mustafa Ladha sits down with Ken Sher — Executive Coach, Keyno...

Most people chase strategy, tactics, and shiny objects — but the real reason they never build wealth is something deeper. In this episode of MyFinJourney, Mustafa Ladha sits down with Christopher Salem — Business Acceleration Strategist, Executive Mentor, and Founder of Sustainable Success Coaching & Consulting. Chris has been featured on ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC, and helps leaders and entrepren...

What if your "useless" skill is actually the one that pays your dreams? In this episode of MyFinJourney, Mustafa Ladha sits down with Doug Weissman, Senior Travel Writer & Content Marketer at Zicasso, who turned a "starving artist" path into a global career writing about travel, building luxury itineraries, and crafting stories that drive trust and conversion for one of the most respected name...

Most businesses don't fail because of bad strategy. They fail because of bad communication — and most leaders don't even see it happening. In this episode of MyFinJourney, Mustafa Ladha sits down with Devon Bruce, Founder and CEO of the English Communication Academy, who coined the term "communication debt" — the hidden build-up of misalignment, unclear messages, and quiet assumptions that costs o...

Looking for the best career advice for 2026? In this powerful episode of MyFin Journey, host Mustafa Ladha interviews Rohit Sood — founder of Venture Life Sciences, former Sorcero executive, strategy consultant, and Rutgers Business School professor who has helped scale 50+ life sciences brands with 6 successful US and European product launches. Rohit shares the exact career growth strategies, men...

What if the thing holding your business back isn't strategy — it's you? In this episode of MyFinJourney, Mustafa Ladha sits down with Faisal Ensaun, a high performance coach who has worked with over 2,000 individuals — from entrepreneurs and executives to real estate investors and CEOs. Faisal opens up about his own journey through addiction, trauma, and rock bottom, and how that path led him to h...