The Human Revolution with Dylan Bain

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 pe...

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...

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,...

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 Congre...

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...

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 jo...

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 ma...

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 slippin...

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...

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 [...

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 hab...

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...

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 evok...

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 t...

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 ar...

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 discus...

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...

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...

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 you...

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 domesticati...

What does it mean to live life with intentionality? What does it look like to do things with more intention? Perhaps most importantly, how do you start acting with more intentionality?   Dylan answers these questions and more in this latest episode of Fiscally Savage.   Show Highlights   [02:11] Intentionality and why it's important [04:38] Examples that show a lack of intentionality in decisionma...

The so-called "quiet quitting" trend has recently taken the workforce by storm. Unlike real, actual quitting, quiet quitting refers to doing nothing more than what one's job description states. Quiet quitters continue to fulfill their primary responsibilities but are unwilling to do extra, unpaid work. No more staying late at the office or attending unnecessary meetings.   But how and why has quie...

Debt is a common source of financial stress for many Americans. Job losses, medical expenses, and even impulsive purchases can lead to insurmountable debt and get in the way of your financial goals.   If you're in a financial hole due to debt, the only real solution is to change your debt mindset and start digging your way out, one step at a time.   In this episode of Fiscally Savage, Dylan talks...

"Quiet quitting" is on the rise in a post-COVID world. But what is it, exactly? And why is it happening?   To answer these questions, Dylan turns to the concept of the social contract as presented by Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.   Show Highlights   [01:42] On the link between "quiet quitting" and social contracts [02:34] Thomas Hobbes and Leviathan [03:38] Hobbes on govern...

As humans, we need food, security, intimacy, self-esteem, and purpose. But we need money to fulfill these needs.   In this episode, Dylan discusses Maslow's famous hierarchy of needs, how money impacts that hierarchy, and how understanding that hierarchy can help us build better, long-lasting relationships.   Show Highlights:   [03:46] Why finances are critical to relationships [07:36] What is Mas...