Enlightened Wealth Strategies

James and Jim sit down with career international portfolio manager Hervé Van Caloen to explore shifting geopolitical trends and untapped global investment opportunities. Hervé breaks down why Latin America is pivoting away from decades of socialist policies toward free-market capitalism, and shares his first-hand perspective on rebuilding Venezuela’s economy, privatization trends, and stock market...

James and Jim sit down with Tejas Dessai, Director of Thematic Research at Global X ETFs, to explore how innovation cycles and industrial rewiring are transforming the global economy. Tejas breaks down why the AI revolution differs fundamentally from the dot-com bubble, focusing on cash flow, compute demand, and infrastructure bottlenecks. The conversation delves into the massive power demands of...

James and Jim sit down with Tejas Dessai, Director of Thematic Research at Global X ETFs, to explore how innovation cycles and industrial rewiring are transforming the global economy. Tejas breaks down why the AI revolution differs fundamentally from the dot-com bubble, focusing on cash flow, compute demand, and infrastructure bottlenecks. The conversation delves into the massive power demands of...

James DiGesu and Jim Lombardo sit down with David Nelson, Belpointe Chief Strategist and regular media commentator on Fox, CNBC, and Bloomberg, for a deep-dive market assessment. David shares his journey from rock recording artist to Wall Street strategist and breaks down the current economic landscape. The team explores whether AI bubble fears are justified, how the semiconductor boom compares to...

James Di Gesu and Jim Lombardo sit down with Dawn Cortese, founder of Healthy Goals Healthy Living, certified nutrition coach, and certified brain health trainer, to explore why personal health is the ultimate foundation of wealth. Dawn breaks down the rising crisis of workplace burnout, how chronic stress quietly drains corporate productivity, and practical strategies for executives to optimize t...

James Di Gesu and Jim Lombardo break down the essential realities of modern retirement planning, from macroeconomic shifts to personal balance sheets. They analyze current inflation trends, geopolitical energy impacts, and the truth behind federal vs. private sector job numbers. Moving into core financial planning, James and Jim outline the four pillars every retiree must navigate: cash flow budge...

James DiGesu and Jim Lombardo sit down with Sam Cone — math major, former stunt performer turned NYU-trained attorney turned structured notes specialist at Belpointe — to demystify one of the most misunderstood tools in investing. Sam explains how structured notes actually work, why most notes on the market are bad deals, and how he negotiates custom terms directly with too-big-to-fail banks to bu...

James DiGesu and Jim Lombardo welcome in-studio guest Aaron Galileo of PPAC Private Bank and Trust to break down what's really happening in the housing market, why mortgage rates don't follow the Fed, and what first-time buyers need to know before jumping in. They cover inventory challenges in the tri-state area, the rising age of first-time homebuyers, down payment strategies, PMI, home...

James DiGesu and Jim Lombardo welcome back Jack Larouesch of Saugatuck Equity to break down what drove the equity markets in 2025, why the Magnificent Seven may start to diverge, and how to position your portfolio heading into 2026. They cover personalized portfolio construction, tax loss harvesting, the Fed's rate path, the housing market freeze, inflation's lasting impact, and the nucl...

James and Jim welcome back Dr. Label for a deep, practical discussion on cryptocurrency; what it is, how it works, and why it continues to gain global attention despite extreme volatility. The conversation walks through crypto fundamentals, Bitcoin’s halving cycles, custody choices, mining, ETFs, and how investors might thoughtfully incorporate digital assets into a diversified portfolio while und...

EP 17 Enlightened Wealth Strategies with James, Jim & Dr. Tal Lebel. In this episode of Enlightened Wealth Strategies, James DiGesu and Jim Lombardo sit down with Dr. Tal Lebel—dentist, early crypto adopter, and 15-year crypto trader—to break down the fundamentals of cryptocurrency. They explore the early history of Bitcoin, why its limited supply drives long-term value, how blockchain works,...

EP23 Enlightened Wealth Strategies with James and Jim James and Jim are joined by industry veteran Chuck Gornberger to cut through the confusion surrounding life insurance and explain how products, companies, and agent practices have evolved over the past six decades. The discussion focuses on why life insurance is often misunderstood, how product complexity and online sales have changed the lands...

EP21 Enlightened Wealth Strategies with James and Jim James and Jim welcome special guest John Edwards of Allaris to break down what recordkeeping actually does inside a 401(k), why “open architecture” matters, and how newer plan structures like PEPs and MEPs are reshaping retirement plans for small and mid-sized businesses. They also dig into fee transparency (and why it still feels confusing), S...

EP22 Enlightened Wealth Strategies with James and Jim James and Jim sit down with Garrett Pella, co-founder of Neos Investments, to unpack how options-based ETFs are being used to generate tax-efficient income across equities, fixed income, and alternatives. The conversation covers how covered-call strategies work in practice, why Section 1256 tax treatment matters, how these ETFs can be positione...

In our latest episode, Enlightened Wealth Strategies, James and Jim are joined by Ben Mills of Cardigan Consulting LLC to discuss how and why small businesses can hire a Fractional CFO.  We discuss how a Fractional CGO is unlike a controller or bookkeeper.  We also address the many challenges that small and mid-sized businesses face and the benefits of using a Fractional CFO who can assist in trac...

In our latest podcast episode, Enlightened Wealth Strategies, James and Jim are joined in the studio with Joseph Angelli, of Joseph Angelli, CPA. PC where we discuss the impact of the Trump Administration's Tax policies as well as the expected passage of the OBBBA or The One Big Beautiful Bill Act.  We cover many of the income tax provisions in the Bill and how it will impact your federal inc...

In our latest podcast episode, Enlightened Wealth Strategies, James and Jim are joined at the studio with Kimberly Paton of The Paton Law Firm. Kimberly is an estate planning attorney dedicated to helping individuals and their families plan their estate in coordination with financial planners. As financial planners, we discuss the vital importance of coordinating with an estate planning attorney t...

In our latest podcast episode, Enlightened Wealth Strategies, James and Jim are joined by Pisoot Senethavilay of Ancorato Capital to discuss the use of structured notes and how Ancorato provides a unique approach to not only investing in structured notes but using them within a separately managed account. Be sure to listen to and watch this episode as we learn what structured notes are and how we...

In our latest podcast episode, Enlightened Wealth Strategies, James and Jim are joined in the studio with Herve Van Caloen of Mercator Investment Management group where we discuss the impact of the Trump Administration’s tariff policies on our approach to investment planning and management. We cover a wide range of questions and considerations in this time of upheaval both for domestic-based oppor...

In our latest podcast episode, Enlightened Wealth Strategies, James and Jim are joined at the studio with Peter Nagy of The Credit Pros.  Peter is a financial credit repair specialist. We discuss the critical importance of creating, maintaining and monitoring our personal credit score.  We address the myriad of issues surrounding the complexity of using credit, whether that is via credit cards, ho...

In this episode of Enlightened Wealth Strategies, James DiGesu and Jim Lombardo are joined by Greg Blemlek of Optimyl Benefits to break down how small businesses can rethink employer-sponsored health insurance. They explore the rising cost pressures on employers, the differences between fully insured, level-funded, and self-funded health plans, and why more companies are shifting to innovative cos...

In our latest podcast episode, Enlightened Wealth Strategies, James and Jim are joined in the studio with Lori Wolf and Rich Reda to discuss Special Needs Planning - specifically planning for your child with special needs. Lori is an estate attorney and an expert in legal planning for families with a special needs child or loved one.  Rich is a life insurance consultant who is knowledgeable in of...

In our latest podcast episode, Enlightened Wealth Strategies, James and Jim discuss the use of retirement plans for individuals.  We address how best to use both employer provided or company retirement plans, like 401(k) plans. as well as personal Individual Retirement Accounts or IRA's. Be sure to listen, watch and learn the innumerable benefits of participating, contributing, and accumulati...

In our latest podcast, Enlightened Wealth Strategies, James and Jim are joined by Shiloh Bates, CFO of Flat Rock Funds.  This is an insightful discussion about non-traditional investing.  Specifically, the use of these interval funds which can generate current income to meet our cash flow needs or to be reinvested into our investment account. We discover that Flat Rock offers three different funds...

In our latest podcast, Enlightened Wealth Strategies, James and Jim are joined by Chris Chard of Sower Farmland Fund. We discuss the advantages of investing directly in farms located in the heartland of our country.