Be Smart by Jared Dillian

People pour their hearts out on Reddit. In episode 381, Jared and Cameron tap into personal finance subreddits, addressing questions about payday loan apps, when to repair your vehicle versus buying a new one, mortgages and retirement, negotiating for a higher salary, steps to achieving financial comfort, and… clogged cats?

Anytime a new technology is developed, there's an initial hype phase where money pours into the space, which leads to overinvestment and malinvestment. Then you enter the Valley of Despair before getting a second bull market years down the line. In episode 380, Jared clarifies why we may be close to completing the first runup in AI, why crypto has no place in the Awesome Portfolio, why he's so bea...

Would you have more money if you didn't buy coffee? Perhaps marginally more, but it's a rounding error in the grand scheme of things. Stop focusing on the little things that don't matter. Buying coffee is peewee stuff that just does not matter, and you have these so-called financial "experts" focused on this kind of stuff, alienating everyone in the process. There are so many other things you shou...

Having money in stocks and mutual funds that perform well doesn't mean you're creating wealth. In that case, you're just a passenger along for the ride on the back of someone else. Creating wealth could mean starting a business or showing up to work and producing value that exceeds what you are paid. In episode 378, Jared discusses the difference between creating and destroying wealth, as well as...

No, it's not choosing the right mutual fund to invest in or opting for a 15-year mortgage instead of a 30-year one. Not even paying off all your credit cards cracks the top three. The three biggest financial decisions you will ever make include choosing the right person to marry, your career, and where to live. In episode 377, Jared breaks down why these choices are so crucial to get right—because...

Mutual funds let you pool your money with other investors to buy stocks, bonds, and other securities. They're run by professional money managers who decide which securities to buy (stocks, bonds, etc.) and when to sell them. Here's the thing, though: Mutual funds are not free. That said, they're inexpensive, but that doesn't stop people from getting worked up over fees. In episode 376, Jared expla...

In episode 375, Jared maps his evolution from "class warrior" as a kid in Connecticut to his college years when he dabbled in objectivism to his present-day views on the likes of Jeff Bezos. He breaks down the philosophical basis for the revolution that swept through the world in the 1970s and '80s (influenced by prominent figures such as Ayn Rand, Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, Friedrich Hayek...

In episode 374 of the BE SMART podcast, Jared demystifies the key to deal negotiation for a home and why, as a buyer, you should be making a series of negative comments to your realtor to bring the price of a house down. Everything in real estate is negotiable, and it's a bit like playing cards—meaning it's helpful to know which cards a seller is holding. You don't want to be a "people pleaser" wh...

There are points in time when producers have pricing power, and there are other times when they don't. This concept is known as demand elasticity. If something has elastic demand, companies can't raise prices much or else demand will go down. On the flip side, if something has inelastic demand, it doesn't matter how much prices increase because people will still pay for it. In this episode of the...

Catastrophic thinking is when you believe that something terrible is always going to happen, like a divorce, a fatal illness, or devastating financial hardship. A lot of people suffer from it and are susceptible to this mindset, which can cripple your relationships and personal goals. What it boils down to is fear, but the possibility that something earth-shattering will happen to you is lower tha...

No stock is "safe," but blue-chip stocks tend to be the safest. That's why, if you go to a financial advisor, they're likely to load you up on stocks found in the Dow Jones Industrial Average—the Boeings and Microsofts of the world—because it's a strategy that's much harder to screw up than others. In this episode, Jared discusses risk, growth, the sad reality of the brokerage industry, and the ke...

Fun fact: Most people in the finance business believe in crazy, ridiculous conspiracy theories. It's astounding the type of stuff people believe in—like, for instance, that a shadowy government organization buys large quantities of stocks or futures to bleed short sellers and turn a profit. In this episode of the Be Smart podcast, Jared discusses why so many people perpetuate conspiracy theories a...

Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) is a movement defined by frugality and extreme savings and investment. It's also a dumb philosophy. Why? Because it is a perfectly normal human desire to accumulate material positions. Consumption is not immoral, and depriving yourself for several years only to continue living in deprivation doesn't make any sense. The FIRE followers have it backwards: Y...

Not having a lot of debt, minimizing your exposure to risk, and having financial security are all ways to deal from a position of strength. Sure, having more money often helps, but not always. There's more to it than that, which we'll dive into, along with six key things you must do to eliminate financial stress and put yourself in a position of strength.

There's a lot of money out there. We have printed trillions of dollars. Let's put it this way: There is no shortage of money. Really, there's a surplus, and it's not that hard to come by. You don't need to starve yourself or keep the thermostat at 60 degrees in the winter to save money. What it comes down to is a change in attitude. Instead of thinking that money is hard to come by, you need to em...

A lot of people say they want to get rich, but most of the time, these people are full of it. Being rich is a lot harder than it seems—a rich person's life gets much more complicated once they become rich. More houses, cars, bank accounts, greater investments, and rising taxes… it's a lot to keep track of, and it can create a lot of added stress. Truth is, if you like leading a simple life, you wo...

If you get into a top-tier school, like Harvard, you must go. But what about second- and third-tier schools? It's not always a no-brainer based on the cost. Student loans can be crushing, and you need to factor in your return on investment via earnings potential, especially in a world where student graduates are netting $55K a year for sales jobs while high school dropouts receive offers for $110K...

There's an old saying: "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." If you want to make money, you must take the risk… because sitting idly and wishing to make money is not going to yield positive results. In today's episode of the Be Smart podcast, Jared discusses the ways people fall backwards into money, what you should do if you come into a windfall, and the value of cash.

John C. Bogle, the founder and chief executive of Vanguard who is credited with popularizing the index fund, was only worth about $20 million when he died in 2019. Sure, that's nothing to sneeze at, but he created something so revolutionary that he could have been a billionaire many times over. His idea transformed the entire asset management industry, and it's still transforming it to this day. Y...

What is a hedge fund? In today's episode of the Be Smart podcast, Jared discusses the ins and outs of hedge funds (including the different types), why they are not magic money machines despite rich people's inclination to invest in them, and the distinction between absolute returns and relative returns.

Capitalism doesn't suck just because you're bad at it. Capitalism is a competition. Life is a competition. But that's what's so great about the US: There are so many opportunities if you want to take advantage of them. Are you ready to compete in the free market? Dive into today's episode of the Be Smart podcast, where Jared discusses how to better position yourself in a capitalist society and suc...

Growing up in poverty scars us for life and distorts our relationship with money. The good news: It helps us develop mindful financial habits. The bad: We often don't experience life to the fullest because we're always waiting for the next shoe to drop. In today's episode of the Be Smart podcast, Jared discusses frugality, why so many people carry around financial trauma, and surviving versus thri...

The mark of a good person is the ability to be genuinely happy for another person and their success. In today's podcast, Jared discusses how envy often creeps into the DNA of garbage human beings, inspirational "rags to riches" stories, and what it takes to succeed.

You can't just sit around and expect a million dollars to fall into your lap. It doesn't work that way. The first step to getting more money is wanting it. And it's okay to want more money; it doesn't automatically make you a greedy person. In today's episode, Jared discusses money-conflicted people and, conversely, ways to grow your wealth if you embrace earning more.

Long-time guest David Mannen joins Jared Dillian to catch up on summer happenings, including writing short stories and the "just do it" mentality, student loans, how politicians often mirror TV evangelists, baseball, anti-intellectualism, the polarization of Donald Trump, and more.