Financial Files

In this episode, Braden breaks down the Age of Andrew Jackson and the resulting Panic of 1837. He breaks down the complex web of factors that set the American economy up for its biggest meltdown yet, and discusses the fallout that affected the economy and society for years to come.

In this episode, Braden continues the series on financial panics with the Panic of 1819,  the first extended, multi-year crisis in the young nation's history. He talks about how the War of 1812 changed the US economy, how the chartering of the Second Bank of the US contributed to the crisis, and the effects of such a devastating nationwide panic. He breaks apart the US into its three key geog...

In this episode, Braden describes climbing the credit card ladder by gamifying it. He compares it to a video game, and how you start off as a noob with either no credit cards or a beginner credit card, and grow to a pro money making machine with a suite of credit cards. He details how you can level up your credit game to make free money with credit cards and put yourself on solid financial footing...

Continuing with the Financial Panic series comes the second episode of 1797. Braden explores the complicated geopolitical situation in the mid 1790's, and how that affects the growing land speculation bubble in the US at the same time. He details the first financial panic caused by land speculation, but certainly not the last. 

In this episode, Braden talks about the causes, effects, and aftershocks of the Panic of 1792, the first major financial shock in US history. 

In this episode, Braden discusses the rebrand to financial files and introduces his first new series about the Financial Panics in US history. Hope you enjoy!

Today, Braden returns to discuss the new Trump administration's disastrous tariff policy. He discusses where the Trump team's heads are at, how they're misguided, and some short and long-term reasons for the stock market's crash and the failure of the policy. Enjoy the episode!

In this episode, Braden discusses the first winner of the AI revolution: NVIDIA. NVIDIA, the GPU maker and AI extraordinaire, is the first winner, as it powers the capabilities of all these AI products that major technology players use. Braden runs through a brief company timeline and then shares his thoughts on the future. He also compares the company to the people selling pickaxes to the miners...

Braden starts off his new weekly series, recapping the week in the stock market ending August 30th. He discusses key earnings announcements and economic data and previews a shortened week highlighted by Jobs data on Friday the 6th! Hope you enjoy this weekly recap and are excited for many more to come!

In this episode, Braden breaks down the $35 billion in US government debt so you understand what such a significant number means, how it affects the economy, and what the future likes. Additionally, Braden discusses Japan's crushing debt load, how the debt has affected the economy, and how the US debt profile differs from Japan's. I hope you enjoy it, and I look forward to more episodes...

Now that the dust has settled, Braden takes you on a wild ride to recount the turbulence within the banking system of the past last month.  He recounts the collapse of Silvergate, Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and Credit Suisse and describes what it means for you and the regional banking system. Hope you enjoy!

In this episode, Braden details the steps Saudi Arabia is taking to turn their economy from one entirely dependent on oil to one entirely independent of oil. He describes the psyche of Mohamad bin Salman, the current Crown Prince and architect of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, and tries to unwrap why he believes this transformation is so important. Moreover, Braden explains the importance of the...

In this episode, Braden covers the layoffs from big companies like Microsoft, Alphabet, Salesforce, and Amazon. Braden seeks to answer the question if these layoffs and a falling stock market will lead to a recession that everyone has been talking about for nearly a year. Braden sees us at a fork in the economic road, and he details what will happen depending on the path we take. If you enjoy this...

In this episode, Braden provides a comprehensive analysis of ChatGPT. He describes what it is, what you use it for, and what it means for the future. He also discusses OpenAI, the company that released ChatGPT. He describes all the directors and the Silicon Elite that funded the project. Finally, he discusses what technology means for the future of work and the potential of Universal Basic Income....

In this episode, I break down the importance of where you invest, not what you invest in. Most hedge fund managers fail to exceed market returns, but you can exceed the returns of simply investing in the S&P 500 in a brokerage account by investing in the S&P in other accounts. Moreover, Braden covers the most important place to invest, in yourself. Enjoy!

In this episode, Braden describes the paradox between the two major types of Bitcoin holders. On one hand, you have people who want you to spend your Bitcoin as a currency; and on the other hand, you have other buyers wanting you to hold Bitcoin for the long-term as an inflation hedge. Braden breaks down what you need to know about this disconnect. 

In this episode, Braden describes the psychology behind saving just for saving. He details how the mental benefits of saving are the most subtle yet the best reason to save, even when you don't have a goal. Moreover, Braden provides a mental roadmap for saving and building habits to grow your bank account. 

In this episode, Braden breaks down the coming threat of stagflation. Stagflation is the combination of a stagnant economy and high inflation. Braden breaks down the previous instance of stagflation in the 1970s and describes how we could be in a similar position today. He then looks at how it could play out going forward, describing the two paths that follow. 

In this episode, Braden breaks down stablecoins. He describes what they are, why they are essential, and how you can benefit from knowing about them. Follow Braden along in the journey to understand the world of stablecoins!

Now, I know what you're thinking, everyone knows what the stock market is. But, I believe a few details underpinning the stock market are necessary to understand how it truly works. In this episode, I will dive into how the stock market works. First, I will describe what types of companies are in the stock market and why companies choose to go public. Then, I will move into the types of corpo...

In this episode, Braden breaks down the Fed. He explains what it is, what it does, how it does it, and why. Moreover, Braden explains why the Fed has been in the news lately and why the market is crashing based on the Fed's moves.  

In this episode, Braden unpacks the complicated topic of bitcoin and the blockchain. He describes what bitcoin is, how it uses the blockchain, and three different investment theses. Is bitcoin trash, gold 2.0, or the future of money? Find out in this episode. 

In the return to Finding Freedom in Finance, Braden discusses the inflation that no one is talking about, asset inflation. He flushes out a potential reason for the sharp rise in the prices of stocks, real estate, and cryptocurrencies since March of 2020. He also describes how the help the Federal Reserve gave to buoy markets is coming to a close, and that some deals in the stock market may be com...

In this episode, Braden breaks down the pros and cons of diversification. He talks about what diversification is and who should diversify and who shouldn't. Keep listening to learn what diversification is and who should diversify. 

In this episode, Braden and two special guests talk you through the do's and don'ts of banking and credit.