Invest Like a Boss

A bit of a format flip on this episode as Sam and Derek tag team an interview with Jared Dillian, author of the new book No Worries: How to Live a Stress-Free Financial Life . Jared has had quite an interesting background from working at Lehman Brothers during their 2008 collapse to building a successful financial newsletter and podcast. The first half of the episode digs into Jared's thought...

It's quarterly update time & the end of another year. Johnny has left Ukraine and Sam is back in the U.S. for the holidays. Sam shares what he's been up to during his "zen" sabbatical, Johnny finds a new routine in Thailand, and the guys discuss their 2024 travel plans. As always, the lifestyle portion is free to the public, but if you also want to also see Sam & Johnny's portfolios an...

As the deadline looms for the United States to decide on continuing to fund Ukraine in their ongoing war with Russia, Johnny reached out to a fellow YouTuber who specializes in the war. Jake Broe has amassed nearly a half million YouTube subscribers due to his reports on what's happening with the war. Jake joins Johnny for an in-depth conversation on the effects of the United States funding the wa...

Johnny and Derek discuss one of the best strategies to escape inflation: Location Arbitrage. For those of you that can work remotely or do not need to work, living in a cheaper place is the easiest way to get the most bang for your buck. Johnny explains where he has decided to spend the winter at and they compare prices to where Derek is at in Los Angeles, a notoriously expensive place to live.  ...

Inspired by a topic that came up in last week's Quarterly Update (ILAB 282) Johnny and Sam go over the actual costs of owning a vacation home versus staying in hotels on vacation. Sam uses his real life examples he personally owns in Thailand and the United States for the cost basis. Results may surprise you on the costs of these properties versus what you could be spending that same amount on in...

It's quarterly update time with Sam and Johnny catching up about what life has looked like the last 3 months. The guys both share they've become more introverted and lost their hunger to make more money. They also discuss bad flights, point hacking and how Thailand is changing for the worse. As always, the lifestyle portion is free to the public, but if you also want to also see Sam &...

Derek goes live on location in Australia to interview Black Hops Brewery CEO Nathan Hyde on the challenges of the Australian beer industry. ILAB Bosses may remember that Sam Marks was an early investor in Black Hops ( ILAB Episode 06: Invest in Yourself and Startup an Award Winning Brewery ) and the company has faced some financial issues as of late. Nathan was brought in earlier this year to help...

After seeing a video online featuring rapper The Game, Johnny and Derek discuss what many assume to be assets, actually turn into liabilities. They talk real estate, cars, clothing, jewelry collectibles and more.... you might be surprised at what items are actually liabilities! Discussed: Bust Down Rolex DJ Skee's Shoe Collection The Game's Shoe Collection Bearbrick Dolls Where we are: ILA...

Johnny and Derek discuss the challenges with trying to earn income off of creating YouTube videos. Johnny has estabilshed a large chanell and been able to turn that into a full-time income while Derek is still struggling to grow his channel and monetize. Johnny discusses his strategy, shooting style, schedule and how much he makes per video in this episode. Learn how you can potentially earn a lot...

Midway through the year and time for another quarterly update! Johnny is in Ukraine and Sam is in Thailand for this one. The guys cover experiences living with monks, neighbor disputes, the best places in Thailand and answer your Patreon questions.  In the Patreon only section, they cover what they invested in this quarter and where they are keeping their cash to earn some interest to capitalize o...

WebStreet Operations Manager Kyle Kuderewski joins the show to tell us about their transition from Empire Flippers Capital into WebStreet and what's coming up to invest in. As a reminder, Webstreet allows you to invest passively in online businesses, whether they be Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA), Content (Affiliate), Software as a Service (SaaS), Kindle Direct Publish (KDP) & more. The funds have been...

Johnny and Derek sit down for a 101 episode on a terrible investment - the Vacation Timeshare! Many people, especially in America, get suckered into these seemingly great vacation getaway deals only to find out they are much less glamorous than was pitched to them in their sales presentations. Besides the initial high fee to get in on these timeshares, they annual fees and restrictions really star...

U.S. savings account interest rates are at decades long highs, so Sam and Johnny hop in on this 101 episode to help you find ways to maximize your savings rate of return. The guys go over High Yield Savings Accounts (HYSAs), treasury bonds, annuities, money market accounts & more creative ways to get those extra percentage points. They'll also discuss how much savings you should be holding in case...

This is part two on financial fraud and ponzi schemes. Our previous episode ( ILAB 273 ) featured the biggest ponzi schemes of all-time. Our guest, David M. Shapiro, comes on to help explain how to avoid being involved in a ponzi scheme and what signs to look out for. He also talks the government structure around going after these crimes and some of the newer tech driven financial crimes involving...

After both watching the new Netflix docuseries on Bernie Madoff, Sam and Derek decide to dive deeper into the art of the Ponzi Scheme. They discuss how they came about and go over some of the biggest financial fraud cases in history. This is part one of a two episode run on financial fraud and ponzi schemes. ILAB 274 will feature an expert with tips on how to spot fraud in your investments.   Disc...

It's been two years since Sam (Spain) & Johnny (Ukraine) embarked on their citizenship by investment journies. Find out where they each stand with respect to what they had to go through to qualify, get residency, and what their next options are. They'll go over hidden filing expenses, ongoing costs, and unexpected things that came up along the way that the citizenship sites don't tell. The guys wi...

Star of A&E's "Triple Digit Flip" and expert on creative real estate financing Pace Morby joins the show. Derek interviews him on his new book, Wealth Without Cash, and all the types of ways that Pace has been able to accumulate thousands of pieces of property with little or no money down. Johnny and Derek round it out with their own experiences on house flipping, creative financing and what they...

It's quarterly update time and Sam & Johnny are together in the same place for this one! They both record from Thailand and cover all things in their recent travels. The guys cover value in Thailand, Japan, business vs economy flights, credit card points, and more. Sam & Johnny both discuss their plans for the upcoming quarter and where they plan on living. In the Patreon only section, they cover...

Dave Ramsey's newest on-air personality hire Jade Warshaw is our guest on this episode. Derek will talk to her about how she was able to pay off $460K in debt using the Ramsey method while working in music, doing side hustles and practicing life hacks. Jade also gets into what it's like working alongside Dave Ramsey on their show - which is a consistent Top 20 Podcast in the U.S. Johnny & Derek ro...

Johnny & Sam are in the same country for the first time in nearly 2 years! They both find themselves in Thailand, but things have changed drastically since the last time they were there. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine happened in February 2022, Russians have been fleeing in droves. Top on their list of destinations has been Bali & Thailand. We invite a Bali Airbnb company to give us their e...

In this episode, Derek interviews Zero 2 Infinity Fouder & CEO José Mariano López Urdiales on a unique take on the space trousim industry. Instead of rockets, Zero 2 Infinity is using balloon technology to (hopefully soon) fly humans into space on a more comfortable, leisurely alternative to the rocket. Zero 2 Infinity also has a satellite delivery business that José explains and lays out the inve...

In this episode, Johnny & Derek discuss one of their favorite subjects - cars! Your vehicle is often the second biggest asset you'll purchase behind your home, so it's important to get what fits your needs best at a great price. They'll discuss the benefits of buying new vs. used, what options are worth paying for, along with some of their favorite cars on the market now. Derek goes over what new...

RAD Diversified CEO Dutch Mendenhall returns to the show (last appeared on ILAB 178 & 194 ) to give us an update on real estate and so much more! Dutch has previously told us about past visionary moves that he was able to capitalize on and this appearance is no different! Find out how he was able to profit from the Russian-Ukrainian War, why he moved out of California, how he is able to purchase m...

Johnny and Derek sit down for a special one on one episode to discuss Johnny returning to his investment property in Kharkiv, Ukraine. This was his first time back at the property since the war between Russia & Ukraine broke out almost exactly a year earlier. At the time, Johnny's Kharkiv condo seemed like a cash flow dream situation, which thanks to Russia, turned out to be too good to be true. F...

Sam and Derek partner up on this interview with a man who has been involved in hundreds of Silcon Valley startups as well as working for some of the largest tech companies over the last 30+ years. Daffy Co-Founder/CEO Adam Nash joins the show to talk the current state of technology and funding, and his move to non-profits and charitable giving through his new Donor Advised Fund platform Daffy. Sam...