Uncommon Wealth Podcast

When challenging times come, opportunity comes right along with them. We see this play out over and over throughout history. The entire world is in an unprecedented holding pattern because of COVID-19. How should you respond? Things are uncertain and scary right now, so we wanted to create an episode to talk about that. Jobs are being lost and business paradigms are being disrupted. But in the mid...

There’s a parable we came across about the 3 bricklayers: one sees it as a dead-end job, the other sees it as a career that pays the bills, and the other can’t wait to wake up tomorrow and keep building a beautiful cathedral. The point is, the same set of circumstances can be met with different mindsets. We want nothing less than to help people wake up and feel passionate about whatever it is they...

If you’ve followed us for any length of time, you know how we feel about IRAs and 401(k)s. They are great, but hardly the only game in town, especially if you don’t want all your money tied up until you are 59.5. That’s where tax-managed investing might come in handy. Investments are a great source of residual income, but there is a lot of mystery and fear surrounding investments. That’s why we wa...

At the end of the rainbow, you need to have a pot of gold. We’re talking about that 800-pound gorilla, retirement income. How do you build it, how do you get it when you need it, and how do you make it last? In this episode, it’s just Bryan and Phillip talking together about these retirement income questions and more. There really is no one way to build up income for retirement, but there are some...

We all need to pay our taxes, but some people hesitate to work with an accountant. If you own a business, you’ve got to get over that attitude. Finding a good accountant who can help with tax planning and so much more isn’t a necessary evil. It’s the right business decision. On this episode, we’re talking with a fellow business owner and our own tax planner, Ricky De Hamer. Tax laws change in smal...

So much of financial planning is about managing risk. That’s why it is so important to understand the financial “don’ts” as much as understanding the things you should do when it comes to making decisions about your money. That’s what we’re exploring here in Episode #49; some financial “don’ts” that we hope you can avoid. Some of the big don’ts focus on relationships—marriage relationships and bus...

When it comes to launching a business, we wish we knew then what we know now! We are like many, many business owners in that respect. So we wanted to share some steps, a checklist if you will, for launching a business the right way. Because thankfully we’ve learned a few things in the past 7 years in business together. In our latest episode, we’ll take you through the ins and outs of launching a b...

How do you recover from a terrible loss? And how do you honor the life of the person you lost? And most importantly, how do you create meaning out of heartbreak? The Uncommon Life is about every aspect of life, the good times and the challenging times. That’s what makes this episode so meaningful for us. We talk with Matt and Haley Phillips, who are the parents of two beautiful children who they g...

Gold is money. But don’t be fooled, there is a difference between money and currency. Currency can be either backed by a commodity, which historically has been gold and, to a lesser extent, silver or it can be backed by debt via central banking systems, as is the case throughout most of the world today. So while currencies come and go throughout history, gold has stood the test of time throughout...

More and more people are dipping a toe or diving right into short-term rentals. AIRBNB and similar platforms are making it easy to market and get paid for sharing your home with perfect strangers. Short-term rental can be a great way of offsetting some of your mortgage costs. Over the past several years, we have become big proponents of utilizing short-term rental as a way to test the waters in te...

Starting any new business involves a leap of faith. But the reward is that you get to use your gifts to do something you’re passionate about. When you are aligned with what God has gifted you to do and what you are passionate about, even though it’s not an easy path, the burden is light. We see it again and again in our work with entrepreneurs. That’s why we are so excited to talk with guest Scott...

When you’re young, you don’t think twice about having a coach for soccer, baseball, field hockey – whatever sport you’re into. You need someone to coach you through the basics and show you the ropes. That all changes when you start adulting. You think you know everything. You don’t seek out those coaches and mentors who were clearly so instrumental in helping you learn and grow. Episode #43 is all...

These days, it’s not uncommon for a person to graduate from college with tens of thousands in loans – sometimes reaching debt loads of $100,000 or more. We all know this is insane, but what can we do about it? In this episode, we do a deep dive into the dark pool of college loan debt. There has got to be a better way. We are disgusted with what’s happening and we’re going to talk about it. One asp...

One challenge nearly every entrepreneur we meet faces is the “shiny object” syndrome. Starting new things is fun and when we get one project off the ground, most people start thinking about the next. When we hear that someone wants to start a new venture, we are excited for them. But we temper that excitement with one quick question, “Do you have any experience in this market?”. If the answer is n...

When most people think of income, they stop at earned income – the money you make in a paycheck from a job. We want people to think way beyond that in order to pay off debt, put a reserve of savings aside, and get your money to really work for you. In our latest episode, we outline 8 unique streams of income. Big companies like Apple are earning money every minute. That might be a mind-bender but...

What happens when there’s nothing wrong with your job, but your hobby brings you and everyone around you so much more joy? That is a tricky spot to be in. Could your hobby be more than a hobby? How do you find out? Join us for Episode #39 of The Uncommon Life Project as we explore sweet success with our guest Christina Moffatt, Cupcake Warrior. Christina faced challenges along the way, both large...

Did you know that when a storm is coming, buffalo will actually turn around and run into the storm because they get through it faster whereas cows will run with the storm and stay in it longer? That is what this episode is about – running through the storm. The Uncommon Life is not all rainbows and unicorns. Sometimes we face challenges that, in the midst of them, seem insurmountable. And sometime...

Money is deeply personal. When you go through a tough time and make a decision that winds up costing you money or just don’t pay close enough attention to where your money is going – that can create a sense of financial guilt. We don’t get this sense of guilt out of nowhere. And yet, at least in North America, it is not a topic that gets discussed very openly. In our most recent episode, a duo cas...

The world of trademarks and patents can be very confusing. Our guest on our latest podcast is going to remove that confusion. If you are an entrepreneur, business owner, or inventor, you run into questions about trademark and patents all the time. What does common law cover when it comes to trademarks? How much does it cost? What kinds of brand and product essentials should be trademarked? Patents...

What happens when you start a business, it seems pretty successful from the outside, but is it sucking your soul away? What do you do when your clients start to act more like pirates? Entrepreneurship is full of a lot of peaks and valleys. Getting through those valleys can be downright brutal. On our most recent podcast episode, we have a candid conversation with Justin Wise, who built a very succ...

A solid footing is the best place to be when you decide what your next step should be. That’s our approach to wealth advice. We want to put clients in a position where their financial basics are covered and they have cash on hand to take advantage of opportunities as they arise. In our most recent episode of the Uncommon Life Project podcast, we take a closer look at how to create a financial safe...

When someone you know and respect recommends a product or service, that makes a huge difference in your opinion of that product or service. The good news is you don’t have to be a blockbuster movie to utilize the power of product placement. And you don’t have to hire a Kardashian to gain the benefits of influencer marketing. In Episode #33, Phillip and Bryan talk with Stacy Jones about the power a...

We love it when we can teach clients a core principle and they take it and run with it. We love it, even more, when they teach us about being entrepreneurial and escaping the cubicle of doom. Few are doing that with more energy and outright charisma than our guest. On episode #32, we talk with Molly Rose Speed. Molly went from a corporate job she was not in love with, to running multiple businesse...

A big part of what makes us uncommon as wealth advisors is our focus on putting your money to work for you before age 65, not after. You’ve got big dreams for the here and now. And here’s the thing: YOU are your greatest asset. We think that investing right now in you and your dreams is the way to gain dividends now and into your bright future. In Episode #31 of the Uncommon Life Project podcast,...

Owning one rental unit can help your cash flow. Two is better. The more you rent, the more money you have flowing through your economic engine. But there are challenges too. Buying an 8-plex rather than 6 to 8 separate units creates economies of scale that are hard to ignore. That’s what happened with guest Kevin Bourke. As a coach for Iowa State University in Ames, he was looking for some side in...