secure the bag: Recent Episodes
HAX with Karthik Senthil
HAX presents secure the bag, with your host Karthik Senthil. A podcast where Karthik openly discusses personal finance and investing with guests. We'll explore relationships with money, how they got started in investing, the techniques they use + lessons learned and what they are most excited to invest in the future. I hope the discussions help give you the right frameworks and confidence to approach your finances.
In HAX Weekly 7, we discuss:
- What is generative art?
- Why is it here to stay
- How to participate and invest in it
- Crypto Bezos
- Cathie Wood's price prediction on Bitcoin
- And more!
To read HW #7, click here.
To join the HAX Discord server, click here.
To subscribe to HAX Weekly, click here.
Enjoy!
In HAX Weekly 6, we discuss:
- The adoption curve of technology and why perspective is everything
- Why current prices shouldn’t scare you and you should look at users
- The Walmart/Litecoin saga
- State of NFT markets
- And of course, crypto dog memes
To read HW #6, click here.
To subscribe to HAX Weekly, click here.
Enjoy!
In HAX Weekly 5, we discuss:
- What web3 is and why it represents the Internet realizing its potential
- Web3's mission of inclusivity
- NFT + Crypto Slang
- El Salvador and Bitcoin
To read HW #5, click here.
To subscribe to HAX Weekly, click here.
Enjoy!
In HAX Weekly 4, we talk:
- What digital wallets are and why they will re-invent identity and transaction across the internet
- NFT Mania
- What Solana is and why it matters
- Buy Now, Pay Later
To read HW #4, click here.
To subscribe to HAX Weekly, click here.
Enjoy!
In today's solo episode, Karthik shares:
- Why Investing is actually much less risky than not investing
- How Monopoly teaches us everything we need to know about investing
- Why Danny Ocean's line on betting big and taking the house is what investing in crypto is about
- Why crypto is a game-changer and its immense potential
View part1 and part2 on Twitter.
If you loved this, I encourage you to check out HAX and the 2nd cohort for our crypto course which is now accepting applications , please visit https://learnhax.xyz or follow Karthik (@karsenthil) on Twitter.
Comments/Feedback/Guest Suggestions: I'd love to hear from you - email me at karthik@learnhax.co
Adam Bartley is the community manager for HAX, an aspiring DJ and refers to himself as a "lifelong graduate student" . In today's episode, Adam shares:
- Why he chose to learn on the internet vs. attend real-life graduate school, and the power of learning online forever
- His experience with the Friends with Benefits ($FWB) DAO and why he's so bullish on web3 communities
- What attracted him to HAX and a sneak peak into our future vision for the community
- His path towards becoming a DJ, the hardest parts when mixing, and what inspires him
Adam's amazing (obviously) so I know you'll love this episode! To learn more about Adam, please follow her on Twitter at @bartadamley. To check out Adam's sweet sweet beats, check him on his SoundCloud.
To learn more about HAX and the 2nd cohort for our crypto course which is now accepting applications , please visit https://learnhax.xyz or follow Karthik (@karsenthil) on Twitter.
Comments/Feedback/Guest Suggestions: I'd love to hear from you - email me at karthik@learnhax.co
Shriya Nevatia is the program director for OnDeck Catalyst (ODC), a 8 week remote program for young leaders looking to solve the world's most pressing challenges (click here to apply for 2nd cohort by 8/24). In today's episode, Shriya shares:
- Her career journey and how it led her to OnDeck
- The mission of OnDeck Catalyst and the importance of building a network of other leaders early in your career
- Why its important for your investments to match your personal risk appetite and how she does for her portfolio (stocks + crypto)
- Why she's not in a rush to angel invest but is excited to when she's ready
- How she lives by her favorite piece of advice from her dad
This episode was incredible, hope you guys enjoy! To learn more about Shriya and what she's building with ODC, please follow her on Twitter at @shriyanevatia . To learn more ODC, visit https://www.beondeck.com/catalyst
To learn more about HAX, please visit https://learnhax.xyz or follow Karthik (@karsenthil) on Twitter.
Comments/Feedback/Guest Suggestions: I'd love to hear from you - email me at karthik@learnhax.co
Paige Finn Doherty is the co-founder of Behind Genius Ventures, the author of "Seed to Harvest", and a leading advocate for GenZ investors -- all at the age of 22! In today's episode, Paige talks about:
- What her perfect day looks like in her hometown of San Diego, CA
- How the show "Silicon Valley" opened her eyes to venture investing as a career path
- Servant leadership and following her passion to help early-stage founders change the world
- The shared "delusional optimism" amongst music artists and founders + her love for Kanye
- Why the rise of GenZ founders has inspired a wave of new GenZ investors
- How owning her advantage of youth led her to co-found her VC firm and why she believes young people everywhere should do the same.
- Her personal mission to help 1,000 people make their first angel investment, 500 people organize syndicates and send 100 emerging managers (and her progress so far!)
- Her dad's advice on the power of teaching someone else
This episode is true OMG status, hope you guys enjoy! To learn more about Paige and what she's building, please follow her on Twitter at @paigefinnn. Please also check out her amazing book "Seed to Harvest" and her collection of great resources on venture & career.
To learn more about HAX, please visit https://learnhax.xyz or follow Karthik (@karsenthil) on Twitter.
Comments/Feedback/Guest Suggestions: I'd love to hear from you - email me at karthik@learnhax.co
My guest today is Georges Janin, the founder of GringoJobs, a technology recruiting firm focused on serving LatAm developers. In this episode, Georges and I discuss:
- The concept of a lifelong salary pie and why people should use their 20s to grow the pie vs. optimize for the short-term
- Why we're still early when it comes to careers in software and advice for anyone looking to enter the field
- The future of remote work and why LatAm is a great opportunity for both US companies and US citizens
- How living somewhere with a lower cost of living is a great way to "de-risk"
This is a great episode to inform how you should think about investing in your career! To learn more about Georges, please follow him on Twitter at @GeorgesJanin.
To learn more about HAX, please visit https://learnhax.xyz or follow Karthik at @karsenthil on Twitter.
Comments/Feedback/Guest Suggestions: I'd love to hear from you - email me at karthik@learnhax.co
Today's episode is with Alejandro Navia, a coach to startup founders & lead performers and the co-founder of @NFTNow. Alejandro and I discuss:
- His experience growing up as an immigrant in Miami and his broken relationship with money
- How he mastered the language of the "game of money" and paid off a $100K debt in 18 months.
- How he got into coaching and what advice he gives founders that is applicable to everyone
- Why getting out of the way and letting life flow is his favorite piece of advice from Naval
- Why getting into crypto was his way of standing up to the current rigged financial system and building generational wealth
- How he got into NFTs and the biggest risks he sees ahead
- WTF micro-dosing is, its appeal, and why it works for him
- And much much more.
Alejandro goes right intto the bone of what he's learned in life and his transparency, candor and wisdom is captivating. I loved this episode and I know you will too! To learn more about Alejandro, please follow him on Twitter at @LuisANavia .
To learn more about HAX, please visit https://learnhax.xyz or follow Karthik at @karsenthil on Twitter.
Comments/Feedback/Guest Suggestions: I'd love to hear from you - email me at karthik@learnhax.co
Today's episode is with Kathryn Cross, the founder of Anja, a DTC cord blood bank service. In this episode, Kathryn and I discuss:
- The reasons why GenZ is more empowered to be entrepreneurs & self-starters compared to older generations.
- Her motivations for starting Anja and why she believes the time is ripe for transformation in the blood-banking space
- What she's learned about being an "influencer" after single-handedly amassing 14K+ followers on Anja's Tiktok
- How the popular VC firm a16z was influential in getting her started in crypto
- Why her mom's advice of "you get what you pay for" encourages her to spend -- on the things that matter.
Kathryn was so much fun to chat - I enjoyed this episode and I know you will too! To learn more about Kathryn, please follow her on Twitter at @kathrynjc7. To learn more about Anja, please follow @useAnja. To learn how to crush it on TikTok, check out Kathryn's awesome thread on Twitter.
To learn more about HAX, please visit https://learnhax.xyz or follow Karthik at @karsenthil on Twitter.
Comments/Feedback/Guest Suggestions: I'd love to hear from you - email me at karthik@learnhax.co
Today's episode is with Josh Whiting, a client success manager at SAP Concur and a long-time homie of mine. Josh and I discuss:
- How hanging with successful people changed his mindset with money
- How losing his job twice in a calendar year made him bet on himself - and changed his life
- The power of branching out and getting to know different types of people leads to constant growth
- What bodybuilding taught him about discipline and the true power of your mind
- Why he's so bullish on real estate and electric vehicles
- Why the key to investing is just getting started
I loved this episode and I know you will too! To learn more about Josh, please follow him on Twitter at @MrJoshuaWhiting.
To learn more about HAX, please visit https://learnhax.xyz or follow Karthik at @karsenthil on Twitter.
Comments/Feedback/Guest Suggestions: I'd love to hear from you - email me at karthik@learnhax.co
Today's episode is with Kinjal Shah, an investor at BlockChain Capital and a leading thinker in the crypto space. Kinjal and I discuss:
- How growing up in an immigrant household shaped her views on money
- How optimizing for being uncomfortable led her into crypto
- Why participating in crypto is the best way to get started
- How NFTs/DAOs democratize ownership
- The investment DAO she co-founded to enable underrepresented folks to invest in underrepresented founders
- Why GenZ inspires her & makes her feel optimistic about the future.
I loved this episode and I know you will too! To learn more about Kinjal, please follow her on Twitter at @_kinjalbshah.
To learn more about HAX, please visit https://learnhax.xyz or follow Karthik at @karsenthil on Twitter.
Comments/Feedback/Guest Suggestions: I'd love to hear from you - email me at karthik@learnhax.co
FiftySat is a rapidly growing and influential voice on Money-Twitter (@FiftySatFinance). In today's episode, Fifty talks about why you should spend your energy focusing on the inputs (budgeting and consistently investing) and let the score take care of itself, why money is a means to an end (not your end goal), how crypto taught him a valuable lesson on FOMO and panic selling, why being late is better than being wrong, and so much more. This episode is a must listen to improve your personal finance + investing outlook no matter where you are in your journey.
To learn more about Fifty, please follow him on Twitter at @FiftySatFinance.
To learn more about HAX, please visit https://learnhax.xyz or follow Karthik (@karsenthil) on Twitter.
Comments/Feedback/Guest Suggestions: I'd love to hear from you - email me at karthik@learnhax.co
I know you guys have missed these - my solo rants! Today, I do a solo exploration on betting on yourself as it relates to your career and discuss key principles & learnings including:
- Why people incorrectly focus on the outputs (money) vs. the inputs (personal growth), and what we can learn from LeBron.
- Life is a single player game. Are you optimizing accordingly?
- Why real growth + confidence happens when you're uncomfortable
- How going outside your bubble can lead to massive compounding
- Why you should be looking to find your absolute (not local) maxima
- How Jeff Bezos's regret minimization framework should be adhered and lived by
- Why being afraid of failure is silly
We end doing a read-out of Teddy Roosevelt's famous "Man in the Arena" quote which I think perfectly encapsulates this episode. Hope you guys enjoy this episode - please give me feedback (good, bad, or ugly). How did I do? Hit me up on Twitter (@karsenthil) or email me at karthik@learnhax.co
Today's episode is with Gabriel Horvat. I had the honor of being a guest on Gabe's podcast and am humbled that he decided to return the favor. Gabe shares how being a "broke actor" in London led him to the world of software, how he uses his podcast to "explore and exploit" similar to a machine learning algorithm, and how he's putting his money where his mouth in and dedicating the next phase of his career and a significant amount of his net worth to crypto. Lots of gems in this episode, hope you enjoy it!
To learn more about Gabe, please follow him on Twitter at @gabe_horvat. To listen to his podcast, please check out his show "Addicted to Learning" here: https://open.spotify.com/show/3pGEt8nRJ0pXL94xPDoLkX
To learn more about HAX, please visit https://learnhax.xyz or follow Karthik (@karsenthil) on Twitter.
Comments/Feedback/Guest Suggestions: I'd love to hear from you - email me at karthik@learnhax.co
Today's episode is with Zach Knickerbocker. Zach and I worked together at Amazon for 4+ years and is a good friend of mine. In today's show, Zach shares his biggest learning from the 7 years he spent at Amazon and why learning and being curious (an Amazon leadership principle) is fundamental to continued growth. We then delve into his investment philosophy on looking for things he believes are inevitable, his process for coming to that realization, and two assets he's invested in that fit this bill (hint: one of them is bitcoin). We end with Zach giving a shout-out to his dad who got him into investing at a young age. Lots of gems in this episode, hope you enjoy it!
To learn more about Zach, please follow him on Twitter at @zknicker.
To learn more about HAX, please visit https://learnhax.xyz or follow Karthik (@karsenthil) on Twitter.
Comments/Feedback/Guest Suggestions: I'd love to hear from you - email me at karthik@learnhax.co
Today's episode is with Anna Nguyenova - we discuss the unique Czech + Vietnamese hybrid nature of her last name, how she hustled to come to the US and worked her way through college to leadership roles at startups, her investing mindsets + strategies for long-term wealth growth, and why she's working on spending more. We end talking about how she got into crypto and her signing off in Czech - this was a really fun episode to tape!
To learn more about HAX, please visit https://learnhax.xyz or follow Karthik (@karsenthil) on Twitter.
Comments/Feedback/Guest Suggestions: I'd love to hear from you - email me at karthik@learnhax.co
Today’s episode is a little different: it's a masterclass on how to invest in yourself to get the most out of life. George Sisneros sold everything in 2012 to move his family to Guatemala to support malnourished babies and is a father of 8 (soon to be 10!). If you think that's crazy, George has also swam with sharks in Belize, climbed mountains, played at the World Series of Poker and is planning a trip where his family will spend the night in a hammock ranging from a zipline.
In this episode, George shares why being intentional is key to building strong relationships with your significant other and family, how eliminating expenses for an entire year made himself debt-free, and how just going out there and doing it makes him confident his future great grandchildren will think he's a bad-ass (TLDR: he already is!). This was one of my absolute favorite episodes to host: I learned so much and I know you will too. Enjoy!
To learn more about George, please follow him on Twitter at @OneGSisneros. To support George's ministry, please visit https://ordinarymissionaries.org/
To learn more about HAX and our first cohort for the crypto investing course, please visit https://learnhax.xyz or follow Karthik (@karsenthil) on Twitter.
Comments/Feedback/Guest Suggestions: I'd love to hear from you - email me at karthik@learnhax.co
In today's episode, Charlie Magdaleno (@cmagdaleno) comes on to discuss two of the most controversial topics in finance: bitcoin and UBI (universal basic income). He shares why he's a big proponent of both, why the mark of a healthy society is a "healed femur", the inevitable decline of the US dollar, and why Bitcoin/UBI will ultimately make the world a better place. We also discuss how working as a creative prepares you to be smart with money and the story about when his dad came back from a Vegas weekend with $30K (and what that taught him about money). If you've been meaning to get your feet wet with Bitcoin/UBI, you'll love this episode!
To learn more about Charlie, please follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cmagdaleno
To learn more about HAX, please visit https://learnhax.xyz or follow Karthik on Twitter: https://twitter.com/karsenthil
For our crypto course, check out: (reminder of the $50 referral bonus I'm offering for signups): https://hax.disco.co/p/buying-your-first-crypto
Comments/Feedback/Guest Suggestions: I'd love to hear from you - email me at karthik@learnhax.co
My guest is Justin Nacpil (@roadtowealthpod), host of the "Road to Wealth" podcast which explores finance and investing. Justin has worked in the tech industry for the past several years and shares what he thinks proponents of FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) are missing around identifying and skill development when you're not working. We also discuss our thoughts on crypto and meme stocks (are they here to stay or a fad?) and Justin's biggest learnings from guests of his show. It was great to talk to a fellow podcaster in personal finance and investing, you'll love this conversation.
To learn more about Justin and Road to Wealth, please check out the show https://open.spotify.com/show/6AKq4rBzFRhaKE8Cyc824O or follow on Twitter (@roadtowealthpod).
To learn more about HAX, please visit https://learnhax.xyz or follow Karthik (@karsenthil) on Twitter.
For our crypto course, check out: (reminder of the $50 referral bonus I'm offering for signups): https://hax.disco.co/p/buying-your-first-crypto
For the FREE workshop I'm hosting on 6/22, check out: https://hax.disco.co/p/money-mindsets
Comments/Feedback/Guest Suggestions: I'd love to hear from you - email me at karthik@learnhax.co
My guest is Dalia Katan (@daliakatan), founder and CEO of Presently, which is building a platform to support where groups go to celebrate. Dalia's family is a refugee immigrant story where she largely grew up with a scarcity mindset around money (which was both good and bad). She shares how she's changed some of these beliefs to optimize for happiness including the power of spending and investing on yourself. We take a trip down memory lane and talk about her start in entrepreneurship building something for mySpace users that scaled to 4MM users when she was 14 and how thats influenced building her current company. Finally, we end on her excitement for the recent trends to democratize early stage startup investing. We covered a lot in this episode, so hold on to your hats!
To learn more about Presently, where groups go to celebrate, please visit https://getpresently.com or follow Dalia on Twitter (@daliakatan).
To learn more about HAX's crypto investing course, please visit: https://hax.disco.co/p/buying-your-first-crypto (use code LAUNCHWEEK for 10% off) or follow Karthik (@karsenthil) on Twitter.
Comments/Feedback/Guest Suggestions: I'd love to hear from you - email me at karthik@learnhax.co
In today's episode, I share my story of how investing in crypto changed my life (immigrant edition). I posted a tweet (link below) earlier this AM and it went semi-viral, so I wanted to share and expand my story with you guys open-mic style. I share what my investing mindset was like coming from an immigrant background and how it constrained me, how investing in crypto helped free those constraints, and why I believe this is possible for anyone - which is why I'm dedicating the next phase of my career to building HAX.
To see the tweet: https://twitter.com/karsenthil/status/1404794771848060930
To learn more and apply for the crypto course, please visit https://hax.disco.co/p/buying-your-first-crypto . Scholarships are available.
To talk to me, please book time here: https://calendly.com/karthik-senthil/hax-1v1-with-karthik?month=2021-06
Comments/Feedback/Guest Suggestions: I'd love to hear from you - email me at karthik@learnhax.co
In today's special launch episode, I announce the official launch of HAX, my motivations for starting and the drop of our first live course in crypto investing. I then talk to Nicole Poltorak (@nicolesmagicc), who was a member of HAX's pilot program and will be an alumni mentor for our newly launched crypto course. Nicole shares why she had a tough time initially getting into crypto, how her experience participating in the HAX pilot inspired her to buy her first crypto (Ethereum) and sent her down the crypto rabbit hole, her investment thesis moving forward and her thoughts on NFTs/decentralized finance/yield farming. We end with her sharing advice for why its nowhere too late to start investing in crypto and why HAX is a great way to begin that journey.
To learn more and sign up for the newly dropped crypto course, please visit https://hax.disco.co/p/buying-your-first-crypto . Seats are limited. Scholarships are available.
To learn more about what Nicole is building at Calibri, please visit https://calibri.io/
Comments/Feedback/Guest Suggestions: I'd love to hear from you - email me at karthik@learnhax.co
John (@JohnBelitsky) shares how living in poverty shaped how he thinks about downside risk, what being an entrepreneur means to him and his framework for achieving what you want to get out of life including the power of visualizing your end goal, imagining how you want to spend your day 10 years from now by the hour, and betting on yourself. We also discuss investing in real estate and why he's bullish on the future of crypto. This conversation is tapestry of wisdom from John, you don't want to miss this!
If you liked what you heard, please subscribe to the show. To learn more about HAX, please follow us at @learn_hax and me at @karsenthil on Twitter, or go visit our website at http://learnhax.xyz
Comments/Feedback/Guest Suggestions: I'd love to hear from you - email me at karthik@learnhax.co
Amanda (@very_demanda) openly shares her story on why growing up during the Great Recession was formative in shaping her skepticism on credit cards, the stock market, and investing in real estate - and how she's learned to push through that to build wealth for herself. We end discussing her spiciest takes on financial education and loan forgiveness. I loved Amanda's authenticity in sharing her story, you won't want to miss this episode!
If you liked what you heard, please subscribe to the show. To learn more about HAX, please follow us at @learn_hax or me at @karsenthil on Twitter, or go visit our website at http://learnhax.xyz.
To learn more about what Amanda is up to, please follow her on Twitter at @very_demanda.
Comments/Feedback/Guest Suggestions: I'd love to hear from you - email me at karthik@learnhax.co
Link to what Amanda mentioned in the show:
How to learn about real estate https://www.biggerpockets.com/guides
Her merch (no data, just vibes): https://www.bonfire.com/store/thot-leadership-merch/
Rohun (@RohunJauhar) shares his story on how working at McDonalds broke his worldview and showed him the power of ownership, what amassing 20K in credit card debt taught him about spending, and how building chamathforca.com led him to meet Chamath. We also discuss how to get started in real estate and which amazing biz opportunities are lying in plain sight if you're willing to work hard and get your hands dirty. So many great lessons and learnings in here, hope you enjoy!
If you liked what you heard, please subscribe to the show. To learn more about HAX, please follow us at @learn_hax or me at @karsenthil on Twitter, or go visit our website at https://learnhax.xyz.
To learn more about what Rohun is building at JT capital or get his unique insights into real estate and investing, please follow Rohun on Twitter at @RohunJauhar.
Comments/Feedback/Guest Suggestions: I'd love to hear from you - email me at karthik@learnhax.co
Links to the real estate books Rohun mentioned in the show:
-
https://www.biggerpockets.com/guides
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https://www.amazon.com/Multi-Family-Millions-Reposition-Apartments-Profits/dp/0470267607
Andrew (@bigdogreindog) shares the counterintuitive (and priceless) advice his dad gave him on when spending can be a better investment than saving, his learnings about money from starting his own company as a teenager, and why diversification is clutch.
If you liked what you heard, please subscribe to the show.
To learn more about HAX, please follow us at @learn_hax or me at @karsenthil on Twitter, or go visit our website at https://learnhax.xyz
To learn more about what Andrew is building with Grapevine AI which is the first voice-driven AI assistant to power your CRM, check out @GrapevineAI on Twitter.
Comments/Feedback/Guest Suggestions: I'd love to hear from you - email me at karthik@learnhax.co
I'm trying something different today and riding solo: I share the key lessons I've (painfully) learned in how to manage emotions when investing including a trip down memory lane on how I made a LOT (and then lost it all) during the dot-com boom, why you should avoid entering investments with emotion, how investing whiplash is worse than the crash and how behaving like Stanley Hudson (from The Office) is actually key towards investing & life success.
If you have feedback on this experimental format or in the show in general, my email (karthik@learnhax.co) and DMs on Twitter (@karsenthil) are open, or leave a voice message: https://anchor.fm/securethebagshow/message. I want to hear from you!
If you liked the show, please subscribe on Spotify (we're coming soon to Apple).
Taylor (@taykcrane) discusses how early conversations with his dad shaped his investing mindset, how an early insight on Netflix gave him confidence that maybe the "experts" don't know everything, why poker is such great practice for investing, and why he believes crypto represents the next great investment wave.
If you liked what you heard, please subscribe to the show.
To learn more about HAX, please follow us at @learn_hax or me at @karsenthil on Twitter, or go visit our website at https://learnhax.xyz
To learn more about what Taylor is building with ClubsPoker which allows you to play home games from the comfort of your computer, check out https://clubspoker.com/
Comments/Feedback/Guest Suggestions: I'd love to hear from you - email me at karthik@learnhax.co
Michie (@komichiewa) shares why her immigrant upbringing shaped her saving and spending habits, how her job gave her the first exposure to the world of investing, how she began investing on her own by starting small and keeping it simple (vs. being overly systematic), her realization that money is a means, not an end, and the power of salary negotiation compounded over time.
If you liked what you heard, please subscribe to the show.
To learn more about HAX, please follow us at @learn_hax or me at @karsenthil on Twitter.
To follow Michie, please follow her at @komichiewa on Twitter.
Comments/Feedback/Guest Suggestions: I'd love to hear from you - email me at karthik@learnhax.co
Welcome to Secure the Bag, a brand new podcast presented by HAX with your host, Karthik Senthil. This show aims to finally shed light on an important topic that still feels taboo to talk openly about: personal finance. I'll interview guests from all walks of life to openly talk about their relationship with money, how they've approached their finances and investing, tips & tricks they want to pass along, and what they are most excited for in the future.
HAX is a digital community of young investors who are passionate about level-ing up their finances + investing. We will be dropping our first two courses shortly - you can learn more and join the waitlist at http://learnhax.co.
We'd love feedback on this show - please email karthik@learnhax.co with any questions, comments, or guest suggestions you have.