Smart Money: Recent Episodes
Dean Thomas
Podcast hosted by Dean Thomas, a former investment analyst at Goldman Sachs and the Blackstone Group who quit the corporate life in 2019 to backpack the world, start his own business, and explore spirituality. Hope you enjoy :) Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/smartmoneycrew/support
What’s up Smart Money Crew. Hope you are having a wonderful Easter Sunday. There’s a famous quote attributed to President Teddy Roosevelt that goes something along the lines of: “comparison is the thief of joy.” Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been thinking pretty deeply about this concept and realized that there’s some profound truth to it that is especially important to our current social media generation. I wanted to share my brief thoughts on this episode and hope you find it helpful! Enjoy J
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Death is not usually a fun topic to talk about. But in many ways it’s also something we all share. The moment we were born on this earth, we were destined to die. And yet we spend so much of our life running from it, fearing it, and trying to avoid it.
In her book “The Top Five Regrets of the Dying,” Bronnie Ware writes about her experience as a caregiver to the dying. Over the years through assisting people at the end of their lives, Bronnie kept hearing her patients express the same regrets over and over again - which she compiled into a blog post that later became the book titled, “The Top Five Regrets of the Dying.” In this episode I wanted to touch upon a few of the ideas from this book as it pertains to my own life experience and hope it’ll be somewhat helpful to you as well! Enjoy 😊
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What’s up Smart Money Crew. Hope you are having a wonderful week! On this episode I wanted to go over 5 things I wish I knew before starting my first investment banking internship at Goldman and my finance career in general. Mainly just the thoughts I wish my younger self knew and hopefully some of this is helpful to you on your journeys as well!
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What’s up Smart Money Crew! Hope y’all are having a wonderful weekend. One of the hobbies I’ve been picking up recently during quarantine is teaching myself programming. In college one of my biggest regrets is that I didn’t dedicate more time to studying Computer Science. Technology and in particular software is completely taking over the world and having a deep understanding of Computer Science is the closest equivalent of having a superpower in my humble opinion. In this episode I talk about some of the key lessons the process of learning how to code has taught me and thought these realizations might be helpful for you as well! Hope you enjoy :)
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What’s up Smart Money Crew. It has been a minute since our last episode. Hope you guys are well!
This episode is going to be a bit more on the more personal side as we all navigate the tail end of the pandemic. I’ve always been someone who has been more on the restless side and being cooped up indoors definitely was not the most enjoyable experience.
Something I’ve picked up almost out of necessity is the hobby of endurance running – or endurance sports for that matter. Having been a sprinter my entire life, I’ve always been more attracted to the big muscles and bulging biceps side of the spectrum as opposed to the skinny-lean look of endurance athletes but life experience has, as always, humbled me to learn and adapt. So with that, please sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!
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What’s up Smart Money Crew. Welcome back to another episode. This is part two of a two-part series with the soon to be Dr. Nuvid Bhuiyan. If you missed the first part, please feel free to check out the previous episode – episode #039. If you’re in the right place, please sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!
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What’s up Smart Money Crew. It’s your host Dean Thomas. Welcome back to another interview with a very special guest. This will be part one of a two part series with a good friend of mine. We both started our careers as investment bankers at Goldman Sachs before she decided to leave the shiny world of suits and private car service behind to pursue the path of medicine. We discuss how she developed the fortitude to forge her own path amidst all the noise of Wall Street and what ultimately gives her journey meaning. Please give a very warm welcome to my good friend, the soon to be Dr. Nuvid Bhuiyan :)
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What’s up Smart Money Crew! Welcome back – this is your host Dean Thomas. On today’s episode we have a very special guest who not only fluently speaks Norwegian, Mandarin, and English but has spent her early adulthood literally around the world. She has since settled down in Bergen, Norway and focuses her time on helping revitalize the Norwegian tourist industry. In her spare time, she enjoys taking beautiful nature photos all while running ultra-marathons. Please give a warm Smart Money welcome to my good friend Krysta Alexa Singh! :)
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What’s up Smart Money Crew! Hope you had a wonderful weekend. Welcome back to part two of my conversation with the incredible Ian Hodge. In case you missed the first part, feel free to check out the previous episode #036. If you’re the right place, sit back, relax and enjoy the show :)
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What’s up Smart Money Crew welcome back to another episode. On today’s show, we have one of the most accomplished young adults in the tech space I’ve had the honor of meeting. From graduating Stanford with a 4.0 gpa in computer science to competing at a very high level in distance running to now quickly becoming one of the top performing software engineers at Facebook, he reveals through our conversation some of the secrets behind his extraordinary success including resilience, pain tolerance, and an unrelenting drive to succeed. This will be part 1 of a 2 part series. Please give a warm Smart Money welcome to my good friend, Ian Hodge :)
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What’s up Smart Money Crew – it’s your host Dean Thomas. Hope you are having a wonderful weekend. Apologies for the small break – markets once again went on steroids this past week so my attention and energy has been focused on managing risk and analyzing new potential positions. I’m back this week though and have two amazing guests to share with you. On today’s episode, I wanted to speak a bit about a Medium article I came across that changed my life. A lot of Smart Money members might already know this stuff but this article definitely completely shifted my world view. Please sit back, relax, and enjoy :)
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What’s up Smart Money Crew – thank you for tuning in! It’s your host Dean Thomas. On today’s episode, I wanted to talk about some mental tools I picked up recently that have made my life a whole lot better. By no means are these the end-all be all nor are they the answers to the meaning of life, but they have certainly made a drastic difference in my personal life experience. Please sit back, relax, and enjoy the show 😊
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What’s up Smart Money Crew – hope you are having a wonderful weekend. We’re going to do something a little different in this episode - transitioning from the IQ side of the equation to delve a little into the EQ. As Amy so eloquently explained in her podcast, the mechanics and mathematics of investing are actually quite simple. We don’t go beyond adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing.
What’s much more difficult to master, on the other hand, is the psychological and emotional sides of the equation. Just having the right answer doesn’t count if you are unable to execute when the time comes. In this episode we will be going over some of the most fascinating ideas I took away from a book titled “Attached – The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find and Keep Love” by Amir Levine and Rachel Heller.
As the ancient Zen Buddhist saying goes, how you do one thing is how you do everything. I think it’s pretty impossible to have a stable, positive, and consistent investing career if your personal life is a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs. Your career and personal lives mirror each other and to have mastery over one will help bring mastery to the other. So without further ado, please sit back, relax, and enjoy the show :)
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What’s up Smart Money Crew – happy Friday! It’s your host Dean Thomas. Congratulations all – we made it once again. Hope you are having a great start to the weekend. This will be part three and the finale of my takeaways from the writings of Naval Ravikant. In case you missed parts 1 and 2, please feel free to check out episodes #025 and #028. If you’re in the right place, feel free to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show :)
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What’s up Smart Money Crew! It is has been a crazy few days in the stock market. Hope you guys are staying safe. This is part 3 of our interview with the incredible Amy Chang. Thank you guys for your support. Thank you for being a part of this movement. We really appreciate it and hope to continue bringing you guys quality content :)
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What’s up Smart Money Crew – it’s your host Dean Thomas. This is part two of a three part interview series with the incredible Amy Chang. If you missed the first part, please feel free to check out the previous episode - #029. If you’re in the right place, please sit back, relax, and enjoy the show :)
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What’s up Smart Money Crew – Happy Monday! It’s your host Dean Thomas. We have a very special guest on the show today who, like me, started her career in investment banking at Goldman Sachs. We both went through the trenches together and from there she transitioned to a very elite hedge fund.
This will be part one of a three part series where we talk through hedge fund life, buyside vs. sellside reflections, and life in New York. Please give a very warm Smart Money welcome to the incredible Amy Chang!
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What’s up Smart Money Crew – it’s your host Dean Thomas. Hope you are having a wonderful start to the weekend. Just got my morning workout in – lookin’ good, feelin’ better! This is going to be part 2 of a three part series on the writings of Naval Ravikant. In case you missed the first episode, please feel free to check out podcast episode #025. If you’re in the right place, feel free to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show :)
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What’s up Smart Money Crew – it’s your host Dean Thomas. Hope you guys are having a wonderful Friday. We did it! We made it :)
This is part 2 of a two-part series with Valerie Zhao. In case you missed the first part – please feel free to check out the previous episode - #026. If you’re in the right place and excited to get to it – please sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!
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What’s up Smart Money Crew! It’s your host Dean Thomas. We are rounding out the week with a very good friend of mine whose experience has spanned the top education institutions in this country from Philips Exeter Academy to Dartmouth to MIT.
She is currently a management consultant at the prestigious McKinsey & Company focusing on healthcare and for those of you who don’t know what McKinsey is – it’s basically the creme de la crème in the consulting world.
Her journey has been anything but a straight line up and to the right, however. I think the unusual twists and turns life throws us is ultimately what makes our lives interesting, fulfilling, and memorable. Without further ado, please give a warm Smart Money welcome to the powerful and eloquent, Valerie Zhao!
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What’s up Smart Money Crew! It’s your favorite host Dean Thomas. Today’s episode is going to be a little bit different. If you follow me at all on Instagram or know me in real life, you’ll know that I am a HUGE nerd when it comes to reading. I am obsessed with empowering ideas that I can implement into my own life and also love learning from the great minds of the present and past – learning from the greats who overcame the same questions, doubts, and problems I face myself today.
I read A LOT. But very few authors capture my attention and blow my mind like Naval Ravikant. Huge props to my boy Big Money Sean Penso (who hopefully will be coming on the podcast very soon) for introducing me to his work.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Naval, he is a fellow Dartmouth alum who also happens to be a very successful venture capitalist and the founder of AngelList. His ideas have been captured in a book called the Almanack of Naval Ravikant and picking up this book was like somebody introducing me to the meaning of life. I found myself underlining and re-reading almost every paragraph of the book as I went through because each statement and logical progression seemed to capture so much power with very few words.
This will be part one of a three part series where I go through some of the most powerful ideas I found from this book and wanted to share with you guys. Enjoy :)
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What’s up Smart Money Crew – hope you are having a wonderful week. It’s your favorite host Mr. Dean Thomas. This is part two of a two part series with the incredibly talented Xu Rui. If you missed the first part, please feel free to check out the previous episode – #023. In this finale, we talk through the mechanics of her Airbnb empire, realizations she had upon achieving financial freedom, and ultimately her perspectives on what gives her life meaning. If you’re in the right place, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show :)
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What’s up Smart Money Crew. It’s your host Dean Thomas. Happy New Year – hope you are having a wonderful start to the big 2021. Apologies for being away for a minute! If you follow crypto markets at all, you will know how incredible the past few weeks have been in terms of opportunity.
So let’s cut to the chase. Today’s episode is part one of a two part series with one of the most successful and well-balanced individuals in my network. She is a self-made multi-millionaire from Singapore who built her real estate empire from scratch in the United States all while balancing product manager roles at prestigious tech firms like Microsoft and Stripe. Her unique balance of ultra-high intellect along with ability to effectively work with people is simply unparalleled.
We are very lucky to have her on the show with us. Without further ado, please give a warm Smart Money welcome to the incredible Xu Rui
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Welcome back to the second half of a two part interview series with Mr. Phil Louden. If you missed the first half of the interview, please feel free to check out the previous episode – podcast #021. If you are in the right place, feel free to sit back, relax, and enjoy this finale as we touch upon the inner transformation we’ve both undergone as entrepreneurs as well as Phil’s unique experiences healing childhood trauma with alternative plant medicines. Enjoy :)
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What’s up Smart Money Crew! It’s your host Dean Thomas :) - back with a two part interview series with Mr. Phil Louden. Phil is a true citizen of the world. He has traveled to more places than I’ve heard of all while building a successful 7-figure drop-shipping business from his laptop. In this first half of the interview, we discuss the power of limiting beliefs, the roller coaster ride that is entrepreneurship, and advice for young cats looking to come up and follow in his footsteps. Sit back, relax, and give a warm Smart Money welcome to my friend Phil Louden.
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This is part 3 of a three part series with big data analyst and perhaps the luckiest man in the world of crypto trading, Mr. Paul Hoffman. If you missed the first and second parts of this interview, please feel free to check out the previous two episodes – podcasts #018 and #019. If you’re in the right place, please sit back relax, and enjoy this finale where we discuss David Goggins, personal development, and the most valuable asset we possess. Please enjoy!
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This is part 2 of a three part series with big data analyst and perhaps the luckiest man in the world of crypto trading, Mr. Paul Hoffman. If you missed the first part of his interview, please feel free to check out the previous episode – podcast #018. If you’re in the right place, please sit back relax, and enjoy part two where we discuss Paul’s experience in the military, his top productivity hacks, and then a little about the irrationality of mankind. Please enjoy!
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This will be the first part of a three part series where I interview a very special guest. A big data scientist for the Dutch military by trade, he has made over 60x his money investing in cryptocurrencies in his time off. He speaks on the future of digital assets, investing, and karma in the new digital economy. I hope you enjoy J. Please welcome to the show – the great Paul Hoffman.
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On the last episode of Veggie Tales, we discussed the importance of tracking. Now that we know where we are and we are taking steps to save more of what we are making, where do we go from here?
Let’s take a moment to acknowledge the greatness of a man by the name of Jack Bogle. Warren Buffett is quoted to have said, “Jack did more for American investors as a whole than any individual I’ve known. A lot of Wall Street is devoted to charging a lot for nothing. He instead charged nothing for a lot.”
Jack Bogle is famously known as the founding father of the index fund. He famously started the investment firm Vanguard which was the first of its kind to be owned entirely by its investors rather than a management firm on Wall Street charging high fees.
To borrow from the wisdom of this man, I will read a passage from his introduction to “The Little Book of Common Sense Investing.” He writes, “Successful investing is ALL about common sense. As the Oracle has said, it is simple, but it is not easy. Simple arithmetic suggests, and history confirms, that the winning strategy is to own all of the nation’s publicly held businesses at very low cost. By doing so you are guaranteed to capture almost the entire return that they generate in the form of dividends and earnings growth. The best way to implement this strategy is indeed simple: Buying a fund that holds this market portfolio, and holding it forever. Such a fund is called an index fund.”
“Please think for a moment, about the relentless rules of humble arithmetic. These iron rules define the game. As investors, all of us as a group earn the stock market’s return. As a group – we are average. In other words, each extra return that one of us earns means that another of our fellow investors suffers a return shortfall of precisely the same dimension. Before the deduction of the costs of investing, beating the stock market is a zero-sum game.”
So why do we waste our time trying to outsmart the market as a whole? Perhaps out of ego, or pride thinking we are the exception rather than the rule.
But as Andrew Tobias writes, “aiming for higher returns is a good way to get lower returns…Unless you want to switch from being a watever you were being to being a financier; unless you enjoy worrying about money and taking risks and paying taxes on profits and stewing over your losses; unless you are intrigued by the machinations of the Fed’s Open Market Committee and the effects on the financial markets of the latest fiduciary fad – you should simply structure your assets, should you be so fortunate as to have them in such abundance, so as to give you security and peace of mind.
Life is not a business, as my father used to say. Why not set yourself up comfortably and stop worrying?”
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As we grow up in life, people tend to tell us that less and less is possible - that there is no magic in the world - That we should grow up and that our dreams are unrealistic.
And yet if we’re honest with ourselves in moments of quiet reflection, our inner voice shines through. Our passions for our most inspired dreams refuse to be tamed –refuse to be silenced. In these moments it takes tremendous courage to turn down the outside noise and to listen to our own inner calling.
My next guest did this and more – gaining entrance into the prestigious world of mergers & acquisitions investment banking before realizing that her true love lay not in spreadsheets and deal making but rather in professional tennis. She left it all behind – the money, the prestige, the career to bet it all on herself.
Fueled by nothing save her passion for the sport and incredible self-belief, she has overcome hardship after hardship to strive, to stumble, to fall - ever forward in the never-ending pursuit of her highest ideals.
Please give a very warm Smart Money welcome to my good friend, professional tennis player, Taylor Ng.
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What’s up Smart Money Crew. Due to popular demand, we will be starting a segment on the show called “Veggie Tales.” This is the section where we get real about money, saving, and investing where we take out the flash and bang and get into the nuts & bolts. Nobody is born enjoying their veggies but if we build good habits around eating them, they take good care of us over the long term.
As John Dryden once said, “we first make our habits, and then our habits make us.”
- Today’s Topic is on Budgeting & Tracking
a. You cannot hit a target you cannot see. Tracking is the first step to bringing financial awareness to your life. Just like a bodybuilder getting serious about working out and getting in shape, he tracks how much he eats, what types of foods he eats, and the workouts he performs. If you don’t track, you are driving blind.
b. The good news is in today’s day & age, tracking has never been easier. From electronic credit and debit card statements to applications designed to analyze and categorize your spending habits, tracking has never been easier. Start there. There are many great free apps like Mint or even your own banking app might offer these services. We are not Sponsored by any of these apps although if you would like to work with us here at Smart Money, please do reach out.
c. Simplify your life – cut those 10 credit cards into 2 or 3 depending on the category of spending. Schedule time on your calendar every month to review your statement. How much are you spending on what? How much are you making through your job, investments, etc.? How much are you netting? If this is the first time you’re doing this, you will most likely be shocked. Take away the flash and bang and you’d be surprised what’s left. It sounds sexy bragging to your friends that you make half a million but after taxes and deductions you’d be surprised how much actually ends up yours.
d. You cannot start investing until you start saving. You cannot start saving until you track how much you’re earning and how much you’re spending.
e. This is the least sexy part of making money. People love seeing and hearing about the Lamborghinis, the yachts, the private jets. The fact of the matter is truly wealthy people generally did not get there by flaunting it. Just Youtube Jeff Bezos Honda. The man was a billionaire and still driving a beat-up Honda Accord. They lived below their means consistently - day in and day out and ran a consistent budget surplus – something our local and federal governments should actually learn from.
f. Forget what the clowns you see on Instagram are doing. Track your progress, compete against yourself. You don’t start going to the gym and start trying to compete against Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime. We are all running our own race. Leave judgment, guilt, and shame at the door. You will most likely be shocked at how much you are actually taking home at the end of the month. Awareness is the first step to change. Be patient with yourself, but also disciplined. As Jocko Wilink likes to say, self-love starts with self-discipline. Know that eating your veggies is better for you in the long-run even if that fast-food meal looks oh so tasty!
g. So this concludes our first episode of Veggie Tales – tune back in for the next episode where we will talk through the 80 / 20 of investing and why day-trading or other speculative activity is a loser’s game.
As always, this is your host, thank you Smart Money Crew for your support – until next time, track your spending and be well. Peace!
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As the world battles through one of the hardest periods in recent history, healthcare workers have been fearlessly facing the situation head-on. While the rest of us quarantine and hide, they’re the ones who rise up and step forward in the face of danger. Not for money, not for pride – but for a higher calling. I wonder - what does it take to become such a person?
We are lucky to have a young medical student join us today on the Smart Money podcast. Coming from a lineage of great surgeons, he speaks on how and why he does what he does – what the future may hold, and advice for those looking to follow in his footsteps. Please give a warm Smart Money welcome for the soon-to-be Dr. Sohrab Vatsia.
Smart Money is a podcast recorded by Dean Thomas, a former investment analyst at Goldman Sachs and the Blackstone Group who quit the corporate life in 2019 to backpack the world, start his own business, and explore spirituality. None of this should be construed as investment advice but rather education and entertainment as a fellow participant in this unprecedented marketplace. We hope you enjoy :)
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll have noticed that technology has drastically transformed how we live, work, and experience the human condition. My next guest took Tim Ferriss’ blueprint in the classic 4-Hour Workweek and life hacked his way to building several profitable e-commerce businesses generating more than a million in revenue. Exploring numerous paths in life before deciding the rat race was not for him, he tried everything from poker hustles to night club promotion before stumbling upon Amazon fba and eventually crowdfunding. Now living entirely remotely in SE Asian paradises like Thailand and Bali, he has shown me that although filled with risk, obstacles, and uncertainty, the entrepreneurial path is not only possible but attainable with enough self-belief, grit, and resilience. Smart Money Crew, please give a warm welcome to the amazingly humble and brilliant Vance Lee.
Smart Money is a podcast recorded by Dean Thomas, a former investment analyst at Goldman Sachs and the Blackstone Group who quit the corporate life in 2019 to backpack the world, start his own business, and explore spirituality. None of this should be construed as investment advice but rather education and entertainment as a fellow participant in this unprecedented marketplace. We hope you enjoy :)
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/smartmoneycrew/support
So some folks have been asking me, “hey Dean! - why do some of your interviews have little if anything to do with money?” I think at its core this comes from a slight misunderstanding of the purpose of money and in turn financial freedom. If you are to believe our friend Mr. Maslow, after the basic needs of physiology and safety are fulfilled, the human creature desires not necessarily a never-ending quest for more stuff but rather higher goods like love, esteem, and ultimately self-actualization.
So then why do we choose to master money? To actualize the highest life we desire for ourselves, our families, and communities. Money is a tool to that end – nothing more, nothing less. It is a device in a capitalist economy that, if mastered, can bring us closer to our highest selves. And if bungled, will leave us broke, struggling, and in cycles of self-defeat. Financial freedom is a relative term. I know people earning millions of dollars a year who are broke. I know people earning a couple thousand who are wealthy.
As Forrest Gump says after discovering he never needs to worry about money again, “that’s good – one less thing.”
Being part of the Smart Money Crew is not about a never-ending quest for more stuff. It’s about mastering what you have so you can become who you were meant to be.
Smart Money is a podcast recorded by Dean Thomas, a former investment analyst at Goldman Sachs and the Blackstone Group who quit the corporate life in 2019 to backpack the world, start his own business, and explore spirituality. None of this should be construed as investment advice but rather education and entertainment as a fellow participant in this unprecedented marketplace. We hope you enjoy :)
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/smartmoneycrew/support
I think it was Walt Whitman who said in life it’s not how many breathes you take, but friends who take your breath away…or something like that. My next guest started his career with me in the trenches and in this vast world that is our planet, we find ourselves conversing again half a decade later – a little older, a little wiser, but definitely still our unique selves. He’s someone you can not speak with for years and when you do again, it feels like home. Please welcome the incredibly intelligent, devilishly handsome, and newly engaged Clive Wong.
Smart Money is a podcast recorded by Dean Thomas, a former investment analyst at Goldman Sachs and the Blackstone Group who quit the corporate life in 2019 to backpack the world, start his own business, and explore spirituality. None of this should be construed as investment advice but rather education and entertainment as a fellow participant in this unprecedented marketplace. We hope you enjoy :)
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
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Sometimes in life there are those serendipitous moments. Moments where you know you must say yes. I met my next guest on such an adventure while riding a camel exploring the expansive deserts of Dubai. Call it fate or call it destiny, this chance encounter brought me to become friends with one of Bollywood’s hottest young TV anchors with a resume spanning across big budget networks like Sony to being featured on the cover of international newspapers for his forays in men’s fashion. Beginning his career as an introverted hacker and software developer, he has shown me that perhaps it is not who are born as that matters, but who we decide to be that makes all the difference. As always, this is your Smart Money host, Dean Thomas. Sit back, relax, and please welcome to the show, my brother and one of Bollywood’s most eligible bachelors, Lakshay Narula.
Smart Money is a podcast recorded by Dean Thomas, a former investment analyst at Goldman Sachs and the Blackstone Group who quit the corporate life in 2019 to backpack the world, start his own business, and explore spirituality. None of this should be construed as investment advice but rather education and entertainment as a fellow participant in this unprecedented marketplace. We hope you enjoy :)
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/smartmoneycrew/support
As New York City enters the darkness of winter, I think most if not all of us have had fantasies about leaving it all behind to live on a SE Asian tropical paradise sippin’ Mai Thais. My next guest did exactly that – falling in love with a small island off the coast of Bali, Indonesia (where a portion of the blockbuster novel Eat, Pray Love was set) and deciding it was where he wanted to spend the rest of his life.
Working hard back in his native Australia to save up some money as a delivery driver, he jumped head-first into the future he envisioned for himself – become a master dive instructor on the tropical island paradise that is Gili T. In our conversation, we discover that perhaps happiness lay not in the acquisition of material possessions as we are led to believe in the West but rather in the enjoyment of love, camaraderie, and community in the good times and bad. As always, it’s your host Dean Thomas. Thank you for joining us on this Smart Money adventure.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy this incredible podcast with my very first dive instructor, Father Nicolaas.
Smart Money is a podcast recorded by Dean Thomas, a former investment analyst at Goldman Sachs and the Blackstone Group who quit the corporate life in 2019 to backpack the world, start his own business, and explore spirituality. None of this should be construed as investment advice but rather education and entertainment as a fellow participant in this unprecedented marketplace. We hope you enjoy :)
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/smartmoneycrew/support
Decades from now looking back, we can safely define 2020 as a pretty unusual year to say the least. It was the year when a deadly virus spread across the planet and brought great cities like NY to a complete standstill. Longstanding bars and restaurants shuttered seemingly overnight leaving residents either moving out to the suburbs or back home with parents. Stuck at home all day, novice day traders jumped in droves into the stock market creating unprecedented volatility - while dating, social life, and even elite university educations transitioned online almost exclusively.
In this podcast, I catch up with an old friend of mine who can speak first hand on these trends. A violin virtuoso and ivy league graduate, Gwendolyn Howard is a young professional currently living in NYC with her sister who is currently taking a gap semester from Harvard University. Gwen has made unprecedented amounts of money this year dipping her toes in the world of day trading (which we at this podcast do not condone nor recommend) and speaks on the major trends she sees as a recent university graduate living in the Big Apple. Our conversation ranges from her experience in the virtual dating world (which has become the new norm) to her views on the value of a liberal arts education in a world seemingly dominated by technology and engineering. Please sit back, relax, and enjoy the podcast.
Smart Money is a podcast recorded by Dean Thomas, a former investment analyst at Goldman Sachs and the Blackstone Group who quit the corporate life in 2019 to backpack the world, start his own business, and explore spirituality. None of this should be construed as investment advice but rather education and entertainment as a fellow participant in this unprecedented marketplace. We hope you enjoy :)
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/smartmoneycrew/support
In this short episode, we talk about the entrepreneurial spirit and how young professionals should approach advice from friends, family, and even mentors. Thank you for your support and hope you enjoy :)
Smart Money is a podcast recorded by Dean Thomas, a former investment analyst at Goldman Sachs and the Blackstone Group who quit the corporate life in 2019 to backpack the world, start his own business, and explore spirituality. None of this should be construed as investment advice but rather education and entertainment as a fellow participant in this unprecedented marketplace. We hope you enjoy :)
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/smartmoneycrew/support
Very excited to share with you this episode. For the first time in Smart Money history, we will be having a guest on the show. Born in Taipei Taiwan, this absolute powerhouse of a human being embodies not only resilience in the face of adversity but lives as testament to what hard work, a growth mindset, and perseverance can accomplish in this country.
Moving to the US in the 8th grade barely speaking a word of English, she very quickly scaled the learning curve to not only learn but master the education system - gaining entry into MIT’s prestigious engineering program. Casual, I know. Despite coping with the passing of her father her very first year of university, she persevered and graduated not only with a bachelor’s but a master’s as well focusing on computer science and artificial intelligence.
From there she brought her talents to Silicon Valley first working as a product manager for a Google X Spinoff using her machine learning skillset before starting her own startup, HearInsight, which used Natural Language Processing to convert spoken word into written text. Although not ultimately successful, her startup drew attention and funding from some of the top Venture firms in the Valley. She went on to become the youngest partner ever at one of the most prestigious $3.5bn Venture Capital Firms in the world, Foundation Capital, which has a track record of investing in companies like Netflix when there were only 10 employees. The firm has also been a beacon of female representation in a space historically dominated by men.
She is currently enrolled in Stanford getting her Master’s in Business Administration all while running her own venture fund, Formulate Ventures. I think what you’ll come to see from our conversation is that success is never a linear path. Although one of the most successful business people of her generation, her life has been riddled by setbacks, self-doubt, and hardships – showing that it’s ultimately how we choose to move forward that matters. I am both honored and humbled to welcome to the show – Morgan Lai.
Smart Money is a podcast recorded by Dean Thomas, a former investment analyst at Goldman Sachs and the Blackstone Group who quit the corporate life in 2019 to backpack the world, start his own business, and explore spirituality. None of this should be construed as investment advice but rather education and entertainment as a fellow participant in this unprecedented marketplace. We hope you enjoy :)
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/smartmoneycrew/support
In this episode, we dive into the world of real estate discussing what we see in the current pandemic landscape, the generational paradigm shift as assets transfer from the older generation to the new, and what we think ownership will look like in the future.
Smart Money is a podcast recorded by Dean Thomas, a former investment analyst at Goldman Sachs and the Blackstone Group who quit the corporate life in 2019 to backpack the world, start his own business, and explore spirituality. None of this should be construed as investment advice but rather education and entertainment as a fellow participant in this unprecedented marketplace. We hope you enjoy :)
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/smartmoneycrew/support
In this episode we dive into why this podcast exists, why money matters, and how even a global megastar like Taylor Swift is facing huge headaches due to lack of financial awareness. Hope you enjoy :)
Smart Money is a podcast recorded by Dean Thomas, a former investment analyst at Goldman Sachs and the Blackstone Group who quit the corporate life in 2019 to backpack the world, start his own business, and explore spirituality. None of this should be construed as investment advice but rather education and entertainment as a fellow participant in this unprecedented marketplace. We hope you enjoy :)
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/smartmoneycrew/support
In this episode we talk about why successful investing is paramount, the general investing landscape, and the 4 general asset classes available to us as retail investors. Hope you enjoy :)
Smart Money is a podcast recorded by Dean Thomas, a former investment analyst at Goldman Sachs and the Blackstone Group who quit the corporate life in 2019 to backpack the world, start his own business, and explore spirituality. None of this should be construed as investment advice but rather education and entertainment as a fellow participant in this unprecedented marketplace. We hope you enjoy :)
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/smartmoneycrew/support
Podcast recorded by Dean Thomas, a former investment analyst at Goldman Sachs and the Blackstone Group who quit the corporate life in 2019 to backpack the world, start his own business, and explore spirituality. None of this should be construed as investment advice but rather education and entertainment as a fellow participant in this unprecedented marketplace. We hope you enjoy :)
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/smartmoneycrew/support