Eric Malka shares his journey from arriving in the U.S. as a 17-year-old immigrant with $100 to co-founding The Art of Shaving, a brand that redefined men’s grooming by turning shaving into a premium ritual experience. He explains how a chance job in men’s grooming and exposure to traditional shaving culture in London inspired him to bring the concept to the U.S., where he and his wife opened their first store using natural ingredients and a four-step shaving system. Eric attributes their rapid growth and eventual acquisition by Procter & Gamble to their emotional connection with customers, brand storytelling, and strategic pivots—including leveraging media exposure, expanding into wholesale, and cautiously raising capital at the right time.

We discuss...

• Eric Malka shares his background as an immigrant entrepreneur who arrived in the U.S. at 17 and eventually sold his company to Procter & Gamble.
• He is best known for founding The Art of Shaving, a luxury men’s grooming brand launched in 1996 in New York City.
• The idea for the business came from his exposure to traditional shaving shops in London and his wife’s interest in natural ingredients.
• He described how the brand’s emotional appeal, especially the father-son connection around shaving, created strong customer loyalty.
• Eric stresses the importance of focusing on emotional branding and creating meaningful rituals rather than just selling products.
• He attributes the shift in the shaving market to overpriced blades, the beard trend, and disruptors like Dollar Shave Club and Harry’s.
• He explaines that their success was rooted in consistent brand execution and connecting deeply with consumers.
• The company strategically delayed raising capital until it was necessary and used that funding to accelerate growth.
• Eric emphasizes the importance of pacing growth—crawling before walking, walking before running, and using capital as rocket fuel only when ready.
• Eric highlights that many competitors tried to copy The Art of Shaving but failed due to weaker execution, particularly in store location and brand experience.
• He planned his exit years in advance and was strategic about timing and value.
• Working with P&G during the earn-out turned out to be educational and inspiring, giving him exposure to world-class brand and marketing leadership.
• Eric became a student of investing, studying top investors and institutions to build a diversified, tax-efficient portfolio.
• Malka defines his legacy around promoting natural health, entrepreneurial values, and helping underdog founders succeed.

Today's Panelists:

• Kirk Chisholm | Innovative Wealth
• Phil Weiss | Apprise Wealth Management

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For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneytreepodcast.com/the-art-of-shaving-eric-malka-724

Mukarram Mawjood is here to share on commodity cycles and investor sentiment secrets. He discusses his focus on alternative assets including precious metals, crypto, and real estate, highlighting silver as his top current pick due to its price lag behind gold and significant upside potential. He explains how gold’s recent surge has largely priced in geopolitical risk, while silver remains undervalued despite industrial demand. He also touches on market psychology, gold-to-silver ratios, and how cryptocurrencies are increasingly competing with gold as alternative stores of value.

We discuss...

• Mukarram's firm invests heavily in physical metals, crypto, and real estate—assets with inverse correlation to the U.S. dollar.
• Silver is seen as significantly undervalued relative to gold, presenting a price arbitrage opportunity.
• He sees silver’s price lag as typical behavior in precious metal bull cycles, with major catch-up potential.
• Central banks buying gold has driven recent price action, while silver remains overlooked by both institutions and retail investors.
• Geopolitical tensions have driven gold's rise as a safe haven, but easing global instability could rotate capital into silver.
• Mukarram emphasizes timing and patience—investors should scale into undervalued assets before the move happens.
• Crypto has diverted some capital from gold but believes both assets serve different investor needs.
• During COVID, gold quietly doubled from 1,200 to over 2,000, which many missed due to lack of long-term positioning.
• Bitcoin and crypto sometimes move like metals, but when metals act as a safe haven, crypto typically does not.
• Crypto currently offers opportunity not because it's strong, but because it’s been beaten down while gold rallied.
• Bitcoin may still hit 100K–200K, but other assets may outperform it percentage-wise during its rise.
• Ethereum has mixed sentiment in the crypto community, but Solana is gaining more institutional adoption.
• Major crypto news events often coincide with local tops, especially in bull markets.
• Crypto cycles are faster (typically 18 months), while metals like gold and silver move in 3–5 year timelines.
• Crude oil's recent stagnation shows how macro factors like tariffs and recession fears can override seasonal patterns.
• Commodities should be chosen based on correlation to the U.S. dollar and liquidity conditions.
• Successful trading is 75% mindset and only 25% technical skill, especially in volatile markets like crypto.

For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneytreepodcast.com/commodity-cycles-mukarram-mawjood-722

Today's Panelists:

• Kirk Chisholm | Innovative Wealth
• Barbara Friedberg | Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance
• Phil Weiss | Apprise Wealth Management

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There is war in the middle east again! Today we talk about the recent escalation of conflict between Israel and Iran, with speculation that the U.S. may be involved indirectly. Media narratives are particularly frustrating, with uncertainty and conflicting reports make it difficult to know what’s truly happening. This definitely parallels the financial markets, particularly with how differing narratives shape reactions during times of volatility with many often making moves on perception rather than confirmed facts. The war could potentially impact on oil prices and inflation among other global economic repercussions despite the U.S. being more energy independent.

We discuss...

• War has reignited in the Middle East, with Israel attacking Iran and missiles flying in both directions.
• There's confusion about U.S. involvement, with implications that support for Israel exists behind the scenes.
• The biggest economic concern is the potential for rising oil prices and inflation due to conflict.
• Oil futures spiked shortly after the attack, raising suspicions of insider trading among politicians.
• The discussion draws parallels between the chaos of war and financial markets—both are driven by incomplete, misleading, or rapidly evolving information.
• The role of algorithms and the lack of liquidity are blamed for severe price swings during market disruptions.
• Humans feel compelled to understand market movements even when there may be no clear explanation.
• Market price is the most honest signal, but its drivers are often unknowable or misleading.
• The U.S. is stepping back from global policing, reinforcing an “America First” geopolitical posture.
• China is rapidly overtaking Western industries like autos, robotics, and nuclear energy.
• Global money printing continues to fuel equity markets despite mixed economic signals.
• Investment strategy should focus on capital flows, not moral preferences or outdated macro narratives.
• ESG investing appeals to emotions, but maximizing returns and funding good later may be more effective.
• Google quietly changed its algorithm to penalize independent contractors on major media platforms.
• Search is undergoing a dramatic transformation due to AI, fundamentally changing how users and companies interact with information.
• Google’s ad business is threatened as users shift from browsing search results to receiving direct AI-generated answers.
• New technologies upend existing industries, especially if introduced abruptly without time to adapt.
• The global AI race—especially against China—is accelerating progress beyond what’s safe or manageable.
• AI will likely displace workers not all at once, but gradually as its capabilities expand and efficiencies are realized.
• AI thinks differently than humans—it doesn’t require order or structure to understand inputs.
• Learning how to think and work with AI is becoming a crucial new skill set.

For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneytreepodcast.com/war-in-the-middle-east-721

Today's Panelists:

• Kirk Chisholm | Innovative Wealth
• Phil Weiss | Apprise Wealth Management

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Matthew Le Merle joined the podcast to discuss his journey from a consulting background to breaking finance with blockchain. He explains how he and his wife Alison pivoted to blockchain after recognizing it as the next major wave of digital value creation following the internet era. He breaks down the differences between blockchain, crypto, and DeFi, and shares how the financial industry is slow to adapt due to outdated systems and vested interests. While adoption may seem slow, it's actually progressing rapidly by historical standards, and transformation remains inevitable no matter what.

We discuss...

• Matthew Le Merle transitioned from a career in consulting and digital innovation to blockchain venture investing after identifying it as the next major wave of value creation.
• He and his wife began investing in blockchain over a decade ago, seeing it as the foundation for digitalizing commerce and finance.
• Blockchain, or distributed ledger technology (DLT), complements the internet by enabling secure, trust-based value transfers.
• Crypto is a subset of digital assets—usually natively digital—enabled by tokenization on blockchain infrastructure.
• Tokenization allows any asset to be digitally represented and transacted without paper or manual processes.
• DeFi (Decentralized Finance) enables financial transactions through code rather than intermediaries, potentially removing banks and middlemen from the equation.
• The current financial system is deeply entrenched with inefficiencies and intermediaries that profit from friction and delay.
• Incumbent institutions like banks face both technological and incentive-based challenges in adopting blockchain solutions.
• Just as digital communication disrupted legacy industries, blockchain is likely to disrupt banking and finance despite institutional resistance.
• While adoption of smart contracts and blockchain applications has been slower than expected, it's following a similar long development arc as the early internet.
• Digital assets are designed to function natively on digital infrastructure, enabling real-time, frictionless movement.
• Discounted cash flow models can now be used to estimate intrinsic value for platforms like Ethereum and Solana.
• Bitcoin’s value is more abstract, deriving from its role as a hedge against government control, inflation, and confiscation.
• Blockchain investing spans six asset classes: early, mid/late, and public stages for both equity and token-based investments.
• Entry-level exposure to crypto can be done via small Bitcoin allocations, as recommended by BlackRock and others.
• The biggest blockchain fortunes have come from early-stage investments, not public market trading.

Today's Panelists:

• Kirk Chisholm | Innovative Wealth
• Barbara Friedberg | Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance

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For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneytreepodcast.com/breaking-finance-with-blockchain-matthew-le-merle-720

Laura Adams shares her journey into personal finance, podcasting, and authorship with her new book Money-Smart Solopreneur. She shares how she transitioned from corporate finance aspirations to helping individuals improve their money management through writing and podcasting. She discusses the evolution of book publishing, the growing need for supplemental income due to inflation and stagnant wages by starting side businesses, and practical advice on identifying marketable skills.

We discuss...

• Laura Adams has worked in personal finance for nearly 15 years, transitioning from a corporate finance path after noticing even smart professionals struggled with money basics.
• Her passion for financial education led her to blogging and podcasting in the mid-2000s, eventually growing the "Money Girl" community.
• Writing books is a major undertaking that requires deep effort, especially when promotion is involved.
• Her dream of seeing her book on bookstore shelves motivated her to pursue traditional publishing, despite the changing landscape of book promotion.
• How the financial pressures facing many Americans today, especially due to inflation.
• Laura encouraged people to consider starting a side business to supplement income and access tax advantages.
• Side businesses should ideally be enjoyable since they often take place during personal time.
• Starting small and testing the market with minimal upfront investment is a smart approach to launching a side hustle.
• People should leverage existing skills and interests when brainstorming side business ideas.
• If your goal is quick income, practical gigs like freelancing, tutoring, or becoming a virtual assistant may be for you.
• Many people feel intimidated by starting a business but advised against overthinking early-stage logistics.
• Wait until a side business earns around $10,000 annually before worrying about formal structures like LLCs or accountants.
• Market research through conversation can spark ideas and reveal where your talents might fill a gap.
• Iterative experimentation are a great way to discover what business ideas are both enjoyable and viable.

For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneytreepodcast.com/money-smart-solopreneur-718

Today's Panelists:

Kirk Chisholm | Innovative Wealth
Douglas Heagren | ProCollege Planners

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AI will change your life! Are you ready? Today we dive into the evolving landscape of AI, the capabilities and limitations of current AI models like ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, and Gemini, and why most users don't get the results they truly want. While AI is a very powerful but immature tool, learning how to use it effectively will help you to stay relevant in the workforce and can benefit your personal life as well. AI disruption is inevitable and potentially beneficial but it also raises serious questions about human adaptability for a rapidly changing future.

We discuss...

• Frustrations around AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Grok, and DeepSeek, especially when users expect too much without giving clear input.
• The importance of context and prompting in getting valuable responses from AI.
• Most people use AI poorly, often giving it vague or vanity prompts without depth.
• Our industrial-era mindset doesn’t prepare us to use AI effectively, and adaptation is essential.
• AI can assist with tasks like job postings or report generation, results depend heavily on user input.
• AI disruption will be massive, though adoption will happen gradually over time.
• The first wave of job losses will hit those who don’t learn how to use AI tools.
• Identity—such as being a provider, parent, or worker—could be threatened by AI taking over meaningful roles.
• Ego and confirmation bias could limit AI’s effectiveness as a truth-telling tool.
• While AI can process inputs and generate useful outputs, it still requires thoughtful human analysis.
• The U.S. housing market has shown nearly 500,000 more sellers than buyers — the largest gap on record.
• Credit conditions has deteriorated — 2.3 million borrowers have dropped into subprime credit territory
• Student loan delinquencies have spiked sharply since collections resumed in May.
• Nearly $100 million has been collected by Treasury and the Department of Education from defaulted borrowers.
• Average rent prices have declined, yet overall consumer stress has risen due to financial pressure.
• Housing prices remained elevated, but affordability has deteriorated, putting pressure on cash-strapped households.
• Mortgage availability remains key to housing demand, as the majority of buyers rely on loans, not cash.
• Google search trends reveal more people are asking AI and search engines basic “adulting” questions, like how to use a mop or credit card.

Today's Panelists:

Kirk Chisholm | Innovative Wealth
Douglas Heagren | ProCollege Planners

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For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneytreepodcast.com/ai-will-change-your-life-717