Why the Ultra-Wealthy Only Put 24% in Stocks (and What They Do Instead)

Start making passive income here: https://bit.ly/3KP3uFM  What if everything you’ve been taught about money saving, investing, and “playing it safe" is exactly what keeps you from building real wealth? My guest today, Dave Wolcott, breaks down what the ultra-wealthy actually do with their money that most people never learn. Dave’s story is incredible. A former Marine Corps Captain turned multimillionaire investor, Dave went from following the traditional “get a job and max your 401(k)” plan to realizing that strategy could never deliver true financial freedom. When his family suddenly grew from one child to four overnight thanks to triplets he knew he had to rethink everything. What followed was a deep dive into how the top 1% and 0.01% really build wealth. Dave discovered that the ultra-wealthy don’t rely on Wall Street. They invest in private assets, they use tax incentives as wealth accelerators, and they stack strategies like infinite banking and alternative investments to create multiple layers of growth and protection. He reveals how groups like Tiger 21, whose average member net worth is $100 million, keep less than 25% of their wealth in the stock market while the rest is working for them through real estate, private equity, and alternative ventures. We unpack how you can adopt that same model whether you’re earning six figures or running a business by shifting from accumulation theory (the “save, wait, and hope” retirement model) to cash-flow investing that pays you now. Dave explains how the wealthy use the tax code as a roadmap, not a penalty system, leveraging incentives in energy, real estate, and business ownership to legally reduce taxes and supercharge returns. We also dive into how Infinite Banking (IBC) fits into this bigger picture using your own capital as a warehouse to fund deals, create liquidity, and compound growth tax-efficiently. You’ll see how the ultra-wealthy combine IBC, real estate, and private investments to multiply returns and achieve near-zero tax exposure all while maintaining control over their capital. If you’ve ever wondered why the rich keep getting richer while everyone else keeps “diversifying” into Wall Street mutual funds, this conversation will change the way you think about money forever. Get your free copy of Dave’s book, “The Holistic Wealth Strategy,” at holisticwealthstrategy.com and start building your own framework for lasting wealth beyond the markets. Dave's links: -Website: https://pantheoninvest.com/  - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-wolcott-863306/  - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dave.wolcott.589  - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pantheoninvest/ 

Start making passive income here: https://bit.ly/4h5jT4Q  The stock market isn’t just hot, it’s overheated. Everyone’s greedy, valuations are inflated, and history tells us this is when the smart money takes profits. I’ve been warning you about this moment for a while, but now even Wall Street insiders and mainstream economists are starting to sound the alarm. In this episode, I’ll break down exactly why this could be your last best chance to cash in before the correction hits and what smart investors are doing right now to protect and multiply their wealth. For over a decade on The Money Ripples Podcast, I’ve helped thousands of people build passive income, break free from financial stress, and live a life of purpose and abundance. Today, I’m showing you what’s really going on behind the scenes of this so-called “bull market” that’s being propped up by speculation, hype, and dangerous overconfidence. You’ll hear about the wild truth behind the AI bubble, what the Citigroup Panic/Euphoria Index is revealing, and why current market valuations at 25 times earnings should have every smart investor on alert. I dive into what “call options” really mean and why the surge in speculative trading could be the biggest red flag since 2000. I also expose how companies like Oracle are skyrocketing in value despite reporting worse-than-expected earnings a clear sign that logic and fundamentals have left the building. This kind of frothy euphoria has always ended the same way: a painful correction. So what do you do about it? I share practical, actionable strategies on how to scale out of the market, take your profits, and diversify into real, cash-flowing assets that can protect your wealth. Whether it’s infinite banking, alternative investments, or other private opportunities, I’ll show you how to keep your money growing even while Wall Street burns. And here’s the truth: doing nothing is still a decision. You can stay in, hope the market keeps rising, and risk losing the gains you’ve worked for. Or you can follow what the smartest investors like Warren Buffett are already doing: holding cash, staying patient, and positioning for opportunity. If you’re ready to take control, this episode will show you how to think like the 1%, act before the herd, and make moves that protect your freedom, your family, and your future.

Start making passive income here: https://bit.ly/4o6MkS8  Dave Ramsey says you should save to pay cash for a house. But is that really smart in today’s market?  In this episode, I’m going to show you why that strategy might actually cost you your dream home, and why locking in a mortgage yes, even with higher rates can be the more financially sound and wealth-building move. I’ve heard countless stories from hardworking people trying to “save their way” to homeownership, only to watch prices skyrocket faster than their savings can grow. In fact, one woman I spoke with is working 80 hours a week at two jobs just to save cash for a home. Admirable? Absolutely. But effective? Not really. When I ran the numbers, what I found even shocked me and it’s something Dave Ramsey doesn’t talk about. In this episode, I dive deep into the real math behind buying versus saving. You’ll hear how saving for 15 or 20 years could mean chasing a moving target as home prices double or triple while your purchasing power declines. I’ll walk you through an example comparing someone saving $1,500 a month for a $200,000 home versus locking in a mortgage today and how the difference could mean more than a decade of your life lost to the chase. We’ll break down: Why real estate appreciation can destroy even the most disciplined savings plans. How inflation and rising prices make “waiting to buy” one of the riskiest strategies out there. The hidden benefits of locking in your price now, even with PMI or higher rates. How to make inflation work for you, not against you. Why having liquid assets and financial flexibility beats being “house rich and cash poor.” I’ll even show you why, by paying your mortgage strategically or investing the extra cash at decent returns, you could pay off your house in 8 years instead of 19 without sacrificing your peace of mind. This isn’t about reckless debt or ignoring financial discipline it’s about using smart leverage and sound strategy to build wealth faster, without chasing your tail or missing out on the very opportunities you’ve been working so hard for. If you’ve ever wondered whether saving cash or using a mortgage makes more sense, this episode gives you the data, the logic, and the freedom-focused mindset to make the right move for your future.

Start making passive income here: https://bit.ly/4h2bOOs   Can a YouTube channel actually help you raise more capital, attract better real estate deals, and scale your brand faster than cold calls and mailers?  That’s exactly what I dig into with my friend Kyle Stanley an investor, former sports anchor turned entrepreneur, Airbnb operator, and creator behind @realKyleStanley. If you’re an active investor who wants deal flow on autopilot or a passive investor who wants a smarter way to source and vet operators, this conversation will show you how long-form content becomes your best lead generator. We start with Kyle’s backstory going from struggling entrepreneur to doing his first real estate deal six weeks after joining FortuneBuilders, then building and selling both an Airbnb management company and a mid–six-figure education business. The common thread? He built trust at scale through YouTube and podcasts. Instead of hoarding “secrets,” he leaned into abundance, shared his playbook publicly, and almost by accident created inbound deal flow, private money conversations, and high-value partnerships. We unpack the three channel archetypes any investor can use: - Expert: teach frameworks and case studies when you have reps. - Reporter: interview credible experts (yes, even before you’re one). Borrow authority while you build it. - Documentarian: film the journey property walkthroughs, underwrites, wins, and lessons.  Kyle explains the 7–11 rule (seven hours across at least 11 touches) and why YouTube’s long-form format compounds trust faster than short-form social. We talk strategy for raising money without “pitching,” how consistent content turns you into a magnet for agents, wholesalers, lenders, and limited partners, and why giving away the “what” and “why” inevitably creates paid demand for the “how.” We also hit mindset objections “I’m not charismatic,” “there’s too much competition,” “I don’t have time” and show you how to publish simple, honest videos that attract the right people and quietly repel the wrong ones. If you’re a passive investor, this is a cheat code: use a channel to interview and diligence operators in public. You’ll expand your network, surface better opportunities, and gather insights you’d never get from a pitch deck.  For active operators, Kyle lays out a practical path to consistent posting, realistic expectations, and the compounding effects of showing up weeklyeven when the views are small. We compare celebrity launches (The Rock’s tequila), why audience beats product on day one, and how a steady drip of value creates reciprocity and referrals you can’t buy with ads. We wrap with resources to follow Kyle, how to book a consult if you want help building a channel that raises capital, and a reminder I learned the hard way over 11 years: imperfect action beats perfect planning. You don’t need studio lights to start building trust. You need a phone, a point of view, and the discipline to hit publish. Kyle Stanley's links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realkylestanley/  Website: https://realkylestanley.com/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RealKyleStanley  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-stanley-b0a4a487/ 

Ready to see how infinite banking could work for you? Book a free call here: https://bit.ly/42wZeAO  and let’s make your money work harder, tax-free. Everyone talks about Roth IRAs and many of you ask me about infinite banking but almost no one shows you how to combine infinite banking with real estate, business, or even oil and gas to create what I call a potential “tax-never” outcome. In this episode, I break down exactly how I use properly structured whole life (max-ROI infinite banking) alongside tax-advantaged investments so my money can work in two places at once growing uninterrupted inside the policy while I put capital to work in cash-flowing deals. First, I level-set what a Roth IRA really is: a tax wrapper, not an investment. You can hold CDs, stocks, or even certain real estate inside it. Roth shines when the underlying investment has no tax advantages like simple lending or plain vanilla income funds because the wrapper gives you tax-free growth and withdrawals later. But when you’re using investments that already come with write-offs or depreciation, the Roth can actually block benefits you could have taken elsewhere. That’s where infinite banking is different. I fund a high-cash-value whole life policy with after-tax dollars; the cash value grows tax-advantaged and I can access it via a policy loan or line of credit to invest in whatever I choose without age restrictions. I can’t “place” the investment inside the policy (this isn’t an IRA), but I can leverage the cash value to fund opportunities and keep my dollars compounding. People always ask, “Can I write off my life insurance premiums?” Generally, no if you try to deduct them, you risk losing key tax benefits elsewhere. The smarter move is to let the policy grow and then deploy those dollars into activities that do create deductions. For example, as a business owner (S-Corp), legitimate expenses marketing, R&D, team, systems are deductible. If I borrow against my policy to fund those expenses, I’m still earning crediting inside the policy while capturing the tax write-off at the business level. The interest I pay on policy or bank lines used for bona fide business purposes can often be deductible, too. Same idea in real estate: if you or your spouse qualify as a Real Estate Professional, bonus depreciation and other write-offs can offset active income. I walk through how couples sometimes position the lower-W-2 spouse to achieve RE Pro status so depreciation can reduce the household’s overall tax bill. We also talk about energy specifically oil & gas working interests where portions of your capital can be deductible in year one (depending on the deal structure). Imagine using policy cash value to fund that investment: you get potential deductions up front, income from the project, and your policy value continues compounding in the background—helping you reach work-optional status before age 59½, unlike Roth rules. I tie this into my “Wealth Wheel”: Get Lean (increase cash flow, slash taxes), Get Liquid (store reserves in max-efficiency infinite banking, not in tax-prisons like 401(k)s), and Get Out (deploy into passive, tax-advantaged cash flow). I share how I personally hold emergency and opportunity cash in policies, then cycle it through business, real estate, and energy to accelerate wealth while keeping optionality and minimizing the drag of taxes. If you’ve been looking for a practical, real-world way to combine infinite banking with tax-smart investing and to build freedom without waiting decades this episode gives you the blueprint.

Start making passive income here: https://bit.ly/3KD6Xa9  With all the uncertainty swirling right now, should we run to gold, silver, or something entirely different? And is the U.S. dollar really in trouble or just going through another cycle? In this episode I bring on David Morgan veteran analyst, author, and publisher of The Morgan Report to cut through the noise and help us separate financial dogma from reality. David’s been studying markets for over four decades, and his path started young back when U.S. coins moved from 90% silver to clad. That curiosity led him to dig into how money is created, fractional-reserve banking, and why “all fiat fails” is more than a slogan. You’ll hear the story of how, while working in the aircraft industry as a B-1 bomber crew member, a test pilot’s contrarian newsletter opened the door to an entirely different way of thinking about wealth. We get practical. David explains why most media keeps you in an echo chamber (think Operation Mockingbird and algorithmic bubbles), how to cross-check narratives using international sources (yes, even South African and Russian outlets for a different lens), and how to apply an engineer’s mindset objectivity and first principles to your money. Then we go deep on currencies. Will the dollar “die,” or simply reprice? David outlines two classic paths debt-liquidating deflation vs. hyperinflationary depression and why the likely reality is a split outcome: over-levered assets (like margin-soaked equities and some real estate) reprice lower while essential commodities (especially food) can climb. We talk what that means for everyday investors who want cash flow and stability, not headlines. We also tackle the next phase of money: tokenization and potential CBDCs. David walks through how a digital-first system could roll out (with “on-ramp incentives,” digital ID, and iris-scan pilots already normalizing the idea), what the BIS (Bank for International Settlements) is publishing about the rails, and the kind of “crisis pretext” that could accelerate adoption. Whether you’re crypto-curious or crypto-cautious, you need to understand the direction of travel even if you ultimately choose to stay analog. Actionably, we cover how to position for resilience: • Why hard assets matter (paid-off real estate, energy and ag exposure where practical). • How precious metals can be more than “dead assets” via royalty/streaming companies and selective miners that pay dividends with the potential to boost yield through options overlays like covered calls. • When cryptos might fit as a satellite holding vs. core money metals. • Why self-reliance (even basic home and trade skills) is a real edge in a tech-heavy, fragile system. Finally, David shares resources at themorganreport.com/money (including a concise outline, documentary recommendation, and a complimentary consultation) and his bigger mission: truth, transparency, and financial freedom through honest money. If you care about cash flow, optionality, and owning your financial future not renting it this conversation gives you frameworks you can actually use. David's links: - Website: https://www.themorganreport.com/   - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedavidmorgan/   - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/silverguru/videos   - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMorganReport/  

Start making passive income here:  With all the uncertainty swirling right now, should we run to gold, silver, or something entirely different? And is the U.S. dollar really in trouble or just going through another cycle? In this episode I bring on David Morgan veteran analyst, author, and publisher of The Morgan Report to cut through the noise and help us separate financial dogma from reality. David’s been studying markets for over four decades, and his path started young back when U.S. coins moved from 90% silver to clad. That curiosity led him to dig into how money is created, fractional-reserve banking, and why “all fiat fails” is more than a slogan. You’ll hear the story of how, while working in the aircraft industry as a B-1 bomber crew member, a test pilot’s contrarian newsletter opened the door to an entirely different way of thinking about wealth. We get practical. David explains why most media keeps you in an echo chamber (think Operation Mockingbird and algorithmic bubbles), how to cross-check narratives using international sources (yes, even South African and Russian outlets for a different lens), and how to apply an engineer’s mindset—objectivity and first principles to your money. Then we go deep on currencies. Will the dollar “die,” or simply reprice? David outlines two classic paths debt-liquidating deflation vs. hyperinflationary depression and why the likely reality is a split outcome: over-levered assets (like margin-soaked equities and some real estate) reprice lower while essential commodities (especially food) can climb. We talk what that means for everyday investors who want cash flow and stability, not headlines. We also tackle the next phase of money: tokenization and potential CBDCs. David walks through how a digital-first system could roll out (with “on-ramp incentives,” digital ID, and iris-scan pilots already normalizing the idea), what the BIS (Bank for International Settlements) is publishing about the rails, and the kind of “crisis pretext” that could accelerate adoption. Whether you’re crypto-curious or crypto-cautious, you need to understand the direction of travel even if you ultimately choose to stay analog. Actionably, we cover how to position for resilience: • Why hard assets matter (paid-off real estate, energy and ag exposure where practical). • How precious metals can be more than “dead assets” via royalty/streaming companies and selective miners that pay dividends with the potential to boost yield through options overlays like covered calls. • When cryptos might fit as a satellite holding vs. core money metals. • Why self-reliance (even basic home and trade skills) is a real edge in a tech-heavy, fragile system. Finally, David shares resources at themorganreport.com/money (including a concise outline, documentary recommendation, and a complimentary consultation) and his bigger mission: truth, transparency, and financial freedom through honest money. If you care about cash flow, optionality, and owning your financial future not renting it this conversation gives you frameworks you can actually use. David's links: - Website: https://www.themorganreport.com/  - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedavidmorgan/  - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/silverguru/videos  - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMorganReport/ 

Start making passive income here: https://bit.ly/3VGVJnx  Uncertainty is everywhere right now will the Fed actually cut rates, will tariffs escalate, are we headed for a recession, or another melt-up? If you’ve been frozen on the sidelines, this episode is your wake-up call. I’m joined by David McWilliams economist, bestselling author of The History of Money, founder of Kilkenomics (the world’s only economics + stand-up comedy festival), and a rare voice who makes complex macro easy to act on. We cut through the noise and talk about the only decisions that matter for investors and business owners when markets feel irrational. David explains why zero rates broke traditional valuation, why the S&P 500’s concentration is a warning sign, and how a wave of “unicorns” could face a liquidity crunch as insiders try to exit. We cover the bond vigilantes, the political tug-of-war around the Federal Reserve, and what happens if headline cuts collide with a rising long end. Translation: don’t anchor your future to a single narrative. We also zoom out: reserve-currency shifts from sterling to the dollar didn’t happen overnight and today’s geopolitics (think Modi, Putin, Xi) suggest the next regime is forming in plain sight. David lays out the 40-year cycle change we’re living through: from free trade to tariffs, small to big government, low to rising inflation, open borders to deportations and why those flips create both fear and once-in-a-cycle opportunities. Most important, we bring it back to action. If you’ve listened to me for any length of time, you know I want you work-optional with passive income so you can live free and create a ripple effect. That requires discipline in frothy markets: take profits without guilt, build dry powder, and allocate on your terms, not on Reddit’s. David reminds us: “Nobody ever lost money selling too early.” I’ll add: nobody gets free by outsourcing their thinking to FOMO. We hit practical takeaways on risk management, why cash is a decision not a “do nothing,” how to read the tape when algorithms replace traders, and why money is ultimately a human technology which is why your judgment and relationships matter most. David's links: - Website: https://www.davidmcwilliams.ie/ - X: https://x.com/davidmcw?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor  - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/davidmcw/  - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dmcw_podcast/?hl=en  - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damcwilliams/?originalSubdomain=ie 

Start making passive income here: https://bit.ly/4mEJmmI  We’ve all heard the “4% rule,” right? The idea that you can safely withdraw 4% from your retirement portfolio and never run out of money. But here’s the question I’m tackling today: is that belief quietly holding you back and could you actually triple your retirement income overnight? In this episode, I walk you through why the 4% rule was never a true “rule,” how it was back-tested on a narrow slice of market history, and why it’s even less reliable today with longer lifespans, persistent inflation, and very different market dynamics. Many planners have already downgraded it to a 3% rule for anyone retiring in their 60s and if you’re targeting early retirement, I explain why 2% is often closer to reality. That’s a problem when you’ve got seven figures saved and still can’t create the lifestyle you actually want. I break down the common myth that the S&P 500 reliably delivers 10%+ forever. Most people don’t realize how much of the old long-term average came from dividends and how today’s index is dominated by mega-cap, low-dividend tech. Even if we grant a 10% average for argument’s sake, accumulation math still gets crushed by velocity turning capital into predictable passive income now, not “maybe someday” returns on a spreadsheet. I compare the traditional “big pile, small drip” approach to a cashflow-first strategy that produces real dollars you can spend without cannibalizing principal. You’ll hear real examples from families I’ve worked with: a listener with $1,000,000 told by his advisor to live on 3% ($30,000/yr) who re-engineered his plan across alternative, Main Street investments duplexes, apartments, and energy plays to target well into six figures of annual cash flow. I also share the story of a 50-year-old aspiring health coach with $250,000 who thought she needed a million before she could step back. When we reframed her goal around income, not account size, that same $250k working at 10% became ~$25,000/yr enough to buy her time now, not a decade from now. You’ll also learn: Why safe withdrawal rate math forces you to live below your portfolio’s long-term average—and why higher inflation makes it worse. How DSR (dollars-to-spend reality) beats SWR (safe withdrawal rate) when your income comes from assets that actually pay you monthly. The difference between accumulating assets on paper and building cash-producing assets in the real world. Why shortening your time horizon to income reduces the risk of being wrecked by the next market cycle. How to think about diversification that actually helps (across income streams), not just across ticker symbols. If you’re serious about becoming work optional, stop worshiping at the altar of account balances and start optimizing for cash flow. That’s the path to choice, freedom, and the ability to create a real ripple effect in the lives of others. Want help stress-testing your numbers and mapping a cashflow plan that fits you? Head to MoneyRipples.com check out the Work Optional Calculator and our resources on infinite banking and alternative income strategies and let’s put your money to work so you don’t have to.

Imagine a life where work is optional because your money provides the income. Let’s make that your reality; reserve your call today here: https://bit.ly/4nMWJm0  How do you create a ripple effect when you feel like you don’t have much to give?  In this episode, I pull back the curtain with Alexa DePaolo keynote speaker, entrepreneur, and founder of The Ripple Effect to show you exactly how to build impact and income even when resources feel scarce. If you’ve ever told yourself “I’ll invest in myself when I have more time or money,” this conversation will lovingly call out that boldfaced lie and replace it with a practical path forward. I open with the mission behind Money Ripples: becoming work-optional by building enough passive income to work because you want to, not because you have to. Alexa then shares her raw, rags-to-riches story growing up in poverty without running water or electricity, later a young single mom on welfare who bet on herself with a commission-only career and rebuilt everything. We talk about the mindset shifts that make that kind of turnaround possible: identity, affirmations, and embodied confidence (not fluff). Your brain doesn’t know the difference between truth and a lie so feed it faith, not fear. We dig into why excuses are expensive and how the most costly thing isn’t education it’s ignorance. Alexa and I break down how to get resourceful when cash is tight: carpooling to events, creative ticket strategies, staying with friends, and focusing on ROI instead of out-of-pocket cost. We also get tactical about the power of proximity how one room, one idea, or one relationship can add six or seven figures to your trajectory. If you’ve ever felt like your background (trailer park, anyone?) disqualifies you, this episode reframes your story as your edge. Alexa previews Ripple Effect Live (October 17–18, Denver, CO): a high-intent room for lenders, realtors, and growth-minded entrepreneurs where top performers (consistently closing $50M–$250M+ a year) unpack the exact strategies that move the needle 40%+ while others are shrinking. We talk humility and hunger why you don’t need to be the smartest person in the room, just the most coachable and consistent. We cover the daily disciplines that turn positive self-talk into results: morning mindset reps, clear KPIs, and non-negotiable action. You’ll also hear a reminder from me: you’re always one conversation away from a breakthrough. When I was deep in debt, I sacrificed to get in the right rooms. The more it cost me, the more intentional I became and the bigger the ROI. If you’re on the fence about investing in yourself, ask the real question: What’s the cost of staying where you are? If you’re ready to expand your impact and income, build a network that elevates your net worth, and finally embody the person you keep telling yourself you’ll become “someday,” this episode gives you the mindset and the moves to start now. Alexa's links: - Website: https://www.alexadepaolo.com/  - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexa-depaolo-456352158/overlay/about-this-profile/  - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thealexadepaolo/  - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlexaCOHomeLender/