The last two months have absolutely flown by.
I completely missed my May podcast roundup, so I figured I’d combine May and June into one update. Life has been busy (sorry about that). We’ve been deep into summer travel with the family, bouncing between road trips, camping, beaches, and vacations, and honestly, I wasn’t listening to much besides audiobooks.
I keep thinking about adding book reviews to these monthly updates because I’ve listened to some really good ones this summer. Then, somewhere along the way, I took a little break from books altogether. Now that we’re back home and settling into a normal routine again, I’ve found myself gravitating back toward podcasts during runs, drives to work, and around the house. So, after a two-month hiatus, here are six episodes that stood out to me from May and June.
Money Meets Medicine had a short episode called “Why FIRE Isn’t the Goal (FIWO).” This one is short and sweet, but I favorited it because it’s exactly where my head has been lately. Financial independence isn’t about never working again. It’s about creating options. I’m not financially independent yet, so I couldn’t stop working tomorrow even if I wanted to. But I’ve built enough financial margin to get a small taste of what that freedom feels like. I still enjoy practicing medicine, and I don’t have any desire to completely retire anytime soon. What I value is the ability to choose how much I work, who I work for, and when I take time off. That’s the real gift of financial independence. It isn’t escaping work; it’s removing the feeling of being trapped by it. This episode did a great job reinforcing that perspective.
The My First Million podcast had an episode called “I Put 80% of My Money in the S&P 500.” The title caught my attention because it feels almost boring, and that’s exactly why I liked it. So much of the financial world is built around finding the next big thing, but this was another reminder that getting wealthy usually isn’t complicated. For most people, consistently investing in broad-based index funds over a long period of time is enough. It isn’t exciting, but that’s kind of the point. Sometimes I think we make investing harder than it needs to be. The simple path isn’t always the easiest emotionally, but history has shown that it works if you’re willing to be patient.
The Masters of Scale podcast had an episode called “IBM’s $10 Billion Bet on What Comes After AI.” This was a fascinating conversation with IBM CEO Arvind Krishna about where AI is today and where he believes it’s heading over the next several years. Rather than focusing on the hype surrounding AI, the discussion centered on how businesses are actually adopting the technology, where the biggest opportunities still exist, and why IBM is investing so heavily in what comes after today’s AI boom. I always enjoy hearing leaders discuss how they’re thinking five or ten years ahead instead of reacting to what’s happening today. Whether or not IBM’s bet proves to be right, it was an interesting look into how one of the world’s largest technology companies is trying to position itself for the next wave of innovation.
The White Coat Investor podcast had an episode called “What My Brain Tumor Taught Me About Life and Money.” Honestly, this wasn’t really a finance episode. It was a conversation about how quickly life can change. The part that stuck with me was the discussion about disability insurance. It’s one of those things that’s easy to put off because you hope you’ll never need it. But once you receive a life-changing diagnosis, you don’t get a second chance to go back and buy it. As medical professionals, we spend so much time focusing on investing and building wealth that it’s easy to overlook protecting the income that makes all of that possible. It was a good reminder that personal finance isn’t just about growing your net worth—it’s also about preparing for the things you hope never happen.
The BiggerPockets Money podcast had an episode called “Is Investing Ethical? How to Invest Without Compromising Your Values.” This one caught my attention because it’s a question I’ve wrestled with before. As someone of faith, I’ve wondered whether pursuing financial independence is really the right goal. Should I simply trust God to provide, or is building wealth through investing part of being a good steward of what He’s entrusted to me? The conversation also explored another interesting question: if you invest in broad-based index funds like I recommend on this blog, you’re inevitably making money from companies whose products or values you may not agree with. Is that simply part of owning the entire market, or is there a line somewhere? I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but I do think it’s healthy to wrestle with questions like these from time to time. We spend a lot of time talking about how to build wealth. I appreciated that this episode challenged me to think a little more about why I’m building it in the first place.
The Money Guy Show had an episode called “Buy Now, Pay Later: The Data Revealed.” I expected another episode telling people to avoid Buy Now, Pay Later, but what caught my attention was the data behind how quickly it’s becoming normal. One in three Americans used a BNPL service for a large purchase last year, but even more surprising, nearly one in four are now using it to buy everyday necessities like groceries and gas. The hosts also shared research showing that 85% of people spend more when they finance purchases this way because breaking a payment into four smaller chunks changes how expensive something feels. I think that’s the real danger. The price hasn’t changed, only our perception of it. It was a fascinating discussion on the psychology of spending and a good reminder that our biggest financial decisions often happen long before we swipe the card.
That’s it for the last couple of months. I’m glad to be back into my normal routine and listening to podcasts again after taking a little break for summer travels. As always, if you’ve listened to any great episodes recently, I’d love to hear about them. Leave your recommendations in the comments. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you next month (assuming I don’t accidentally skip another one!).