The podcast momentum is building. We offer the following write up as a teaser for Episode 5.

“Mom, I have a problem. I have a credit card—and I need you to pay the bill.”

“I’m not paying the bill, you have to figure it out. Consider this a lesson.”

That was the exchange Joe Saul-Sehy had with his mother shortly into his first semester in college. Within 90 days, his credit was wrecked. He had no job, no income, no financial aptitude whatsoever—understandably so.

Joe grew up in a family where the topic of money was constantly swept under the rug. His parents even went as far as asking the kids to leave the room if a financial discussion bubbled up.

So, who is this guy, and why would Matt spend an hour interviewing someone who admitted he has been “horrible with money?”

Joe Saul-Sehy is the co-host of The Stacking Benjamins Show: the record-smashing, award-winning, wildly popular podcast covering all things money-related. After years of avoiding conversations about money, Joe now broadcasts conversations about money to thousands of people every week.

In episode five of Take the Long View, Joe joins Matt to tell the story about his mission to make conversations about money fun and accessible. During this interview, Matt and Joe discuss financial independence, the perils of comparing your situation to others, and a traumatic experience with a minibar in Chicago.

Much like Matt, Joe has a knack for burying yawn-inducing jargon into stories that are as entertaining as they are enlightening. As Joe says, “If you don’t think you’re learning, you’re much more open to learning.”

Give it a listen and be sure to share the show with anyone else who’s fed up with finger-wagging, buttoned-up lectures about how you should handle your money.

Oh, and in case you missed it, Joe interviewed Matt back in 2016 right after the launch of Odds On: The Making of an Evidence-Based Investor.

Click here for Episode 5 on Apple or here for other platforms.

Sometimes we run out of time and space to highlight everything we’ve loved reading in the last month. Based on the talk in the office, the following items deserve your attention, even if they didn’t get their own dedicated post.

1. The Randomness of Global Equity Returns – We love this piece by Dimensional and you will too.
2. Meet the Money Whisperer to the NBA Elite – We enjoyed this NYT profile. 
3. 6 St. Louis Dads Highlighted in St. Louis Magazine and you’ll know one of them.
4. Our friend John Jennings nails it with this interesting fact of the day.
5. Podcast Love from St. Louis Magazine

On June 6, 2005, Rick Hill and I inked a deal that changed the trajectory of our lives and eventually hundreds of others.

Over the course of a year, Rick and I met every Wednesday night and Saturday morning to discuss our plan to build a firm that was equal parts high touch and high performance. We called it our “island of idealism.” It may not have been the easiest path to bring that idea to fruition, but as I write this passage on our 14-year-old “island of idealism” at 7701 Forsyth Blvd., I can tell you it was worth every step.

Birthday celebrations often entail trips down memory lane—understandably so. It’s pleasant and comforting to reminisce about how much you’ve grown and achieved. But this year, I want to acknowledge Hill Investment Group’s birthday with a different twist: by looking forward instead of backward.

There’s new energy surging through our firm these days, due mainly to the excitement surrounding our group’s future. Our team, which was recently recognized by the St. Louis Business Journal as one of the best places to work, is growing stronger each day. Hillfolio, our initiative to deliver a better investing experience to a wider audience, is building impressive momentum. And most recently, the launch of our podcast* has given us a new opportunity to spread the word about the value of Taking the Long View.

Some subscribers might know about my reputation as a “relentless agitator” (or a relentless improver). When I was a kid, my mom would challenge me to go 24 hours without suggesting how we could do something better. I never made it longer than five minutes. Fast forward 30+ years and my mentality hasn’t changed a bit. So, if you’re wondering why I’m celebrating HIG’s birthday by looking ahead to 2020, now you know.

Don’t get me wrong—there’s a time and a place to pop the champagne, tell stories, and evaluate the past, but that isn’t the phase we are in today. We are working on the next chapter and how we will serve clients better. We are a competitive lot, which is why Hill Investment Group will never become complacent. We thank our clients, friends and centers of influence who follow this newsletter, for your continued support. And the only birthday present we want from you is your continued trust – because without that we wouldn’t have made it this far.

*Episode 3 features a conversation between Rick and me. Check it out by subscribing here.