The Business of Being a Billionaire ft. Baiju Bhatt

Summary

Financial Tea with Mrs. Dow Jones

Episode: “The Business of Being a Billionaire” ft. Baiju Bhatt

Date: February 19, 2026
Host: Haley Sacks (Mrs. Dow Jones)
Guest: Baiju Bhatt (Co-founder, Robinhood)

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the realities of extraordinary wealth with Baiju Bhatt, co-founder of Robinhood. Host Haley Sacks (“Mrs. Dow Jones”) explores Bhatt’s journey from his modest upbringing as the child of Indian immigrants to becoming a billionaire, the psychological and practical complexities of wealth, what really changes (and what doesn’t), and how Bhatt’s experiences shape his drive, philosophy, and new ventures—including an ambitious space energy startup. The conversation moves from fun financial “icks” to big themes about capitalism, responsibility, family, and staying grounded as life expands.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Market Report & Economic Context [03:40–09:00]

• Dow Jones hits 50k: Markets are booming, but Haley is “a little nervous” due to widening wealth gaps.
• K-shaped economy: Those with assets win big; non-owners “are struggling and the gap … is just getting wider.”
  “If you own assets, only thing that you are doing right now is making more and more money. But the bottom leg of that K is going down.” [04:48]
• Wealth tax talk in California: Potential 5% tax on billionaires triggers a “billionaire exodus” to Florida.
• Mackenzie Scott’s philanthropy: $26B given away, lauded for “unrestricted checks.”
  “She gives them the money and she leaves them alone.” [07:40]
• Jessica Alba’s divorce: Navigating wealth protection without a prenup—“a clean exit.” [08:48]

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2. Getting to Know Baiju Bhatt: The Human Side [09:25–11:52]

• Personal style and space fascination: Bhatt wears a necklace with the solar system, a nod to his father’s NASA career.
• Financial “ick”: “Spending like an exorbitant amount of money on food... you eat it and then you poop it out.” [10:17]
• Do you feel rich today?
  “New York always makes me feel poor… I was dead broke here.” [10:52–11:36]

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3. Origin Story & Building Robinhood [11:52–16:23]

• Meeting Vlad (co-founder) at Stanford: Shared background (only children, physics, modest means).
• Fundraising struggles: Over 50 investor rejections; degree helped open doors but the real lesson:
  “When people invest in companies at an early stage… they’re betting on the people 100%.” [15:10]
• Lesson for entrepreneurs: Focus pitches on yourself and your story, not just the plan.

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4. Mindset Shifts: Becoming a 'Paper' Billionaire [16:23–18:54]

• Personal spend post-success:
  “First thing: I bought a black Porsche 911.” [16:33]
• Real change: Security, ability to focus:
  “Being able to exhale a little bit … to focus on the company.” [16:42]
• Liquidity lessons:
  “If you have the situation where on paper you’ve got like a zillion dollars, but in your bank account you’ve got like, nothing… That’s not how you want to approach your day to day.” [18:30]

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5. Foundations & Building a Personal “Company” [21:56–23:22]

• Growing family: Met wife at Stanford, married after a breakup and reconciliation.
• Building a support team:
  • Trainer (“Giles, who is ripped”)
  • Estate manager (retired special forces, helps manage cars and logistics)
  • Full-time car mechanic
  • Three nannies for three kids, fourth on the way

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6. Parenting, Generational Wealth, and Philosophy [24:31–25:56, 27:36–29:09]

• On teaching kids about money:
  “You can’t actually recreate the childhood I had for them … the most important thing is just be super successful at whatever you want to do and use the resources you have to make that happen.” [25:03]
• Responsibility of wealth:
  “For a lot of people, it’s philanthropy. For me the big focus is on creating stuff… using that know-how and those resources to knock down bigger and more important problems.” [29:16–29:44]
• On American opportunity:
  “It was never, ever lost on me that my parents left a life that they had … to pursue this dream … [America is] a place where you have the ability to pursue your own self-betterment.” [26:31–27:36]

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7. Systems, Security, and Managing a Billionaire’s Finances [30:02–34:08]

• Family office:
  “It’s like a financial firm that you hire that manages your money ... help with your day to day in life.” [32:48]
• Key hires: Chief legal officer (“Having really, really, really good lawyers that you trust is critical...” [33:37])
• Staying curious:
  “You don’t have to be obsessed with finances, but you have to have good systems and people.” [34:08]

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8. Democratizing Wealth: Why Robinhood? [34:08–36:55]

• Mission:
  “If more people care about their own finances … more people have a shared interest in the whole system succeeding … If you think it’s really creating this much wealth inequality, why not have more people be a part of the thing?” [35:28]
• Mindset shift: Encourages starting young, building curiosity, and not giving in to financial nihilism.

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9. Credit Cards, Debt, Vulnerability [45:45–47:27]

• Personal story: Didn’t get a credit card till after becoming a billionaire, due to first-generation immigrant caution.
  • “I actually got my first credit card, like, over COVID ... I think it was like zero [credit score].” [46:05–46:42]
• On debt: “I’m still that kid … I’m a simple man.” [46:58–47:14]

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10. Family, Friendship, and Staying Grounded [48:06–51:12]

• Parenting: Not yet ready to broach the money conversation with his young children.
• Biggest challenge of success:
  “I think it’s hard to keep friends. The nature of friendship changes a lot … People treat you a little differently when you’ve been successful or they imagine you’re living your life in some very, very different way.” [48:16–48:39]
• On humility:
  “There was a way I approached the world when I was not a successful person—with humility and curiosity.” [49:17]
• Community and peer group: Building and maintaining strong relationships with other ambitious people, especially post-COVID.

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11. Why Keep Working After ‘Winning’? [50:55–51:12]

• On retiring:
  “See what that feels like. It gets real boring real fast.” [51:12]

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• [04:48] Host on widening wealth gap: “We live in a little something called a K-shaped economy … if you own assets, only thing that you are doing right now is making more and more money. But the bottom leg of that K is going down.”
• [10:14] Bhatt on “financial icks”: “Spending like an exorbitant amount of money on food ... you eat it and then you poop it out.”
• [10:52] Bhatt on feeling rich: “New York always makes me feel poor.”
• [15:10] Bhatt on early pitching: “When people invest in companies at an early stage ... they're betting on the people 100%.”
• [16:33] Bhatt on first purchase: “I told myself the moment I made some money, I was going to buy a Porsche 911.”
• [25:12] Bhatt on teaching kids about wealth: “If I had had the resources that I have now when I was a kid … I would have made the most of it. And so they should do the same.”
• [27:47] Bhatt on the American Dream: “What Robinhood has done as a product, it has given millions of people access to the public markets and the ability to ... pursue their own self betterment.”
• [46:05] Bhatt on credit cards: “I think I actually got my first credit card, like over COVID.”
• [48:31] Bhatt on maintaining friendships: “People treat you a little differently when you’ve been successful.”
• [49:34] Bhatt’s philosophy: “Do you approach it like a successful person, or do you approach it like the person that built it the last time? ... I’m kind of trying to approach it like the person that built it the last time.”
• [51:12] Bhatt on retirement: “Live that dream. See what that feels like. It gets real boring real fast.”

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:40–09:00 – Market tea: Wealth gap, billionaire exodus, California tax, charitable giving
• 09:25–11:52 – Bhatt’s background, personal quirks, rich/poor perceptions
• 11:52–16:23 – Origin story, challenges building Robinhood
• 16:23–18:54 – On wealth transition, liquidity, financial whiplash
• 21:56–23:22 – Family, building a personal support structure
• 24:31–25:56 – Parenting and generational wealth philosophy
• 27:36–29:09 – Capitalism, opportunity, societal role of billionaires
• 30:02–34:08 – Systems, family office, legal and financial management
• 34:08–36:55 – Robinhood’s mission, democratizing investing
• 45:45–47:27 – Credit, debt, and vulnerability as a billionaire
• 48:06–51:12 – Friendships, humility, reason for continued ambition

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Conclusion

Baiju Bhatt’s story—one of beginnings, grit, learning, and immense transition—dives beyond the numbers, unpacking the strange reality of billionaire life. From managing a household like a company, accepting that some things become easier while others (like relationships and raising grounded kids) become more complex, to a candid admittance of money habits carried over from humble roots, Bhatt offers a rarely-heard combination of openness, intelligence, and humility. The episode closes with a nuanced reflection: financial success isn’t a finish line—it’s a new starting point.

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Final Highlight:
“I think it’s just such a better way to live your life. … We’re not dead yet. We’ve got stuff to do.” — Baiju Bhatt [50:59]

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

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[A]

Unbelievable.

[B]

Okay, I accepted the offer. They're picking it up Tuesday from the driveway. I haven't even left my chair. It's done. The car is gone. I'm holding a check anyway. Carvana, give it a whirl. Love ya.

[A]

So good you'll want to leave a voicemail about it. Sell your car today on Carvana. Pickup fees may apply. What's up rich people? It's me, Haley, aka Mrs. Dow Jones, and this is Financial Tea. What's up sippers? Welcome back to Financial Tea, the podcast where I teach you how to build wealth with a side of market drama, money scandals and financial pop culture. Today's guest is basically the blueprint for new money. Baju Bot is the co founder of Robinhood and you guys, he's here. And just to be clear, Robinhood is the reason that you can take out your phone and trade stocks for free. Like it's that investing app that democratized it for millennials who are always on their phones. And he's basically the reason that retail investor became a household. Like he made investing part of the culture for everyone, not just Wall street, but T. Baju has stepped away from his day to day life at Robinhood. Guys, he's not the company anymore. I mean he's still on the board but now he's onto his next chapter which is obviously space. Like he's trying to beam solar energy from space to earth using lasers, which is chic and we should probably find out about. But this is some billionaire shit. And today, speaking of which, we're gonna talk about the business of being a billionaire. So like what it's like to actually go from being a physics student at Ste Stanford with immigrant parents to having a net worth with nine zeros, the responsibilities that come with it. Who's in his inner circle when your life changes that dramatically and how you think about money once you've already won the game. Like why is he still working? Shouldn't he retire? But first, let's get into the MDJ Market Report Fresh weekly. So we are up to date on what's even happening on Wall street these days. Okay guys, welcome to the Market Report. This is our Monday evening edition. It is 8p. I just popped open a fresh spin drift. We're about to get into it because there is a lot that you need to know about what's happening in finance and the economy right now. So I literally just got back from my parents house in Miami. I ran over to the office press record and we're gonna go through it. So here are the stories that you need to know. Okay, first of all, I don't know if you've heard but the dow did hit 50k for the first time last week. So like the Dow is crushing. The stock market is doing amazing. Probably like yes, Mrs. Dow Jones, let us pop champagne. And you know, like I'm definitely excited but what I'm also a little worried about is the wealth discrepancy because we live in a little something called a K shaped economy. And what that means is like with the letter K, if you are on the top arm of that K, things are going up, you're going to the moon. If you own assets, only thing that you are doing right now is making more and more money. But the bottom leg of that K is going down. And that's everyone who doesn't own assets. And it's like yeah, they are struggling and the gap between those two arms is just getting wider and wider. Groceries have increased 25% in the last like four or five years but wages have not kept up. So I mean a, this is why we always talk about investing. We're obsessed with investing. You've got to get on that upper leg of the K by owning assets. But also, I just like have been reading all these crazy stories about billionaires and the wealth gap. And I'm like, something' brewing. There's something that's going to happen because, you know, like in this society you can't. Like we need a middle class, we need a middle ground and that's sort of disappearing. But yeah, so Dow hit 50K. We're excited, but we're also a little nervous because we want to make sure that, that we do have a middle class and we don't just have top tier and a bottom tier baby. Okay, the next story is, you know, of course we're talking about the wealth gap. The wealth gap is hitting a 30 year high. So California, little state called California, has decided to enforce a wealth tax. Well, you know, they're voting to get it through. It's not official yet, but basically they want to charge billionaires a 5% tax. And yeah, you know, they've got them right where they want them. They said, paws up, you're gonna have to pay taxes now. Cause, you know, billionaires hate taxes. But here's the thing that they didn't account for is that they could just move these people. Yeah, they can actually just get new houses. And that is what they've done. They are all moving to Florida. The founders of Google just bought places in Florida. Mark Zuckerberg was just announced to be moving to Florida because this is already there. There is a full on billionaire exodus from California to Florida. And yeah, so, you know, you can run, but you can't hide is what I say. Because I do think that we are getting to the point where there probably needs to be a little bit of tax reform around billionaires. But right now the only thing that's really being taxed is our patience for humidity. So we have to see where we land there. But if you want to hear what happens when a billionaire chooses to share the wealth voluntarily, look no further than our girl, Mackenzie Scott, formerly Bezos, because she has just set a new record for charitable giving. Yep. She has donated. Say it with me now. $26 billion in the last seven years. Like while everyone is, you know, fighting over tax brackets, moving to Miami, Mackenzie is just out here writing unrestricted checks, which is really cool, and basically means she does not micromanage her giving. Like she, you know, vets a foundation, decides she wants to donate to them, and then she gives them the money and she leaves them alone. She lets them do their work, which is freaking amazing. She gave away $7.2 billion last year, which is more than her ex, Jeff and Elon Musk have given away in their lifetimes combined. Yeah, let that sink in. So love you, Mackenzie. You are everything to us. And if you're watching this, just know we would love to have you on the show. We would. We really would. Oh, and speaking of protecting your wealth strategically, Jessica Alba, girl, congrats. Jessica Alba's divorce went through from Cash Warren. Yep. They are officially no longer husband and wife. But it was a bit of a, you know, a tough one to figure out because they famously had no prenup, which is like, jessica, you know, talk to me, girl. We will make sure that never happens again. But she. And she was so successful. She started the Honest company, which is like. Everyone's obsessed with the Honest company, the baby wipes. My little nephew Earnest, he's always using the Honest Company wipes. Like, they really do a lot of good work over there. But I felt like the husband could have really taken her for a pretty penny. But I was shocked to see that they have settled for a $3 million payment. So he's going to get a $3 million split up into two payments. 1.5 million this year, 1.5 million next year, and then they're done. No spousal support, no nothing. And I sort of feel like she crushed it. I mean, she has a lot of money and a lot of assets, and she just had to do three mil. Go, girl. Go, Jessica. Team Jessica. That is a clean exit if I've ever seen one. Okay, that is the market tea for this week. Now let's go to my conversation with Bju Bot on the business of being a billionaire. You're going to love this one, Baju Bot. Welcome to the financial tea. We're so excited that you're here. Before we kick things off, I just wanted to ask you a few quick questions. What's the coolest thing that you're wearing?

[C]

Oh, it's definitely this necklace.

[A]

Okay, let's Sick.

[C]

My wife got this for me.

[A]

That's sick.

[C]

Isn't that amazing?

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

This was my 40th birthday gift, and on the back is the solar system.

[A]

No. Oh, because you love space.

[C]

I do. Yeah. Yes.

[A]

Because your dad also was, like, worked at NASA.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

So it's in your blood.

[C]

I grew up around, like, the space industry my whole life. My dad was a research scientist at Langley Research center, working with NASA and actually doing stuff that's not that dissimilar from what I'm doing now, which, like, Roads lead back. Yeah. The apple doesn't fall that far from the tree.

[A]

What about, do you have any financial icks? Like you're obviously around a lot of people. Probably around a lot of like really successful people and like when they're moving with money, like is there ever behaviors that just sort of give you the, the heebie jeebies?

[C]

I think spending like an exorbitant amount of money on food.

[A]

Oh, okay. Interesting.

[C]

Yeah. That I'm just like, I don't really get it because you eat it and then you poop it out and then it's like it's gone. You know what I mean?

[A]

Do you have an example of that?

[C]

I sometimes go out to these events and people have the fanciest wine.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And I'm like, number one, there's going to be a headache immediately.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Number two, like what do you, you know, I guess there's a, there's a real like, if you're into it, there's like a, you know, like there's a cool factor to like here's a really important expensive thing and we're just going to consume it. But I guess maybe I'm saying I don't really like wine that much.

[A]

Last question. Do you feel rich today?

[C]

New York always makes me feel poor.

[A]

Damn.

[C]

Yeah, New York always makes me. Because I, when I first was an entrepreneur, like I started my first two companies in New York and I was dead broke. Like dead dead broke. I remember my co founder and I had a two bedroom apartment that was also our office. And at the time we had like several of our college friends that were interns but we weren't actually paying them anything. Some of them we were, but anyways they were living with us and so there were like at least like three or four dudes living in a two bedroom apartment and it was just, it was too much sweaty and miserable and we were so broke. So yeah, every time I come to New York I sort of just like

[A]

get you like remember it's like ptsd.

[C]

It's a little bit like ptsd.

[A]

What did it like look like when you were broke? Like like what were like some of your habits?

[C]

Well, I just remember I used to eat like, like the halal street meat guys or like the shawarma down the street. Yeah, like that was like the go to meal.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

So you and Vlad, your co founder of Robinhood, started two companies before Robinhood. So like, you know, people always talk about finding the one in relationships but like did you feel like you had that with Vlad at Stanford. You like laid eyes on him and you were like, that's the one. That's my co founder.

[C]

I kind of do. Yeah, I kind of do. I remember the first time I met him actually we met during one of the summers in between the years of colle. And we were both in this like summer research program through the physics department.

[A]

And you had so much in common.

[C]

Yeah, we were both only children. We both grew up in Virginia. We both had some variation of this haircut.

[A]

Yeah, it was a great haircut.

[C]

Oh, thank you. And we were both studying physics and so. And it's kind of like this thing like for me at least going to Stanford, having grown up kind of broke, like you go there and you're like, oh my God. Not only is this place intellectually intimidating, but the people here come from like Nepo babies, af. Yeah, they come from like well to do families. And you just. I felt very lonely and I found myself like looking for basically like really, really long term friendships. I mean I met my wife at Stanford.

[A]

Yeah, everything happens.

[C]

My co founder there. And so yeah, we were kind of like. I was like, oh, this is like the brother.

[A]

I never had the guy.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay. But when you were first time founder at Stanford, how did you raise money? Because I feel like so many people are going to, you know, they're going to want to know what are the secrets? Because a lot of people are trying to raise for their businesses and especially in this economic landscape. Not easy.

[C]

Yeah, we, we ate shit and burned a lot. Like we sucked at it.

[A]

How many times did you get node?

[C]

Like probably over 50.

[A]

How did you even get those?

[C]

I mean we would just. I mean this was kind of the. I look back on what was useful about going to Stanford and doing this because I studied physics and math. That was not super relevant for creating Robinhood. What was really relevant was when we were in our early 20s trying to start a company. We had a, like a, you know, like basically a badge that we were smart. We went to Stanford, we studied physics and math. And so there was a certain point where like people just took us somewhat seriously, which took on different forms of.

[A]

So it was worth getting the degree.

[C]

Yeah, it was absolutely. So I think that's like one of the biggest things that came from it. But going through all those meetings and like hearing no's from investors, there was a bunch of really interesting stuff that came of it. And I think this will actually be useful for people that are listening to this.

[A]

Okay, good.

[C]

But there was a version of those early pitches where we had this, like, very detailed plan of what we thought we were going to do. Right. It's like, we're going to build this and then this and then this. And we would go and we would pitch it to investors. And it was not like. Like that wasn't actually what would play out. Right. Like, the plan was like, very detailed in specific ways.

[B]

And.

[C]

And people would pick it apart and be like, it's not going to work because of this thing. And we'd be like, well, that's just what we think we're going to try to do, but we're going to ideally figure it out over time. And then the light bulb kind of went off, I think probably after like a year or two of not really succeeding at fundraising. That fundamentally, when people invest in companies at an early stage, before you've got a product, before you've got, like, substantive stuff to show for it, is they're betting on the people 100%. They're betting on, like, whether they think you are a good entre entrepreneur. The idea could be completely wrong. Yeah. But are you the kind of person

[A]

that's gonna see it through?

[C]

And so then I remember early on, like, when we were trying to raise the first million dollars to get the thing started, we started doing it differently, where we would go in and we'd be like, we'll send you the materials afterwards. But the first meeting, we just want to talk to you about what the idea is.

[A]

That's sort of punk rock.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

And it sort of flipped it on their. On their heads and said, you know, we're actually. We're gonna drive this ship.

[C]

What people actually cared about and this. You know, there are still plenty of people that said no.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

But they were fundamentally interested in whether we were the guys.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

That we're gonna see it through. Even if the idea was totally wrong

[A]

with Robinhood, though, what's so crazy is that three years after launching it, so you're going from, okay, you're in New York, you guys are broke, you have your two startups, then you move back to California, you Robin Hood. Three years later, it gets a valuation for a billion dollars. Did that give you financial whiplash? Like, what did that feel like? How did that change your everyday?

[C]

It didn't change it that much in the very beginning. I mean, I. I kind of told myself the moment I made some money, I was going to buy a Porsche 911. Yeah.

[A]

Cause you're a car guy.

[C]

Yeah, I did that. That was like one of the first things that I did. What color a Black one.

[A]

Chic. Okay. Do you still have it?

[C]

I do actually.

[A]

Never get rid of it.

[C]

No, I.

[A]

That's her baby. She's iconic.

[C]

Yeah. But what did change in those early days? I think being able to exhale a little bit. Right. Was a big part of it. I think also being able to, like, earnestly focus on the. The company building. Because if you're. There's a threshold of being broke where it's very distracting.

[A]

Yeah, totally. And expensive. Like you. If you have overdraft fees, things like that, where it's like you just feel like you're on this hedonic treadmill.

[C]

And interestingly to that point, like through the history of building Ramadan, one of the things that I. That I did very regularly is I would go and interview customers. Like, I would go travel around to middle America and just sort of pretend I was a software engineer, something like that. So people weren't like, oh, that's the guy. Yeah, that's, you know, that's the guy that started in the corner and just listen to the stories of people and their money and you realize exactly like this, where overdraft fees and stuff like this. Like that, like a big deal for people in their lives. Right.

[A]

Huge deal. And it's a whole industry, like, that's like what propels so many financial services companies.

[C]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

So, okay, so nothing really changed, but, like, did how people treat you change? Like, did you have any, like, weird moments? And also how with your actual bank account, like when you. When your net worth is tied up in a company that is highly valued, that's not liquidity. So, like, you know what I mean? So you're like, I know about liquidity, but, like, so how does it actually, like, you know, affect you?

[C]

So I, you know, I stole. I sold a little bit of stock in the early days of the company, which I think as an entrepreneur, if you get that chance to do it, especially if you're the first time around, is, I think a. It's a. It helps you kind of think a little bit more long term.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Because you. If you have the situation where on paper you've got like a zillion dollars.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

But in your bank account you've got like, nothing.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

That's not gonna. That's not how you wanna be approaching your day to day. Like, you wanna.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

You wanna have a little bit of calm again, kind of in service of this idea of like, focusing on the thing you're trying to accomplish. Right. Because at the end of the day that, that decade or so of my life was about building that product and making it useful for people. Right, but you did.

[A]

Yeah, it worked.

[C]

And so, like, everything else is noise. Like, it's the product and serving the customers that is the alpha and the omega of every day. And that's kind of how I approached it. Right. So, like, if you're. And this is kind of, again, kind of coming back to love of cars, like, that's one thing I kind of used to say is I could kind of like booby trap my life with fun stuff because no matter what I'm doing during the day, I still have to, like, go back and forth from work. And so if I can make that little part of my day a little bit more joyful, because I love cars, it helps kind of focus on the main thing, which is building products that people want and making them useful for people.

[A]

Okay, we need to talk about quints, because this is exactly the kind of brand that makes getting dressed easier, smarter, and cost less. Quints is all about elevated essentials that feel effortless. So, like the kind of pieces that you can actually build a wardrobe around. And everything is designed for layering and mixing. So you're not just buying trendy one offs that you have no idea how to actually style. Like, you're buying those staples that you can reach for over and over again and actually make getting dressed easy. What they're really good at is nailing the basics, but with quality that's made to last. So like 100% European linen and organic cotton. And it shows the stitching, the feel, the way the pieces hold up season after season. Like, these are clothes that really can earn a piece in your rotation. So refresh your wardrobe with quint. Go to quint.com financial tea for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's q-I n c.com financial tea. Okay, raise your hand if you've been putting off a dental cleaning, an annual checkup, or honestly, any kind of doctor's appointment. My hand is not up, you guys. For me, I'm obsessed, obsessed with preventative health care. Something that I've really learned in my financial journey is how important preventative health care really is. And so this year, let's do things differently and let's find doctors that we love and book appointments with them on ZocDoc. And Zoc Doc is this free app and website that helps you find and book high quality in network doctors so you can find someone you love so you can literally book in network Appointments. With more than 150,000 providers across all 50 states, appointments made through Zocdoc happen fast, like, typically within just 24 to 72 hours of booking. And you can even score same day appointments, which is amazing when you wake up just so sick and you just need some help. Stop putting those doctor's appointments off and go to Zocdoc.com financialtea to find and instantly book a doctor you love today. That's z o c-o c.com financialtea zocdoc.com financialtea thanks doc doc for supporting this message. Okay, so life changed really fast. But then you were in it for a while, but, you know. Yeah. So you, you. But you met your wife in college.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

So how long into Robin Hood did you guys, like, get married?

[C]

We got to. So we. We dated for a few years before we broke up for a little while.

[A]

Do you think it's important to break up, like, in any relationship?

[C]

I think it was important for us.

[A]

Yeah. I feel like that always works though. It's like, then you come back together stronger.

[C]

Yeah, we, like, we were kids when we first met.

[A]

Right.

[C]

We were, we were like, we're like college sweethearts.

[A]

It's like the notebook vibes.

[C]

Yeah. And then we, we got back together and when we did, it was like, we're like, okay, if we're gonna do this, like, we're definitely.

[A]

We're in that.

[C]

We're gonna get married, we're gonna have family.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

The whole nine yards.

[A]

Do you have people? Like, I feel like something that is not really talked about, but that's so important is like, as your life gets bigger, as you get more successful, as you accumulate more wealth, you also have to accumulate like a team around you to support that.

[C]

Yeah, I think. Important.

[A]

Yeah. So, like, what does, what did that look like to set that up? Because obviously you set up many companies, but, like, now you are a company too. Your home life as a company.

[C]

Yeah. Yeah. Okay, so I'm gonna give a shout out to my trainer who I got kind of recently.

[A]

Okay, cool. That's.

[C]

His name is Giles and he is ripped.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

He is a very, very handsome dude.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

So I work out with him right now four times a week, I think, but I want to go up a little bit.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

So he's one. I have my estate manager who has been kind of by my side for a really long time. He's awesome.

[A]

What does he do?

[C]

He does all the different things in my life. So he spends a lot of time with like the car collection because he's also a car guy. That's like one of the things that he's spending a lot of time on. He also helps kind of with the day to day of things. Right. So he travels with me pretty often. He's an old special forces guy.

[A]

Oh, sh. That's really cool.

[C]

So he's like a walking Swiss army knife. I love that. And he's, he's very like, you know, he won't. If you ask him, it's like, well, what was that like when you were in the armed services? He'd be like, he'll never tell you. And I'm like, oh, shit.

[A]

Yeah, he's seen some things. This is like relaxing. He's like, oh my. This is retirement for me. I'm just hanging out with some cars.

[C]

Another person that we have that joined us recently is the car mechanic. So I have a full time guy whose job it is to fix and work on cars.

[A]

That's major.

[C]

And he's really good and I love having him in the mix.

[A]

Okay, so we've got trainer.

[C]

We have some nannies.

[A]

We have some nan. How many you guys have? Because you've got three kids. You got another on the way.

[C]

Three kids. My wife is pregnant, so yeah, we have, I think, three nannies.

[A]

Three nannies. And then when, and then obviously when the baby comes, you'll have, you know, night nurse, all that stuff.

[C]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

That's important.

[C]

Four. Four boys is a lot of boys.

[A]

That's a lot of boys. That's a lot of boys. Yeah. How do you handle generational wealth with them and like talking about money and like your success?

[C]

I don't really know, to be totally honest. I think the. There's a version of this that you can do where it's like you want to try to recreate the childhood. I like, if I were to try to recreate the childhood I had for them where you kind of like force these difficult circumstances on them.

[A]

Yeah, you're like, you have to, you know, get.

[C]

Yeah, it's like you can't actually have this.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[C]

I don't, I don't think that's the right thing to do, to be totally honest. Yeah, I think the most important thing you can do is just sort of phony. Yeah, it is sort of phony.

[A]

It's like, why would you manufacture that?

[C]

I think the bigger thing for them and again, if they're listening someday, is like, just try to like be super successful at whatever you want to do and use the fact that you've had you Know the resources in life to like make that happen. Right. Because I mean, if I had had the resources that I have now when I was a kid to, to, to pursue the life, like, yeah, I would have made the most of it. Right. But and so they should do the same, basically. And it's kind of interesting, right, because it's like, what are they going to do? Like in this world of AI and the way the world is changing, like, what kind of jobs are they going to have? And I think the through line that's like the most important is whatever you do, just work super duper hard and try to be the best.

[A]

So like the business of being a billionaire, it's a lot of work. But you're making. Do we have our nice structure? Do you feel like a lot of societal. Do you feel a lot of pressure from yourself to like have impact with your money? Like, explain that a little bit because I mean, there's so many people who are like, there's no such thing as an ethical billionaire and you know, who are sort of have feelings about it. Yeah, I'm a capitalist. So like, I believe that, like, it's amazing to be able to make a lot of money and that, that's a, that's part of the American dream.

[C]

It is. Well, let's zoom out a little bit and then zoom back in.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

The zooming out thing is actually related to the idea of Robin Hood and also related to a lot of like my story as a human being. My family came to the US from India because my dad wanted to pursue higher education. He wanted to study physics. And it was like very, very. It was never, ever lost on me that my parents left a life that they had and a family they had behind to pursue this dream. So there was like this constant thought that like my parents made sacrifices to be a part of American society. And it was like, this is the place of upward economic mobility, which you can look at it as narrowly as like, this is a place that you can start businesses and make money. But if you look at it more broadly and kind of think about it where we are as a moment in time, like it is a place where you have the ability to pursue your own self betterment, love that. And that manifests in like life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Right. Like these very basic ideas. This doesn't exist other places in the world.

[A]

Yeah. Know that you literally went from baroque in like New York City a million people years ago.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Yes. And then in three years you were at the helm of a company worth Billions of dollars.

[C]

Like that's, that doesn't happen other places. That happens in America though. And so I guess also what Robinhood has done as a product, it has given millions of people access to the public markets and the ability to take whatever money that they've made and put it to work and pursue their own self betterment. Like these are the most important ideas of our society and it is incredibly unique, this place in the world that we have these freedoms. So the zoomed out version of this is capitalism is not a bad thing at all. I think it's actually freedom in its purest form to be able to do what you want and to be able to create a life for yourself. So I think it's super duper important and I think it's sad that we live in a time where that's called into question because I think it's fundamentally a good thing. I think all the alternatives to it have never worked out and they fundamentally involve abdicating a degree of individuality. Right. Giving up some agency in life as time goes by, as like my life goes on. The ability to be myself, the ability to do what I want and like express those ideas through my effort, hard work, all these things, like that's what matters to me. And I think these are really closely tied to the ideas of capitalism.

[A]

Do you feel a responsibility to society to be an ethical billionaire? And how does that manifest for you?

[C]

Yeah, so I think the way it manifests for me, I think it's trying to put my resources, time and money to things that I think are important. Yeah, right. Where for a lot of people, I think that's like a big, big, big focus on philanthropy. For me the big focus is on like creating stuff. And that's what I'm doing professionally. Right. Is I'm trying to create another company that hopefully has a really meaningful impact on the world as a whole.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And like not just thinking about myself as like a person that's got money, but as a person that can create things and that can use that know how and those resources to like knock down bigger and more important problems. Right.

[A]

I talk so much about obviously like money and how people build wealth and manage their money. And I think that like, you know, most people are just on a track where they're trying to get out of the red and like feel some sort of solvency, which is totally possible. I do believe that. But it does really come from systems. So like what sort of systems do you have to keep an eye on your, on your finances? Because I can Only imagine, like, that there's got to be nefarious people who try to take advantage or try to sell you on weird deals or. You know what I mean? Like, you have to have trusted advisors who help you understand how to allocate your capital.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Will you walk us through that a little bit? And also, like, are there secret banks for billionaires? Like, do you have, like, Chase? I mean, you use Robinhood, but, like, you know what I mean? Like, what sort of. Sort of cool things you get access to?

[C]

Yeah, so actually, I did have a Chase bank account for a really long time, like, during many of the early years, and I kind of just kept my money there.

[A]

They were like, you're a really good customer.

[C]

Yeah, it was very great customer forum.

[A]

Well, you seem like you've always been really focused. Like, even after Robin Hood, you know, did so well. It's like you're. Yes, you have a cool car to drive to the office, but you're still driving to the office.

[C]

Yeah, every day.

[A]

Like, it's just about doing the work. But, like, do you have financial advisors? How much do you keep an eye on what's happening? Because there's so many stories of people who, when they don't keep an eye on things. Like, that happened to Rihanna. Did you know the Rihanna song?

[C]

No, I don't.

[A]

Bitch better have my money Bitch better have my money. You know?

[C]

No. Tell me what happened to her. I don't know.

[A]

She was, like, so big in. She, you know, she was doing her Ponder Replay tour. Like, had totally blown up. She was with Jay Z's record company, and they gave her accountants. They were like, okay, like, here's the people who will manage your money, whatever. And so she blindly trusted them and just focused on the work, you know, was like, okay, I'm gonna make my music, I'm gonna dance. I'm gonna interact with my fans. Like, they've got that. And then she had done a worldwide tour. Like, been working every night, grinding. And she came back and was like, I wanna buy a house. And she couldn't afford a house. And so she was like, what's going on with my money?

[C]

Oh, no.

[A]

And realized that they had been, like, taking exorbitant fees, like, totally messing up her taxes, like, just completely screwed her financially. And so she obviously got rid of them. Has since become a billionaire with Fenty. Wrote the song bitch, Better on My Money. But I think it's such a good example of, like, the importance of having a money date. And so I wonder, sort of how you make sure that you don't have those people in your life or like, who. How do you know that you can trust people? What's the system for you? Like, walk us through it.

[C]

I've got a family office. I manage most of my money. They're very responsible. They.

[A]

And what is a family office?

[C]

It's like a financial firm that you hire that manages your money and they kind of help with your day to day in life.

[A]

So. And they basically, they take your money and they invest it. And it's almost like its own hedge fund or something.

[C]

Yeah, they invest the money. They sometimes they invest in other companies and they bring like deals and stuff forward to me. They also actually help with a lot of other stuff in life too. So they like kind of help with. With hiring people and like managing our. We don't have a huge number of people work for us. We have a handful of people they kind of help manage that.

[A]

I now have like payroll, things like that.

[C]

Yeah, yeah, we have another company now that does payroll for them and stuff too. I also have a person that's a, like chief legal officer of my family office.

[A]

Smart. That's always the first hire.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

You need a good lawyer.

[C]

This is like one thing that I've learned over the years is like, like having really, really, really good lawyers that you trust is like a critical thing in life, especially as a successful person.

[A]

Okay. But like, because so much of what we do is just like helping people with their finances. So like, I feel like it's cool that you've created something where it is. It's in the background. And I always think about that with money too, where it's like, you don't have to be someone who's obsessed with finances to have a good relationship to your money. You just have to have good systems and good people to help you.

[C]

You have to be fundamentally curious about it. I think this is one thing that. So talking a little bit about this specifically. Right. This was one of the thoughts behind creating Robinhood because we started the idea for it came with a backdrop of Occupy Wall street and all that stuff happening. We're again kind of relating back to the importance of capitalism. That was another period in time where a generation of young people looked at the financial system and they're like, this thing is broken. This doesn't work. We've got to tear it down. Because it's just so broken. And at that point in time we're like, what the, like what the heck is going on here? Right. Because again, our families both came to this country to Pursue a better life. And there was a sense of, like, there's another way, which is, like, if more people care about their own finances and the way the financial system works, then more people will have a shared interest in the whole system succeeding, which I think is way better than people looking at the sort of system and the constructs of capitalism being like, that's broken. Instead, you can be a part of it. And if you think it's really creating this much wealth inequality, why not have more people be a part of the thing?

[A]

Yeah. Because obviously we all know how you grow wealth is investing. You can't.

[C]

You have to save your money.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

You can't earn, spend it all when you get it.

[A]

And you can't save your way to wealth either. You have to make sure that it's in the market. It doesn't matter where you're at in your financial journey. Like, that is just how it goes.

[C]

I think this was, like, probably the. Arguably the biggest breakthrough that Robinhood created is it was built for an audience of young people. Right. It was built for an audience of people that for generations before had been like, wait till you're like, plus or minus 5 to 10 years from retirement and then think about saving your money. But if you kind of think about that, what that created was a generation of young people that were apathetic about this and, like, following the 2008 collapse. And during that time, if you ask young people about their money, it was almost a point of pride to, like, not know what you were doing.

[A]

But that nihilism and still exists.

[C]

So what do you come back?

[A]

Yeah, with vengeance. And I see it a lot in my work too, where it's like, that's why I wrote Future Rich Person, because it's in the subtitle of Future Rich Person is the New Rules for Building Wealth. Even if you're stuck, broke, and that billionaire won't text you back because it's like. Even if, like, you feel just like the system is totally out to get you and, like, there's just no. Why even try? Because you're already so far gone. What do you say to that?

[C]

I think we all have the ability within ourselves to pursue the life we want. And doesn't matter where you start out, like, you have. We all have agency. We all have the ability to do stuff right.

[A]

Free will.

[C]

Free will. I feel like I've lived that in my life. But to kind of bookend this point a little bit, like, the. The importance of, like, having curiosity about your finances, of how the system works, like, Being genuinely knowledgeable about it and, like, pursuing an understanding of this even at a young age, it's gonna, like, make you not clueless as you go through life.

[A]

Yeah, totally.

[C]

And.

[A]

But are you, like, do you look at your credit card statements? Like, what does that look like for you? Like, what is. How. How do you keep an eye on things?

[C]

I have, like, I'm at the point now where I don't have to think about it that much. And to me, that is, like, one of the biggest luxuries.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Is I can kind of keep track of the thing. I'm spending things I'm spending money on in my head. And I've achieved a point in my life where I don't have to, like, go through everything line by line. Lord knows I had to do that for many, many years of my life. But I think the important thing is, is, like, at a pretty young age in life, you need to be financially savvy. You need to be curious about it, you need to be learning about it, and, like, not putting it on the back burner, because money compounds over time. If you're smart about it.

[A]

Totally.

[C]

If you approach the system as one where you may not place that you want to be, but, like, the tools and the opportunities are out there. You just have to, like, keep banging on the right doors. You have to keep trying at whatever your ideas are, and you'll get somewhere. Right. And if you get to that next step that's not completely broke, now you have the opportunity to be slightly less broke, and you can keep building and building from that. And I think it's actually. I think it's, like, not great that there's a lot of voices in society that sort of reinforce that nihilism that you're talking about.

[A]

I don't. I don't. Don't worry. You're in a safe space. I'm like. I'm like, there's so much opportunity. Like, I so believe.

[C]

And I like, where does that go?

[A]

No, because you don't understand. There's, like, the coolest, like, the influencers that all the girlies love. Like, the ones who, you know, are at all the cool parties and whatever. They will. People will. They'll do an ama, and people will be like, you know, young girls who look up to them. What do you do with your money? And they'll be like, to be honest, the world is so screwed, so I just spend the money on shoes. And I literally, like, you have no idea how that makes me feel. Because it's like, what are you Talking about, first of all, for women, it's so important for us to have financial mobility and financial independence. But also, like, why is that a cool perspective? Why is that something that you would want to, like, own and celebrate? Like, it's so. I don't know, I'm all about growth, mindset, and trying to find those opportunities. Okay, let's talk about something. Because I have been running around just doing so much book press for future rich person, which means I'm getting a lot of glam. I'm sorry. We've all been there where we put on a full, perfect face of makeup in the morning, and then by the end of the day, it is just completely cakey or it's like slid off. Like, it feels like it's almost like being rejected by my skin. So if you have ever felt that you need to try organic makeup that literally works like skin care. That is how I discovered og, which is a certified organic beauty brand that truly performs like luxury makeup. And the thing is, most makeup is like 80 to 90% pigment and filler, but OG's Crystal Contour collection flips that it is nearly 90 skin care ingredients. So it's like got green coffee oil, elderberry extract. These are ingredients I'd spend real money on in serious skin care. And they just also happen to be in my blush. Whenever I use the OG products, they last all day and they really have simplified my routine. So if you are ready to raise your beauty standards to OG has got you covered. Go to og.com financialtea and use code financial t for 15% off. That's o G-E-E.com financialtea and enter code financial t to get 15% off. Okay, I think that we can all agree that housing is expensive. Like rent, mortgage. It doesn't matter which one you're paying. It is your biggest monthly expense. So the question becomes, is it even doing anything for you? Like, are you getting rewarded for that money? Well, that's where built comes in. Built is a membership that rewards you with points on your housing payments, whether you rent or you own. And as of 2026, that includes mortgage payments too. So every payment earns you points that you can redeem towards things that you're already spending on. Like, built points are honestly so valuable, you can exchange them for flights with partners like United Hotel rooms with Hyatt Lyft rides, or even purchases on Amazon.com personally, I always use my points towards travel. I just book travel to Los Angeles for my book tour on it. And what I feel like is Also really underrated is their neighborhood concierge like Built members can get help booking restaurant reservations, fitness classes, discovering new spots. It's this very seamless, lifestyle driven experience all connected to where you live, just like from being a built member. So I really feel like your biggest expense should feel a little more considered and give you rewards. And with Built it is. So join the membership where you live at joinbilt.comt that's J-O-I-N-B-I-L-T.comt I've been a member since 2022 and I've never regretted it. So your new company, tell us about it. It's going to take the energy from space and we're. It's sort of like solar panels, but in space.

[C]

Exactly.

[A]

Seems like a little.

[C]

So the idea behind this was kind of zoom out and then zoom in. The zoomed out idea was like, actually there's this new platform which is access to space. And in that new platform, what are the industries like the human industries that exist in space? Well, you've got Earth imaging, like taking pictures of the Earth. You've got defense stuff.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Starlink, which you've got Internet communications.

[A]

I love me some Starlink.

[C]

Starlink is amazing.

[A]

I know. On a plane. Ooh, that really does the trick so fast. You do a FaceTime.

[C]

I did that yesterday actually. Yeah. Flying in Beijing. Okay. I wish. No, it's Internet connection, like defense stuff, Earth imaging.

[A]

Yeah. You need energy.

[C]

What else we got? Yeah, right. Like when I look at low Earth orbit and kind of space as a platform, the distinct feeling is that there's going to be other commercial industries that exist here that haven't really been developed yet. Now why am I talking about it like this as like a platform in different verticals of the economy? There's a very similar thought to the early days of Robinhood, where mobile and using mobile as this new platform. And when we got to it, if you kind of look at the different industries that existed on mobile, it was like maps, search, search, photo sharing, chat rooms, communications. And we kind of had this idea that finance was going to live on mobile and that there was going to be a native financial platform that was going to be on there. The reason I think this is interesting is like I wanted to pursue something where there was a lot of white space, where there wasn't a lot of existing commercial activity because there's an opportunity to build something.

[A]

Yeah, that's your favorite.

[C]

Yeah. And so with space, the idea was two things. Number one, we need to Create more commercial opportunities in space. Because again, this idea of capitalism is pretty central to my worldview.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And if you have more ways for people to make money in space, the whole industry will evolve quicker. Two, that you can't have a thriving economy without energy.

[A]

That's true.

[C]

Like, that is one of the, you know, it's like one of the building blocks of commerce. And the idea behind the company in the beginning was how do we build an energy company in space? Like a power grid in space.

[A]

Space.

[C]

And there's a lot of reasons why. But like, one of the very cool reasons is if you look at the different ways to make energy on earth, solar panels are actually one of, if not the cheapest ways.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

It's dirt cheap to create electricity with solar panels. The problem. And it's gotten so cheap in the last.

[A]

And it's a good industry. I once dated a guy who sold solar panels.

[C]

Did you?

[A]

Yeah. And he made so much money. He would just literally go like door to door and was like. He had no credit. It was like a different. It was a really weird relationship, but he had no credit. But he was. Yeah. Well, he grew up in a home that like, they didn't believe in. Like his parents. You know, if your parents don't understand things and you get scared and.

[C]

Can I tell you something?

[A]

Yes.

[C]

I didn't have a credit card for the longest time.

[A]

That's what I'm saying.

[C]

Yeah. Similar thing.

[A]

Yeah. Also because first generation, it's so hard for a parent.

[C]

Yeah. My parents were like, no.

[A]

Yeah. They were like that sketchy. Don't do that. Cash, debit. And you probably.

[C]

Yeah, I think I actually got my first credit card, like over covet.

[A]

No way. That. That recently.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

No way. And now how many do you have?

[C]

Two.

[A]

Two.

[C]

I've got the Robin.

[A]

You gotta have the Robin Gold.

[C]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

It's a good one.

[C]

Clearly.

[A]

Yeah, clearly.

[C]

That's the one that.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Well, man, that's so crazy. It took you till 2020 to get a credit card.

[C]

Yeah, I went. I remember I went to go get credit.

[A]

So you're fully a billionaire using a dollar debit card.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

I'm dead.

[C]

I remember.

[A]

Who, like, pushed you over the edge.

[C]

Well, I got hired some financial managers. Like, what are you doing? What the are you doing? Beijing.

[A]

That's crazy.

[C]

And I remember I actually went to go and apply for the credit card and they like, pull up my credit score and they're like. I think it was like zero.

[A]

No. Because you had never built anything.

[C]

Yeah. And they were Like, And I was like, oh. I was like, no, I promise you,

[A]

I'm good for it.

[C]

I'm good for you.

[A]

Yeah. Do you leverage a lot of debt in your personal life? Like, I. I do a lot of stories around that because people get really scared about debt, and they're like, nope, you don't do anything.

[C]

I'm still that kid. I'm still like, him.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. I honestly, I'm sort of like, maybe you should follow me. Like, we could.

[C]

No, I probably should learn about credit cards.

[A]

We can learn about leveraging debt, like, by borrowing at a lower interest rate than you could earn.

[C]

I'm a simple man. I'm an entrepreneur. I'm a man that pursues his ideas and tries to make.

[A]

I'm doing space. I'm doing kids. I'm doing guiles. I'm doing cars. I'm doing wife.

[C]

I'm good.

[A]

That's it? Yes, that's it. You keep it simple.

[C]

I do, yeah.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Like, seriously, no credit card for the longest time?

[A]

That is so crazy. And so with your kids, are you gonna, like, teach them about, like, are you gonna get them credit cards and things like that?

[C]

Like, I haven't even thought about that yet. They're still little guys.

[A]

We need to tease it out a little.

[C]

My. My eldest is six. He's still a little guy.

[A]

Okay. But he must be, like, trying to buy things on Roblox or whatever it is that they're doing. I feel like there's so many games that they can play that they. The credit card for.

[C]

Yeah. I actually haven't really talked to him that much about money yet. I probably. I need to. Yeah. I mean, this is, like, a part of being a dad where I'm like, I find myself becoming my parents.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

I'm like, just don't grow up.

[A]

Oh.

[C]

It's like, be the sweet, innocent you are.

[A]

You don't want it. You don't want to burst the bubble.

[C]

No, not yet.

[A]

No. What has been something that's actually been really hard about your success? Like, I know you talked a little bit about safety. Like, do you think that's the hardest thing?

[C]

I mean, I think it's hard to keep friends.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

I think the nature of friendship changes a lot.

[A]

Do you feel like there's an expectation for you to be, like, taking care of them or paying for, like, what. What is hard about it? Or, like, they don't relate to where you're at?

[C]

One of the things that I get pretty often in. In context is like, oh, wow. Like, you know, you're like kind of a normal person still. Like, what the hell did you expect?

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Right. It's like, what. People treat you a little differently when you've been successful or they imagine you're living your life in some very, very different way. Where I'm trying my hardest to live my life like a normal person because. And this is not some, like, virtue signally thing, but there was a way that I approached the world when I was not a successful, quote, unquote person, where I approached it with a level of humility and curiosity. Right. Like, I didn't think I was the best at stuff, but I did think that if I tried really hard, I could be the best at it.

[A]

I love that.

[C]

Does that make sense?

[A]

Totally.

[C]

And so I kind of am in the journey of creating something new again. And so there's a question there. Like, do you approach it like a successful person, or do you approach it like the person that built the thing the last time? And I'm kind of trying to approach it like the person that built it the last time.

[A]

Beginner's mindset.

[C]

Exactly. Yeah. No, I think that's. That's exactly what it is. Yeah.

[A]

Do you feel like it's important to have, like, that community of people who sort of understand, like, do you rely on them for. I always call it, like, my financial besties. Yeah, Like, I think. Or business besties, too, where it's like, just people who are also, you know, running businesses or in a similar financial position. It's just so nice to be able to, like, candidly talk to them about these things.

[C]

I think in many ways, you are as good in your life as the people you surround yourself with.

[A]

100% that.

[C]

So I think actually, like, this has kind of been the cool thing. There was a period of time during the COVID era where I feel like a lot of successful people collectively were like, we're done. Because we were all stuck at home.

[A]

And you're just like, I'm getting a credit card.

[C]

I'm getting a credit card. We're all stuck at home. It felt like the world was changing. There was, like, a real venom in society, some ways, towards people that were successful. Where I. And, you know, I'm not speaking about any, like, sort of broad sentiment was like, I think people were a little bit less ambitious, like, during and shortly after the COVID era, where the. There's been a complete vibe shift in, like, the last two years where successful people are going for it.

[A]

So now you're like, damn, all my homies are out here. Grinding once again.

[C]

Once again.

[A]

We are all building from the bottom once again.

[C]

And I love it.

[A]

You do?

[C]

I love it. And I think it's just such a better way to live your life. Like, we're not.

[A]

Not.

[C]

We're not dead yet. We got. We got stuff to do.

[A]

So the dream was never to, like. I feel like for so many people, the dream is just to get money and get off the grid. That's not the dream.

[C]

Live that dream. See what that feels like. It gets real boring real fast.

[A]

Yeah. Thank you so much, Peju, for being here, for spilling your financial tea.

[C]

I did.

[A]

You really did.

[C]

You didn't spill any coffee, though.

[A]

You didn't spill any coffee. But you did give us some really good insights. And I think that you're probably gonna see us going to space soon. Me and you, we're gonna go there together.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Thank you. Stay rich.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

Hey.

[A]

Psst.

[D]

You didn't hear this from me, but Normal Gossip is back for its ninth season. Join me, Rachel Hampton, as I share the juiciest gossip from the real world with some very special guests. Guest. This season, we're bringing back some old friends, a Radiotopia buddy, and for the first time ever, a Nobel laureate. That's right, we have Malala on season nine. Normal Gossip is out on all your favorite podcast platforms.