Podcast Summary: The Stacking Benjamins Show – "Build Income Beyond Your Paycheck" (SB1790)

Release Date: January 14, 2026
Host: Joe Saul-Sehy, OG, and Doug
Featured Guest: Mel Abraham (Author: "Building Your Money Machine")
Theme: Building income streams beyond your paycheck, climbing the wealth ladder, and making personal finance simple, human, and intentional.

Episode Overview

This episode brings financial educator and USA Today bestselling author Mel Abraham to the card table. The discussion blends humor and heart as Mel shares personal experiences—from money lessons learned as a five-year-old to surviving cancer in adulthood—revealing how building intentional, diversified income streams can foster both financial and personal freedom. The conversation dissects Mel's "money engine" model, the five types of income, the significance of saving and time management, and actionable strategies for audience members at any stage of their journey.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Early Money Lessons: The Emotional Catalyst

• Personal Story: Mel recounts witnessing his father’s emotional struggle with money as a child:
  • Quote: “First time I ever saw my dad cry...he looked at my mom and says, ‘I’m trying to take care of the people I love, and I'm failing.’” (07:15)
  • This formed a deep-seated drive for Mel: “So if I don’t make enough money, I’m going to disappoint the people I love?”
• Parental Influence: His father’s work ethic and integrity left an indelible mark, summarized by the principle: “Because it was the right thing to do.” (08:25)

The Magic of Entrepreneurship

• First Hustle at Age 11: Mel’s entrepreneurial journey began with his love of magic, leading to paid gigs:
  • Quote: “I put together a 25-minute act that I started to do for kids’ birthday parties...I got paid $50 for a half hour.” (10:12)
• Key Lesson: Realization that value creation—not just effort—can generate income.

Work-Life Harmony vs. Balance

• Life as a Young Single Dad: Mel describes an epiphany prompted by his son's childhood drawing, depicting Mel absorbed in work:
  • Quote: “If a six-year-old had the understanding, he would’ve said, ‘Dad, I don’t need your profits, I just need your presence.’” (14:34)
• Intentional Time Management: Using colored calendars to prioritize his son’s time over clients.
  • “I lost clients over it, but I didn’t care. He needed to know he was at the top of the ladder.” (15:53)
• Takeaway: It's not just work–life balance, but intentionality and presence that matter.

The Four Wealth Drivers

1. Income

• Not Just About More Hours: Focus on increasing the value you provide, not just time spent.
  • “When you look at things through the eyes of value, your income starts to move up—not because you’re working more hours, but because the value...is going up.” (19:38)
  • “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” – attribution to Steve Martin via Joe (21:31)

2. Savings Rate

• Key Determinant of Wealth: “It’s not how much you make, it’s not how much you keep, it’s how much you get to work for you that matters.” (22:23)
• Example: Saving a higher percentage is more powerful than a higher rate of return early in the journey.

3. Returns (and Time)

• You control savings and income; you don’t control time:
  • Quote: “Did you invest yesterday? If not, now’s a good time. The answer is always now.” (25:22)
• Action: Get off the sidelines and start investing now; compounding needs time.

4. The Five Types of Income

• Mel’s "Money Engine" Framework: Income exists on a ladder of leverage—aim to fund 80% of your lifestyle from the top three categories:

  1. Active Income: Direct work (job, self-employed)
  2. Business Income: Income from businesses delegating tasks
  3. Asset-Based: Renting assets, real estate, royalties
  4. Residual: Recurring royalties/license fees, network marketing
  5. Portfolio: Investment income (stocks, bonds, etc.)

  “Can I create something that generates income without a one-on-one relationship with my effort?” (28:03)

• Personal Experience – Cancer Diagnosis (2019):

  • The importance of having passive/leverage income streams to weather life events.
  • “...I shut everything down, we turn on the machine, talk to the wealth team...I'm not making a living during the day and fighting for my life at night. The machine paid for it.” (32:50)

Tax Strategies & Life Choices

• Tax Planning: Important, but don’t let it dictate your life at the expense of fulfillment.
  • “It's important...But we don’t allow it to define what our life decisions are going to be.” (34:41)
• Lifestyle Design: Portfolio and asset mix should fit your preferences.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Defining Wealth:
  “Not all money is good money—sometimes you gotta let the bad money go.” (18:49)
• On Starting Out:
  “You gotta start somewhere. Two years from now may not be ‘fixed,’ but it’s hell of a lot better than today.” (34:29)
• On Tax Optimization:
  “Don't allow tax decisions to drive your life decisions... it's the price we pay to have the life we have.” (34:41)
• On Taking Action:
  “You can't win the wealth game sitting on the sidelines. The answer to the time question...is always now.” (25:23)

Actionable Tips & Takeaways

• Be Intentional:
  Prioritize what matters most—use calendars and systems to protect your most valuable relationships and time.
• Increase Savings Rate:
  Focus on increasing the % of income saved and invested for optimal long-term impact.
• Diversify Income Streams:
  Progressively shift from active to more leveraged and portfolio-based sources.
• Leverage Value, Not Hours:
  Become indispensable by solving more valuable and complex problems.
• Tax is Part of the Equation—Not the Boss:
  Optimize for taxes, but don’t disrupt family or happiness over chasing lower brackets.

Segment Timestamps

• 00:01 – 04:30: Opening banter, Mel Abraham introduction
• 06:21 – 13:20: Mel’s early money lessons and father’s impact
• 13:20 – 19:04: Prioritizing family, the work-life "harmony" discussion
• 19:08 – 24:45: The Four Wealth Drivers: income, savings, and value
• 24:56 – 34:41: Importance of time, Mel’s cancer diagnosis, diversifying income sources
• 34:41 – 37:32: Tax strategies, lifestyle fulfillment, Mel’s book plug

Practical Tools & Resources Referenced

• Mel Abraham’s Book: Building Your Money Machine
• Calendar System for Time Management: Use color-coded calendars for intentional planning
• Password Managers & Financial Tools: Briefly mentioned in the headline segment

Conclusion & Final Thoughts

This episode underscores the human side of financial decision-making—a blend of hustle, intention, and adaptability. Mel Abraham’s journey and framework remind listeners to "be the driver" of their money engine: proactively diversify income, maximize what you actually put to work, and let intentional planning, not pure hustle or tax avoidance, shape your path.

“Let’s make 2026 a breakthrough year for everyone.” – Mel Abraham (37:22)

For further reading and resources:

• Mel Abraham’s website & book
• Stacking Benjamins Show

Note: All advertisement and trivia segments were omitted; timestamps refer to content sections only.