Tiny Town, Huge Risk: What Buying a 60-Year-Old Business Really Takes (Ep. 333)
Farming Without the Bank Podcast
Release Date: 12/19/2025
Your Family Can't Access Your Phone When You Die (Ep. 352)
Farming Without the Bank Podcast
Your family needs your phone when you're gone — most of them can't get in. Here's the fix. 👉 Follow Mary Jo Here: Your loved ones WILL need access to your phone when you're gone — for banking, insurance, business contacts, and more. Most families can't get in. Here's what you need to do now. In this episode, we dig into the real and emotional aftermath of what happens when a family can't access a deceased loved one's phone. From a friend's son killed in a car accident with no accessible car insurance info, to losing a marketing partner who had two-factor authentication locked on...
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Farming Without the Bank in Canada: What's Different (And What Could Cost You) (Ep. 351)
Farming Without the Bank Podcast
Canadian IBC warning! Policy loans can trigger taxes—know ACB before it costs you. 👉 Follow Mary Jo Here: In Canada, borrowing from your whole life policy could become taxable income if you're not careful. Most farmers and ranchers north of the border don't know about the Adjusted Cost Basis (ACB) — and it could cost them. In this episode, MJ sits down with Lacy of Ranch Your Way to break down exactly how the Infinite Banking Concept works differently in Canada, what traps to avoid, and why understanding agriculture is non-negotiable for any financial advisor serving farm and...
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Russian Roulette With Your Life Insurance - What They Never Told You (Ep. 350)
Farming Without the Bank Podcast
Real clients. Real collapsed policies. Why Universal Life might be quietly robbing your family. 👉 Follow Mary Jo Here: What if the "permanent" life insurance you've been faithfully paying into for decades isn't actually permanent? Mary Jo pulls back the curtain on one of the most misunderstood products in the insurance industry — Universal Life (UL) policies. Using real client examples, she reveals how UL, Variable Life, and Indexed Universal Life (IUL) policies are built on a term chassis with increasing fees and charges that silently drain your cash value over time — and can...
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Nebraska Fires, Cattle Market Chaos & What Farmers NEED to Know Right Now (Ep. 349)
Farming Without the Bank Podcast
Close to a million acres burned. Cattle being relocated across state lines. Fertilizer prices spiking. And the cattle market could flip without warning. If you farm or ranch for a living, this episode is not optional. 👉 Follow Mary Jo Here: The Nebraska wildfires have burned close to a million acres — and the agricultural fallout is just beginning. MJ and John break down what this means for the cattle market, hay prices, land values, and YOUR operation. In this episode of Farming Without the Bank, we cover: 🔥 The Nebraska wildfire crisis — nearly 900,000 acres burned, 40+ mph...
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Long-Term Care Planning Most Advisors Miss (And Why It Matters) (Ep. 348)
Farming Without the Bank Podcast
Most financial plans ignore long-term care—and it can cost you everything you built. 👉 Follow Mary Jo Here: 👉 Get the book: Long-term care is one of the biggest financial risks facing farmers, ranchers, and business owners—yet it’s often overlooked or misunderstood. In this episode, Mary Jo sits down with long-term care specialist Michelle Prather to break down what most advisors miss, why self-insuring often fails, and how the wrong strategy can force the sale of land, equipment, or a business. They walk through real scenarios, underwriting realities, and the hidden...
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Why Long-Term Care Destroys Wealth Without a Plan (Ep. 347)
Farming Without the Bank Podcast
The real cost of long-term care isn’t money—it’s what it does to families. 👉 Follow Mary Jo Here: 👉 Get the book: Most people think long-term care is a “later” problem—or something that only ends in a nursing home. In this episode, we break down the reality families face when care is needed, and why lack of planning creates financial, physical, and emotional strain. From caregiver burnout and family resentment to Medicaid limitations and the coming wave of aging boomers, this conversation exposes what’s often ignored. We also cover how long-term care policies...
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What Farmers Must Know About Nursing Homes (Ep. 346)
Farming Without the Bank Podcast
Most families assume Medicaid will cover long-term care—until it forces them to sell assets. Long-term care is one of the biggest financial threats to family farms and generational assets. In this episode of Farming Without the Bank, Mary Jo and her guest, long-term care expert Michelle Prather, break down the reality of nursing home care, Medicaid planning, and why so many families end up forced to spend down their assets just to qualify for help. They explain the difference between Medicare and Medicaid, the five-year lookback rule, and how quickly lifetime savings can disappear when care...
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Long-Term Care: The Hidden Threat to Your Farm (Ep. 345)
Farming Without the Bank Podcast
Most families think long-term care is a nursing home problem.In reality, it’s a financial problem that can slowly drain retirement accounts, investments, and even force the sale of family farmland. In this episode of the Farming Without the Bank Podcast, Mary Jo sits down with long-term care expert Michelle Prather, who brings nearly three decades of experience helping families understand how care is actually funded. They unpack the real costs of long-term care, why averages are misleading, and how many financial plans fail when care becomes necessary. If protecting the farm and maintaining...
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The Bank Said No; His Life Insurance Said Yes (Ep. 344)
Farming Without the Bank Podcast
The bank refused the loan — but 40 years of whole life insurance quietly said yes. In this episode, Mary Jo shares one of the most powerful real-life examples she’s ever seen of what traditional whole life insurance can become over time — even when it’s not structured for Infinite Banking. This client started buying whole life policies at age 20 and simply stayed consistent for over 40 years. No fancy strategy. No Infinite Banking design. Just patience, discipline, and a commitment to paying premiums no matter what. When the bank refused to help him rebuild after a major loss, his life...
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Internet Trolls Think They Can Say Anything; Here’s Why They’re Wrong (Ep. 343)
Farming Without the Bank Podcast
Do people really think they have the right to be rude online? This episode is a raw, unfiltered look at what content creators actually deal with behind the scenes—and why sometimes, blocking is the only option. Follow Mary Jo Here: Get the book: In this episode, Mary Jo addresses the rising wave of internet trolls, negative comments, and online bullying. From accusations about insurance strategies and retirement planning to criticism about farming, excess money, and even parenting decisions, nothing seems off-limits for keyboard warriors. But here’s the truth: creators have the...
info_outlineBe open-minded, ditch the negativity, and yes, you can buy that small-town business and make it work. In this episode, Mary Jo sits down with client and Iowa rancher/feed-store owner Erica Lantz, who walked away from a 14-year corporate food job to buy a 60-year-old feed store in a town of 1,000 people… during COVID.
👉 Follow Mary Jo Here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXYvzroUouEMsTGKFw5nJHQ
👉 Get the book: https://www.farmingwithoutthebank.com/book
Erica shares how she runs a 5th-generation farm with Dexter cattle, heritage hogs, hair sheep, hypoallergenic curly horses, and silky chickens while modernizing a tiny farm store, creating custom feed mixes, shipping nationwide, and using infinite banking (and her old 401(k)) to fund the dream—without letting the bank control everything.
If you’ve ever wondered how to buy an existing small business, fix its mess of inventory and accounts receivable, negotiate with suppliers, or use life insurance as your own line of credit for your farm or business, this conversation gets very real.
What You’ll Learn:
◦ How Erica went from corporate food manufacturing to owning a rural feed store
◦ Why she chose Dexter cattle, heritage hogs, hair sheep, and curly horses as niche income streams
◦ The truth about GMO vs non-GMO feed, sprays, and residues from someone who did lab testing
◦ How she mills fresh, locally sourced custom feed and ships it outside Iowa
◦ What no one tells you about buying a 60-year-old small-town business (inventory, expired product, A/R)
◦ Using Amazon and an online store to move poor inventory and reach beyond a town of 1,000
◦ How her kids learn business by bartering silky chickens and kittens instead of just taking cash
◦ Why did she pull money from her 401(k) to start infinite banking policies for the farm
◦ How separate policies, term coverage, and key-person insurance protect partners and banks
◦ The power of “How can I?” and “Who Not How” for growing when cash and time feel tight
Chapters:
0:00 – Negativity, mindset & intro to Erica
3:14 – Inside the ranch: Dexters, heritage hogs, curly horses & silky chickens
14:50 – Building a better feed store: sourcing, custom milling & GMO vs non-GMO
39:47 – Buying a 60-year-old small-town business: inventory, receivables & reality
55:35 – Employees, customer service, Amazon, and FedEx as a growth tool
1:07:55 – Using 401(k)s & life insurance to fund the farm and feed store
1:19:24 – “How can I?”, Who Not How & closing thoughts on mindset
📘 Ready to learn Infinite Banking for yourself?
Grab Mary Jo’s book and Nelson Nash’s book, then schedule a time to talk:
🌐 Website: https://www.farmingwithoutthebank.com
📧 Questions: maryjo@withoutthebank.com
🐄 Need custom feed or farm supplies from Erica?
🌐 Feed store & custom mixes: https://feedersgrain.com?utm_source=y...