The Financial Reality of Pro Snowboarding and How to Escape It w/ Stevie Bell
Release Date: 03/12/2026
The Tax Strategy Making Family Offices Rethink Bitcoin w/ Eric Runge
Money School Elite
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Money School Elite
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The Fastest Way to Grow Your Business (It’s Not Strategy) w/ Greg McDaniel
Money School Elite
Most people think success comes from strategy…better marketing, better positioning, better timing. But what if that’s not the lever at all? What if the thing that actually drives growth isn’t what you take, but what you give, freely, consistently, and without any immediate expectation of return? Because when you really look at how businesses grow, how opportunities compound, and how networks form, the pattern isn’t subtle. The people who seem to “get ahead” aren’t always the smartest or the most tactical. They’re the ones who become connectors, who create value before...
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Money School Elite
Most people don’t associate residential real estate investing with enjoyment. Between tenant issues, maintaining properties, and financing problems, it can really be a headache. But the problem isn’t the asset class; it’s how you approach it. Because real estate, when done right, is actually one of the most forgiving businesses you can be in. What separates the people who enjoy real estate from the ones who burn out isn’t intelligence or even experience. It’s getting around the right people and getting the right education. What kind of information should you be consuming? How...
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Smart Money Is Leaving Cash Behind, Here’s Where It’s Going Instead w/ Ben Reinburg
Money School Elite
Most investors believe that holding cash during uncertain markets is the safest move. If you stay liquid, wait for clarity, and avoid risk, you’ll be in a better position when opportunities come… or at least that’s the thinking. But what many high-income earners and investors don’t realize is that cash sitting idle isn’t neutral; it’s losing ground. Between inflation, taxes, and missed opportunities, capital that isn’t deployed is quietly working against you. And while many investors are pulling back, the most sophisticated capital, family offices, institutions, and sovereign...
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Money School Elite
Many real estate investors believe success comes down to one thing: access to capital. If you can borrow money easily, scale quickly, and leverage aggressively, the thinking goes that your portfolio will grow faster. But what a lot of investors are learning right now is that capital alone doesn’t create successful deals. Structure does. In today’s lending environment, small mistakes in leverage, underwriting, or financing strategy can turn what looked like a solid deal into a long-term problem. And many investors don’t realize where those risks actually show up until after the...
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The End of Traditional Financial Advice? w/ Stefan Astheimer
Money School Elite
For a long time, truly personalized investment advice has been something only the ultra-wealthy could access. If you have tens of millions of dollars, you can hire advisors who don’t just sell you products. They build strategies around your entire financial life. But everyone else gets standardized portfolios and is told to keep contributing to their retirement accounts and stay the course. That’s starting to change. A new approach to financial advice is emerging, one built around a fee-for-service strategy instead of product sales. Instead of paying someone based on how much money they...
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What Banks Actually Look For Before Funding a Business w/ Sebastien Boyer
Money School Elite
Starting a business is often framed as a simple equation: have a good idea, take it to the bank, and secure the funding. But the reality is very different. Most business owners aren’t rejected because their idea is bad. They’re rejected because they approached the capital the wrong way. So many deals fail before they ever reach underwriting, and it’s not because of the opportunity. It’s preparation, structure, and understanding how lenders evaluate risk. Banks aren’t investors looking for the next big idea. They operate under strict guidelines, regulatory frameworks, and underwriting...
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The Financial Reality of Pro Snowboarding and How to Escape It w/ Stevie Bell
Money School Elite
Every athlete knows the music will eventually stop. Whether you walk away on your terms, are forced out by injury, or have a contract that doesn’t get renewed, your career will inevitably end. In leagues like the NFL, NBA, or MLB, that ending can still leave you financially set. You might walk away with generational money. In action sports, that’s rarely the case. A pro snowboarder can start earning real money in their teens. They can travel the world, land major sponsors, build a name, and live what looks like a dream career. But very few retire with enough money to last a lifetime. The...
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The Real Reason AI Valuations Are So High w/ Daniel Nikic
Money School Elite
In today’s market, AI valuations are expanding faster than fundamentals can justify. Companies with minimal free cash flow are being priced as if dominance is already secured. Capital continues to circulate between venture portfolios, strategic partners, and ecosystem incumbents, reinforcing growth narratives that assume liquidity remains abundant. But markets don’t reward narratives forever. When growth slows or capital tightens, the question shifts from projected upside to structural durability. Does the business generate real cash? Does it control proprietary data that compounds...
info_outlineEvery athlete knows the music will eventually stop. Whether you walk away on your terms, are forced out by injury, or have a contract that doesn’t get renewed, your career will inevitably end.
In leagues like the NFL, NBA, or MLB, that ending can still leave you financially set. You might walk away with generational money.
In action sports, that’s rarely the case. A pro snowboarder can start earning real money in their teens. They can travel the world, land major sponsors, build a name, and live what looks like a dream career. But very few retire with enough money to last a lifetime.
The earning window is short, the contracts are volatile, and the industry replaces you faster than you expect.
What should athletes be doing during their earning years to avoid starting over financially at 30?
Stevie Bell’s snowboarding career is nothing short of meteoric. Starting from riding the bus two hours a day to Brighton as a laser-focused teenager, then landing a breakout video part just two years into riding, he went from unknown kid to signing a life-changing contract with one of the most iconic brands in snowboarding.
From managing fear on handrails that could end a career, to navigating brand politics when Forum was shut down, to walking away from the sport and rebuilding his identity after the checks stopped coming. His story is a masterclass in how quickly momentum can build and how quickly it can disappear.
Stevie shares his career arc with me. We talk about how quickly money can scale, how quickly it can disappear, why most riders walk away with nothing, and how financial literacy becomes a competitive advantage when the career clock is ticking.
Things You’ll Learn In This Episode
The moment every career ends, and why most people aren’t ready- Whether it’s injury, burnout, or a contract that isn’t renewed, the music eventually stops. How do you prepare financially and psychologically for an ending you can’t control?
Fear as a strategic advantage- Top riders don’t eliminate fear; they manage it. What does calculated risk look like when the downside is career-ending, and how does that translate to business and investing?
The evolution of the industry- With airbags, Olympic pipelines, social media, and corporate sponsors, snowboarding has gone mainstream. Does more visibility actually mean more sustainable opportunity?
Win or build: the new income model- If salary-based sponsorship is shrinking, and only a few athletes win consistently, how should modern athletes think about brand, leverage, and long-term income beyond competition?
Guest Bio
Stevie Bell is a former professional snowboarder and industry veteran with over 25 years of experience in action sports. He built a 14-year professional career after breaking onto the scene with a breakout video part just two years into snowboarding, eventually signing with Forum, one of the most iconic brands in the sport’s history. During his tenure with Forum, Stevie traveled internationally filming video projects, participating in global tours, and contributing to one of the most influential eras in snowboard media. His career spanned major brand partnerships, long-term sponsorship contracts, and firsthand exposure to the evolving economics of action sports, from athlete compensation structures to the impact of corporate acquisitions and industry consolidation. After stepping away from professional competition, Stevie transitioned into entrepreneurship and content creation. He is currently the host of the Forum Chronicles podcast, where he documents the 20-year history of Forum and interviews key figures who shaped the brand and broader snowboard culture. To learn more or find out about the podcast, follow @steviebell801.
About Your Host
From pro-snowboarder to money mogul, Chris Naugle has dedicated his life to being America’s #1 Money Mentor. With a core belief that success is built not by the resources you have, but by how resourceful you can be. Chris has built and owned 19 companies, with his businesses being featured in Forbes, ABC, House Hunters, and his very own HGTV pilot in 2018. He is the founder of The Money School™ and Money Mentor for The Money Multiplier.
His success also includes managing tens of millions of dollars in assets in the financial services and advisory industry and in real estate transactions. As an innovator and visionary in wealth-building and real estate, he empowers entrepreneurs, business owners, and real estate investors with the knowledge of how money works.
Chris is also a nationally recognized speaker, author, and podcast host. He has spoken to and taught over ten thousand Americans, delivering the financial knowledge that fuels lasting freedom.
Resources
Private Money Guide: https://go.moneyschoolrei.com/book-podcast
Wealth Wednesday Webinar: https://go.moneyschoolrei.com/wednesday-webinar-podcast
Mapping out the Millionaire Mystery: https://go.moneyschoolrei.com/newbook-podcast