Libsyn Directory

AI Is Getting Smarter—But Are We Ready for It?

Release Date: 05/28/2025

Taming Your Money Monster with Doug Lynam

Money Tree Investing

Doug Lynam is here today to share about his new book, Taming Your Money Monster. Doug shares his unconventional life journey from a Marine Corps officer to a Benedictine monk for 20 years, where he confronted the inescapability of money even in a monastery and how he later transitioned to become a professional money manager focused on teaching healthier, ethical relationships with money. He discusses how people develop "money monsters"—unhealthy money habits tied to psychological attachment styles. He stresses that while thriftiness is valuable, it should not come at the cost of compassion...

Crypto Bonanza… The King Is Dead… Long Live the King

Money Tree Investing

Douglas Heagren | Follow on Facebook: Follow LinkedIn: Follow on Twitter/X: For more information, visit the show notes at

Advanced Strategies To Slash The Cost Of College

Money Tree Investing

Shaan Patel is here to discuss how you can slash the cost of college through some more advanced strategies. We also discuss major education changes packed into the “Big Beautiful Bill,” starting with the introduction of new Trump Accounts—a kind of IRA for minors with no deductions and withdrawal restrictions until age 18. We cover expanded uses for 529 plans, including tutoring, test prep, homeschool materials, and more. Repayment options are narrowed down to just two, and several popular income-driven plans are scrapped. We also talk about how Pell Grants are being expanded for...

Kirk Changes His Tune on Housing

Money Tree Investing

Kirk changes his tune on housing as he moves towards purchasing a new home. Today we explore how homeownership is often more of an emotional choice than a smart financial investment, with many people misunderstanding the real cost compared to renting. We talk about the burden of property taxes, why paying off a mortgage early might not always make financial sense, and the social pressures around owning a home. We shift gears to a surprising discovery in credit reporting systems—a “Human Trafficking Request” option—which leads us to reflect on the serious issue of human trafficking,...

Balancing Motherhood and Financial Advising with Kaitlyn Laney

Money Tree Investing

Kaitlyn Laney shares her personal and professional journey, and how she manages balancing motherhood and financial advising. As she runs her own firm in Scottsdale, Arizona, Kaitlyn emphasizes the limitations of big financial firms and how individualized planning is critical—especially for high earners who often receive poor or outdated advice. Kaitlyn highlights the importance of understanding taxes, setting up retirement plans tailored to personal goals, and adapting financial strategies to different life stages. She also dives into the real costs of child care, the economic trade-offs...

Down The AI Rabbit Hole We Go

Money Tree Investing

Today we go down the AI rabbit hole. We also discuss the highlights of the new legislative package dubbed the “big beautiful bill,” which includes tax changes like extending 2017 tax cuts, increasing standard deductions, eliminating taxes on tips and overtime, and adding a car loan interest deduction. They critiqued the temporary nature of supposedly “permanent” policies, expressed concern over increased national debt, and discussed the personal finance implications of car depreciation and insurance after one host totaled his vehicle and bought a newer model. We also talk about the...

From Medicine to Alternative Investments with Dr. Amir Baluch

Money Tree Investing

Dr. Amir Baluch, a semi-retired anesthesiologist and founder of Baluch Capital, shares his journey from medicine into alternative investments, emphasizing the importance of income diversification after early career financial setbacks. He discusses his firm’s multi-asset platform for accredited investors, which includes real estate development, private equity in life sciences, life settlement funds, and explorations into litigation finance. We touch on AI’s disruptive potential across sectors and note that success will depend less on access to AI tools and more on the speed of...

AI Thinks It’s OK To Steal and Blackmail You

Money Tree Investing

AI thinks it's OK to steal and blackmail you! Today we dive deep into the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, highlighting both its disruptive promise and emerging risks. New research showing that large language models (LLMs) often resort to manipulative behavior when put under pressure, raising ethical and control concerns. We also talk about investment strategies around AI infrastructure, noting underperformance in traditional strategies like small-cap, international, and value investing. We also explore a new MIT study suggesting AI may reduce cognitive engagement and critical...

Bedroom Real Estate: How This Unique Rental Strategy Earns $50,000 a Month

Money Tree Investing

Ryan Chaw shares his bedroom real estate rental property strategy. As a pharmacist-turned-real estate investor Ryan shares how he built a successful portfolio of 14 rental properties generating $50,000/month in income by renting out homes by the bedroom to students and professionals near college campuses. Now financially free, he spends his time coaching others and maintaining a disciplined approach to growth while avoiding low-quality competition and preserving strong tenant relationships. Today we discuss... Ryan Chaw transitioned from a pharmacist to a real estate investor inspired...

2025 End of Quarter Performance… How Did You Do

Money Tree Investing

Today we talk the end of quarter performance for quarter two of 2025. How did you do? We also cover a wide range of economic and market topics, beginning with the complexities of investing in artificial intelligence, lessons on succession planning, leadership transitions, and the importance of understanding demographic and power dynamics in both politics and investing. We note that large-cap growth, tech, and industrials led Q2 performance, while energy and real estate lagged. Mounting debt, rising delinquencies, and wage garnishment were cited as signs of economic stress, especially among...

More Episodes

AI is getting smarter, but are we ready? Today we deep dive into the evolution of tools like ChatGPT—from early, academic-sounding outputs to more recent capabilities that include humor, sarcasm, and nuanced storytelling. We explore how AI is rapidly improving but still faces a gap in practical, transformative use cases for the average person. The adoption curve is slow, but so it has been for past innovations like video games, the internet, and crypto. While AI is becoming more accessible, it hasn’t yet reached full mainstream integration, but it eventually will.

We discuss...

The explosion of AI interest since ChatGPT’s launch and its shift from novelty to everyday tool.
How AI is getting better at sarcasm, creativity, and sounding more human unlike early AI with bland writing and a poor grasp of humor and nuance.
The challenge of finding truly impactful AI use cases beyond convenience tools.
The tech adoption spectrum, from everyday users to coders, and how AI fits into that.
How AI follows a familiar tech adoption curve—past early adopters, not yet fully mainstream.
Comparisons between AI today and early stages of gaming, internet, or crypto adoption.
The idea that we’re still just scratching the surface of what AI can do in daily life.
ChatGPT commands the most attention, Claude comes in a distant second, and Gemini is barely on the radar.
Google is quietly testing a lead generation product (likely Local Services Ads) as a new revenue source.
AI hasn’t yet reached the point of autonomously solving problems without user guidance.
AI tools can produce mediocre output by default but become shockingly good with proper input and structure.
AI isn’t replacing jobs yet, but people who know how to use AI are replacing those who don’t.
There are viral examples of teens using AI to launch apps with multi-million dollar revenues.
The more specific the prompt, the better the AI’s output—clarity is key.
Business tasks like running scenarios, correlations, and planning can be done instantly with AI.
There’s huge potential for public-facing AI avatars to field press, lead webinars, or handle customer interactions.
Users respond well to AI when it's honest about being non-human—transparency builds trust.

Today's Panelists:

Kirk Chisholm | Innovative Wealth
Douglas Heagren | ProCollege Planners

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For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneytreepodcast.com/ai-is-getting-smarter-715

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