MINISODE: Hurricane Hiatus - An Update on the Wealth by Design Podcast
Wealth by Design
Hello, loyal listeners! We wanted to let you know that we have a quick update on the podcast and a few things that are happening over at Toujours Planning right now. As you may know, we are a Lake Charles-based business and family, and our community, homes, and offices were devastated by Hurricane Laura in August.
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MINISODE: Do You Need a Financial Advisor or a Certified Financial Planner™?
Wealth by Design
Do you need a financial planner? A financial advisor? An investment professional? A money coach? And what are those initials after their names?!
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MINISODE: Are You Falling into This Stock Market Trap?
Wealth by Design
In this minisode, Dustin breaks down the Sir Templeton’s quote: “Bull markets are born on pessimism, grown on skepticism, mature on optimism, and die on euphoria.”. He also discusses timing the stock market, why it’s a bad idea, and what you should do instead.
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MINISODE: Should You Have a Joint Account with Your Partner?
Wealth by Design
We’ll keep the intrigue to a minimum. In our opinion, the answer to this question is a resounding yes. Sharing your finances with your partner builds trust. Keeping them separate can breed suspicion and worry.
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MINISODE: When Stock Markets Dip and Bounce Back
Wealth by Design
In this minisode, Dustin recaps what a stock actually is and how stocks are bought and sold. He discusses how people’s emotions cause those peaks and valleys in the stock market, and how you can avoid that dangerous herd mentality when it comes to your own investing.
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112: Growing a Business & Wealth with Katell and Jon of Reverielane
Wealth by Design
Katell and Jon, a husband and wife design team, are founders of Reverielane, a purpose-driven brand and web design firm.
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[Summer Remix] 102: Net Worth is King
Wealth by Design
We talk about fear a lot on our podcast. Fear is natural and, TBH, necessary. But fear can also make you focus on the wrong thing when it comes to your net worth. Paying down debt rather than building up your assets, to be specific. And that’s what we discuss in this week’s episode: where our fear of the “debt boogeyman” comes from, our three-step strategy on how to overcome it, and what part of your finances you should be focusing on instead.
info_outline![[Summer Remix] 101: Robo-advisors: Your New Best Friend or Your Worst Enemy? show art](https://assets.libsyn.com/content/78672425?height=50&width=50)
[Summer Remix] 101: Robo-advisors: Your New Best Friend or Your Worst Enemy?
Wealth by Design
The robots have taken over. Just kidding. But, they have taken over a major chunk of the financial industry in the form of robo-advisors. But the truth is, we think robo-advisors are actually pretty useful. Of course, there’s a time and a place to use them, which is exactly what we cover in this episode of Wealth by Design.
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[Summer Remix] 100: High Yield Savings vs. Stocks: Who Wins?
Wealth by Design
There are a lot of misconceptions about investing in the stock market, thanks to fear-mongering in the news, horror stories from family and friends, and a lack of education about the stock market in general. Your fears may also be why high yield savings seems like the better option for your money. In this episode, we talked about the differences between high yield savings and stocks. We know you’re probably a big fan of saving because it’s “safe,” right? Well, we’re about to rock your world.
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[Summer Remix] 98: Leaving Behind the “Punch Clock” Mindset
Wealth by Design
The concept of a punch clock — punching in to start a shift and punching out when it ends — is ingrained in many of us, even as business owners who write our own checks and make our own schedules. But it doesn’t have to stay that way! On this episode of Wealth By Design, we talk about how you can start changing your mindset and your life right now.
info_outlineIn this episode of Worth It, Dustin and Danielle have a special guest: Joey Vitale. Joey is an attorney, speaker, and educator for entrepreneurs. He focuses on the legal aspects of creative businesses so the owners can focus on what’s important — their work. On top of working with clients, Joey has also created an expert brand for himself with Indie Law, where he provides a ton of resources for creative entrepreneurs who are looking to either “DIY” their brand protections or work with his expert team.
During their chat, Dustin, Danielle, and Joey dig into what trademarking is, what it’s not, and why it’s so important for creatives and new business owners to really put on their “legal hat” when thinking about their business, their content, and the future.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
06:20 Why niching down helped Joey’s business
08:33 What it means to protect your brand
10:04 What you can do to “disaster-proof” your brand
12:24 Why that ™ designation doesn’t mean as much as you thought it did
14:38 The two hurdles you have to get over to register your trademark
16:00 The importance of applying for a trademark before you launch
20:45 Why you should consider trademarking “catchphrases” as they come up
22:10 How the brand name “Elevator” has been “genericized”
23:12 The pros and cons of having an overly descriptive brand name
26:55 The current popularity of trademarking phrases
29:40 How a trademark attorney can help you understand your exact brand needs
32:06 What to consider if you’re a handmade business owner
33:14 The dangers of choosing a cheaper, form-based trademark application tool
34:140 Why trademarks and copyrights aren’t just a one-and-done thing
37:21 What you need to learn if you’re going to do trademarking yourself
40:45 What business owners can do to start thinking about trademarks today
42:43 The one thing Joey recommends creative entrepreneurs do
44:25 Why connecting entrepreneurs to other experts is vital
TRADEMARKING — WHAT IS IT, REALLY?
This episode of Worth It answers a lot of the questions we all have about trademarking:
- What is it?
- Do you need it?
- Can you sue people for using your catchphrases or brand name?
- How do you pursue a trademark?
- What’s the difference between ™ and ©?
Joey also sheds a little light on the importance of LLCs and incorporating your business so that you can better protect it against lawsuits, copyright infringements, and more. Of course, there’s no one size fits all for every business or brand, but Joey dives into what a few scenarios could look like. He also shares a few resources that can help listeners either “DIY” their trademarking or enlist the support experts at Indie Law, so don’t miss those.
BRAND NAMES AND CATCHPHRASES
Much of the episode is dedicated to talking about how to use business names properly, and Joey walks listeners through a few basics to make sure trademark law is a little clearer. He also talks about things like slogans, catchphrases, and even logos and how that falls under trademark and copyright law. When it comes to our current online landscape, it’s important to know what you can take inspiration from, what’s protected, and what’s illegal.
Joey also explains the popularity of trademarking phrases, especially in the apparel and art world, and how that impacts content creators and business builders. If you’ve ever wondered if you can send a “Cease and Desist” letter to someone turning your tweets into memes, this is for you.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR INDIE LAW?
Like most creative entrepreneurs, Joey is about more than just trademark law. He’s also building a community of experts who support entrepreneurs as they scale their businesses. He works with people to create contracts, establish LLCs or corporations, and (you guessed it) file for trademarks. Indie Law also offers a unique Trademark Watch service, which includes quarterly reports and monitoring for anyone who is creating something too similar to your name, branding, products, etc.
Indie Law and Joey also work with creative entrepreneurs to continually consider the trademark side of their slogans, new designs or logos, and products they create. This can all change as your business builds, so you may need to update trademarks, contracts, or legal coverage over time. He’s also launching an online course for entrepreneurs who want to learn what trademarks are, what they protect, and how to do a proper search. Another program is also on the way, called LLC on the Weekend, so you can DIY your LLC if you want!
Follow Joey on Instagram @joeycvitale if you want to see more of his expertise (check out his IGTV videos) and to learn more about his upcoming courses and membership programs to really up your legal game.
This material is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.
Joey Vitale is not affiliated with LPL Financial.
RESOURCES & PEOPLE MENTIONED
- Indie Law
- Joey’s Instagram @joeycvitale
- The Spectrum of Distinctiveness
- The Toujours Planning Quiz — are we a good fit for your financial planning needs?
CONNECT WITH DANIELLE AND DUSTIN