Why would a man pursuing a career in law and politics suddenly give it all up and gamble his future on a restaurant? Just ask the legendary St. Louis native Danny Meyer, who turned that one restaurant into a hospitality empire and eventually founded Shake Shack, the beloved burger spot with over 250 locations around the world.

Today, with his philosophy of enlightened hospitality and belief in the importance of building community wealth, Meyer continually prods the restaurant industry to level up and create better career opportunities for its workers, while challenging himself to share his insights with new industries through his investment fund.

Matt Hall met up with Meyer in New York to talk about everything from why there is a no-tip rule in Meyer’s restaurants to St. Louis Sports. Get to know more about Meyer’s legendary career in episode 9.

Listen to Episode 9

There is a new term we are hyper-focused on this month at Hill Investment Group – “snowplow parent.” The phrase refers to a parent who clears every obstacle out of their child’s way, preventing the youngster from developing the skills they will need later in life.

In episode 7 of the Take the Long View with Matt Hall podcast, experienced wealth counselor and financial therapist, Marilyn Wechter says “If you think about spoiled, what you’re talking about is kids who haven’t had the opportunity to figure out how to solve problems on their own and haven’t had the opportunity to figure out how to get something that they really want other than passively being given to.”

Marilyn and Matt Hall discussed the 4 primary things spoiled kids have in common.

1. Few chores or responsibilities
2. Not many rules to govern behavior or schedules
3. Parents and others lavish them with time and assistance
4. A plethora of material possessions

So, if we know what not to do, what’s the solution? Marilyn suggests we should nurture curiosity, patience, thrift, generosity, perseverance, modesty, and perspective.

That’s a lot to tackle, especially because today you can buy just about anything from your phone and POOF, it shows up at your door the next day.  How do you teach kids the value of money when your kids rarely see you hand a physical dollar to a live human in exchange for a good or service? Are the days of stashing wrinkled dollars and loose change in a piggy bank over?

In our house, once you turn 8, which is the age of my oldest son Jack, you began to earn an allowance on a weekly basis. It has been interesting to see how Jack chooses to spend or save his allowance. At first, he bought a few Pokémon cards on Amazon with our help.  In an effort to get him to realize everything does not come in a cardboard box a few days after you order it online, we went to a physical store.  We chose to visit one of his favorite spots, the store where everything is a dollar – I mean everything!  Jack chose his items and when he had to hand over his 4 hard-earned dollars to the cashier in exchange for a few cheap toys, he began to learn the value of money.  Shortly after that trip to The Dollar Store and some careful thought, Jack realized that the toys he bought would likely break or become less interesting within just a few days, so he’s now committed to saving his allowance.  He is learning if he puts his money in a bank, the bank actually pays HIM (very, very little these days) to keep his cash with them. That concept was mind-blowing for an 8-year-old. He asks me each week how much money he has in the bank and is thrilled to watch it grow. I can’t wait to show him the power of investing and the valuable work we do at Hill Investment Group!

Talking how to take the long view (not snowplowing) is vital at an early age, but as we hear in the podcast, it is never too late to start!

The podcast momentum is building. We offer the following write up as a teaser for Episode 5.

“Mom, I have a problem. I have a credit card—and I need you to pay the bill.”

“I’m not paying the bill, you have to figure it out. Consider this a lesson.”

That was the exchange Joe Saul-Sehy had with his mother shortly into his first semester in college. Within 90 days, his credit was wrecked. He had no job, no income, no financial aptitude whatsoever—understandably so.

Joe grew up in a family where the topic of money was constantly swept under the rug. His parents even went as far as asking the kids to leave the room if a financial discussion bubbled up.

So, who is this guy, and why would Matt spend an hour interviewing someone who admitted he has been “horrible with money?”

Joe Saul-Sehy is the co-host of The Stacking Benjamins Show: the record-smashing, award-winning, wildly popular podcast covering all things money-related. After years of avoiding conversations about money, Joe now broadcasts conversations about money to thousands of people every week.

In episode five of Take the Long View, Joe joins Matt to tell the story about his mission to make conversations about money fun and accessible. During this interview, Matt and Joe discuss financial independence, the perils of comparing your situation to others, and a traumatic experience with a minibar in Chicago.

Much like Matt, Joe has a knack for burying yawn-inducing jargon into stories that are as entertaining as they are enlightening. As Joe says, “If you don’t think you’re learning, you’re much more open to learning.”

Give it a listen and be sure to share the show with anyone else who’s fed up with finger-wagging, buttoned-up lectures about how you should handle your money.

Oh, and in case you missed it, Joe interviewed Matt back in 2016 right after the launch of Odds On: The Making of an Evidence-Based Investor.

Click here for Episode 5 on Apple or here for other platforms.