Reasonably Happy with Paul Ollinger

If you have kids in or nearing college age, you HAVE to listen to this episode. Ron Lieber’s new book, The Price You Pay for College contains critical, in-depth information about one of the most important financial decisions your family will ever make. After 15 years of financial reporting, Lieber reports that “No consumer decision inspires more confusion and emotion than the question of what to pay for college,” which is understandable since 4 years at many state schools now costs over $100k in tuition and 4 years of private school can run over $300k!Ron explains that not only is college ludicrously expensive, but the admissions process is purposefully opaque, so it’s hard to know if you/your kid will get in and whether or not you/your kid will be able to afford to go. By throwing himself head-first into this stormy, complicated sea, Ron helps the reader find the best college for them, pay the fairest price, and not destroy their family and finances in the process. Ron Lieber is a proud alumnus of Amherst College and the "Your Money" columnist for the New York Times. Among his previous books is the bestseller, The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous, and Smart About Money, which he discussed with me on episode #4 of Crazy Money. Listen to that here. Buy Ron's books on his website. **Please rate and review Crazy Money here.**Follow Paul on Instagram here and join the Crazy Money Listeners Group here.About Crazy Money:Unlike traditional personal finance shows like Dave Ramsey or Suze Orman, Crazy Money is not about how to make a million bucks, how to beat the market, or how to save money by switching cable providers. It is about deciding what role we want money to play in our lives and how we can use it to be our best selves. Topics covered include: Philosophy, Happiness, Contentment, Meaning, dreams, purpose, Success, Rat Race, Society, mental health, Buddhism, Stoicism, the hedonic treadmill, morality, Mid-Life Crisis, Business, Work, Careers, Authors, Books, Consumerism, Values, capitalism, economics, investing, saving, spending, personal finance, charity, philanthropy, altruism, affluence, wealth, wealth management, culture, society, status, Facebook.Are you really still reading?

Daniel Markovits is the Guido Calabresi Professor of Law at Yale Law School and the author of The Meritocracy Trap in which he outlines the price meritocracy imposes on society. In addition to severely limiting opportunities for the middle and lower classes, our knowledge-based economy “devours the elite” who work brutally long hours at top law firms, investment banks, and consulting companies. And Daniel would know. After all, he acknowledges that he is part of the system that he is criticizing. Not only does he train the attorneys that will go on to work themselves silly, but he holds an academic resume like none you have ever seen. Check this out: After earning a B.A. in Mathematics, summa cum laude (which is Latin for “way smarter than you”) from Yale University, Markovits received a British Marshall Scholarship to study in England, where he was awarded an M.Sc. in Econometrics and Mathematical Economics from London School of Economics and a doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Oxford. Markovits then returned to New Haven to study law at Yale.  Follow him on Twitter here. Get his book here. **Please rate and review Crazy Money here.**Follow Crazy Moneyon Instagram hereand join theCrazy MoneyListeners Group here.About Crazy Money:Unlike traditional personal finance shows,Crazy Moneyis not about how to make a million bucks, how to beat the stock market, or how to save money by switching credit cards. It is about deciding what role we want money to play in our lives and how we can use it to be our best selves. Topics covered include: Philosophy, Happiness, Contentment, Meaning, dreams, purpose, Success, Rat Race, Society, mental health, Buddhism, Stoicism, the hedonic treadmill, morality, Mid-Life Crisis, Business, Work, Careers, Authors, Books, Consumerism, Values, capitalism, economics, investing, saving, spending, personal finance, charity, philanthropy, altruism, affluence, wealth, wealth management, culture, society. Status.Are you really still reading? Go listen to another episode, silly.

William “Bill” Irvine is an author, philosophy professor, and an active investor who describes his intended audience as "intellectually-upscale readers who have a minimal background in philosophy but who are interested in carefully rethinking the assumptions of everyday life.” (Hey, that’s YOU!) Bill wants to make philosophy accessible and applicable to our everyday struggles. His research can best be described as hybrid, reflecting topics that lie on the border between philosophy and something else. For example, many of his articles address the ethical issues involved in finance. His first two books were on the ethical and political aspects of parenting. And his book, On Desire (one of the two we’ll discuss today), has a philosophical component, but also a scientific and religious component.  In our conversation, Bill explains our biological incentive systems, how our brains are like a Thanksgiving poultry trifecta, and why it’s imperative for each of us to develop a Philosophy of Life or a Grand Goal in Living.  Bill earned a BA in Mathematics and Philosophy at the University of Michigan and an MA and PhD in Philosophy at UCLA. He has been teachingat Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, since 1983. Find out more about Bill on his website. **Please rate and review Crazy Money here.FollowCrazy Moneyon Instagram hereand join theCrazy MoneyListeners Grouphere.Get your officialCrazy Moneyt-shirts here. AboutCrazy Money:Unlike traditional personal finance shows like Dave Ramsey or Suze Orman, Crazy Money is not about how to make a million bucks, how to beat the market, or how to save money by switching cable providers. It is about deciding what role we want money to play in our lives and how we can use it to be our best selves. Topics covered include: Philosophy, Happiness, Contentment, Meaning, dreams, purpose, Success, Rat Race, Society, mental health, Buddhism, Stoicism, the hedonic treadmill, morality, Mid-Life Crisis, Business, Work, Careers, Authors, Books, Consumerism, Values, capitalism, economics, investing, saving, spending, personal finance, charity, philanthropy, altruism, affluence, wealth, wealth management, culture, society. Status.Are you really still reading?

Jesse Itzler only eats fruit 'til noon, loves Run-D.M.C., and enjoys living life "out of the box." The author of the New York Times bestseller, Living with a Seal, cofounded Marquis Jet, the world's largest private jet card company which he and his partner sold to Berkshire Hathaway/NetJets. Jesse then partnered with Zico coconut water, which he and his partner sold to The Coca-Cola Company. He’s a former rapper on MTV and wrote and performed the NBA's Emmy Award-winning "I Love This Game" music campaign and the popular New York Knicks anthem "Go NY Go." When he's not running ultra-marathons, eating vegan food or being a dad to his four kids, Jesse can be found at the NBA's Atlanta Hawks games, where he's an owner of the team. He is married to Spanx founder Sara Blakely Get the BYLR Radio app here. Get the most out of 2021 with Jesse’s Big Ass Calendar Club and follow him on Instagram.Join the Crazy Money Listeners Group here.Rate and review Crazy Money here.About Crazy Money:Unlike traditional personal finance shows, Crazy Money is not about how to make a million bucks, how to beat the market, or how to save money by switching cable providers. It is about deciding what role we want money to play in our lives and how we can use it to be our best selves. Topics covered include: Philosophy, Happiness, Contentment, Meaning, dreams, purpose, Success, Rat Race, Society, mental health, Buddhism, Stoicism, the hedonic treadmill, morality, Mid-Life Crisis, Business, Work, Careers, Authors, Books, Consumerism, Values, capitalism, economics, investing, saving, spending, personal finance, charity, philanthropy, altruism, affluence, wealth, wealth management, culture, society. Status.Are you really still reading?

The New Yorker called Princeton and University of Melbourne bio-ethicist, Peter Singer “the world’s most influential living philosopher." Time included him on its annual list of the world’s 100 most influential people. Peter has a question for you: Did you know that for the cost of a new television ($600), you can save a life? Here’s another: would it be worth foregoing a nice bottle of wine ($50) to cure someone’s blindness, thus allowing them to return to work and provide for themselves and their family? Could you come up with $700 to fix a new mother’s fistula, a debilitating condition that otherwise sentences her to incontinence and ostracism? Peter asks these questions because he wants to remind us that sums that are relatively trivial to us in the West can literally save or radically improve the life of someone in the developing world. He argues persuasively that we have the not just the opportunity but the obligation to help these people and doing so is in our own “enlightened self-interest." Peter is the author of The Life You Can Save, which Bill and Melinda Gates called, “an inspiring work that will change the way you think about philanthropy.” The 10th anniversary edition of the book is available for free in both audio and e-book formats on the website TheLifeYouCanSave.org. Go to the site and find ways you can save a life for $600 or cure someone’s cataract-induced blindness for as little as $50. Seriously, go do it. Now. Here’s the link again: TheLifeYouCanSave.org. You’ll feel better about yourself and life after you do it. Follow Crazy Money on Facebook here and join the Crazy Money Listeners Group here.About Crazy Money:Unlike traditional personal finance shows like Dave Ramsey or Suze Orman, Crazy Money is not about how to make a million bucks, how to beat the market, or how to save money by switching cable providers. It is about deciding what role we want money to play in our lives and how we can use it to be our best selves. Topics covered include: Philosophy, Happiness, Contentment, Meaning, dreams, purpose, Success, Rat Race, Society, mental health, Buddhism, Stoicism, the hedonic treadmill, morality, Mid-Life Crisis, Business, Work, Careers, Authors, Books, Consumerism, Values, capitalism, economics, investing, saving, spending, personal finance, charity, philanthropy, altruism, affluence, wealth, wealth management, culture, society. Status.Produced and edited by Mike Carano

Tony Hsieh was the former CEO of Zappos, which Amazon bought for $1.2 billion. With a net worth reported at over $700 million, Tony appeared to have everything anyone could want. However, Tony suffered from severe addiction that pulled him down into a spiral of substance abuse, bizarre behavior, and his eventual death. During the Covid lockdown, Tony bought over $50 million worth of houses in Park City, UT and actually paid his friends to come live near him and “be happy.” He died from injuries sustained in a house fire where he was locked in a shed.Angel Au-Yeung and David Jeans wrote the Forbes feature article, Tony Hsieh’s American Tragedy which details both Tony’s extraordinary accomplishments and his tragic demise. Dr. Drew Pinsky joins after Angel and David to discuss the correlation between wealth and addiction. Angel Au-Yeung writes about billionaires at Forbes. David Jeans, also a Forbes staff reporter, covers the technology industry. His work appears regularly in the New York Times. Dr. Drew Pinsky is an internist, addiction specialist, and popular broadcaster. **Please rate and review Crazy Money here.Follow Crazy Money on Facebook here and join the Crazy Money Listeners Group here.Get your official Crazy Money t-shirts here. Produced and edited by Mike CaranoAbout Crazy Money: Unlike traditional personal finance shows, Crazy Money is not about how to make a million bucks, how to beat the market, or how to save money by switching cable providers. It is about deciding what role we want money to play in our lives and how we can use it to be our best selves. Topics covered include: Philosophy, Happiness, Contentment, Meaning, dreams, purpose, Success, Rat Race, Society, mental health, Buddhism, Stoicism, the hedonic treadmill, morality, Mid-Life Crisis, Business, Work, Careers, Authors, Books, Consumerism, Values, capitalism, economics, investing, saving, spending, personal finance, charity, philanthropy, altruism, affluence, wealth, wealth management, culture, society. Status.

John Helliwell is Professor emeritus of Economics at University of British Columbia and editor of The World Happiness Report, a landmark survey of the state of global happiness that ranks 156 countries by how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be. The report has been published since 2012 when the United Nations General Assembly invited countries to measure their citizen’s happiness. And why not? We measure and report GNP, the GDP, the unemployment rate, average income, home sales, but not happiness. Aren’t all these things surrogates for what we should be evaluating, i.e. happiness?  On today’s show, John shares the themes he and his colleagues have identified over years of study but also the more recent effects of Covid pandemic and quarantine on our overall happiness.  John studied as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford where he received his PhD. In 1967, John joined the economics faculty at University of British Columbia where he is now Professor Emeritus. In addition to many other distinctions, he was a visiting research fellow at Merton College, Oxford, and a Fullbright Fellow and MacKenzie King Visiting Professor of Canadian Studies at Harvard University (it’s near Boston, in case you’ve never heard of it) Take a few minutes to read his work: World Happiness Report.  **Please rate and review Crazy Money here. Follow Crazy Money on Facebook here and join the Crazy Money Listeners Group here.Get your official Crazy Money t-shirts here. Produced and edited by Mike CaranoAbout Crazy Money:Unlike traditional personal finance shows, Crazy Money is not about how to make a million bucks, how to beat the market, or how to save money by switching cable providers. It is about deciding what role we want money to play in our lives and how we can use it to be our best selves. Topics covered include: philosophy, happiness, contentment, meaning, dreams, purpose, success, society, mental health, Buddhism, Stoicism, the hedonic treadmill, morality, mid-life Crisis, business, work, careers, authors, books, consumerism, values, capitalism, economics, investing, saving, spending, charity, philanthropy, altruism, affluence, wealth, wealth management, culture, society. Status.Are you really still reading?

Kay Madati was born to a single, Tanzanian mother who died when he was 12. Kay and his brother were then adopted by a very affluent caucasian couple who lived on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. His new family situation was an uncanny mirror to the plot of Diff’rent Strokes, one of the most popular American TV shows of the early 1980s. In a very short period of time, Kay went from a world where “black kids were never supposed to be anything but working class” to attending Riverdale Country School, an elite and nurturing private school in which teachers opened his eyes to his own massive potential. His experience, while rooted in tragedy, is a testimony to the transformative power of adoption and how parenting, education, and access are undeniable sources of privilege.  Kay eventually graduated from Georgetown University and went on to a career in media, working for some of the world’s most prestigious corporations, including BMW, CNN, Facebook, and BET Networks where he was Chief Digital Officer. Most recently, Kay was the Global Vice President and Head of Content Partnerships at Twitter, overseeing the company’s worldwide efforts to engage with media and content publishers across TV, Sports, News, Film, Music, among other categories. Kay is a citizen of both the United States and Tanzania. In 2014, President Obama appointed him to the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability for Young Americans. Today he serves on the Advisory Board of Harvard Univeristy’s Hutchins Center for African and African-American Research, and is a member of the board of directors of Wingstop, a quickly-growing restaurant and franchise concept.  Outside of work, Kay is a passionate advocate for youth in underserved communities. He is a founding Board Member & Chairman Emeritus of both Brooklyn Excelsior and Atlanta Heights Charters Schools. For more information about these schools, click: Atlanta Heights Charter School Brooklyn Excelsior Charter School Email me your receipt to paul@crazymoneypodcast.com.**Please rate and review Crazy Money here.**Follow Crazy Money on Facebook here and join the Crazy Money Listeners Group here.Get your official Crazy Money t-shirts here. Produced and edited by Mike CaranoAbout Crazy Money: Unlike traditional personal finance shows like Dave Ramsey or Suze Orman, Crazy Money is not about how to make a million bucks, how to beat the market, or how to save money by switching cable providers. It is about deciding what role we want money to play in our lives and how we can use it to be our best selves. Topics covered include: Philosophy, Happiness, Contentment, Meaning, dreams, purpose, Success, Rat Race, Society, mental health, Buddhism, Stoicism, the hedonic treadmill, morality, Mid-Life Crisis, Business, Work, Careers, Authors, Books, Consumerism, Values, capitalism, economics, investing, saving, spending, personal finance, charity, philanthropy, altruism, affluence, wealth, wealth management, culture, society. Status.Are you really still reading?

In this special Thanksgiving encore episode, I talk to A.J. Jacobs about his latest book, Thanks a Thousand: A Gratitude Journey, in which he expresses gratitude to a thousand people who are involved with getting him his morning coffee.A.J. Jacobs is an author, journalist, lecturer and human guinea pig. He has written four New York Times bestsellers that combine memoir, science, humor, and a dash of self-help. He is also editor at large at Esquire magazine, a commentator on NPR and a columnist for Mental Floss magazine. Despite his references to the hygienic benefits of not shaking hands, this interview was recorded in pre-COVID 2019 at his office in New York City.Learn more about A.J. on his website.**Please rate and review Crazy Money here.Follow Crazy Money on Facebook here and join the Crazy Money Listeners Group here.Get your official Crazy Money t-shirts here. Produced and edited by Mike CaranoAbout Crazy Money:Unlike traditional personal finance shows like Dave Ramsey or Suze Orman, Crazy Money is not about how to make a million bucks, how to beat the market, or how to save money by switching cable providers. It is about deciding what role we want money to play in our lives and how we can use it to be our best selves. Topics covered include: Philosophy, Happiness, Contentment, Meaning, dreams, purpose, Success, Rat Race, Society, mental health, Buddhism, Stoicism, the hedonic treadmill, morality, Mid-Life Crisis, Business, Work, Careers, Authors, Books, Consumerism, Values, capitalism, economics, investing, saving, spending, personal finance, charity, philanthropy, altruism, affluence, wealth, wealth management, culture, society. Status. Paul Ollinger Are you really still reading this?

Rich Beem won the 2002 PGA Championship, one of professional golf’s four major tournaments. Despite having won twice on tour prior to the PGA, Rich's win at Hazeltine was as unlikely as the groovy dance moves he busted out after sinking his final putt of the tournament. Describing himself as “the luckiest guy in the world,” Rich loves golf and hanging out with people who give him energy. He played the game loose and wide open, but the rising expectations he felt after becoming a major champion became a distraction, and he never won again on tour. On today’s Crazy Money, Rich speaks candidly about grinding his way up the golf ladder, and how he found purpose and meaning in life as his PGA prospects began to dim.  Rich was born in Phoenix, AZ, grew up in El Paso, TX and played college golf at New Mexico State University. Today Rich plays on the PGA Champions Tour and works as a TV golf analyst on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland. Follow Rich on Instagram and/or Twitter.  **Please rate and review Crazy Money here. Follow Crazy Money on Facebook here and join the Crazy Money Listeners Group here.Get your official Crazy Money t-shirts here. Produced and edited by Mike CaranoAbout Crazy Money:Unlike traditional personal finance shows like Dave Ramsey or Suze Orman, Crazy Money is not about how to make a million bucks, how to beat the market, or how to save money by switching cable providers. It is about deciding what role we want money to play in our lives and how we can use it to be our best selves. Topics covered include: Philosophy, Happiness, Contentment, Meaning, dreams, purpose, Success, Rat Race, Society, mental health, Buddhism, Stoicism, the hedonic treadmill, morality, Mid-Life Crisis, Business, Work, Careers, Authors, Books, Consumerism, Values, capitalism, economics, investing, saving, spending, personal finance, charity, philanthropy, altruism, affluence, wealth, wealth management, culture, society. Status. Paul Ollinger Are you really still reading this?