Amos Akinyooye sits down again with financial advisor and author Dave Alexander for a conversation that starts with pro sports contracts and ends somewhere far more personal: how you actually decide what your name, your time, and your capital are worth. They open on the WNBA collective bargaining fight, where rookie salaries sit near $75,000 and the league maximum lands around $250,000 while television money climbs into the billions, and they disagree productively on whether pay should follow fairness or follow revenue. From there the conversation widens. They revisit what Michael Jordan's 1995 return proved about a single person moving billions of dollars in brand value, why A'ja Wilson had no signature sneaker deal until Nike bet on Caitlin Clark, and why a brand is never in the business of your league. They work through the case for and against leaving a multimillion dollar college NIL agreement to chase a professional contract, including the injury risk that quietly prices everything, and what the policy pressure on NIL means for athletes making decisions right now. The back half turns toward the wider board: long horizon political strategy, the argument that financial systems reset roughly every century, the role crypto and stablecoins may play in repositioning $37 trillion of debt, and why the people best positioned for that shift are the ones reading past the headline. Amos and Dave close on the part that applies to everyone regardless of net worth, which is that money is a language, the information is already available, and nobody is coming to learn it for you.

Chapters:

• (00:00:00) Why WNBA Players Are Demanding More Money Right Now
• (00:02:05) The $75,000 Rookie Salary And A League That Claims It Is Not Profitable
• (00:04:10) What Michael Jordan's $6 Billion Return Proved About Replacement Value
• (00:06:15) Why Nike Backed Caitlin Clark Before The League MVP
• (00:09:20) NIL Millions Versus A Pro Contract: When Do You Make The Jump
• (00:12:40) The Injury Risk That Prices Every Athlete Decision
• (00:16:25) Policy, Tariffs And Playing The Long Game On Purpose
• (00:19:45) The 100 Year Financial Reset, Crypto And $37 Trillion Of Debt
• (00:23:05) Money Is A Language And Most People Never Learn It
• (00:29:15) Teaching Kids To Invest In What They Already Believe In

Links and Resources:

• The Tales Of Endless Rewards: A Kids’ Guide to Money Management
• Dave Alexandre on LinkedIn
• Amos Akinyooye on LinkedIn
• Aston Consulting Group

Thanks so much for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The ACG Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us in the comment section!

Nick Davies breaks down the exact blueprint for building a seven-figure advisory practice without sacrificing your health or family time. Drawing from 20 years in banking and his work coaching hundreds of advisors, Nick reveals the seven deadly sins that keep advisors stuck at their current level—from staying in the comfort zone to believing only they can serve their clients. He shares why the fundamental question "what do you want?" is both the simplest and most difficult to answer, how to shift from being a great advisor to being a great business owner, and why going back to basics is the secret weapon of top performers. Nick also opens up about his personal transformation from corporate banker to business coach, the power of sprints for achieving business and health goals simultaneously, and why proximity to higher performers is essential for breakthrough growth. Whether you're struggling to break past $300K or looking to scale beyond seven figures, this episode delivers the clarity and strategies you need to leap to your next level.

Chapters:

• (00:00:00) - Introduction and Nick's Current Sprint
• (00:02:38) - The Shift: Taking Opportunities vs. Creating Your Own
• (00:06:42) - The Fundamental Question: What Do You Want?
• (00:10:47) - Future Lookback: Starting with the End in Mind
• (00:14:00) - What It's Like Being Nick Davies
• (00:19:00) - Success Ingredients at Different Stages
• (00:23:00) - The Seven Deadly Sins of Financial Advisors
• (00:33:00) - Leadership vs. Management: Painting the Vision
• (00:37:00) - Back to Basics: The Champion's Secret
• (00:43:00) - Nick's Mission: Helping 100,000 Advisors

Links and Resources

• Website
• Nick Davies on LinkedIn
• Amos Akinyooye on LinkedIn
• Aston Consulting Group

Thanks so much for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to the ACG Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us in the comment section!

Veteran SBA lender Kendro Benjamin breaks down the mysteries of Small Business Administration financing after 24 years in banking. Discover why most business owners are leaving money on the table by not leveraging SBA loans, how you can acquire commercial real estate with just 10% down (versus 25-30% conventional), and which industries banks secretly avoid. Kendro shares insider knowledge on startup funding, the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make when seeking capital, and why your retirement plan might actually be the building you're working in. Whether you're launching your first venture or scaling an existing business, this episode demystifies the lending process and reveals practical strategies for building wealth through smart financing.

Chapters:

• (00:00:00) - Introduction: Meet SBA Expert Kendro Benjamin
• (00:01:00) - What is the SBA and Why Most People Don't Know About It
• (00:03:00) - The Real Cost of Business Ownership: Funding Statistics
• (00:05:00) - SBA vs Conventional Loans: The 10% Advantage
• (00:08:00) - State-by-State Differences: New York vs New Jersey
• (00:12:00) - Interest Rates and When SBA Makes Sense
• (00:16:00) - Industries Banks Avoid and Why
• (00:20:00) - Franchise vs Startup: Making the Right Choice
• (00:24:00) - The Startup Question: Funding Before Proof of Concept
• (00:28:00) - Five Gems: Critical Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Links and Resources

• Website
• Kendro Benjamin on LinkedIn
• Amos Akinyooye on LinkedIn
• Aston Consulting Group

Thanks so much for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to the ACG Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us in the comment section!

In this eye-opening conversation, Dave Alexandre, author of "Tales Rewards: A Kid's Guide to Money Management," joins Amos to discuss the critical importance of financial education starting from childhood. Dave shares the inspiring story behind his book and the viral "savings box challenge" that has spread across multiple school districts, teaching kids to save $1,000 through a gamified approach. The discussion dives deep into why financial literacy is often missing in households, particularly in brown and black communities, and challenges the notion that financial education isn't accessible. They debate whether the responsibility lies with individuals to seek out financial knowledge or with society to make it more readily available. Dave emphasizes that most people learn money habits from their parents, and if those parents aren't financially literate, the cycle continues. Amos pushes back, arguing that in today's world with unlimited access to information through libraries, online resources, and free workshops, there's no excuse for remaining financially illiterate. The conversation explores real estate investing as a practical example, discussing how opportunity costs and creative financing strategies can build wealth, and why many people struggle to see these opportunities even when they're presented clearly. Both agree that surrounding yourself with financially successful mentors is crucial, but disagree on how much grace to give people who don't actively seek out that knowledge.

Chapters:

• (00:00:00) - How Financial Literacy Starts With Kids
• (00:02:00) - The $1,000 Savings Challenge and Opportunity Cost
• (00:05:00) - Using Real Estate to Build Wealth
• (00:08:00) - Is Financial Education Truly Accessible?
• (00:12:00) - Why People Gamble Instead of Invest
• (00:16:00) - Free Resources vs. Financial Barriers
• (00:20:00) - Overcoming Shame and Seeking Money Advice
• (00:23:00) - How Resourcefulness Creates Financial Opportunity
• (00:27:00) - Learning to Manage Money Through Mistakes

Links and Resources:

• The Tales Of Endless Rewards: A Kids’ Guide to Money Management
• Dave Alexandre on LinkedIn
• Amos Akinyooye on LinkedIn
• Aston Consulting Group

Thanks so much for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The ACG Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us in the comment section!

Estate planning attorney Lili shares her journey from corporate success to entrepreneurial freedom. After nearly two decades in corporate law, the pandemic's forced stillness made her confront a truth she'd been avoiding: she was trading her authenticity for a paycheck. Lili discusses the pivotal moment she visualized walking through a portal to the life she truly wanted, the challenges of marketing herself as a brand rather than just a service provider, and how being a Black woman attorney carved out a unique space in an industry traditionally dominated by wealthy, white male practitioners. She opens up about the realities of juggling entrepreneurship with new motherhood, the importance of building the right community, the role of AI in her practice, and why people genuinely want to help you succeed. This conversation delivers real talk about risk-taking, financial preparation, work-life integration, and the difference between being busy and being fulfilled.

Chapters:

• (00:00:00) - The Long Drive to Friendship
• (00:02:00) - The Pandemic Stillness That Changed Everything
• (00:05:00) - Visualizing the Portal to a Different Life
• (00:08:00) - Taking Off the Corporate Umbrella
• (00:12:00) - What Does an Entrepreneur Actually Do?
• (00:15:00) - The Myth That All Entrepreneurs Are Serious
• (00:18:00) - Marketing Yourself vs Marketing Your Services
• (00:22:00) - Why She Left Despite Corporate Success
• (00:27:00) - Discovering Her Street Value as a Black Woman Professional
• (00:30:00) - Finding Resources and Community Support
• (00:33:00) - Why There's No Competition in Her Space
• (00:36:00) - Building Systems Through Client Feedback
• (00:40:00) - Choosing the Right Round Table of Advisors
• (00:43:00) - Social Media Strategy: Speaking Gigs Over Clients
• (00:47:00) - How She Uses AI in Her Legal Practice
• (00:50:00) - Estate Planning 101: Wills vs Trusts
• (00:54:00) - Serving the Underserved in Estate Planning
• (00:58:00) - Adding Family to the Entrepreneurial Journey
• (01:02:00) - Juggling Glass Balls and Rubber Balls
• (01:04:00) - A Day in the Life of a Mom-Entrepreneur-Attorney
• (01:06:00) - Final Gem: People Want to Help You

Links and Resources:

• Website
• Lillie Nkenchor on LinkedIn
• Amos Akinyooye on LinkedIn
• Aston Consulting Group

Thanks so much for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The ACG Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us in the comment section!