Episode 55: 529 Superfunding, Evaluating Memberships After a Liquidity Event, and Concierge Nursing

May 4th, 2026  |  30 mins 28 secs

529 planning, concierge healthcare, estate planning, financial independence, financial literacy, gifting strategies, liquidity event, private club memberships, retirement planning

This week on the Scholar Wealth Podcast, Stephan walks through how 529 superfunding works, how it interacts with an existing annual gifting strategy, and whether it's actually the right estate planning tool for a family with a $40 million estate. He then breaks down a framework for evaluating the flood of pitches that follow a liquidity event — golf clubs, city clubs, private aviation cards, and family office intro services — and how to separate what's genuinely worth it from what just sounds like it should be. Finally, Jasmine Bhatti, founder and CEO of NaviNurses, joins to discuss the personalized healthcare landscape: from private duty nursing and post-surgical recovery care to concierge medicine, longevity practitioners, and integrative health.

Episode 54: Mortgages, Trusts, Hedge Funds, and More: Live Q&A from Our Annual Conference

April 27th, 2026  |  35 mins 10 secs

estate planning, financial literacy, gifting strategies, incentive stock options, inheritance planning, live q&a, real estate investing, real estate syndication, retirement planning, stock option exercise, talking to kids about money, tax planning, trust distribution, trust strategies

This week, we're bringing you something a little different. This episode was recorded live at our 2026 annual personal wealth conference at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina. Stephan is joined by Deon Strickland, Ph.D. and Derek Cheshire, CFP®, EA for a live Q&A panel, fielding questions submitted on the spot by conference attendees. Topics include the pros and cons of paying cash for a home, annual gift tax exclusion strategies for large families, structuring inheritances for young adults, trust disputes between beneficiaries, troubled real estate syndications, ISO exercises and AMT credits, talking to your kids about money, evaluating a hedge fund, and navigating a parent's estate after a spouse passes.

Episode 53: Structured Family Support, Cash Balance Plans, and Hiring a Private Chef

April 20th, 2026  |  31 mins 52 secs

adult child financial support, asset protection, business exit strategy, cash balance plan, charitable giving, defined benefit plan, domestic staff hiring, estate planning, family business, family gifting strategy, financial independence, gifting strategies, inheritance planning, private chef placement, retirement contribution stacking, retirement planning, solo 401k, tax planning

A listener asks how to structure financial support for an adult child in a way that builds accountability rather than dependence. Then, a consultant explores whether layering a cash balance plan on top of a solo 401(k) makes sense, and what the long-term funding commitment actually looks like. Chris Demaillet, founder of Montclair Chef, joins From the Field to discuss what families need to know before hiring a private chef.

Episode 51: Rachel Cruze of The Ramsey Show on Raising Money-Smart Kids, DAFs vs. Private Foundations, and Getting Into Alternatives

April 6th, 2026  |  36 mins 25 secs

alternative investments, charitable giving, donor-advised funds, estate planning, family business, family philanthropy, financial literacy, generational wealth transfer, gifting strategies, inheritance planning, parenting and money, private equity investment, private foundations, real estate investing, rental property, tax planning, third-generation wealth, trust strategies

Rachel Cruze, author and co-host of The Ramsey Show, joins us to talk about how financial values are formed, passed down, and sometimes lost across generations. We also look at when a private foundation makes more sense than a donor-advised fund for a family giving $200,000 a year, and whether rental real estate is a smart entry point into alternatives — or just trading one set of risks for another.

Episode 47: AI Concentration Risk, Concierge Medicine, and Avoiding Trust Disputes

March 9th, 2026  |  34 mins 22 secs

concentration risk, concierge medicine, estate planning, fiduciary litigation, financial independence, healthcare planning, market timing, portfolio rebalancing, retirement planning, tech concentration, trust strategies

In this episode, we discuss how to manage concentrated exposure to AI-driven tech gains without turning rebalancing into market timing, evaluate whether catastrophic coverage paired with concierge medicine is a rational strategy after financial independence, and speak with fiduciary litigator Ellen Morris about what families can do to proactively reduce trust and estate conflicts.

Episode 46: Evaluating PPLI, Investing in a Child’s Startup, and Cross-Border Tax Complexity

March 2nd, 2026  |  37 mins 32 secs

advanced tax strategies, complex wealth structures, cross-border planning, estate planning, family business, family capital decisions, international planning, private equity investment, tax planning, venture investing

In this episode, we examine three sophisticated planning decisions that sit at the intersection of tax efficiency, family dynamics, and global mobility. We break down how affluent families should evaluate Private Placement Life Insurance beyond the marketing pitch, how to thoughtfully approach investing in a child’s venture-backed startup without distorting incentives or relationships, and close with a From the Field conversation on the real tax and structural complexities of building a life across borders.

Episode 42: Managing Inherited Property, Protecting Physician Wealth, and Inside the Bourbon Market

February 2nd, 2026  |  42 mins 57 secs

asset protection, bourbon collecting, concentration risk, estate planning, financial literacy, inheritance planning, inherited property, legal exposure, ownership tradeoffs, passion investing, physician finance, real estate investing, tax planning, trust strategies, vacation rental

In this episode, we answer two listener questions that highlight common tradeoffs as wealth and complexity grow. We discuss how to approach inherited real estate when illiquidity and emotional attachment are involved, how high-net-worth physicians can think about asset protection as income and exposure rise together, and close with a From the Field conversation on what actually drives quality and value in the bourbon market.

Episode 41: Choosing Charitable Impact, Wash Sale Rules, and Business Valuation in Practice

January 26th, 2026  |  38 mins 36 secs

business exit strategy, business valuation, charitable giving, charitable impact, estate planning, family business, nonprofit evaluation, portfolio rebalancing, tax loss harvesting, tax planning, wash sale rules

In this episode, we explore how financial decisions can still feel complicated even when the numbers clearly work. The conversation covers how to choose impactful charitable giving without an existing connection, how wash sale rules show up in real-world portfolios, and a practical discussion with Mike Blake on how business valuations actually work in practice.

Episode 38: Social Security Timing, Home Sale Capital Gains, and Educational Travel with Road Scholar

January 5th, 2026  |  31 mins 12 secs

capital gains tax, estate planning, financial independence, inflation planning, inheritance planning, longevity planning, multigenerational travel planning, primary residence sale, real estate investing, retirement planning, social security timing, tax planning

In this episode, we answer two listener questions that highlight common retirement planning tradeoffs. We discuss Social Security timing for high earners, capital gains considerations when selling a long-held primary residence, and how families think about prioritizing meaningful experiences through educational travel with Road Scholar.

Episode 37: Qualified Opportunity Zones, IDGTs, and Modern Estate Management

December 29th, 2025  |  38 mins 25 secs

business exit strategy, business sale planning, estate management, estate planning, family business, high-net-worth home management, inheritance planning, intentionally defective grantor trust, liquidity event, qualified opportunity zones, real estate investing, tax planning, trust strategies

Evaluating Qualified Opportunity Zone investments after a large business sale requires balancing tax incentives with risk and liquidity.

IDGTs can help transfer future business growth, but they introduce meaningful cash flow and complexity considerations.

In our From the Field conversation, Peter Hansen explains what modern estate management looks like and how staffing and systems help homes run smoothly.