Episode 58: The $10M Restlessness, AI IPO Stock Decisions, and Heirloom Construction

May 25th, 2026  |  37 mins 52 secs

charitable giving, concentrated stock, concentration risk, executive compensation, financial independence, ipo planning, iso tax planning, liquidity event, luxury residential construction, pre-ipo planning, retirement planning, stock option exercise, tax planning

A business owner in his mid-forties with ten million saved asks why every financial milestone has failed to feel like arrival, and what mistakes people in his position tend to make. Then a software engineer at one of the major AI companies heading toward a historic IPO asks how to plan around fifteen million in pre-IPO equity, including ISOs, AMT exposure, and the holding periods that unlock long-term capital gains. In From the Field, we are joined by Matt Lutz, Managing Director of Flatwater Homes, for a conversation about luxury residential construction, from underground garages to glass-walled natatoriums.

Episode 56: $200K a Year in AUM Fees, Buying Your Nanny a Car, and Education with Lindsay Tanne Howe

May 11th, 2026  |  38 mins 23 secs

asset protection, aum fees, education planning, estate planning, family business, family relocation strategy, financial independence, financial literacy, higher education, household employee planning, international planning, liquidity event, tax planning

This week on the Scholar Wealth Podcast, Stephan tackles a listener paying his wirehouse advisor over $200,000 a year on $18 million in AUM and wondering whether self-management really has the threshold his advisor claims. He then walks through the right way for a family to provide a vehicle for their full-time nanny, covering insurance, title, and the cleanest structures for everyone involved. Finally, Lindsay Tanne Howe, founder and CEO of LogicPrep, returns to the show for a conversation on how education is increasingly driving where families choose to live, the rise of new global hubs from Lisbon to South Florida, and how AI is reshaping both the college admissions process and the curriculum on the other side of it.

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 50: PE Exit Prep, Offshore Account Reporting, and Protecting Collector Vehicles with Hagerty's Trent Abbott

March 30th, 2026  |  34 mins 50 secs

asset protection, business exit strategy, car insurance, expat tax planning, family business, financial literacy, foreign account compliance, international planning, liquidity event, pe sale preparation, physician finance, private equity investment, specialty asset coverage, tax planning

This week on the Scholar Wealth Podcast, Stephan walks through what a business owner should be doing in the years before entering a formal sale process, using the example of a regional physical therapy group fielding private equity interest. He then addresses the foreign account reporting obligations that can put returning expats out of compliance without realizing it. Finally, Trent Abbott, Vice President of Global Development at Hagerty, joins to discuss how families with significant vehicle collections should think about specialty insurance, agreed value coverage, and the unique risks that standard auto policies miss.

Episode 49: Delaware Statutory Trusts, Illiquid Business Wealth, and Designing Legacy Homes

March 23rd, 2026  |  29 mins 19 secs

1031 exchanges, business exit strategy, business owner retirement strategy, concentration risk, delaware statutory trusts, illiquid wealth planning, liquidity event, luxury home design, real estate investing, retirement planning, tax planning

In this episode, we explore how to exit appreciated rental real estate without triggering unnecessary taxes, how entrepreneurs can rebalance wealth away from an illiquid business ahead of a future sale, and in our From the Field segment, what truly distinguishes exceptional luxury residences designed to endure across generations.

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.

Episode 35: AI IPO Scenarios, IRA and Roth Timing, and Digital Legacy Preservation

December 15th, 2025  |  26 mins 2 secs

concentration risk, digital legacy planning, estate planning, financial literacy, ipo planning, ira contribution deadlines, iso amt planning, liquidity event, photo and story preservation, roth conversion rules, rsu taxation, stock option exercise, tax planning, trust strategies

This week:
How to approach RSUs, ISOs, and tax planning when your AI startup hints at an IPO.
Why IRA contributions follow one deadline while Roth conversions follow another.
Practical steps for building and preserving a meaningful digital legacy with guest Robyn Sechler.

Episode 31: Bridge Loan Tradeoffs, Private Market 401(k)s, and 1031 Exchange Strategies

November 17th, 2025  |  29 mins 27 secs

estate planning, executive compensation, financial independence, financial literacy, liquidity event, portfolio rebalancing, real estate investing, tax planning, trust strategies

This week, we break down when it makes sense to sell investments versus borrow for a new home, what to know about private market options in 401(k)s, and how 1031 exchanges can reshape long-term real estate planning with guest Julie Baird of First American Exchange Company.

Episode 29: CRUT Strategies, Contingency Fee Windfalls, and Protecting Valuable Collections

November 3rd, 2025  |  29 mins 31 secs

art insurance, asset protection, charitable giving, charitable remainder trusts, contingency attorneys, cruts, donor-advised funds, financial literacy, fine art protection, legal windfalls, liquidity event, liquidity management, real estate investing, real estate sales, risk management, tax planning, trust strategies, uneven income planning, valuable collections

This episode examines three sides of wealth protection: how to use a charitable remainder unitrust (CRUT) when selling appreciated real estate, how contingency attorneys should plan after a major payout, and how to safeguard valuable art and collectibles with Anne Rappa of Marsh McLennan Agency.

Episode 24: Family Gifting Expectations, Tech IPO Decisions, and the Capital Call Dilemma

September 29th, 2025  |  22 mins 20 secs

10b5-1 trading plan, adult children financial expectations, capital call dilemma, concentrated stock risk, concentration risk, de-risking at 65, equity allocation in retirement, experience vs cash gifts, family gifting dynamics, financial literacy, gifting strategies, investment dilution, ipo planning, ipo stock concentration, liquidity event, longevity and investing, mortgage and private school planning, multigenerational wealth communication, private deal due diligence, real estate investing, real estate syndication risks, retirement planning, retirement portfolio strategy, rsu liquidity planning, stock option exercise, wedding gift fairness

This episode tackles three wealth questions you won’t find in a textbook. We discuss how families can approach fairness in gifting when children make very different choices around major life events, how tech executives should think about concentration risk and cash flow ahead of an IPO, and what to do when a real estate syndication deal issues a capital call. Plus, in Myth or Money, we ask whether turning 65 really means it’s time to cut back on equities.