The Generous Investor

We commonly associate "brain drain" with STEM graduates moving away from central Indiana to higher paying jobs on the coasts. But there is a ministry brain drain as well, when seminary students leave for in-person learning only available in other states. Nicholas Piotrowski and the faculty at Indianapolis Theological Seminary are changing that. They're also working closely with local churches and pastors to deliver Biblically-centric, evangelical, reformed theological education which is relevant to what the many healthy churches in Indiana need.

lya Rehkter is Founder and CEO of Megawatt, a Bitcoin miner hosting company headquartered in Carmel, Indiana. Bitcoin mining has become a huge, global business and as the industry has become more competitive, the necessity of getting the economics right has increased substantially. Ilya draws on his prior experiences as a software entrepreneur and individual Bitcoin miner to deliver customer-centric mining hosting environments which are reliable, professionally run, and priced in a way to help investors be profitable. 

Tess Worrell is an attorney, mediator, and Co-founder of Resolution Mediation, LLC. Our legal system, by design, is adversarial which often, but not always, serves disputing parties well. Mediation, on the other hand, allows people to collaboratively solve their shared problems. In this episode Tess shares the many ways in which mediation can help people address concrete problems without destroying each other, their families, or their businesses. 

Ryan returns as my guest on this episode to talk about the motivations for owning Bitcoin and how to buy and start accumulating it. For more information on Ryan's firm, visit swan.com. To contact Ryan: ryan@swan.com The book "Inventing Bitcoin" by Yan Pritzker (which Ryan references in this episode) is available for free at Swan's site: https://www.swanbitcoin.com/inventing-bitcoin/

This is the second half of my conversation with Pete Gall, founder of Centurion Response. In this episode Pete describes the Centurion Identity Package, which is a way for leaders to understand themselves fundamentally, along spiritual, personal, and professional lines. Pete is offering a 20% discount on Identity Packages to Generous Investor listeners who mention the show when they sign up: centurionresponse.com

Pete Gall is founder of Centurion Response, a vision-casting studio for faithful business leaders. In our conversation, Pete describes his early years in advertising and how that experience caused him to reject creating needs to sell products and to instead begin helping others understand their true identities.

Ryan Flynn is Managing Director Swan Private Wealth, one of the largest Bitcoin-only exchanges. In this episode, Ryan describes how he found Bitcoin, what the fundamental problem with fiat currency is, and how Bitcoin satisfies the three properties required to be a true form of money.

My guests today are Dr. Andy Goodwin, Principal & CEO and Mr. Matt Maudlin, Director of Advancement at Covenant Christian High School in Indianapolis. My wife and I have sent all four of our children to Covenant and our youngest is about to begin her senior year there. In addition to sharing Covenant’s story and some of the uniquenesses that have kept us there, Andy and Matt share several ideas about how families can make Christian education more affordable.

Today’s episode features Special Olympics Indiana, and was recorded at Olympic Town in Terre Haute during the summer games last month. In addition to my conversation with CEO and President Jeff Mohler, I was able to interview two former Special Olympics athletes, Karen Kerr and Charlie Wilson. Competing in Special Olympics afforded Karen and Charlie opportunities to grow in self-confidence, develop physical fitness and athletic skills, and become part of a supportive community.

David Palmer heard loudly and clearly from many of the men at the homeless shelter where he was serving that they had one  need: jobs. So he founded Purposeful Design, a nonprofit office furniture manufacturer on the near east side of Indianapolis. Purposeful Design gives broken people hope, helps them build employable skills, and puts them on the path to economic sustainability. And the furniture is beautiful.

In this solo episode I explain the very basics of crypto currency by segmenting different coins into one of four buckets. 

Andy Kirby is executive director of ILADD, Inc. ILADD is the acronym for Independent Living for Adults with Developmental / Intellectual Disabilities. ILAD serves over 200 families in and around Boone County by providing opportunities for connection, skill development, community building, and self-advocacy. Andy and I spend a fair amount of the interview discussing a new intentional community in Zionsville called Wild Air, developed by Old Town Companies in Carmel. Within Wild Air, Old Town has donated land to ILAD for a 16 lot neighborhood called Crossbridge Point with new homes for the self-advocates ILADD serves. Crossbridge Point by itself is a pretty incredible story and it’s only a piece of what ILADD is working on.

My guest today is Brian Pitkin, founder and portfolio manager of URI Capital Management. Brian runs a focused equity fund for accredited investors, which is characterized by thorough fundamental research, patience, long-range deep thinking, and trading only when absolutely necessary. Brian remains the fund’s largest investor, inviting partners to participate as he invests his own money.

Joanna Beatty Taft is founder and Executive Director of Harrison Center for the Arts. The center is located at 16th and Delaware streets in Indianapolis, and it aims to address "community problems with cultural solutions" by among other things, cultivating "emerging art patrons by fostering accessible gallery experiences so everyone can participate." Joanna introduced me to a new term which she used to describe her life's work: cultural entrepreneur. You'll understand exactly what that means after listening to this episode. 

Jessica Williams is partner in the Indianapolis law firm Robinson Farthing Spandau Williams, and concentrates her practice in estate & charitable gift planning. As we move through life, both estate and charitable gift planning considerations change. That is the theme of my interview with Jessica: making sure your plans are effective and current as you move through the stages of life. 

In this episode Jarod Brown shares about his fascinating journey from learning some important and challenging lessons as a real estate attorney to founding his real estate development firm, Brown Capital Group. What are some of those lessons? Know what you’re good at, understand risks thoroughly, do business the right way, and work really hard.

Madison Wood-Gonzalez is Executive Director of Morning Light, Inc. the nonprofit organization which runs the Abby Hunt Bryce home near Keystone and 52nd Street. The Home offers no cost accommodations for terminally ill people of little means, in a safe, comfortable environment when they have no place else to go.

Brent Freeman is President & Executive Director of Camptown, which serves central Indiana youth through outdoor and wilderness programs. Brent’s formative years were enriched by a mentor - a high school teacher - who took him and four friends on a two week camping trip in the national parks. It’s through that mentoring that Brent came back to Camptown after beginning his career there. 

Brian is founder and owner of Midwest Jewelers & Estate Buyers, a store located in downtown Zionsville, Indiana. He speaks to two aspects of investing in this episode: first, as an entrepreneur, who started a business in a 64 square foot space in his garage, and secondly as an advisor, of sorts, to collectors of antiques, coins, and other collectibles.

Robert Enlow is President and CEO of EdChoice, which is the name of Dr. Milton and Dr. Rose Friedman’s foundation. In our conversation, Robert describes the history of the EdChoice foundation, explains the philosophy behind educational choice as a public good, and provides an update about the current state of educational freedom in the U.S.