AI transcript
0:00:02 Support for Prop 3 comes from Viori.
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0:00:50 Finding your personal style isn’t easy
0:00:52 and the fashion powers that be
0:00:54 aren’t making it any easier on us.
0:00:56 The best way to make sure they move a lot of units
0:01:01 is to make stuff that is, to put it indelicately,
0:01:01 sort of boring.
0:01:03 This week on Explain It To Me,
0:01:05 how to cut through the noise
0:01:07 and make sense of your own fashion sense.
0:01:09 New episodes every Sunday morning,
0:01:11 wherever you get your podcasts.
0:01:17 People of many different ideologies,
0:01:18 when taken to the extreme,
0:01:20 actually start to resemble each other.
0:01:23 Although you might be feeling like you’re fighting
0:01:24 for completely different missions,
0:01:28 you’re psychologically engaged in a very similar process.
0:01:30 So what is that process?
0:01:33 This week on The Gray Area,
0:01:36 we’re talking about how our psychology
0:01:37 affects our ideology.
0:01:41 New episodes of The Gray Area drop every Monday,
0:01:42 everywhere.
0:01:48 Welcome to Office Hours with Prof. G.
0:01:49 This is the part of the show
0:01:50 where we answer your questions
0:01:52 about business, big tech, entrepreneurship,
0:01:53 and whatever else is on your mind.
0:01:56 Today, we’ve got two great listener questions lined up,
0:01:57 and then after the break,
0:01:59 we’ve got the Reddit hotline,
0:02:01 where we pull questions straight from Reddit.
0:02:04 If you’d like to submit a question for next time,
0:02:05 you can send a voice recording
0:02:06 to officehourswithprofgmedia.com,
0:02:08 or if you prefer to ask on Reddit,
0:02:11 post your question on the Scott Gallery subreddit,
0:02:14 and we just might feature it in our next episode.
0:02:15 First question.
0:02:19 Hi, Prof. G.
0:02:21 I’m a solopreneur in my late 30s,
0:02:23 running a modestly successful online business.
0:02:26 My partner and I have deep ties in the U.S.,
0:02:28 but work independently and could live anywhere.
0:02:30 As we consider having kids
0:02:32 and the life we would want them to have,
0:02:34 we also discuss moving abroad for three main reasons.
0:02:36 Lifestyle arbitrage,
0:02:38 a more supportive environment for children,
0:02:41 and as a hedge against U.S. instability.
0:02:42 Given your recent thoughts
0:02:44 on diversifying your investments globally
0:02:47 and your current residency in the U.K.,
0:02:48 do you think younger Americans
0:02:51 should be diversifying their residency options
0:02:51 when possible?
0:02:54 If so, which countries would you look into
0:02:57 that still offer some of the economic opportunities
0:02:58 that the U.S. currently does?
0:03:00 Thanks for all the great content and advice.
0:03:02 I love this question.
0:03:04 According to a Harris poll released in March,
0:03:06 roughly 40% of Americans have considered
0:03:08 or are actively planning to move abroad.
0:03:09 The number one reason?
0:03:10 Cost of living.
0:03:12 More than half of Americans say they believe
0:03:14 they’d have a higher quality of life abroad.
0:03:16 Among those that planned on leaving,
0:03:20 their top choice destinations were Canada,
0:03:21 the U.K., and Australia.
0:03:23 As for non-English-speaking countries,
0:03:25 Americans indicated they were eyeing moves
0:03:27 to countries including France, Italy, Japan,
0:03:28 Mexico, Spain, and Germany.
0:03:30 Countries ranked among the most receptive
0:03:33 to digital nomads are Spain,
0:03:35 the UAE, Montenegro, and the Bahamas.
0:03:39 Okay, so in sum, I love a lifestyle arbitrage.
0:03:40 And you want to lean into your strengths.
0:03:42 And if your strengths are you have a career
0:03:44 that is not location-dependent
0:03:45 or geographically dependent,
0:03:48 then you want to do the lifestyle arbitrage.
0:03:52 The key is to make a urban city-like salary
0:03:55 without having urban city-like costs
0:03:56 unless you’re in love with cities.
0:03:58 And then, okay, some people,
0:03:59 I know some people who are like,
0:04:01 I am leaving New York feet first.
0:04:02 And I don’t care what it costs.
0:04:04 I don’t care what sacrifices I have to make.
0:04:06 Most people, by the time they have kids in New York,
0:04:09 peace out because it just gets prohibitively expensive.
0:04:12 And the lifestyle is just tough.
0:04:13 I remember walking around with my boys in Manhattan
0:04:15 and thinking I always had to have their hands
0:04:17 for fear they’d run out into the middle of traffic.
0:04:20 So 100%, I would say,
0:04:22 really be thoughtful about the lifestyle arbitrage.
0:04:25 My general assumption or general reductive analysis
0:04:27 after having molested the earth for the last 30 years
0:04:29 is that America is the best place to make money
0:04:31 and Europe is the best place to spend it.
0:04:32 So if you can make an American salary and live in Europe,
0:04:34 that’s a decent arbitrage.
0:04:37 Also think about different places in the U.S.
0:04:40 And that is there’s a lot of cities in the South,
0:04:41 quite frankly, that I think are just a great,
0:04:45 so for me, arbitrage is one,
0:04:47 I think college towns are great arbitrages,
0:04:50 whether it’s Charlottesville or Ann Arbor or Chapel Hill.
0:04:53 These cities typically, if you can call them cities or towns,
0:04:54 typically bring this great peanut butter
0:04:57 and chocolate combination of a bourbon sensibility
0:05:00 with rural beauty and hopefully rural pricing.
0:05:02 And you can have a great quality of life in a college town.
0:05:05 I also think there’s a lot of cities in the South right now
0:05:07 that offer what I think is a great lifestyle arbitrage,
0:05:08 specifically the weather,
0:05:11 that aren’t as expensive as some of the blue cities
0:05:13 in the North.
0:05:15 In some, if you were to look at migration patterns in the U.S.,
0:05:18 it’s driven by two things, low taxes and sunshine.
0:05:21 And I would also think about, you know,
0:05:23 think about this a lot, but the tax arbitrage.
0:05:25 By moving to Florida from New York,
0:05:27 and you have to move, you can’t fake it.
0:05:29 You have to spend 183 days there and enroll your kids there.
0:05:30 You really, you can’t fake it.
0:05:31 You legitimately have to move.
0:05:34 The 13% swing, I reinvested purposely
0:05:37 that entire 13% over 10 years,
0:05:38 and it helps have a bull market.
0:05:43 But basically, you know, my cars, my housing,
0:05:45 my kids’ school were paid for in that tax swing
0:05:46 because I make really good money,
0:05:48 but a lot of it was current income,
0:05:50 so 13% of that, then you invest it.
0:05:52 If you make $300,000,
0:05:53 you’re not saving $39,000.
0:05:56 You’re saving, you have $39,000 in capital
0:05:59 that should grow to 78 or 100, 150 10 years on.
0:06:01 And you do that every year, you wake up,
0:06:04 and you might have seven figures in additional wealth
0:06:06 that you didn’t have had you not moved.
0:06:07 So I love a lifestyle arbitrage.
0:06:09 Some cities that I think
0:06:12 offer incredible lifestyle arbitrages at the moment.
0:06:14 By the way, it used to be Florida.
0:06:15 When I moved to Delray Beach,
0:06:18 our first home that we rented there
0:06:19 was on the water, on the intracoastal,
0:06:21 and cost us $4,500 a month.
0:06:24 It no longer costs $4,500 a month.
0:06:25 Word is out about Florida.
0:06:27 That lifestyle arbitrage has been starched out
0:06:29 as they usually are starched out.
0:06:31 Some cities I would consider.
0:06:35 If you were single and male,
0:06:37 I would think about Cape Town.
0:06:40 I think the crime there is a factor.
0:06:43 But if you can make a Western salary in Cape Town,
0:06:45 you’re just gonna have an extraordinary quality of life.
0:06:47 I love Cape Town.
0:06:49 I’ve been there several times now.
0:06:51 And I can’t get over how good the food is,
0:06:52 how deep the culture is,
0:06:54 and how inexpensive everything is.
0:06:55 Now, crime is an issue.
0:06:58 So I wonder if it’s a place for a family.
0:07:00 I’m sure other people will weigh in.
0:07:02 But I think in terms of just pure raw beauty,
0:07:05 colliding with an incredible city
0:07:06 and incredible food, incredible culture
0:07:08 at an incredibly low cost,
0:07:09 that is really hard to beat.
0:07:12 Madrid, or somewhere in Spain.
0:07:14 I just think the Spanish get it
0:07:16 in terms of being able to get a great bottle of wine
0:07:19 for $8, walking around fairly safe,
0:07:21 incredible culture, history,
0:07:24 proximity to other great cities in Europe.
0:07:26 I think Spain offers an incredible lifestyle arbitrage
0:07:27 and pretty good weather.
0:07:30 The other city I would consider is Mexico City.
0:07:32 And I’m assuming it kind of likes cities.
0:07:34 Maybe you just want to do a rural arbitrage.
0:07:36 By the way, move everywhere but Connecticut
0:07:38 or some suburb or Tiburon where it’s beautiful,
0:07:40 but it’s the same.
0:07:42 I’ve never understood anyone that lives in the Northeast
0:07:43 and doesn’t live in Manhattan.
0:07:44 I just don’t get it.
0:07:46 It’s like all the cold, all the bullshit,
0:07:48 and all the taxes and expenses.
0:07:49 If you’re going to live in the forest somewhere,
0:07:52 move to a place with low taxes
0:07:54 and low rent and low housing costs and good schools.
0:07:55 Anyway, it’s not easy to find.
0:07:58 But I think Mexico City right now
0:07:59 is an incredible lifestyle arbitrage.
0:08:00 It’s safer than people think.
0:08:02 The food’s amazing, great art scene,
0:08:05 and I would say kind of 30 to 60% of the price
0:08:06 of, say, Los Angeles.
0:08:10 I think it’s a fantastic strategy,
0:08:11 a lifestyle arbitrage strategy.
0:08:13 Jesus Christ, Floripa.
0:08:16 I think Sao Paulo is incredible right now.
0:08:19 I think there’s just a ton of really interesting cities
0:08:22 that are coming up and offer somebody with nomad
0:08:25 or digital nomad skills the ability to arbitrage.
0:08:28 Even a place like Tokyo with the yen as weak as it is right now,
0:08:30 if you like that culture,
0:08:32 Tokyo is the most different yet the most sane place,
0:08:35 and that is it’s capitalist, it’s democratic,
0:08:37 incredibly safe, incredibly…
0:08:39 The thing that struck me also, though,
0:08:41 it’s so similar in terms of their systems and democracy,
0:08:42 their rights,
0:08:44 their focus on capitalism growth,
0:08:46 but it’s also the place that’s most similar
0:08:47 while being the most different.
0:08:49 I went to what is their Times Square,
0:08:51 and it’s entirely quiet.
0:08:53 Everyone’s just so respectful and so quiet,
0:08:55 and no one jaywalks,
0:08:56 and the food’s incredible,
0:08:58 and the relentless pursuit of perfection
0:08:59 is a tagline for Lexus,
0:09:01 but it should be a tagline for Japan
0:09:02 because everything they do,
0:09:04 they take such pride in the symmetry
0:09:07 and the design and the beauty of everything.
0:09:09 So if you really wanted something
0:09:10 a bit off the beaten path,
0:09:11 another great city in Asia, Bangkok.
0:09:13 Oh, my God.
0:09:15 What a cosmopolitan city with great food, great people.
0:09:18 And again, I would bet about a third of the cost
0:09:20 of living in an L.A. or New York.
0:09:20 So where do you move?
0:09:21 No, that’s not the question.
0:09:23 The question is where do you not move?
0:09:26 I would look at time zones as it relates to your work,
0:09:28 where you think you can find human capital
0:09:29 to scale your business,
0:09:31 where your partner’s excited about moving,
0:09:33 if you’re planning on having kids,
0:09:34 where you can find a decent education,
0:09:37 proximity to the people you love
0:09:38 in terms of direct flights,
0:09:40 and where you want to kind of explore and adventure.
0:09:42 Some people are more cut out for Europe.
0:09:43 Some people are more cut out for Asia.
0:09:45 Some people like to be more adventurous,
0:09:47 a place like Latin America or South Africa.
0:09:48 But my brother,
0:09:50 this is what you call a good problem.
0:09:52 A good problem.
0:09:54 Email us and let us know what you decide.
0:09:56 Thanks so much for the question.
0:09:57 Question number two.
0:09:59 Hey, Scott.
0:10:01 I’ve been struggling with your perspective on work-life balance,
0:10:03 or the lack thereof,
0:10:04 in your 20s and 30s.
0:10:08 You often frame those years as a time for relentless ambition,
0:10:10 even at the cost of relationships,
0:10:11 health,
0:10:13 and personal well-being.
0:10:17 I’m particularly curious about how you discuss your first marriage.
0:10:21 You emphasize that meaningful relationships are the key to happiness,
0:10:26 yet also seem to suggest that sacrificing them is necessary for success.
0:10:29 That feels like a contradiction, no?
0:10:32 If you could go back,
0:10:34 would you do anything differently to preserve those relationships?
0:10:37 For context, I’m 28,
0:10:39 putting everything into a new business,
0:10:42 and dating an incredible woman I hope to spend my life with.
0:10:45 Should I expect to lose my partner
0:10:47 and friends to succeed,
0:10:49 or is there a better way?
0:10:51 Thanks for your time
0:10:53 and for the impact you have on young men like me.
0:10:55 Thanks for the question.
0:10:56 You sound awfully serious.
0:10:58 So first off,
0:10:59 I can’t blame
0:11:02 the dissolution of my first marriage
0:11:03 on my ambition or my career.
0:11:06 I say that my
0:11:08 relentless focus on work
0:11:09 took a toll on me physically
0:11:10 and my relationships,
0:11:10 and it did.
0:11:12 But the bottom line is,
0:11:13 without violating privacy,
0:11:15 is the end of my first marriage
0:11:17 was a function of my immaturity.
0:11:20 And the fact that I was working around the clock
0:11:22 probably didn’t help in terms of stressors,
0:11:25 but I can’t just lay it at the feet of my career.
0:11:26 I want to be clear.
0:11:28 My way was to do nothing
0:11:30 but pretty much work from the age of 22
0:11:30 to kind of
0:11:33 my late 40s, early 50s.
0:11:35 That was my way,
0:11:36 but I’m not sure it’s the right way.
0:11:38 And I have some proximity bias,
0:11:39 and that is the people I
0:11:41 am close to
0:11:43 are mostly other very ambitious,
0:11:44 economically ambitious people
0:11:46 that want to be successful
0:11:47 and live in places like LA and New York
0:11:49 where you have to make a shit ton of money
0:11:50 to have the lifestyle we want,
0:11:52 and also MBA students.
0:11:54 And when I survey my MBA students,
0:11:56 about 70, 80% of them
0:11:57 expect to be in the top 1%
0:11:58 income-earning households
0:11:59 by the time they’re 35.
0:12:01 And what I suggest is that
0:12:04 if you are that ambitious economically,
0:12:06 or from an influence or relevant standpoint,
0:12:07 you just have an honest conversation
0:12:09 around the trade-offs and the sacrifices,
0:12:10 you might decide
0:12:12 that you want the trade-off
0:12:13 on the other end of the spectrum,
0:12:15 that you’re going to move to St. Louis
0:12:18 and have a nice life and work,
0:12:20 but you’re going to work to live,
0:12:21 not to live to work.
0:12:22 And there’s absolutely
0:12:24 nothing wrong with that.
0:12:26 And you can maintain healthy relationships,
0:12:27 you know,
0:12:28 coach Little League,
0:12:30 work a reasonable amount of hours,
0:12:32 have your church or country club
0:12:34 or whatever it is
0:12:35 that gives you spiritual
0:12:37 or relationship reward
0:12:38 and have a wonderful relationship
0:12:40 with your partner and your kids.
0:12:40 I don’t,
0:12:42 I think that’s possible.
0:12:42 Unfortunately,
0:12:43 I think it’s less possible.
0:12:44 What we’ve seen is
0:12:45 than it used to be.
0:12:46 What we’ve seen is
0:12:47 the majority of cities
0:12:48 have brought up their prices
0:12:48 because of inflation.
0:12:51 So I think in a capitalist society,
0:12:52 the cruel truth is
0:12:53 you need a certain level
0:12:54 of economic security.
0:12:55 but if you’ve decided
0:12:56 you don’t want to work
0:12:58 40 hours a week,
0:12:58 not 60,
0:13:00 and that you’re going to
0:13:01 prioritize your relationships
0:13:02 and your health
0:13:03 and your fitness
0:13:04 and the pursuit of other
0:13:05 outside interests,
0:13:06 more power to you.
0:13:07 I don’t,
0:13:08 I get it.
0:13:08 I get it.
0:13:09 But you also have to recognize
0:13:11 that means you probably
0:13:12 aren’t going to make
0:13:13 a million,
0:13:14 two million bucks a year
0:13:15 and live in LA or Manhattan.
0:13:16 You’re just not going to get there
0:13:17 doing,
0:13:18 you know,
0:13:19 an ordinary amount of sacrifice
0:13:20 around your career.
0:13:21 So what I would say is
0:13:23 it’s a spectrum
0:13:24 and that is you have to decide
0:13:25 and get alignment
0:13:26 with your partner
0:13:27 around where on that spectrum
0:13:28 you want to be.
0:13:30 And I’ve always assumed
0:13:31 that the majority of people
0:13:32 I come in contact with,
0:13:33 and maybe that’s incorrect,
0:13:35 but actually it’s not.
0:13:36 The majority of the young people
0:13:36 I meet,
0:13:38 where they fall flat is
0:13:39 they get used to
0:13:41 these Instagram life
0:13:41 and the algorithms
0:13:42 that they’re going to be
0:13:43 on a jet
0:13:44 and vacationing
0:13:46 at the Allman
0:13:46 in Utah,
0:13:48 partying in St. Barts
0:13:49 or Saint-Tropez
0:13:51 and that they’re going to get there
0:13:52 at a very young age
0:13:53 and just,
0:13:53 you know,
0:13:54 they’ll find a job
0:13:55 that’ll carry them there
0:13:55 or they’ll find
0:13:56 the right cryptocurrency
0:13:57 that’ll carry them there.
0:13:58 No,
0:13:59 that involves
0:14:00 a lot of luck
0:14:03 and working your ass off,
0:14:04 which comes at a sacrifice.
0:14:07 So I think that’s where
0:14:08 what I’ll call
0:14:10 the dissonance is,
0:14:10 is that people,
0:14:11 a lot of people
0:14:13 don’t recognize
0:14:14 the sacrifice.
0:14:15 A lot of people
0:14:15 on the other end say,
0:14:15 well,
0:14:16 you can make that sacrifice
0:14:18 and still not get there,
0:14:19 which is also true
0:14:20 because luck plays
0:14:20 a big role.
0:14:21 So why would I make
0:14:22 that trade
0:14:24 when I can just be
0:14:24 a good citizen,
0:14:26 work relatively hard,
0:14:27 find a good partner
0:14:28 and just enjoy life?
0:14:30 I also want to acknowledge
0:14:30 that I’m more,
0:14:32 I wouldn’t say I’m more,
0:14:34 not as materialistic,
0:14:36 but I’m very economically driven
0:14:36 because I didn’t have money
0:14:37 growing up
0:14:38 and it was very stressful
0:14:38 for me.
0:14:39 So I’ve always been
0:14:40 focused on it.
0:14:41 So I probably
0:14:42 over-focus on it
0:14:43 and also
0:14:44 the fact that I’m around
0:14:45 people who are all
0:14:46 very ambitious.
0:14:47 but the thing
0:14:48 I can’t stand
0:14:51 is very successful people
0:14:51 when they give me
0:14:52 this bullshit
0:14:53 that when they’re
0:14:53 in front of a crowd,
0:14:53 well,
0:14:54 I never thought
0:14:54 much about money.
0:14:55 Yeah,
0:14:55 fuck you.
0:14:56 You think about money
0:14:57 every minute
0:14:58 and I think
0:14:59 if you want to be
0:15:01 financially very successful,
0:15:01 you need to be
0:15:03 somewhat financially literate
0:15:04 and really know
0:15:05 your budget,
0:15:06 know how much
0:15:06 you’re making,
0:15:07 know taxes,
0:15:09 really understand this stuff.
0:15:09 I don’t think
0:15:09 you can be great
0:15:10 at tennis or anything
0:15:11 without thinking
0:15:12 about it a lot
0:15:13 and talking about it a lot
0:15:14 and one of those
0:15:15 conversations
0:15:18 is to get alignment
0:15:18 with your partner
0:15:19 and say,
0:15:20 where do we expect
0:15:21 to be economically?
0:15:22 What is the lifestyle
0:15:23 we want to have
0:15:24 and what are the trade-offs
0:15:24 we’re willing to make
0:15:25 and where on that spectrum
0:15:27 are we comfortable
0:15:28 and getting alignment
0:15:29 with your partner
0:15:29 because I think
0:15:30 what creates a lot
0:15:30 of tension
0:15:31 in relationships
0:15:33 is that sometimes
0:15:34 one,
0:15:35 it’s not that they’re
0:15:36 not making a lot of money,
0:15:36 it’s just that they
0:15:37 don’t have alignment.
0:15:38 One person would be,
0:15:40 would rather they work
0:15:40 less hard
0:15:41 and spend more time
0:15:42 with each other
0:15:42 and their kids
0:15:44 and not be a member
0:15:45 of the Tony Country Club
0:15:46 or have the fancy car
0:15:47 and the other
0:15:48 does not want that,
0:15:50 wants to work really hard
0:15:51 and have the accoutrements
0:15:52 of wealth and relevance.
0:15:53 So I think the key
0:15:55 is getting just alignment
0:15:55 with your partner
0:15:57 and then making sure
0:15:59 your expectations
0:16:00 foot to the reality
0:16:01 of the situation
0:16:03 in terms of where you live,
0:16:03 your lifestyle,
0:16:04 your spending patterns.
0:16:05 But my brother,
0:16:07 I’m not suggesting
0:16:08 my way is the only way.
0:16:09 Everyone’s got to find
0:16:10 their own route here.
0:16:11 Thanks for the question.
0:16:13 We have one quick break
0:16:13 and when we’re back,
0:16:15 we’re diving into the depths
0:16:17 of the ocean of Reddit.
0:16:24 Support for the show
0:16:25 comes from Panerai.
0:16:27 Oh my God!
0:16:29 I love Panerai.
0:16:30 A lot of people
0:16:31 just rely on their phones
0:16:32 to keep track of time.
0:16:33 But for those of us
0:16:33 who are interested
0:16:34 in something more timeless
0:16:35 and luxurious,
0:16:36 you can’t go wrong
0:16:37 with a gorgeous
0:16:38 mechanic timepiece
0:16:40 from a legacy watchmaker
0:16:42 like Panerai.
0:16:43 Giovanni Panerai
0:16:44 opened his first boutique
0:16:46 in Florence in 1860
0:16:47 and since then,
0:16:48 the brand has been perfecting
0:16:49 its watchmaking expertise.
0:16:50 The result is a collection
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0:16:54 And now,
0:16:56 their new Luminor Marina
0:16:57 collection elevates
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0:16:59 for modern collectors
0:17:00 while also maintaining
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0:17:04 An enduring emblem,
0:17:05 the Luminor Marina
0:17:06 is among Panerai’s
0:17:07 most celebrated models
0:17:08 distinguished by its
0:17:10 contemporary, sporty style
0:17:12 and deep-rooted history.
0:17:14 I have seven watches,
0:17:15 one brand.
0:17:16 Guess which one?
0:17:17 That’s right, Daddy!
0:17:19 One word!
0:17:21 Pan-A-R-I.
0:17:22 You can shop
0:17:23 the Luminor collection
0:17:24 at Panerai.com
0:17:25 or make an appointment
0:17:26 at the boutique
0:17:27 nearest you.
0:17:28 Discover the world
0:17:28 of Panerai
0:17:33 at P-A-N-E-R-A-I.com.
0:17:40 Support for Prop G
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0:18:46 Support for Prop G
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0:18:48 One of the hardest parts
0:18:49 about B2B marketing
0:18:50 is reaching the right audience.
0:18:51 It would be like
0:18:51 selling sailboats
0:18:52 in the Sahara Desert
0:18:53 or winter jackets
0:18:54 in South Beach.
0:18:55 Not really the audience
0:18:56 you’re looking for.
0:18:57 So when you want
0:18:59 to reach the right professionals,
0:19:00 use LinkedIn ads.
0:19:01 LinkedIn has grown
0:19:02 to a network
0:19:03 of over 1 billion professionals,
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0:19:07 You can target your buyers
0:19:08 by job title,
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0:19:47 Welcome back.
0:19:48 Let’s bust right into it.
0:19:53 Our question today
0:19:54 comes from Captain Athens.
0:19:55 They ask,
0:19:56 Prop G,
0:19:58 what gives you hope?
0:20:01 Huh.
0:20:01 Okay.
0:20:02 I just interviewed
0:20:04 the historian Timothy Snyder
0:20:05 and he’s really inspired
0:20:05 by some of these
0:20:07 protests or marches
0:20:08 in the United States.
0:20:09 I like that.
0:20:10 You see hundreds of thousands
0:20:11 of people protesting.
0:20:12 That makes me feel,
0:20:13 it makes me feel hopeful.
0:20:14 There’s this wonderful graph
0:20:15 showing that
0:20:16 not in the U.S.,
0:20:17 but globally,
0:20:18 people are spending more time
0:20:19 volunteering time
0:20:20 to help people
0:20:21 they will never meet.
0:20:22 so more people
0:20:23 are planting trees
0:20:24 the shade of which
0:20:26 they will never sit under.
0:20:27 That’s very hopeful.
0:20:28 I’m hopeful that the EU binds
0:20:29 together to push back
0:20:30 on Ukraine.
0:20:32 I think we’re starting
0:20:33 to pay more attention
0:20:34 to the struggles
0:20:35 of young men,
0:20:36 mostly led by the concerns
0:20:37 and recognition
0:20:38 of these struggles
0:20:39 by their mothers.
0:20:41 I love that we’re beating
0:20:42 back Putin.
0:20:42 I love,
0:20:43 you know,
0:20:45 there’s a lot of things
0:20:46 I’m excited about.
0:20:47 A certain amount
0:20:47 of drug discovery.
0:20:49 I’m,
0:20:50 you know,
0:20:51 I am fairly hopeful.
0:20:53 It sounds very passe.
0:20:54 My boys give me hope.
0:20:55 I just think they’re
0:20:57 funny and nice
0:20:58 and interesting
0:20:59 and,
0:21:00 you know,
0:21:01 and beautiful.
0:21:02 Everyone thinks their boys
0:21:02 are the most beautiful thing
0:21:03 in the world.
0:21:04 And I like seeing
0:21:06 life through the lens
0:21:08 of what they see.
0:21:09 my youngest son
0:21:10 is starting to get
0:21:11 into fashion.
0:21:12 I just think it’s hilarious
0:21:13 what he finds fashionable
0:21:14 and he wants me
0:21:15 to buy him a chain.
0:21:16 And we were looking
0:21:16 at chains together
0:21:18 and just what he finds
0:21:19 interesting and cool.
0:21:19 And I used to do
0:21:20 a college tour
0:21:21 with my oldest
0:21:22 and we got to
0:21:23 this one university.
0:21:25 We did eight universities
0:21:26 in six days
0:21:26 and then we got
0:21:27 to this one university
0:21:28 and it was like a dog
0:21:28 off a leash
0:21:29 running ahead of me.
0:21:30 And I’m just trying
0:21:30 to figure out
0:21:31 what is it about
0:21:31 this university
0:21:32 or this environment
0:21:33 that all of a sudden
0:21:34 he’s decided
0:21:35 this is the college
0:21:36 he wants to go to.
0:21:37 So kids give me hope.
0:21:39 But I think
0:21:40 there’s a lot
0:21:41 to be hopeful around.
0:21:43 So also dogs.
0:21:45 Dogs give me hope.
0:21:45 Anyways,
0:21:46 hope that’s enough.
0:21:47 Thanks for the question.
0:21:56 This episode was produced
0:21:57 by Jennifer Sanchez.
0:21:59 Our intern is Dan Shallon.
0:22:00 Drew Burroughs
0:22:01 is our technical director.
0:22:02 Thank you for listening
0:22:02 to the Prop G pod
0:22:04 from the Vox Media Podcast Network.
0:22:05 We will catch you
0:22:06 on Saturday
0:22:07 for No Mercy, No Malice
0:22:09 as read by George Hahn.
0:22:10 And please follow
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0:22:13 wherever you get your pods
0:22:13 for new episodes
0:22:15 every Monday and Thursday.
0:00:04 Oh my God, true story.
0:00:08 I am wearing, totally coincidentally, guess what?
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0:00:17 They sent me some to try out and here I am.
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0:00:40 Visit the website for full terms and conditions.
0:00:50 Finding your personal style isn’t easy
0:00:52 and the fashion powers that be
0:00:54 aren’t making it any easier on us.
0:00:56 The best way to make sure they move a lot of units
0:01:01 is to make stuff that is, to put it indelicately,
0:01:01 sort of boring.
0:01:03 This week on Explain It To Me,
0:01:05 how to cut through the noise
0:01:07 and make sense of your own fashion sense.
0:01:09 New episodes every Sunday morning,
0:01:11 wherever you get your podcasts.
0:01:17 People of many different ideologies,
0:01:18 when taken to the extreme,
0:01:20 actually start to resemble each other.
0:01:23 Although you might be feeling like you’re fighting
0:01:24 for completely different missions,
0:01:28 you’re psychologically engaged in a very similar process.
0:01:30 So what is that process?
0:01:33 This week on The Gray Area,
0:01:36 we’re talking about how our psychology
0:01:37 affects our ideology.
0:01:41 New episodes of The Gray Area drop every Monday,
0:01:42 everywhere.
0:01:48 Welcome to Office Hours with Prof. G.
0:01:49 This is the part of the show
0:01:50 where we answer your questions
0:01:52 about business, big tech, entrepreneurship,
0:01:53 and whatever else is on your mind.
0:01:56 Today, we’ve got two great listener questions lined up,
0:01:57 and then after the break,
0:01:59 we’ve got the Reddit hotline,
0:02:01 where we pull questions straight from Reddit.
0:02:04 If you’d like to submit a question for next time,
0:02:05 you can send a voice recording
0:02:06 to officehourswithprofgmedia.com,
0:02:08 or if you prefer to ask on Reddit,
0:02:11 post your question on the Scott Gallery subreddit,
0:02:14 and we just might feature it in our next episode.
0:02:15 First question.
0:02:19 Hi, Prof. G.
0:02:21 I’m a solopreneur in my late 30s,
0:02:23 running a modestly successful online business.
0:02:26 My partner and I have deep ties in the U.S.,
0:02:28 but work independently and could live anywhere.
0:02:30 As we consider having kids
0:02:32 and the life we would want them to have,
0:02:34 we also discuss moving abroad for three main reasons.
0:02:36 Lifestyle arbitrage,
0:02:38 a more supportive environment for children,
0:02:41 and as a hedge against U.S. instability.
0:02:42 Given your recent thoughts
0:02:44 on diversifying your investments globally
0:02:47 and your current residency in the U.K.,
0:02:48 do you think younger Americans
0:02:51 should be diversifying their residency options
0:02:51 when possible?
0:02:54 If so, which countries would you look into
0:02:57 that still offer some of the economic opportunities
0:02:58 that the U.S. currently does?
0:03:00 Thanks for all the great content and advice.
0:03:02 I love this question.
0:03:04 According to a Harris poll released in March,
0:03:06 roughly 40% of Americans have considered
0:03:08 or are actively planning to move abroad.
0:03:09 The number one reason?
0:03:10 Cost of living.
0:03:12 More than half of Americans say they believe
0:03:14 they’d have a higher quality of life abroad.
0:03:16 Among those that planned on leaving,
0:03:20 their top choice destinations were Canada,
0:03:21 the U.K., and Australia.
0:03:23 As for non-English-speaking countries,
0:03:25 Americans indicated they were eyeing moves
0:03:27 to countries including France, Italy, Japan,
0:03:28 Mexico, Spain, and Germany.
0:03:30 Countries ranked among the most receptive
0:03:33 to digital nomads are Spain,
0:03:35 the UAE, Montenegro, and the Bahamas.
0:03:39 Okay, so in sum, I love a lifestyle arbitrage.
0:03:40 And you want to lean into your strengths.
0:03:42 And if your strengths are you have a career
0:03:44 that is not location-dependent
0:03:45 or geographically dependent,
0:03:48 then you want to do the lifestyle arbitrage.
0:03:52 The key is to make a urban city-like salary
0:03:55 without having urban city-like costs
0:03:56 unless you’re in love with cities.
0:03:58 And then, okay, some people,
0:03:59 I know some people who are like,
0:04:01 I am leaving New York feet first.
0:04:02 And I don’t care what it costs.
0:04:04 I don’t care what sacrifices I have to make.
0:04:06 Most people, by the time they have kids in New York,
0:04:09 peace out because it just gets prohibitively expensive.
0:04:12 And the lifestyle is just tough.
0:04:13 I remember walking around with my boys in Manhattan
0:04:15 and thinking I always had to have their hands
0:04:17 for fear they’d run out into the middle of traffic.
0:04:20 So 100%, I would say,
0:04:22 really be thoughtful about the lifestyle arbitrage.
0:04:25 My general assumption or general reductive analysis
0:04:27 after having molested the earth for the last 30 years
0:04:29 is that America is the best place to make money
0:04:31 and Europe is the best place to spend it.
0:04:32 So if you can make an American salary and live in Europe,
0:04:34 that’s a decent arbitrage.
0:04:37 Also think about different places in the U.S.
0:04:40 And that is there’s a lot of cities in the South,
0:04:41 quite frankly, that I think are just a great,
0:04:45 so for me, arbitrage is one,
0:04:47 I think college towns are great arbitrages,
0:04:50 whether it’s Charlottesville or Ann Arbor or Chapel Hill.
0:04:53 These cities typically, if you can call them cities or towns,
0:04:54 typically bring this great peanut butter
0:04:57 and chocolate combination of a bourbon sensibility
0:05:00 with rural beauty and hopefully rural pricing.
0:05:02 And you can have a great quality of life in a college town.
0:05:05 I also think there’s a lot of cities in the South right now
0:05:07 that offer what I think is a great lifestyle arbitrage,
0:05:08 specifically the weather,
0:05:11 that aren’t as expensive as some of the blue cities
0:05:13 in the North.
0:05:15 In some, if you were to look at migration patterns in the U.S.,
0:05:18 it’s driven by two things, low taxes and sunshine.
0:05:21 And I would also think about, you know,
0:05:23 think about this a lot, but the tax arbitrage.
0:05:25 By moving to Florida from New York,
0:05:27 and you have to move, you can’t fake it.
0:05:29 You have to spend 183 days there and enroll your kids there.
0:05:30 You really, you can’t fake it.
0:05:31 You legitimately have to move.
0:05:34 The 13% swing, I reinvested purposely
0:05:37 that entire 13% over 10 years,
0:05:38 and it helps have a bull market.
0:05:43 But basically, you know, my cars, my housing,
0:05:45 my kids’ school were paid for in that tax swing
0:05:46 because I make really good money,
0:05:48 but a lot of it was current income,
0:05:50 so 13% of that, then you invest it.
0:05:52 If you make $300,000,
0:05:53 you’re not saving $39,000.
0:05:56 You’re saving, you have $39,000 in capital
0:05:59 that should grow to 78 or 100, 150 10 years on.
0:06:01 And you do that every year, you wake up,
0:06:04 and you might have seven figures in additional wealth
0:06:06 that you didn’t have had you not moved.
0:06:07 So I love a lifestyle arbitrage.
0:06:09 Some cities that I think
0:06:12 offer incredible lifestyle arbitrages at the moment.
0:06:14 By the way, it used to be Florida.
0:06:15 When I moved to Delray Beach,
0:06:18 our first home that we rented there
0:06:19 was on the water, on the intracoastal,
0:06:21 and cost us $4,500 a month.
0:06:24 It no longer costs $4,500 a month.
0:06:25 Word is out about Florida.
0:06:27 That lifestyle arbitrage has been starched out
0:06:29 as they usually are starched out.
0:06:31 Some cities I would consider.
0:06:35 If you were single and male,
0:06:37 I would think about Cape Town.
0:06:40 I think the crime there is a factor.
0:06:43 But if you can make a Western salary in Cape Town,
0:06:45 you’re just gonna have an extraordinary quality of life.
0:06:47 I love Cape Town.
0:06:49 I’ve been there several times now.
0:06:51 And I can’t get over how good the food is,
0:06:52 how deep the culture is,
0:06:54 and how inexpensive everything is.
0:06:55 Now, crime is an issue.
0:06:58 So I wonder if it’s a place for a family.
0:07:00 I’m sure other people will weigh in.
0:07:02 But I think in terms of just pure raw beauty,
0:07:05 colliding with an incredible city
0:07:06 and incredible food, incredible culture
0:07:08 at an incredibly low cost,
0:07:09 that is really hard to beat.
0:07:12 Madrid, or somewhere in Spain.
0:07:14 I just think the Spanish get it
0:07:16 in terms of being able to get a great bottle of wine
0:07:19 for $8, walking around fairly safe,
0:07:21 incredible culture, history,
0:07:24 proximity to other great cities in Europe.
0:07:26 I think Spain offers an incredible lifestyle arbitrage
0:07:27 and pretty good weather.
0:07:30 The other city I would consider is Mexico City.
0:07:32 And I’m assuming it kind of likes cities.
0:07:34 Maybe you just want to do a rural arbitrage.
0:07:36 By the way, move everywhere but Connecticut
0:07:38 or some suburb or Tiburon where it’s beautiful,
0:07:40 but it’s the same.
0:07:42 I’ve never understood anyone that lives in the Northeast
0:07:43 and doesn’t live in Manhattan.
0:07:44 I just don’t get it.
0:07:46 It’s like all the cold, all the bullshit,
0:07:48 and all the taxes and expenses.
0:07:49 If you’re going to live in the forest somewhere,
0:07:52 move to a place with low taxes
0:07:54 and low rent and low housing costs and good schools.
0:07:55 Anyway, it’s not easy to find.
0:07:58 But I think Mexico City right now
0:07:59 is an incredible lifestyle arbitrage.
0:08:00 It’s safer than people think.
0:08:02 The food’s amazing, great art scene,
0:08:05 and I would say kind of 30 to 60% of the price
0:08:06 of, say, Los Angeles.
0:08:10 I think it’s a fantastic strategy,
0:08:11 a lifestyle arbitrage strategy.
0:08:13 Jesus Christ, Floripa.
0:08:16 I think Sao Paulo is incredible right now.
0:08:19 I think there’s just a ton of really interesting cities
0:08:22 that are coming up and offer somebody with nomad
0:08:25 or digital nomad skills the ability to arbitrage.
0:08:28 Even a place like Tokyo with the yen as weak as it is right now,
0:08:30 if you like that culture,
0:08:32 Tokyo is the most different yet the most sane place,
0:08:35 and that is it’s capitalist, it’s democratic,
0:08:37 incredibly safe, incredibly…
0:08:39 The thing that struck me also, though,
0:08:41 it’s so similar in terms of their systems and democracy,
0:08:42 their rights,
0:08:44 their focus on capitalism growth,
0:08:46 but it’s also the place that’s most similar
0:08:47 while being the most different.
0:08:49 I went to what is their Times Square,
0:08:51 and it’s entirely quiet.
0:08:53 Everyone’s just so respectful and so quiet,
0:08:55 and no one jaywalks,
0:08:56 and the food’s incredible,
0:08:58 and the relentless pursuit of perfection
0:08:59 is a tagline for Lexus,
0:09:01 but it should be a tagline for Japan
0:09:02 because everything they do,
0:09:04 they take such pride in the symmetry
0:09:07 and the design and the beauty of everything.
0:09:09 So if you really wanted something
0:09:10 a bit off the beaten path,
0:09:11 another great city in Asia, Bangkok.
0:09:13 Oh, my God.
0:09:15 What a cosmopolitan city with great food, great people.
0:09:18 And again, I would bet about a third of the cost
0:09:20 of living in an L.A. or New York.
0:09:20 So where do you move?
0:09:21 No, that’s not the question.
0:09:23 The question is where do you not move?
0:09:26 I would look at time zones as it relates to your work,
0:09:28 where you think you can find human capital
0:09:29 to scale your business,
0:09:31 where your partner’s excited about moving,
0:09:33 if you’re planning on having kids,
0:09:34 where you can find a decent education,
0:09:37 proximity to the people you love
0:09:38 in terms of direct flights,
0:09:40 and where you want to kind of explore and adventure.
0:09:42 Some people are more cut out for Europe.
0:09:43 Some people are more cut out for Asia.
0:09:45 Some people like to be more adventurous,
0:09:47 a place like Latin America or South Africa.
0:09:48 But my brother,
0:09:50 this is what you call a good problem.
0:09:52 A good problem.
0:09:54 Email us and let us know what you decide.
0:09:56 Thanks so much for the question.
0:09:57 Question number two.
0:09:59 Hey, Scott.
0:10:01 I’ve been struggling with your perspective on work-life balance,
0:10:03 or the lack thereof,
0:10:04 in your 20s and 30s.
0:10:08 You often frame those years as a time for relentless ambition,
0:10:10 even at the cost of relationships,
0:10:11 health,
0:10:13 and personal well-being.
0:10:17 I’m particularly curious about how you discuss your first marriage.
0:10:21 You emphasize that meaningful relationships are the key to happiness,
0:10:26 yet also seem to suggest that sacrificing them is necessary for success.
0:10:29 That feels like a contradiction, no?
0:10:32 If you could go back,
0:10:34 would you do anything differently to preserve those relationships?
0:10:37 For context, I’m 28,
0:10:39 putting everything into a new business,
0:10:42 and dating an incredible woman I hope to spend my life with.
0:10:45 Should I expect to lose my partner
0:10:47 and friends to succeed,
0:10:49 or is there a better way?
0:10:51 Thanks for your time
0:10:53 and for the impact you have on young men like me.
0:10:55 Thanks for the question.
0:10:56 You sound awfully serious.
0:10:58 So first off,
0:10:59 I can’t blame
0:11:02 the dissolution of my first marriage
0:11:03 on my ambition or my career.
0:11:06 I say that my
0:11:08 relentless focus on work
0:11:09 took a toll on me physically
0:11:10 and my relationships,
0:11:10 and it did.
0:11:12 But the bottom line is,
0:11:13 without violating privacy,
0:11:15 is the end of my first marriage
0:11:17 was a function of my immaturity.
0:11:20 And the fact that I was working around the clock
0:11:22 probably didn’t help in terms of stressors,
0:11:25 but I can’t just lay it at the feet of my career.
0:11:26 I want to be clear.
0:11:28 My way was to do nothing
0:11:30 but pretty much work from the age of 22
0:11:30 to kind of
0:11:33 my late 40s, early 50s.
0:11:35 That was my way,
0:11:36 but I’m not sure it’s the right way.
0:11:38 And I have some proximity bias,
0:11:39 and that is the people I
0:11:41 am close to
0:11:43 are mostly other very ambitious,
0:11:44 economically ambitious people
0:11:46 that want to be successful
0:11:47 and live in places like LA and New York
0:11:49 where you have to make a shit ton of money
0:11:50 to have the lifestyle we want,
0:11:52 and also MBA students.
0:11:54 And when I survey my MBA students,
0:11:56 about 70, 80% of them
0:11:57 expect to be in the top 1%
0:11:58 income-earning households
0:11:59 by the time they’re 35.
0:12:01 And what I suggest is that
0:12:04 if you are that ambitious economically,
0:12:06 or from an influence or relevant standpoint,
0:12:07 you just have an honest conversation
0:12:09 around the trade-offs and the sacrifices,
0:12:10 you might decide
0:12:12 that you want the trade-off
0:12:13 on the other end of the spectrum,
0:12:15 that you’re going to move to St. Louis
0:12:18 and have a nice life and work,
0:12:20 but you’re going to work to live,
0:12:21 not to live to work.
0:12:22 And there’s absolutely
0:12:24 nothing wrong with that.
0:12:26 And you can maintain healthy relationships,
0:12:27 you know,
0:12:28 coach Little League,
0:12:30 work a reasonable amount of hours,
0:12:32 have your church or country club
0:12:34 or whatever it is
0:12:35 that gives you spiritual
0:12:37 or relationship reward
0:12:38 and have a wonderful relationship
0:12:40 with your partner and your kids.
0:12:40 I don’t,
0:12:42 I think that’s possible.
0:12:42 Unfortunately,
0:12:43 I think it’s less possible.
0:12:44 What we’ve seen is
0:12:45 than it used to be.
0:12:46 What we’ve seen is
0:12:47 the majority of cities
0:12:48 have brought up their prices
0:12:48 because of inflation.
0:12:51 So I think in a capitalist society,
0:12:52 the cruel truth is
0:12:53 you need a certain level
0:12:54 of economic security.
0:12:55 but if you’ve decided
0:12:56 you don’t want to work
0:12:58 40 hours a week,
0:12:58 not 60,
0:13:00 and that you’re going to
0:13:01 prioritize your relationships
0:13:02 and your health
0:13:03 and your fitness
0:13:04 and the pursuit of other
0:13:05 outside interests,
0:13:06 more power to you.
0:13:07 I don’t,
0:13:08 I get it.
0:13:08 I get it.
0:13:09 But you also have to recognize
0:13:11 that means you probably
0:13:12 aren’t going to make
0:13:13 a million,
0:13:14 two million bucks a year
0:13:15 and live in LA or Manhattan.
0:13:16 You’re just not going to get there
0:13:17 doing,
0:13:18 you know,
0:13:19 an ordinary amount of sacrifice
0:13:20 around your career.
0:13:21 So what I would say is
0:13:23 it’s a spectrum
0:13:24 and that is you have to decide
0:13:25 and get alignment
0:13:26 with your partner
0:13:27 around where on that spectrum
0:13:28 you want to be.
0:13:30 And I’ve always assumed
0:13:31 that the majority of people
0:13:32 I come in contact with,
0:13:33 and maybe that’s incorrect,
0:13:35 but actually it’s not.
0:13:36 The majority of the young people
0:13:36 I meet,
0:13:38 where they fall flat is
0:13:39 they get used to
0:13:41 these Instagram life
0:13:41 and the algorithms
0:13:42 that they’re going to be
0:13:43 on a jet
0:13:44 and vacationing
0:13:46 at the Allman
0:13:46 in Utah,
0:13:48 partying in St. Barts
0:13:49 or Saint-Tropez
0:13:51 and that they’re going to get there
0:13:52 at a very young age
0:13:53 and just,
0:13:53 you know,
0:13:54 they’ll find a job
0:13:55 that’ll carry them there
0:13:55 or they’ll find
0:13:56 the right cryptocurrency
0:13:57 that’ll carry them there.
0:13:58 No,
0:13:59 that involves
0:14:00 a lot of luck
0:14:03 and working your ass off,
0:14:04 which comes at a sacrifice.
0:14:07 So I think that’s where
0:14:08 what I’ll call
0:14:10 the dissonance is,
0:14:10 is that people,
0:14:11 a lot of people
0:14:13 don’t recognize
0:14:14 the sacrifice.
0:14:15 A lot of people
0:14:15 on the other end say,
0:14:15 well,
0:14:16 you can make that sacrifice
0:14:18 and still not get there,
0:14:19 which is also true
0:14:20 because luck plays
0:14:20 a big role.
0:14:21 So why would I make
0:14:22 that trade
0:14:24 when I can just be
0:14:24 a good citizen,
0:14:26 work relatively hard,
0:14:27 find a good partner
0:14:28 and just enjoy life?
0:14:30 I also want to acknowledge
0:14:30 that I’m more,
0:14:32 I wouldn’t say I’m more,
0:14:34 not as materialistic,
0:14:36 but I’m very economically driven
0:14:36 because I didn’t have money
0:14:37 growing up
0:14:38 and it was very stressful
0:14:38 for me.
0:14:39 So I’ve always been
0:14:40 focused on it.
0:14:41 So I probably
0:14:42 over-focus on it
0:14:43 and also
0:14:44 the fact that I’m around
0:14:45 people who are all
0:14:46 very ambitious.
0:14:47 but the thing
0:14:48 I can’t stand
0:14:51 is very successful people
0:14:51 when they give me
0:14:52 this bullshit
0:14:53 that when they’re
0:14:53 in front of a crowd,
0:14:53 well,
0:14:54 I never thought
0:14:54 much about money.
0:14:55 Yeah,
0:14:55 fuck you.
0:14:56 You think about money
0:14:57 every minute
0:14:58 and I think
0:14:59 if you want to be
0:15:01 financially very successful,
0:15:01 you need to be
0:15:03 somewhat financially literate
0:15:04 and really know
0:15:05 your budget,
0:15:06 know how much
0:15:06 you’re making,
0:15:07 know taxes,
0:15:09 really understand this stuff.
0:15:09 I don’t think
0:15:09 you can be great
0:15:10 at tennis or anything
0:15:11 without thinking
0:15:12 about it a lot
0:15:13 and talking about it a lot
0:15:14 and one of those
0:15:15 conversations
0:15:18 is to get alignment
0:15:18 with your partner
0:15:19 and say,
0:15:20 where do we expect
0:15:21 to be economically?
0:15:22 What is the lifestyle
0:15:23 we want to have
0:15:24 and what are the trade-offs
0:15:24 we’re willing to make
0:15:25 and where on that spectrum
0:15:27 are we comfortable
0:15:28 and getting alignment
0:15:29 with your partner
0:15:29 because I think
0:15:30 what creates a lot
0:15:30 of tension
0:15:31 in relationships
0:15:33 is that sometimes
0:15:34 one,
0:15:35 it’s not that they’re
0:15:36 not making a lot of money,
0:15:36 it’s just that they
0:15:37 don’t have alignment.
0:15:38 One person would be,
0:15:40 would rather they work
0:15:40 less hard
0:15:41 and spend more time
0:15:42 with each other
0:15:42 and their kids
0:15:44 and not be a member
0:15:45 of the Tony Country Club
0:15:46 or have the fancy car
0:15:47 and the other
0:15:48 does not want that,
0:15:50 wants to work really hard
0:15:51 and have the accoutrements
0:15:52 of wealth and relevance.
0:15:53 So I think the key
0:15:55 is getting just alignment
0:15:55 with your partner
0:15:57 and then making sure
0:15:59 your expectations
0:16:00 foot to the reality
0:16:01 of the situation
0:16:03 in terms of where you live,
0:16:03 your lifestyle,
0:16:04 your spending patterns.
0:16:05 But my brother,
0:16:07 I’m not suggesting
0:16:08 my way is the only way.
0:16:09 Everyone’s got to find
0:16:10 their own route here.
0:16:11 Thanks for the question.
0:16:13 We have one quick break
0:16:13 and when we’re back,
0:16:15 we’re diving into the depths
0:16:17 of the ocean of Reddit.
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0:19:47 Welcome back.
0:19:48 Let’s bust right into it.
0:19:53 Our question today
0:19:54 comes from Captain Athens.
0:19:55 They ask,
0:19:56 Prop G,
0:19:58 what gives you hope?
0:20:01 Huh.
0:20:01 Okay.
0:20:02 I just interviewed
0:20:04 the historian Timothy Snyder
0:20:05 and he’s really inspired
0:20:05 by some of these
0:20:07 protests or marches
0:20:08 in the United States.
0:20:09 I like that.
0:20:10 You see hundreds of thousands
0:20:11 of people protesting.
0:20:12 That makes me feel,
0:20:13 it makes me feel hopeful.
0:20:14 There’s this wonderful graph
0:20:15 showing that
0:20:16 not in the U.S.,
0:20:17 but globally,
0:20:18 people are spending more time
0:20:19 volunteering time
0:20:20 to help people
0:20:21 they will never meet.
0:20:22 so more people
0:20:23 are planting trees
0:20:24 the shade of which
0:20:26 they will never sit under.
0:20:27 That’s very hopeful.
0:20:28 I’m hopeful that the EU binds
0:20:29 together to push back
0:20:30 on Ukraine.
0:20:32 I think we’re starting
0:20:33 to pay more attention
0:20:34 to the struggles
0:20:35 of young men,
0:20:36 mostly led by the concerns
0:20:37 and recognition
0:20:38 of these struggles
0:20:39 by their mothers.
0:20:41 I love that we’re beating
0:20:42 back Putin.
0:20:42 I love,
0:20:43 you know,
0:20:45 there’s a lot of things
0:20:46 I’m excited about.
0:20:47 A certain amount
0:20:47 of drug discovery.
0:20:49 I’m,
0:20:50 you know,
0:20:51 I am fairly hopeful.
0:20:53 It sounds very passe.
0:20:54 My boys give me hope.
0:20:55 I just think they’re
0:20:57 funny and nice
0:20:58 and interesting
0:20:59 and,
0:21:00 you know,
0:21:01 and beautiful.
0:21:02 Everyone thinks their boys
0:21:02 are the most beautiful thing
0:21:03 in the world.
0:21:04 And I like seeing
0:21:06 life through the lens
0:21:08 of what they see.
0:21:09 my youngest son
0:21:10 is starting to get
0:21:11 into fashion.
0:21:12 I just think it’s hilarious
0:21:13 what he finds fashionable
0:21:14 and he wants me
0:21:15 to buy him a chain.
0:21:16 And we were looking
0:21:16 at chains together
0:21:18 and just what he finds
0:21:19 interesting and cool.
0:21:19 And I used to do
0:21:20 a college tour
0:21:21 with my oldest
0:21:22 and we got to
0:21:23 this one university.
0:21:25 We did eight universities
0:21:26 in six days
0:21:26 and then we got
0:21:27 to this one university
0:21:28 and it was like a dog
0:21:28 off a leash
0:21:29 running ahead of me.
0:21:30 And I’m just trying
0:21:30 to figure out
0:21:31 what is it about
0:21:31 this university
0:21:32 or this environment
0:21:33 that all of a sudden
0:21:34 he’s decided
0:21:35 this is the college
0:21:36 he wants to go to.
0:21:37 So kids give me hope.
0:21:39 But I think
0:21:40 there’s a lot
0:21:41 to be hopeful around.
0:21:43 So also dogs.
0:21:45 Dogs give me hope.
0:21:45 Anyways,
0:21:46 hope that’s enough.
0:21:47 Thanks for the question.
0:21:56 This episode was produced
0:21:57 by Jennifer Sanchez.
0:21:59 Our intern is Dan Shallon.
0:22:00 Drew Burroughs
0:22:01 is our technical director.
0:22:02 Thank you for listening
0:22:02 to the Prop G pod
0:22:04 from the Vox Media Podcast Network.
0:22:05 We will catch you
0:22:06 on Saturday
0:22:07 for No Mercy, No Malice
0:22:09 as read by George Hahn.
0:22:10 And please follow
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Scott unpacks whether young Americans should consider lifestyle arbitrage — moving abroad for a better quality of life. Then, he offers advice on balancing ambition and relationships in your 20s and 30s.
And in our Reddit Hotline segment, Scott answers the big question: what gives him hope?
Want to be featured in a future episode? Send a voice recording to officehours@profgmedia.com, or drop your question in the r/ScottGalloway subreddit.
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