The bank says you qualify. Your monthly cash flow might tell a different story. Amos sits down with Dave to talk through the gap between getting a mortgage and comfortably carrying a property, especially when taxes, repairs, and unexpected expenses enter the picture. Drawing on their own experience owning and investing in real estate, they discuss why a low mortgage rate can make moving harder, how rental risk changes from one market to another, and why the size of a property matters less than the return on the capital tied up in it. Amos shares a costly lesson from a tenant who caused roughly $80,000 in damage, while Dave explains why he began looking beyond New York for rental investments. They also debate rent freezes, housing supply, and whether a 50 year mortgage addresses the real affordability problem. For professionals and investors weighing their next property decision, this conversation brings the focus back to a practical question: does the purchase fit your life and your balance sheet, or does it only work on paper?

Chapters:

• (00:00:00) Mortgage approval versus what you can actually afford
• (00:02:00) Housing supply and the affordability squeeze
• (00:04:00) Renting versus buying and what makes a good property deal
• (00:07:00) Mortgage qualification, property taxes, and cash flow
• (00:10:00) An $80,000 tenant damage lesson
• (00:13:00) Rent freezes and the incentive to invest
• (00:18:00) Comparing rental returns in New York and Ohio
• (00:20:00) Why a 2% mortgage keeps homeowners from selling
• (00:24:00) Housing supply solutions and development opportunities
• (00:27:00) The debate over 50 year mortgages

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!

What do our earliest conversations about money teach us about the life we build? Amos Akinyooye sits down with Dave Alexander for an honest conversation about homeownership, family wealth, discipline, and the habits that shape financial confidence. From the value of owning an asset to the pressure of becoming house poor, they unpack the practical and emotional sides of major financial decisions. They also explore how parents can model resilience, teach children to think beyond instant gratification, and create healthier conversations about money at home. For professionals, founders, and families building lasting wealth, this episode is a reminder that financial literacy starts long before a budget or an investment account.

Chapters:

• (00:00:00) Why money and family are so connected
• (00:04:00) Are we becoming a renter nation
• (00:06:00) The changing role of the dollar and the middle class
• (00:07:00) Why families avoid money conversations
• (00:09:00) Learning how to buy a first home
• (00:10:00) What being house poor really means
• (00:13:00) Teaching children healthy money habits
• (00:17:00) What games can teach us about ownership
• (00:20:00) Discipline, resilience, and preparing children for real life
• (00:34:00) Building a stronger relationship with money

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!

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!