Note: This episode is a rebroadcast of Shane Mason's appearance on the Only Fee-Only podcast.

This week on The Liquidity Event, we're sharing a rebroadcast of a recent conversation featuring Shane Mason on the Only Fee-Only podcast.

In this episode, Shane shares his unconventional founder story, from Big Four tax to touring life, before teaming up with AJ to build Brooklyn FI into a 20-person advisory firm rooted in transparency, productized service, and genuine hospitality. He walks through the early days of the firm, including running a tax practice out of a bar booth, pricing low to gain experience, and taking weekend prospect meetings to refine the offer.

The conversation quickly turns practical, covering why most equity compensation issues are really tax issues, how offering refunds can protect long-term trust, and why turning estate planning into a social, notarized event helps clients finally take action. Shane also discusses building an enterprise rather than a lifestyle practice, documenting workflows for consistency, evolving the firm's niche from creatives to tech employees, and what changes when founders step back from day-to-day client work. The episode wraps with a look at Gemifi, the fintech platform Brooklyn FI built to help advisors visualize vesting schedules and future balance sheets.

If you're building or scaling an RIA, this rebroadcast is full of hard-won insights on processes, client experience, and leading through growth.

Key Timestamps:

• (00:00) Meet Shane Mason and Brooklyn Fi
• (01:38) Career Origins and Early Accounting
• (05:00) Quarter-Life Crisis and Adventures Abroad
• (08:20) Sailing The Atlantic and Roadie Tales
• (11:30) Building A Tax Practice In A Bar Booth
• (14:55) Meeting AJ and Forming The Partnership
• (19:10) Finding XYPN and Learning The RIA Game
• (22:50) First Hires and Evolving The Niche
• (27:00) Estate Planning Parties and Execution
• (34:50) Advice For New Firms And Equity Comp
• (38:50) Taking L's, Refunds, and Reputation

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🌐 Learn more about Brooklyn FI financial planning: brooklynfi.com

✍️ Leave us a voicemail question for a future episode: memo.fm/theliquidityevent

📱 Follow Brooklyn FI:

LinkedIn: / brooklyn-fi

Instagram: / brooklyn_f.i

In this episode of The Liquidity Event, AJ and Shane cover a wide-ranging mix of energy policy, tax reform, tech culture, and the strange economics of looking younger.

They dig into nuclear energy's comeback in the U.S. and why AI, data centers, and crypto are driving a massive surge in energy demand, leaving America far behind countries like China and France. The conversation then shifts to Mitt Romney's New York Times op-ed arguing that the wealthy should pay more in taxes, unpacking the Social Security trust fund cliff, student loans, and the tax "caverns" that delay revenue collection. The episode wraps with a tour of the strangest CES tech, from AI companions to silent ice makers, and a candid look at med spas, Botox as a subscription business, and why injectables have quietly become one of the fastest-growing corners of the economy.

(00:00) Welcome to Episode 172 and what's on deck
(02:00) Nuclear energy, tax policy, and this week's agenda
(06:15) Why nuclear power is back and what's driving demand
(09:30) Nuclear meltdowns, Chernobyl, and reactor risk
(12:20) Mitt Romney's "Tax Me" op-ed and the Social Security cliff
(14:55) Step-up in basis, payroll tax caps, and tax loopholes
(17:30) CES highlights: AI companions and weird consumer tech
(19:30) Tech, isolation, and replacing human interaction
(22:40) Med spa crackdowns and Botox economics
(26:20) Final thoughts and wrap-up

🔔 Subscribe to The Liquidity Event on YouTube: YouTube Channel

🌐 Learn more about Brooklyn FI financial planning: brooklynfi.com

✍️ Leave us a voicemail question for a future episode: memo.fm/theliquidityevent

📱 Follow Brooklyn FI:

LinkedIn: / brooklyn-fi

Instagram: / brooklyn_f.i

In this episode of The Liquidity Event, AJ and Shane kick off the new year with a wide-ranging conversation that spans data privacy, tax policy, real estate, and retirement planning, with a few dragon-filled detours along the way.

They start with California's push to rein in data brokers, breaking down how personal data is bought and sold, why spam calls are nearly impossible to stop, and whether privacy legislation can realistically make a difference. The conversation then shifts to the winners and losers of the 2026 tax and benefit changes, unpacking the idea of a K-shaped economy and why tax cuts tend to benefit asset owners far more than workers.

AJ and Shane also dig into Manhattan's all-cash real estate boom, why wealthy buyers did not flee New York despite repeated tax threats, and how liquidity, SBLOCs, and market gains are reshaping who wins bidding wars. The episode wraps with a candid discussion on annuities, why they are often misunderstood, when they can make sense, and how bad actors have given them a deservedly complicated reputation, before teasing a future deep dive into nuclear energy.

Taxes, policy, privacy, and practical planning to start 2026.

(00:00) Welcome to Episode 171, New Year energy, and dragons
(02:00) New Year's Eve stories and West Coast midnight celebrations
(05:15) Romantasy books, dragons, and travel tangents
(07:00) This week's lineup: data privacy, taxes, real estate, annuities, and nuclear energy
(08:20) California data brokers, spam calls, and personal data for sale
(12:00) Winners and losers of 2026 tax and benefit cuts
(14:45) The K-shaped economy explained
(20:00) All-cash Manhattan real estate deals and why the wealthy stayed put
(24:40) SBLOCs, liquidity, and beating traditional buyers
(25:45) Annuities explained, when they work and why they are so controversial

🔔 Subscribe to The Liquidity Event on YouTube: YouTube Channel

🌐 Learn more about Brooklyn FI financial planning: brooklynfi.com

✍️ Leave us a voicemail question for a future episode: memo.fm/theliquidityevent

📱 Follow Brooklyn FI:

LinkedIn: / brooklyn-fi

Instagram: / brooklyn_f.i