Join Ruvin Levavi and his "younger mentor," Michael Ken , Managing Partner of 1847 Financial in New York , as they dissect the most thought-provoking moments and overarching themes from their annual trip to the New York Times Dealbook Summit. This year's event featured a different lineup than previous years but delivered a wealth of insights from business leaders and politicians alike.

What's Inside this Episode:

1. The Optimism of CEOs vs. The Partisanship of Politicians: The hosts discuss the stark contrast between the optimistic, future-focused visions of company CEOs—who are primarily focused on their next venture, creating a great product, and making the world a better place —versus the disgruntled, and partisan dialogue of American politicians who focus on the next election cycle or what's going wrong.
2. The Rapid Pace of Technology: A core theme was the incredible speed of change- exemplified by YouTuber Mr. Beast's explosive growth and keen understanding of demographics. They also dive into the world of AI, covering the CEO of Anthropic asking for government regulation to protect society from rapid changes and the efficiency gains AI is introducing into the workforce.
3. Conviction in a Changing World: The hosts highlight the strong convictions of key speakers like Blackrock CEO Larry Fink, who demonstrated the ability to evolve his thinking on crypto and tokenization , and Alex Karp, the energetic CEO of Palantir, who emphasized national security and borders as subservient issues, and proudly stated he is "CEO of the most important, technology company in the world". They also touch on the contentious nature of the interview with Scott Bessent regarding tariffs.

Listen in to gain perspective on the currents driving global finance and technology, and hear personal takeaways from a day of face-to-face connections and challenging discussions that will "always be so important".

Want to invest but don't know where to start? Tune in to this episode of the Power Forward Pod, hosted by the Power Forward Group Financial Advisory Team, as they tackle the foundational principles of investing for long-term success.

This week, Bobby Kaslander and Joe Shalom offer a clear, elementary explanation of the stock market, breaking down complex terms and emphasizing the importance of starting early, especially in a world filled with "fake financial advice".

• The ABCs of Investing: Bobby and Joe define what stocks (equities) and bonds are, explaining that a stock represents a small piece of company ownership, while a bond is essentially a loan to the company. They also clarify that stock market fluctuations are driven by supply and demand, macroeconomic factors (like interest rates and geopolitical risks), and company earnings reports.
• The Power of Diversification and ETFs: Learn why investing in a single stock carries a lot of risk and how Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and broad-based market ETFs offer a low-cost, diversified way for new investors to enter the market by owning micro-shares of many different companies, such as all 500 in the S&P 500.
• Why Time-In is Everything: Discover the crucial importance of starting your investment journey "yesterday," as Joe illustrates the shocking power of compounding interest: starting early with less money can yield a significantly higher return over the long run compared to starting later with a higher principal. They also provide practical steps for starting to invest, like opening a brokerage account and prioritizing an emergency fund and clearing credit card debt.

In this episode of The Power Forward Pod, the team welcomes an incredible guest — a venture capitalist, private equity leader, mentor to athletes and entrepreneurs, and now a Shark on Shark Tank. From humble beginnings on the South Side of Chicago to launching a groundbreaking sports investment fund with Mark Cuban, his journey is all about resilience, reinvention, and redefining success.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

How early struggles with money and opportunity fueled a mission to teach financial literacy and create generational wealth.

What really happens behind the scenes of Shark Tank — and how integrity drives every investment decision.

How the new “Sports 2.0” model is changing professional sports ownership and opening doors for innovative investors.