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Episode 001: Welcome to Vested with Jared Bowers

Episode 001: Welcome to Vested with Jared Bowers

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Episode 001: Introduction – Vested with Jared Bowers

Synopsis

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Vested with Jared Bowers. This episode introduces the foundational philosophy of Everything is Investing (EII)—the idea that every choice we make is an allocation of our limited resources (time, energy, and money) toward a future return. Jared Bowers, a professional portfolio manager and educator, explains why he is moving beyond the world of high-finance to help listeners manage their "Life Portfolios." By applying the rigorous tools of professional investing to health, relationships, and personal growth, we can stop accidentally wasting our lives and start intentionally building them. This episode sets the stage for a journey into wealthy mindsets, portfolio management tools, and the discipline of "putting in the reps."

Timestamped Outline

I. The Foundation: Everything is Investing (EII)

  • (0:34) Defining the Philosophy: EII is not just about money; it is a way of life. The core premise is that we are all portfolio managers, whether we realize it or not.
  • (1:16) The Resource Triple-Threat: Every action is an investment of Time, Energy, and Money. These are our "macronutrients" of investing. How we spend them determines the "returns" we see in every area of our lives.

II. The Professional & The Teacher: Who is Jared Bowers?

  • (1:46) The Day Job: Jared is a professional portfolio manager for high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth families. His expertise is in "taking mommy dollars and daddy dollars and making baby dollars"—buying, selling, and researching the public markets (stocks and bonds).
  • (2:42) The Pro Bono Mission: Because his firm only works with the very wealthy, Jared spends significant time providing free financial advice to those who "aren't rich yet," helping them set plans and invest well.
  • (3:32) The High School Classroom: For over a decade, Jared has volunteered to teach seniors in high school about investing.
    • The Challenge: High schoolers are skeptical and smart. Teaching them requires a level of mastery that client meetings don't.
    • The Goal: To instill an investor’s lens early—teaching "almost adults" to think like business owners.
  • (5:08) Personal Application: Success in Jared's life—fitness, parenting, leadership—is the direct result of applying portfolio management principles to areas more important than money.

III. The Data: The High Cost of Poor Investing

  • (7:15) Misaligned Investing: Society is largely investing in the wrong direction. Jared cites stark statistics as evidence of a "poor mindset" in action:
    • Financial (7:42): 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck (including 50% of those making $100k+). 60% cannot cover a $1,000 emergency. The average 60-year-old has less than $100k saved.
    • Education & Time (8:28): The median number of books read per year is zero. Only 5% of adults engage in structured learning. Meanwhile, the average person "invests" 5+ hours a day in screen entertainment for a very poor return.
    • Relationships (9:01): Less than 17% of people are "very happy" in their relationships. The average American has fewer than three close friends to rely on in an emergency.
    • Health (9:14): 70% of U.S. adults are overweight or obese. 60% have at least one chronic health condition.
  • (9:56) The Individual Turnaround: These aren't just "sad stats"—they are indicators of poor portfolio management. Applying intentionality can result in an immediate individual turnaround.

IV. The Strategy: Managing the Life Portfolio

  • (10:40) Two Categories of Listeners: 1. Those struggling and looking to stop the "bleeding."2. Those already on a positive trajectory looking to "level up." Jared’s primary focus is the second category, where "hope and optimism" drive accelerated returns.
  • (12:52) Trajectory Over Position: Where you are now matters less than where you are pointed. Trajectory is adjustable if you treat life as a manageable portfolio.
  • (14:37) The Ledger System: View every area of life (Faith, Health, Work, Money) as an Account.
    • Deposits vs. Withdrawals: Every choice either adds to or subtracts from an account balance.
    • Accountability: Your current balances reflect the investments you have—or haven’t—made up to this point.

V. The Triple Meaning of "Vested"

  • (16:02) Why "Vested"? It bridges the gap between the professional and the human:
    • Financial: Ownership, long-term commitment, and earned rewards.
    • Philosophical: Caring deeply and having "skin in the game."
    • Behavioral: We protect and grow what we care about. Investing in something makes us value it more.

VI. Roadmap: What to Expect from the Podcast

  • (17:03) Solo Teaching & Simple Concepts: The show will focus on making the complex simple. It won't be an interview show initially; it will be a classroom for the EII philosophy.
  • (17:46) Core Mindsets: Future episodes will contrast Wealthy vs. Poor mindsets, Abundance vs. Scarcity, and Investing vs. Gambling.
  • (18:16) Professional Tools for Life: We will apply terms like Allocation, Diversification, Compounding, Rebalancing, and Risk to both money and life.
  • (18:58) Real-World Stories: Using anonymized examples from wealthy clients, high school students, and Jared's own life to illustrate progress and failure.

VII. Setting Expectations: Progress, Not Perfection

  • (21:21) Progress is Motivating: The goal is walking alongside the listener, not "talking down from a mountain."
  • (22:00) The "Reps": Investing is hard and takes patience. Like fitness, the "weight" of the work doesn't get lighter, but you get stronger and more capable of handling it without fatigue.
  • (23:10) The Success Formula: Discipline + Patience + Effective Effort = Success. This combination is rarely defeated over time.
  • (25:13) What This Is NOT: Jared will not give specific stock recommendations or "what-to-buy" lists. This is about "how-to" invest so you can decide the "what" for yourself.

VIII. Closing: Your First Investment

  • (27:59) The Call to Action: Jared asks for an investment of Time and Attention.
  • (28:40) The Compounding Effect: When we invest better in ourselves, the world around us gets better. Investing has a spillover effect that benefits our families, our communities, and the world.
  • (29:24) Sign-off: "Thank you for investing in yourself and in those around you."

Quotes to Remember

"Everything that we do—how we spend our time, our energy, and our money—is an investment."
"Discipline, patience, and effective effort, when done together, are rarely defeated over time."
"You may not be a financial investor yet, but you are the portfolio manager of your life."

Next Episode: Understanding your limited resources and how the "macronutrients" of time, energy, and money determine your trajectory.