Hi everyone, It's Nika Farb, and Katie Karlos. Welcome to the Miss Findependent Podcast. 

We're passionate about helping women become financially literate and independent. Our aim is to help our listeners build the toolkit to be more confident investors, entrepreneurs or go further in their careers.

Women have never been more empowered than we are today. We’ve made tremendous strides over the last century by becoming more educated and participating more and more in the workforce, but we are still lagging in one key area: financial literacy. 

A study by Stanford University showed that in the US women on average, are expected to live 5 years longer than men, but accumulate over $100,000 less wealth. Women are less confident than men in making many financial decisions. 

Confidence stems from knowledge. Throughout our next series of podcasts we're going to host a wide variety of guests successful in various domains. 
 
Nika is a seasoned entrepreneur and sales professional and has experience in building her own business. She'll be leading conversations on how to start a business and various business models today. 

Katie is a professional accountant and will help our listeners prepare for tax season and financial planning.

Stay tuned!

In this episode we share some of our tips on how to make money conversations feel a lot easier and less awkward.
We guide you on how to approach these tough conversations around money with your parents and significant others.
In addition, we provide our advice when it comes to having conversations about retirement, spending and saving, debt and financial management. 

Once again we see how powerful social media is in our modern day. A retail investor posted about how the stock was undervalued on a public forum, WallStBets, and brought to light GameStop (GME) was shorted at 120% of the available shares by hedge funds. 4 Million people follow this forum. Retail investors, and FOMO investors bought the stock, the stock price shot up. Listen to hear what happens next. 

2:20 - What is Shorting?
8:00 - How did GME blow up?
11:20 - What is a Short Squeeze?
15:04 - Free Markets
15:52 - Correction - The Stock was shorted 120% of the available shares, not 120x
17:33 - Importance of Long Term Investing
23:00 - What Happened with Melvin Capital

In this weeks episode we talk all things real estate investing with Severina Lutaj, investment banker and real estate development guru. She's managed portfolios of hundreds of commercial and residential tenancies and has in-depth knowledge of construction/maintenance as well as experience building out property management operations & processes. Her strong finance background and diverse real estate experience has led her to having unique, first-hand experience with investment properties and learning how to get on the property ladder.

Here's what we get into:

3:45 - How to Deal with Imposter Syndrome
11:30 - Where Do I Start with Buying Property?
12:19 - What to Look for in an Investment Property?
19:45 - How Do I Research Real Estate?
57:22 - Stock Market vs. Real Estate Investing

Stop thinking "If only I'd invested in Tesla 10 years ago I'd be a millionaire". Instead, switch to a forward thinking mindset. Ask yourself, 10 years from now, what do I wish I would've invested in, in 2021. 

There's opportunity everywhere, you just need to be open to it, and learn how to spot long term trends to see it.

Timeline: 
2:45 - FSDs (Full Self-Driving Cars)
10:12 - Satellite Internet
16:36 - E-Commerce
25:23 - The Future of Retail
33:17 - Alternative Medicines
46:50 - Telehealth
50:37 - Aging Population
53:16 - The War on Cash

We dive deep into the 5 actively managed ARK ETFs and give our opinions on ETFs as a whole.
In addition, we give our suggestions on the best investing practices for different types of investors.

In this episode we take the driest topic of them all.... taxes... and try to hydrate it a bit. While listening to this one, we encourage you to channel your inner cactus. Why a cactus? Because they retain water for weeks, and you're about to retain some #Knowledge

An RRSP is a Registered Retirement Savings Plan. It's an investment account that you use to build wealth for retirement. There's no minimum age to create one, you can create one as long as you are legally eligible to work. The maximum age to open an RRSP is 71.

Timeline
4:34 - What is an RRSP and how does it work?
9:45 - Contribution room and how to calculate it
13:26 - Self-directed RRSPs 
12:40 - Employer matching
17:19 - What happens when you over-contribute?
18:58 - Withdrawals from your RRSP
23:30 - First Time Home Buyers Program (HBP)

In this episode we dive into: 

3:45 - Do you need to file a tax return if you didn't earn an income
4:52 - Work from home claim for 2020
11:50 - Transferring assets into your TFSA in lieu of cash
15:11 - Tax loss harvesting (using capital loses to offset capital gains)
21:00 - Tax implications of buying/selling crypto

This episode is for educational purposes only and is not to be taken as advise. 

Ryan Kia has an incredible story. He's been investing in the financial markets since the age of 11. Currently, he works as the "Head Of Finance" for "KWG Global", a research consultancy in the field of academia. He also co-founded "Quantium Research Limited" (https://www.quantiumresearch.co.uk/), a company that produces articles, videos, podcasts, and weekly reports for investors (via their newly-released QR+ package).

Episode Details:
2:00 - What is Quantium Research?
6:35 - How to learn from failures
16:37 - WTF are NFTs?
28:13 - The CSI 300
30:37 - FAANG vs. BAT
39:39 - Volatility Indicators

This episode features special guests Dani Kagan and Victoria Marshman who are passionate and driven entrepreneurs, business leaders and dance teachers. As the Co-Founders of City MOGULS, they bring together the entrepreneurial community through a multitude of programs and experiences. 

The UofT grads founded City MOGULS in 2015 to unite and celebrate innovative and philanthropic entrepreneurs to inspire great leaders. Their signature event, The MOGUL Awards, celebrates the top 20 Canadian entrepreneurs in a unique fashion show to support Canadian causes. To date they have raised almost $200k to support Canadian at-risk youth. 

The City MOGULS community has recently expanded to provide educational resources, online programs, like their accelerator program MOGUL Crews, and a brand new membership program to support early-stage entrepreneurs to launch them to the next phase of their journey. They are proud to be supporting thousands of entrepreneurs across Canada and the globe!

Here's what we get into: 
1:40 - How did Dani and Victoria meet and what is City MOGULS
4:50 - How to balance friendship and business
7:39 - Parallels between competitive sports and business
12:11 - How to lay the first brick when you're building Rome
16:59 - City MOGULS transition into the digital world
22:00 - How to Find Your Why
26:37 - How to build a community for your business
33:47 - When to hire talent to grow

Julian Brass specializes in coaching service-based entrepreneurs and high-performing organizations to get behind their brand (so they can go BEYOND their brand) and master their mindset. His expertise leads to empowering his clients to create a successful entrepreneurial life that unites the mind, body, and soul while generating massive impact and income. He built and sold Notable Life and the Notable Awards, is the international bestselling author of Own Your Anxiety, a global keynote speaker & corporate trainer, business advisor and investor in wellness brands. 

He is recognized as an award-winning entrepreneur who launched, built and eventually sold Notable and the Notable Awards, one of the top online media brands for successful millennials in Canada. 

You can learn about joining one of his programs by joining julianbrass.com/subscribe and follow him at instagram.com/julianbrass.

We discuss the importance of loving yourself and being mindful of your own inner dialogue.

Julian provides actionable steps to owning your body, mind and soul. 

In addition, we dive deep into how financial stresses can effect mental health and actionable steps you can take in order to improve your anxiety around your finances.

Lastly, we discuss the impact of social media on one's mental health and how to control the narrative.

You can purchase Julian's book "Own Your Anxiety":   https://amzn.to/3dpJ2Xp

We start off with a visualization of the future. You enter an elevator, press the top floor, and come out as you, only 10 years into the future. 

We ask you to question where you see yourself - what sights, sounds, and people surround you. 

The reason we do this is to help you understand that you need to be working for the life you want now. Things won't just fall into place, you need to call them into existence and take action to purse what's yours. 

We talk about some of the ways millennials often live above their means and get into significant credit card debt. We discuss ways to prioritize debt and where to focus your attention. 

We discuss basic budgeting skills and how to manage your inflows and outflows to ensure you are net positive month over month. 

We provide a brief introduction to TFSAs and RRSPs and explain why both accounts are necessary for everyone to have, even if you have a company pension already set up.

David Greenberg is an incredible human. He has over 25 years of experience in leadership, public speaking and consulting work. He is frequently called upon for guidance in new business ventures, strategic industry decisions and current market conditions.

He served as an Executive Board and Board Member of the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX). He oversaw a decade of its largest growth from $800 million to $12 billion. Notably, at the time it was the world’s largest physical commodities exchange. While at NYMEX, David was the Chairman of the Corporate Governance, Marketing, International Expansion, Electronic Trading and Security Committees.

Mr. Greenberg’s twenty years as President of Sterling Commodities shaped the firm into one of the largest local clearinghouses at NYMEX.

Mr. Greenberg served as Director of Development for Executive Education at Florida Atlantic University. As a seasoned speaker, he has graced the podiums of the country’s most prestigious colleges and universities: West Point Military Academy, Columbia Business School, New York University, Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Business and Sacred Heart University’s Jack Welch School of Business.

In addition to his successful career in significant advisory capabilities, he is a globally renowned and noted market analyst and media contributor. Having appeared on CNN, Fox Business News, Bloomberg and CNBC, Mr. Greenberg is often quoted on times such as the present. View Media »

Mr. Greenberg’s expert opinions can be found in The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, The Financial Times and other publications.

~

In this episode we discuss: 
6:38 -  What it was like to trade in the pit
18:37 - How he became a Board Member of the NYMEX
31:48 - How social media is affecting our generation
34:26 - How an enemy became a friend and then a business partner
43:06 - Where he was during 911
48:56 - What does it mean to be 'Out of The Matrix'

This is NYMEX:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_VCIQerVHQ

David's Speech at West Point Military Academy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAxPr6FR9SQ

The Poem If: 
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46473/if---

In this episode we discuss:

0:54 - What success means to David
8:30 - The pressure millennials face today with success and social media
11:45 - David's biggest failures in life 
17:34 - How he overcame his failures and what kept him motivated to keep trying
22:07 - The importance of investing for the long term
28:21 - How trading has evolved over the years
35:28 - An introduction to clearing houses and how they work
50:12 - The importance of working for someone else before becoming an entrepreneur
58:00 - The importance of putting "bad days" into perspective 
1:02:00 - "No one can ever take away your education"

In this episode we break down how a $5000 initial investment + monthly contribution can create a portfolio worth $1.47 million and yield you a passive income of $73K/year after 30 years.

What we get into:

0:48 - What are Dividends?
2:00 - How to find the Dividend Yield
2:25 - Why invest in Dividends?
4:23 - How to look at a company's fundamentals
9:28 - Dripping Dividends
12:17 - How to turn a $5K investment investment into $73K in passive income in 30 years

Arthur began his career as the head of the in house marketing department at C21 Atria and since then he has transitioned into Real Estate where he has received numerous awards such as being named one of Century 21 Atria’s youngest award winning agents in 2017. In addition, he co-founded the award winning Wolfpack team. His in-depth understanding of Marketing and Sales has earned him the recognition as the go-to content specialist, helping agents strategize and package their listings for success. Arthur’s passion for real estate is noticeable from his energetic, knowledgeable, and detail oriented approach when working for his clients. He is an expert in the differences between all styles of homes to aid his clients in locating property that best meets their needs. Providing a modern and efficient approach combined with an honest and strategic planning process, Arthur ensures his clients are informed and comfortable every step of the way.

In this episode we discuss:

4:00 - What type of market is it (buys or sellers).
9:40 - How COVID-19 has affected the pricing of condos.
11:27 - What housing market is the most competitive right now (condo, townhouse, luxury..).
14:13- What opportunities are there in the Real Estate market? Is it a good time to enter the market?
19:18 - Arthur's thoughts on the free hold market.
21:06 - Where Arthur sees the Real Estate market headed (in the short and long term)
24:42 - What trends do consumers value when seeking a property (ie. big kitchen, large master bedroom)
29:00 - How long in advance of your desired move in date should you start looking for your home.
33:10 - The key things to look for when finding a Real Estate agent
37:17 - How to prep your home for sale.
40:57 - Arthur's thoughts on investing in the stock market vs. investing in Real Estate.

In this episode, Katie and Nika are joined by no guest. That's right, we're back to typical Nika-Katie banter with sprinkles of educational tid bits regarding starting your own business. This is the first part of a longer series we are going to do on side hustles.

What we dive into: 
1:12 - What it means to be an entrepreneur
12:15 - Different types of entrepreneurship
20:10 - Venture Capital vs. Private Equity
22:30 - Different types of businesses you can start

Investing and trading are two entirely different strategies and ways to approach the stock market. In this episode we get into how to control your emotions and provide actionable tips for making rational decisions. 

What we get into: 
- Brief market update
- Diversification 
- Dollar-cost Averaging 
- Strategies for minimizing emotional response

What we dive into:
0:30 - Scarcity vs. Abundance
3:52 - Our personal experiences with scarcity mindset
10:37 - The importance of gratitude
14:20 - Advantages of an abundance mentality
18:57 - You are a sum of your 5 closest friends
22:02 - Know your audience
27:35 - The distinction between jealousy and envy
32:37 - Words you can use to switch the dialogue from a scarcity to an abundance point of you

Season 2 baby!! Let's goo. 

We kick off season 2 with a heated discussion about venture capital and the impact that it has for retail investors like you an I.

Now-a-days it seems like companies left and right are getting funded, and often, the companies true value to the world is ignored. In this episode we dive deep into how VC firms operate, and ultimately make money.

Venture capital (VC) is a form of private equity and a type of financing that investors provide to startup companies and small businesses that are believed to have long-term growth potential. Venture capital generally comes from well-off investors, investment banks, and any other financial institutions.

What to expect:
1:02 - What exactly is a Ponzi Scheme
4:00 - Bernie Madoff
6:11 - What is venture capital fund
11:30 - Growth "On Paper"
14:40 - Hyper Growth
24:58 - What is a Unicorn
25:37 - The Grand Finale
28:56 - SPACS - Special Purpose Acquisition Company
29:37 - We Work

In this episode:

1:35 - Nika goes over the process she went through to purchase the property
4:25 - The pros and cons of placing offers with conditions
7:50 - The power of manifestation
10:30 - Always put an offer in even if you think the sellers wont accept it
16:43 - Utilizing your contacts and other resources 
21:30 - The importance of budgets
24:49 - How to budget for renovations
27:28 - How to determine a price for the units you are renting in your home
30:57 - Nika shares the current state of her property and the renovation process

In this episode we dive into our past investing mistakes and common mistakes we've seen people make. We re-enact how/why we made decisions that didn't serve us, and how they played out in reality.

What to expect:
2:10 - Having an Investing Strategy
5:00 - Saying no to FOMO
8:55 - Cutting your losses
14:30 - Having Patience
16:21 - Putting All Your Eggs in One Basket
17:30 - Stock Splits
30:10 - Focusing Too Much on Price

We discuss the importance of asking for employee referrals and how to cold outreach. We talk about everything from what to say in your LinkedIn messages, or email, to how to increase your response rate. We break down how to connect with people you've never met and how to give back to people that reach out to you. 

We provide examples of networking tools you can utilize such as joining professional organizations (ie. Women in Capital Markets) and explain how these tools can be used to obtain job opportunities as well as employee referrals.

We discuss the importance of Temp Agencies and how to take advantage of Freelancing to get the most value out of your skillset. We provide tangible examples and proof of how our method works.

In this episode we get into:

1:30 - The Canadian Labour Market
2:40 - The US Labour Market
4:12 - People's Current Mindset
11:11 - Why it's a Job Seeker's Market
14:28 - Always Apply Even If You Don't Hit All The Requirements
17:57 - Negotiating Your Salary
22:38 - Negotiate The Whole Package
25:42 - Don't Underestimate The Importance Of Kindness
28:47 - The Importance Of Going Into Negotiations Armed With Data 
30:45 - Negotiating Is Not a Form Of Disrespect To the Employer

Have you ever thought about starting an e-commerce business but don't know where to start? 

In this episode we break down the upfront costs that are required to build an e-commerce business and what you need to get a business off the ground and scale. 

Here's what we dive into in detail:

2:08 - E-commerce vs. Physical enterprise
2:44 - What you need to start 
6:00 - The ultimate goal of trying a side hustle
8:52 - Influencer Marketing Strategies
10:30 - A pandemic case study
20:00 - Finding your competitive advantage
22:39 - Importance of Product Development
26:17 - Reviews matter
30:44 - Starting on Amazon
38:43 - Don't Listen to others

Let's talk about Bermuda's Triangle: Saving, Investing, and Paying off Debt. Which comes first... The answer, like most things in life is, it's complicated. 

Having debt can be emotionally taxing on the body. It can put you under a significant amount of mental stress, and can even lead to physical affects on the body. While we can't help you deal with financial stress (that's something a good yoga class might help with though) we can help you arm yourself with knowledge so you have a plan for tackling your debt. 

The good news - most people have some kind of debt. Debt doesn't always have to be a bad thing. Leveraging debt can unlock a wide array of opportunities for you, and understanding how to use debt properly, can be a tool you never knew you had. 

What we get into: 

1:15 - Everyone Has Debt
1:38 - Good Vs. Bad Debt
2:38 - Different Kinds of Debt
11:30 - Credit Card No Nos
15:25 - Paying Debt, Saving or Investing
17:53 - The Baby Emergency Fund
24:09 - Secured Vs. Unsecured Loans
32:53 - Leveraging Debt
35:26- Intro to Private Lending

After just renovating my house and experiencing major delays and increased costs due to supply chain impacts, I’m exhausted and ready for this to end. 

Unfortunately, with the huge backlog of containers waiting to be unloaded at the Port of Los Angeles, major mudslides closing down critical highways, and labor shortages, I don’t anticipate this crisis ending anytime soon. 

The good news is there’s lots of opportunity if you put your investor hat on. Learn about what’s happening at all points of the supply chain and where you can benefit from the mayhem. 

In this episode I breakdown:

1:35 - What is a Supply Chain

3:10 - The Root Cause

4:05  - What’s Happening Now

8:45 - The Container Shortage

11:35 - A Tik Tok Case Study

16:00 - Why Small Companies are Hit the Hardest

18:27 - Port of Los Angeles

21:30 - The Trucking Industry

24:40 - Put Your Investor Hat On

Sure Black Friday and Cyber Monday are great, but let's be real, how many of your BFCM purchases were actually for you and not for others?

If you've still got a few people left to shop for this holiday season, tune in and learn some of the best shopping hacks I used to save just over $500 on my shopping this year.

Breakdown:

1:44 - Tip 1 - Have a list, check it twice
2:51 - Tip 2 - Saynotospam@gmail.com
4:13 - Tip 3 - How to be the queen of price matching
7:03 - Tip 4 - Rakuten (linked)
8:18 - Tip 5 - Honey Chrome Extension (linked)
9:25 - Tip 6 - Rate Hub for credit card comparisons (linked)
10:40 - Tip 7 - Experiences > Gifts
12:00 - Tip 8 - Starter Kit Memes
13:51 - Tip 9 - Buy Now, Don't Pay Later
15:30 - Tip 10 - Treat Yo' Self

Traditionally on The Miss Findependent Show, I talk about Index Funds and ETFs at length. I get it, these can get kind of boring, but if your portfolio is like a meal that you're cooking, the S&P 500 is like the (S)alt and (P)epper that's the base set of spices for most meals. Once you master how to work with the basics, you can start adding in more interesting flavours - like Garam Masala or Tarragon. 

I literally just learned how to cook with Tarragon. Fun fact - it goes great with Shrimp.

The thing with this cooking analogy (which I'm really starting to like btw) is that we're not all cooking the same meals, and our skill levels and comfort levels are going to be so different. That's why I'll never tell you what to invest in, but simply educate you on how to build the perfect meal for you.

With this episode, I want to share with investors, or soon-to be investors that stock picking can be very lucrative, but it's a lot more complex. To succeed, you need to have a solid understanding of portfolio balancing and how cyclical stocks perform. 

Here's what I get into:

2:09 - Risk Tolerance
5:39 - What are Cyclical Stocks
10:00 - Defensive Stocks
14:39 - Advantages to Owning Cyclical Stocks
17:11 - Disadvantages of Investing in Cyclical Stocks
19:15 - Discussing Sectors
25:30 - How I'm Playing It

It would mean the world to me if you could leave me a review in the Podcast App. Reviews help my podcast reach more people and help me educate more people on how to invest and grow their money.

Until next time. 

XX Nika

This episode is a little different from anything I've done on The Miss Findependent Show in the past. I talk about my experience exploring the realms of yoga and meditation, how they've lead me on a spiritual quest in the depth of the Andes mountains in Peru, and where the ideas of spirituality intersect with business.

I have friends from all walks of life, artists, entrepreneurs, and a lot of fellow yoga teachers in my circle. One thing that people who aren't in the business world often ask me is how on earth these two worlds collide. A common misconception I hear is that the pursuit of "wealth" is not spiritual, and goes against spiritual practices.

That's just plain wrong. Money itself is neither good nor bad, it's just a tool.

Achieving a state of financial abundance, getting to a place where you are not worried about your day to day expenses, allows you to live in tune with your purpose and allows you to explore the pursuit of service.

In this episode, I break down common limiting beliefs around money and help you rewire your thinking so you can pursue abundance and stop getting in your own way.

Here's what I get into:

2:42 - Childhood Beliefs
5:55 - The Diamond Cutter
9:56 - "Someone Else Will Do"
10:55 - "I'm Not Good With Money"
13:23 - Letting Go of Negative Dialogue
17:17 - Intersection of Spirituality and Business
20:48 - Operating with Integrity

It would mean the world to me if you could leave me a review in the Podcast App. Reviews help my podcast reach more people and help me educate more people on how to invest and grow their money.

https://www.amazon.ca/Diamond-Cutter-Buddha-Managing-Business/dp/038552868X

Until next time. 

XX Nika

Cryptocurrencies were the best performing asset class of 2021. In this episode I break down why they're so attractive to investors and give you a crash course into EVERYTHING (and I mean everything) you need to know. 

Here's a breakdown of this episode:
3:05 - Why Crypto is Attractive and Top Concerns
4:12 - How the Blockchain Works
8:45 - Moving Away from the Gold Standard
16:45 - Hard Wallets
19:40 - Bitcoin
20:38 - Ethereum
26:27 - Binance Coin
30:35 - Tether
32:54 - Solana
35:22 - Cardano
36:52 - Altcoins 
43:10 - Staking, Mining and DAOs

This episode is all about reflection prompts. First we focus on fostering some gratitude for everything you’ve accomplished or worked on to date. I ask you to think about what’s held you back, help you visualize your fullest self, and ask you to consider where you want to go next year.

If you can, try not to listen to this episode while you’re on the go. Save this one for when you can sit down, and be still with your thoughts. 

Grab a notebook, and a pen, and feel free to pause me as we go. 

⚠️ Limited Coaching slots open January 5th 2021. Spots will fill up quick. Stay tuned for an announcement.

______

A reflection episode wouldn't be complete without a Miss Findependent 2021 Wrapped.

As a summary of the Miss Findependent Show. We have a total of 3400 listeners to date. 39 episodes published if we’re counting this one. 31 of which were published this year!!

The top most listened to episodes in order were: Let's talk Real Estate, Diving into ARKK ETFs with Cathie Woods, How to make $73K/year in Dividend Paying Stocks, and Let’s talk Bitcoin. So those are areas I’m going to focus on in 2022. I heard you loud and clear. 

More real estate. 

More Growth stocks. 

More Crypto. 

And more focus on entrepreneurship. 

To all my listeners -  I’m so grateful to have be here with you guys, to share these resources with you, and to help you build the toolkit to go out and build generational wealth. 

Believe me. I’m only getting started. 

__

Let me start by asking you - what are 3 things you’re grateful for. 

List them out on your piece of paper right now. 

Now what are you MOST PROUD Of?

It could be a work accomplishment, a big decision you made, a pivot into a more fulfilling career. A mindset shift. The decision to learn more and help educate yourself financially. Starting a new business. 

I’m going to give you some reflection prompts. 

In 2021 I struggled the most with ....

What were the biggest gifts, blessings and lessons? 

List them out as 3 separate categories.
Gifts - 

Blessing - 

Lessons - 

What are you releasing in 2021?

What do you want to let go of?

Before we go into planning for next year. I want to help you Reflect on the Money in Your Life.

Write down how much you’ve saved this year.

How much have you added to your investment accounts?

How much have you paid off your debt?

What were your best performing investments this year? Are you holding onto them, or do you want to take some profits? 

What were your worst performing investments. What are you going to do about them? Are you going to hold on to them?

Now we’re going to focus on the New Year. 

I want you to write down 2 words that are going to define this new year for you. 

If you want to invite something new into your life this year. Ask yourself.

What am I bringing in?

Now I’m going to ask you some big questions. They don’t require big answers.

What kind of legacy impact do I want in my life?

What are my truest, truest principles.

What’s one thing you’re striving for this year?

What do you want to get absolutely clear on for next year?

What does success look like for you in the upcoming year and how do you need to redefine your definition of success?

What creative projects do you want to bring into the world this upcoming year?

Let go of uncertainty. Let go of anything that’s held you back this year. 

The year is almost over. You get a brand new day tomorrow. 

A new opportunity to start off on the right foot and go out there and make this beautiful life yours to discover. 

If you’ve ever wondered how influencers make money, what the day in a life of a content creator is like, and if this is a path for you, you definitely want to check this one out, and listen until the end, because there are some gems dropped.

For the first episode of this new season I sit down for a conversation with Kat, past competitive skater, and the founder of Jetlagged Lovers. You can follow her on Instagram and Tik Tok @Jetlaggedlovers and check out her Youtube Channel as well. 

Yes. You've probably seen her skating videos. 

Jetlagged lovers was a blog Kat started to share her love for travel and photography, and quickly evolved into a massive fashion, travel, skating and lifestyle brand. At the time of recording, Kat has over 1.2 M followers on Tik Tok and has grown this massive audience organically through sharing her authentic self.

Here's what we get into:

2:45 - Kat’s Journey

8:48 - Falling Back in Love with Skating

10:32 - What Kept Her Motivated

13:41 - How to Get Over Fear

25:52 - Income Streams for Creators

34:30 - A Day in the Life of a Creator

36:15 - How to Reach Out to Brands

43:54 - Social Media Trends

51:51 - How to Reach Out to Creators as a Business

Building financial literacy can be a daunting journey, especially if you don't know where to start. 

In this episode we break down the basics of what actions you need to be taking in order to set yourself up for success. We start with explaining what an emergency fund is and how to build one. 

We teach you to build a system for monitoring your cash inflows and outflows and how to be mindful of your spending. We dive deep into budgets and present an easy system - the 50/30/20 rule - for mindful spending on needs, wants, and savings. 

You can download an easy budgeting worksheet by singing up for our mailing list here: www.missfindependent.com 

At this point we’ve probably all heard this acronym, but WTF is an NFT?

It’s taken me a while to put together this episode because I’ve been active in communities, learning from pioneers in this space, and forming my own opinions about this topic. 

Bottom line. It’s not just a JPEG you can right click and save. From smart contract applications to mortgages, to concert tickets, to getting royalties for supporting your favourite artists, there are countless different ways this tech is going to impact our future society. 

NFTs are like the Printing Press 2.0. 

Here’s what I get into in this episode. 

1:01 - The Printing Press

2:23 - NFTs Explained Like I’m Five

4:01 - Royalties and Music

8:30 - Trading NFTs

10:21 - Companies investing in NFTs

12:59 - Smart Contracts

16:50 - Problems In This Space

Also see: Everything You Need To Know About Crypto in 2022

✩ Connect With Me: ✩

Instagram: @missfindependent

TikTok: @nikafarb

For contact or business inquiries: media@missfindependent.com

Thinking about how you’re going to file taxes this year? If you bought, traded, gifted, or mined crypto this year, it’s going to affect how you file your taxes.  Here are all the things you need to know. 

For this episode I’m joined by Laura Wilson, founder of Wilson Tax Solutions, who has over 10 years of experience doing Canadian personal taxes. She loves educating people on how our tax system works and how to maximize their tax savings. She also loves Disney parks and has a borderline obsession with Frank’s Red Hot Sauce.

The complexity in this episode is on a dial setting. We start off explaining basic tax education and how to prepare yourself if it’s your first time filing taxes and explore some best practices to get a higher tax return. 

Then we turn the dial up, and look at what’s considered a taxable event when it comes to crypto 

Here’s what we dive into:

1:22 - Laura’s Journey

7:18 - How Can I Get a Higher Tax Return

9:07 - Wedding Tax Hack

12:25 - How to Work Abroad

17:24 - What Makes an Investment Realized

19:30 - What’s Considered a Taxable Event with Crypto

27:17 - Staking Cryptocurrencies

28:46 - Crypto Mining Tax Implications

________

Connect with Laura:

Instagram: @wilsontaxsolutions

TikTok: @wilsontaxsolutions

For contact or business inquiries: wilsontaxsolutions@gmail.com

________

✩ SOCIALS: ✩

instagram: @missfindependent

TikTok: @nikafarb

For contact or business inquiries: media@missfindependent.com

Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Having a 9 - 5 “traditional job” is still cool. It helps you qualify for traditional lending, and helps you invest into building other income streams. Relying on earned employment income alone though is not cool. 

There are a lot of benefits of having a stable income. And that’s what a job provides. It gives you the security to know that your financial obligations are going to be met. 

What I want you to rewire, is this idea that your earned income -the money that you make at your job, is the only source of income you can have. 

The idea that earned income will make you financially successful is wrong. It’s just not the case in our day and age. It is really difficult to become a homeowner with just your salary alone. I’m based in Toronto, and our real estate market is crazy, but that’s the case in almost every big city in North America and in a lot of places in Europe too. 

Salaries are not rising with the rate of inflation, home prices are skyrocketing. 

So if you want more out of life you’ve got to do more. It’s just a simple as that. 

And no I’m not romanticizing hustle culture and telling you you gotta work every day, actually what I get into in this episode is actually the opposite of that. 

Here’s a breakdown of what to expect:

0:38 - Common Misconception 

3:47 - Earned vs. Passive Income

4:47 - Profit

7:17 - Affiliate Marketing

10:49 - Capital Gains

11:42 - Dividend Income

15:19 - Rental Income

17:39 - Staking Crypto

18:54 - Private Lending

✩ SOCIALS: ✩

instagram: @missfindependent

TikTok: @nikafarb

For contact or business inquiries: media@missfindependent.com

For the first time ever I bring my fiancé Alex onto the podcast. We’ve been together for almost 10 years, recently got engaged, run 2 businesses together and invest in real estate together. 

On my instagram @missfindependent I had people send in questions for us about how we manage finances and our business together. 

Here’s a breakdown of what we get into:
1:00 - How to Manage Expenses Together
5:10 - Investing Accounts
8:00 - Income Differences and Expenses
12:11 - Having One Goal
14:58 - How to Run a Business with your partner
22:15 - Real estate Finances 

✩ SOCIALS: ✩
instagram: @missfindependent
TikTok: @nikafarb
For contact or business inquiries: media@missfindependent.com

Kalya Trivieri is a Senior Consultant for IBM and works in AI and IoT. She’s privy to the rapid innovations happening in the digital space and noticed a growing interest in NFTs and, on a whim, decided to make her first viral video teaching her followers about what she knew. She has grown a following of over 220K since then and noted that the audience is mostly women who want to learn about NFTs, blockchain, and crypto. 

The idea of addressing her audience as “Hot Girls” breaks down the stereotype that it’s only nerdy men who work in tech. There are so many opportunities for women to step into the field – any girl is a hot girl, and they should feel empowered and welcomed into this space. 

Here’s what we get into. 
3:44 - How to Navigate NFT Communities
10:47 - Future Use Cases of NFTs
16:20 - Web 2.0 vs. Web 3.0
22:54 - Wedding NFTs
34:21 - Kayla’s NFT Projects

✩ SOCIALS: ✩
instagram: @missfindependent
TikTok: @nikafarb
For contact or business inquiries: media@missfindependent.com

Every ETF that tracks an Index is an Index Fund, but not every Index Fund is an ETF. Confused? In this episode I get into the details. 

As my audience grows, so does the range of financial literacy of my listeners. In this episode I bring it back to the basics with my investing series. 

Here's what I get into: 

1:20 - What's an Index?

2:12 - Four Major Indexes

3:41 - Quick Refresher on ETFs

4:07 - Mutual Funds

6:02 - Management Expense Ratios (MERs)

14:41 - Tangerine Mutual Funds

14:38 - Robo Advisors

15:27 - TD E-Series

16:47 - ETFs 

17:45 - Buying American ETFS

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It would mean the world to me if you left me a review on whatever platform you're listening on 

✩ SOCIALS: ✩
instagram: @missfindependent
TikTok: @nikafarb
For contact or business inquiries: media@missfindependent.com

The average lifespan in Canada is 82, and most people retire at the age of 65. That’s at least 17 years of life that we have to think about affording. 

That’s what the Registered Retirement Savings Plan or RRSP exists for. A lot of people don’t know that although it’s called a Retirement Savings Plan, it’s actually best used for investing, (not saving), and can be used for so much more than just retiring. 

This episode starts with the basics, and then goes more in depth to look at 2 ways of non-traditionally using an RRSP.

Here’s what I get into:

2:36 - What is an RRSP?

4:10 - Relying on a Canadian Pension

7:17 - Benefits of Contributing to an RRSP

10:25 - Contribution Limits

11:04 - What you Can Hold in your RRSP
11:42 - What Can’t You Hold?

13:10 - RRSP Loan Strategy

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It would mean the world to me if you left me a review on whatever platform you're listening on

✩ CONNECT WITH ME: ✩
instagram: @missfindependent
TikTok: @nikafarb
For contact or business inquiries: media@missfindependent.com

Gina Judge is a licensed residential mortgage broker, financial consultant and award winning millennial money coach.

She’s a host of The Millennial Money Guide, and teaches her audience how to invest, build credit, manage student loans, obtain a mortgage, and become debt free all while living a more fulfilled life. With 5 years of experience in the finance industry, Gina’s helped thousands of Canadians improve their financial well-being. In 2019, she was nominated for WXN’s Emerging Leader Award, an award that recognizes 100 of the Most Powerful Women in Canada. 

Here's what we get into: 

3:13 - Common Misconceptions about Mortgages

5:55 - What is a Mortgage

9:50 - HELOCs

11:50 - Interest Rates

23:03 - Why Work with a Mortgage Broker

27:16 - Should You Buy Property with a Friend?

31:15 - Should I Pay Off My Mortgage Early

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It would mean the world to me if you left me a review on whatever platform you're listening on.

✩ CONNECT WITH GINA: ✩
Instagram: @iamginajudge
Podcast: The Millennial Money Guide Podcast

✩ CONNECT WITH ME: ✩
instagram: @missfindependent
TikTok: @nikafarb
For contact or business inquiries: media@missfindependent.com

Welcome back to a new season of Miss Findependent. We're doing things bigger and better than ever this season. New guests, new content, and lots of opportunities to learn how to grow your money.

In this episode I sit down with Mike Sieben, a 7-figure Amazon FBA Wholesale Seller. He’s also the founder of Elite Wholesale, an education program with ongoing support for new Amazon wholesale sellers. 

Here’s what we get into: 

1:17 - Getting into Amazon FBA

2:05 - What is Wholesale Selling?

5:58 - Elite Wholesale

10:57 - The Future of Amazon

✩ CONNECT WITH MIKE: ✩

Instagram: @mmsieben

Youtube: TheMikeSieben

Learn more about Elite Wholesale

✩ CONNECT WITH ME: ✩

Instagram: @missfindependent

TikTok: @nikafarb

Learn more at missfindependent.com

For contact or business inquiries: media@missfindependent.com

I cannot believe this is my 50th episode, but there’s no better guest that I’d rather have to celebrate this milestone. 

In this episode I bring on my good friend V. 

Vahid, who I often call V, is not just the mysterious figure wearing a Guy Fawkes mask you probably recognize. He’s a top performing sales professional who’s built his career from the ground up, starting as a BDR (Business Development Rep), to now being a multi-six figure earning Senior Account Executive. 

Vahid and I are great friends and we actually met in my condo elevator almost 5 years ago. He referred me to my first sales job, and has drastically changed the trajectory of my life. In this episode we talk about how tech sales has the ability to open countless doors and set someone up for success. 

Here’s more of what we get into: 

4:15 - What’s a BDR?

9:00 - How to Break into Tech Sales

16:30 - Pros and Cons of working in Sales

28:26 - The Worst Sales Call

31:34 - How Sales Opens Doors

Hope you enjoy this one.

✩ CONNECT WITH ME: ✩

Instagram: @missfindependent

TikTok: @nikafarb

Learn more at missfindependent.com

For contact or business inquiries: media@missfindependent.com

On this episode of the podcast we are joined by a special guest, Michele Molino the Founder of Female CoFounder. 

Michele is a badass female entrepreneur, and also a Product Manager at Vmware Pivotal Labs. She's previously worked on brands like Virgin Mobile, CraveTV, Bell and Lucky Mobile. Michele is a proud Schulich alumna who graduated with Honours and Distinction specializing in Entrepreneurship, Marketing and Finance. Now she’s creating an opportunity to uplift women who are excited about building the future of tech.

For every 20 start-up founders in the technology sector, less than 3 are women. We’re working with everyone in the tech community to change that. Female CoFounder is a community where you build diverse teams for side-projects and startups. 

Join the community at www.femalecofounder.com 

- 
If you've ever thought about starting a side hustle, building a business or venturing into entrepreneurship, this is the conversation for you. 

Michele shares her story about how Female CoFounder was built, some of the challenges and setbacks she's gone through and her learnings along the way. 

Nika's been a community member of FemaleCoFounder since their early days, and led their first Lightning Talks on Risk and Resilence in entrepreneurship, and how to build up your risk tolerance. 

Michele talks about the community she's building and how important it is to have the right people by your side when you're creating something special. 

With Michele we unpack what are some common fears that hold women back from starting businesses. We talk about how to get out of your own head and how to persevere. 

The S&P 500 is down 13% YTD. The yield curve inverted on April 1st 2022. Interest rates are rising. The markets and the news are all “doom and gloom” but how are you as an investor really going to be affected?

In this episode I break down how to ‘recession proof’ your finances, and actionable ways to take care of your investments, savings and income during this time.

Here’s what I get into: 

1:33 - How inflation is affecting prices

4:18 - State of the job market

7:02 - Interest rates & the Fed

9:24 - WTF is the Yield Curve

11:07 - Taking a snapshot of your finances

13:43 - Dealing with market volatility

15:24 - Career opportunities and levelling up your skill set

16:04 - Good debt vs. bad debt 

18:48 - Boosting your credit score

20:21 - Importance of saving

22:40 - Recession proofing your investments

Hope you enjoy this one.

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✩ CONNECT WITH ME: ✩

Instagram: @missfindependent

TikTok: @nikafarb

Learn more at missfindependent.com

For contact or business inquiries: media@missfindependent.com

Taking risks is hard. Especially for women because we are biologically programmed to have less testosterone, and that affects the way we respond to stressful situations. 

Studies show that the propensity for risk taking decreases for women, when we encounter stress, but actually increases for men. Even though we’re programmed this way, it doesn’t mean we can’t reprogram our mind to actually take more calculated risks. 

In this episode I provide actionable tips for how you can learn to take risks and manage uncertainty. I also explain how to take risks to exit a business or situation that isn’t serving you and how you know when the right time to quit is. 

Winners quit all the time… they just quit at the right things. 

Here’s more of what I get into: 

2:57 - Find Your Why

5:00 -  Start Small

9:57 - Know Your Business (or the situation) In and Out

15:33 - Fear Setting

19:16 - The Dip

22:51 - The Cul-De-Sac

24:09 - The Cliff

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✩ CONNECT WITH ME: ✩

Instagram: @missfindependent

TikTok: @nikafarb

Learn more at missfindependent.com

For contact or business inquiries: media@missfindependent.com

Short term rentals & Airbnb arbitrage has been all the craze. In this episode I chat with Sarah Glidewell and Emily Karnaz - The KarWells and we get into how lucrative this space really is, and actionable tips for how to get in the Airbnb game. 

Here’s what we get into: 

1:49 - The KarWells

3:39 - Dealing With Conflict

6:19 - B.C. (Before Covid)

11:11 - Vetting Guests & Investments

16:24 - Airbnb Arbitrage

20:15 - Designing an Airbnb

23:47 - Tips For Building Your Airbnb

Stay Tuned! 

SuperHost Labs - Part 2 Coming Soon

Learn more: Short Term Rentals 101

✩ CONNECT WITH SARAH & EMILY: ✩ 

The Karwells on TikTok

The Karwells on IG

✩ CONNECT WITH ME: ✩

Instagram: @missfindependent

TikTok: @nikafarb

Learn more at missfindependent.com

For contact or business inquiries: media@missfindependent.com

Robots are everywhere. They clean your house, they can drive you to work. They can even make investment decisions for you. Not literal humanoid robots like the ones Elon Musk said are going to be featured in every home, but AI versions that can make automated investment decisions based on your risk profile and preferences. 

In this episode I break down what robo-advisors are, how they came to be, and how they work. I break down the benefits of using one vs. making investment decisions yourself and compare the top 4 robo-advisors in Canada. 

Here’s what I get into: 

3:25 - Where did Robo-Advisors come from?

5:50 - How Robo-Advisors work

8:45 - Why use a Robo-Advisor

11:20 - What do Robo-Advisors invest in?

14:15 - Benefits of using a robo-advisor

25:20 - Comparing robo-advisors in Canada

✩ CONNECT WITH ME: ✩

Instagram: @missfindependent

TikTok: @nikafarb

Learn more at missfindependent.com

For contact or business inquiries: media@missfindependent.com