The Unconstrained Podcast
2,427 episodes - English - Latest episode: 6 days ago - ★★★★★ - 118 ratingsJoin us on the journey towards financial independence and being unconstrained. Your host, Myles Wakeham, explores the art of financial sustainability and individual sovereignty resulting in a debt free lifestyle. If you want to be challenged by a contrarian, think outside the box and go against the grain, this show is for you. Myles has spent his life doing the polar opposite of the "social mantra" in multiple countries and this has resulted in extraordinary results. Open your mind to thinking different, and getting MUCH better results for your finance, freedom and family.
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Episodes
EP240 - I'm done
April 21, 2024 07:00 - 53 minutes - 72.8 MBAfter 5 years of doing this podcast, and other podcasts for my patrons, I’ve decided to stop doing it, and will be stopping on episode 250. Why? Well take a listen and I’ll explain it all.
EP239 - The current state of AI
April 14, 2024 07:00 - 48 minutes - 67 MBThis episode attempts to give a state of the union in regards to AI, where we are, where we are going and the social and freedom impacts of this massive change we are all going to be faced with in the short term.
EP238 - Civil War
April 07, 2024 07:00 - 1 hour - 95.9 MBIn 2024, at the recent SXSW convention in Austin, Texas, a movie was premiered that will be airing in April, called ‘Civil War’ by Alex Garland. There’s been a lot of post-apocalyptic movies and TV series released over the past decade, but this one seems to have touched a nerve with the American people. I want to talk about why in this episode.
EP237 - The consolidation
March 31, 2024 07:08 - 1 hour - 111 MBOver the past 10 or so years, I’ve been noticing the divide between rich & poor is changing. After the 2008 GFC, the “Occupy Wall Street” movement protested against the 1% owners of the world, at the expense of the 99%, but alas – this didn’t change a thing. In fact it seems to have emboldened the uber rich, and the mission as just accelerated to consolida3on of power & wealth with a handful of players, at the expense of the rest of the world.
EP236 - How a Mexican built her real estate portfolio from nothing
March 24, 2024 07:00 - 44 minutes - 60.8 MBMy wife & I were at a friend’s place in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico a few weeks back, and we were chaJng with a local Mexican lady who has built up a small fortune in real estate. When I asked her how she did it, it was a massive contrast to western methods and yet seemed enNrely logical. Growing up poor with no money, how she did it is amazing and her story brings hope for all of us.
EP235 - BRICS+
March 17, 2024 07:00 - 51 minutes - 70.4 MBWhile you are sleeping, there’s a risk to your enIre wealth and you probably never saw it looming. Your media never talked about it, most of those that are at least aware of it dismissed it as silliness or some conspiracy theory. But the risk has grown exponenIally in the past 12 months and now I think we are at Defcon levels of risk on this, and we should be openly talking about BRICS+
EP234 - The generational differences in attitude to retiring early
March 10, 2024 07:00 - 58 minutes - 80.1 MBAge brings wisdom. Age also loses flexibility in so many ways. Things don’t stand still and one must adjust to the universe because it won’t adjust to you. Having said that, I think that the attitudes to those seeking early retirement vs. those that are retiring because of end of career is very different and they don’t see eye to eye. Let’s talk about that in this episode.
EP233 - Handwriting and why it matters
March 03, 2024 07:00 - 55 minutes - 76.7 MBOn a recent news story in Arizona, I was amused to see two news anchors (one an older gentleman and one younger lady) talking about a new AI infused technology that created handwriting of a person by using a robot. Their reactions to this tell a generational story about social life & expectations in the USA, and so I wanted to expand upon this in this episode.
EP232 - Ozempic
February 25, 2024 07:00 - 1 hour - 94 MBThe advancement in technology brings a lot of fear, uncertainty & doubt to us. And recently one such invention appears to be doing this – GLP-1 inhibitors, used for diabetes but discovered to have massive impact on weight. The most common name you will hear is ‘Ozempic’. On this episode, I’m going to delve into this both from a medical & financial angle, and yes…. I’ve been taking Ozempic now for the past 2 months, so I’ll tell you my story with it as well.
EP231 - A theory on how you clear $34 Trillion of national debt
February 18, 2024 07:00 - 51 minutes - 71.4 MBOn January 3rd, the US Federal short term debt showed up at $34 Trillion dollars. This doesn’t take into consideration of the long term liabilities on the balance sheet of country that go to the promised social security & Medicare payments for seniors. That would add another $80 Trillion to the tally. But this simply is the accumulation of decades of losses on the profit & loss statement of the country. In this episode, I’m going to float a theory on how the USA will clear this debt quic...
EP230 - Let's get real about the lies of retirement funds
February 11, 2024 07:00 - 39 minutes - 53.8 MBIn this off script episode, I get real about the lies they tell you about 401Ks, IRAs, Superannuation funds, etc. I explain what they promised and what was delivered and why it is far from optimal for retirement vs. residential rental real estate properties.
EP229 -Always choose Open Source
February 04, 2024 07:00 - 1 hour - 91.9 MBThis is a little tale about the dangers of proprietary technology and, when I broke my own rules, it came back to bite me big time. Let this be a warning to you all – your first option should always be to find an open source version of anything you need.
EP228 - The cheapest way to travel to Mexico
January 28, 2024 07:00 - 52 minutes - 72.1 MBI’ve made about 16 flights between the USA & Mexico in the past 12 months, and I’ve learned where the deals are, even if you are not using frequent flyer miles. On this episode, I’ll let you know what I found and where you can look to find super cheap deals.
EP227 - Living a Simple Life in a structured world
January 21, 2024 07:00 - 1 hour - 108 MBThis episode is a reset moment. Maybe one that is sorely needed. Our attention is all over the place these days, and yet we forget the simplest things that leads to true peace. As an embracement of the principles of a Simple Life, I give you something to think about – how you can survive in our journey through life, and to realize the wrong path that most of us are on.
EP226 - Why are students not coming to the USA to study?
January 14, 2024 07:02 - 54 minutes - 75.5 MBA good friend of mine who works in the community college world in Arizona sent me an article that he found on why international students won’t come to the USA to study. I spent the next 30 minutes or so explaining the entire reasons, and I thought you might be interested in the whole story. Here we go…
EP225 - How early retirees are penalized in society (Part 2 of 2)
January 07, 2024 07:00 - 1 hour - 84.6 MBThe episode continues from 224. More of the things you need to consider as part of an early retirement strategy.
EP224 - How early retirees are penalized in society (Part 1 of 2)
December 31, 2023 07:05 - 44 minutes - 61.7 MBEveryone who slaves over a 50 hour a week job, sacrificing time from the family, the stress of meeting other people’s expectations, living paycheck to paycheck, dreams of exiting the rat race. The hope of early retirement drives them to save more, work harder now, and one day they can tell their boss, “Take this job & shove it”. But few understand the reality of what it looks & feels like after that event, and how it is easy to become a non-person in early retirement.
EP223 - Know thy value, Bob Cratchit!
December 24, 2023 07:09 - 53 minutes - 73.3 MBI am recording this episode at the end of the calendar year of 2023. It is at these times, when workers often get some break for the holidays, that their employers will praise them for their annual contribution – and often with some paltry “Christmas bonus” that typically is best portrayed in Charles Dickens “The Christmas Carol” with Ebeneezer Scrooge not rewarding Bob Cratchit with some hopeful bonus for a year of toil. And yet if only Bob Cratchit recognized his contribution and talents, ...
EP222 - Oh NO! They closed the US border!
December 17, 2023 07:04 - 59 minutes - 82 MBRecently the state of Arizona had one of its border checkpoints in Lukeville closed by the US Federal Government. This was in response to an unexpected surge of inbound travelers and asylum seekers coming into the USA. The immigration challenges that we hear about on the Nightly news are far from the real story here, so I wanted to delve into the real story of what is going on and how it affects those of us attempting to be unconstrained.
EP221 - The economics of art
December 10, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 105 MBAs many of you know, I had a career in the early 90s as a recording engineer in Hollywood. I left that to make money to feed my family, as I didn’t want to put them through the ‘hit & miss’ nature of that industry. After 25 years back in the tech space, I didn’t agree with where it was going, and in my mid 50s left it to return to my recording work. The result was the building of a massive private recording studio in central Mexico. I wanted to talk through the business case for this and...
EP220 - Where the AI danger really lies
December 03, 2023 07:00 - 42 minutes - 58.3 MBI’ve recorded a number of episodes on the perils of AI a few months back. As we march towards this innevitable chapter of our evolution, I realize that most of my issues with it is not because the technology is bad. It is the very limited few that will wield it like a weapon against us. So in what I think will be a thought provoking episode, I’m going to look int to the humans behind all of this and dig deeper as to what we have allowed our species to become.
EP219 - The most wonderful time of the year?
November 26, 2023 18:23 - 59 minutes - 81.3 MBThe song ‘It’s the most wonderful time of the year’ might hold up well for a warm feeling as the temperatures drop, but it was co-opted by the retail industry in a way to control the mind of the masses into mass consumption. Retailers make more money in this season than at anytime in the year, and the constrained are enslaved in debt from being guilted into buying stuff for other people. Let’s go through a few tricks you can use to survive this period without having to be Uncle Scrooge to ge...
EP218 - How much do you really need to retire? (Part 2)
November 13, 2023 01:29 - 1 hour - 86.6 MBThe second half of the answer to the question "How much do you really need to retire?" after my shock of hearing the personal financial industry stating $4 million. As someone who has been living financially free for quite some time, I can tell you that this is a total lie and I'll explain the truth of what really is required.
EP217 - How much do you really need to retire? (Part 1)
October 29, 2023 07:00 - 46 minutes - 63.8 MBI came across this study on Seeking Alpha recently. It found that younger millennials — those around age 30 — would likely need at least $3.6 million saved up to enjoy a comfortable retirement. To be on the safe side, it might be wise to round that up to an even $4 million. This assumes that you want to retire no later than age 62 and have not yet saved anything except emergency cash. How the hell can anyone do that? Well in this episode, I’ll prove why this traditional mindset is just p...
EP216 - The US constrained healthcare system
October 22, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 93.8 MBI’ve had a lot of first hand experience in the USA at trying to get to simply see a doctor, and I’ve never seen it this bad before. When I hear recent news that the billionaires are inserting themselves into the tech AI space for healthcare research, and all these unicorn & rainbow stories we hear about how AI will change the game for healthcare research and curing viruses, it seems so disengenuous when the average US person can’t get to see a doctor in a timely basis, or even afford to. ...
EP215 - Government
October 15, 2023 07:00 - 55 minutes - 76.6 MBI have tried to avoid any topic on politics because it just divides people. This episode has little to do with politics, however. But I would like to have an open, honest and frank discussion about government – particularly the US government, what I thought it was, what I discovered it was, and where I see this whole thing going.
EP214 - How I make 9.5% interest on an at-call bank account
October 08, 2023 07:00 - 59 minutes - 81.4 MBThis is a discovery that I came across while hanging out with other expats here in Mexico where I am as I record this. But few people in the USA or other western countries seem to understand this opportunity. So let’s talk about it.
EP213 - Building our dream home in Mexico (Part 2 of 2)
October 01, 2023 07:09 - 1 hour - 91.1 MBThis is the 2nd episode in an update on what it's like to build a dream home in Mexico and my experiences so far.
EP212 - Building our dream home in Mexico (Part 1 of 2)
September 24, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 87.2 MBIf you have been listening to me for any length of time, you know that I’m currently developing a large property in central Mexico. Well in this episode I’ll do an update on where I’m at, what I’ve learned so far in the process and the trials & tribulations of doing what most people would fear to do, but to keep an eye on the epic results you can achieve if you are careful.
EP211 - Dividend stocks for fun and profit
September 17, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 83.1 MBAfter selling our rental real estate, we were left with few forms of smart income. I began searching for alternatives. I realized that for the next few years, much of my time would be spent outside of the USA, so I needed something that didn’t require me to be physically present to manage them, but paid me a tidy sum each month. This led me to dividend stocks, and so far I am very happy with the results.
EP210 - The Global Citizen
September 10, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 85.4 MBIn 2008, at the height of the global financial crisis in the US, I was heavily exposed to real estate debt due to some deals that had been done in the prior year, and ran the risk of being entirely wiped out. If it wasn’t for having assets in another country and sold them to fund the underwater position I found myself in, I would never have survived it. In this episode, I want to fast forward to 2023 and explain why you MUST have an international diversification strategy for your assets if y...
EP209 - The housing problem
September 03, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 94.1 MBCentral planners are at it again. The fear of a ‘housing crisis’ has empowered government to create government housing by proxy. By using building regulations as a weapon, AZ government has created a trajectory towards 1970s style ghetto housing reminiscent of the low income apartments of Brooklyn. This model seems to be a reflection of the California model, which didn’t work either. Is this what we want in America and how is this happening?
EP208 - Handling the upcoming stress of 2024
August 27, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 116 MBIt is now the third quarter of 2023, and already the media are gearing up to distract you, extort your attention and pumble your brain with more FUD, and anxiety than ever before. This is all in the lead up to the US 2024 Presidential Election. Regardless of the barrage of lies and distorted facts you will be subjected to, in this episode I want to give you a set of tricks you can use to hack the media and keep your sanity through these trying times.
EP207 - This is why we are all broke
August 20, 2023 07:00 - 55 minutes - 76.5 MBYou work hard, you earn money, but you are broke. Why? In this episode I’m going to put out there a theory in the western world why people are broke, and it isn’t the reasons the media and society will tell you. It is not rampant inflation. It is not that you are not paid enough. It is actually far simpler – it is about the decisions you make, and the fight to control your mind.
EP206 - AI & Capitalism
August 13, 2023 07:02 - 45 minutes - 62.5 MBWhat happens with capitalism when AI takes over the economy? I’ve been giving this some thought, but to be honest I don’t have a conclusion yet. I cannot see an upside to this, and despite all the WOW factor that AI seems to have in the social construct, I don’t think anyone has really thought through the impact on capitalism & economics yet. Let’s give it a shot in this episode…
EP205 - The elephant in the room
August 06, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 83.8 MBI just was reading the recent paper produced by the WEF entitled ‘Pathways to the regulation of crypto-assets – a Global Approach’ and it is frightening. Those that frequent Davos each year seem are throwing more and more resources in crafting a future for all of us, and it is a future that no-one other than the ruling elite would want.
EP204 - My current investment radar (Part 3)
July 30, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 89.9 MBIn this third and last part of my series on what's on my investment radar, we are going to talk about energy and what I’m doing in terms of investment strategy regarding it for the next 3, 5 and 10 years.
EP203 - My current investment radar (Part 2)
July 23, 2023 07:02 - 1 hour - 109 MBIn this 2nd part of a 3 part series, I'm unveiling my investment strategy regarding AI. No, not my philosophical position, but my investing position. Yes, there is a difference. Enjoy.
EP202 - My current investment radar (Part 1)
July 16, 2023 07:00 - 54 minutes - 74.4 MBIf you are looking for financial advice, that’s not what I do. But I do share with people what I’m doing from a holistic position on my own investments, and this episode will cover some major strategic shifts I’m doing in light of new technologies and changing macro dynamics. So settle back and relax and I’ll share what I’m looking down the barrel at.
EP201 - Winning the war against distractions
July 09, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 85.3 MBI was having lunch with my accountant and the subject of how different life felt outside the USA than within came up. I told him that after I had returned from a few weeks in Mexico, I found that I wasn’t getting anywhere near as much productive work done in the USA. And the one reason – distractions.
EP200 - A tribute to Gary Collins
July 02, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 104 MBThe temptation when a podcast gets to 200 episodes is to celebrate how we got this far. But when I did that, I realized that my success with this podcast came because of those who came before me, had faith in my work and befriended me. Gary Collins was one such person, and with his passing last year, I was shocked to see how his work was being lost to Internet fade. So in this episode, I'm joined by my friend Remso Martinez, who also was a good friend of Gary, and we look back at the mess...
EP199 - The definition of value
June 25, 2023 07:41 - 1 hour - 88.7 MBI was recently interviewed on another podcast in which the subject of why they thought Bitcoin was a poor store of value. I argued that Bitcoin is a perfect store of value – the question really comes down to what you are actually valuing it in. Where most of us choose our local currency as the basis of value and our wealth, I’m here to tell you that this is why most of society is dead broke. Let’s discuss.
EP198 - Make money renting out your home for film shoots
June 18, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 83.1 MBOnce in a while, you bump into someone that is doing something unusual and creative and seems to understand the concept of Smart Income, as we teach it. Today I’m going to introduce you to one such person - Josh Lawlor, founder of The Film Shoot Rental Roadmap, and he’s going to explain how you can make big bucks by renting out access to your home or other real estate for film and video shoots.
EP197 - FedNow
June 11, 2023 07:11 - 1 hour - 91.2 MBWhile your attention was being distracted towards the war in Ukraine, Debt ceiling negotiations, and even inflationary challenges, the central planners have been at work crafting the ultimate set of handcuffs the world has ever seen – FedNow. And in July 2023, this weaponized freedom grabber will go into full effect. In this episode, we will look at this new tool, how it works and why you should run away from it.
EP196 - The government does NOT have your back
June 04, 2023 07:12 - 1 hour - 110 MBSometimes I get people asking me, “Myles, why is it that you left Australia where the government provide free healthcare, education, and a social security for the US where you have to work for it all, pay 12x more? And then you take that to the next level and are building in Mexico where the government provide almost nothing?”. There’s a simple answer to this. If you live on the principle that you will be 100% responsible for you and your family, then you can choose where and how you want to...
EP195 - Are you leaving money on the table? (Part 2 of 2)
May 28, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 99.2 MBIn this episode, I continue on the previous summation of income lost and costs overspent for those that are literally ‘Leaving money on the table’. This is the 2nd of a 2 part series, and this one has a ton of things you should be considering in order to fight inflation and live an unconstrained life
EP194 - Are you leaving money on the table? (Part 1 of 2)
May 21, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 116 MBThings are tough out there, and family budgets are tight. Yet so many people are missing out on income and over paying on expenses. In this episode, I want to do a quick audit of personal finances and show some shocking discoveries of lost money that could have been reclaimed. Let’s see if this information helps you get through the tough money times.
EP193 - The rise of the AI surveillance state
May 14, 2023 07:09 - 44 minutes - 61.3 MBThe rapid advancement of AI will create opportunities for early adopters. Even by the time you listen to this podcast, those opportunities have probably already been acquired, since only those with enormous capital reserves can afford the data centers to own the robots. But what will be left will be a perfectly laid out design document of totalitarian control from the George Orwell playbook. In this episode, I’m going to talk about my fears of the AI empowered future and how governments may ...
EP192 - Free university degrees for out of the box thinkers
May 07, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 84.9 MBLet’s face it – the world needs more creative and out of the box thinkers. These ‘disruptors’ change the future – look at people like Elon Musk as an example. Despite Elon’s businesses and residence being in the USA, Elon is not from here, yet he has a cult like following in the USA. The reality is that we immigrants see the world as a huge playground rather than limiting ourselves to one country. So why is it that so many parents (and students) limit their education to only one country? In ...
EP191 - Retired early with $3 million, back to work 10 years later
April 30, 2023 07:00 - 48 minutes - 66.2 MBIn this episode, we review the results of one of the early pioneers of the FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) movement, and his journey from early retirement at the age of 34 in 2012 through to back to work to put his kids through college 10 years later. This is from an article in Fortune Magazine.