Tom Lydon retweeted
Last week, I joined @TomLydon on his Bangers Only Podcast to discuss flying cars - eVTOLs!
I had a blast talking with Tom about Joby's demonstration flight in NYC, China's offerings, huddles yet to be cleared, and why we really need eVTOL technology.
I'm incredibly grateful to Tom for creating the opportunity for me to speak. And I'd suggest you tune in the next time you find yourself in need of intellectual stimulation.
Full episode in the tweet below
🤖 Made with AI
Most people still think of flying cars as Saturday morning cartoon stuff.
@be_rosebee doesn't.
Riley writes Godspeed, a newsletter covering the Aerial Economy from a financial markets lens. He works with @JC_ParetsX and the team at @StockMktTV, and he's quietly become one of the sharpest voices on what's happening above our heads.
On the latest Bangers Only, I sat down with Riley to ask the question I've been chewing on since I was a kid watching The Jetsons: When do I actually get to fly to my golf trip?
Sooner than I thought.
The week we recorded, Joby Aviation operated demonstration flights between Midtown Manhattan and JFK.
The technical name is eVTOL - electric vertical takeoff and landing. Think electric helicopter, but with six to eight propellers instead of one. More redundancy, more safety, all-electric.
Blade has run helicopter shuttles between Manhattan and JFK for years. $250 a head, ten minutes door to door. The demand's been proven. eVTOLs are the next iteration - quieter, cheaper, electric.
But the bigger unlock is geography. There are roughly 500 general aviation airports already in place across the U.S. Phoenix to Sedona - currently a two-and-a-half-hour drive - becomes a 30-minute flight. The infrastructure is mostly there. We just need to electrify it.
Three hurdles in the way.
FAA certification. Aviation can't move fast and break things. The leading players are in the final stages, with Manhattan air taxi service likely to be live by Summer 2027.
Manufacturing. We're nowhere near mass production. As Riley put it, we need "a Henry Ford type guy for flying cars."
Energy. These run on batteries, so every landing pad needs charging stations. That buildout is in its infancy.
Five companies lead the field: @jobyaviation, @flyarcher, @BETA_aircraft (just went public this year), Eve (an Embraer spin-off out of Brazil), and @WiskAero (owned by Boeing). Joby and Archer are the names to know.
Then there's China. @XPENG_Global has a two-seater eVTOL that docks on the back of a truck. @ehang is already running fully autonomous commercial sightseeing flights, with no pilot in the aircraft.
Riley's framework: watch three regulators. The FAA, China, and Dubai. Everyone else follows one of the three.
I asked Riley what worries him most. The answer wasn't regulatory or technical.
"The biggest thing that could hold us back is just a lack of creativity and belief in what's possible."
He pointed at Where's My Flying Car?, the book about how aviation innovation stalled in the mid-70s and never quite caught up. The hardware is finally arriving. The question is whether we still know how to dream big.
The Jetsons were set in the year 2000. We're 26 years late. But we're not far off!
Go give it a listen.
Tom Lydon retweeted
Thanks @TomLydon for the convo. Tom was one of the first people I talked to in the industry. Fun to have this convo now, as we are reaching a new milestone.
And thanks @be_rosebee for the producing and editing!
Pod link on @TomLydon and @be_rosebee tl's rn.
What if emerging markets were less risky than you thought?
@Perth_Tolle's case: when you remove the autocracies from your EM exposure, you remove the biggest source of surprise losses - the companies forced into nonprofits overnight, the IPOs that vanish, the founders who disappear.
The alpha came later. The risk management came first.
Listen to the full Bangers Only Podcast below 👇
Why Freedom Is The New Emerging Markets Alpha, Bangers Only with Perth Tolle
The ETF founders who actually change how we invest in an asset class are rare.
@Perth_Tolle is in that rare company.
Seven years ago, she challenged the entire premise of emerging markets investing. Today, FRDM manages $3 billion, and her conviction has paid off.
On the latest Bangers Only, I sat down with Perth, founder of Life + Liberty Indexes and creator of the Freedom 100 Emerging Markets ETF (FRDM). We've known each other since she was getting started, and it's a real joy to watch what she's built come into its moment.
A Different Question
Most EM ETFs are weighted by market cap, which means the biggest autocracies get the biggest weights. At the COVID peak, China alone was 41% of the MSCI EM Index, the same country with the weakest property rights and the most capricious regulators owning the most of your emerging markets portfolio.
Perth asked a different question. What if we weighted by freedom instead?
FRDM uses the Cato/Fraser Human Freedom Index - 87 variables spanning civil, political, and economic freedoms. Rule of law. Property rights. Judicial independence. Soundness of monetary policy. The composite score drives the weighting. No China. No Russia. Heavy Taiwan, South Korea, Chile, and Poland.
The Origin Story
The aha moment came long before Perth knew what an ETF was. At 22, she was living in Hong Kong and had a friend in Shanghai who didn't exist on paper; the one-child policy meant her parents had registered only her brother.
"That could have been me. These policies matter for the future of a country, a society, and the market."
Ten years as a Fidelity advisor later, a Russian client in Houston told her he wouldn't invest in Russia. This was 2014, eight years before the war. No product existed. So she built one.
The Performance Story
The last 5 years tell the story:
FRDM: +105% (15.09% CAGR)
EEM: +30% (5.25% CAGR)
Russia went to zero for cap-weighted funds after the invasion. FRDM had none. Meanwhile the freer countries captured every major growth story of the decade, AI through Samsung and SK Hynix, semiconductors through TSMC, Poland's 2023 democratic reset, Chile's institutions holding firm.
Hungary: The Latest Case Study
The timeliest piece of the conversation? Hungary. Orbán out after 16 years. Freedom score 7.37, above the EM average of 6.2. The peaceful transition unlocked $9 billion in EU aid.
"For 16 years autocracy was winning and creeping in. Now they've overturned it, and the ripple effects of freedom are going to be bigger than the ripple effects of autocracy. It swallowed it whole."
That's the Poland playbook repeating. And it's why this framework is only getting more relevant.
Emerging markets investing isn't just about growth anymore.
It's about who you trust with your capital.
So proud of what Perth has built. Give it a listen!
One of the best conversations I’ve had recently was with my neighbor and friend John Bishop on the Bangers Only Podcast.
John and his wife Barbara did something simple, but powerful.
Instead of just leaving money to the next generation…
They decided to help them with the cost of their college education.
Back in 2005, they created a family program that:
- Helps younger relatives pursue education
- Builds financial confidence
- Creates accountability
- Shows that things thought unobtainable are really within your grasp
Five years ago, they added something even better:
A family financial education program where the next generation learns how to assess what you have, build on what you have, and motivate them to invest in the future.
And John told me something that stuck with me:
“Don’t just give money. Give understanding.”
The results?
Some become investors.
Some become savers.
All are more confident about money.
If you’re thinking about how to help the next generation, this conversation might give you a few ideas.
This Week on the Bangers Podcast: Happy New Year to ETF Investors!
We kicked off 2026 with a timely conversation that ETF investors should pay attention to.
In the latest episode of Bangers Only, I sat down with Mike Akins of @etfAction to break down what ETF flows, asset trends, and market structure are telling us as we move into the year ahead.
Here’s what we cover:
- Will ETF AUM catch mutual funds?
The structural advantages that continue to push assets toward ETFs — and how close we are to a crossover moment.
- What are the inflows telling us?
Where capital has been moving, and what those allocations reveal about investor positioning.
- International and gold outperformance
Why non-U.S. equities and gold ETFs have shown relative strength, and what that may signal going forward.
- What happens to cash in money markets?
With trillions still parked on the sidelines, we discuss where that money could rotate next.
- Synthetic income
A growing area of innovation in ETFs, and what investors should understand about these strategies.
- Themes to watch in 2026
The key ideas, sectors, and market dynamics likely to shape the year ahead.
Markets talk through flows.
This episode breaks down where money is going, what it’s avoiding, and why that matters for ETF investors heading into 2026.
Tune in today!
This Week on the Bangers Podcast: Christmas, Chaos & Family Traditions
My guest this week is my niece, Caitlin Noyce, and we’re talking about something just as important as markets, ETFs, and macro trends: family, traditions, and how Christmas really works.
We walk through our actual Christmas Week itinerary, a finely tuned mix of:
- Secret Santa negotiations
- Matching pajamas (non-negotiable)
- Board games that strain family alliances
- Cookie baking, Chinese food, talent shows, karaoke, and Christmas cocktails
- Wassail on the stove, football on the TV, and just enough structure to keep the wheels on
There’s Mass, caroling, lobster rolls, prime rib, gingerbread-house rivalries, and a Year-in-Review that somehow always turns emotional—usually right after dessert.
It’s loud.
It’s cozy.
It’s ridiculous.
And it’s exactly how Christmas should feel.
If you love family traditions, holiday nostalgia, and stories with zero spreadsheets, this one’s for you!
Wishing everyone a holiday season filled with warmth, laughter, and at least one board-game argument you’ll laugh about next year.
It's not what you make, but what you keep!
Catch year-end tax tips on the latest episode of Bangers Only with @TaxAlphaInsider founder, Brent Sullivan.
📺 "How to Keep More of Your Investment Gains"
Most people hear “tax efficiency” and immediately think: nap time. Not today!
This week on Bangers Only, I sit down with Brent Sullivan — founder of @TaxAlphaInsider, taxable-investing specialist, and the only person alive who can make “in-kind redemptions” sound like premium entertainment.
We dig into:
- ETFs vs. Mutual Funds… and why ETFs keep winning
- 351 Conversions
- Options overlay strategies
- Tax-loss harvesting, return of capital, and other phrases guaranteed to impress at holiday parties
If you’re an advisor, investor, or someone who just wants to keep more of what they earn, this episode is for you!