Reasonably Happy with Paul Ollinger (Video Edition)
Episodes
Does More $ = More Happy? with Sir Angus Deaton - ENCORE EPISODE
29 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
(Originally posted September, 2019...but so worth another listen) Princeton economist and Nobel laureate, Sir Angus Deaton co-authored a famous study...
How to Change with Katy Milkman - Ep 112
22 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Katy Milkman is the James G. Dinan Professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, host of Charles Schwab’s popular behavioral ec...
Living Rich v. Dying Rich with Joe Duran of Goldman Sachs - Ep 111
15 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Joe Duran grew up poor, in a one-room house in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) during violent and tumultuous times. Today, Joe is Head of Goldman Sachs Person...
Aging Well with Dr. Laura Carstensen - Ep 110
08 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Human life expectancy increased more in the 20th Century than it did in all prior years of human existence combined! This has meaningful impact on ho...
Hey everyone, this is just a quick update from Paul to talk about how summer travel will affect the production schedule for Crazy Money.
02 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Wealth and Existential Despair with Melissa Bernstein - Ep 109
25 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Melissa Bernstein has great wealth, a wonderful husband, and six healthy children. She has also endured a lifetime of “existential anxiety and dep...
Moby on Fame, Fortune, Addiction, Animals - Ep 108
18 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Moby’s first job as a DJ was spinning records at a dive bar next to a methadone clinic. A few years later, he was rich and famous, but "never felt m...
Life After Paralysis with Maura McVann Coley - Ep 107
11 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In 1988, Maura McVann Coley sustained a traumatic spinal cord injury that deprived her of the ability to walk. Just 17 at the time of the accident, th...
Rebounding from Mid-life Melancholy with Jonathan Rauch - ENCORE EPISODE
04 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
(Originally posted Jan, 2020...but so worth another listen) In The Happiness Curve: Why Life Gets Better After 50, Jonathan Rauch explores the decli...
How business education builds character with Matt Slaughter - Ep 106
27 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matthew J. Slaughter is the Dean of the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth where Paul (the host of this show) earned his MBA. In today’s conversa...
The Science of Well-being with Dr. Laurie Santos - ENCORE EPISODE
20 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
(Originally posted Sept, 2019...but so worth another listen) Our brains are not good at predicting what will actually make us happy. You think you ...
Our possessions, ourselves with Michael Heller & James Salzman - Ep 105
13 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What does it mean to “own” something? Do you “own”your body? Do you own the dirt in your backyard? If someone flies a drone over your deck, d...
Wall Street, the movie: a panel discussion - Ep 104
06 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week we tried out a new format—a panel discussion about the 1987 classic Oliver Stone film, Wall Street. It starred Charlie Sheen, Michael Do...
Wall Street Trader Turns Big Time Writer with Jared Dillian - Ep 103
30 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A working class kid from the poor part of Connecticut, Jared Dillian somehow managed in 2001 to land a job as a trader at Lehman Brothers, the then-pr...
Money and the Maasai people with Josphat Mako - Ep 102
23 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
My guest today paid a dowry of eight cows for his first wife and six cows and three sheep for his second wife. Josphat Mako, or just “Mako," grew u...
Ryan Holiday on Stillness - ENCORE EPISODE
16 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
(Originally posted October, 2019) Ryan Holiday is the author of ten books, which have sold sold more than 2 million copies worldwide and been trans...
Andy Stanley on Jesus and Money - Ep 101
09 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Communicator, author, and pastor Andy Stanley founded Atlanta-based North Point Ministries (NPM) in 1995. Today, NPM consists of seven churches in the...
Crazy Money Trailer
02 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Comedian Paul Ollinger started Crazy Money to explore the connection between money, happiness, work, and meaning through the lens of his guests' exper...
LL COOL J on Hip Hop, money and business - Ep 100
02 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Nobody works harder than LL COOL J. The musician, producer, actor, and entrepreneur has been playing at the highest levels of art, business, and cultu...
The Glass Closet: Why Coming Out is Good Business with Lord John Browne - Ep 99
23 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“Never tell anyone a secret because they will surely use it against you.” That’s what Lord John Browne’s mother, an Auschwitz survivor, alway...
James Altucher Skips the Line - Ep 98
16 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
James Altucher is an author, chess master, podcaster, former hedge fund manager, angel investor, and — just to top it off —comedian. Oh, he’s...
Love and Money with Rachel Greenwald - Ep 97
09 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel Greenwald is a professional match-maker whose business serves wealthy men looking for love. A graduate of Harvard Business School where she is...
Divorce, Anxiety, and $8B in real estate with Holly Parker- Ep 96
02 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Holly Parker is one of the most dynamic people I have ever met. A top NYC realtor who has sold over $8 billion in property, she is also a self-made mi...
The Price of College with Ron Lieber - Ep 95
26 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If you have kids in or nearing college age, you HAVE to listen to this episode. Ron Lieber’s new book, The Price You Pay for College contains cri...
Working Ourselves to Death with Daniel Markovits - Ep 94
19 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel Markovits is the Guido Calabresi Professor of Law at Yale Law School and the author of The Meritocracy Trap in which he outlines the price me...
Managing Our Desires with William Irvine - Ep 93
12 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
William “Bill” Irvine is an author, philosophy professor, and an active investor who describes his intended audience as "intellectually-upscale re...
Getting the Most from Life with Jesse Itzler - Ep 92
06 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Jesse Itzler only eats fruit 'til noon, loves Run-D.M.C., and enjoys living life "out of the box." The author of the New York Times bestseller, Livin...
Peter Singer on the Moral Obligations of Money (from 2019) - ENCORE EPISODE
22 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The New Yorker called Princeton and University of Melbourne bio-ethicist, Peter Singer “the world’s most influential living philosopher." Time...
The Death of Tony Hsieh with Angel Au-Yeung, David Jeans and Dr. Drew Pinsky - Ep 91
15 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tony Hsieh was the former CEO of Zappos, which Amazon bought for $1.2 billion. With a net worth reported at over $700 million, Tony appeared to have e...
Happiness Around the Globe with John Helliwell - Ep 90
08 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
John Helliwell is Professor emeritus of Economics at University of British Columbia and editor of The World Happiness Report, a landmark survey of t...
Real Life Diff'rent Strokes with Kay Madati - Ep 89
01 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Kay Madati was born to a single, Tanzanian mother who died when he was 12. Kay and his brother were then adopted by a very affluent caucasian couple ...
Giving thanks, literally with A.J. Jacobs - ENCORE EPISODE
24 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this special Thanksgiving encore episode, I talk to A.J. Jacobs about his latest book, Thanks a Thousand: A Gratitude Journey, in which he expres...
Life after the PGA Championship with Rich Beem - Ep 88
17 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Rich Beem won the 2002 PGA Championship, one of professional golf’s four major tournaments. Despite having won twice on tour prior to the PGA, Rich'...
In defense of the Preppy with Lisa Birnbach - Ep 87
10 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Lisa Birnbach is the author of over 20 books, includingThe Official Preppy Handbook, a cultural phenomenon from the early 1980’s. The book sold mor...
Brad Klontz, Financial Psychologist to Billionaires (from Aug, 2019) - ENCORE EPISODE
03 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Brad Klontz is a psychologist and certified financial planner. He helps his clients (many of whom are ultra-high net worth individuals or even bil...
Netflix’s Bad Boy Billionaires with Dylan Mohan Gray - Ep 86
27 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dylan Mohan Gray is the director of The King of Good Times, the pilot film of the new Netflix series, Bad Boy Billionaires: India, which has been the...
Family Fortune & Misfortune with Janny Scott - Ep 85
20 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Janny Scott grew up on an 800-acre estate near Philadelphia. The descendant of railroad barons and financial magnates, Janny tracks the effects of her...
Asian-American Attitudes About Money and Success with Kathy Wang - Ep 84
13 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Kathy Wang grew up in Northern California and graduated from UC Berkeley and Harvard Business School. After working in the technology field for four ...
The Psychology of Money with Morgan Housel - Ep 83
06 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Morgan Housel is the author of the new book, The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness. Success with investing and ...
Olympic Economics with Apolo Ohno - Ep 82
29 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
With eight Olympic medals (two of them gold), Apolo Ohno is America’s most decorated winter Olympian. He won his first major speed skating title (t...
Talking About Wealth with Jennifer Risher - Ep 81
22 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As early Microsoft employees, Jennifer and her future-husband, David Risher, made millions of dollars from their stock options in the quickly growi...
How I Built This with Guy Raz - Ep 80
15 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Guy Raz is the host and co-creator of the smash NPR program, How I Built This and author of a new book by the same name. On the show, Guy provides e...
Net fulfillment v. Net worth with Bill Perkins - Ep 79
09 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Would you consider yourself a success if you died with $1 million? How about $10 million? Well, what if you died with $0.00? In his new book, Di...
Affluence, Insolvency, and Alcohol with Kirkland Hamill - Ep 78
01 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Kirkland Hamill’s grandfather was very rich. His mother and father raised him and his brothers in grand fashion until Grandpa's death exposed major ...
Happiness is Making a Living with Your Hands with Ken Rusk - Ep 77
25 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ken Rusk has made a very good living by working with his hands. A true-life, self-described “ditch-digger,” Ken is an entrepreneur who has over 20...
More Choice Makes Us More Miserable with Barry Schwartz - Ep 76
18 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Barry Schwartz is the author of several books, including Why We Work and The Paradox of Choice. I spoke to Barry about his findings in these two impo...
In memory of Paul’s dad William Ollinger - ENCORE EPISODE
12 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
My dad died peacefully at his home last Friday. He left this world with a clear conscience while napping in his favorite recliner and surrounded by ...
Bill Collector turned Money Coach to Millions with Chris Hogan - Ep 75
04 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Chris Hogan is a retirement planning expert and popular financial media personality. A former college football player who once worked as a bill collec...
The Economics of Comedy with Kyle Kinane - Ep 74
28 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Making a living in the arts is brutal. One of the things artists have to learn to do is manage their money and to structure their lives so that they’...
Are our markets really free? with Denise Hearn - Ep 73
21 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Are you an airline that dominates all the flights at a particular airport (e.g. Delta in Atlanta)? Are you a global beer conglomerate that controls h...
The Wisdom of Frugality with Emrys Westacott- Ep 72
14 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A fun (and sometimes funny) conversation about frugality? Heck yes, friends, because this is Crazy Money! Emrys Westacott is the author of The Wisdom ...
Happiness for Realists with Oliver Burkeman - Ep 71
07 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Oliver Burkeman is the author of The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking. He also writes a column for The Guardian cal...
Freedom, Aliveness, and Financial well-being with Tripp Lanier - Ep 70
30 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What if you get everything you’ve ever wanted and it’s still unfulfilling? What then? Men’s coach Tripp Lanier is the author of the newly rele...
Addiction, work, and living “mask-free" with Mike Brody-Waite - Ep 69
23 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
At 23 years-old, Michael Brody-Waite drank a fifth of vodka and a 12-pack of beer everyday. He smoked tons of weed and cigarettes, and would “do any...
Cancer, Careers, and Family with Julie Saxon- Ep 68
17 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In 2013, Julie Saxon’s career was rocking along. The mother of two young girls had just gotten a big promotion, and was managing the work-life balan...
Does money make you happy? with Carol Graham - Ep 67
09 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Why are some millionaires miserable while many in poverty are happy? Does a rapidly-improving economy always lead to more well-being? How does opt...
Rich v. Wealthy with Paul Sullivan - Ep 66
02 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Paul Sullivan writes the Wealth Matters column for The New York Times and is the author of The Thin Green Line: The Money Secrets of The Super Weal...
Money and College Admissions with Paul Tough - Ep 65
26 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Wealthy families have huge advantages when it comes to playing the college admissions game, and it’s not just more AP classes and $400/hour SAT/ACT...
God Wants You to be Rich with Rabbi Daniel Lapin - Ep 64
19 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Rabbi Daniel Lapin believes that money is the reward we get when we serve another one of God’s children. Therefore, doing business is doing God’s...
Finding joy in the everyday with Laura Delizonna - Ep 63
12 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Laura Delizonna, PhD is a Stanford University instructor, international speaker, author, and expert on the science of happiness. Her mission is to he...
James Lowry, Minority business pioneer- Ep 62
05 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
James H. Lowry grew up in Jim Crow era Chicago. After graduating from Grinnell College and spending time in the Peace Corps, Jim became McKinsey & ...
The bondage of student debt (with Michael Arceneaux) - Ep 61
28 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Michael Arceneaux is the New York Times best-selling author of I Can’t Date Jesus and his new collection of essays, I Don’t Want to Die Poor, in w...
Lori Gottlieb, author, Maybe You Should Speak with Someone -Ep 60
21 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Lori Gottlieb is a psychotherapist and author of the best-selling (and excellent) book, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, which is being developed in...
How Londoners survived the Blitz with Dr. Amy Bell - Ep 59
14 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Amy Bell is the author of London Was Ours, an examination of memoirs and diaries kept by ordinary Londoners during the Blitz. From Sept 1940-Ma...
Marshall Chiles: Owner, Laughing Skull Lounge - Ep 58
09 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Marshall Chiles is the owner of the Laughing Skull Lounge in midtown Atlanta. The 80 seat-club sells out almost every show, but has been closed for 3 ...
Bernie Madoff victim talks loss, PTSD and suicidal thoughts with Steve Heimoff - Ep 57
08 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Steve Heimoff is a wine writer, author, and former West Coast editor at Wine Enthusiast. He has published three books about winemaking with the Univer...
Rory Scovel, world-famous / down-to-earth comedian -Ep 56
31 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Rory Scovel is a writer, actor, and comedian who plays to sold-out crowds all over the country. He was the male lead in Amy Schumer’s hit movie,...
From $100mm+ to broke in six months with AJ Jain - ENCORE EPISODE
24 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
AJ Jain is a retired C-level insurance executive, former strategy consultant, and professor of marketing at Southern Methodist University. He holds a ...
Danny Wuerffel, Heisman Trophy-winner - Ep 55
17 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Danny Wuerffel won the Heisman Trophy and led University of Florida Gators to a national championship and four SEC titles. Today Danny is the Executiv...
Devin Singh, author Divine Currency: The Theological Power of Money in the West - Ep 54
10 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Devin Singh is an Associate Professor of Religion at Dartmouth. His first book, Divine Currency: The Theological Power of Money in the West examine...
What happens to all the stuff we buy? with Adam Minter - Ep 53
03 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Adam Minter is a columnist at Bloomberg Opinion where he writes about China, technology, and the environment. He is the author of Junkyard Planet:...
John Soforic, author, The Wealthy Gardener - Ep 52
25 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
John Soforic is a chiropractor who earned financial freedom. He shares his life lessons for his son in his self-published The Wealth Gardener: Life L...
Bruce Daisley, author, Eat, Sleep, Work, Repeat - Ep 51
18 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Bruce Daisley has spent his career working in media and technology companies, like YouTube, Google and Emap. His last venture in corporate leadership ...
Year 1 in Review of Crazy Money - Ep 50
11 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We are one year and 50 episodes into Crazy Money!!! This week, Paul and producer/editor extraordinaire, Mike Carano, discuss their favorite episodes, ...
Giving away half of your house with Kevin Salwen - Ep 49
05 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Kevin Salwen is a former reporter and editor at The Wall Street Journal and co-author of two very different, yet equally compelling books. The Power...
Buddhism and money with Dominic Houlder - Ep 48
28 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dominic Houlder is the co-author of Mindfulness and Money and What Philosophy Can Teach You About Being a Better Leader. An Adjunct Professor at...
Why Happiness plummets in middle age with Jonathan Rauch - Ep 47
21 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Jonathan Rauch is a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and contributing editor of The Atlantic. In The Happiness Curve: Why Life Gets Better...
Mike Norton, Harvard Business School - Ep 46
14 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The way you spend your money can actually make you happier! So prove Mike Norton and co-author, Elizabeth Dunn, in the book, Happy Money: The Scien...
Culture, marriage and money with first generation Americans with Dr. Diana and Mr. Yoshee Sodiq - Ep 45
07 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Yoshee and Diana have been married 13 years and have three children. They recently down-sized their lifestyle to prioritize family and their respect...
Creator of Stacking Benjamins podcast Joe Saul-Sehy - Ep 44
17 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Joe Saul-Sehy is the host of the Stacking Benjamins podcast, which uses humor to inspire people to think more seriously about money and financia...
Leap: Leaving a Job with No Plan B with Tess Vigeland - Ep 43
10 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Tess Vigeland is the author of Leap: Leaving a Job with No Plan B to Find the Career and Life You Really Want. Tess spent twenty years in public ra...
"The Moral Obligations of Money" with Princeton's Peter Singer - Ep 42
03 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Peter Singer is the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University whom The New Yorker called “the world’s most influential livin...
The Anxious Achiever Podcast with host Morra Aarons-Mele - Ep 41
26 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Morra Aarons-Mele is the founder of award-winning social impact agency Women Online and its database of women influencers, The Mission List. An ...
"Willful" with Author Richard Robb - Ep 40
19 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Richard Robb is an economics professor at Columbia University. And the CEO of Christofferson, Robb and Company, a New York and London based investmen...
Stacey Ollinger, Paul’s wife - Ep 39
13 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
My wife, Stacey, and I talk about how we talk about money, budgeting, and household expenditures. And how we manage our careers and identities in a p...
The Happiness Research Institute with its CEO, Meik Wiking - Ep 38
05 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Meik Wiking is the CEO of The Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark. He is a New York Times best-selling author of The Little Book o...
Failure’s lessons with AJ Jain - Ep 37
29 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
AJ Jain is a retired C-level insurance executive, former strategy consultant, and professor of marketing at Southern Methodist University. He holds a ...
"Civilized to Death" with Author Christopher Ryan - Ep 36
22 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In his new book, Civilized to Death: The Price of Progress, Chris Ryan, PhD. questions whether civilization has actually been a net benefit to our spe...
"How to Be a Financial Grownup" with author and financial journalist Bobbi Rebell - Ep 35
15 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Bobbi Rebell is an award-winning TV anchor and personal finance columnist most recently at Thomson Reuters, the largest news organization in the worl...
Comedy Entrepreneur, Rick Bronson - Ep 34
08 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Rick Bronson is an award-winning comedian, magician, TV Host, and entrepreneur. He has worked with President Bill Clinton, Spinal Tap, Martin Short, ...
"Stillness is the Key" with Author Ryan Holiday - Ep 33
01 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan Holiday is the author of ten books, which have sold sold more than 2 million copies worldwide and been translated into 30 languages. World-clas...
"Happiness" with Professor in Psychology, Yale University, Dr. Laurie Santos - Ep 31
25 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Our brains are not good at predicting what will actually make us happy. You think you want more money, more fame, and to be alone, but what will ac...
"Does happiness peak?" with Nobel Laureate and Economist Sir Angus Deaton - Ep 31
17 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Princeton economist and Nobel Prize-winner, Sir Angus Deaton co-authored a famous study concluding that well-being peaks at $75k/year in income. But t...
"Quit Like a Millionaire" with Authors Kristy Shen & Bryce Leung - Ep 30
10 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Kristy Shen grew up in abject poverty in rural China where her family lived on $.44 per day. Chronic hunger and worm-infested drinking water were regu...
"Chutzpah" with Author Inbal Arieli Ep - 29
03 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Israeli kids grow up in a world of uncertainty, with war and terrorism never far away. They are independent yet group-minded. They know that when they...
"Rich People Have Problems Too" with Financial Therapist Brad Klontz - Ep 28
27 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Brad Klontz is a psychologist and certified financial planner. He helps his clients (many of whom are ultra-high net worth individuals or even bil...
Short-seller who goes after “bad guys" with Marc Cohodes - Ep 27
20 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Marc Cohodes has made a career betting against companies he suspects of fraud. So when two FBI agents showed up on his farm to tell him to stop Twee...
Closing the Opportunity Divide with Year Up Founder and CEO Gerald Chertavian - Ep 26
13 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Gerald Chertavian is the Founder / CEO of “Year Up.” According to the US Dept of Labor, there are 7.3 million unfilled jobs in the United State...
America's Got Talent finalist and two-time David Letterman guest ; Comedian Joe Matarese - Ep 25
06 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
You’ve likely seen Joe Matarese on one of his many television appearances, including two sets on Late Show with David Letterman, five on the Late,...
Minimalism and Design with CEO of LifeEdited ; Graham Hill - Ep 24
30 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Graham Hill has a message for you: that big ol’ house of yours—and all the stuff in it—isn’t making you (or the environment) happy. His words ...