Money Unplugged with Chris Hill

Law school, a federal clerkship, a graduate tax law program: for John Maxfield, they were all ways to avoid getting a real job. Two decades later, he's a leading banking expert, telling the story of America's community banks through Maxfield on Banks. He talks with Chris Hill about:
- Growing up in a Wyoming cattle family, where his dad liked to say, “If you haven’t gone broke in ag at least twice, are you even living?”
- Selling his stake in a bank to fund a $7.44-an-hour bookstore job
- What happens to a small town when its bank leaves
- Why the magic of compounding doesn’t sink in at first

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Opening clip – “Goodfellas”

Economics started out as the science of well-being. Somewhere along the way, it became the science of money. Economist Daniel Altman wants to change that. His new book, The Best Decisions You’ll Ever Make, uses economic thinking for everyday choices, from what to make for dinner to when to retire. He talks with Chris Hill about:
- Why he and his wife deliberately keep their investments separate
- How he built a model to forecast crime for the British government
- Why he moved some money into German bonds as Washington started talking down the US dollar
- How working in soccer analytics made it hard to enjoy watching the game

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Opening clip – “Margin Call”

Psychologist Daniel Crosby, Chief Behavioral Officer at Orion and host of the podcast Standard Deviations, calls sports betting “financial crack” and explains why confusing it with investing can be so costly.
But sports betting is just one part of a conversation that starts in Huntsville, Alabama, where his dad got a job as a stockbroker the day he was born. He talks with Chris Hill about:
- What a neighbor told him to do on Black Monday, when he was 7 years old
- Why a school form made him ask his parents, “Are we poor?”
- The therapy client who became the tipping point in his decision to leave clinical psychology
- How a house that doubled in value became “the dumbest thing” he’s ever done
Check out the updated version of Daniel's latest book The Behavioral Investor.

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Opening clip – “Billions”

Everyone wants to know if AI is a bubble. Barry Ritholtz, chairman and CIO of Ritholtz Wealth Management, host of Bloomberg’s Masters in Business, and author of How Not to Invest, has a pointed answer. He also explains why investors should focus on “the Magnificent 493” instead of the Magnificent Seven.
But AI is just the start of a wide-ranging conversation about how a kid who grew up broke on Long Island built a career on understanding why smart people make bad money decisions. He talks with Chris Hill about:
- Why a 6th-grade class trip his family couldn’t afford still shapes the way he shops
- How his mother’s real estate career helped him see the 2008 financial crisis coming
- Why he didn’t start his Wall Street career until his mid-30s
- The startup pitch he called “the dumbest idea” he’d ever heard (and what it cost him)

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Opening clip – “Moneyball”

The fastest path to wealth isn’t cutting back. It’s learning to earn more money. “You can only cut to zero, but you can earn infinitely,” says Travis Chappell, host of the popular daily podcast Travis Makes Money.
At an early age he began preparing for a life in ministry before building a career in sales and entrepreneurship. He talks with Chris Hill about:
- Selling homemade rubber bugs to classmates as a kid—and charging extra for upgrades
- Knocking on doors for a solar company in college, and realizing he didn’t want to stop
- Why keeping your lifestyle in check is harder than earning more money
- The big purchase that gave him no buyer’s remorse (and how much he spent on Pokémon cards)

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Opening clip – “Margin Call”