What the heck is a Debt Ceiling anyway? Are we learning the wrong lessons from our government's fiscal policies? Maybe we should just focus on other stuff, like braving the stock market, simplifying life, and polishing up our digital brains. All that and a couple of Hills on this month's mailbag. (00:08:53) Daring to Invest (00:13:37) Cognitive Drag and your Digital Brain (00:17:39) Investing Early and the Value of a College Degree (00:31:24) Debt Ceiling and Leverage (00:39:01) Government Debt vs. Personal Debt (00:58:00) The First Hill: A Fond Farewell (01:09:30) The Second Hill: A Long and Foolish Life Host: David Gardner Guests: Jeff Fischer, Tom King, Jason Moser, Chris Hill Producer: Rick Engdahl

Once again it's an old format, a new show, borrowed wisdom and a taste of the Faker-Breaker Blues. Drop a six-pence in your shoe and let's get Motley! (04:13) Aim for 60% accuracy (12:19) Managing the second-order effects of your business (25:18) Building a second brain (33:33) Spotting the Faker-Breaker Companies Mentioned: APRN, KR, HELFY Host: David Gardner Producer: Rick Engdahl

We don't take breaks with this podcast, so there have been a lot of lessons over the years. That's why, for David's birthday, we ask you to help us distill it all down to the most salient points — the lessons that matter most to you! (10:42) Investing Lessons (26:08) Business Lessons (32:55) Life Lessons Companies Mentioned: CMG, AMZN, MNST Host: David Gardner Producer: Rick Engdahl

If you want to earn your jester cap, you'll need to speak the language of Foolish investing. Today we're joined by a ship of top-notch Fools to review some simple and not-so-simple terms that will make you a smarter investor! (9:27) Bill Barker on share buybacks (17:29) Jason Moser on the debt ceiling (24:42) Tom King on leverage (31:12) Bill Barker on capital allocation (38:35) Jason Moser on dollar-based net retention (45:27) Tom King on return on incremental invested capital Companies Mentioned: BRK.A, BRK.B, BBBY, GOOG, AAPL, SVB, CMG, FTNT, CRWD Host: David Gardner Guests: Bill Barker, Jason Moser, Tom King Producer: Rick Engdahl

Not all advice is excellent, and not all futurists are right. But Kevin Kelly, Founder and Senior Maverick of Wired Magazine, is the exception on both fronts. Today he returns to Rule Breaker Investing to share his optimistic take on the generous nature of the universe and our place in it. (00:11:57) The Magic of Compounding (00:17:50) Why the Size of your Balcony Matters (00:20:45) Choosing Optimism (00:29:40) Ending Meetings Early (00:31:35) Saints and Superheroes (00:40:35) Underestimating Long Term Possibilities (00:45:18) Choose Options that Open Up More Options (01:00:37) The Cheapest Possible Therapy (01:06:38) Inevitable Updates Companies Mentioned: AMZN, IRBT, ATVI, GOOG, BRK Host: David Gardner Guest: Kevin Kelly Producer: Rick Engdahl