Tactical Wealth: From Military to Money

I was the third least wealthy members of Congress.How do you go from $0 to a million dollars?Do not underestimate what $100 a month can do if you put that away at an early age, and let that keep working, accruing interest for you, and do not touch it.Hustle is what's required to be successful in the private sector.It's how you can help solve problems.It's how you can help lead men and women to go do something they otherwise would not do.We need more veterans to go answer the call and put our country back on the right track.For too long, those that have worn the cloth of the country, that have fought and sacrificed for our nation, have been left out of the greatest financial engine the world has ever seen.My service paved the way for my success, and that's true for so many veteran entrepreneurs.In fact, some of the greatest companies were created by veterans.I'm your host, Kaj Larson, and in each episode, we'll bring you the stories and the wisdom of those who have gone from boots on the ground to successful careers, from military to wealth, and how they've done it, so you can apply those insights to your own mission and life.Welcome to Tactical Wealth: From Military to Money.All right, before we get tactical, if you had to sum up your journey from military to money in one sentence, what would it be?All-American entrepreneur fighting for change.Um, all right.And what's one moment from your military service that changed your world view?I, I think it was the invasion of Iraq when I was there.It was like 130 degrees in Baghdad and my, my driver, he basically said to me, like, "Hey, sir," like, "What the hell are we doing here?"Uh, and listen, I, I, I served in Company of Heroes, Kaj, like you did, and to me it should've been, you know, the focus on Bin Laden and where he was in Afghanistan and Pakistan and not necessarily Iraq.And so, you know, I was an Independent but that changed my world view in saying, "Hey the folks depending on it don't more- don't know more than us in 82nd Airborne Division don't know more than us that, you know, I was a professor at West Point."Like, you know, like I was like, "Wow, yeah, I'm a captain and I understand the rank structure, but the reality of it is there's too many bureaucrats that, you know, go along to get along."Yeah, it's almost the taxi driver principle.Yeah.Sometimes like a taxi driver in some godforsaken part of the world knows a lot more about politics than- Totally.Totally, right.th- than- the head of, you know, the- Right.Secretary of State.Right.Yeah.Today's guest is a true force on the battlefield, in the boardroom, and beyond.Patrick J.Murphy was the first Iraq veteran elected to Congress, where he helped lead the fight to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell.Uh, he's also a venture capitalist.first he was Under Secretary of the Army and then Acting Secretary of the Army.He's an Emmy award-winning producer.And now, uh, Patrick, uh, is the host of Warrior Money on Yahoo Finance, a show that I have had the privilege of being on.Uh, Patrick, tell us a little about your background.What, uh, inspired you to join the Army originally?You know, 1, I'm a blue-collar kid that I grew up in a row house in Northeast Philadelphia.And so part of that row house mentality was, you know, we shared a step with somebody, like, you know, take care of the people on your left and your right.And, you know, my dad was enlisted in the Navy and then served 22 years as a Philly cop.My mother was actually a Catholic nun.So when you look at like the call for public service to help others, you know, my, my family really ingrained in me.Um, I do joke, though, my mother was a Catholic nun that dumped Jesus for Jack Murphy, right?So she doesn't like it when I frame it that way but, you know, she, she did leave the convent and then met my father but, you know, it's not as good of a story that way.But listen, I was the youngest of 3.My brother and I both joined the military, uh, third-generation veterans.He deployed twice, I deployed twice after 9/11.And Kaj, like you man, like, like I joined the Army before 9/11, right?And so like I know on 9/11 you were buds.You know, on 9/11 I was just joining the faculty at West Point, I was a young captain.Uh, you know, I'd been to Airborne School, Air Assault School, was getting ready for Ranger School, you know, um, after that year.And, and, and long story short like, you know, like you, I deployed right away, um, to 2 light infantry units.first with the 25th Infantry Division.I served under General Petraeus and then Colonel Mark Milley at the time.And then, and then was part of the invasion force in Iraq with the 82nd Airborne Division.And, um, you know, and that changed my life.You know, the, the militaryYou know, for me to go from community college age 17 and within a decade to be a professor at West Point, like, that wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for the Army.If it didn't instill the confidence.When I'm competing against guys and gals from Harvard and Notre Dame, et cetera, and ROTC and, and, you know, doing better than them and getting that confidence, it's like, "Man, I'm not just some, like, college hockey player that does ROTC."I'm like, uh, "I, I could be really good at this.This could be my calling, my profession."When I'm thinking about Airborne School, one of the coolest things, um, that ever when you're connecting generations of veterans, and I know you think about this stuff a lot, is, uh, you know I did the Normandy swim on the 75th anniversary of Normandy.We recreated the mission- Yeah.of the original naval combat demolition units.We swim over the beach, um, 11 miles.We land on either Omaha or Utah Beach and the first person that I see, and we're coming up on the Normandy anniversary, which is, which is good, um, the first person that I meet on the beach is this 95-year-old American paratrooper.And like me and you, this guy had done 5 jumps at Fort Benning, Georgia to earn his lead sleds, to earn his, you know, first parachute wings.His 6th jump, at 17 years old, was a combat equipment jump into Normandy.Wow.On the beach.Wow.And then he had not been back until that day- Yeah.and he was 95.And when I think about these guys, that generation of veterans, you and I have spoken about this before, you know, they came back and they-transitioned well and they built some of the, the best th- one of the best economies the world has ever seen.Yeah.Right?That they truly were- Yeah.the greatest generation.You and I have been mission-focused since we left the service on this, like, next greatest generation.So what, what do you see as the, sort of, difference in the generation of veterans?How did those guys come back and build one of the strongest economic engines the world has ever seen?And, and what should our generation of veterans be doing?Yeah.I mean, listen, they are the greatest generation, and I think part of it was the grit.I mean, the, whether they were in Europe or the Pacific, I mean, what they went through, uh, to turn the tides of that war, you know, the, they establish democracy across the lands, uh, and, you know, they shut down, you know, obviously Hitler and, and the Nazis.It was, was incredible.And so I think that when they came back and, and had that grit, that confidence, that's why you saw a lot of them go into political public service.You, you see people like, you know, President Kennedy, George Bush, um, you know, and then other generations, people like John McCain and, and Jack Reed, you know, type thing.And soAnd then, of course, our generation.Um, but half of those veterans in World War II start their own small business and then create these global iconic brands.I mean, people forget, like, the largest retailer in the world is Walmart, started by Sam Walton, World War II veteran.The largest media company in the world, Comcast, they own NBC, started by Ralph Roberts, Navy veteran, right?And so that, you know, not every one, you know, was successful, but a lot of them went and created these iconic brands and then set the tone for the next generation.So the Marines Fred Smith who started FedEx after coming back from Vietnam, uh, Ralph Lauren, you know.And we forget about, like, Enterprise Car Rental, that was started 'cause the guy was stationed at, on the USS Enterprise.Like, right?LikeAnd so i- that's why I'm passionate about it, like, I think, gosh, like, you and I, like, we wanna be problem solvers, we wanna shed a light, tell stories.But, you know, I ran for Congress because, you know, there wasWe didn't have the Post-7 GI Bill, and I co-authored that, right?Uh, you know, we kicked out 13,000 troops because of who they loved.Like, I, I, to me, I was like, "I don't care who you love, just can you fire an M4 rifle?Can you kick down a door?Like, can you do your job?"That generation, when you look at our generation starting small business, it's less than 5%.So they were 10X on us on starting small businesses.So that's why I'm in venture capital.I've, you know, have great partnerships where about 80% of our companies that we invest in are, are veteran-owned companies.We invest in individuals and extraordinary leadership, right?And people like, you know, you and I have talked about people like Blake Hall, who was, you know, went to Vanderbilt ROTC, um, goes to Ranger regiment, earned 2, uh, Bronze Stars, one for valor, gets out, goes to Harvard Business School, starts first troop swap then pivots to troop ID, now has ID.me, ID.me.They, right now, they credential 147 million Americans' credentials.They're with, like, I think, 14 federal agencies, 45 states, but again that gives people confidence that if you say who you are, you are.Like, I file my taxes, I had to get my little pin number from the IRS, I had to use ID.me on my phone, right?And, like, I am proud about Blake Hall and, you know, when you hear him tell the stories about being a lifelong learner, having grit, you know, he was China 2011, he's just started the company and co- someone calls him up from LEGO and says, "Hey, I'll give you this, I'll give you this shipment of basically LEGOs, you go resell it to make money, but you gotta pick it up tonight."He is in, like, New York City, he, like, gets in a, like takes a flight to Dallas, rents a U-Haul truck, and then drives it back across country just to sell it online to make his revenue goals that year, right?Right.But that's what veterans do.Yeah.Like, we don't under- we don't work 9:00 to 5:00.Yeah.we just get the mission done.And you find a way through.Yeah.Like, no matter what, you find a way through.And I do think, for you, what do you think it was about your military service that helped, um, sort of catalyze or helped grow, likeWhat are, what are the most important things you picked up from the military that have translated into entrepreneurship?Well, first you, it, it taught me how to.talk to people, make sureYou know, and, and to me, you know, in the Army we, you said KISS, like, keep it simple stupid, right?And I knew that my job as a soldier was I have to shoot, move, and communicate.You know, I think a lot of folks, you know, sometimes they'll be able to communicate across or down, but they, they struggle communicating up.And, you know, we joked earlier in this, you know, segment about 0 the humble brag, right?'Cause we both, you know, Emmy award winners.But to me it's like, listen, we earned that, right?And, and that's a, that, that shows that you're a world-class communicator, right?Like, period.And, um, and you do it in such a gracious way that I think it shows other people that it's okay to talk about yourself, it's okay to talk about your accomplishments.framing it, like in the military where I learned it's not about what you've done or what you're doing, it's how you can help solve problems.It's how you can help lead men and women to go do something they otherwise would not do, which is the fundamental principle of what leadership is.Yeah, and I think people, i- it's easy to get caught up in the 5meter target or the tactical, right?Yeah.Like, I think one of the problems for transitioning out of service, you know, fair perspective, is I always say, "Well, you know, there's not a huge civilian market for underwater demolition," right?Right, right.You know, there's not a lot of those jobs on- Right.monster.com, right?Um, but there is an extraordinary demand for leadership, problem-solving, a never-give-up attitude.Right.And it's communicating that in your sort of next endeavor.Yeah, yeah.And, and that's why people say to me, like, "Hey Patrick, why aren't you involved in politics anymore?Like, you were a member of Congress, you were age 33, all this," and, "Why are you now focused on business?"Uh, 'cause this is the new frontier for me, right?I'm learningI, you know, yes, I teach at Wharton Business School, and, and I, I, and of our 850 students that we bring in every year in a full-time 2year program, about 10% are veterans, right?And so, like, I'm very proud about that.Like, it's, it's, you know, something that these are veteransAnd again, we study in Huntsman Hall.Jon Huntsman was a World War II veteran, right?Maybe thatLike, like, and I tell them these stories, and I tell them like, "Hey, you know, Alex Kwiatkowski is a West Point Wharton grad.He was an Army Ranger.He was just the CEO of Johnson & Johnson."Like, I, you know, and, you know, they don't know, they don't know these stories, right?And soNow again, I don't teach a course called veteranpreneurship, right?But I do, you know, when I talk about pivots, I talk about Blake Hall.Um, now again, he's our age.Okay?So, like, to me, like, it's important for these young folks to realize that, likeListen, and l- even when they leave, you know, I tell them, "Don't get caught up in being part of the middle class or upper, upper middle class and be broke."And what that mean is, yeah, you're gonna leave here and your average pay is going to be about $200,000, $250,000 a year, and that's a lot of money.Because the average American family ownsIt's about $60,000 they make a year.But when you get caught up in that lifestyle, and then you buy fancy cars and by- buy, you know, a house that you're over-leveraged in.Like, be smart.leverage your money, leverage these opportunities, but don't get caught up in the game.Looking back now in hindsight, is there, uh, a financial component what you've done that you wish you had done earlier?Had, hadWould you have done something different either in the service or post-service life?Yeah, I thinkListen, I, when I was in Congress, I was 33, married, just had my first kid before I was even sworn in.535 members of Congress, I was the third-least wealthy members of Congress, okay?So, but I had to pay my wayLike, I mean, I gave plasma to get, like, make the college tuition in law school.Like, I had a 2year scholarship after I joined the Army ROTC, but then law school was my own dime 'cause the Army covers law school.But it was on my own dime, but, like, I literally would, like, give plasma.I had, like, 4 jobs.Like, I mean, I was hustling.Um, and, you know, 'cause people do joke, like, "What was the toughest job?Was it, like, 138 degrees in Baghdad when you're getting mortared every night?"I was like, "My toughest job ever was actually being a security guard for the Philadelphia Eagles, the old veterans' stadium."Being 120 pounds with acne and, and 60 years old, like, you know, trying to tell people, like, "Knock it off."The, the guidance was wear black pants, wear a black shirt.We're gonna give you the yellow security jacket.No radio, no real training.Um, and I got my first battlefield promotion because I broke up a fight, um, and, you know, the supervisors wore white jackets, right?So I saw my supervisor.Some fans, they had him in a headlock.I came over and tackled, you know, the guy who had him in a headlock.Um, the next game, I was promoted from, like, the 700 level in the end zone seats to the field.And I'm like, "Are you sure?"And they're like, "Murph, you did a good job."Like, you, likeAnd it was like, "Okay."Like, it was, like, the greatest job, and basically they paid me to watch the Philadelphia Eagles play football.It was, like, the best job I ever had.For a kid from northeast Philadelphia, it was, like, the best job ever.Eagles fans are insane.That's what I learned from going to the game.Yeah.They're, they're absolutely insane.You know, but, you know, they've really bent over backwards in, like, getting veterans.So, like, I know, like, Howie Roseman is the GM.Like, he called me, uh, when I was at the Pentagon.I had just left, and that guy Ryan McCarthy, you know, became the Secretary of the Army.Ryan McCarthy was my bunkmate at Fort Bragg in the '90s, right?And, like, he was regimental guy.Like, he was my buddy.But he's like, "Hey, we wanna draft, like, unsigned free agent," this guy Brett Toth, "out of West Point."Now, when I was helping lead the Army, we changed the policy that if you get drafted by the NBA or WNBA for women, like, if you get drafted, you can then go serve and go in a reserve component.And I had to go to Chairman John McCain at the time and say, "Listen, Chairman, we wanna change the policy that if you get drafted, you can go in the reserve component."I go, "I know you're gonna say to me, 'Sir, what did David Robinson"' But we don't have too many 7'2" t-guys, gals, you know, come into the academies.And I go, "And sir, you gotta remember, I have to bring in 120,000 Gen Zers a year in the Army."We're the largest force.The majority of our one million soldiers are actually in the Reserve component already, National Guard Reserves.And we need those West Point guys like Brett Toth, et cetera.So when Howie Roseman, you know, texts me and says, "Hey Murph, we don't, can you help me out?I, you know, we're trying to sign him, but you know, we, we gotta get this done like in 48 hours."You know, to be able to pick up the phone and say, "Hey Ryan, like this makes no, this, like can you help make this happen?I'm sure you're not even tracking it."But- And then, you know, he did that and, you know, he's playing for the Eagles.And then every weekend he was like, you know, lead, like teaching at Temple University ROTC, like teaching military science classes, doing PT.Like that's, those are the stories we gotta do a better job telling that we don't, actually in the military, we don't do a good job telling those stories, frankly.Yeah.And if there is one thing that's like a legacy of all military service, I don't care like what branch of service you were, I don't care if you're like an E1 or an O10.Like military culture is grind culture.Right.Right?Especially Big Green Machine, right?Yeah.Like you grind it out in some form or some capacity.And I personally believe that that hustle is what's required to be successful in the private sector as well, right?No doubt.doubt.Yeah.Um, you, you concur with that?I, absolutely.I mean, I'm gonna, I'll give you another example.Like Villanueva, right?Again, tight end/wide receiver at West Point.Eagles sign him after he serves in range regiment, goes to combat.Sign him, he's like, they're like, "Listen, you're either gonna be like an offensive lineman or you're gonna be defen- Like you gotta put some weight on."He, my man put on like 65 pounds, you know, of muscle and, and weight, and then became like an all-pro tackle, right?Now he didn't become an all-pro.The Eagles signed him and took him in, but he eventually did it at Frankly, you know, for the Steelers.And then, but, you know, Villanueva, Elijah Riley, Christensen who's on the Kansas City Chiefs.I already mentioned Brett Toth.But like there's these great young, you know, Americans that do great stuff, but whether it's even, you knowAnd I think that, I call it the warrior class of America, the folks that shower after work, not before work because, you know, it's, it's not just NFL players but it, and it's not just veterans, but it's first responders that are like, "Hey, we will grind this out to succeed 'cause we believe in the mission."This is exactly what we're trying to do on this show, right?Show these incre- incredible people who exemplify this transition from military to money, right?They take their, their, the nature of their service and then they translate it into success in the private sector.You're a quintessential example of this.All of the hustle, all the grind you just talked about, right?Now you, you're on the capital allocation side, right?You, you're doing all of these things.Right.Still giving back, which I appreciate and we have that, that shared commonality between us.But there is this like massive, massive like knowledge gap, information asymmetry and just wealth gap and experience gap from when you were working it at Veteran Stadium, right, to where, to where you are now.So this is Tactical Wealth.So let, let's get tactical for a second.Yeah.You're an E5.You did 5 years, you know, or maybe you did one re-enlistment, one re-up, right?You got your, your TSP, your Thrift Savings Plan, so you got a small, small teeny little nest egg civilian equivalent of a 401K.Um, but you know, you've been making, you know, probably the equivalent of 50 or $60,000 a year, you know, you're 27 years old or you're 26 years old, you have military service under your belt, but that's a long way from being a captain of industry.So Tactical Wealth, right now, you get out of service after your basic service requirement.How do you go from um, let's say 0 dollars to a million dollars in the bank?What, what would you do now in today's day and age?Yeah.Well first plan your work, work your plan.Yeah.So use your leverage.So you know, you were part of the last one percent of this nation served during these defining moments.Leverage the GI Bill to go get schooling.Um, leverage frankly the VA home loan.Uh, and you could do it multiple times now.So we changed the rules.So go invest.And by the way, if you don't feel comfortable investing in a home by yourself, get business partners to do it and put it under your name.Like right?Like go and do those things and like leverage th- those opportunities to make, help make money work for you.Um, if you're just working all the time just f- your, for your time and let's say you're earning money, you're never gonna be able to really leapfrog, right?And so, and by the way, that's okay.Um, you know, the basics are, you know, don't, don't go into debt.You know, pay your bills.Like, but it would be, use some of that money to invest in one, in yourself, but more importantly compound interest is literally the 8th wonder in the world.And do not touch it.Right?And, but part of that is just using the discipline that you learn in the military and apply it fiscally.Do not, like, I had a great captain, uh, who was an Army officer, who is Joe O'Donnell, he still works for Army ROTC.He told, you know, our Catholic college where I went and played hockey, he's like, "Gentlemen," it, it was all guys at the time.He's like, "Gentlemen, do not go buy a new car.Yes, you're gonna make $27,000 a year as a second lieutenant.You think it's a lot of money.Do not bu- go buy"If you gotta get a car, go get a used car.Do not, like, it's the worst thing you can do.And I did, like, I don't buy new cars now.Like, I am frugal.Like, I want my money to work for me.So what did I do?I just bought a 2yearold, you know, $50,000 car, but I bought it for $30,000 'cause I bought it 2 years later 'cause it's not new anymore.Right?But that's the way to make your money work for you, and I don't have enough of an ego to say, "I gotta get the best new car out there."Like, to me, it's like, I got a great new car, it's new to me, I'm good to go, 'cause I'm making that other 20 grand work for me now.If Patrick Murphy gets out of the Army as an O3 right now in 2025, and you're reading the, the economic tea leaves, what, what sector do you pick?Well, 1, it's something that you must be relatively passionate about, right?So I, I, I think finance is usually the way to go, right?It's hard, but, um, eh, the easy thing is to do the consulting route, right?I, I would even say, as an O3, get out and, and, you know, go get your MBA at a, at a top 20, because, you know, I'm a big believer in your network is your net worth.As long as you're working it, right?And when you have a better network and you work it, you will get, especially if you have $100 million mentality, like, this is what I'm gonna build.I'm gonna build this career.I'm gonnaAnd, and you work it.You know, I've read books, e- and I think that's been one of the reasons why I've been able to succeed.Like, you know, I read books on Bill Clinton, about first In His Class, on George Bush, on Tom Ridge.I read The Algebra of Wealth by Scott Galloway, like, recently.Like, like, to me, it's like I'm always trying to pick up things and learn, because iron sharpens iron.Right?I don't know everything, right?But I amYou know, Adam Grant's my colleague, another professor at West Point.Eh, and, uh, Angela Duckworth.You know, I read their books.Like, like, it is goodness, right?And I don't just read, I take notes, and then I go back to those notes, and, all right, am I implementing this in my life?I do it, like, once a quarter, and it's my own, like, little self-assessment.And, and sometimes I have to readjust and recalibrate my whole life.Yeah, it's like an AAR for yourself.Yeah.Yeah, after action report for yourself.I love it.All right, so this next section, it's you and I, one team, one fight.We're going through the door, we're door kicking together.Uh, we're in the fatal funnel, so this is just rapid fire- Let'sand responding to real time.Um, best investment you ever made.My kids.Amazing.Dumbest financial mistake you've ever, uh, made.Uh, buying a house on the water when I wasn't ready to buy the house on the water.It worked out fine, but there was too much of a struggle bus when I was in Congress at the same time.A civilian habit you had to unlearn the hard way.It's okay to be late.I, I, still drives me crazy.Yeah.When people are late.And, or if I'm, it drives me even more crazy when I'm late, 'cause try to be respectful.Military habit that you'll never lose.I work out every day.Great.Like, got it.Like, like, it's, it's, it's your life force, man.Like it helps you, it helps your brain health, by the way.Like, now again, I'm not, I don't spend 2 hours in the gym.I would love to, right?But I get in, get out, get, like, do what I gotta do.But, you know, like, I did the Travis Manion thing.I never did 7 rounds of 29.Eh, eh, basically it's like, you run 2 miles and do 20, 201 squats.I did that 'cause Travis Manion was a Bucks County kid.You know, obviously Naval Academy graduate, Marine, kid did ultimate sacrifice.I do the Murph every, every May, you know, and I do these challenges for myself, because I'm like, you know, I'm 51, but I, I act 27.Right?You know, but I take creatine every day.I do, like, I, like, 'cause I want the cheat codes.I wanna figure out, like, I wanna be jacked.I want, I want a six pack.I got a four pack now, but like, I, like, to me it's like, I want my kids to be like, I want my son to be like, "Yeah, my dad's a badass."And, and I, and I'm a quiet professional.I don't, I don't brag about it.We joke around.But like, I'm not letting him beat me one-on-one in basketball.He's on the, he's on the basketball team at his high school, Philadelphia Catholic League, great basketball league.We play one-on-one, I don't let him win.If he beats me, it's because he earned it.But I'm, like, doing everything I can to beat him.My number one secret life hack is, like- Yeah.work out every day, keep the knife sharp, like, dominate in the gym, and then it'll help you- Right.dominate in life.And gosh, that's what I think America's gotten away from.70% of Americans are overweight, uh, or obese.And, and the problem is it's, it's we're all paying the price, 'cause that's why insurance rates are so high, that's whyAnd so America at her best is the Athens and Sparta of the world.And yes, I'm a big believer, you know, I teach at Penn, at Wharton, like, I, I, I love, you know, academia.I'm only part time in it, right?Because I, you know, I'm in business, I can't do it.But I love that part, but I do worry about it, and that's why I tell my students, like, and my kids, "Get to the gym."Like, it's important for your brain health that you have that physical fitness.And it do- does demonstrate that you have the discipline to take care of your body, and that you're gonna take care of people's problems if they hire you to do a job.absolutely.I, I, I could not underscore that more.All right, I'd like to, I'd like to finish on this.You're, you're an investor, you're a capital allocator, you're a professor, and so you see a lot when it comes to entrepreneurship.Um, if there's a veteran, uh, whether a new veteran or transitioning out of active duty who wants to start a business, what are, you know, 2 to 3 key takeaways them?Number one, what problem are you solving?It can't just be your idea of what you wanna do.Are people gonna buy it?Ar- are you gonna solve their problems?'Cause people will buy to solve their pains.Now, part of their pains might be increased sales, et cetera, but, like, that's number one.Number 2, um, do you have the passion to go do that?It is not glamorous.It is not.Like, I am literallyI was writing an email this morning at 3:30 in the morning, right?'Cause I woke up and if I'm up, I'm up.Like, I, you know, might as well.I was reading and, and IBig day today on, obviously, this podcast, but then other stuff.And I'm like, I had to get my stuff done before I showed up here at 8:00 AM.Like, I was like, hey'Cause I, I don't have time late this morning or early af- like, I had to knock it out before my day started.Um, and then, uh, I would say third andUse your network.Make the ask.You know, I said earlier, your network is your net worth.But if you're not closing, if you're not making that ask, you're wrong.Like, ABC, always be closing.Like, if you're not asking peopleLike, when I ran for Congress, I called ex-girlfriends.I called my then ex-wife's ex-boyfriends for money.Like, like, I had no shame.Th- that'Cause they weren't giving me money.They were giving the campaign money.If you believe and share my values, support this campaign.And, and we won.We were outspent by three million dollars.We won by.6%.And, and, and then, by the way, when we won, we didn't just say, "Hey, we won."We s- then did the GI Bill that now 800,000 Americans are using the GI Bill.We did repeal the United States Hotel.We did all this 0And again, and I'm trying to get more veterans in the funnel to be going to politics because, you know, gosh, you and I talked about it.It used to be in Congress, 4 out of every 5 members of Congress were veterans.Now it's less than one out of every 5.Um, and to me, I, like, people are just so down on politics and political public service.And to be honest with you, they should be, right?But we need more veterans who are gonna put the country first because they have done it, shown that leadership ability to be part of that 1% that served.And we now need them to go serve, whether Democrat, Republican, Independent.We need more veterans to go answer the call to put our country back on the right track.Well, amigo, you certainly led from the front on that one as being the first of our generation of war fighters in Congress.Um, it's, it's when I first, uh, became aware of you and, and I couldn't be more proud to call you my friend.Uh, how do people follow what you're doing now?Yeah, I think social media is the best at @patrickmurphypa.Uh, you can subscribe to our Substack.We're about over 250,000 followers there, subscribers.It's free.Um, yeah, and LinkedIn.If people are listening, they can find me Patrick J.Murphy on LinkedIn.Uh, if you follow me and as long as it, there's a picture on there, I'll, I'll usually accept it.Uh, unless it's sketchy and, and, not in English and-I'm thinking like it could be a corporate spy.But as long it looks legit, I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll connect.Amazing, amazing.Um, all right.Well, Patrick, thank you so much for being here, for delivering a master class in what it means to be a servant leader, to lead from the front, um, to lead with inspiration and purpose.I, I couldn't be more grateful for both your friendship and for your knowledge.Uh, so thank you.Well, keep crushing, brother.Thanks for having me on.Hey, thanks again for locking in with us today.I hope this episode stimulated the old brain housing unit.Step one to becoming richer is becoming smarter, and I hope some of the lessons and ideas from today have sharpened your knife.As always, I hope you're taking notes, but more importantly, that you're taking action.Thanks again to Siebert.Vowar and Siebert Financial for the support.And remember, stay tactical, stay driven, and don't forget to bang that subscribe button.