The Family Reserve

Joe DiGiulio talks with estate planning attorney Shilpa Bahtt about California probate, revocable living trusts, business succession, and considerations for higher-net-worth families.

The Kobe Bryant autograph market has become predatory, with eBay flooded by forged signatures, duplicated holograms, and even fake authentication numbers that verify as legitimate in official systems. In this solo episode of Collect and Connect, Ben Beeri breaks down how to spot authentic Kobe pieces, walking through a framed 8x10 Upper Deck authenticated photo numbered 38 out of 80 and explaining how Kobe's signature evolved from the fuller "Kobe BYT" style early in his career to the simple "Kobe" during his Upper Deck exclusive years, then back to a full-name signature during his Panini era. The host shares a personal story of getting a "KB" initial autograph on a jersey from Kobe himself at a Las Vegas hotel in 2008 during Team USA, and warns that since Kobe's passing in 2020, no new authentic signatures are entering the market. Key authentication topics covered include PSA, JSA, Beckett, and Upper Deck holograms, the difference between old square PSA holograms and the newer oval ones, and how grading companies score autographs on a 10-point scale based on streaking and ink retention. The episode is essential listening for sports memorabilia collectors, NBA autograph buyers, and anyone navigating authentication in the trading card and signed collectibles hobby.

Joe DiGiulio walks through how indexed universal life insurance policies work, including the mechanics of market-linked crediting, caps and floors, and the features an owner may want to review with an in-force illustration.

Born with sick sinus syndrome bradycardia and implanted with a pacemaker at age 12, Hans Karl Brusehaff has lived connected to a machine since 1999 — and now faces a cardiology surgery in three months with a lead that has "three months left of life on it." In this conversation with host Ben Beeri, he traces twenty-three years of chronic back pain that began with a broken spine in a 2003 boxing match, overcoming an opioid addiction, a six-week fasting and mushroom retreat in the Sierra Nevadas, and the collapse of his Waikiki frozen yogurt shop Hula Swirl — the moment he laid down in the spilled yogurt and started laughing. He unpacks how he founded the Purpose Circle men's group in Laguna Beach in 2022 with Ori Israel, why he's writing a book titled Build While Broken before surgery, and his vision for a nonprofit supporting men through no-interest loans and medical grants. The episode explores masculinity, men's mental health, chronic pain recovery, entrepreneurship, and the practice of surrender — with Brusehaff landing on a working philosophy: "be humble or be humbled," and let five-year-old you lead the way.

Joe DiGiulio talks through why permanent life insurance policies can drift from what a policyholder originally expected, and what a periodic policy review actually looks at.

Joe DiGiulio talks about getting organized with money, building a savings foundation, forming a monthly discipline, and drawing a parallel between financial fundamentals and the footwork basics he learned as a tennis player.

Joe DiGiulio discusses whole life insurance and how some families think about it beyond the death benefit — including cash value, dividends, access to capital, and the concept of overfunding a policy.

Joe DiGiulio discusses personal pension plans as an option alongside a 401(k), and how they can be structured to provide an income stream in retirement.

Joe DiGiulio discusses asset-based long-term care as an alternative to traditional long-term care insurance, and the "use it, use it, or use it" concept behind it.

Joe DiGiulio discusses the distribution side of retirement planning and the questions that can come up when a 401(k) shifts from a savings account into a source of income.