Moneywise

Nearly half of 250 founders pay someone on their team more than they pay themselves.We're still surprised people did this but... 50+ founders worth $10M to $4B reveal their personal finances. Here it is: https://joinhampton.com/mw-wrWhy do we do this? Because if you're an aspirational person or someone who runs a business and is making money, it's incredibly challenging to figure out what to do. Information is impossible to find — and that's what we put together: the net worth reveal and why we do this podcast, Moneywise.In late August 2026, Hampton anonymously surveyed 250 founders and CEOs about what they actually take home. Founder salaries turn out to look pretty normal even when the companies don't: about $150K below $10M in revenue and about $400K at $30–50M. Fifteen founders reported a $0 salary, and six of those took at least $500K on top of it.Daniel walks through the split between bootstrapped and venture-backed founders, where 39% of bootstrapped founders took $500K+ in additional compensation and not one venture-backed founder reported more than $300K. He covers the IRS rules that make the "tiny salary, big distributions" advice risky, the compensation that never shows up on payroll (credit card points, vehicles, real estate), and what senior teams get paid. The episode closes on why being personally broke changes the decisions you make for your company, plus a three-question exercise to check your own pay.Also, this podcast is made by Hampton, which is a community for founders doing on average $20 million a year in revenue. We saw a lot of these money conversations happening privately behind closed doors and we thought, "What the heck, let's make it public." If you are a founder, apply here: http://joinhampton.com/mwTimestamps:00:00 — Founders know their revenue cold and go quiet about take-home, so Hampton asked 250 of them anonymously00:42 — How to read the data: 296 records, 250 complete, answers in ranges, and who qualifies for Hampton02:03 — Founder salaries stay "normal": about $150K under $10M in revenue, about $400K at $30–50M02:25 — About 47% pay at least one functional leader more than their own base salary03:12 — The "founder discount" research, and Josh Payne's climb from $0 to $250K before selling StackCommerce for about $80M04:12 — 15 founders report a $0 salary, and six of them take $500K+ in additional compensation04:50 — Bootstrapped vs. venture-backed: 39% of bootstrapped founders at $500K+, zero VC-backed founders above $300K05:47 — What VC-backed CEOs earn by stage: "the paycheck is really only half the bet"06:40 — Why "tiny salary, big distributions" is bad advice, and the accountant who paid himself $24K and lost to the IRS07:55 — How a low salary caps your retirement contributions: "boring is really good when the alternative is explaining your creativity to the IRS"08:52 — The comp nobody counts: a third of founders mention credit card points, plus vehicles and real estate10:15 — Senior team pay: sales leaders earn the most, HR the least10:43 — Company-wide bonuses: 5% of companies under $1M in revenue, 44% above it11:08 — "Equity isn't a coupon code for underpaying someone," and what happens when employees see coworkers' salaries12:35 — What are you optimizing for? "I own a lot of equity" is not the same as "I am financially secure"13:38 — The sugarcane farmer study on money stress, and Andrew Wilkinson's case for paying yourself well early14:43 — The exercise: add up everything you took last year, then ask three questionsSponsors: - Silvia, your personal AI CFO. Bring your investments, cash, property, and debt into one view and get answers built around your finances, your family, and creating generational wealth. https://www.cfosilvia.com/moneywise- Daily Body Coach - achieve your dream body with https://moneywise.dailybodycoach.comSubscribe to Moneywise: https://www.youtube.com/@themoneywisepodcastFollow Daniel on X: https://x.com/danielcberkListen on Spotify / Apple Podcasts: [search "Moneywise Hampton"]

We're still surprised people did this but... 50+ founders worth $10M to $4B reveal their personal finances. Here it is: https://joinhampton.com/mw-wrWhy do we do this? Because if you're an aspirational person or someone who runs a business and is making money, it's incredibly challenging to figure out what to do. Information is impossible to find — and that's what we put together: the net worth reveal and why we do this podcast, Moneywise.He took a second mortgage to keep WatchMojo alive. Today he's worth over $100M and is trying to buy a baseball team.Ashkan Karbasfrooshan is the founder and CEO of WatchMojo, one of the largest media companies ever built on YouTube. He started it in 2006 with a $282,500 check from the AskMen sale, racked up roughly $1M in losses by 2011, sold his retirement savings, took a second mortgage, and paid himself $32,000 a year for the first five years. Then the top-10 format hit, revenue went from $1M to $10M+ in a few years with EBITDA margins as high as 80%, and he turned down offers at $75M, $80M, and $90M valuations. In 2020 he sold 25% to Star Mountain Capital at a $90M CAD valuation. He still owns most of the company, and puts his net worth between $100M and $250M.This episode gets into what it's like to sign a second mortgage at a notary with no idea if you'll end up homeless, why he moved payroll to twice a month just to have two fewer panic attacks a year, the real reason he walked away from an $80M offer (it wasn't greed), and how saying yes to everything cut his EBITDA in half. We also go deep on how he actually invests now — $5M across 15 startups, two-thirds of his stock portfolio self-managed — why he still takes the $40-cheaper flight, and his current mission to bring the Montreal Expos back to MLB.Also, this podcast is made by Hampton, which is a community for founders doing on average $20 million a year in revenue. We saw a lot of these money conversations happening privately behind closed doors and we thought, "What the heck, let's make it public." If you are a founder, apply here: http://joinhampton.com/mwTimestamps:00:00 — Ash's background: born in Iran, raised in Montreal, and why "the self-made man is a myth"02:50 — 31 jobs and the reluctant entrepreneur: "Wall Street is not rolling out the carpet for anybody named Ashkan"07:03 — The AskMen exit: a $282,500 check at 27, plus ~$150K when News Corp bought IGN09:18 — Why he bet on YouTube in 2006: "You don't go to war with the army you want, you go to war with the army you have"14:23 — The dark years: $1M in losses, selling his RRSPs, and the second mortgage16:14 — "I made payroll twice a month instead of every two weeks because I wanted 24 anxiety incidences, not 26"18:24 — Being early vs. being too early (and the Quibi problem)20:37 — The hockey stick: $1M → $3M → $5M → $10M revenue, 67-80% EBITDA margins23:25 — Paying himself $32K a year for the first five years24:59 — The 2012 offer he almost took ($3.5M + earn-out) and why he was relieved it fell through28:32 — Turning down $75M, $80M, and $90M valuations in 201730:36 — "I was like a drunk sailor at a bar saying yes to everything" — EBITDA falls by half31:39 — Why walking away wasn't greed: the call-option trap he saw coming32:58 — The 2020 deal: selling 25% to Star Mountain Capital at $90M CAD37:54 — Net worth reveal: "anywhere from 100 to 250 million"39:03 — Monthly spend, paying off the house, and $5M into 15 startups43:37 — Was the deal life-changing? "More mindset changing than life changing"44:34 — What he never shares about money45:34 — The Montreal Expos comeback plan: "It's not impossible, it's improbable"Sponsors: Daily Body Coach - achieve your dream body with https://moneywise.dailybodycoach.comSubscribe to Moneywise: https://www.youtube.com/@themoneywisepodcastFollow Daniel on X: https://x.com/danielcberkListen on Spotify / Apple Podcasts: [search "Moneywise Hampton"]

We're still surprised people did this but... 50+ founders worth $10M to $4B reveal their personal finances. Here it is: https://joinhampton.com/mw-wrWhy do we do this? Because if you're an aspirational person or someone who runs a business and is making money, it's incredibly challenging to figure out what to do. Information is impossible to find — and that's what we put together: the net worth reveal and why we do this podcast, Moneywise.I asked 40 millionaires their biggest regret. One answer was just two words: "withholding love."This episode started with a simple survey: 40 millionaires, one question — what's your biggest regret? The answers ranged from $22K a year dumped into life insurance instead of Bitcoin ($11M of upside gone) to hundreds of bitcoins sold at $300 to make payroll. But cross-referenced against 100+ Moneywise conversations, every answer collapsed into just three regrets: I can see the life I almost had. I didn't become the person I thought I could become. I thought I had more time.Then it gets into the science. Why bronze medalists look happier than silver medalists. Why finance is only 2.5% of most people's regrets but dominated this survey. Why the person you never became can bother you longer than any mistake you actually made. Why an $80M exit sent one founder to rock bottom. And a three-question Regret Test to figure out whether your regret is still useful — or just expensive entertainment.Also, this podcast is made by Hampton, which is a community for founders doing on average $20 million a year in revenue. We saw a lot of these money conversations happening privately behind closed doors and we thought, "What the heck, let's make it public." If you are a founder, apply here: http://joinhampton.com/mwTimestamps:00:00 — The survey: 40 millionaires, one question, and the answers that looked completely random01:02 — Every regret collapses into three buckets01:24 — Regret vs. disappointment: why regret needs an alternate reality02:25 — The brain science: patients with orbitofrontal damage don't feel regret03:14 — Your brain uses regret to change future decisions before you make them04:02 — Bucket 1: "I can see the life I almost had" — "the stock market is basically a regret calculator"05:23 — The Olympic study: why bronze medalists look happier than silver medalists06:27 — Finance is only 2.5% of most people's regrets — so why was this survey drowning in them?07:36 — The Opportunity Principle: agency creates regret, and rich people have had a lot of agency08:25 — Bucket 2: "I didn't become the person I thought I could become"09:08 — Ought self vs. ideal self — and why ideal-self regrets never get closure10:26 — "The unlived version of you never has a bad quarter"11:02 — The famous "you'll regret what you didn't do" stat — and the 2,600-person study that broke it13:04 — The 23-year-old already in the "never enough stage," and the moving goalposts from $10M to $1B13:56 — Bucket 3: "I thought I had more time" — kids, health, and the $80M founder who hit rock bottom14:52 — Why priorities flip when time feels scarce (and Daniel's midlife crisis at 30)16:13 — When to engage with a regret and when to let it go — what the research on older adults found17:21 — The Harvard study: relationships at 50 predicted health at 80 better than cholesterol19:45 — The Regret Test: three questions to ask about your biggest regret20:44 — "Regret in 4K": why money doesn't eliminate regret — it makes it higher resolutionSponsors: Daily Body Coach - achieve your dream body with https://moneywise.dailybodycoach.comSubscribe to Moneywise: https://www.youtube.com/@themoneywisepodcastFollow Daniel on X: https://x.com/danielcberkListen on Spotify / Apple Podcasts: [search "Moneywise Hampton"]