Dec. 9, 2025

Beat Wall Street at Its Own Game | Robert Rolih on Investing Smart, Avoiding Fees, and Building Real Wealth

Beat Wall Street at Its Own Game | Robert Rolih on Investing Smart, Avoiding Fees, and Building Real Wealth

Most people invest their money trusting “financial experts” who profit whether you win or lose. Hidden fees, poor advice, and overcomplicated portfolios quietly steal your wealth—often costing you millions over a lifetime.

The financial industry isn’t built for your success—it’s built for theirs. You work hard for your money, yet your investments might be draining you through unnecessary fees, misaligned strategies, and short-term hype that destroy long-term gains.

In this episode, Jeff Kikel sits down with Robert Rolih, international investing educator and author of The Million Dollar Decision, to reveal how everyday investors can outperform Wall Street without gambling or day trading. Robert shares his journey from losing his life savings to building a global investing platform that helps people minimize fees, focus on long-term strategy, and achieve financial freedom.

Key Takeaways:

• How Robert went from losing his savings to becoming a global investing mentor.

• Why small fees lead to big losses—and how to stop them from stealing your future.

• The difference between money-making skills and investing skills—and why you need both.

• Why mastering sales, marketing, and negotiation is key to growing your income.

• How ETFs beat most managed funds over the long term.

• The importance of understanding your investments before you invest.

• Why “get-rich-quick” thinking leads to disaster—and how patience wins every time.

• How to avoid scams, bubbles, and media-driven investment hype.

• Why Bitcoin and gold require timing and discipline—not emotion.

• How true financial freedom gives you peace of mind and time freedom.

About the Guest:

Robert Rolih is the international bestselling author of The Million Dollar Decision, a book that has been translated into several languages and featured worldwide. His mission is to expose what the financial industry doesn’t want you to know about investing and to empower everyday people to achieve superior long-term results. Robert has helped more than 7,000 investors in 73 countries simplify their investing approach, reduce risk, and build wealth with confidence.

Links:

https://robertrolih.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-rolih-685a6893/

https://www.facebook.com/robert.rolih

Fast Five Questions:

1. If you woke up and your business was gone, you have $500, a laptop, a place to live, and food, what would you do first? “I’d start building my personal brand around a niche. Today, it’s all about authority—writing a book, building a following, and becoming known as the expert people trust.”

2. What is the biggest mistake that you have made in business? “Starting a printer supplies business just because it looked profitable. I hated it. Never go into a business for money alone—go in because you can solve a real problem.”

3. What is a book that you would recommend? “Key Person of Influence by Daniel Priestley. It’s the best guide to building your personal brand and becoming the go-to expert in your field.”

4. What is a tool that you use every day that you would recommend? “ChatGPT, Grok, Gemini—all of them. As a non-native English speaker, they’re my co-writers, editors, and idea generators. It’s been revolutionary for me.”

5. What is your definition of freedom? “Peace of mind and time freedom. Knowing I don’t have to worry about money and can do what I want, when I want, with whoever I want—that’s true freedom.”

About Jeff:

Jeff spent the early part of his career working for others. Jeff had started 5 businesses that failed before he had his first success. Since that time he has learned the principles of a successful business and has been able to build and grow multiple seven-figure businesses. Jeff lives in the Austin area and is actively working in his community and supporting the growth of small businesses. He is a board member of the Incubator.Edu program at Vista Ridge High School and is on the board of directors of the Leander Educational Excellence Foundation

Connect with the Freedom Nation podcast at https://freedom-nation-podcast.captivate.fm/

Connect with Jeff:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freedomnationpodcast/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffKikel

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffkikel/

Thanks for listening!

Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page.

Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!

Subscribe to the podcast

If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app.

Leave us an Apple Podcasts review

Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.