Best Of: Weighing The Opportunity Cost of Your Financial Decisions with Jim and Nick

In this episode, Jim Oliver and cohost Nick Kosko explore how the principle of Economic Value Added (EVA), widely used by corporations, can be applied to personal finance. They challenge conventional financial advice, specifically addressing the hidden cost of capital and its implications for wealth-building strategies like Infinite Banking.

Key Takeaways:

• Understanding EVA: EVA is calculated using three components—Net Operating Profit After Tax (NOPAT), cost of capital, and capital employed—and helps determine whether an enterprise is generating true value.

• Your Family is a Business: Just like a corporation, your household economy should account for the cost of capital to ensure efficient use of resources and long-term wealth accumulation.

• Lost Opportunity Cost: Paying with cash may seem simple, but it often ignores the potential returns that capital could have generated if deployed differently, leading to underestimated financial losses.

Jim and Nick make the case that applying corporate finance principles like EVA to your personal finances isn’t just possible—it’s essential. By recognizing your family as an economic entity and accounting for the true cost of capital, you can make more informed decisions that align with long-term wealth creation. 

The key isn’t just about how much money you make, but how efficiently you deploy and grow that capital over time.