All the Hacks: Money, Points & Life

#268: Learn why setting big goals might actually be holding you back and what to do instead. Chris and Anne-Laure explore how to replace goal-setting with tiny, low-risk experiments that lead to more growth, more joy, and less burnout.

Anne-Laure Le Cunff is a neuroscientist, writer, and founder of Ness Labs, a learning community at the intersection of science and self-development. She is the author of Tiny Experiments and publishes a weekly newsletter on mindful productivity, creativity, and growth.

Link to Full Show Notes: https://chrishutchins.com/tiny-experiments-anne-laure-le-cunff/

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For all the deals, discounts and promo codes from our partners, go to: ⁠chrishutchins.com/deals⁠

Resources Mentioned

Anne-Laure: Website | Newsletter | Instagram


Tiny Experiments


Ness Labs

ATH Podcast


Ep #256: The Easy Way to Build and Maintain Meaningful Relationships with Nick Gray


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Email for questions, hacks, deals, and feedback: [email protected]

Full Show Notes

(00:00) Introduction

(01:01) The Problem with Setting Big Goals

(02:42) When Goal Setting Becomes Counterproductive

(03:41) Why Tiny Experiments Beat Goals

(06:07) The Missing Ingredients That Make Experiments Actually Work

(08:29) How an Experimental Mindset Rewires Your Brain

(10:11) How Anne-Laure Adopted an Experimental Mindset

(13:38) What Happened When Anne-Laure Redefined Success

(16:29) How to Run a Tiny Experiment

(18:22) Real-World Examples You Can Try Immediately

(20:10) Why Smaller Is Always Better When Starting Out

(22:28) How to Experiment Without Burning Out

(25:05) Tracking Both External Results and Internal Signals

(30:10) The Simple Weekly Review That Keeps Experiments on Track

(32:18) Balancing Experimentation With Actually Living Your Life

(35:45) Applying Experimentation to Financial Security

(39:33) The Real Reason We Over-Optimize

(42:15) When Optimizing Is Actually the Right Move

(46:09) Balancing Excitement With Long-Term Priorities

(50:12) Measuring Time Differently

(52:20) Simple Rituals for Getting Present

(53:25) Why Experimenting Publicly Accelerates Growth

(57:26) How to Run Your Very First Experiment

(59:26) Where to Find Anne-Laure and Her Work

Connect with Chris

⁠Newsletter⁠ | ⁠Membership⁠ | ⁠X⁠ | ⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠LinkedIn⁠

Editor’s Note: The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of our partner offers may have expired. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
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#267: Chris reviews his credit card lineup for 2026, sharing which cards he's keeping and canceling and why. He also covers how to evaluate annual fees, the best cards across major spending categories, and the apps he uses to stay on top of it all.

Link to Full Show Notes: https://chrishutchins.com/whats-in-my-wallet-2026/

Link to Cards Mentioned: https://chrishutchins.com/blog/whats-in-my-wallet-for-2026/

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For all the deals, discounts and promo codes from our partners, go to: chrishutchins.com/deals

Resources Mentioned

CardTool App (Free access here)

⁠Credit Card Holder Wallet⁠

1Password

Blog Posts

Premium Card Worksheet

How to maximize your Hilton cards

6 reasons to avoid booking through an online travel agency

Existing Bank of America relationship customers to keep status longer

Credit Card Trackers


CardPointers Pro (30% off here and 50% off here)

CardRight

Travel Freely

ATH Podcast

Best Cards Page

CardTool App

Membership

Chris’s Card Optimization Spreadsheet

AMA: Submit A Question

Leave a review: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Email for questions, hacks, deals, and feedback: [email protected]

Full Show Notes

(00:00) Introduction

(02:42) 3 Key Reasons to Get A Credit Card

(05:23) Chris' Credit Card Goals for 2026

(08:31) Evaluating The Net Annual Fee of A Card

(12:56) The Amex Card Stack

(23:19) Co-Branded Marriott Cards

(25:32) Co-Branded Hilton Cards

(27:00) Co-Branded Delta Cards

(28:12) The Amex Blue Card

(30:34) A Popular Bank's Cards

(33:10) World of Hyatt Business Card

(33:30) Co-Branded Southwest & United Cards

(40:41) More Cards From The Popular Bank

(42:11) Capital One Venture Cards

(45:17) Bank of America Card Stack

(51:09) Alaska Atmos Cards

(53:24) US Bank Cards

(55:22) Citi Bank Cards

(56:56) Wells Fargo Autograph Card

(57:43) The Bilt Palladium Card

(59:25) Assessing The Major Spending Categories

(01:06:32) Cards for Amazon & Costco

(01:07:13) The Best "Everything Else" Card

(01:08:47) Chris's Takeaway on Credit Card Spending Categories

(01:09:26) The Best Card Combos

(01:13:00) Credit Card Trackers

Connect with Chris

Newsletter | Membership | X | Instagram | LinkedIn

Editor’s Note: The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of our partner offers may have expired. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
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#266: Chris and Maya break down the science-backed tools that make change easier and more intentional. They explore why most people misunderstand change, how to anchor your identity to your deeper “why,” and practical tools to break out of rumination and navigate uncertainty.

Maya Shankar is the bestselling author of The Other Side of Change, and hosts the podcast A Slight Change of Plans. She previously served as a Senior Advisor in the Obama White House, where she founded and led the White House Behavioral Science Team.

Link to Full Show Notes: https://chrishutchins.com/navigating-change-maya-shankar

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Thrive Market: 30% off your first order of organic groceries + a free $60 gift

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Bilt Rewards: Earn the most valuable points when you pay rent

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Fabric: Affordable term life insurance for you and your family

For all the deals, discounts and promo codes from our partners, go to: chrishutchins.com/deals

Resources Mentioned

Maya: Website | Instagram

Book: The Other Side of Change

Podcast: A Slight Change of Plans

Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away by Annie Duke

Deep Personality Assessment

ATH Podcast

Ep #81: Making Smarter Decisions and Knowing When to Walk Away with Annie Duke

Ep #265: I Built an AI Assistant That Works While I Sleep

Leave a review: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Email for questions, hacks, deals, and feedback: [email protected]

Full Show Notes

(00:00) Introduction

(00:38) What People Get Wrong About Change

(05:14) The Antidote That Makes Change Easier

(12:11) Past Change vs. Intentional Change

(16:02) Maximisers vs. Satisficers

(19:10) Anchor Your Identity to Your Why

(23:15) How to Discover Your Why

(25:03) Navigating Change With a Very Different Partner

(29:17) Breaking the Rumination Cycle

(29:58) Mental Time Travel

(31:55) Affect Labeling

(32:39) Tools for Better Self-Understanding

(36:01) AI as a Conversational Partner

(39:43) Tactics For Thinking Through Big Changes

(42:01) Moral Elevation

(43:36) Why Reading Fiction Matters

(44:29) Repurposing Your Experience

(45:34) The First Step When Everything Changes

(47:31) Where to Find More From Maya

Connect with Chris

Newsletter | Membership | X | Instagram | LinkedIn

Editor’s Note: The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of our partner offers may have expired. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
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#265: Chris explores how modern AI tools have eliminated the barriers to building software, why planning matters more than coding skill, how anyone can turn a simple problem into a working app faster and cheaper than ever before, and how he built a personal AI assistant that's already started to run his life behind the scenes.

Link to Full Show Notes: https://chrishutchins.com/how-to-build-with-ai-tools

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For all the deals, discounts and promo codes from our partners, go to: chrishutchins.com/deals

Resources Mentioned

AI Models & Assistants

ChatGPT

OpenClaw

Gemini

Claude

AI Coding & Building Tools

Replit

Lovable

Cursor

Codex

Productivity & Automation Tools

Wispr Flow

Zapier

Nimble Links

Tampermonkey

Developer Infrastructure

Clerk

Supabase

GitHub

FinTech: Plaid

How to Run OpenClaw as your Virtual EA

Blogs

Doctor of Credit

Frequent Miler

The Points Guy

Deep Personality

Credit Cards

American Express® Gold Card

Citi Strata Elite℠ Card

Citi Strata Premier℠ Card

Bilt 2.0

ATH Podcast

Ep #263: How to Earn Millions of Points and More Listener Q&A

Chris’ Card Optimizer Tool

Ask Chris Anything!

Leave a review: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Email for questions, hacks, deals, and feedback: [email protected]

Full Show Notes

(00:00) Introduction

(01:41) Why This Is the Best Time Ever to Build Software

(04:14) How to Build Almost Anything with AI

(13:53) Why Context Is the Real Superpower

(15:58) Using Planning Mode Instead of Guessing

(16:41) Which AI Tool Should You Start With?

(17:53) Building a Real Credit Card Optimizer from Scratch

(28:48) What It Actually Costs to Build with AI

(32:38) The Real AI Learning Curve

(33:38) Moving from Cursor to Claude Code

(36:17) Why You Should Try Building Something (Even If You're Not a Coder)

(37:00) How OpenClaw Changes the Game

(38:57) Why Security Still Matters

(42:25) A Conversation with Ted, Chris' AI Assistant

(44:07) Letting AI Work While You Sleep

(49:41) Learning to Be Clear, Specific, and Intentional

(50:03) Start with a Real Problem

(50:39) Breaking Projects into Small, Winnable Pieces

(50:58) What Would You Build If Building Were Easy?

(51:59) Keeping Track of Cost and Budget

Connect with Chris

Newsletter | Membership | X | Instagram | LinkedIn

Editor’s Note: The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of our partner offers may have expired. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
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#264: Learn how the Bilt ecosystem works, from earning Bilt Rewards to the new cards, transfer partners, perks, and where the real value is. Whether you’re new or already earning, this is a practical guide to using Bilt strategically and avoiding common mistakes.

Link to Full Show Notes: https://chrishutchins.com/bilt-ecosystem-explained

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Wispr Flow: Try effortless voice dictation for free

For all the deals, discounts and promo codes from our partners, go to: chrishutchins.com/deals

Resources Mentioned

Bilt 2.0

Bilt Blue Card (Rates and fees here)

Bilt Obsidian Card (Rates and fees here)

Bilt Palladium Card (Rates and fees here)

Bilt Cash

Bilt Travel Portal

Bilt Dining

Bilt Home Design Collection

Complimentary BLADE airport flight

Mastercard World Elite Benefits Guide

Award Search Tools

Award Wallet


point.me (20% off annual plans with code ALLTHEHACKS20)

Gopuff

BevMo!

Rakuten ($50 bonus here)

Robinhood Gold Card

Frequent Miler Article: Bilt Housing Payments

ATH Podcast

Luxury Hotel Upgrade Program

Ask Chris Anything!

Leave a review: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Email for questions, hacks, deals, and feedback: [email protected]

Full Show Notes

(00:00) Introduction

(02:28) What Makes Bilt Rewards Different

(07:03) How to Earn Bilt Points Without a Credit Card

(13:52) Referral Bonuses and Earning Limits

(14:17) How Rent and Mortgage Payments Work

(16:06) Earning Through the Bilt Neighborhood Network

(17:16) Earning Without a Card: The Real Tradeoffs

(17:46) How Bilt Point Redemptions Actually Work

(21:39) Transfer Partners and When Bonuses Matter

(24:18) How Bilt Status and Elite Tiers Work

(25:32) What Each Bilt Status Level Unlocks

(31:49) A Major Caveat With the New Bilt Cards

(34:36) Breaking Down the Current Bilt Card Lineup

(35:33) Bilt Blue Card

(37:34) Bilt Obsidian Card

(41:19) Bilt Palladium Card

(48:59) Housing Payments and What Changed

(50:16) Earning Based on Billing-Cycle Spend

(55:18) The Original Fee-Free Model

(59:26) Cash-Out and Statement Credit Options

(01:08:44) Simplifying the New Bilt Choices

(01:14:21) The Bilt Silver Lining

Connect with Chris

Newsletter | Membership | X | Instagram | LinkedIn

Editor’s Note: The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of our partner offers may have expired. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices