This is something I have been thinking about for over a year. I talk with so many interesting people in this industry that I thought it was time I shared some of these conversations with Lend Academy readers. And I love listening to podcasts on my afternoon walks or while driving in the car.
What is a Podcast?
For the uninitiated a podcast is like a radio show but you don’t need an expensive recording studio to produce it. I recorded this podcast with a $100 microphone (the Blue Nessie) and some inexpensive software (Call Recorder for Skype). My whole setup cost less than $150.
Podcasts are typically a series, not just a one-off recording and that is certainly my intention with the Lend Academy Podcast. This will be a biweekly series, at least initially, where I will be bringing you interviews with interesting people in the p2p lending industry.
Session Number 1
In the first Lend Academy podcast I interview Michael Phillips, the founder of NickelSteamroller.com. If you are a serious p2p investor you will probably have spent some time on his site before – if you haven’t you should go there right now and do some research. It is the premier p2p lending statistics site for Lending Club investors and he has been slowly adding support for Prosper. But Nickel Steamroller has not had any major updates in a long time. Having said that, as Michael confirmed in this interview there are some big changes in the works. In this session you will learn:
- Michael Phillip’s background
- Why he decided to start Nickel Steamroller
- What he has been working on
- An interesting partnership he has recently formed
- Where Nickel Steamroller is going in 2014 and beyond
You can listen to this podcast directly on this page by clicking Play on the player at the bottom of this post or you can download it and listen on your favorite MP3 player. It will also be available in iTunes shortly.
[Update: The Lend Academy podcast is now available on iTunes as well as Stitcher. Stitcher has both iOS and Android apps for downloading and listening to the podcast on your phone.]
Who Should I Have Next on the Podcast?
While I have my own list of potential guests I think readers/listeners will find interesting I want to get your suggestions. Please give me feedback in the comments below or you can send me a message by using the Contact page (please put “Podcast Guest” in the subject line) to let me know who you would like to hear on the Podcast. You can nominate yourself if you like. And let me know what you think.
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Fascinating podcast Peter, and thank you to Michael for the interview and insight into NSR 2.0 and the future of his site and partnership with Prosper-Stats. Peter, you really did a great job, and the quality of the interview reflected your preparation. I am looking forward to your future podcasts.
A lot to be learned about P2P lending and the future just by seeing the upcoming updates in NSR over the course of the next year. I think the combining of the two platforms and adding the plug and play format for new P2P operators will be of great benefit, especially to those accredited investors who are allowed to invest in those companies. To that end I think Michael has a great opportunity to be quite successful as he and NSR can become the be-all, end-all site for those looking to manage their P2P lending accounts.
However, as the money goes, so does the lack of greater opportunity for the smaller, retail customers, which is of course, understandable. As is known to most, the scalability issue Michael spoke about is a big one, and thus the retail investor is limited as a result. As Michael develops NSR Premium and continues to make it available to those larger, institutional investors, one can wonder what tools will be available for retail consumers to keep pace with the “big boys”. This isn’t to say folks like Michael are to blame, as he is just trying to run a successful business!
Much like with current AQI at Prosper, I believe any automated investing feature Lending Club rolls out will be superseded by those investing with the API like at NSR, thus eliminating the majority of the benefits of automated investing in this manner. Such is the nature of the evolution in P2P lending.
Ultimately I am excited for the growth of NSR and the release of NSR 2.0 along with the partnership with Prosper-Stats. Any additional resources for research and analytics are welcome in the community.
I hear what you are saying. While it is exciting times for all of us involved in p2p lending the retail investor is being shut out from some of these advances. But sites like Interest Radar and BlueVestment are making services available to retail investors at a reasonable cost. And I see more efforts like these coming online.
I think 2014 will be a very interesting year. The landscape this time next year will look very different with plenty of options for both large and small investors.
Awesome! I’ve been waiting for a dedicated P2P podcast for a long time, very excited to see this launching!
I assume you have plans to get it on iTunes to make it easier to subscribe?
Yes, the iTunes setup is under review by Apple and I will update this post as soon as it has been approved.
I thoroughly enjoyed the podcast. I look forward to more. I have some questions.
1. Will people be able to submit / suggest questions? I think you do a great job overall with interview. However, I think the podcast is a good opportunity leverage the expertise in the community.
2. Could you have a podcast with experienced investors, particular those that use sell notes (Folio)? It would be helpful to me.
3. Could you have a podcast with Dan B, core, and NJ guy just the entertainment value?
Thanks for all you do for the community.
Thank you for mentioning my name first. Well, as long as the remuneration is agreeable, I don’t see any other obstacles to fulfilling your request.
Be happy to consider one of the three musketeers from the forum. Although, as I am sure Dan B realizes, there is no remuneration of any kind. Just the glory of spreading your message to the world….
Sorry, but my ego isn’t in need of that small amount of glory.
No remuneration = No work & No Entertainment.
Suit yourself.
And for the record, I never have and never will pay anyone to appear on the blog or the podcast. The same goes for receiving payment.
Well, we all receive payment &/or consideration for things we do in one way or another, don’t we Peter…………..If not for this, & if not directly, then for something else, & indirectly. Or perhaps it’s just me.
In 2010, I was invited to attend the African Cup soccer tournament in Angola. No yacht parties or cruises were provided but other parties & other “considerations” were. A thoroughly & I mean thoroughly first class experience was provided by the company that was one of the main tourney sponsors. Now, was that considered “payment/consideration”? I choose to believe it was.
No, I’m not interested being in the podcast in exchange for an Amtrak ticket to Denver & a cruise in your car when I get there. 🙂
“Suit yourself.” Or as my mother used to say, “Shoot yourself,” which might be appropriate in this case. Why is this rudeness necessary?
Longrun, I am not sure whether that was directed at me or Dan B. I certainly didn’t mean to be rude and I don’t think Dan did either.
Well I didn’t think it was possible, but I guess someone may actually have a narrower definition for what constitutes a “civil discourse” than you do Peter. 🙂
Hi Peter. Just got back to from Michigan and had a chance to listen. Great work. I learned a lot. Looking forward to more like this one.
Thanks Simon. Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving in MI.
Peter, my two cents for what it’s worth:
a. Your topic was timely and relevant. Good choice.
b. While entertaining, it was also informative – I was quite unaware NSR had so many projects and ideas in the pipeline. I think Michael’s growth plan is solid and definitely needed by this new industry and asset class.
c. The length of the podcast was appropriate – not too long, but long enough to thoroughly cover the subject at hand.
d. Downloading versus streaming was a big help.
e. Please consider registering your content with Stitcher Free Radio. Think of it as iTunes for Android devices. =) [Ok, I just read your update – Thanks!]
Solid start Peter. And NSR, I am excited about your announcements. Keep up the good work!
Hi Chris, Good to hear from you again. I can cover a lot more territory in a half hour podcast than I can with a blog post, so I am hoping to go a bit more in depth with these interviews. I appreciate your words of encouragement.
What a fantastic podcast. Really liked it. You have at least one fan from Denmark.
Thanks Andreas. Glad you liked it. Just getting ready to publish podcast #2 now.