The Banking Secret Billionaires Don’t Want You to Know
What if I told you there's a financial strategy that wealthy families have used for over 100 years to never pay interest to banks again?
A strategy so powerful that it allows you to become your own banker, recapture every dollar you've ever paid in interest, and build wealth while maintaining complete liquidity?
That's exactly what Chris Naugle revealed in our latest Finding Peak conversation—and his journey to discovering this "Be Your Own Bank" strategy is as compelling as the concept itself.
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Connect with Chris Naugle
Website: https://www.chrisnaugle.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thechrisnaugle/
From Rock Bottom to Financial Freedom
Chris's story begins as a broke snowboarder from Buffalo with a dream that everyone told him was impossible. But one pivotal encounter with a pro rider from his hometown changed everything: "If Blair could do it from Buffalo, then I could do it too."
To fund his snowboarding career, Chris started a clothing company at 16. But the real entrepreneurial awakening came when a shop owner casually said, "I own the place, so I can close the place," before leaving for an impromptu snowboard session. That moment crystallized the ultimate entrepreneurial freedom—being in control of your own time and decisions.
Chris built his retail empire, survived the 9/11 recession, ventured into real estate, and then got crushed by the 2008 financial crisis. At his lowest point, he admits: "Sometimes I thought maybe I'd turn my truck into a tree while driving 60 miles an hour."
But it was during this darkest period that he discovered the strategy that would change his life forever.
The Cheesecake Factory Revelation
While snowboarding in Utah, Chris met with a wealthy client who casually mentioned lending money from his "private banking system." As a financial advisor, Chris assumed the man owned a bank.
"No," the client explained, "I don't own a bank. I mimicked what banks do. I copied what banks do and I do it as my own banker."
The secret? A specially designed whole life insurance policy that functions as a private bank.
How "Be Your Own Bank" Actually Works
Here's the mind-bending reality: Banks make 400-1300% more on your money than you do. When you deposit $1,000 earning 3% interest, they lend it out at 6-8%, keeping the spread as pure profit.
The "Be Your Own Bank" strategy flips this dynamic by using whole life insurance as your financial foundation:
The Setup:
Specially designed whole life policies from mutually owned insurance companies
Guaranteed returns of 5.5-6.4% (currently) that never fluctuate with market conditions
Tax-free growth and protection from lawsuits
Immediate liquidity within 30 days
The Magic: When you need money, you don't withdraw from your policy. Instead, you borrow against your death benefit from the insurance company. Your original cash value remains untouched, continuing to earn compound interest.
You've essentially become your own banker—borrowing from yourself and paying yourself back, recapturing all the interest you would have paid to traditional banks.
The Debt Elimination Strategy
Here's a practical example: Say you owe $5,000 on a credit card at 20% interest, paying $200 monthly. Instead of continuing this cycle:
Build $5,000 in your whole life policy
Borrow $5,000 from the insurance company (using your death benefit)
Pay off the credit card completely
Pay yourself the same $200 monthly you were paying the bank
Your original $5,000 continues earning 5.5-6% while you recapture the 20% interest
You've guaranteed yourself a 20% return by eliminating that debt while maintaining liquidity and growth on your original capital.
Key Insights for Peak Performers
On Resilience: Chris's journey through multiple business failures demonstrates that setbacks aren't endings—they're setups for greater success. Each failure taught him crucial lessons about working on his business rather than in it.
On Conventional Wisdom: "The biggest lie you've ever been taught is that the only way to have money is to trade your time for it." Wealthy families operate under completely different financial rules than what we're taught.
On Control: Traditional banking keeps you dependent on their decisions and timelines. The BYOB strategy puts you in complete control of your financial destiny.
Actionable Steps You Can Take Today
Calculate Your Interest Payments: Add up everything you pay in interest annually—credit cards, car loans, mortgages. This number represents your potential return by becoming your own banker.
Research Mutually Owned Insurance Companies: Not all life insurance is created equal. You need companies that specialize in high cash value policy design.
Shift Your Savings Strategy: Instead of accumulating money in low-yield bank accounts, consider policies that offer guaranteed returns with liquidity.
Think Like a Wealthy Family: Study how generational wealth is built and maintained. It's rarely through traditional investment advice.
The Bigger Picture
This conversation represents more than financial strategy—it's about challenging fundamental assumptions about how money works.
Chris's transformation from a broke snowboarder to the #1 educator in infinite banking proves that with the right knowledge and resilience, anyone can rewrite their financial story.
The wealthy have used these strategies for centuries while the rest of us were taught to be good employees and customers of the banking system. The question isn't whether this strategy works—it's whether you're ready to think differently about money.
As Chris learned from that shop owner decades ago: when you own the place, you can close the place. When you become your own banker, you control your financial destiny.
The tools for financial freedom have always been available.
The question is: are you ready to use them?
This is the way.
Hanley