The Best One Yet - ⚪ “Zynfluencers” — Zyn’s tobacco off-ramp/on-ramp. Nespresso’s latte test drive. Your retirement fund’s emergency ATM

Episode Date: July 17, 2024

Zyn’s smoke-free nicotine pouches are surging like Juul 2.0… but is it a tobacco on-ramp or off-ramp?Nespresso is opening up theme-park style experiential stores… because even lattes need a test drive.Need $1,000 now?... Well, the IRS will now let you get that money from your retirement fund.Plus, the latest Airbnb destination is… the US Forest Service Watchtowers (FYI, here’s a booking link for ya: https://shorturl.at/w1hAj)$PM $NSRGY $SPYSubscribe to our Saturday Newsletter: tboypod.com/newsletter  Watch us on YouTube Submit Facts & Shoutouts Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn (Nick) & LinkedIn (Jack)About Us: From the creators of Robinhood Snacks Daily, The Best One Yet (TBOY) is the daily pop-biz news show making today’s top stories your business. 20 minutes on the 3 business, economics, and finance stories you need, with fresh takes you can pretend you came up with — Pairs perfectly with your morning oatmeal ritual. Hosted by Jack Crivici-Kramer & Nick Martell.0:00 - intro01:!3 - Wildfire Lookout Tower!04:05 - Zyn’s tobacco off-ramp/on-ramp08:43 - Nespresso’s latte test drive14:08 - Your retirement fund’s emergency ATM18:54 - Takeaways19:35 - OTHER NEWS!20:51 - Best Fact Yet22:09 - Shout Outs Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is Nick, this is Jack. It's Wednesday, Solicere Wednesday, July 17th. And today's pod is the best one yet. This is a T-boy. The top three pop business news stories you need to know today. Yeties, you're looking fantastic. Jack, you are glowing over there. What do you think?

Should us hit today's pod, man? For our first story, Zin's smoke-free nicotine pouches are surging like Jule 2.0. But here's the big question, besties. Is Zin a tobacco on ramp or is Zin a tobacco off-ramp? We went to a fraternity party and a sorority party to find out how. For our second store, Nisbroso, just opened their first immersive coffee store. You ready for what's in your next? Hit me, Jack, what do we got?

A coffee theater and a caffeine adventure park. Yadies, Nespresso is going full Disney on the decaffeinated because even lattes need a test drive. For our third and final story, what if you could treat your retirement fund like an emergency ATM machine? Jack, I like the sound of that. Please tell more. Well, the IRS just made that possible for everyone. Yeah, that is now a thing, and Jack and I will tell you all about it. But yet, ladies, before we hit that wonderful mix of stories. Wild mix of stories and insane intro.

We're just flowing right now, baby. You are giving it, Jack. I love it. First, we told you about the Barbie Malibu Dream House. Then we told you about Gwynnie Paltrow's Goop Pool House. But we have another Airbnb alert. Ding, ding, ding, what do we got, Jack? What do we got to say?

How would you like a million dollar view for a night for you? just a hundred bucks. Not too shabby. I'll bite. What are we talking about? Well, now you can. By renting out, get this, a wildfire lookout tower. We repeat, wildfire lookout tower. That is 100 feet in the air, 360-degree views all on a mountain top. Right now, you can stay in a retired forest fire watchtower out in the woods somewhere. And then in the morning, you wake up like your queen of the forest. Can I sprinkle on some context next? Jack, I'd love for you to spring along context. After the 1910s, when there were a bunch of forest fires, the Forest Service built 5,000 watchtowers to be manned by people for like 24-hour shifts. And their job? Watch like John Snow. If you see a wildfire, you call out wildfire. And this

has got to be the most patient profession on earth. Your job is to sit there and just look. I hope they have Wi-Fi up there, Jack. Now, some of those watchtowers are retired, and they're the perfect pads to pitch a 10. Because you can rent him out. This ain't no camping yet. He's on the ground. This is glamping in the air. And smokey. Bear is your concierge. It's kind of like a skyscraper in the forest jack. With a top bunk above the tree line, Nick. It's like you're on the top of the Empire State Building in Yosemite. But here's the wildest part. This isn't some Airbnb or VRBO promotion. No, here's the wildest part. Yet is this lookout tower? It's owned by the U.S. Forest Service. And the park rangers are letting us rent it out

straight from some government website. That's right. A government agency just whipped up the coolest hotel in the woods. This is the Airbnb of Forestry. Yes, it is. Now, If you're curious, Jack and I will drop a link to this Watchtower hotel in today's episode description. This is the four seasons of the four seasons. Get all the four seasons. Oh, but in the meantime, you know what Smokey Bear would say, don't you, Jack? Only you can prevent forest fires. And please take out all the trash and laundry before checkout at 11 a.m.

The key is under the map. Please make sure to put the key under the mat. Check out to 11 a. Again, check out to 11 a.m. Don't stay any longer. Jack, what's in our three stories? 15 years before this song, two boys from the Northeast met in the dorm. They had an idea that caused a cultural storm.

It's the best one yet, but the best is an norm. Jack Nick, that's it. I don't even think they need to practice. 50% that's a fat tip. Tea Boy City on your at list. If you know, you know, because we're ready to go. We can't wait no more, so just start the show. Start the show.

First, a quick word from our sponsor. For our first story, Philip. Morris, the big tobacco company, is going all in on Zinn and Zinfluencers. But is Zin an off-ramp from cigarettes or Zin an on-ramp to addiction? That is the question. And the answer will determine Zin's zestiny. Zin's zestiny. Now, it is an interesting thing, but if you thought smoking was on the way out,

well, first of all, you haven't been to Europe later. But second of all, check out the company Philip Morris International. The cigarette giant. This is a tobacco giant with a shockingly high valuation in 2024. Of $165 billion, Jack, can you bring along some context, please? Philip Morris, the tobacco company, is worth more than Goldman Sachs, and it's worth more than Uber. And yes, that's 20 lifts. But here's the thing, Yetty's, every time someone quits a cigarette, a Philip Morris executive finds a new bald spot.

So in 2022, Philip Morris acquired a company to replace old quitters with new customers. Here was the plan. Acquire Swedish Match, the tobacco company that invented Zen. Zin. It's all the rage right now. It's a tiny pouch of addiction. It's literally a pouch of nicotine that gives the user a sense of a high that's kind of similar to tobacco. It's also smoke-free, spit-free, and hands-free. You put the bag behind your lip, you move on with your life and no one even knows. Sales of Zin are on fire, figuratively. Because sales of Zin are up 80% in the first quarter from last year. We say figuratively. because Zinn is just nicotine in a pouch. There's no tobacco, although it is addictive. Now, Jack and I should point the safety has not been fully studied yet. That is TBD. Since there's no tobacco, it's at least somewhat less harmful than cigarettes. Here's the thing, Bessies. Demand is so high right now for Zinn that Philip Morris announced a second U.S. Zin factory expanding their first one as well. They're spending $600 million on this investment. And when it's done, Philip Morris will be able to to produce 2.5 billion cans of Zin per year, which is eight cans of Zin per an American.

Sales of Zin are Zin sane right now. But yet is history has a smell. It does. I feel like we smelled this story before. Yeah, Zin jacket smells like Jules 2.0. Jewel. Remember back in 2017 when Jule was all the rage with vaping and e-cigarettes? By the way, take a shot if Jack says all the rage a third time in this story. By 2020, e-cigarettes were used by one out of four U.S. high school students. It was all the rage. And Jule, they became the rage by advertising heavily on social media targeting teens. And then they hooked those teens with flavors that sounded like smoothie flavors.

They literally had a Jule flavor called Crem Brouillet. But Jule basically got shut down by the government in the ensuing years for causing a teen vaping epidemic in this country. In one of the greatest downfalls we've ever seen in Silicon, Valley, Jules' valuation felt from $38 billion to less than $1 billion. Jewel was basically destroyed by making a mistake of going after teens. So, Yetis, if this smells like Zinn, then right now is a critical moment for the company, Zinn.

Philip Moore says that Zin's mission is to move legal age consumers who smoke to better alternatives. But it may actually have a different impact. So Jack, what's the takeaway for all our buddies who are all. all the rage over at Zinn. Is Zin an on-ramp or an off-ramp? The answer is both. Yeah, it is, when you look at Zin's product lineup,

you're gonna notice flavors that look a little, like a kid in a candy store. Zin has a flavor called Apple Mint, another black cherry and another bellini. Okay, Jack, there's a lemon spritz. I'm seeing citrus, and then something that, I don't know if Sabrina Carpenter rolled this one,

but espresso, so what is that? I don't know. Espresino Zin. Oh, and also Zin has a new thing. It's called Zin Flores, That's right, influencers who pump up hashtag Zinn on TikTok to over one billion Zinfluencer views. So, Zin has become an on-ramp for young people to try out nicotine for the first time. But we should also point out at the same time, Philip Morris says that its intention is the opposite.

Philip Morris says they're offering an off-ramp, not an on-ramp, an off-ramp to adult smokers to something healthier. So, yeah, it is when you hear Zin, when you see a Zinfluencer, if someone just tosses you a Zin, here's how you should think about Zin. an on-ramp from tobacco, but it's also an on-ramp to nicotine. For our second story, it's that me, Nespresso. Nespresso just launched the first ever coffee entertainment zone. Because a latte machine, it needs a test drive. All right, Jack, if we're going to do this story, I'm going to ask you the big questions here. What is the difference between a cappuccino and an espresso?

Espresso is just like just the high potent caffeine stuff. Cappuccino's got some frothy milk in it, I think. Yeah, there you go. And what's the difference between a cortado and a macchiato? Can I copy my first answer and paste it to this one? Yeah, that basically works. And Jack, what's the difference between an espresso and an espresso e? I'm going to have to phone a fresh.

The trick question, I totally made them up. Yiddies, that is why an espresso is launching an entire chain of experiential coffee boutiques because of those questions. Because none of us have any idea to those questions. Now, the first one of these Nispresso boutiques is opening in Austin. It's actually open right now. The next one's going to Seattle. And then they got a dozen more planned for later on in the country.

Hold on to your coffee cream of Dahlia, because this is going to be wild. We're talking mini coffee amusement parks. What does this look like, Jack? These espresso stores are going to be like a Starbucks roastery. Okay. Met a college seminar about coffee. Matt Epcot Center with like the beans from Guatemala. They're going full Bob Eiger on this, Jack.

Each of these Nespresso immersive coffee boutiques is going to include four specific features. First, they'll have a taste and distrable. discovery area to try out a different type of coffee and use a different espresso machine. Then they're going to have a, this is a real thing, coffee theater with masterclasses and how that coffee gets from the beans from the crop to your cup. Then they're going to have a recycling center to show off their sustainability. And finally, your standard coffee shop. Jack, you know what the one thing they're missing at this like insane Disney World of Coffee, right? I do. A latte art class. Yeah, how do they draw those hummingbirds in the milk foam, man?

How do they write my name in perfect cursive in my foam? Jack, I never told you this, but my life goal is to become the Claude Monet of oat milk. That's a great aspiration. But Jack, before we go any further, could you please sprinkle on a little context to this Nespresso situation? Nisproso? Sounds like the word Nesley, doesn't it? It does.

Because they're the same. Get this, Nisprosso was actually invented by Nessly back in 1986. And Nesley is actually the biggest coffee company on the planet. Yeah, because Nesley owns Ness Cafe. Blue Bottle, Nestle, even make Starbucks packaged coffee. Yeah, that's Nestle. The stuff you see in Isle 6, packaged by Starbucks, it's actually made by Nestle. Oh, who could forget the Nespresso pods you see at every hotel? Because sales of those Nespressos hit $7 billion last year worldwide. Since the pandemic, Nisproso has enjoyed double-digit sales growth, especially in North

America. But here's what Jack and I found fascinating about this story. Nisproso's main competition ain't Folgers in your cup, is it, Jack? It's confidence in your head. But yeah, here's what Jack and I found fascinating about this story. Nespresso's main competition isn't folders in your cup. Nespresso's main competition is confidence. Because Nispros' hero product is a cappuccino machine that you put on your counter in your kitchen, and it costs up to $700.

So you might be thinking about getting a high-end at-home brewing setup, but are you a little bit afraid of how you're actually going to use this thing? I've seen those espresso pods you mentioned before. I'm intimidated. I don't know how to use them. No idea. I don't even try. I don't drink coffee, and this is one reason why, Jack.

Lack of confidence is a huge reason that people in cities spend a hundred bucks a week at stump town coffee shops instead of doing it themselves for much cheaper at home. So, to reach for what we're calling nervous potential buyers, or NPBs for short, NPB's, Nespresso must build your confidence. Full disclosure, I'm an NEPB of a Nespresso machine. And I don't have the confidence to buy one. So to keep the growth momentum, Nespresso must make you feel like a boogie barista.

They must crush your lack of coffee confidence. And that is why Nispros is launching these wild latte training zones, and Courage wouldn't even dare do it. Doesn't Disney have a ride that includes teacups? This one has one with coffee cups. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Nisproso? Every big ticket purchase needs a test drive and a test track. Yet is the way Jack and I see it,

one of the car industry's greatest innovations should be stolen by other industries. The test drive. Not just a free sample at Costco aisle 6. We mean a full-on test drive to give you the experience. Full-on test drive, because the biggest barrier to a big-ticket experiential purchase is typically confidence.

And the most effective way to eliminate that barrier is to give the customer a test drive. And that is why Apple, offer test drives at Apple stores for their $3,000 Vision Pro headsets. And its wine espresso just launched an entire chain of experiential stores to give you a test drive of that espresso machine. Oh, Jack, what do we want next in the test drive world? Weber Grill.

They should have a discovery center with a bunch of kebabs just waiting for customers to come cook. Yeah, it is a car industry. It converts customers with a test drive. So more companies and more industries should steal that idea. Because every big ticket purchase needs a test drive. and a test track, even to make a macchiato. Now a quick word from our sponsor. For our third and final story,

the IRS just changed the rules so that you can treat your retirement fund like an emergency ATM. Retirement funds aren't just for tomorrow. Not anymore. There's a bunch of ways you can use the money today if you need to. Now, Jack, when Yetty's hit us up and they got money questions, life questions, investing questions.

is one of the first big things that we share with them, maybe the first. The easiest financial advice is that if your company offers a 401k match, you have to take it. It's a no-brainer. The match. The match. Addy's for every $1,000 you contribute to your retirement fund, your company will give you $1, that's the match. A 401k match is a guaranteed 100% return on your investment. Nobody can do that in the stock market. But Jack and I should point out, the 401k match is not a no-brainer for for everyone and why is that, Jack? The main reason people don't accept the 401k match is that they feel they need their money right now.

They can't put it in a retirement fund. Call J.G. Wentworth, the rents do. Your Bachelorette is getting booked. Maybe you need surgery for that thing on your thigh. Why is this getting bigger, Jack? Now, a retirement fund incentivizes you to save for retirement, and it does so by letting you skip a tax payment. But people are reluctant to lock up their cash until retirement

because they don't want to wait until they're 60. So a lot of people, including myself when I was 22, I declined the 401k match because I needed every dollar right now. And Jack regrets it and tells me about that every single day. I do, but there's an interesting psychological solution to this problem. Yes, there is. And what is that, Jack? If you could use money from your retirement fund during an emergency,

then you'd be more likely to contribute to that retirement fund. We repeat, if you can use money from your retirement fund early, then you're more likely to save in the first place. Well, the IRS, they're offering us exactly that now. Get this. Our nation's tax agency just unveiled an emergency ATM feature. What is this, Nick? They announced a rule that allows interest-free, penalty-free withdrawals from your retirement account up to $1,000. We're talking no paperwork needed, no questions asked, any self-described emergency.

you can withdraw that cash. If you need money for groceries, you can take it from your retirement account. If you just want money for new jeans, yeah, you can not take it from your retirement account. Even if you just want to buy Grand Theft Auto 8, you could grab up to $1,000 from your retirement account and just label it an emergency. And there is no penalty if you fail to repay yourself for that PlayStation and the Grand Theft Auto game. You can only do it once every three years, but hey, it's nice to have access to a thousand bucks. Now, this wild new emergency ATM feature, it was designed for low-to-moderate income Americans who don't have an emergency fund to draw upon. Because remember what we said, you're more likely to save for retirement if you can access that money during an emergency.

And that is why we now have an emergency ATM feature. But quick heads up. Your boss has to approve this for the whole company, so make sure your company approves this because it's a nice feature. For your next one-on-one, you may want to hit up your manager on this one. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies who are, anyone who plans on retiring. Life gets in the way. Retirement funds surprisingly understand that.

Yadis, look, you had plans to savor that beach house down in Boka, but boom, then life got in the way. When it comes to financial planning, there are actually exceptions for when life gets in the way that can be really helpful. So Jack and I jumped in T-boy style, and we found several ways that you can now access retirement funds today without paying a penalty. First, if you're buying a house for the first time, you can take $10,000 from your IRA without penalty and use it for a down payment. And Jack, what did you do exactly when you bought your first home man?

I borrowed $50,000 from my own 401k to make the down payment on my first house. That's right. Jack did exactly this to purchase his first house. I paid interest, but it was to myself. Not too shabby, Jack. Now, Bessies, we should also point out there are hardship exceptions you can take it. advantage of as well. If you have medical expenses, tuition expenses, funeral expenses, or if you get evicted, you can access your retirement money today with no penalty. Now, yadies, we all want to put money away for retirement, but sometimes you just need early access

to it, because sometimes life gets in the way. And retirement funds, they actually understand that. Jack, could you whip up the takeaways for us for Saviche Wednesday? Zin's nicotine pouches have a lot of similarities to Jules E. Cigarettes. So are they an off-ramp or an on-ramp? The answer is both. For our second story, it's Nispresso. They just opened their first experiential store to boost your cappuccino confidence. And their stores are like a test track because every big ticket item, it requires a test drive. And our third and final story is the IRS. They're letting you treat your retirement account like an emergency ATM for up to $1,000. If life gets in the way, there may be a way to use your retirement.

retirement today. That's what they say. Down by the bay. What do you say? I just may. But yeties, this pod's not over yet. Here's what else you need to know today. First, Tinder has a new lover and that lover is a dude in finance with a trust fund. The activist investor known as Starboard just bought six and a half percent of Match Group, the company that owns Tinder. By owning so much of Matches stock, they can now make demands like putting profitability over growth. So Match stock jumped 10% yesterday on investor hopes that that would happen. Profitability would happen. Happily ever after. And second, Senator Bob Menendez, the Democrat from New Jersey, was convicted yesterday of 16 bribery charges. It's the first time a U.S. Senator has ever been found guilty

of being a foreign agent. Now, Senator Bob Menendez faces possible expulsion from the Senate, as well as decades in prison. And finally, the WNBA just tagged a new sneaker deal with new Balance. New balance, this multi-year shoe deal, it is focused on one player in particular, and that player is the Los Angeles Sparks's Cameron Brink. It's not an exclusive deal. Individual players can still sign with Adidas, Puma, Nike, and Under Armour, but it continues the year of women's sports. The Caitlin Clark Climb continues to climb down to their feet. Now time for the best fact yet. This one sent to us by the drool face emoji. That's weird, Jack. How did an emoji send us a fact. Today is World emoji Day. Celebrate by sending somebody your favorite emoji right now.

And the reason it is World Emojy Day, you may notice, is if you look at the calendar emoji. The emoji for calendar shows the calendar on July 17th. That's right. No matter what day of the year it is, the calendar emoji on your phone always shows the date July 17th, which is today. And it's all because of Apple. Because back in 2002, Apple debuted their first ever calendar. app, and they did it on July 17th. And since Apple's got a whole bunch of influence when it comes to emojis, they picked something sentimental. July 17th. Happy World emoji day. Yeah, it is. You looked fantastic today. Jack, you're looking all the rage over there. All the rage. You really did look fantastic. And remember, the best way to grow this show,

especially among NPB's nervous potential buyers, is to tell them, HY, H-T-B-O-I. Have you had the best one yet. If you know, you know. And Jack and I, we'll see you more. And before we go, a happy 50th birthday to Katie Hanners in Signal Mountain, Tennessee, from all of her besties out there celebrating the Big Five of. And congratulations to Brad and Angel Cohane in Port St. Lucie, Florida, who after 20 years, are still married. But they still haven't taken her to Paris. So, Jack, I think you're taking Brad and Angel to Paris. I think that's what that sounds like, man. Unless that's not possible, Jack. I think my carry on.

I can just pick it enough. Okay, it's possible. And to anyone else who's celebrating something today, make it a T-boy. Celebrate the wins. This is Jack. Nick and I both on stock of Airbnb and Apple.