In this episode of the One of a Kind Financial Show Daily, Certified Financial Planning Professional Mike Milligan launches a five‑day series tied to his upcoming book The Partner You Unknowingly Chose. He begins by recounting the origin of the original Times Square debt clock installed in 1989 by real‑estate developer Seymour Durst, which displayed the U.S. national debt of $2.7 trillion on a massive electronic board. Milligan notes the clock’s purpose—to make the debt visible to the public—and quotes Durst’s memorable line about the clock staying up as long as the debt or the city. He then contrasts that static display with today’s $39 trillion debt, growing at $6.4 billion per day (about $74,000 per second), and explains how the physical clock still exists while the website usdebtclock.org, launched in 2008, expands the concept into a real‑time fiscal dashboard covering debt, spending, revenue, Social Security, Medicare, consumer debt, trade, and demographics. Milligan clarifies that the site does not pull a live feed but uses the latest official data and per‑second rate‑of‑change calculations to estimate current values. He urges listeners to visit the site, emphasizing that each metric directly affects retirement, taxes, and family finances. The episode frames the U.S. government as an involuntary “partner” in every 401(k) or IRA, arguing that the debt clock’s numbers determine how much of an individual’s saved money the government ultimately claims. Milligan previews tomorrow’s focus on the $39 trillion debt per citizen and per taxpayer, and provides calls to action to subscribe to his YouTube channels, visit his website, and contact his advisory firm for further engagement. The segment ends with standard disclaimer language and a brief promotional jingle.
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Hi everybody, and welcome to the One of a Kind Financial Show Daily. I'm Mike Milligan, Certified Financial Planning Professional, and this week we're doing something a little different. I'm launching a 5-part series based on an upcoming book I have called The Partner You Unknowingly Chose: An Analysis of the Numbers So You Can Plan. Each day this week, I'm going to take you inside one specific element of a website that I believe every American should be looking at, usdebtclock.org, the U.S. Debt Clock. And I'm going to tell you why it matters for your money. So let's get into it. Day 1, the clock that never stops. In February 1989, a New York real estate developer named Seymour Durst bolted a massive electronic board onto a building near Times Times Square. 11-foot tall by 26 feet wide, it cost him $100 grand to build, and it displayed one thing, just one constantly updating number: the national debt of the United States. At that time, the national debt was $2.7 trillion. Durst had actually conceived the idea a decade earlier when the debt was approaching $1 trillion. Every Christmas, he'd send handwritten cards to members of Congress that read, "Happy New Year! Your share of the national debt is," and he'd fill in that amount. It was a classic move. When the clock finally went up, Durst said something that many will never forget upon reading his memoirs. He said, "It'll be up as long as the debt or the city." It won't last. If it bothers people, then it's working. Well, it's working because today that number is no longer $2.7 trillion. As of right now, it's $39 trillion, and it's growing by $6.4 billion— with a B— every day. That's about $74,000 every second. Our national debt is growing by more than the average income of U.S. citizens. Now, Durst's physical clock is still ticking on the side of One Bryant Park in Manhattan, but in 2008, someone took the concept and blew it wide open. A website called usdebtclock.org launched, and it turned that one counter into a full fiscal dashboard. Hundreds of numbers, all updating in real time. National debt, federal spending, tax revenue, Social Security, Medicare, consumer debt, trade, demographics— it's all there. And it pulls from official government sources like the Treasury, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau, the CBO, and the Federal Reserve. Now, here's what most people don't realize. The numbers on that site don't update from a live government feed. What the site does is it takes the latest official data and calculates the estimated rate of change per second. So it's a real-time estimation, not a real-time accounting. Think of it like a fuel gauge. It doesn't measure every drop of gas, but it gives you a very accurate picture of where we stand. And that picture? It's one every American needs to see. I want you to do something right now. If you're not driving, pull out your phone and go to usdebtclock.org. Just look at it. Let it sink in. Watch the numbers move, because those numbers, every single one of them, has a direct impact on your retirement, your taxes, and your family's financial future. Here's why I wrote the book and why I'm going to publish it shortly. Most people see the national debt as some abstract Washington problem, somebody else's issue. It's not. When you open a 401 or an IRA, you're signing up for a business partner you never met, never chose, and can never fire. That partner is the United States government. Through taxation. The federal government is the silent beneficiary of every dollar you save for retirement, and the decisions reflected on that debt clock in real time will determine how much of your money your partner gets to keep. That's the central idea behind The Partner You Unknowingly Chose, and this week I'm going to show you exactly how to read the dashboard. That's day 1, folks. Tomorrow we're going to dig into the actual debt number, $39 trillion, and I'm going to break down what debt per citizen and debt per taxpayer actually mean for you and your family. If you want to go deeper, subscribe to our new YouTube channel @IdeasByMike and our current YouTube channel @MoneyMikeUnmuted. And also, uh, go to mikemilligan.com. Where you can contact me so you'll know right away when The Partner You Unknowingly Chose is released. I'll see you tomorrow. This has been the One of a Kind Financial Show Daily with your host, Mike Milligan. I am an investment advisory representative with Advisory Alpha LLC. Ideas by Mike, doing business as One Oak Financial, is an unaffiliated entity of Advisory Alpha LLC. The opinions expressed on the The views expressed on the One of a Kind Financial Show Daily are those of Mike and are for educational purposes only. To connect with the firm, One Oak Financial, go to the number one oakfinancial.com and reach out to speak to a member of the team or to connect with Mike personally for a speaking engagement, a podcast guest, or to be educated or coached. Go to mikemilligan.com.
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