In this episode of Money Lessons, Andy answers a question he has been holding since last year: if your stock trades are free, how does a broker make its money?

He explains payment for order flow — the arrangement where your broker sells your order to a wholesale market maker that fills it and pays for the privilege. Andy walks through why your everyday orders are so valuable, where the real conflict of interest hides, and what the 2020 Robinhood settlement revealed about the true cost of "free."

The takeaway: free isn't free — and the cost that matters most is the one that tempts you to trade too often.

In this episode of Money Lessons, Andy breaks down the three most common ways companies change their share structure. He explains how stock splits work — including Apple's five splits and Warren Buffett's famous refusal to split Berkshire Hathaway—and why reverse stock splits often signal trouble.

He then explores share buybacks, how they boost earnings per share, and why investors need to look past the headline numbers to see whether real value is being created. The episode also covers dilution and why issuing new shares comes at a cost to existing shareholders.