Money Life with Chuck Jaffe

Bill Adams, chief economist at Comerica Bank says 2024 will end up as "a pretty good year for the economy," with the soft nearly in place as the Fed starts to cut rates in the summer. He notes that worries about an interest-rate shock or an energy-price shock -- the big two drivers of recession -- are not exceptionally high right now and any raised concerns in those areas have enough offsets for the U.S. economy to remain the world's best while global turmoil and economic uncertainty plays out. Nick Pisano discusses a Clever Real Estate survey showing that nearly three-quarters of all Americans report having an overspending problem. David Trainer of New Constructs puts SNAP Inc. back into The Danger Zone, noting the stock probably won't be out of trouble until the stock reaches zero, and Jay Hatfield, chief executive officer at Infrastructure Capital Advisors forecasts that the Standard & Poor's 500 will hit 5,750 or higher as part of the macro outlook he uses to inform his stock picking in the Market Call.

John Kosar, chief market strategist at Asbury Research, turned positive on the market back in November and he's not ready to ring the register and close out the current rally just yet, though there are some metrics showing that "the market is about as overextended as it's been historically before you get a correction." That doesn't make him nervous or worried, but he says that's a symptom rather than a sell signal. Meanwhile, he sees a bull market running in commodities and he intends to ride that until the market corrects. In the Big Interview, Steve Scruggs, manager of the FPA Queens Road funds, says that he would expect small caps to be helped along by interest rate cuts so long as the consumer does not run out of steam when it comes to spending. He favors a mix of long-term compounders and special situations, but notes that quality is expensive right now and the best opportunities are among some stocks that have been beaten down or punished due to operating anomalies that have the chance to revert to the mean and tick up from here. Harin de Silva, manager of the Allspring Global Dividend Opportunity fund says in The NAVigator segment that the US has remained one of the best places to be in terms of yields generated relative to the risks being taken. While he favors a global allocation, he noted that the fund has a surprising tilt toward the United States, helped along by the low volatility levels due to the strength of the U.S. economy. De Silva says that the big surprise in recent markets has been how the bad news from Ukraine and Israel -- along with troubles at both the Suez and Panama Canal -- hasn't created uncertainty in the market and convinced investors to stop taking on risk. Plus, Loren Hsaio discusses the latest information from Northwestern Mutual's 2024 Planning & Progress Study, which shows that Americans are coping with record levels of financial insecurity right now.

Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi, says that American investors who have some $6 trillion in cash are in danger of missing out as the Federal Reserve begins to cut interest rates in coming months, meaning they should focus on what they are doing with their cash-like investments. That's why he made Fidelity Limited Term Bond his "ETF of the Week," noting that unexciting -- but in line with expectations -- is something investors should be striving for right now, so that they are protected when the rate picture changes. In The big Interview, Ben McMillan, chief investment officer at IDX Advisors, talks about how flexible bond-fund investors should be preparing for rate cuts and focusing in on duration plays -- where they are extending maturities right now to lock in current high rates -- while recognizing that credit quality will be a big factor in what happens when the cuts start happening. Plus, Miles Tullo discusses recent research from J.D. Power on how convenience is driving Americans to digital wallets and how satisfied consumers are making the change from greenbacks to digital use of money. Plus, Sandy Villere, co-manager of Villere Balanced and Villere Equity funds, talks stocks in the Market Call.

Brian Nick, chief investment strategist at the Macro Institute, says that people should not expect the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates in hopes of rescuing the economy or keeping the market rally rolling. Instead, he says the Fed tends to cut rates when things go wrong, which he expects to happen by the middle of the year, when bad economic news starts piling up. Nick is not expecting the proverbial soft landing, noting that macro indicators like the inverted yield curve and more are still working through the economic cycle and are making it that the full force of a slowdown will be felt in 2025, and that "the next seven to eight quarters will be tough especially compared to the five or six that have come before it." In "The Financial Crunch from Money Pickle," Dave Rowan, president of Rowan Financial, discusses how investors can integrate real estate and property investments into a portfolio and how "passive income" does not fully describe the role those property buyers play in their holdings. In the Market Call, Jeff Auxier of the Auxier Focus Fund, talks about buying businesses rather than stocks, focusing on analyzing what a company does to determine when the stock is presenting a real long-term value and opportunity.

David Keller, chief market strategist at StockCharts.com and the president at Sierra Alpha Research, says the market's first quarter was much stronger than he expected, avoiding a low that he was expecting. The current low-volatility incline the market is on reminded Keller of 2021, a time when the market was recovering from Covid and kept driving higher despite concerns. Keller says that he is watching for danger signs like a spike in volatility or deterioration in breadth indicators, but lacking those troubles he says the market is giving a "long and strong" impression that he is inclined to follow until those trouble spots become visible. In The Big Interview, Jonathan Treussard, founder of Treussard Capital Management, says that the Federal Reserve has two choices right now, one of which is declaring victory over inflation despite not having achieved its target rate, or it can push harder to get the job done, which might knock the economy off of its soft-landing trajectory. Like Keller, Treussard notes the market's low volatility as a positive, though he worries that it is making investors take extra chances that could turn into trouble when the market turns. Plus, Tom Martin, senior portfolio manager at Globalt Investments, brings his earnings-centric investment style to the Money Life Market Call.

Paul Gruenwald, chief economist at S&P Global Ratings, says that he doesn't see the economy going into a recession, allowing the Federal Reserve to cut rates "at a leisurely pace" and to get through inflation-reduction with a soft landing. Gruenwald recently raised his growth projection for the economy and he says the strong economy is letting the Fed take its time in cutting rates, but that current levels of 5.25 percent are too high. He doesn't expect the central bank to cut rates below 3 percent, which he expects it to reach with a few rate cuts this year starting in June and four to five cuts next year. Larry Tentarelli, founder/chief technical strategist, Blue Chip Daily Trend Report says the market's upward trend has room to run. As a technician, Tentarelli says the most bullish signal is a market at new highs because there is no overhead resistance, and while he expects some small, normal pullbacks along the way, he expects the long-term move to be higher. Plus, David Trainer, president at New Constructs, revisits a meme stock in The Danger Zone and author Anne Lester discusses her new book, "Your Best Financial Life: Save Smart Now for the Future You Want."

Kim Blanton of the Boston College Center for Retirement Research – where she writes the Squared Away blog -- says that Americans wind up falling into some classic psychological traps when it comes time to claim Social security benefits, and often take the money before they need it based on flawed thinking, reducing their retirement benefits for life. She highlights how savers -- even when confronted with numbers showing that their lifetime benefits will be significantly better with a late start, and assuming they have a long life -- instead jump at the chance to get a smaller amount of money so long as they can start receiving it now. Nicholas Marshi, editor at the BDC Reporter, talks about the struggles business development companies had at the end of 2023 and how they have been performing in the new year, with an outlook for what's ahead as the interest rate cycle starts to change. Plus Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi makes BlackRock U.S. Equity Factor Rotation his "ETF of the Week," and Ken Applegate, portfolio manager for the Wasatch International Growth and International Select funds talks in the Market Call segment about the promise of foreign small-cap stocks now, after long periods of underperformance for both small-company and overseas investments.

Joe Kalish, chief macro strategist at Ned Davis Research, says that the big picture still argues for overweigting stocks relative to bonds and cash so long as the Federal Reserve follows through on making rate cuts and the economy avoids recession. While economic conditions make it look like a soft landing is in place now, Kalish is concerned about the outlook for 2025, noting that his concern level rises the longer the Fed holds off on rate cuts. Kalish says that the central bank can cut rates while still having restrictive policies, and that if it keeps rates tight for too long, cuts would come too late to avoid much rougher times. Also on the show: Bloomberg reporter Saleha Mohsin talks about her new book, "Paper Soldiers: How the Weaponization of the Dollar Changed the World Order" and how long the U.S. can maintain its position as the world's financial superpower; Brent Thurman, chief executive officer at Money Pickle discusses the latest developments in the fiduciary rule governing the behavior of financial advisers and whether it makes a difference to consumers in their day-to-day workings with brokers and financial planners; plus, with the Major League Baseball season just one day away, tax attorney David DeJong of Stein Sperling discusses what you might want to toss back and forth with your tax adviser if you are lucky enough to catch a milestone baseball when you go to the ballpark this year.

Jeffrey Cleveland, chief economist at Payden & Rygel, says that current conditions -- with inflation falling significantly year-over-year and no attendant hike in unemployment and no recession -- are the proverbial soft landing, and he believes these conditions can persist at least through the rest of the year. The soft landing as the dominant macro story will give the Federal Reserve leeway to cut interest rates less than expected, Cleveland says, and he expects central bankers to make cuts cautiously and reluctantly. By comparison, in the Talking Technicals segment, Chris Vermeulen, chief market strategist at The Technical Traders says that he thinks the stock market has one last leg up before the indexes -- which are showing signs of topping out -- take a turn for the worse, triggering a correction that he expects to start before election day in November. Further, Vermeulen says the rough market conditions will stick around, rather than representing a buying opportunity on the rebound. Plus, Larry McDonald, creator of The Bear Traps Report, is back to discuss his new book, "How to Listen When Markets Speak: Risks, Myths, and Investment Opportunities in a Radically Reshaped Economy."

Steve Sosnick, chief market strategist at Interactive Brokers, says "This is one of the most momentum-driven markets I can recall ... where the winning stocks in one month continue to be the winning stocks the next month and then continue to win again the following month." Yet he believes in being fearful at times when others are greedy, because there are enough warning signs to make investors justifiably concerned that the rally can't last forever. Sosnick says now that the strong economy has made it that the Federal Reserve doesn't need to make rate cuts now, though he still expects them later this year. Also on the show, Kyle Guske, investment analyst at New Constructs, says that recently revealed accounting concerns may be the catalyst that knocks data-center REIT Equinix from its lofty perch, so he put the stock back in The Danger Zone, but Samuel Adams, chief executive at Vert Asset Management and manager of the Vert Global Sustainable Real Estate fund, says in the Market Call that data centers -- and particularly Equinix -- are among his favorite buys right now, with his long-term buy-and-hold strategy allowing him to ride out what he expects will be short-term issues due to the reported accounting issues.

Scott Colyer, chief executive officer at Advisors Asset Management, says he is cautious right now, but the cyclicals, materials, energy and health care tend to be strong during periods when the Federal Reserve is bringing interest rates down. He suggests riding that trend, saying "You take your cue from the Fed, now is the time that you want risk-on. Kendall Dilley, portfolio manager at Vineyard Global Advisors, says he expects the stock market to have its average draw-down of 14 percent at some point this year, but he expects it to be a buying opportunity for long-term investors. Plus, Axel Merk, chief investment officer of the ASA Gold and Precious Metals, discusses the impact that Saba Capital Management is having on the fund and on shareholders, having entered the fund as an activist, moving to change the board as it pushes for a double-digit discount to be narrowed. Merk discusses the challenge of dealing with activist investors in a junior mining fund, the potential for the fund to be liquidated, the possible outcomes and the impact of the action on shareholders.

Cheryl Smith, economist/portfolio manager at Trillium Asset Management, sees the economic tide as running out, and that it will be taking the stock market with it, and while she does not think it will be a steep, sharp, protracted drop, she does say investors will want to prepare for it. She suggests keeping the portfolio simple, rather than going after alternative investments built to make money even when the market is down; she says investors will likely prefer buying U.S. multinational companies rather than investing in foreign stocks and says investors should be moving the portfolio now, so that it is well-positioned when trouble arrives post-election. Also on the show, Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi, makes a young actively managed bond fund from Pimco his "ETF of the Week," Cassandra Happe discusses a WalletHub study showing that nearly early 3 in 4 Americans think tipping has gotten out of control, and money manager and financial historian Daniel Peris discusses his new book, "The Ownership Dividend: The Coming Paradigm Shift in the U.S. Stock Market."

Kim Blanton, writer at the Boston College Center for Retirement Research, calls the search for assisted living "an opaque experience" and notes -- through the story of her mother but also reporting from a hearing before the Senate Committee on Aging from January -- that most people focus more on the "living" part of the issues when they should be paying most attention to the assistance part of the plan. Nick Young, chief experience officer at Money Pickle joins Chuck on The Financial Crunch to discuss robo advisors compared to working with planning pros, Ted Rossman discusses a new BankRate.com survey showing that a growing number of taxpayers plan to boost savings rather than paying down debts with tax refunds this year, and Geoff Garbacz, principal at Quantitative Partners, brings his indicator-driven approach to the Market Call.

Sameer Samana, senior global market strategist at the Wells Fargo Investment Institute, says that the market's recent rally appears to have run out of steam, requiring "a little bit of a breather" before the market makes more real upward progress. He expects a 5 to 10 percent pullback, with Standard & Poor's 500 using the 5,000 level as its new support level and the uptrend only being threatened if the sell-off pushes it below 4,600. Jay Zagorsky, a professor who studies the gaming industry at Boston University's Questrom School of Business, says some $20 billion will be gambled on March Madness this year, with a record number of participants placing some type of wager thanks to rapid growth in legalized gaming. Matt Schulz, chief credit analyst at LendingTree, discusses his just-released new book, "Ask Questions, Save Money, Make More: How to Take Control of Your Financial Life," and Elliott Gue, editor of the Energy & Income Advisor newsletter is talking income-generating stocks in the Market Call.

Macro strategist Larry McDonald, creator of The Bear Traps Report, says that the current economic situation is "very 1980s like," a condition that requires different strategies than what most investors have used since the financial crisis of 2008. In a '1980s recession,' a very hot economy keeps inflation ripping and pushes oil prices high, and leaves the bottom 60 percent of the population struggling to keep up, and he says consumers are starting to show that tension now. The conditions should be good, McDonald says, for industrials and the oil and gas industries. Kyle Guske, investment analyst at New Constructs revisits SweetGreen, noting that the recent jump in the price simply has increased the peril facing investors, which is unexpected because the stock was in the Danger Zone before its IPO in 2021 and subsequently became a so-called zombie stock for being on the verge of running out of capital. Plus, Sophia Titley discusses Live and Invest Overseas' index on the world's top 10 retirement destinations for 2024, and Craig Giventer, managing director of portfolio strategies at GYL Financial Synergies, makes his debut talking stocks in the Market Call.

Kevin "Lex" Luthringhausen, chief content officer at Tradier Hub, says he has been stubbornly short the stock market expecting a mild pullback that hasn't been coming because the market is "insanely bullish" right now, having pushed stocks, gold and cryptocurrency into record territory. While Luthringhausen is confident that there will be a consolidation, he does not expect "a massive sell-off" until after the presidential election, when he foresees a potential 10 percent correction; in the interim, he is expecting a solid year with slight pullbacks but near constant upward pressure. Dan Omstead, global head of health care investments at Abrdn, says in 'The NAVigator segment' that health care's recent rally from several years of struggle represents the start of a positive trend that has the ability to run from here. Steve Coughran, author of "Reframing Rich: Creating a Better Relationship with Your Money, Yourself, and Others" talks in the Book Interview about getting the right money mindset to achieve and accept financial success, and Clayton LiaBraaten discusses a Truecaller survey showing that one in five Americans was the victim of a telephone scam in 2023, a problem that cost U.S. consumers more $24.5 billion.

Sam Stovall, chief market strategist for CFRA Research, says that he expects the stock market to surprise investors in 2024 "the way it did in 2023," producing the kind of double-digit gains that are typical of the second year of a bull market. Once the market gets into the third year of the current bull run -- in 2025, after the presidential election -- he expects a turn because "that's when bull markets tend to die an early death." Stovall notes that while he thinks the market could take a pause or minor correction before resuming its climb, he expects leadership to change from large caps -- which he says are trading at a 30 percent premium to the Standard & Poor's 500 average price/earnings ratio over the last 20 years -- to small and mid-cap stocks, which have been trading at a steep discount. Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi, picks a specialized sector play -- the VictoryShares WestEnd U.S. Sector fund -- as his ETF of the Week, and Cullen Roche, chief investment officer at the Discipline Funds, talks exchange-traded funds in the Market Call.

Tony DeSpirito, global chief investment officer of fundamental equities at BlackRock -- lead portfolio manager of the BlackRock Equity Dividend fund -- says that the Federal Reserve will be more concerned with inflation than deflation for the next three to five years, keeping interest rates relatively high and creating more market volatility; he says that increased back and forth will make for good opportunities for active management to deliver market-beating results. DeSpirito is looking for some of that performance from health-care stocks, in Japan and by focusing on quality as an investment factor. Also on the show, Cam Miller, co-founder and chief revenue officer at Money Pickle, talks about the different ways that individuals compensate financial advisers and how it's important to match expectations and desires to the payment process. Plus, Todd Gervasini, founder and chief investment officer at Wakefield Asset Management, makes his debut talking stocks in the Market Call.

Craig Johnson, senior research analyst at Piper Sandler, says that the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Standard & poor's 500 and the Nasdaq Composite are all "trading at the very upper end of an 18-month trading range and this is not usually where you start a whole other leg higher," so he expects a correction back to about 4,600 on the S&P in the next six weeks. When that move is finished, Johnson expects the market to resume its upturn but then to settle into a "high-level trading range," which he says is typical of election years and that it amounts to a sideways move. In that environment, the market will recover from the correction, and then he notes that he thinks it will fizzle and go sideways. Also on the show, Wade Pfau, professor of retirement income at The American College of Financial Services, discusses the latest updated to his "Retirement Planning Guidebook," which center around "tax mapping" and how investors may want to rethink investment strategies in retirement with an eye on minimizing taxes using strategies most haven't considered before now. In the Market Call, Scott Davies, founder/chief investment officer at CDAM, talks about "fire and forget" investing.

Jeff Kolitch, portfolio manager for the Baron Real Estate and Baron Real Estate Income funds, says that the scary headlines about real estate -- and particularly commercial real estate -- have been an over-reaction and says investors want to be looking at real estate stocks now rather than waiting for "an all-clear signal" on the industry. "The best time to step in is when there's angst out there," Kolitch says, "and we like the set-up and think it's a great time to lean into real estate." Kyle Guske, investment analyst at New Constructs, reaffirms Rivian as a zombie stock that remains overvalued despite coming down by 30 percent in a recent drop-off, and he notes that the stock seems inexorably headed to losing everything. In the Market Call, Jason Browne, president of Alexis Investment Partners -- manager of the Alexis Practical Tactical ETF -- talks exchange-traded funds.

Alaina Anderson, co-portfolio manager at the William Blair International Leaders Fund, says that when the Federal Reserve starts cutting interest rates -- which she expects in the second half of the year -- which should soften up the U.S. dollar, a situation that would make foreign stocks more attractive. She notes that she particularly likes Japan right now, and is guarded on China, where both performance and geopolitical issues are creating genuine worries. In The NAVigator, Cory Johnson of Pender Capital -- which runs the Pender Capital Real Estate Credit Fund, a closed-end debt interval fund -- says that the alarming headlines about commercial real estate have created "an abundance of very interesting opportunities" for private credit lenders like his firm, which is seeing "the most attractive risk-adjusted yields we have seen since the financial crisis [of 2009]." Max Wasserman, senior portfolio manager at Miramar Capital, discusses dividend-growth investing -- and the importance of asset-allocation decisions in building concentrated portfolios for individual investors -- in the Market Call, and Chuck answers a listener's question about how to deal with all of the great investment ideas that come out of the show and how to decide which ones might be worth a spot in the portfolio.

Nick Sargen, senior economic advisor at Fort Washington Investment Advisors, says the market is not pricing in geopolitical risks adequately, so while things look good for the U.S. economy, the domestic stock market could be more vulnerable to global financial events that could trigger a downturn. Sargen also discusses why economists are worse than weathermen when it comes to forecasting future storms. Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi, looks at a young, granular actively managed fund that focuses on the supply chain for his ETF of the Week. In the Money Life Market Call, Dave Sekera, chief U.S. market strategist at Morningstar, says it is time to start looking at contrarian plays in real estate, energy and utilities, and to consider backing away from big technology.

Mike Buckius, chief executive officer at Gateway Investment Advisers, says that the concentration at the top of the market and the rate cycle and the Federal Reserve's delays in cutting rates have made it that investors should manage risks, because valuations have gotten frothy and drawdowns "throw investors off of their long-term plans." He says that the market's bounce-back to record highs makes it feel like stocks are due for 'a pause and consolidation,' which is the kind of time when Gateway's index-option strategy -- using options to generate income that protects against downturns -- tends to work best, and he discusses the firm's new ETF which focuses on the quality factor. Plus, Steve Coughran, chief financial officer at MoneyPickle.com, is here for "The Financial Crunch," discussing whether there is ever a time for investors and savers to act panicky, and how you work with an adviser to build emotional discipline and to never let the market get the best of you. In the Market Call, Scott Bennett of Invest With Rules, brings together trend-following, watching the movements of big money and risk management to decide which stocks and ETFs to invest in now.

The optimists and the pessimists will be served today on Money Life, as two interviews look at the same market but come to wildly different conclusions. Carley Garner, senior commodity strategist at DeCarley Trading, says in the "Talking Technicals" segment that she "sees some really big red flags waving," and that it will get rocky as the market backs away from being "extremely over-extended." She expects the market to take a turn for the worse, though she thinks election-year conditions may prop the market up and minimize the potential damage. Meanwhile, at the end of the show in the Big interview, Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer of Independent Advisor Alliance, says a pullback would be "completely normal," but he expects stocks to overcome a bumpy ride to finish the year up from here provided the economy can sidestep a recession. Also on the show, financial journalist Liz Weston of NerdWallet.com discusses her recent decision to retire and how she made a decision that proved difficult despite years of preparing for it, plus Mark Higgins discusses his new book, "Investing in U.S. Financial History: Understanding the Past to Forecast the Future."

Arjun Jayaraman, portfolio manager at Causeway Capital Management, says that valuations abroad are better than what investors are seeing domestically -- noting that international small cap stocks are trading at a discount of 10 times compared to domestic large-cap companies -- but made it clear he favors Japan and India while worrying that geopolitical issues are making it difficult to invest in China despite compelling valuations that have it among the cheapest nations in the world. Plus, Kyle Guske, investment analyst at New Constructs, puts Reddit's upcoming initial public offering into the Danger Zone, Chuck discusses the bad banking pitch wrapped in a flag by a new bank trying to capitalize on political disagreement, and Bryan Wong, co-manager of Osterweis Emerging Opportunity, talks small-cap stocks in the Market Call.

Everett Millman, precious metals specialist at Gainesville Coins, says that the gold market is surprised by how strongly the price of gold has held above the $2,000 level this year despite "rather tepid demand for physical cold in North America in Europe." Millman notes that there is a geopolitical premium on gold right now, which combined with the election year and concerns over inflation and interest rates has helped prices hold current levels, and he expects it to trade sideways until there is more clarity on monetary policy, although he otes that longer-term, he can see a case for gold reaching $3,000 an ounce by the end of the decade. Matt Kaufman, head of ETFs at Calamos Investments, discusses the current sweet spot in closed-end funds and why that prompted the firm to open a new ETF of closed-end funds. Plus, in the Market Call, Allen Bond, head of research at Jensen Investment Management talks about buying quality stocks at reasonable prices.

Nanette Abuhoff Jacobson, multi-asset strategist at Wellington Management -- the global investment strategist for the Hartford Funds -- says that she prefers equities to bonds right now, despite fixed income delivering its best returns in years, noting that she particularly likes dividend paying stocks, both in the U.S. and in Europe. Jacobson also likes Japan, but she dislikes emerging markets and is particularly wary of China right now. Todd Rosenbluth at VettaFi likes the looks of a relatively new actively managed ETF from T. Rowe Price that invests in small and mid-cap companies as his "ETF of the Week." Greg McBride discusses a new study from Bankrate.com showing that 36% of Americans have more credit-card debt than emergency savings and, in the Market Call, Tobias Carlisle of the Acquirers Funds talks about his brand of deep-value investing.

Meb Faber, chief executive and chief investment officer at Cambria Investments, says value investing is poised for success, not just in the United States -- where the market has been dominated by a few high-priced big names -- but globally, and particularly in emerging markets where the technology names that almost never trade at discounts here are bargain-priced now. In a wide-ranging interview, Faber discusses how the market's run has highlighted the disfunction of some conventional indexes, the parts of the market that excite him -- and that Cambria Funds has released new issues to cover -- and more. In "The Financial Crunch," Brent Thurman, chief executive officer at Money Pickle, dispels some common misconceptions about financial planning that are being spread in television commercials by a big national firm. Plus, in the Money Life Market Call, Eric Boughton, chief analyst at Matisse Capital, talks about buying the big discounts currently available in closed-end funds.

Michael Kahn, senior market analyst at Lowry Research Corp., says that there are plenty of minor, nagging concerns about the market, but the major trend is up "and until there is evidence such as falling breadth or deteriorating volume" and more, investors should ride the trend higher. Kahn notes that the Magnificent Seven -- which have led the market higher -- have gone up so much that any bad news for them "could be a real problem" that would drag the index down, but there are other opportunities worth pursuing as part of the current rally. The show also features two conversations concerning couples and their relationships with money, with The Book Interview featuring Scott Rick, author, "Tightwads and Spendthrifts: Navigating the Money Minefield in Real Relationships," before Chuck digs into the annual Debt and Divorce Study from Debt.com with Howard Dvorkin. In the Market Call, Dave Gilreath, chief investment officer at Innovative Portfolios, talks dividend-paying stocks, and how the best of them today are not in some of the sectors that income investors have typically favored.

Bill Davis, portfolio manager at Stance Capital -- which managed the Hennessy Stance ESG ETF -- says companies in the bottom two-thirds of the Standard & Poor's 500 are poised to out perform moving forward as the stock market moves back towards normalcy with more stocks sharing in the solid economic underpinnings and the Magnificent Seven stocks and other giants having reduced role in the market's growth. Likewise, Charlie Ripley, senior investment strategist at Allianz Investment Management, says the resilient economy in the United States is pointing towards a soft-or no-landing situation where more stocks should benefit from inflation normalizing. That's also what has economists being more optimistic, as the February Outlook Survey from the National Association for Business Economics, released today, shows that a majority of economists expect inflation to hit the Federal Reserve's target level of 2 percent next year; Ryan Sweet, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics, discusses the survey. Plus David Trainer, president of New Constructs, puts Revvity Inc. -- a company with what he says are massively overstated street earnings -- in the Danger Zone.

Bill Nygren, co-manager of the Oakmark Fund, says investors should expect slower growth from the market for the next decade; as a result, he says "the long-term equity investor should probably be thinking about something on the order of 7or 8 percent a year rather than the double-digit level." There will still be buys, Nygrem says, but investors will need to go against the herd -- and be selective amongst names like the Magnificent Seven stocks -- in order to find them. John Cole Scott, president of Closed-End Fund Advisors, digs into his firm's data to compare and contrast business development companies and municipal bond closed-end funds as a way to pump up yield without feeling like you've taken on too much risk in a scary interest rate environment. Plus, Michael Loukas, chief executive officer at TrueMark Investments, talks about artificial intelligence and deep learning stocks in The Market Call.

Bernie Horn, long-time manager of Polaris Global Value, says that value stocks have outperformed growth stocks outside of the United States for several years and he expects the domestic markets to follow suit as central banks keep interest rates higher, creating positive real returns for fixed income and ending some of the bubbles caused in equity sectors caused by years of borrowings at interest rates near zero. While he expects the change to be global, Horn notes that he favors international stocks now because their valuations are more attractive. Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi also goes international with his ETF of the Week, picking an emerging market fund that excludes China for investors who have been scared away by concerns over China's markets. Nate Miles, head of retirement at Allspring Global Investments discusses the firm's annual retirement survey, which showed that two-thirds of retirees and near-retirees think they are ready for retirement, but advisers think just 40 percent of their clientele is ready to make the leap. Plus, Dave Grossman, the founder of MilesTalk, discusses how to travel the world on loyalty points and frequent-flier miles and digs into the Capital One-Discovery merger and how it might change the points landscape for years.

Phillip Colmar, global strategist at MRB Partners, says that the Federal Reserve is not going to give the market the five or more interest rate cuts it has been expecting. As a result, he suggests banking on bond yields that will stay higher for longer, even if the central bank gives a token cut or two; on stocks, he expects a better growth picture without a recession or a big correction, but because valuations are high he is looking to securities with earnings power, so he is thinking mega-cap financials, aerospace and defense companies and more. Nick Young, chief experience officer at Money Pickle, discusses what savers and investors should expect from a first meeting with a financial adviser and how to guard against falling in love at first conversation, Chuck answers a listener's question about the differences between closed-end funds and exchange-traded funds and Taylor Krystkowiak, investment strategist at the Themes ETFs, talks thematic investments in the Market Call.

David Giroux, manager of T. Rowe Price Capital Appreciation -- a fund that has beaten the performance of its average peer for a record 16 straight calendar years -- says that while U.S. stock valuations have gotten lofty, investors "don't need to diversify into a worse geography," and says investors can get international exposure by buying U.S. multi-nationals and have better companies. Domestically, Giroux says that the mega-cap Magnificent Seven stocks have gotten expensive but they are still worth holding over the next five years, but that investors must realize they won't "be where the best risk-rewards is in the market today." He's looking at high-grade fixed income, as well as utilities, parts of health care and other areas where low valuations are making the probability of success high. Also on the show, Matt Fox, president at Ithaca Wealth Management, says that the technicals are challenging for the market right now because "there is no real price memory" when the market moves into record territory, yet he is encouraged by "Multi-year bases that have experienced decisive breakouts across all sectors of the market," a phenomenon normally seen relatively early in an uptrend. Fox does think the market could retest the 4,800 level soon, but he remains positive on where it goes from here. Plus, author Kurt Wagner comes in for The Book Interview, discussing his new book -- out today -- "Battle for the Bird: Jack Dorsey, Elon Musk, and the $44 Billion Fight for Twitter's Soul."

Matt Miskin, co-chief investment strategist at John Hancock Investment Management, says that several European nations are in recession while their stock markets are pushing through record highs, in conditions so unusual that U.S. activities are helping foreign multinationals keep rolling. Still, Miskin believes the U.S. is the best market, though he is now skewing the portfolio toward mid-cap names, pulling back slightly on the mega-cap giants over valuation concerns and leaning into bonds for the safety of consistent returns in excess of 5 percent. Matt Harris, chief investment officer at The Hausberg Group, turns the conversation to technicals, and while he believes that "There's not much that is more bullish than all-time highs," he thinks returns will be muted for 2024. Plus, Dana Staggs, president of ArrowMark Financial Corp., discusses how investments in the banking business through something called "regulatory capital relief securities" can both juice and stabilize returns, and Christopher Zook, president, CAZ Investments returns to the show, talking thematic investing at a reasonable price in the Market Call.

Rick Pitcairn, chief global strategist at Pitcairn, says that while the markets have been dominated by monetary policy for the last decade or more, the next 20 years will see fiscal policy will be equally or more important because of how the government borrows money and what it needs to take on in new debts to keep rolling. Pitcairn acknowledges that the current dysfunction in Washington worries him about how policies will be set and the potential fallout from gridlock. In the Market Call, Dan Kim, senior investment analyst at Saturna Capital -- co-manager of the Sextant International fund -- talks about the international opportunities available now, plus Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi turns to a long-time traditional fund manager making a recent move into exchange-traded funds for his ETF of the Week.

David Hay, co-chief investment officer at Evergreen Gavekal -- author of the Haymaker newsletter focused on macroeconomic research -- says that 'Pseudo prosperity is still prosperity,' and investors should like whatever they are getting from the economy now because he does not think it will last. Hay says the market "is almost all-in on Goldilocks," which will "make it hard to make money betting on the soft landing." Christopher Zook, president of CAZ Investments -- co-author of Tony Robbins' new book, "The Holy Grail of Investing" -- talks about the themes and the alternative investments that will drive the next decade or more while delivering oversized gains. Plus, in "The Financial Crunch," Cam Miller, chief revenue officer at Money Pickle, talks about how much money someone needs to have before turning to a financial adviser for help.

Julius de Kempenaer, senior technical analyst at StockCharts, says that the stock market is "crashing higher," having reached record levels with no signs of stopping but that doesn't mean he's buying now because he finds it over-stretched. De Kempenaer sees the market going through rotation right now, with money flowing from value into growth right now helping to push things higher. Lester Jones, chief economist for the National Beer Wholesalers Association returns to the show to discuss the January Beer Purchasers' Index, which showed that consumers have been responding to inflation by cutting back on the high-end beers and spending more on the below-premium drinks. Plus, insurance analyst Shannon Martin of Bankrate.com discusses the high and rising costs of auto insurance, and author Michael Graetz discusses his new book, "The Power to Destroy: How the Antitax Movement Hijacked America."

Brad McMillan, chief investment officer for Commonwealth Financial Network, says that while market valuations are high right now on a historic basis -- which might make investors cautious -- the sky-high prices for the Magnificent Seven stocks that have been leading the market to record levels have left room for the other stocks in the index to be particularly reasonable. That means the market's overall valuation is more reasonable than headlines suggest, and there is room to grow in other sectors. Likewise, economists are feeling like economic policies are working well enough to avoid big problems like recession this year -- according to the latest Policy Survey from the National Association for Business Economics, released today; Lester Jones of the NABE survey committee discusses how economists still have some worries about fiscal policies and how the Federal Reserve might mess things up. Plus David Trainer of New Constructs revisits a Danger Zone pick that has fallen dramatically but that he thinks will go all the way to zero in due time, and author Jared Dillian talks about his new book "No Worries: How to Live a Stress-Free Financial Life" and how three key financial decisions will determine how easily you can avoid feeling day-to-day financial pressures.

Jeff Rosenkranz, fixed income portfolio manager at Shelton Capital Management, says that if the Federal Reserve waits too long to cut rates or if systemic problems resurface -- including potential troubles with bank safety -- the economy could be due for more trouble than most observers expect. Rosenkranz expects to see a significant increase in credit troubles and defaults, noting that the classic default cycle that accompanies rate hikes hasn't really occurred yet, but that it's unlikely to be avoided completely. One area that has struggled with the rate cycle has been municipal bond funds, and Jonathan Mondillo, head of North American fixed income for abrdn, says that has pushed muni closed-end funds to record discount levels, but that has created opportunities for attractive income levels and heightened total return for investors willing to swim against the tide. In the "Talking Technicals" segment, Alex Coffey, senior trading strategist at Charles Schwab, says that with the Standard & Poor's 500 on the verge of the 5,000 level, the market has gotten beyond levels of resistance which creates significant opportunity for the market to run right up to the point where it runs out of steam, warning that these kind of rallies "typically don't end well." Plus, author Malissa Clark discusses finding the right work-life balance and her new book, "Never Not Working: Why the Always-On Culture Is Bad for Business--and How to Fix It."

Kathy Boyle, president of Chapin Hill Advisors, is worried that with 'all of Wall Street being bullish again," overblown earnings expectations, strong employment and the more getting the Federal Reserve to where it will wait longer before cutting rates, the stock market has gotten a bit overblown. As a result, she thinks there's a good chance of a short-term correction, potentially down to the 4,400 level on the Standard & Poor's 500, though she does think there's a good chance the market comes through that to finish the year on a positive note. Rick Gable, portfolio manager for the MFS Global Real Estate fund, takes stock in the real estate market, noting that while the entire business has made a lot of negative news, the sour stories mostly are impacting office space and the rest of the market is full of opportunities. Plus, Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi, looks at a young fund with a great three-year track record that can be an actively managed addition to the passive portions of a portfolio, and Chuck answers a listener's question about the fund offering filed Wednesday by hedge-fund manager Bill Ackman.

Today, Money Life debuts its latest feature, The Financial Crunch with Money Pickle, a fin-tech company that is changing the financial world by making affordable and convenient financial coaching available to investors. Brent Thurman, Money Pickle's chief executive, discusses finding a financial adviser and how investors have it so much better now that technology can make the process smooth and easy. Kelley Wright, editor at Investment Quality Trends, returns to the show for the first time since 2017, and discusses his take on how to pick value stocks in the Market Call. Plus, Ken Costa, author of "The 100 Trillion Dollar Wealth Transfer: How the Handover from Boomers to Gen Z Will Revolutionize Capitalism," and Chuck discusses his Super Bowl Ad/IPO indicator, which suggests that the real losers of this weekend's big game will be investors in young companies advertising during the telecast.

Jim Thorne, economist/chief market strategist at Wellington-Altus Private Wealth, says that "The Fed is the Fed of the world," and that how central bankers act in the United States act will determine the economic prospects of the rest of the world, and he worries that as the Federal Reserve tightens, it could over-tighten and create economic issues. He expects a growth shock, but says the U.S. will get through it and remain the best market to invest in around the globe. Michele Schneider, chief strategist at MarketGauge.com, says that the "inside sectors of the U.S. economy" -- small caps, retail and transportation -- will be the ones that tell the economic story moving forward; she says those sectors are still adjusting, to the end of zero-interest rate policy but are showing signs that there should be plenty of opportunity there for the rest of the year. Also, entrepreneur Madeline Pendleton discusses her new book, "I Survived Capitalism and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt: Everything I Wish I Never Had to Learn About Money."

Pedro Palandrani, head of research at Global X, says that the continued evolution of the electric vehicle market will make it so that lithium and copper companies are the next equivalent of the Big Oil stocks, but he worries that the industries are among the most sensitive globally to geopolitical risk, which he says investors should factor into their allocation decisions. In honor of the upcoming Valentine's Day holiday, David Trainer, founder and president at New Constructs foregoes the Danger Zone in favor of talking about an attractive stock this week, and he singles out Photronics as a company which despite good recent numbers has a long way to go. Plus Dan Skubiz, chief investment officer and senior portfolio manager at ZCM, makes his debut in the Market Call talking about investing in small=-cap stocks at a time when a few mega-cap names have been dominating the market.

Jim Welsh, author of "Macro Tides" and the "Weekly Technical Review" newsletters says that if the market can rally past recent highes -- with the Standard & Poor's 500 topping 4931 -- it will finish the market's recent rally and leave stocks vulnerable to a small correction over the next few months. That said, Welsh believes in a 17-year cycle that his charts show dates back nearly 100 years, and that cycle is cooking up a coming secular bear market that ultimately could last for a decade and crater the market in the process. Susan Fahy discusses the latest "CreditGauge" measures from VantageScore, which show that the consumer is showing signs of financial stress, but the action hasn't been as bad in most areas as the headlines might suggest. Ian Merrill of SCG Asset Management and The Alternative Strategies Income Fund talks about how money managers can add derivatives to a portfolio in ways that mitigate risks but goose returns over the long haul, and Vince Lorusso, president/portfolio manager of Clough Capital, talks valuation investing in the Market Call.

Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi, says investors should be looking at an equal-weighted approach to the market -- allowing all winners to have a chance to succeed -- despite the strong 2023 put up by the Standard & Poor's 500, a market-cap weighted index whose results were dominated by the so-called Magnificent Seven stocks. Rosenbluth made the Invesco S&P 500 Equal-Weight Technology ETF his ETF of the Week, noting that while the tech sector is a big part of most asset allocations, most of the money has been going into the few names rather than the broad group of stocks. Also on the show, Ted Rossman on the latest Bankrate.com study on financial infidelity, which showed that 40 percent of people in live-in romantic relationships are keeping financial secrets from their spouse or partner. Long-time financial journalist and money coach Lynette Khalfani-Cox returns to the show to discuss financial literacy efforts, student loan repayments, money media and more, and Rob Isbitts brings the methodology that's behind his new site -- ETFYourself.com -- to the Market Call.

Mark Hebner, chief executive officer at Index Fund Advisors, says that the dominant action of the so-called Magnificent Seven stocks is nothing new, and that the market has long shown a propensity for companies to have oversized performance as their shares moved into the top 10 of an index, only to then regress toward the mean. It's not just why he thinks the Magnificent Seven will cool off in the not-too-distant future, but it reinforces investors using index funds to ride out the market rather than trying to be stock-pickers and falling prey to the market moving against them. Matt Brannon, data analyst with Clever Real Estate, discusses the site's 2024 State of Retirement Finances report, which found that 40 percent of retirees worry about living their savings and nearly 20 percent more say they already have. Plus, Chuck answers a listener's question about selecting bond funds, and author Ernest Scheyder discusses his new book, "The War Below: Lithium, Copper, and the Global Battle to Power Our Lives."

Michael Kelly, global head of multi-asset at PineBridge Investments, says that the Federal Reserve seems to have pulled off the rare soft landing, and that portends good things ahead because previous soft landings -- in 1964, 1984 and 1994 -- the markets mostly rewarded investors who invested "as if it was late cycle," where growth funds tend to lead the way. Kelly does think the market has gotten a bit ahead of itself, but still thinks the year should be positive; he also notes that investors will want to add to the fixed income side of their portfolios, and he currently likes intermediate-term investments given the shifts ahead in the yield curve. Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst at BankRate.com discusses the site's lates Emergency Savings Report, which shows that only 44 percent of Americans say they could afford to pay for a $1,000 emergency expense, plus we introduce a new sponsor to the show as veteran money manager Rob Isbitts talks about his latest venture, ETFYourself.com and, in the Market Call, Michael Lowenberg, portfolio manager of the Modern Capital Tactical Income Fund, talks stocks.

Sheraz Mian, director of research at Zacks Investment Research -- which focuses on earnings results for much of its forecasting -- says that with about one quarter of companies having now reported earnings results for 2023, the numbers look like "more of the same, more of the good stuff." He doesn't expect growth to be impressive this year, but there's also not much negative guidance or gloomy outlooks from companies, and he expects that mixed but largely benign environment to last through the year. Meanwhile, Hamish Preston, director of U.S. equity indices for S&P Dow Jones Indices, talks about the market's recent record highs and what they portend for the year ahead, noting that In years when the S&P 500 hits a new peak in January, gains tend to be higher than normal for the year, an average gain of roughly 10.5 percent compared to years when the market fails to reach record levels until later. Plus, David Trainer of New Constructs puts a large-cap fund that gets a four-star rating from Morningstar into the Danger Zone for holding too many dangerous stocks, and Lynette Khalfani-Cox discusses her new book, "Bounce Back: The Ultimate Guide to Financial Resilience."

Brian Allen, chief investment officer at CS McKee, says "The market has done a lot of the easing work to launch the easing campaign in 2024," meaning that the Federal Reserve will not feel much pressure to cut rates more than four times this year. He says there's no pressure for more due to the bond market rallying over the last few months while the stock market was moving to all-time highs; that also raised valuations to where investors should lower their return expectations for both stocks and bonds this year. Also on the show, Jenny Naughton, executive vice president for Chubb Personal Risk Services, about the firm's recent study showing that wealthy Americans consider extreme weather -- and the damage it could do --as the biggest threats to their wealth this year, Roxanna Islam, head of sector and industry research at VettaFi, sizes up the ETFs that invest in closed-end funds, and William Smead of the Smead Value fund talks stocks in the Market Call.