Money Life with Chuck Jaffe

Brad McMillan, chief investment officer for Commonwealth Financial Network, says that the inflation spike created by the global supply crisis that has pushed inflation to the 6 percent level will last for another three to six months before fading, but he notes that there are structural elements that are also pushing inflation higher, and those conditions are not transitory. As a result, he expects inflation to retreat to the 2 to 3 percent range later in 2022 and to remain there for the next three to five years. Also on the show, Meredith Stoddard discusses Fidelity Investments' 2021 American Caregivers Study, author Jeffrey Hooke focuses on his latest book -- "The Myth of Private Equity: An Inside Look at Wall Street's Transformative Investments" -- and Kyle Guske of New Constructs puts Peloton stock back in the Danger Zone after the company's most recent earnings report.

Ed Clissold, chief U.S. strategist for Ned Davis Research, says that the market has room to run into next year, but that 2022 is likely to see much more volatility and much slower growth, even if inflation concerns start to fade and interest rates don't move dramatically higher. Clissold expects an earnings environment that is less friendly, traditional mid-term election year doldrums and more to hold the market to an average year overall, but with more pullbacks and downturns en route to that profitable finish. By contrast, Jim Welsh, macro strategist at Smart Portfolios, says the technicals -- along with some market history, plus higher inflation for longer than he believes most are expecting -- suggest that trouble is coming next year; unlike most technicians who have appeared on the show, Welsh expects the market to take a step back before starting a Santa Claus rally to finish 2021. Also on the show, Stephen Hester, partner at Wide Moat Research and editor at the Intelligent REIT Options Advisor newsletter, compares business-development companies to REITs as a portfolio tool, and financial adviser Tony Hixon discusses his book, 'Retirement Stepping Stones,' and how important it is for people to consider more than their finances as they prepare to end their working careers.

FeiFei Li, head of equities at Research Affiliates, says that any negative shock to the market could cause a 'very big correction,' but even without that kind of surprise events, she says that 'the market is facing a risk of delivering negative returns in the second half of 2022.' Despite the changing environment, Li is bullish on value investing moving forward, saying it should come to the fore as the market struggles. In the Market Call, Michael Campagna, senior investment analyst at Moerus Capital Management, talks about global deep-value investing and the trouble some companies and industries must get into in order to be undervalued in today's market conditions; and with the ETF of the Week, Tom Lydon of ETFTrends.com explores a new, leveraged trend play in a narrow industry that's not for the faint of heart.

Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at Cresset Capital Management, says that current market valuations are at the top of their historical ranges, so 'anyone who is bullish on the market isn't going to be making a valuation argument.' Yet Ablin makes the argument that the market has room to run because the economic underpinnings remain strong and the Federal Reserve is still keeping liquidity strong despite inflation fears. Ablin discusses the wildcards that could change conditions in a hurry, but notes that investors are likely to be reasonably happy until the picture changes. Also on the show, portfolio manager Stan Majcher from Hotchkis and Wiley talks about the oil and energy markets -- and throws in a quick take on the financial sector too -- author Jennifer Moss discusses 'The Burnout Epidemic,' which is both her new book and a nationwide problem in the workforce, and Dan Keady, chief financial planning strategist at TIAA, covers the firm's latest survey, which showed that Americans have dual big concerns for retirement, specifically running out of money and running out of time.

Brian Barish, president and chief investment officer at Cambiar Investors, says that the Chinese government is changing the global investment picture and has him concerned about investing there, noting that investors can prosper from the growth of China's economy without facing the fire directly. Barish also notes that current financial conditions in the United States are 'generous,' leaving them mostly one way to go from here, making it that investors should think about protecting profits and lower expectations. By comparison, veteran technical analyst Martin Pring says that his long-term indicators show an economy that is nowhere close to a recession, despite dangerously high inflation rates, noting that his preferred market indicators mostly show room to run before a downturn or recession. Also on the show, Michelle Delgado discusses recent research from Clever Real Estate showing a growing disconnect between Americans' income and home prices, making houses hard to afford than ever before, and author Tanja Hester talks about 'Wallet Activism,' and how Americans can change their habits and their patterns to help themselves -- and society -- get the most out of every dollar they earn and spend.

Lou Harvey, president and chief executive officer at DALBAR Inc., says that investors can get unbiased advice that's in their best interest from the many new online 'robo advisor' platforms, but the trade-off is that the quality of advice is lower than hiring a human adviser. In the firm's most recent 'Best Interest Analysis,' DALBAR found significant issues with traditional advisers failing to work in the best interest of the client, a discrepancy he said is largely stemming from regulations which don't require all types of advisers to work to a fiduciary standard. Also on the show, David Trainer of New Constructs puts 'salad company' Sweet Green in the Danger Zone, saying that the IPO is nearly worthless despite being highly valued out of the box; Brian Hamilton of One discusses the financial stresses Americans are already worrying about for the upcoming holidays, and Eric Marshall of the Hodges Funds talks stocks in the Market Call.

Clyde McGregor, portfolio manager for the Oakmark Equity and Income fund, says that while investors are using stocks now to deliver income the way fixed income has always done, it doesn't mean that investors should throw balance out the window. He notes that the point of a balanced portfolio is the ability to withstand volatility and rapid changes in the environment, and notes that portfolios remaining relatively close to a classic 60-40 stocks/bonds allocation continue achieving that, even in today's low-rate environment. Also on the show, D.R. Barton Jr. of Woodshaw Financial Group talks technicals, noting that market sentiment has turned sharply in the last few weeks, with a real appetite for risk having come back and driving the current rally -- despite possible small setbacks -- to the end of the year; Michael Spatacco of Bancroft Capital discusses changes in closed-end funds and how new structures are more significant to the industry than the development of exchange-traded funds was to traditional mutual funds, and Brian Yacktman, president of the YCG Funds, talks about stocks with 'enduring pricing power' in the Market Call.

Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist for LPL Financial, says that the current bull market -- coming on the heels of a short, steep recession/bear market at the beginning of the pandemic -- is in its early stages and will roll into 2022 and beyond. He notes that for as long as economic growth and earnings stay strong, buoyed by monetary and fiscal policy tailwinds, 'there's still some time, we think, for this bull market to have some tricks up its sleeves and keep on rolling.' In another Big Interview on today's show, George Milling-Stanley, chief gold strategist at State Street Global Advisors, says that gold has not been a great inflation hedge at a time when investors are worried about the transitory nature of rising prices in large measure because the market doesn't expect inflation to last and has priced that into the metal. That said, Milling-Stanley still made a strong case for the role gold can play in a portfolio now, noting that he thinks this is a time to be loading up. And Tom Lydon, chief executive officer at ETFTrends.com makes a clean-energy index fund his ETF of the Week in light of the recent global summit on climate change.

Craig Callahan, chief executive officer at ICON Advisers, says that while the stock market has returned to record levels, he's not seeing the overpricing that is typical or a market peaking. Instead, stocks have further to run to reach fair value; he does see this bull run acting differently right now, with 'much more straight up -- and less down days -- than a typical bull market.' Callahan says that he expects the rally to continue until interest rates start to rise, which could squeeze valuations. Also on today's show, Brian Dress, director of research for Left Brain Investment Research, discusses Roku -- the firm's stock of the year in 2020 -- which has been working through some near-term troubles that have created a buying opportunity rather than a reason to bail out, and David Harden, chief investment officer at Summit Global Investments, talks low-volatility and factor investing, a love-hate relationship with Morningstar ratings and more in a wide-ranging Market Call.

Dan Zanger, chief technical strategist at ChartPattern.com, says that the stock market is the best and strongest he has seen since 1999 and he expects it to keep running through to the end of the year, but then he believes there will be a sell-off, a correction that takes the top off the market and helps it set a new base for further upside in 2022. Zanger says the market has plenty of energy and room to run so long as the Federal Reserve doesn't change policies and stop its momentum. Also on the show, Chuck discusses a wide range of stocks that he thinks are appropriate as gifts for children this holiday season or any time you are looking to teach youngsters about money, and we revisit a recent conversation with Chris Davis of Davis Advisors, who says that investors with a value mindset need to look for 'undervalued growth companies and value companies that can grow.'

Brad Lamensdorf, editor of the Lamensdorf Market-Timing Report and manager of the Ranger Equity Bear ETF, says that while the market is at record levels, valuations are not so high that it's particularly easy to find shorts. In the Market Call segment, Lamensdorf discusses how it's a stockpicker's market, both for long investors and short-sellers, with rising indexes having masked a lot of individual opportunities. Also on the show, Mark Hamrick, Washington bureau chief at Bankrate.com talks about implications from last week's economic reports, emerging markets and international fund manager Tunde Ojo from Harding Loevner discusses China and other foreign markets now, and Kyle Guske of New Constructs puts the Danger Zone spotlight back on EventBrite, the concert promoter that he says is wildly overvalued.

David Keller, chief market strategist at StockCharts.com, says that the seasonally strongest part of the year has arrived and the stock market is looking like it will hold to that seasonal tendency this year. He notes that while the market is overdue for a correction, there doesn't need to be a sharp sudden drop, because the market can correct in time -- moving sideways for longer -- rather than by price, a situation that he thinks will put a premium on stock-picking now. Keller wasn't the only guest optimistic about the near-term future, as Cliff Corso, president of Advisors Asset Management, says investors can continue to profit by not fighting the Fed as the central bank deals with inflation concerns and the changing economy. In The NAVigator segment, Matt Kence of the Aberdeen Credit Income Strategies Fund, discusses current opportunities in high-yield bonds and bank loans, and Rich Moroney of Horizon Investment Services -- the editor of both the Dow Theory Forecasts and Upside newsletters -- returns for the Market Call for the first time in two years to talk stocks.

Laura Geritz, chief executive officer at Rondure Global Advisors, says that she thinks the domestic stock market rally is late in its current cycle with inflation no longer feeling transitory, noting that she now believes it will take a significant interest rate hike of 1 percent or more to slow growth, but not ruling that kind of move out in the face of rising inflation. Geritz worries that China currently reminds her of Japan in the 1980s, building a bubble around real estate, which she says will have to be deflated carefully so that it doesn't crater global markets. Tom Lydon from ETF Trends.com also covers emerging markets with his pick for ETF of the Week, making a case to go off-trend and go bottom-fishing with high-yield foreign debt. Also on the show, Simon Zhen of MyBankTracker.com discusses how many people plan to spend more time doing holiday shopping than they spend managing their money, and Stephen Luongo of AIR Asset Management talks alternative investments into life settlements, and how they're not the shady worrisome product some people associate with old AM-radio ads.

Chris Davis, chairman of Davis Advisors, says that value investors can't rely on the classic approaches but must instead seek out a mix of 'undervalued growth companies and value companies that can grow,' a more hybrid investment style that has been working even in times when traditional value investing has struggled. Further, he notes that investors should forego most bond holdings in favor of high-grade financial stocks, noting that he expects a decade of substantially rising dividends in the sector. Also on the show, Ed Carson, news editor for Investor's Business Daily, discusses how rising inflation has sapped economic optimism, and Chuck gives the results from his annual Halloween 'cash or candy' giveaway.

Karl Mills, president of Jurika, Mills and Keifer, says that investors should be looking for current market imbalances, watching for the shift that lies ahead, which will move them from growth to value stocks, from domestic to international markets, from large-cap to small-cap issues and more to stay ahead of changing winds that will make it harder for the market's recent success stories to keep going strong. Also on the show, Sean Cox of Gainbridge discusses how the firm is not only changing the way consumers buy and think about annuity products, but changing Money Life as the show's newest sponsor, Ted Rossman of CreditCards.com discusses the current state of retail store credit cards (think high interest rates and bad enticements), and John Cole Scott, chief investment officer at Closed-End Fund Advisors discusses business-development companies, their prospects into 2022 and building a portfolio with them, including four BDCs he thinks are good buying opportunities despite varying distribution rates, discounts or premiums.

Freddy Garcia, vice president of Investments for Left Brain Wealth Management, says that investors who hire advisers to help manage their money need to get appropriate help picking and selecting stocks, bonds and mutual funds, rather than simply following cookie-cutter programs. Garcia says that many advisers provide 'planning,' without doing high-conviction investment selections, ultimately leading to a time when clients are unhappy because their broad financial plan isn't meeting their return expectations. Also on the show, Tom Lydon of ETFTrends.com highlights an equal-weighted index fund as his ETF of the Week, Ed Slott of IRAhelp.com helps Chuck answer a listener's question, and we revisit a recent chat with Herb Greenberg, senior editor of Empire Financial Research.

After two days lost to power outage at Chuck's studio, the show returns with John Petrides, portfolio manager at Tocqueville Asset Management, reminding investors to keep their eyes on the prize for their ultimate goals and not let volatility and downturns shake them out of the market, turning paper losses into real pain. Petrides says his team has been in a buy-the-dip mentality since the start of the pandemic and that hasn't changed as the recovery has played out, particularly because the alternatives to stock investments are unattractive right now. Also on the show, Sri Reddy of Principal Financial Group discusses the habits that successful savers have exhibited during the pandemic, Ed Slott of IRAhelp.com helps Chuck answer a listener's tax question, and we revisit a recent chat with Michael Kelly of Pinebridge Investments.

Two very different interviews come to the same kind of conclusion on today's show, with Brian Levitt, global market strategist at Invesco, noting that inflation and other concerns aren't hurting corporate profits, and those strong profits are helping to improve valuations, setting up the market's next solid move upward, and Avi Gilburt of the Elliott Wave Trader saying he expects the Standard and Poor's 500 to move to nearly 5,000 before a pullback that sets up a big move that should get the index to the 6,000 range by the beginning of 2023. Also on the show, Greg McBride of BanRate.com talks about some good news -- mixed in with the usual bad -- in the site's annual survey on banking fees, ATM expenses, overdraft charges and more, and Gabriela Herculano, chief executive officer at iClima Earth, discusses emissions-free ESG investing in the Market Call.

Bill Schultheis, author of the landmark financial book 'The CoffeeHouse Investor,' discusses how the simple rules of his popular effort -- involving diversification, minimizing costs and saving hard -- remain the key to success in a world caught up in meme stocks, cryptocurrencies and other shiny, sparkly financial products. Schultheis talks about how investors can stay simple yet successful now. In other interviews today: David Trainer of New Constructs puts the Rivian IPO in the Danger Zone, noting that the electric vehicle's expected market valuation is more than six times higher than a level he considers realistic-but-optimistic, Alison Carnie talks about an Edward Jones, survey showing that people know the importance of end-of-life planning but that doesn't mean they're doing it, and author Jonathan Hillman discusses 'The Digital Silk Road: China's Quest to Wire the World and Win the Future.'

Frank Holmes, chief executive at U.S. Global Investors, says that the big trade he's making now involves gold, which he says are cheap relative to technology stocks, which are raising dividends and which are poised for a big mean-reversion snap-back. Holmes -- who also is chairman at Hive Blockchain -- also discusses crypto currencies, the new bitcoin-related ETF, the broad market and more. Also on the show: Larry Holzenthaler of Nuveen discusses why investors should diversify income-producing holdings to include floating-rate loans, which he says offer equal returns to high-yield bonds but with less risk. Buck Klintworth of Chase Investment Counsel gives his technical outlook, which he overlays on the reasonable fundamental picture he sees right now, and John Barr, portfolio manager of the Needham Growth and Aggressive Growth funds talks stocks in the Market Call.

Tom Lydon, chief executive officer at ETFTrends.com, says that the ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF launched this week will be one of the biggest new ETF launches of all time and is worth the hype, even though the fund is built around bitcoin futures rather than tied directly to the cryptocurrency. Lydon explains how the new fund works and the prospects for new and different crypto funds coming out of the registration pipeline soon. Also on the show, author Becky Hall discusses 'The Art of Enough' and building a balanced life, LendingTree's chief credit analyst, Matt Schulz, discusses their latest take on retail credit cards and why consumers will sign up for less of them this year and what they will do instead, and Darren Chervitz, manager, of the Jacob Discovery Fund, talks bottoms-up, growth-oriented stock-picking in the Market Call.

Marshall Stocker, co-director of the emerging market team for Eaton Vance Management, says that in the face of global inflation and a waning pandemic, emerging markets countries are addressing issues in a more conventional or orthodox manner than developed countries, which he sees as bullish as it should help those countries to sidestep the fallout from a decade of zero-rate policies from the last decade. It has emerging markets, Stocker says, looking much more like a traditional asset class and less like a volatile new frontier than ever before. In another Big Interview, Gregg Fisher, portfolio manager, Quent Capital discusses global small-cap investing and the growing opportunities he sees in nascent companies. There are also two different surveys discussed on today's show, first with Eric Wagatha, head of consumer life for GfK discussing how Americans are putting off major life decisions post-pandemic, and then with Michelle Delgado of Clever Real Estate on how the housing market is so hot that even haunted houses are moving, and how homebuyers find a lot of things to be more frightening than ghosts.

Willie Delwiche, investment strategist for All Star Charts, says that the messy, sloppy range-bound market that we've seen since February is going to continue sideways for a while but ultimately will resolve itself to the upside, confirming a consolidation that is healthy for the long term. Delwiche believes the next rally will be led by different types of stocks -- financials instead of tech stocks, mid- and small-caps instead of large-caps -- plus commodities and more. Also on the show, Amy Arnott of Morningstar discusses the firm's annual 'Mind the Gap' research showing how badly investors perform relative to the mutual funds they are buying, John Cole Scott of Closed-End Fund Advisors helps Chuck answer some questions that dig into the inside baseball of closed-end investing, and Ed Slott of IRAhelp.com gives his tax tips on moves investors might want to make before the year ends.

Jared Bibler, author of 'Iceland's Secret: The Untold Story of the World's Biggest Con' discusses the collapse of the frontier market's economy and market in 2008, a chapter in financial history largely unnoticed in the US because America was going through its own financial crisis, caused by the collapse of Lehman Brothers. Bibler notes that the three Icelandic banks that imploded at that time were -- to the small country's economy -- ' the size of 300 Lehman Brothers' representing about 90 percent of Iceland's stock market as a result of stock buy-backs that are similar-yet-different to the ones Americans see happening domestically every day. Also on the show, Ted Pulsifer discusses a Piplsay.com study on how buy-now/pay-later programs are becoming increasingly popular, which may also be making them financially hazardous, investment analyst Kyle Guske of New Constructs puts a mutual fund in 'the Danger Zone," and Chuck discusses the latest twist in his annual 'Cash or candy' Halloween experiment.

Market strategist Larry McDonald, creator of The Bear Traps Report, says that with inflation holding at a higher trajectory than the last 10 years, investors need to move away from growth stocks and head towards commodities and hard-asset companies plus value stocks moving forward. In another Big Interview segment, real estate expert Brian Icenhower of Icenhower Coaching and Consulting says the nation isn't facing a housing bubble -- which will burst and dissipate -- so much as a housing crisis, that will dramatically impact home prices for the foreseeable future. Also on the show, investment strategist Matt Harris of Aperture Research Partners talks technical analysis and the current range-bound market, and Sam Brothwell of Energy Income Partners discusses energy infrastructure investing and why renewable energy doesn't make legacy energy stocks a bad investment.

Veteran journalist and market observer Herb Greenberg -- now senior editor at Empire Financial Research -- says that investors have a distorted view about returns, fueled by the market's post-pandemic rise, that has resulted in a loss of selling discipline. 'Everybody thinks they are entitled to these gazillion percent returns,' he says, and they have lost sight of what it means to have a 'good investment.' As a result, he fears that 'A lot of people will learn a very hard lesson who probably can't afford to learn that lesson.' Also on the show, Tom Lydon, of ETFTrends.com names an entire suite of funds that are built to give investors more control his 'ETF of the Week,' and Gary Black of The Future Fund Active ETF talks Tesla and other game-changing stocks in the Market Call.

Giles Coghlan, chief currency analyst at HYCM, says that bond rates have been moving higher because investors expect central banks to raise interest rates as a response to inflation. He worries, however, that the central banks are ill-equipped to combat inflation caused by supply-chain problems rather than inflation as an offshoot of a normal economic cycle. That could create stagflation, a situation when inflation is high while growth is low, which would be bad for the global economy. Also on the show, Noland Langford, chief executive officer at Left Brain Investment Research talks about energy as an income play and identifies a stock, bond, preferred stock and ETF worthy of consideration, Chance Finucane of Oxbow Advisors discusses stocks in the Market Call, and Chuck pays tribute to his friend -- and our guest at the end of every quarter -- Michael Falk.

Warren Pierson, deputy chief investment officer for the Baird Funds, says that while the Federal Reserve initially suggested that 'transitory' inflation would be here for a matter of months, it's now a much longer definition as the pace of recovery is slower than expected. Still, Pierson says that inflation will abate and eventually give the Fed what it has been hoping for, a level slightly north of 2 percent. Pierson also gives his outlook for fixed income -- covering virtually every bond type from mortgage-backed securities to junk bonds -- in a wide-ranging chat. In the Book Interview, author Eswar Prasad discusses 'The Future of Money,' and his expectation that the world will become a cashless society sooner than later, but not necessarily in ways that cryptocurrency experts expect. Also on the show, Jill Gonzalez of WalletHub.com talks about a survey showing that more than 40 percent of consumers would pay more for flights and/or hotels that only allowed customers vaccinated against Covid-19, and John Cole Scott of Closed-End Fund Advisors and the Active Investment Company Alliance helps Chuck answer a listener's question about whether closed-end funds are appropriate for younger investors and taxable accounts.

Michael Kelly, global head of multi-asset at PineBridge Investments, says that the global economic recovery has changed its shape -- going from the V-recovery that many people hoped for -- to something more gradual but longer-lasting, largely following the path of vaccination around the world. Kelly also discusses how he is responding to the challenges of a low-yield/rising-inflation fixed-income market. Also on the show, David Trainer of New Constructs identifies five companies that he expects to have big misses in the upcoming earnings season, Doug Milnes, head of data analysis at MoneyGeek.com, discusses some of the dichotomies between consumer optimism and behavior, and top-down investor/trader Leon Wilfan talks stocks in the Market Call.

Everett Millman, precious metals specialist at Gainesville Coins, says that while investors traditionally turn to gold to act as a hedge against inflation, precious metals haven't been as good of a hedge as stocks and other assets. Millman says the market seems to be buying the narrative that inflation is transitory, noting that money has been flowing out of precious metals at a time when most people would expect demand to be high; it has also limited gold's effectiveness in these inflationary, rising-rate times. In The NAVigator segment, Eric Chadwick, president at Flaherty & Crumrine, says that preferred securities are the 'sweet spot' in this market, offering relatively attractive yields without adding significant risk to a portfolio. Also on the show, Catherine Golladay discusses how workers are more stressed about their finances now, but also more optimistic that they are moving in the right directions, and the Market Call is a rebroadcast of a recent chat with Nancy Tengler, chief investment strategist at Laffer Tengler Wealth Management.

Historian Kyle Harper, author of 'Plagues Upon the Earth; Disease and the Course of Human History,' says in the Book Interview today that the coronavirus is just the latest worldwide disease phenomenon and that those past events have spurred positives like developments and negatives like inequality. He discusses the outcomes from history and how current events will impact society and the markets for years. Also on the show, Tom Lydon of ETFTrends.com makes a brand new fund with an eye on frontier markets his ETF of the Week, Bruce Monrad of Northeast Investors Trust talks the bond market and the hunt for yield in a rising rate/inflation market, and Chuck answers a listener's question about dividend investing.

Joseph Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM, says that the economy has turned the corner from recovery to expansion, and says that concerns over slowing growth miss the point that growth rates will continue to be well above historic rates. Brusuelas says that the Delta variant and its ability to disrupt global supply chains remains the biggest worry for the global economy moving forward, but he notes that he expects talk of inflation and supply chain issues to subside by early 2022; meanwhile, he expects the economy to be growing at a 5 percent clip in the second half of the year, more than double historic norms, meaning that any slowdown is mostly about changing the shape and duration of the rebound, not ending it. Also on the show, Ryan Kelley, chief investment officer at the Hennessy Funds, talks about investing in the utilities and energy sector at a time when prices have been popping as demand rebounds, and Chuck talks about determining who you can trust for your financial advice.

Chris Vermeulen, chief market strategist for The Technical Traders, says the market's frothy September has pushed it to where he's headed for cash, at least for the short term, avoiding what he thinks will be a short downturn leading into a sideways market and ultimately a buying opportunity, as he expects the market to rebound into a strong bull run that could last six to eight months. At that point, however, Vermeulen says the market's years-long rally could be running out of steam and on its last legs. Also on the show, David Meyer, president of the Public Investors Advocate Bar Association talks about why consumers are never paid in 30 percent of the arbitration victories against rogue brokers, Washington Post columnist Allan Sloan discusses the debt-ceiling debate's negative impact on the bond market and borrowing -- even if it ultimately gets passed -- and Chuck answers listener questions about gold and bitcoin, and selling stocks.

Syed Ejaz, financial policy analyst for Consumer Reports, joins Chuck to talk about the magazine's report released last week which showed that popular apps providing access to credit scores may not offer all of the benefits users expect and come burdened with hidden costs. Ejaz says that, aside from some measure of convenience, consumers would mostly be better off keeping tabs on their credit reports and credit scores on their own. Also on the show, author Dorie Clark, talks about 'The Long Game: How to Be a Long-Term Thinker in a Short-Term World,' David Trainer of New Constructs says a very hot stock is headed for trouble and belongs in the Danger Zone, and Justin Carbonneau, vice president and partner at Validea.com and Validea Capital Management, talks stocks in the Money Life Market Call.

Julius de Kempenaer, senior technical analyst at StockCharts, says that the long-term trend for the stock market and for nearly every sector still looks strong, but he says the relationship between stocks and bonds needs fixing, which is why he expects a technical correction to give the market some time to breathe and digest the action of the last two years. De Kempenaer expects limited upside potential for a while, but says the downside could be a long slow sideways move or a steeper-but-shorter downturn. Also on the show, Bryce Doty of Sit Investment Associates says that a diversified portfolio of closed-end funds can make it possible to safely stretch for more yield, financial planner and blogger Jessica Weaver discusses how wasted time may actually be the biggest money loser for most people, and Gerry Frigon of Taylor Frigon Capital Management talks growth stocks in the Market Call.

Michael Falk of Focus Consulting Group -- who joins Chuck at the end of every quarter to discuss the market, investing and his personal battle with Lou Gehrig's Disease -- says that investors need to recognize that the greatest obstacle to their long-term financial success isn't the market and the economy, but the man in the mirror. 'Behavior,' he says in a wide-ranging interview, ' is more important than your investments,' noting that you will 'cause the greatest amount of error in any decision-making process you can use or design.' Also on the show, Tom Lydon of ETFTrends.com makes a brand new, tech-oriented fund from Goldman Sachs his ETF of the Week, and Bryan Lee of Blue Zone Wealth Advisors talks about finding stocks with recurring, repetitive business models -- particularly on small-ticket items -- in the Market Call.

Fritz Folts, chief investment strategist at 3EDGE Asset Management, says supply chain issues, Covid variants and other factors aren't going away, which will leave inflation higher heading into 2022, making it harder for the Federal Reserve to balance interest rates and inflation with changing global growth. Folts says that investors need to respond to the potential trouble by being better diversified outside of the United States, trying to generate more return without taking on too much risk. Also on the show, Brian Dress, director of research for Left Brain Investment Research, discusses preferred securities as a high-yield alternative in today's low-rate market, Zack Gipson, managing director of digital investor solutions for Charles Schwab talks about a survey released Tuesday that shows how investors are more reliant on technology than ever but still need human touch on the most important planning decisions, and author Christopher Mims discusses his new book, 'Arriving Today: From Factory to Front Door -- Why Everything Has Changed About How and What We Buy.'

Erik Weisman, chief economist and portfolio manager at MFS Investments, says that if inflation were to run at 3 percent or more for all of next year, it would be a significant challenge for both stock and bond markets 'and there may not be that many safe places to hide,' but while he sees that potential danger, he believes that the beginning of 2022 is likely to be where inflation peaks near 5 percent and then settles down to levels that allow for continued growth. It will be slower growth for both the economy and the market, Weisman warns, but still positive. Also on the show, Eric Noe of Business.com discusses a survey about how roughly seven out of eight investors would like cryptocurrency made available in their retirement-savings plan, a discussion that may seem particularly ironic after Chuck opens the show with the tale of @MrGoxx, the cryptocurrency-trading hamster (no, he's not kidding); Chuck also takes a listener's question about automatic reinvestment plans for ETFs, and Chris Natividad, chief investment officer at Equbot talks about using artificial intelligence as a means of selecting stocks in the Market Call.

Bryce Doty, senior portfolio manager for Sit Investment Associates, says that current causes for investor concern -- the debt ceiling, inflation and more -- are creating volatility and buying opportunities in a market that's on solid long-term footing as it continues to reopen and recover from the coronavirus pandemic. Also on the show, Kyle Guske from research firm New Constructs explains in the Danger Zone why the Allbirds IPO won't fly right from the start, University of Arkansas professor Mervin Jebaraj discusses the latest outlook survey from the National Association for Business Economics and, in the Market Call, Nancy Tengler, chief investment strategist at Laffer Tengler Wealth Management talks about finding growth stocks at reasonable prices given current market conditions.

Matt Fox, president of Ithaca Wealth Management, says that the market appears to have shaken off current events in China that were creating downward pressure, and it could soon be back to flirting with record highs and resuming its long climb. Fox noted that his big worry is less about anything he sees in the charts and more about the potential for the economy to have surprisingly slow growth. Also on the show, Erik Herzfeld of Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors says that investors are sacrificing returns for liquidity when they choose traditional mutual funds and ETFs instead of closed-end funds, financial adviser Vidal Peoples of Strategies for Wealth discusses taking a fiscal physical now, and Sneha Jose, director of behavioral finance for Stifel discusses investor biases and how individuals and their hard-wired thinking frequently short-circuit the best-laid investment plans.

Ron Sanchez, chief investment officer at Fiduciary Trust Company International, says that markets are facing some resistance in September after seven consecutive months of gains, and he expects that increased choppiness to continue into October, but his long-term outlook remains highly constructive, noting that economic growth from the recovery is being pushed out into 2022 and '23. Sanchez believes that we're still 'in the first half of this economic cycle over the next two or three years where economic growth could be north of 3 percent and closer to 4;' that would represent economic growth that is more than double pre-pandemic levels. Also on the show, Tom Lydon of ETFTrends.com makes a small, new thematic fund his ETF of the Week, saying he has big expectations and hopes for the fund, and Chuck answers a listener's question about whether and how to factor small investment positions and ideas into a portfolio. And in the Market Call, Mike Larson, senior analyst at Weiss Ratings, talks about 'safe-money' stocks in today's complicated environment.

Paul Christopher, head of global market strategy at the Wells Fargo Investment Institute, says that the economic recovery pace in the United States is ahead of most foreign countries and is likely to stay that way for a year or more, but his long-term thinking suggests that changing globalization will use more robotics and artificial intelligence and more to localize production and make it that different countries move through cycles on their own pace, rather than as part of a large group. Also on the show, Francisco Bido of F/m Acceleration discusses in the Market Call how using a quantitative approach mixed with some fundamentals can find stocks poised for solid future growth, Francesca Ortegren from Clever Real Estate covers their latest survey showing an alarmingly large percentage of Americans have taken on or added to their credit card debt since the start of the pandemic, and Chuck answers a listener's question about some famous funds whose best days may be in the past.

Steve Rick, chief economist at CUNA Mutual Group, says that Coivd-19 and its variants remain the biggest issue facing the global economy right now because it has slowed the U.S. economy more than expected and it continues to drive expectations lower, at a time when rising inflation is a concern that could put a further damper on growth. Despite the uncertainty, Rick remains largely positive on the economy, provided that inflation spikes remain, as he expects, relatively short-lived. Also on the show, Gal Wettstein from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College discusses how long most people have the ability to continue working, Chuck takes a listener's question about why guests sometimes celebrate bad investment ideas, and Jack Murphy, chief investment officer at Easterly Investment Partners looks for contrarian value investments in the Market Call.

David Trainer, president of New Constructs, says that new research from the firm shows that three-quarters of the Standard and Poor's 500 stocks have misstated earnings, and that 215 of those companies have overstated their profits by more than 10 percent. He cites Fortive Corp., which shows reported earnings of $4.62 per share, but with core earnings of 99 cents per share; as a result, Trainer says the $74 stock has an economic book value of roughly $21 per share, making a fair value somewhere between those extremes. Also on the show, Jacob Channel of LendingTree on how many renters believe the housing market has priced them out, permanently, Lawrence Shapiro talks about his book 'When Bad Thinking Happens to Good People' and, in the Market Call, Kathy Boyle of Chapin Hill Advisors discusses ETF investing.

Niladri Mukherjee, head of portfolio strategy at Merrill Lynch Bank of America Private Bank, thinks that equities will grind higher from current levels, but that progress will be based on a 'different playbook' driven by rising corporate earnings and narrower moves that force investors to dig into the numbers -- to 'get micro' looking at valuation opportunities -- rather than relying on the rising tide of indexes to carry them forward. Also on the show, Steve Seedhouse, managing director of biotechnology equity research for Raymond James discusses the long-term impacts of Covid on biotech stocks, noting that the virus has become endemic -- it will be with us indefinitely, requiring treatments in the future to cover any and all variants -- and that status changes the prospects for businesses responding to it. He also covers the emerging biotech processes that he believes have significant potential. Also on the show, James Thom, manager of the closed-end India Fund, discusses the country's remarkable growth rate during recovery and the opportunities it presents, and Danny Sullivan, director for risk for Verus Investments, talks about how investors need to consider inflation in terms of the danger it holds to their portfolio rather than as simply a threat to the market.

Rob Isbitts, chief investment strategist at Sungarden Investment Publishing, says that with the yield on the Standard and Poor's 500 is as low as it has been in years, investors trying to find good buys on dividend stocks are looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. Isbitts, who has developed a new investment factor he calls YARP -- for 'yield at a reasonable price' -- says that yield-oriented investors are taking on too much risk for the distributions they're getting right now, a situation that's unlikely to change until the market goes through some sort of correction. Also on the show, Paul Dilda of BMO Harris Bank discusses BMO's Real Financial Progress Index and 'the knowing-doing gap,' where consumers know what they should so but aren't actually getting it done, Tom Lydon of ETFTrends.com looks to China for his ETF of the Week, and Benjamin Bailey of the Praxis Mutual Funds talks about fixed-income investing and the economy in The Big Interview.

Noland Langford, chief executive at Left Brain Investment Research, says that investors must adjust and deal with the current impact of inflation and continuing low rates, noting that '5 is the new 8,' and that investors may struggle to find good ways to generate a 5 percent yield. To meet that standard, Langord says he has gotten both more aggressive and more selective in using high-yield corporate bonds and preferred securities, and talks about a few examples that meet his investment criteria now. Also on the show, best-selling author Ben Mezrich discusses his latest book, 'The Antisocial Network: The GameStop Short Squeeze and the Ragtag Group of Amateur Traders That Brought Wall Street to Its Knees,' and says that the meme-stock fad started by that famous episode is not going away, and Scott Bennett, founder of Invest With Rules, puts his rules-based philosophy to the test in the Market Call.

Jan van Eck, chief executive officer at VanEck, says that government policy 'determines the weather' for markets and policy has been 'insanely supportive' of markets and while that is changing slowly he would suggest that investors have no reason to feel nervous while the Federal Reserve continues to support the market. van Eck talks about three multi-year investable trends, starting with the continued low interest rates and how they encourage people to keep borrowing now, but extending to the transition to renewable energy and then how blockchain technologies will change financial services. Also on the show, Simon Zhen discusses a recent MyBankTracker.com survey on who Americans learned their financial lessons from, Rosetta Bryson of Simple Trader Pro talks about how the market's technicals show fairly smooth sailing ahead, and Josh Duitz of the Aberdeen Standard Global Infrastructure Income fund talks infrastructure stocks in the Market Call.

It's a wide-ranging show today with author Alec Ross, discussing 'The Raging 2020s: Companies, Countries, People - and the Fight for Our Future,' and whether the times ahead look more like a Star Trek universe or the landscape of Mad Max. In the Danger Zone, David Trainer of New Constructs sees through the popularity of the Warby Parker IPO to discuss how the stock may be worth no more than 20 percent of its anticipated opening price, and in the Market Call, Jonathan Browne of Robinson Capital talks closed-end funds. Also, Chuck answers a question about a legislative proposal that would combat tax cheats, but which might also feel like an invasion of privacy.

Michael Kahn, senior market analyst at Lowry Research Corp., says that technical analysis shows that the market at record highs is hiding the fact that parts of the market are not working, and that a number of indexes and indicators -- with the notable exception of the Standard and Poor's 500 -- are flat or struggling. 'I don't see that the rising tide is raising all boats,' Kahn says. 'I don't think the tide is rising.' In the Big Interview, Richard Smith of The RISK Rituals newsletter -- chief executive at the Foundation for the Study of Cycles -- talks about current market movements and how investors can better deal with risk. Michael Ordonez of Thornburg Investment Management, says in The NAVigator that the difficult environment for income-oriented investors, coupled with regulatory changes allowing for a more consumer-friendly structure led to the firm creating its first-ever closed-end fund, and that he expects more funds to take up the new structure. And in the Market Call, Andrey Kutuzov, portfolio manager for Seven Canyons Advisors, discusses small-cap growth investing around the globe.