Money Life with Chuck Jaffe

Frank Holmes, chief investment officer at U.S. Global Investors, sees the market as being due for a big correction after an "amazing move" over the last two years, but he also sees the market beginning a new era of capital innovation and creativity that will help to push the market back to new heights over the next few years. He notes that artificial intelligence will keep leading the way higher, though he says he typically prefers the AI-adjacent companies to the direct players in the space. He also discusses gold, crypto and more in a wide-ranging Big Interview. Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi, looks to double down on the winners of the Nasdaq Composite with his pick for ETF of the Week, and Peter Schneider, president of Primerica, discusses the firm's latest Financial Security Monitor, which showed that recent gains in purchasing power don't have middle-income families feeling any better about their personal finances. In the Market Call, Ryan Jacob, chief investment officer of the Jacob Funds, talks technology stocks and where the next round of AI winners might come from.

Brent Schutte, chief investment officer at Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co., says that the current stock market reminds him of the late 1990s -- with a super strong dollar, a few stocks driving the market while the others are mediocre, where the American market and economy are exceptional and more -- but as economic seasons changed, it was the rest of the market that thrived. That's what he sees happening again now, so he is preaching diversification, especially toward small-cap stocks but also with international investments and commodities, as a way of growing and protecting a portfolio in 2025. In The Book Interview, financial columnist and historian Rodney Brooks discusses "The Rise and Fall of the Freedman's Savings Bank and It's Lasting Socio-Economic Impact on Black America," and Eric Schoenstein, portfolio manager and chief investment officer at Jensen Investment Management discusses quality investing in The Market Call.

Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at Cresset Capital Management, says that the market is about 25 percent overvalued, but the momentum of the market suggests that investors shouldn't worry about an immediate downturn. Ablin says that traditional value metrics show the overvaluation and says that lofty prices eventually meet up with momentum that gets exhausted, leading to "a pretty good exit point." But he notes that "Value is always early," and there "still a lot more room" for the market to run before it rolls over. In the Talking Technicals segment, Gene Peroni, founder of Peroni Portfolio Advisors, also sees the market's potential for downturn, but he says that the market has effectively ignored Wall Street adages, cyclical and seasonal factors, psychological considerations and has moved to its own beat, with a strong technical foundation that should enable it to weather storms and turn any potential downturns into buying opportunities. In the Money Life Market Call, Andrey Kutusov, portfolio manager at Seven Canyons Advisors, talks high-growth small-cap international/emerging markets stocks.

Disagreement makes a market, and the market on Robinhood Markets was wide open on this show as David Trainer of New Constructs put the stock in The Danger Zone, but Tom Martin, senior portfolio manager at Globalt Investments, made the stock a "buy" during "Quick and Dirty" in the Money Life Market Call. Also on the show, Paula Fleming of the Better Business Bureau of Eastern Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island and Vermont talks about personalization scams — where people are being ripped off in multiple ways while buying personalized gifts for the holidays — and discusses how to avoid holiday frauds. Plus, Lauren FitzHugh, vice president of growth at Fruition — Money Life's newest sponsor — discusses the benefits of having all of your investment, bank and spending accounts linked together in one place, and the peace of mind that comes with better control of your finances.

Despite headlines that have dominated the news stating concerns about the stock market and its ability to keep thriving under a new political administration, Mick Heyman, founder of Heyman Investment Counseling, doesn't see the warning signs of a terrible market. "Close your eyes, it's fear of heights, and just let the long-term trend continue on," Heyman said. He is not the only one who sees little trouble evident on the horizon, as Vuk Vuković, chief investment officer at Oraclum Capital, sees the economy being able to avoid a recession throughout 2025. Ravi Chintapalli from the Global Fixed Income team at Nuveen, says in The NAVigator that structural changes have made the junk bond market stronger, while reducing default risk; as a result, yields of 7 percent should be normal and comfortable in 2025. Plus Mac Sykes, portfolio manager at Gabelli talks financial stocks in the Market Call.

Ben Harburg, founder of CoreValues Alpha — manager of the firm's Greater China Growth ETF — says that consumers in China have over $21 trillion in household savings sitting on the shelf and that as that money starts to be spent, it will drive the Chinese market to a long recovery. That should be happening at a time when Chinese stocks "are near rock bottom" but U.S. equities have been running to record highs, making China a good diversifier for American investors looking for protection against a setback here. Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi, turns to a free cash-flow ETF that opened in 2023 and that has risen to the top of its large-cap value peer group this year as his ETF of the Week. In the Market Call, Noland chief executive officer at Left Brain Wealth Management, returns to the show to discuss his version of growth investing; one area he particularly likes now is the big cruise companies.

Dan Fuss, vice chairman at Loomis Sayles & Co. — one of the longest-tenured and most decorated bond fund managers in history — says that the Federal Reserve has done its job and managed to avoid most of the trouble that observers feared was coming. Moreover, it has positioned the economy and the bond market to keep humming along. Yet Fuss also singles out several factors, including climate change and geo-politics, that are not usually factors in bond investing that are having a big impact on bond investing now. WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo discusses the site's research on the best and most-popular gift cards for the holiday season, and Tobias Carlisle, founder of the Acquirers Funds, talks in the Market Call about how he practices deep-value investing at a time when the market is at record-high levels.

Louis Navellier, chief investment officer at Navellier & Associates, says investors "have a lot to look forward to," starting with a strong ending to the year and a big January effect, but he notes that conditions are right to keep the economy chugging along and pushing through the occasional stumble and correction. That said, he notes in The Big Interview that he is worried about the potential for trouble in the private credit market — where investors have been chasing super high yields for several years — to potentially create a full-blown market crash, akin to what the market experienced in 2008. Navellier also talks about his stock-picking methodology and his grading system in The Market Call. In the Talking Technicals segment, Xander Gray, founder and chief executive officer at XG Capital Strategies says that there's a recession and significant market drop coming, likely to start before the end of the first quarter of the new year. The recession is the fallout of the inverted yield curve; while many experts have said the economy will avoid the downturn that typically comes with that condition, Gray says there are plenty of reasons why investors should remain defensive now.

Todd Kellenberger, portfolio manager for public REITs at Principal Asset Management, expects that the Federal Reserve will make two to three interest rate cuts in 2025, but that the way rates move will be the real determinant in how the year plays out for real estate investors. Kellenberger says that the central bank's actions will be determined by inflation and jobs data, but he notes that if rates stay benign it will still be a good market for real estate, with the potential for much more if rates move more and the economy has a soft landing where real estate fundamentals improve. He gives his outlook for a variety of REIT types in a wide-ranging Big Interview. David Trainer, founder and president at New Constructs puts MicroStrategy Inc. in the Danger Zone, noting that the company is essentially a costly, leveraged play on bitcoin with more risk than an investor would face just owning cryptocurrency directly. And Michael Lowenberg, portfolio manager for the Modern Capital Tactical Income fund, talks in the Money Life Market Call about what he looks for in closed-end funds.

Brandon Thurber, chief market strategist at Regions Asset Management, says the market is looking strong for the next 12 to 18 months, provided it can avoid a big earnings shortfall. With high earnings expectations, he sees earnings pressure overhanging a market that is overbought but which still has pockets that represent good values. Thurber sees the market broadening out, with mid-caps being part of the rally but small companies likely to keep struggling, delivering moderate growth despite increased levels of volatility than investors have seen this year. Likewise, Buck Klintworth of Chase Investment Counsel — co-manager of the Chase Growth Fund — says that all of the market's underlying fundamentals are positive right now, and he suggests to stick with a friendly trend, even though they should look for "any cracks that begin to develop" that could be signs that the economy is turning. Kevin Mahn, president and chief investment officer at Hennion & Walsh Asset Management — which runs the Smart Trust Unit Investment Trusts — expects that rate cuts in the next two years will drive investors to turn for income alternatives "since they can't find the 5 percent in the short-term CDs any more." That will drive investors toward business development companies and leveraged municipal closed-end funds, and he discusses the benefits of playing those areas of the market using unit investment trusts.

Lauren Sanfilippo, senior investment strategist for Bank of America Merrill and Private Bank, says that the market has reached highs on the backs of a few stocks, but that it is now rotating away from those popular trades. That will reward investors who stay balanced and diversified as the market broadens out next year, moving away from the Magnificent Seven stocks and a few names driving results to rewarding more companies with solid balance sheets in sectors from defense to technology, industrials and more. Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi, makes a short-duration, actively managed fixed-income fund his ETF of the Week. WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo, discusses the site's research into how average rates on department-store credit cards have popped to roughly 33 percent, but also how consumers looking to deferred interest deals wind up paying more because they don't understand how the programs work. Plus, Chuck answers a listener's question about paper stock certificates.

Simeon Hyman, global investment strategist at ProShares, sees "rational exuberance" on today's market, noting that the stock market is a little bit expensive but not dramatically above long-term normal forward earnings numbers, and he notes that expectations are reasonable, a little high but reasonable. Further, he suggests that all-time low levels of leverage and little debt on the books of the Standard & Poor's 500 is "a significant risk offset" to the current worries that make investors nervous. Author Michael Sincere — who writes the Long-Term Trader column at MarketWatch — discusses his new book, "Help Your Child Build Wealth: A Parents' Guide to Teaching Children to be Successful Investors," and then sticks around to discuss technical analysis and how he sees the market moving on from the election and through the change of administrations into 2025.

Josef Schuster, president of IPOX Schuster, says that the market for initial public offerings isn't just hot right now — it has outperformed the stock market this year, despite the market having gone up to record-high levels — but it is safer than it has been in years, with fewer issues going public and with much of the risk of default having been shifted to the pre-IPO market. And while artificial-intelligence plays have gotten a lot of the headlines and attention, Schuster says that industrials and other sectors have seen more stable and generally more profitable IPO activity. Lester Jones, chief economist for the National Wholesale Beer Association says that the November Beer Purchasers Index shows a highly unusual but completely neutral outlook for distributor sentiment, meaning the industry can't tell if times are bullish or bearish with year-end in sight. Plus college financial aid advisor Jack Wang, host of the new "Smart College Buyer" podcast, helps Chuck answer a listener's question about college loans coming due, and jeopardinging an unprepared parent's finances.

Bill Smead, manager of the Smead Value Fund, (SMVLX), says that the market has "all the pre-conditions for the [Standard and Poor's 500 to do very poorly," noting that current conditions are the "antithesis of 1980," when everyone got excited about Ronald Reagan took office at a time when stocks were cheap and inflation and interest rates are high. This time, he says, people are getting excited "at the end of a huge run .... a financial euphoria episode." He says in the Market Call that these conditions will lead to strong market performance over the next two decades, but to much tougher sledding over the next few years. One area that investors might turn to for relief would be gold, which has been on a big run in 2024 to get to record-high levels, and Everett Millman, precious metals specialist at Gainesville Coins, says he thinks that precious metals rally and gains are sustainable for at least the next 18 months — even if it goes through a short-term correction caused by profit-taking — because the conditions that have created the rally are likely to remain in place. Plus, Allison Hadley discusses a study fone for Luke Zion Jewelry which showed that Americans spend nearly $1,500 a year on "fashion."

John Cole Scott, president of Closed-End Fund Advisors and the chairman of the Active Investment Company Alliance, looks at how discounts have narrowed in closed-end funds amid the strong market this year, but he digs into his firm's data to find three closed-end funds and one business development company trading at attractive discounts to make them appropriate picks for year-end portfolio moves. Julia Toothacre discusses a ResumeTemplates.com, study showing that six-in 10 employees will be shopping Black Friday sales while at work today, Chuck discusses the ultimate financial gift to give your relatives this (and every year) -- so that you can get your shopping done before the shopping season even starts in earnest -- and Eric Marshall, president of Hodges Capital Management, talks small-cap investing in the Market Call.

Talley Leger, chief market strategist at The Wealth Consulting Group, likes small-cap stocks, financials and consumer discretionary and industrial companies, saying he expects a lot of the recent winners to slow as part of a shift in leadership that could lead to a market that slows or creates attractive buying opportunities with intermediate-term losses. Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi, returns to the Standard & Poor's 500 for the second week in a row, but this time picks an all-time classic that has been having record inflows as his "ETF of the Week." And in the Market Call, Christopher Zook, president of CAZ Investments, talks about looking for long-term themes, but buying them at reasonable prices, and discusses how that has him handling a hot space like artificial intelligence.

Carley Garner, senior commodity strategist at DeCarley Trading, sees the stock market completing its current rally with a small gain that would move the Standard and Poor's 500 to about 6,200. But once the holiday euphoria passes, she sees the market being hit, taking the S&P 500 down to roughly 4800. She also worries about how gold and oil prices will play out as the second Trump administration follows through on some of its campaign promises. Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst and Washington bureau chief at BankRate.com, discusses the site's latest survey on Americans' Social Security needs, noting that more than half of the nation's not-yet-retired workers expect to rely on the program to pay for "necessary expenses," but nearly three-quarters of Americans are concerned they won't get their promised benefits once they hit retirement age. Plus, Chuck answers a listener's questions about hiring a financial adviser to help manage an inheritance.

The National Association for Business Economics released its November Outlook Survey today, and nearly all of the economists surveyed expect moderating growth and slowing inflation but, most importantly, no recession until at least 2026. Kathy Bostjancic, chief economist at Nationwide and the outlook survey chairperson for NABE, called the results "Goldilock-ish," noting that forecasting firmer growth and slower inflation than they did in September, the economists are effectively expecting a near-perfect landing for the economy, with downside expectations decreased. David Trainer, founder and president at New Constructs, revisits Beyond Meat, noting that a number of different Danger Zone picks have recently had big rebounds, but that the plant-based meat maker hasn't gotten that kind of life support from the market, which is why he expects it to complete its destiny as a "zombie stock" in 2025. Plus, Nael Fakhry, portfolio manager for the Osterweis Growth and Income fund, discusses "quality growth companies" in the Market Call.

After waiting over three years for "one of the worst recessions ever anticipated that never happened," Edward Yardeni, president and chief investment strategist at Yardeni Research, says that the economy is now moving forward without much recession worry, buoyed by consumer spending — especially from Baby Boomers — and rate cuts from the Federal Reserve that he considered mostly unnecessary. Yardeni sees the economy going through another "Roaring 20s" period, and while the one a century ago ended in the Great Depression, he does think that outcome is not inevitable provided the government can keep debt and deficit levels under control while riding out the benefits of the "Digital Revolution" that includes all of the excitement around artificial intelligence and technology. Kendall Dilley, portfolio manager at Vineyard Global Advisors says the market's technicals are showing all green lights for a continuing bull market, and investors should lean in and treat downturns as buying opportunities. Dilley makes a case for the Standard & Poor's 500 to reach 7,500, getting as high as 6,400 by year's end, with only "normal pullbacks" on the road to that higher level. Plus, we revisit a recent conversation with Axel Merk, president and chief investment officer at Merk Investments — manager of the ASA Gold and Precious Metals — on why gold has worked better as a geo-political hedge than as a buffer against inflation.

George Bory, chief investment strategist for fixed income at Allspring Global Investments, says that 'the soft landing was earlier this year,' and now the Federal Reserve is trying to "prevent a recession in an otherwise fairly healthy but unevenly distributed economy." Bory notes that central bankers typically cut interest rates to stimulate a slowing economy, but that's not the case currently in the United States, where he says the Fed is trying to bring rates down more in line with inflation, and that has changed the shape of the yield curve, dropping short-term rates but making it that long-term rates — including mortgage rates — aren't likely to fall by much even with additional rate cuts. Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi picks a market-index fund with an options overlay — an ETF that's delivering yields of roughly 9 percent — as his "ETF of the Week." Thomas Cole, co-founder of Distillate Capital — a firm that makes "stability" a prime factor in its investment methodology — brings his numbers-oriented value-investing approach to the Money Life Market Call.

Nick Nefouse, global head of retirement solutions in the multi-asset strategies and solutions team at BlackRock, says that in a world where investors are increasingly nervous about sequence-of-return risk — the potential for the market to crater just as they start withdrawing from their retirement nestegg, forever damaging their finances — and longevity risk, investors may be looking for ways to lock in income, so that they can avoid those concerns. He discusses how investors should be reconsidering risk as they enter "the retirement window," which he notes starts in your 50s and runs for some people into their 70s. Jon Stubbs, analyst at Clever Real Estate, talks about what has been happening to the average real estate commission in light of a settlement that was supposed to change the way buyer's agents were compensated and reduce costs for seller in the process. Plus, Chuck discusses a little error he made in a financial transaction this weekend that could have turned into a huge problem, and how and why it is crucial that consumers using payment apps understand that they may be on the hook for blunders, no matter how innocent and unintentional.

Adam Turnquist, chief technical strategist at LPL Financial expects the stock market's return levels to "return to normal," which means slower growth but not anything that ends the bull market as it rolls through its third year. Turnquist does think the short-term action has put the bulls on trial, forcing them to prove that the market can go higher without some sort of interim downturn. Turnquist thinks the market could take a setback to its Halloween lows, but that action would be an opportunity to buy the dip. Charlie Bobrinskoy, vice chairman and portfolio manager at Ariel Investments, brings his classic, Warren Buffett-style of value investing to the Market Call, and Chuck talks about how the car dealer who sold his step-daughter the car that exacerbated her ear problems resolved the issue over this weekend, and the valuable — and pricey — lessons he and his step-daughter took away from the process.

Fritz Folts, chief investment strategist at 3EDGE Asset Management, sees "unprecedented degrees of overvaluation" in the market, and he says the market is "dramatically overvalued" and at risk of a severe correction, but he notes that economic and fundamental models are pretty good, and investor behavior keeps driving momentum, so the positives continue to drive the market more than the overvaluation does. That means the market can rise from here, but Folts thinks investors should use "targeted diversification" over many asset classes to make it work. David Trainer, founder and president at New Constructs, also thinks the market is severely overvalued, and he singles out Shake Shack — which is up nearly 140 percent over the last year — as an example of something that is severely overpriced and due for a fall. Plus, Chuck discusses troubles with a recent used-car purchase by his step-daughter, and the financial lessons the transaction is actively teaching him now.

David Keller, president and chief strategist at Sierra Alpha Research says that the market has made meaningful moves to landmark new highs but he questions whether the rally is sustainable. He says that market leaders like the Magnificent Seven need to keep rolling to propel the indexes higher, and he says that weakness is showing up in Alphabet and Meta Platforms, which makes him believe that the market's upside potential at this point may be limited. Jose Torres, senior economist at Interactive Brokers, says that the red sweep of the election has improved business confidence and sentiment over what is coming through the policy pipeline, and says that the prospect of tax cuts, a lighter regulatory regime and on-shoring of manufacturing will continue to propel the animal spirits of the market, and while inflation-sensitive sectors will struggle, he is confident that the economy can overcome tariff uncertainty and other issues to remain strong. Josh Duitz, portfolio manager for the Aberdeen Global Infrastructure Fund, took a break from the program at the Active Investment Company's Fall Roundtable in New York this week to discuss the state of infrastructure investing now that the presidential election has been decided and the policies of the second Trump Administration are becoming more clear. And Allison Hadley discusses a survey done for BadCredit.org which showed that 37 percent of Americans say that inflation and the higher cost of living has them neglecting their friends.

Paul Christopher, head of global investment strategy at the Wells Fargo Investment Institute discusses the firm's research looking at whether campaign promises have translated into long-term outperformance for sectors that were likely to benefit from proposed policies, and while there were positive gains in the immediate aftermath of elections, many sectors underperformed the Standard & Poor's 500 Index over the following four years. As a result, Christopher suggests caution for anyone expecting president-elect Trump's "Drill baby drill" plan to turn into oversized oil-industry gains once he takes office. Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi, turns to regional banks for his ETF of the Week, noting that while they have been up sharply since election day, there is reason to expect that this rally has legs. Plus, we have tow interviews conducted at the Active Investment Company Alliance's Fall Roundtable in New York on Nov. 13, where Chuck talked with individual investor Jim Cohen and then discussed gold and how it performs in an economy with falling interest rates but higher inflation with Axel Merk of Merk Investments and the ASA Gold and Precious Metals fund.

Laurence Kotlikoff, professor of economics at Boston University — the founder of Maxifi, which factors economics into personal financial planning — says that while the economy is humming along now, investors should be wary of the potential for trouble, especially stemming from the high levels of tariffs that were a part of President Donald Trump's campaign promises. Kotlikoff — who hosts the Economics Matters podcast — worries that if tariffs are placed at levels not seen since the Great Depression, they could result in dramatic inflation and other problems as other nations respond and retaliate. Kotlikoff also discusses how investors should be thinking about the timing for making Roth IRA conversions now, and how to determine the right amount of life insurance to hold. Jeffrey Hirsch, editor of the Stock Trader's Almanac, returns to the show to discuss the latest print edition of the almanac for 2025, and how a classic effort like a printed almanac fits into a market world that leans hard into technology. Plus Melissa Stephenson discusses a PlayUSA.com study which showed that Americans are struggling with "tip fatigue," with 1 in 3 Americans admitting that they tip less money or less often now than they used to.

Jerremy Newsome, founder at Real Life Trading, says he thinks the stock market has entered another period like the Roaring 20s of a century ago, and while that period ended withthe start of the Great Depression, Newsome says he thinks "we're in the middle right now. ... I see that we have truly three to six good years left of overall, bull sustainable markets before we have that big, big, big meltdown." Jeffrey Hirsh, chief executive at Hirsch Holdings — the editor of the Stock Trader's Almanac, which is known for researching how the presidential election cycles impact the stock market — says he sees the current bull market running at least until the mid-term elections in 2026, and he notes that a Republican president at a time with a Republican-led House and Senate typically tends to result in strong market times. While not the best combination — which occurs when a Democrat is in the White House but Republicans control Congress — conservative policies generally favor the markets. Plus, Ted Rossman, senior industry analyst at Bankrate.com, on a study showing that more than half of Americans made at least one impulse buy last holiday season, driven more often by pursuit of "a good deal" rather than a treat for themselves, and Chuck answers a listener's question about "the biggest risk we are facing today."

Bill Adams, chief economist for Comerica Bank, says his forecast for 2025 now includes fewer rate cuts, slightly higher inflation, and increased fiscal support for the economy, but those conditions are signs of an an economy "that's humming along, continuing to grow, it's not a recession," and he says the risk of a recession in the next year or two is now "back to its historical normal." Charles Rotblut, editor at AAII Journal — the keeper of the American Association of Individual Investors' sentiment survey — discusses how bullish sentiment was on the rise and bearish sentiment on the decline in the immediate aftermath of the election, and that the impact could last for more than the few big-volume trading days the market posted last week. David Trainer, founder and president at New Constructs, revisits Peloton, one of the first "zombie stocks" the company started labeling back in 2022, discussing why the company's recent run — up about 150 percent in the last three months — is not going to save it from the ultimate financial death its numbers say it must suffer. Plus, Alison Hadley discusses a survey on the impact of social media on fashion purchases, which found that social media — and specifically "outfit of the day" posts — inspired the average American to make roughly $250 in purchases over the last six months.

Doug Roberts, Chief Investment Strategist at Channel Capital Research Institute — the author of "Follow the Fed to Investment Success" — says that under the new Trump Administration it is possible to return to a status where goods inflation is declining while wage growth pushes core inflation up, which could lead Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell to be reluctant to make further rate cuts. While he expects more after Thursday's quarter-point reduction, he thinks the pace of cuts may be slower than many Fed watchers currently anticipate. Jared Hagen, vice president at XA Investments, discusses the unprecedented growth in interval and tender-offer funds that has happened this year and how the number of funds in registration guarantees that the trend will continue through 2025. And Gwen Merz of the Fiery Millennials blog and her husband Tim Joiner — co-hosts of the FIRE Talks podcast — help Chuck answer a question from a listener whose financial life is off to a great start but who is so busy trying to reduce debt that she's struggling to find a comfortable work-life balance.

Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi, makes the Calamos Standard & Poor's 500 Structured Alt Protection ETF for November his "ETF of the Week," noting that the fund has 100 percent downside protection, making it ideal for investors who were shocked by the election results and who think the market is headed for a downturn. Rosenbluth runs through the complex details on the fund, which caps investor gains at 7.43 percent for investors who are willing to give up some upside potential for protection against downturns. Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Zweig, returns to discuss his recent piece on "trustwashing," where financial advisers use the media – articles, self-published books, media appearances and more – to gain credibility that their actions as a planner have not really earned, noting that investors must look past superficial credentials when picking a planner. Plus, Derek Izuel, chief investment officer at Shelton Capital Management, discusses international and emerging markets investing in the Money Life Market Call.

Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Zweig — who recently released the third edition of "The Intelligent Investor," Benjamin Graham's classic that many believe is the greatest investment book of all time — says that 'It used to be that your stockbroker tried to pick your pocket, and now your stockbroker is in your pocket." Those changes in technology make it hard for investors to stay focused on the long-term, which is where most will make their substantive financial gains. Zweig discusses how and why Graham's classic required updating — he last updated the book, adding commentary throughout — over 20 years ago — even though value investing still works well as Graham defined it in the original version in 1949. Steve Sanders, executive vice president of marketing and development for Interactive Brokers talked about the firm's Forecast Trader Market, which effectively allows investors to buy options on political events, economic data releases and climate indicators, ostensibly to hedge portfolios against current events, although in a way that Chuck notes feels more like sports betting than investing. Plus, in The Big Interview, Andy Wells, chief investment officer at Sanjac Alpha, talks fixed-income investing as the economy expects a rate-cutting cycle to continue with news out of the Federal Reserve coming on Thursday.

Joe Kalish, chief global macro strategist at Ned Davis Research, says he won't be surprised if there is a "normal correction" for the stock market once the presidential election is decided, followed by a pick-up into year's end, regardless of the election outcome. Kalish says he is skeptical that the economy can get to a 2 percent inflation level sustainably without going through a recession, but he does not have a recession prediction in his outlook, which argues for no landing over the next year or two. He expects the market to keep growing, albeit not at the pace seen over the last two years. Larry Tentarelli, editor of the Blue Chip Daily Trend Report, says that he is holding to a year-end target for the Standard and Poor's 500 of 6,000 to 6,100 — a gain of about 5 percent from current levels — provided the presidential election is decided in a timely fashion, so that uncertainty doesn't start to setin and cause unexpected problems. Mona Mahajan, senior investment strategist at Edward Jones discusses the firm's research into caregivers and the sandwich generation, which showed that caregiving responsibilities have sapped the confidence of American women about their ability to save for the future. And while the election results likely won't be known for several days, Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst and Washington bureau chief at BankRate.com talks about the pocketbook issues that Americans are facing and how the election could impact what happens next.

Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at BankRate.com, says the Federal Reserve has little choice when it meets this week but to follow through on its signals and cut interest rates by one-quarter of a percent, noting that anything larger or smaller than that come Thursday would wind up being destabilizing for the market. The anticipated rate cut, however, may not move all interest rates as expected; McBride noted that mortgage rates actually have surged since the Fed's oversized first cut in September and they may not follow in lock-step with the next move either. Eric Balchunas, senior ETF analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence — co-host of the Trillions podcast — talks about the spate of new, unusual investing ideas that have been turned into ETFs recently — from BattleShares to the oxymoronic single-stock ETFs — and how most of them will go away when the stock market takes its next protracted downturn. David Trainer of New Constructs revisits WarbyParker — which he first put in the Danger Zone as it was launching its initial public offering, but which he says is even more radically overvalued now, and Eden Cooper, founder and managing partner at Drift Capital discusses crowdfunding classic automobiles and the return potential of classic cars.

Mark Newton, Global Head of Technical Strategy at Fundstrat Global Advisors, expects the market to go through a brief correction after the election, but to have turned that into a buying opportunity by the time December rolls around, bringing with it a Santa Claus rally to end the year. Newton says that for all of the worries investors have about the market, the numbers remain solid and while it may not support continued gains like we have seen in the last two years, it should keep the market from a major, protracted downturn. John Cole Scott, President of Closed-End Fund Advisors digs into his firm's data to break down a stellar third quarter for closed-end funds, which saw a significant narrowing of discounts but where he still sees buying opportunities now. James Abate, Chief Investment Officer at Centre Funds — manager of the Centre Global Infrastructure Fund, the top-performing fund in its peer group year-to-date — talks infrastructure investing in The Market Call, and Chuck talks about how the trick-or-treaters at his house on Halloween took to deciding between cash or candy in his annual trade-or-treat challenge.

Mona Mahajan, senior investment strategist at Edward Jones, says the stock market is likely to moderate, but investors should lean into any volatility or price declines as an opportunity to buy and build their portfolio. In a wide-ranging Big Interview, Mahajan — who sees a soft landing as the most likely economic outlook — gives her take on every asset class from the Magnificent Seven to small-cap stocks, from bonds and precious metals to alternative investments. Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi, makes the Van Eck Morningstar SMID Moat fund his ETF of the Week. In the Market Call, Jeffrey DeMaso, editor of The Independent Vanguard Adviser, discusses Vanguard funds and ETFs.

Jordan Rizzuto, managing partner at GammaRoad Capital Partners, says his firm's models are finding two economic factors looking negative with just one — stock price direction — looking bullish, and when that happens it typically means the market is nearing "a major inflection point and a significant change in market conditions," though there is always a chance that it is simply a refreshing pause before the market resumes its climb. Either way, he does not expect the market to turn to where it has a long sideways move from here. Anthony Martin, chief executive officer at Choice Mutual, discusses the firm's survey which showed that 60% of Americans don't think they'll check everything off their bucket list, although what they are putting on the bucket list varies so widely that the survey may just be an indictment on the process of making a list. Plus, in the Market Call, Chuck Carlson, chief executive officer at Horizon Investment Services — editor at The DRIP Investor — uses the firm's Quadrix research system to evaluate stocks, and identifies one stock that he believes could be "the next Nvidia."

John Kosar, chief market strategist at Asbury Research, says the stock market "doesn't know exactly what to do here," with the economy clicking but sector bets being hard to make because it's hard to know which areas to favor until the re4sults of the election are in. Still, Kosar is generally bullish, noting that he has been risk-on since early August and that he will feel even more strongly if technology stocks can push the Nasdaq through previous highs for several days, clearing the way for more upside from tech stocks. Then, we finish up coverage from FinCon '24, chatting with Marty Steffens, the SABEW Endowed Chair in Business Journalism at the University of Missouri, about the tension between "journalism" and "content creation," and what it means for individual investors who are looking at those different work products. Plus, Bindu and Prahlad Pant — the parents of FinCon rock star Paula Pant of the Afford Anything Podcast — give their first-ever podcast interview, discussing how their daughter came up with her attitudes about money and spending, before Paula herself talks about money attitudes for consumers now.

Joseph Hogue of the YouTube channel "Let's Talk About Money with Joseph Hogue" says investors want to keep the bulk of their money in simple buy-and-hold strategies and shouldn't be swayed by wild recommendations coming from the blogging and podcasting community, but also says that they should scratch the itch of their fun side -- if they have one -- by taking controlled chances with the fun-money portion of their portfolio. Jillian Johnsrud, host of the "Retire Often" podcast, discusses why and how people should plan regular breaks and re-sets in their career. Shane Walker, chief executive officer at Qube Money, talks about how modern tools are helping consumers take control of their money in ways that, until recently, would not have been possible. Financial adviser Jim Blankenship — the blogger behind "Financial Ducks in a Row" — talks about why consumers and investors are feeling uncomfortable with the stock market in record-high territory. Ava Johns, affiliate marketing specialist at Turbotenant.com discusses how affiliate marketing is used by influencers and popular blogs and podcasts, and how consumers may want to pay attention to how those deals work. Plus Joe Saul-Sehy of the Stacking Benjamins podcast gives his impressions of how FinCon — and the world of bloggers, podcasters and content creators — has changed over the years.

FinCon '24 continues from Atlanta, and the conference has a heavy emphasis on financial coaching this year, which comes through in a few of today's conversations from the annual meeting of bloggers, podcasters, content creators, coaches and more. Chuck's guests include KeyAnder Early of How Money Works, who focuses on financial literacy and teaching young adults; Bill Yount, co-host of the "Catching Up to F.I." podcast, which helps people who start their journey to financial independence later in life; Jen Yip, founder of the Lunch Money app, a fintech start-up that provides budgeting services and financial management; Stacy Blackshear of Rewire Behavior Financial Coaching, which works with parents of kids with disabilities to give them financial control and hope; and Dr. Disha Spath, the founder of The Frugal Physician. Plus, in The NAVigator, portfolio manager Jonathan Browne of RiverNorth Capital Management discusses why muni-bond closed end funds are a particularly good value play right now.

Gwen Merz Joiner, who runs the Fiery Millennials blog, says that living a radical financial life trying to amass a nestegg to quit working left her exhausted and unfulfilled, but as she loosens the purse strings today, she notes that she is in her 30s and has amassed a nest egg sufficient to get her through retirement without ever setting another dollar into her 401(k). She describes the ups and downs of FI/RE -- financial independence, retire early -- in an interview from FinCon 2024. In other interviews from the conference being held this week in Atlanta, Chuck chats with Doug Nordman of Military Financial Independence, Charly Stoever of the Unicorn Millionaire podcast, and Zach Whelchel of My Budget Coach. plus, making his regular Thursday appearance on the show, Todd Rosenbluth, the head of research at VettFi, makes Fidelity Corporate Bond fund his ETF of the Week.

For all of the complaints consumers have about inflation, George Milling-Stanley, chief gold strategist at State Street Global Advisors says that the precious metal needs "sustained high inflation" — which he defines as at least two years with inflation above 5 percent — and those conditions were not met, so gold didn't respond to rising prices. Meanwhile, gold has been rolling because it is a good hedge against geo-political risk and Milling-Stanley expects that to continue, given global tensions now. Moreover, Milling-Stanley expects a soft landing for the economy, though he believes that Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is determined to deliver "a period of below-trend growth" to return the economy to stable well-being, and that transition could feel rough for investors. Rob Williams, chief investment strategist at Sage Advisory Services, agrees that a soft landing is likely, though he expects that the market will face more turbulence and will fly at lower altitudes as the economy slows during the rate-cutting cycle the Fed recently started. Plus, Kristine Stevenson of Proverbs 1616 — the author of "How to Avoid Trouble With the IRS 10 Best Tax Tips for the Self-Employed, Gig Worker, and Indie Contractor" — answers a question from a listener who is hoping to resolve tax problems that have arisen during a health crisis, troubles that she doesn't want to leave her kids as an inheritance.

Jack Janasiewicz, Portfolio Strategist at Natixis Investment Managers, says the economy can keep supporting earnings growth, and as long as earnings are marching higher, it should pull the equity market up further. While warning that investors may have to adjust expectations after two big years that make an encore unlikely, Janasiewicz says that heightened volatility amid geopolitical tensions is more a wild-card or an unknown than a detonator for trouble. Moreover, he notes that if the global market takes a turn driven by war or political tensions, the U.S. will remain "the best house in a tough neighborhood." Tom Rossi discusses the latest results from Northwestern Mutual's annual "planning and progress study," which showed a significant gap between what Gen Z and Millennials expect to receive from their parents an inheritance and what their parents are actually planning to leave behind. Plus, Toni Turner, President of TrendStar Trading Group, says the technicals show that "We're still in a bull market," and while she is taking a little off the table to play defense against heightened volatility through the election and into the new year, she doesn't currently anticipate some deep decline even as the market digests some of its big gains from the last two years.

Vishal Khanduja, Head of the Broad Markets Fixed Income team at Morgan Stanley, says with inflation trending downward, labor data will be what the Federal Reserve is most focused on, and as those numbers move the central bank may take a choppy path toward rate reductions. While that may keep the market on edge, Khanduja notes that corporate and consumer balance sheets are very strong right now — which is unusual at the start of a rate-cutting cycle — which combined with reduced inflation and low-but-stable growth should result in a soft landing. Chip Lupo discusses the early holiday shopping survey from WalletHub, which showed that 46% of Americans enter the 2024 holidays still paying off debt they rang up during the Christmas season last year. Investment analyst Kyle Guske of New Constructs puts PGIM Jennison Mid-Cap Growth in "The Danger Zone," saying it's an expensive way to own a bunch of bad stocks, and portfolio manager Bill Davis brings his brand of high-turnover ESG investing to the Money Life Market Call.

David Ellison, Portfolio Manager and Financial Services Specialist at the Hennessy Funds, says that the banking industry is coming out of "a two-to five year period of darkness," heading for "sunny days ahead," though he notes that banks do not want interest rates to fall too far but he thinks earnings can grow even if the Federal Reserve cuts rates by another 1 percent or more. Ellison also notes that anticipated problems in commercial real estate — considered a real threat to the health of the banking system — aren't likely to materialize as a real threat now because the industry has spent the last two-plus years preparing for trouble. "It may be a drag here and there, but it won't be a blow-up problem," he says. Dana Staggs, President of Arrowmark Financial Corp., looks at a high-yielding alternative to standard banking plays, talking about how his closed-end fund relies on regulatory capital relief securities — esoteric investments that currently can generate yields of up to 15 percent — and that should hold up when rates get cut further in the coming year. Jason Brown of The Brown Report says that the stock market's technicals are showing him signs that a big downturn is in the offing, and Portfolio Manager Michael Roomberg of Miller/Howard Investments, talks energy stocks in the Market Call.

Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi, says that the start of a rate-cutting cycle is a time when investors will want low-cost active management — rather than an index fund — in the fixed-income space. To that end, he picks a T. Rowe Price fund that uses a quantitative management style as his ETF of the Week, noting it can do the job for investors looking to diversify their fixed-income holdings. Jessica Johnston, senior director for NCOA's Center for Economic Well-Being In the U.S., discusses a recent survey by the group which showed that 80 percent of older Americans face a real risk of financial insecurity, Chuck discusses what investors and savers are facing — regardless of which side wins the election — when it comes to decisions on tax legislation that expires in 2025, covering everything from tax rates and the standard deduction to the child tax credit,estate tax exemptions and much more. And in the Market Call, Kathy Boyle of Chapin Hill Advisors discusses how she uses ETFs in pursuing core-and-explore investment strategy.

For about a decade, Chuck has offered the kids in his neighborhood a chance to pick cash or candy, to decide between a trade or a treat. It's part of his belief that even young kids are able to understand and make basic financial decisions, deciding if they would rather have candy or if the financial prize is worth more to them because it's different and more useful than candy. He always encourages others to put their own stamp on the idea with kids in their neighborhood, but each year Chuck also tweaks the game, making subtle changes to keep things interesting for the kids (and himself). This year, he is making a change to the "lottery option" that might make it appear that the children have a better chance at winning big by going that route, but instead makes it so that the children would almost certainly be better off picking any choice but the lottery option. Phil Moeller, author of "Get What's Yours for Medicare: Maximize Your Coverage, Minimize Your Costs," discusses the daunting process that Americans face in trying to maximize their money and health-care coverage under the Medicare program; Moeller believes that the most valuable unread documents in America are Medicare enrollment documents. Plus Joe Schmitz Jr. of Peak Retirement Planning answers three questions from audience members all about converting traditional IRAs to Roth IRAs, and how to determine if paying taxes now is worth the ability to never pay taxes on the investments later.

Jeff Krumpelman, chief investment strategist at Mariner Wealth Advisors, expects the Standard & Poor's 500 should hit 6,000 by mid-2025, but he acknowledges that those gains might surprise him by coming early, turning 2024 potentially into a "super year," which would turn 2025 into a less-stellar environment. Either way, he expects the market to take a brief breather before a potential rebound for the end of the year carrying the market into the new year. Matt Zajechowski, research analyst at Northstar Inbound, discusses a survey the group did for JeffBet on the most expensive concerts in terms of ticket price per minutes the act typically plays. Chuck answers a listener's question following up on a recent interview that looked at certificates of deposit rates and how investors might play CDs now that rate-cutting has started, and Paige Henderson, senior portfolio manager on the Resilient Global Equity team at Allspring Global Investments, talks about playing defense now, before the market makes conditions more tenuous.

Sheraz Mian, director of research at Zacks Investment Research, says that the cumulative effect of the Federal Reserve's rate cycle starts showing up, it will goose the economy and the stock market, and with the worst of the post-Covid struggles behind us, the "soft landing" most experts forecast is actually what we're experiencing now, and that better times — and continued strong corporate earnings — are ahead, without a big correction or downturn in the interim. Mian isn't the only one expressing bullish sentiment, as Charles Rotblut, editor of AAII Journal checks in with the details of the latest AAII investor sentiment survey, which has shown particularly high levels of bullish sentiment for about two months now, but who notes that the market typically delivers unimpressive gains when emotions are running high. David Trainer of New Constructs re-affirms the past selection of Affirm Holdings in The Danger Zone, noting that the stock's recent gains of about 70 percent have simply positioned it to take another big fall, as he believes investors have bought the hype and ignored the reality of the company's struggles to deliver real profits. Plus, Money Life introduces its latest sponsor, Monetary Metals; Saad Zein, chief portfolio officer for Monetary Metals, discusses how the company enables investors to earn interest on their gold and silver holdings — paid in precious metals — and how generating that income changes what many people consider the biggest weakness and turn-off to putting money into silver and gold.

Victoria Fernandez, chief market strategist at Crossmark Global Investments, says investors will have to pay the piper for the market's last two years of out-sized gains, and she thinks the music will start playing early in 2025. While she thinks the market will avoid a big recession and/or market crash — and in fact thinks the market will rebound quickly around the mid-year mark — she thinks earnings will slow, incomes may fall and the consumer will start to cut back after the holiday season, which will contribute to that period where the market cools. Plus, investors flooded into certificates of deposit as interest rates were spiking in 2022 and '23, and now those CDs are coming due and monies reinvested just as a rate-cutting cycle has started; John Blizzard, chief executive officer of CD Valet, discusses how CD investors should shop around and think about maturities, as they pursue the best deals still available for their safest assets. In The NAVigator, John Cole Scott, president of Closed-End Fund Advisors and chairman of the Active Investment Company Alliance, discusses interval funds and digs into the data on four funds that put a unique spin on the structure to create interesting alternative opportunities for investors now.

Nick Sargen, senior economic advisor at Fort Washington Investment Advisors, doesn't see a recession as imminent but he says a lot of the good news has already been priced into the stock market, which will lead to slower gains or sideways performance moving forward. Sargen says that market observers expecting a soft landing were thinking that situation would allow the Federal Reserve to aggressively cut interest rates; in a no-landing scenario, however, investors should not expect the rapid rate cuts or the big rally that typically comes with a rate-reduction cycle. Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi, makes Neuberger Berman Option Strategy his "ETF of the Week," discussing where this kind of alternative fund fits into an investor's portfolio, and in the Market Call, Jay Hatfield, chief executive officer at Infrastructure Capital Advisors mixes macro big-picture observations with the micro of solid fundamentals to identify interesting income-producing stocks.