Investment Friday

If you suddenly inherited a million dollars, would you pay off your mortgage or invest the money? Being debt-free might sound like the obvious choice, but the numbers—and the long-term impact on your financial flexibility—might surprise you. This week on Investment Friday, Hannah and Brad explore one of the most common questions that comes up after a significant wealth event: should you use your n...

Artificial intelligence is driving one of the largest technology investment cycles we've ever seen. But with semiconductor stocks pulling back, bond yields fluctuating, and billions of dollars being borrowed to fund AI infrastructure, are investors right to be concerned? This week on Investment Friday, Hannah and Brad unpack what's happening beneath the surface of the AI investment boom and why sh...

The S&P 500 has been an incredible place to invest over the last 15 years. But has its success created a hidden risk in investors' portfolios? This week on Investment Friday, Hannah and Brad look beneath the surface of the S&P 500 and explain why owning hundreds of companies doesn't necessarily mean you're as diversified as you think. They also explore rising Treasury yields, why today's i...

What happens when an unexpected emergency turns your financial plan into real life? This week on Investment Friday, Hannah shares how a flash flood left the lower level of her Arizona home underwater—and why having cash reserves made an incredibly stressful situation much easier to navigate. Then Hannah and Brad dig into rising Treasury yields, the competition for investor capital, and why higher...

What happens when you inherit more money than you've ever managed before—but also inherit decades of fear, scarcity, and beliefs about what you're “supposed” to do with it? This week on Investment Friday, Hannah and Brad start with the latest economic news—from inflation and rising oil prices to Treasury yields and the enormous amount of debt being issued to fund AI infrastructure. Then the conver...

The stock market is hitting all-time highs, but for a lot of people, everyday life still feels expensive. So what does that mean for your money? This week, Hannah is joined by X² Wealth Planning Practice Manager and Expansive CEO co-host Lauren Ammon to talk about investing, financial fear, and the hidden assumption that you need to understand everything before you can make good decisions with you...

Stocks are near all-time highs. Long-term Treasury yields are reaching levels we haven't seen in decades. And some of the world's largest technology companies are borrowing enormous amounts of money by issuing bonds to fund the artificial intelligence buildout. So what happens when all three collide? In this week's Investment Friday, Hannah and Brad unpack what's happening in the bond market, why...

If geopolitical conflict is escalating, oil markets are under pressure, interest rates remain high, and the headlines seem filled with reasons to worry. Why is the stock market still hitting all-time highs? In this episode, Hannah and Brad look beyond the headlines to examine what's actually happening underneath the economy and financial markets—from rising worker productivity and strong corporate...

Artificial intelligence continues to dominate headlines—but what's really happening beneath the surface? In this week's Investment Friday, Hannah and Brad unpack the latest earnings season, explain why AI infrastructure spending is creating enormous opportunities (and concerns), and discuss how the Federal Reserve's latest meeting briefly rattled the markets. Most importantly, they explore the dif...

The headlines can make it feel like a market crash is always just around the corner. So what should investors actually do? In this week's Investment Friday, Hannah and Brad break down what history tells us about bull markets, bear markets, and why emotional investing—not market volatility—is often the greatest risk to long-term wealth. They also discuss encouraging second-quarter earnings, why com...

What if the biggest breakthrough in your financial life isn't finding a better investment, but finally understanding why money has felt so heavy in the first place? This week on Investment Friday, Hannah Chapman, CFP®, is joined by a special guest host, Lauren Ammon, for a behind-the-scenes look at what financial planning actually feels like. After Lauren observed her very first X² Wealth Planning...

Receiving an inheritance, life insurance payout, business sale, or other significant windfall can feel like you've been dropped into the middle of the ocean. There's relief, there's uncertainty, and suddenly, everyone seems to have an opinion about what you should do next. In this week's Investment Friday, Hannah and Brad discuss why one of the biggest financial mistakes people make after a major...

What happens when the spreadsheet says you're doing great... but your body says you're not safe? This week on Investment Friday, Hannah and Brad explore one of the most important—and least discussed—truths in financial planning: Money is never just about the money. The conversation begins with the latest developments in inflation, interest rates, mortgage markets, and why Brad believes...

After 20 years in the financial planning industry, one lesson has become clearer than ever: great financial advice isn't just about numbers—it's about understanding the human behind them. In this solo episode of Investment Friday, Hannah Chapman reflects on two decades of guiding clients through market cycles, including the Great Recession, COVID, and today's AI-driven economy. Hannah also p...

Is AI coming for your job? Are interest rates staying higher for longer? And what should investors be doing with bonds in today's market? In this week's Investment Friday, Hannah Chapman and Brad Haines break down the Federal Reserve's latest decision, the massive AI infrastructure buildout happening behind the scenes, and why fixed income strategies may deserve a fresh look as markets navigate an...

This week on Investment Friday, Hannah Chapman, CFP®, and Brad Haines, CFA, FRM, tackle two of the biggest financial stories currently making headlines: the highly anticipated SpaceX IPO and the latest update on Social Security's long-term solvency. First, Brad breaks down why the SpaceX IPO has captured so much investor attention, what makes this offering unique, and why investors should expe...

This week's Investment Friday episode explores one of the most anticipated financial events of the year: the potential IPO of SpaceX—and what it could signal for the future of investing, AI, and public markets. Hannah and Brad break down how IPOs actually work, why today's private mega-cap companies are going public at valuations never seen before, and what investors need to understand befor...

This week's Investment Friday episode takes a deep dive into one of the most overlooked—but critically important—parts of portfolio construction: fixed income and bond strategy. Hannah and Brad unpack why rising bond yields matter, how inflation and interest rates are impacting markets right now, and why many investors don't fully understand the role bonds are supposed to play inside a...

This week's Investment Friday episode dives into one of the biggest tensions in today's economy: strong corporate earnings and booming AI investment alongside a growing divide between corporate profitability and everyday household pressure. Hannah and Brad unpack why markets are continuing to hit all-time highs, what the latest inflation data means for interest rates, and why the Federal Reserve m...

This week's episode is a powerful reminder that uncertainty is always present in investing—even when markets are hitting all-time highs. Despite geopolitical tension in the Middle East, ongoing oil market volatility, and continued concerns around inflation, the markets surged again this week. Hannah and Brad unpack why that's happening, what's driving earnings growth right now, and why inves...

This week is a powerful reminder that markets don't always move the way we expect them to. Despite geopolitical tension, a U.S. naval blockade impacting global oil flow, and rising uncertainty heading into midterm elections, markets are pushing toward all-time highs. In this episode, Hannah and Brad break down why that's happening—and what investors should actually be paying attention to rig...

This week was a perfect example of how markets can feel chaotic while still quietly reaching new highs. Despite ongoing geopolitical tension, rising inflation, and uncertainty around interest rates, both the S&P 500 and NASDAQ hit intraday all-time highs—a powerful reminder that volatility doesn't just happen on the downside. In this solo episode, Hannah breaks down what's actually drivi...

This week was a powerful reminder that markets don't always move in sync with the headlines. While geopolitical tension, oil disruptions, and rising costs dominate the news cycle, the market has quietly pushed higher—driven not by fear, but by something far more fundamental: earnings growth. In this episode, Hannah Chapman, CFP®, APMA®, CRPC®, and Brad Haines, CFA®, FRM®,...

This week was a powerful reminder of how fast markets can move—and how dangerous it can be to step out at the wrong time. One single day erased weeks of losses, highlighting why staying invested matters more than trying to time the market. In this solo episode, Hannah Chapman breaks down the recent surge in market volatility following geopolitical tensions and a sudden market rebound. She wa...

Markets have been volatile this week—but does that actually mean something is wrong? In this episode of Investment Friday, Hannah Chapman and Brad Haines break down what's really driving recent market swings—from geopolitical tension and rising oil prices to shifting investor sentiment—and why short-term noise doesn't always reflect long-term reality. They also dive into one of t...