Money Life with Chuck Jaffe

Brad Evans of the Heartland Value Plus fund says in the Big Interview that Corporate American has levered itself to levels never seen before, which leaves stocks vulnerable to being whipsawed by news events and headlines in ways investors haven't previously experienced. Also on the show, Liz Pagel of TransUnion discusses the how well -- and sometimes how poorly -- debt consolidation really works,...

David Ellison, manager of the Hennessy Large-Cap and Small-Cap Financial funds, says we are seeing a unique decline in interest rates because cuts historically were supposed to help out financial institutions, making it easier to make loans, unload bad debts and improve margins. With rates at historic lows, however, cuts aren't really providing financial firms with any help, Ellison says, making t...

Francesca Ortegren of Clever Real Estate discusses a recent study on the effect of paranormal activity on home prices -- no, we're not kidding -- which found that people are much more concerned about the potential for crime than they are about being haunted by ghosts, with people who believe in the supernatural more likely to pay up to buy a house they've been told is haunted. Also on the show, To...

David Bahnsen of HighTower Advisor's Bahnsen Group chats about the intersection of politics and personal finance, noting that investments are inherently political and that investors can create problems when they choose to invest based more on their political leanings than on a dispassionate view of how current events can and will impact the market. Also on the show, Mark Hamrick of Bankrate.com ta...

Avi Gilburt, founder of Elliott Wave Trader, said that while the Standard and Poor's 500 hit new record highs on Monday -- closing at roughly 3,040 and finally breaking out of a trading range that has lasted for most of the year -- he believes the market is still in the middle of a larger correction, one that will take it back down to support levels around 2,820 before there is a real rally to sta...

David Trainer, president of Nw Constructs, says that Line PLC has numbers so misleading tat if the omcpany were to stop growing, shares would be worth about 90 percent less than their current level. Even with growth, Trainer gave reasons why the company could be headed for trouble. Also on teh show, Frank Nothfaft of the National Association for Business Economics, a rebroadcast of a recent chat w...

Lindsey Piegza, chief economist for Stifel Fixed Income, says near the end of her Big Interview chat with Chuck that she sees sufficient economic slowdown ahead for the economy to enter a recession during the first half of 2020, noting that a recession doesn't have to be deep, hard and arduous but rather that it can represent a slowdown which she believes will be reversed in short order. Also on t...

Chuck covers a lot of ground, literally and figuratively, in today's show, with Tom Lydon of ETFTrends.com making a marijuana offering his ETF of the Week, talking with Carter Malloy of Acre Trader, a platform that lets individual investors do high-yield investing by buying directly into farmland, and talking mutual funds and ETFs in the Market Call with Kevin Miller of the E-Valuator Funds. Plus,...

Shawn Cruz, manager of trading strategy for TD Ameritrade, said that the market is fighting conflicting trends but noted that any sort of meaningful improvements in the trade war with China would likely help stocks break through to new highs, as he believes the market is trying hard to continue climbing. Also on the show, Mike PeQueen of HighTower Advisors said he believes that solid fundamentals...

Zach Jonson, senior portfolio manager at Stack Financial Management, said that investors and the stock market are being pulled in good and bad directions by an 'economic and emotional tug-of-war caused by the trade war with China, changes in interest-rate policies, the news cycle and more. He pointed out that the market has positive signs -- like market breadth at near highs -- and negative signal...

Jeffrey Hirsch, editor of the Stock Trader's Almanac, noted that the market's technicals are strong enough that the Almanac issued a buying signal on Oct. 11, expecting 2019 to have the traditional strong end to the year rather than repeating the significant decline investors lived through a year ago. Hirsch also talked about the impact elections have on the market and more. Also on the show, Geof...

Mona Mahajan, US investment strategist for Allianz Global Investors, says that while there are legitimate concerns about slowing global economic growth and headline risks from trade wars to impeachment and more, the underlying numbers show signs of re-emergent growth, the kind of 'green shoots' that could carry the long-running bull market to new heights next year if they're fostered and allowed t...

College professor Emily Gallagher discusses her recent research looking at the amount of emergency savings that appears sufficient to allow individuals to overcome standard emergencies and avoid falling into significant financial distress, disclosing just how much to keep on hand. Also, Chuck talks with Tom Lydon of ETFTrends.com about a housing fund, covers the best mortgage lenders with Gina Pog...

 Matt Harris, head of investment strategy at HighTower Wealth Management, says that while people are nervous about economic, market and political headlines, that's not showing up in how they act as measured by technical analysis. Harris says that indicators like breadth, the spread of companies rising and falling and more are not typical of a market top or indicating a price drop over the next few...

Lawrence McMillan, head of McMillan Analysis, said that the current range-bound market has indicators that can work for short-term trades, but nothing that really allows him to look out more than a few weeks. He is looking for the market to break through resistance at 2,993 on the Standard and Poor's 500 and hold beyond that level, but noted that if a rally falls short, the market could see a doub...

Aaron Glantz, author of the new book 'Homewreckers: How a Gang of Wall Street Kingpins, Hedge Fund Magnates, Crooked Banks, and Vulture Capitalists Suckered Millions Out of Their Homes and Demolished the American Dream," discusses how a story looking at the financial crisis of 2008 led to massive profits for several leading players,including members of the current administration in Washington. Als...

John Blank, chief equity strategist and chief economist at Zacks Investment Research, gives a compelling look at what he believes are key numbers to draw the conclusion that investors won't have to worry about a recession in the United States for at least a year and more likely into 2021 and beyond. With little to no growth around the world right now, Blank suggests that investors -- especially th...

Bernie Horn, portfolio manager at Polaris Global Value, says that while the U.S. stocks have sharply outperformed international stocks since the financial crisis of 2008, the situation has now gotten to where foreign valuations are increasingly attractive, and he noted that if you can find the right valuations in businesses that are able to grow cash-flow over time, the stock should ultimately pay...

Chuck talks about the twist he is putting in place for his annual 'trade or treat' Halloween tradition that lets children choose between money and candy while learning about risk, return, rewards and more every year. He's hoping you will come up with your own twist on cash or candy this year. Also, Ray Baraldi and Richard Flahive of HighTower Advisors discuss real assets' role in a portfolio durin...

Nobel Prize winning economist Robert Shiller joins Chuck to discuss his new book on 'narrative economics' and notes that the current narratives generating viral stories and affecting the economy are the stories about trade and tariff wars and the future of free trade with China. Also on the show, Eleanor Laise of Kiplinger's Personal Finance discusses the importance of shopping around during the o...

Tom Stringfellow, chief investment officer at Frost Investment Advisors, says that the current mix of good and bad news -- a 50-year-low in unemployment,impeachment headlines, interest rates and much more -- has confused investors and is pushing them some of them to seek shelter, making a mistake of not being fully invested at a time when the market continues going up despite all of the conflictin...

Adam Grimes, president of Talon Advisors, said that while news headlines and market volatility might give investors pause for the near term, long-range investors should not be concerned about the market's technicals, and should view downturns cautiously as buying opportunities. He noted that when the market is range-bound -- as it has been -- but generally staying near the top level of the range,...

Richard Sapertein, chief investment officer, Treasury Partners, gives a surprising take on how bond investors -- facing negative interest rates on international treasury securities and falling interest rates at home -- should actually extend maturities on the fixed-income instruments they are using, even though that could put them on the short end of the inverted yield curve. Also on the show, Tom...

George Schultze of Schultze Asset Management says in the Market Call that investors should not be afraid of bankruptcy and other troubling corporate situations because they are running away from opportunities rather than seizing on them. Also on the show, Chris Mamula, a leader in the "Financial Independence" realm talks about the new book he helped to write, 'Choose FI: Your Blueprint to Financia...

Everett Millman, precious metals specialist at Gainesville Coins, says that he expects gold to be range-bound and move sideways for as long as the big macro issues like he trade war with China and interest rates domestically go unresolved, but he expects gold to mostly hold to current, recently inflated values because there isn't much on the horizon to drive prices down. Also on the show, Gina Pog...