Nest Egg!

In this episode, Lisa James and Lori Zager dive into the significant tax advantages of donating appreciated stock directly to charity, explaining how this strategy allows you to both avoid capital gains tax and receive a charitable deduction, effectively increasing your giving power. They walk through the practical mechanics of transferring securities to charitable organizations and highlight comm...

Join Lisa James and Lori Zager as they reflect on the volatility and market dynamics of 2025, share their outlook for 2026, and discuss the nomination of Kevin Warsh as the new Federal Reserve chairman. Looking ahead to 2026, they anticipate continued market volatility driven by geopolitical tensions and political risk. 2026 will be "another year where thoughtful positioning rather than passi...

In this riveting episode recorded in late December 2025, we dive deep into the seismic shift happening in the world of artificial intelligence. As we went to publish in January 2026, the landscape had already transformed dramatically - Alibaba's Qwen family of LLMs has skyrocketed to approximately 700 million downloads on Hugging Face, all while being released as an open-source model under pe...

Join Lori Zager, Lisa James, and special guest Warren Jackson as they explore the world of AI. In this episode, they compare the Intelligence Revolution to the Industrial Revolution and discuss how to asses the various AI-related investment opportunities. Dr. Jackson is a physicist who first started studying AI as a principal scientist for PARC ten years ago. Currently, he is a consultant for DARP...

Join Lori Zager and Lisa James as they explore the evolving landscape of bonds and their role in modern investment strategies. In this engaging episode, they discuss the historical significance of bonds in portfolio management and explore why traditional approaches might be shifting. Discover the factors influencing the effectiveness of bonds as a hedge against market volatility and gain insights...

Every recession or bear market is driven by a unique mix of factors, and the investment strategies that work best depend on the specific circumstances behind each downturn. In this episode of Nest Egg, Lori Zager and Lisa James break down the complex web of rising tariffs, soaring national debt, and shrinking policy options that are currently challenging investors. Join them as they explore action...

In this episode of Nest Egg, Lisa and Lori dive headfirst into the stormy world of politics, exploring how the Trump agenda is shaking up the economy. From market volatility to real-world financial impacts, they break down the ripple effects of a news cycle that never seems to slow down. Why are investors on edge? How are businesses reacting to policy shifts? And what does all this uncertainty mea...

2024 seems oh so long ago, but this episode of the Nest Egg! was broadcast in conjunction with the 2x Wealth Group’s 4q 2024 Investment Letter. In this episode, Lori and Lisa explain what was behind the 25% rally in the S&P 500 in 2024 and why they thought history was unlikely to repeat itself in 2025. There is also a discussion of the recent excitement in Deepseek, a Chinese-made artificial i...

Lori and Lisa discuss how Trump’s proposals may affect the economy and dig deeper into his pick for Treasury Secretary: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Have a listen!! Find out more and reach out to us on our blog .

Lisa and Lori take a look at how politics in China has affected the Chinese stock market. Find out if they believe their recent statements about encouraging business growth and, on the flip side, hear what we think might impede China’s success. We provide a general U.S. market commentary at the end. Find out more and reach out to us on our blog .

What really is behind the stock market rally in 2024 and the selloff in the first week of August. Lori and Lisa begin this podcast by explaining why the U.S. economy has remained resilient in spite of the Fed raising interest rates and reducing its balance sheet.  They then explain what triggered the selloff in equity markets last week and what investors should do now. Find out more and reach out...

Lisa and Lori explain the advantages of using a 529 plan to save for college and other education expenses. They discuss how to go about setting up a plan as well as how to decide how much to contribute and when. Find out more and reach out to us on our blog .

Lori and Lisa explain the relationship between interest rates and stocks, why Janet Yellen gets the prize for the market rally which started last fall, and how you can make an ‘under the radar’ AI play. Find out more and reach out to us on our blog .

In this episode, Lori and Lisa discuss the anticipated soft landing for the economy and point out what could go wrong. Learn how Janet Yellen helped spike the punchbowl with a Treasury auction last year, how 2022 and 2023 market sector performance were mirror images of each other, and hear about our market outlook for 2024. Find out more and reach out to us on our blog .

In a nod to the late Byron Wien, Lori and Lisa talk about their list of potential economic, financial, and political surprises for 2024. Have a listen…. Find out more and reach out to us on our blog .

Lori and Lisa explain the negative impact of rising interest rates on both the bond and the stock markets. They discuss the current rate environment, the relative attractiveness of stocks and bonds, and why the Federal Reserve is likely to keep rates higher for longer. Find out more and reach out to us on our blog .

Lisa and Lori guide you through the Medicare morass! Find out more and reach out to us on our blog .

After a market update, Lori and Lisa discuss how company 401k plans work, common pitfalls, and changes that are coming to catch-up contributions for high earners, 50 and older. Find out more and reach out to us on our blog .

In this episode, Lori and Lisa explain that seven stocks accounted for most of the market rally in the first half of 2023. They suggest that if the market is going to continue to go up, there needs to be a broadening out of the market with participation from other stocks and sectors. Absent that increase in participation, the market is vulnerable. Trees don’t grow to the sky. Find out more and rea...

Lisa and Lori discuss the great start to the S&P 500 equity market in spite of 3 good sized U.S. banks failing, the Federal Reserve raising rates 5% in 13 months, an inverted yield curve since last year and the latest Senior Loan Officer’s Survey showing banks less willing to lend while already at recessionary lending levels. Find out more and reach out to us on our blog .

In this episode: How Banks Work What Causes Banks to Fail How the Government is Responding  How Bank and Brokerage Accounts May Be Protected Dilemma for the Federal Reserve Find out more and reach out to us on our blog .

We discuss what happens to stocks and bonds during recessions and our suggestions for portfolios. Find out more and reach out to us on our blog . Find out more and reach out to us on our blog .

We explain inflation and why it presents a problem that won’t be easily fixed. Find out more on our blog . Find out more and reach out to us on our blog .

Part 1 – Why we expect inflation to be sticky Part 2 – RSUs, How they work. How they are taxed. How to manage the risk of the stock you may accumulate. Read more about RSUs on our blog . Find out more and reach out to us on our blog .

Eye-opening discussion of investment trends and how they drive decision-making in an inflationary world. In this episode, we explain the market in 10 charts. To look at the charts and read more about today's markets, click here . Find out more and reach out to us on our blog .