Nurturing Financial Freedom

In this episode of Nurturing Financial Freedom , we talk about the growing risk of modern scams and why the old advice of “I would never fall for that” no longer works. Scams have become more polished, more personal, and much harder to spot. Fake emails now look professional. Text messages can seem legitimate. Phone calls can appear to come from banks, credit card companies, hotels, or utilities....

In this episode, we look at a question many investors are asking right now: why own international stocks when U.S. stocks have done so well for so long? We start with the reality behind the question. Over the past decade, the S&P 500 has far outpaced developed international markets, and that gap has made investors wonder whether international exposure still matters. Ed explains that this skepticis...

In this episode, we break down what growth stocks and value stocks really are, why they behave differently, and why investors often get tripped up trying to choose between them. Alex starts with the basics. Growth stocks are companies that are expected to increase earnings or revenue faster than the overall market. These businesses usually reinvest heavily into expansion, new products, or new mark...

What are bonds? This is the next part of our ongoing breakdown of core investing building blocks, following stocks and gold in January and February, respectively. Bonds are often misunderstood, but at their core they are simple. Ed starts us off with the basics. A bond is a loan. When we buy a bond, we lend money to a government, corporation, or municipality. In return, they pay us interest over t...

In a follow up to our last episode, we explore a simple but important question: "What is gold, really?" We begin by revisiting our broader discussion about understanding what we actually own in our portfolios. Last month we talked about stocks as ownership in real businesses. This month we shift our focus to gold and examine how it differs. We start with the history. Gold did not become valuable b...

In this first episode of 2026, we dive deep into a foundational concept that often gets lost in the noise of day-to-day market headlines: what stocks actually are. We begin by reframing the way we view stocks—not as just numbers or tickers on a screen, but as tangible ownership in real businesses. Ed kicks off by breaking down what owning a share really means. When we buy stock, we're not just spe...

In our final episode of Nurturing Financial Freedom for 2025, we take a deep dive into the rapidly evolving world of education and what that means for families planning ahead. College isn't what it used to be, and as we head into 2026, we unpack how demographic shifts, cost pressures, and emerging technologies like AI are reshaping higher education—and what families can do to stay ahead of the cur...

In this episode of Nurturing Financial Freedom , we explore the bold claim that retirees should hold nothing but stocks forever. Sparked by a recent Wall Street Journal  article by Jason Zweig, the conversation centers around whether an all-equity portfolio is a sound retirement strategy, or just good theory  that breaks down in the real world. We tackle the academic study Zweig references, which...

In this month’s episode of Nurturing Financial Freedom , we dig into a topic that’s becoming more critical in today’s investment landscape—concentration risk. We’ve talked about the "Magnificent Seven" tech stocks—Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Amazon, Meta, Alphabet, and Tesla—before, but now we're zooming in on the downside of their dominance. While these mega-cap companies have driven much of the ma...

As we head into fall, we take the opportunity to run a financial "fire drill"—not because we expect a crisis, but because we know volatility is inevitable. This episode is all about preparation: emotionally and strategically. Ed Lambert, Alex Cabot, and Jag kick things off with some seasonal banter, but quickly dive into why fall is a natural time to reassess our portfolios and our mindset around...

In this episode of Nurturing Financial Freedom , we dive into the implications of the newly passed federal tax bill—also known asl the “big, beautiful bill.” While the name might suggest sweeping changes, the truth is more about maintaining the status quo and preventing an expiration of key provisions from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. We break down what that means for retirees, investors, and a...

In this mid-year episode of Nurturing Financial Freedom , we reflect on what 2025 has taught us about markets, economic conditions, and investor behavior. We're at the halfway mark of the year, and despite some rough patches, the financial landscape has shown surprising resilience. Alex kicks things off by detailing how the year began with a normal market correction followed by a sharp crash trigg...

In this episode of Nurturing Financial Freedom , we shift focus from the hard numbers and take a deep dive into the psychological side of investing. Specifically, we explore loss aversion —the human tendency to feel the pain of financial loss more intensely than the pleasure of gains. As we’ve all seen in our work and our own portfolios, emotional reactions to market swings can often lead to irrat...

In this episode, we walk through a tumultuous April marked by heightened market volatility, significant tariff announcements, and growing concerns about inflation and recession risk.  Alex kicks off by breaking down what happened in the markets. The month began with what initially looked like a standard correction, but quickly escalated into what he describes as a crash. On April 2nd, the administ...

In this episode of Nurturing Financial Freedom , we dive headfirst into the recent stock market volatility and explore what’s driving it—and more importantly, how investors should respond. We tackle the question on everyone's mind: "What the heck is going on with the market?" Ed kicks things off with a breakdown of recent market activity, noting that since the February 19 peak, the market has drop...

After sending congratulations to the Super Bowl champion Eagles, today we dive into a dense and important topic: the U.S. federal debt. There's a lot of fear and misinformation around this issue, so we break down what the numbers really mean and how they compare to history. Alex kicks things off by clarifying key terms. A deficit occurs when the government spends more than it brings in during a gi...

In this episode of Nurturing Financial Freedom , we kick off 2025 by discussing the economic highlights of 2024 and what lies ahead for the U.S. economy and markets. Ed provides an economic overview, while Alex dives into financial market performance and predictions. 2024 saw significant progress in inflation reduction, with CPI falling from its 2022 peak of 9.1% to 2.8% by late 2024. While the Fe...

In this episode of Nurturing Financial Freedom , we delve into the timely topic of tariffs, their economic implications, and their resurgence in U.S. policy under President Trump’s leadership. Alex Cabot and Ed Lambert of Birch Run Financial provide a clear breakdown of what tariffs are, who pays them, and their pros and cons. We begin by defining tariffs as taxes imposed on imported or exported g...

In this episode of Nurturing Financial Freedom , we discuss how the markets responded to the certainty brought by the recent Presidential election and what history suggests about post-election market performance. While maintaining a nonpartisan lens, we explore the relationship between political outcomes and financial markets. Ed starts by analyzing market movements in the week following the elect...

Today, Alex Cabot and Ed Lambert from Birch Run Financial dive into the intersection of politics and financial markets, focusing on the upcoming election. We discuss widespread market myths and offer a data-driven approach to navigating political cycles as an investor. Alex begins by addressing common misconceptions about election years and market volatility. Despite popular belief, election years...

In this episode, we discuss the recent Federal Reserve rate cut and its implications for the market and economy. The Fed reduced its overnight lending rate by half a percentage point, bringing it down from 5.25% to 4.75%. This was the first rate cut since March 2020, signaling a potential shift in monetary policy. The Fed's dual mandate—maintaining price stability and maximizing employment—guides...

In this episode of "Nurturing Financial Freedom," we discuss the surprising market volatility that occurred in early August 2024 and explore what investors should take away from these events. But first, we actually met in person last month - for the first time after working together for over five years! The market's volatility in August was triggered primarily by two factors: weaker-than-expected...

This month, Alex Cabot and Ed Lambert of Birch Run Financial discuss the financial landscape of the first half of 2024. They delve into how economic conditions and market performance have evolved, noting that the year hasn't gone as initially expected, yet has yielded positive results overall. Ed begins by providing an overview of the year's economic and market developments. At the start of 2024,...

In this episode of "Nurturing Financial Freedom," we discuss the crucial topic of the dangers of putting too much money into a single investment, often referred to as concentration risk. Alex starts by explaining that concentration risk, while not unique to any one type of investment, is particularly prevalent in stocks. He dispels the common "eggs in one basket" analogy by emphasizing that divers...

In this episode of the Nurturing Financial Freedom podcast, we explore a topic that often gets lost amidst daily media noise: the long-term optimism about the future of the United States. We delve into why, despite current challenges, there's a compelling case for optimism. Ed Lambert kicks off the discussion by highlighting the quality of life in the U.S. in 2024.  Americans enjoy a standard of l...