Off The Wall

Small caps ripped. Gold fell. Bitcoin argued with itself. David B. Armstrong, CFA and Nate Tonsager, CIPM, CFA break down what actually drove Q2 returns — corporate earnings, not headlines — and why the "Everything Bagel" approach to diversification just proved its worth again. No hot takes. Just the data behind small caps outrunning big tech and nobody talking about it.      Please see important...

You can get a perfect workout plan and still never get in shape. The science is right there. The exercises are correct. But knowing what to do and actually doing it when you don't feel like it are two completely different problems. That's why personal trainers exist — not to hand you better information, but to make sure you show up and follow through. Investing works the same way. In this episode...

The SpaceX IPO may be one of the most anticipated market events of the year, but does that mean investors should rush to participate? In this episode of Off The Wall, David B. Armstrong, CFA and Nate Tonsager, CIPM, CFA challenge some of the biggest assumptions surrounding IPOs, including the belief that buying on day one means getting in early. They explore what history says about IPO performance...

Many investors see passive investing as the safest, most cost-effective way to build wealth. In this episode of Off The Wall, David B. Armstrong, CFA and Nate Tonsager, CIPM, CFA challenge that assumption by pulling back the curtain on what can happen to passive investors when the market turns. They break down the hidden risks of matching a benchmark exactly, exploring how a 20% market drop means...

Something big is happening in corporate America, and it's barely making headlines. In this episode of Off The Wall, David B. Armstrong, CFA and Nate Tonsager, CIPM, CFA break down one of the most interesting stories in Q1 earnings: companies are pouring money into long-term growth instead of handing it back to shareholders. CapEx is up 38%. Buybacks? Up just 1%. They unpack what that means, who's...

Most investors think their portfolio needs to "pay them" in income. In this episode of Off The Wall, Nate Tonsager, CIPM®, CFA and Dave Armstrong, CFA challenge one of the most common investing habits: chasing income. They walk through how yield gets calculated, why it spikes for the wrong reasons, and how investors end up taking on more risk than they might realize.  They also break down why and...

The March inflation report looked alarming on the surface. Underneath it, a more nuanced story was unfolding — and the bond market noticed. In this AMA episode of Off The Wall, Dave and Nate separate signal from noise across three questions they've been hearing most from clients: what's actually driving inflation right now, why the market recovered so fast, and what AI really means for the economy...

The headlines said Q1 2026 was rough. The data we're watching tells a different story. In this Q1 Market review, Dave Armstrong and Nate Tonsager set aside the noise — yes, including the Iran conflict they've already covered at length — and dig into what was actually happening beneath the surface of the markets in Q1 2026. Spoiler: it was a lot more interesting than a -3.5% S&P 500 reading suggest...

When markets get volatile, the instinct is to react. That's usually where investors go wrong. With oil prices rising, geopolitical tensions escalating, and headlines driving uncertainty, it's easy to assume this time is different. But beneath the noise, the same core principles still apply. In this AMA episode of Off The Wall, Nate and Dave break down what rising oil prices really mean for inflati...

How much of the money in your portfolio actually belongs to you? If you're investing in taxable accounts, the number on your statement isn't the full picture. A portion of it already belongs to the IRS. The challenge is that taxes on investments don't show up along the way the way they do in your paycheck. They often appear when you sell a position, rebalance your portfolio, or realize gains you w...

The market's been up three years in a row… will it go for a fourth? You scroll past a headline about Bitcoin falling 45%, tariffs getting overturned, and tensions rising overseas, and suddenly you're wondering if your portfolio is sitting on a fault line. This episode is for that moment. Nate and Dave walk through the questions investors are asking right now: Can the market really keep going after...

If you've built significant wealth in your investment portfolio, you may have more flexibility than you think. In this episode, Emily Harper, CFP(R) joins the show to talk about how borrowing against your portfolio actually works—including margin loans and pledged asset lines of credit (PALs)—and why many high-net-worth investors use them as strategic tools for liquidity and tax planning. We cover...

Some weeks call for rain boots because the conversation is going somewhere most people would rather avoid. This episode steps into charged territory on purpose: geopolitics, tariffs, China and Taiwan, Greenland, and the policy decisions shaping today's headlines. There's no posturing here and no outrage bait, just a willingness to talk through complex questions instead of skirting around them. Fro...

A new year always brings fresh predictions, louder headlines, and plenty of pressure. In the first Off the Wall episode of the year, Nate W. Tonsager, CIPM and David B. Armstrong, CFA take a step back and anchor the conversation in the reality of what happened in 2025, and why that context is essential as we head into 2026. They reflect on the surprises that shaped last year and connected those le...

In this Ask Monument Anything episode, we're answering real questions from listeners of the show. From a question about Michael Burry's bold predictions and why they continue to draw attention, to a discussion of Bitcoin's unusual performance in 2025 and the renewed curiosity around gold as a potential safe-haven asset, the conversation then shifts to private credit's emerging role inside 401(k) t...

The holidays come fast and somehow the shopping and gifting part always seems to catch us by surprise. In this episode of Off The Wall, host David B. Armstrong, CFA is joined by Cathleen Phelps and Cecelia Gilliam from our Client Experience team as they sit down in full holiday mode to share ideas that make gifting feel fun again. From opening Roth IRAs for teens, funding 529 plans for nieces and...

Markets feel noisy right now, and investors are asking sharper questions than usual. In this episode of Off The Wall, Nate W. Tonsager, CIPM® and David B. Armstrong, CFA open with the surge in tech valuations and the unusual weight a handful of companies now hold inside the S&P 500. We'll hear about what that concentration means for volatility, why some portfolios feel out of sync with the index,...

2025 has been a rough year for charities. Economic uncertainty, decreased federal funding, political polarization – in many ways, nonprofits are facing a lot of the same challenges they did during Covid, as well as a few new ones. Charitable organizations need your donations now more than ever.  In this episode, we're joined by former OFF THE WALL co-host and Partner at Monument, Jessica Gibbs, CF...

It's the start of a new quarter, which means it's time for a market recap and our special "Ask Monument Anything" segment. David Armstrong, CFA, gets back together with Erin Hay, CFA, CMT, and Nate Tonsager, CIPM, to walk through the latest market moves, where momentum is showing up, and what investors should be paying attention to. This quarter, they dig into alternatives, gold's surprising surge...

When you hit 60, there's a mental shift that begins to occur. After spending 30+ years earning and saving, you are suddenly just a few years away from beginning to spend your retirement income. It's a challenge every retiree faces: How do you step away from regular paychecks to drawing down your savings every month? In this episode, we discuss how to create an option-rich life in retirement, where...

For many investors, the Dow Jones or S&P 500 or NASDAQ might as well be the same thing, but that's not true at all. In today's episode, Dave, Nate, and Erin dive into the differences between the big three indices and whether you should look to them as indicators of how your own portfolio is doing (spoiler alert: no, you shouldn't). So what should you be tracking to get the best picture of your per...

In this special Q2 Market Review episode of Off the Wall, we're introducing a new segment: Ask Monument Anything (AMA). Dave, Nate, and Erin answer questions from clients and listeners, and also cover what went down in the markets during the second quarter of 2025. They cover everything from interest rates and inflation to timing your investment strategy and understanding international diversifica...

If stock-based compensation is a major part of your wealth portfolio, down markets can be stressful. In this episode, Jessica Gibbs, CFP® and Emily M. Harper, CFP®, break down how to approach equity compensation, even when the markets are rocky. From tax planning to direct indexing and long-term diversification, they explore some ideas that can potentially reduce risk and create opportunities. Str...

AI is evolving fast, but what does it mean for how we think, work, invest, and lead? In this episode of Off the Wall, David B. Armstrong, CFA, and Nate W. Tonsager, CIPM, sit down with AI & Exec Advisor and Fractional CMO Liza Adams to unpack AI's real impact and how the most successful leaders are using it. From creating your own GPT to navigating the fear of job loss, they explore how AI is tran...

Are tariffs the problem or just a symptom? Recent tariff announcements are stirring up uncertainty. What does that mean for inflation, economic growth, and investor sentiment? In this episode of Off the Wall, hosts Jessica Gibbs, CFP®, and David B. Armstrong, CFA, are joined by Monument Wealth Management's Portfolio Management team Erin M. Hay, CFA, CMT®, and Nate W. Tonsager, CIPM® to address the...