The Real Investment Show (Full Show)

Why do wealthier households tend to live longer and experience fewer chronic diseases? Richard Rosso & Jonathan McCarty break down the Wealth-Health Gap—how income, savings, and environment shape health through housing quality, access to care, and financial resilience. We also flip the lens: poor health can reduce earnings, drain savings, and create a vicious cycle that widens disparities across g...

Is inflation actually cooling—or just being measured differently? Lance Roberts & Michael Lebowitz break down Truflation’s real-time inflation readings (built from millions of point-of-purchase prices across multiple providers) versus the official CPI/PCE framework, which relies far more on surveys and sampling. We’ll also address the big caveat: neither CPI/PCE nor Truflation perfectly captures w...

Today’s live YouTube Chat Q&A covers the full spectrum—earnings season takeaways, the selloff-to-rebound pattern, and the big debate around Big Tech, AI, and margins. We walk through where tech and AI leadership stand now, whether AI is pressuring software profitability, and the “real world” constraint markets may be underpricing: power demand (including what ERCOT could mean for data-center expan...

Most investors don’t blow up because they “didn’t know enough.” They blow up because they frame the decision wrong. Lance Roberts & Jonathan Penn break down narrow framing—the behavior where investors judge one investment in isolation (“Why don’t I own that?”) instead of evaluating results through the entire portfolio and a long-term plan. When something becomes “hot,” it feels obvious, safe, and...

Lance Roberts examines why bears have become an endangered species—and why that may be a warning sign rather than a confirmation of safety. Investor sentiment is extreme, margin debt is surging, speculative behavior is accelerating, and market leadership remains narrowly concentrated. When optimism becomes unanimous, history shows future returns tend to disappoint. 0:00 - INTRO 0:19- February & Ea...

Markets may still enjoy short-term momentum, but long-term retirement planning must confront a different reality: elevated valuations, lower forward returns, and rising sequence-of-returns risk. Richard Rosso explains why retirees face a near-term tailwind in market returns—but potentially long-term secular stagnation that demands tighter portfolio guardrails. Drawing on research from Michael Kitc...

The Federal Reserve is holding interest rates steady, keeping policy in a 3.5%–3.75% range. Lance Roberts and Michael Lebowitz examine how markets are reacting to Chair Jerome Powell’s message, and break down what the Fed is signaling—and why it could fuel market volatility ahead. 0:00 - INTRO 0:19 - Mega Reports & Fed Fallout 4:31 - Markets Struggle after 7,000 9:33 - Inflation, Truflation, & Lab...

Welcome to Q&A Wednesday: The YouTube Chat Free-for-All — our most interactive show of the week. Lance Roberts & Danny Ratliff answer real-time questions straight from the YouTube live chat. No scripts. No pre-selected topics. Just timely, unfiltered discussion on the issues investors are wrestling with right now. 0:00 - INTRO 0:19 - Major Mega Cap Earnings After the Bell Today 3:27 - Re-setting t...

Lance Roberts & Jonathan Penn take a hard look at how Millennials and Gen Z view work, career stability, and success in a rapidly changing economy. From corporate burnout and hustle culture to freelancing, side hustles, and remote work, the rules around employment are shifting fast. 0:00 - INTRO 0:20 - Baylor Hockey & Headphone Parties 3:28 - Fed Week preview 6:57 - Markets' Rally & Earnings Previ...

Most people think the hardest part of legacy planning is legal documents, estate taxes, or complex strategies. In reality, the most difficult part is much simpler—and more uncomfortable: starting the conversation. Richard Rosso and Jonathan McCarty discuss why these conversations are so difficult, why avoiding them creates greater risk for families...and offer a starting point solution. 0:00 INTRO...

Betting markets are increasingly pointing to Kevin Warsh as a potential successor to Jerome Powell, with Kevin Hassett expected to remain in his White House role under Donald Trump. Which begs the question: What would a Warsh-led Federal Reserve actually bring to markets? Lance Roberts & Michael Lebowitz explore the possibilities of a Warsh Fed: Would such likely be more tolerant of volatility, re...

Lance Roberts & Danny Ratliff tackle questions directly from our YouTube chat, addressing financial issues you're most concerned about right now. From market volatility and rising bond yields to Federal Reserve policy, portfolio risk, and retirement planning — nothing is off the table. 0:00 INTRO 0:18 - Davos Headlines & Earnings Season Continues 3:14 - Markets Sell-off 8:28 - Weekend Review & Ope...

Is buying a house still a good investment—or has the market pulled too much future return forward? Lance Roberts & Jonathan Penn break down the housing investment debate through a time-horizon lens, comparing housing to stocks, examining historical “win rates,” and explaining why transaction costs, leverage, and holding period matter far more in real estate than most buyers realize. 0:00 INTRO 0:1...

Congress is debating major changes to Social Security—and the outcome could mean benefit expansion or future cuts. With trust fund shortfalls projected by 2033, lawmakers have introduced a wave of bills aimed at increasing benefits, changing cost-of-living calculations, and redefining how and when Americans claim Social Security. Richard Rosso breaks down the key Social Security reform proposals c...

Can we classify Silver as a microbubble? Lance Roberts & Michael Lebowitz take a disciplined, valuation-driven look at silver through the lens of post-2020 micro-bubble cycles. 0:00 - INTRO 0:19 - Oil Prices Slide, CPI/PPI Moderate 8:15 - Index Performance Comparisons 14:33 - PPI/CPI Increase rate Cut Expectations 17:19 - The Risks of Reflation 20:48 - GDP Predictions? 23:08 - The Saga of the Silv...

Lance Roberts & Danny Ratliff take your real-time questions directly from our YouTube live chat window, and break down today’s most important money, market, investing, and retirement topics. 0:00 - INTRO 0:19 - Big Banks' Earnings & Trading Revenue 4:00 - Markets Decline off All-time Highs 9:05 - Fun with Charts - Understanding Market Dynamics 16:17 - Contributing to Roth in Retirement? 20:27 - Si...

The economic reflation narrative is back—but is it durable or just another market storyline driven by optimism and liquidity? Lance Roberts explains what investors mean by “economic reflation,” why markets are once again pricing in stronger growth, and which data points are reinforcing the bullish case. We examine the role of monetary policy shifts, fiscal spending, labor market dynamics, and comm...

Markets opened 2026 with early gains, improving breadth, and a rotation toward value—but mixed fundamentals and elevated expectations remain beneath the surface. Lance Roberts reviews key investor lessons from 2025 that matter most as we head into 2026. We review what worked, what failed, and why market narratives once again misled investors. Topics include value versus growth, volatility versus r...

The 2026 tax season is shaping up to look very different—especially for retirees, near-retirees, and late-career workers. Richard Rosso & Jonathan McCarty break down some major tax changes tied to the “One Big Beautiful Bill” and recent retirement legislation that could materially impact your tax planning strategy. From higher standard deductions and new age-based write-offs to expanded SALT limit...

Every year, Wall Street rolls out confident forecasts for where the S&P 500 will end the year—and every year those projections are treated as actionable insight. For 2026, analyst expectations cluster around modestly positive returns, even as valuations sit near historical extremes and macro risks continue to build. Lance Roberts & Michael Lebowitz explain why year-ahead market forecasts are large...

Markets are hitting all-time highs, earnings expectations are rising, and investors are navigating everything from oil prices to Roth conversions. Lance Roberts & Danny Ratliff take live viewer questions and explore the themes investors are most focused on right now. Topics discussed include why earnings may be the primary market driver this year, what recent all-time highs signal for forward retu...

More investors—especially Millennials and Gen Z—are treating markets like a casino. Not because they’re reckless, but because the traditional path to financial security feels broken. Lance Roberts & Jonathan Penn break down Financial Nihilism vs. Financial Planning: why speculative behavior is rising, and what still works when confidence in long-term investing erodes. Options trading, crypto, meme...

Markets closed 2025 with strong gains, but the path forward into 2026 is far more nuanced than headline optimism suggests. Lance Roberts reviews what drove 2025’s market performance, why the Santa Claus Rally failed, and how shifting inflation trends, Federal Reserve policy expectations, and valuation levels are shaping market outlooks for 2026.How can investors navigate the New Year with realisti...

Markets are heading into year-end with optimism still firmly embedded in prices, but the economic data are telling a more complicated story. Lance Roberts examines the growing gap between the Federal Reserve’s soft-landing narrative and what inflation, employment, consumer spending, and earnings expectations are actually signaling. While markets have stabilized following recent volatility, partici...

What should a great financial planning experience actually look like? For many investors, “financial planning” is reduced to product selection, performance chasing, or a one-time retirement projection that never gets revisited. In reality, a high-quality financial planning experience is far more comprehensive — and far more valuable. Richard Rosso breaks down the essential elements of effective fi...