The Wise Investor Show®

In this episode of the Wise Investor Show, Senior Financial Planner Greg Smith explores underutilized strategies for 529 college savings plans, revealing how they can serve not only as education funding tools but also as powerful vehicles for tax savings, estate planning, and multigenerational wealth transfer.   The foregoing information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, bu...

Simon considers the current stock market surge off the April lows in historical context and suggests it augurs for higher prices over the intermediate term. Short-term choppiness is likely given seasonal patterns and the plethora of newsworthy headlines. He suggests the health of corporate profit margins in the face of tariffs will be the most important date point to monitor as companies report se...

Ann Summerson provides an overview of some of the newly passed Big Beautiful Bill's provisions. Many rules set to expire have been extended and there are new provisions to consider as well. Ann also gives some mid-year financial planning tips and she finishes the show with information on senior living options.   The foregoing information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, bu...

Banking reforms and the evolving monetary policy in the US are driving liquidity onto bank's balance sheets and into the economy for the second half of the year.  Chase looks at what's changing there that's going to be a key engine for the capital markets.   The foregoing information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but we do not guarantee that it is accurate or complete,...

Simon discusses the bullish stock market technicals and momentum, while valuations, policy uncertainty and possible threats to corporate profit margins auger for caution going forward. He suggests investors refrain from trying to game unknowable outcomes and instead consider how to sensibly balance potential reward with risk. He frames the backdrop in looking at geopolitics, current inflation tren...

Simon places the current Middle East threat in historical context. Beyond this week's events he argues that, while an outright negative outlook may not be appropriate, the risk-reward profile has weakened since the spring. He highlights stretched valuations, a deteriorating margin and growth outlook, considerable policy uncertainty and cracks in the labor market as reasons for caution (along with...

Matt Anderson takes the podcast reins this week to talk about gifting.  He reviews the basic gifting rules to individuals and discusses the strategies and vehicles that can be employed to meet your charitable giving objectives.    The foregoing information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but we do not guarantee that it is accurate or complete, it is not a statement of all...

The week was filled with news of banks and bankers. Chase looks past the tariffs for a week and focuses this week on economic warnings from bankers, a bullish update on a bank, and predictions from a big leading economic indicator.   The foregoing information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but we do not guarantee that it is accurate or complete, it is not a statement of...

Simon discusses the ongoing twists and turns in global trade policy and how, regardless of how things turn out, the likely net result is a continued slowdown in business spending. It remains to be seen whether consumer spending follows suit. He offers some common investor biases that, if not acknowledged and controlled, can lead to unforced investing errors. He reviews the latest news concerning A...

Simon discusses the significant rally off the post-"Liberation Day" lows and what historical precedent suggests about forward returns. In the meantime, he urges caution as the market is likely to grind while it awaits a better read on how tariffs will impact company profit margins, consumer spending and employment data. He highlights opportunities in longer-term Municipal bonds and offers THC as a...

The S&P 500 has raced back to flat for the year after a large correction in April. Chase this week looks at why the rally may continue, why it should be feared, and an area of the economy that is looking beyond 2025 and showing tremendous investment. The foregoing information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but we do not guarantee that it is accurate or complete, it is no...

Simon discusses how stocks may have left the "waterfall" phase and entered the typical back-and-forth "grinding" period of a challenging market that will require patience, discipline and selectivity. From a macro-economic perspective, he urges investors to focus on the health of the jobs market above all else. He discusses Warren Buffet's stepping down as CEO at Berkshire Hathaway and how to think...

A huge week of economic data tries but fails to cut through the developing tariff news. This week Chase looks at who the real winners of the trade wars may be and how the investor can benefit from it.   The foregoing information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but we do not guarantee that it is accurate or complete, it is not a statement of all available data necessary fo...

Simon suggests investors spend less time trying to determine causation for market moves and more on understanding how markets are actually trading (including patterns seen in past declines). While not calling a bottom, he discusses the crash in sentiment from multiple perspectives and wonders how much future economic and earnings slowing may already be discounted. He suggests the "waterfall" selli...

In the final scene of Animal House, Kevin Bacon encouraged the panicked crowd to "Remain Calm!" and it didn't turn out for him. This week Chase discusses how to take a measured approach at limiting risk, why the markets may get worse with a few positive signs included for good measure, and looks at some approaches to the volatility that doesn't work well.  The foregoing information has been obtain...

Simon discusses how to think about the tremendous spike in financial market volatility from an investor emotion perspective and in terms of historical context. He offers some of the central takeaways from the current tariff landscape and, should the economy drift closer to recession, what precedent suggests about future stock market returns. He then highlights the challenges Apple is facing given...

Simon discusses the unprecedented escalation in U.S. trade tariff levels. He acknowledges answers are hard to come by and, instead, offers a series of questions to consider around recession odds, inflation levels, fiscal and monetary response, and corporate profit impacts that will surely be central to investment outcomes. He also stresses the importance of harnessing emotions, maintaining liquidi...

In today's Wise Investor Show podcast, Senior Financial Planner Greg Smith shares ideas and strategies to know and keep at the fore of your mind to help you stay sanguine and on plan, even when the markets turn scary.  These ideas ought to better assist not only the you of the present, but ultimately the you of the future as well.   The foregoing information has been obtained from sources consider...

Simon examines the historically sharp drop in various sentiment readings, including valuation multiples, and whether it portends a similar collapse in the "hard data." He shares how the markets are sifting through the current noise to focus on tariffs as they can directly impact corporate profit margins. Simon also places the current stock market drawdown in historical context. He then introduces...

On this week's show, we'll give the briefing of what to look out for, diagram the next three turns on the road, but remind you to be careful out there. Notable improvements in the economic data may not be enough to fight off the effects of lowering confidence from the consumer and the corporations and we'll look at evidence from all of this from this past week.    The foregoing information has bee...

Simon argues that the inability to harness emotions is usually a greater contributor to investing failure than any market or economic factors. He cautions how investors need to focus on what matters and what is knowable. He shares a number of observations on the market rotation out of Technology, soft sentiment data and emerging soft hard data, the recent outperformance of international stocks and...

This week we try to cut through the barrage of daily news, information which may impact the markets but isn't tangible, and get down to just the facts, those which may give us an idea of where the economy is going. Moreso, we put an emphasis that this is what must be done as we move forward this year.  The foregoing information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but we do no...

 Simon notes how the market seems to care about policy uncertainty and the "headlines" to the extent that they affect corporate earnings. Investors will likely be well-served sifting through the noise to focus on this reality. He identifies several reasons for continued optimism as well as some of the potential risks. He also discusses the waning of Technology stocks in favor of some formerly unlo...

Today, we focus on the essentials of estate planning and gifting strategies, clarifying key concepts such as wills, probate, trusts, and beneficiary designations. Matthew Anderson CFP®, and Nick Sorden emphasize the importance of understanding how assets pass, both through wills and alternative methods like account titling, beneficiaries, TOD accounts, and trusts. Further discussion covers the rol...

Simon examines the confusing cocktail of the "Four T's" dominating current news flow: Trump, Tariffs, Tech and Tallying Earnings. He explains how tariffs work, their potential economic impact and how difficult they are to model when there are more questions than answers. He then discusses how the risks of buying bonds are now asymmetrically skewed in a positive direction. He also highlights recent...