Wealthy Behavior

In this first episode of the new year, Sammy and Bob recap 2024's market performance and share insights for the year ahead. Will 2025 bring strong returns, or are we heading for a correction? A wide range of outcomes are possible, so preparation is key. Bob dives into the data driving both short- and long-term outlooks, including: Stocks vs. bonds U.S. vs. international markets Portfolio risk mana...

In this special episode of Wealthy Behavior, we are wrapping up a great year of amazing guests, excellent listener questions, and delivering insight to listeners by highlighting 6 enduring, valuable investment strategies and lessons from our 2024 episodes: The building blocks of financial literacy, the importance of investing internationally, the truth about dollar-cost averaging, a primer on priv...

Sammy and Bob discuss the market’s reaction to the election results and what might lie ahead. Taxes, tariffs, and immigration lead the new administration’s agenda, and related announcements are already moving markets. With the Republican sweep, there is potential for significant changes happening under Trump’s administration compared to a divided government. Given the wide range of outcomes, we ex...

Join Heritage Financial’s CIO, Bob Weisse, and CEO, Sammy Azzouz, as they discuss Tuesday’s election results and the potential market and economic impact of the policies President-Elect Donald Trump discussed on the campaign trail.   Stock markets responded positively to the potential for new tax cuts, extension of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and deregulation, which could benefit economic growth. O...

Women face unique challenges and setbacks compared to men when it comes to finances. From longer life expectancies, to earning less, and greater caregiving responsibilities, on this episode Kenzie Ferris, CFP, CLTC, AWMA and Wealth Manager at Heritage Financial, shares some common financial challenges faced by women and ways to get ahead of them.   Would you rather avoid this conversation? You are...

With only a quarter left to go, investors are pleased with 2024’s stock and bond markets thus far. Heritage Financial’s Chief Investment Officer, Bob Weisse, joins CEO, Sammy Azzouz, to discuss recent performance and:   David Tepper’s call to “buy everything related to China” The health of the US consumer Bonds are no longer ugly-get your bond allocation right What to look for when investing in sm...

We are honored to welcome Christine Benz, author of How to Retire: 20 Lessons for a Happy, Successful, and Wealthy Retirement and director of personal finance and retirement planning at Morningstar, to our podcast. Whether you are planning for retirement or already retired, you’ll gain insight on how to find success in retirement financially and otherwise, from those who have studied retirement fo...

Michael Waldron, Heritage Financial’s Director of Portfolio Management, joins Sammy Azzouz to discuss what’s going on in the markets and investment universe today. What are carry trades and why they impacted global markets so dramatically in August. Rebalancing portfolios to capitalize on today’s stock and bond markets. The Feds messaging and the impact its already had on rates. Market performance...

Special guest, Sam Ro, financial writer and founder of the finance newsletter TKer , joins to help investors of all experience levels cut through today’s noisy headlines and make sense of what’s really happening in today’s markets and economy. Though economic indicators are starting to cool, the economy and consumer spending are still strong and signs are pointing toward future growth. Sam and Her...

The weaker than expected CPI report released early in the month bolstered investor confidence for rate cuts in September. This favorable data combined with slowing economic growth and higher unemployment, led to a sharp drop in yields and a big rotation trade among stock market performers. In fact, small cap stocks experienced their largest single day of outperformance in over 40 years. With marke...

Kyla Scanlon , writer, podcaster, and the author of the book In This Economy? How Money & Markets Really Work, believes that human behavior is the ultimate driver of the economy, and that misinformation is driving people to make poor decisions. Kyla joins this episode to discuss her book, thoughts on today’s economy, and the importance of financial education, which she has a great passion for....

There’s a saying that the Fed takes interest rates up on an escalator (smooth increases) and down on the elevator (larger, quick drops). We are around peak interest rates, the market is expecting the Fed to cut rates twice this year, and based on slowing economic data it looks like the cuts should begin soon. What will give the Fed the green light to start? Tune in to hear Heritage Financial CIO,...

The Tax Cuts & Jobs Act is set to sunset at the end of 2025. For many people, this expiration of tax cuts will mean more of your money will be going toward taxes. Heritage Financial’s Chief Planning Officer, Ed Jastrem, joins Sammy Azzouz to discuss the “use it or lose it” window of time that is left to save on taxes and shares the impacts this could have on your wealth, your habits, and your...

A series of weaker labor market and housing data, better than expected inflation data, and resilient corporate earnings have all contributed to May’s healthy market performance. While inflation has been sticky, signs of a slowing economy are emerging. Heritage Financial CIO, Bob Weisse, and CEO, Sammy Azzouz, discuss these signs, global market valuations and why it could be a good time to rebalanc...

Allison Schrager , economist and author of "An Economist Walks into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk," joins Sammy to discuss how principles of risk used in finance relate to all industries, and ways to measure it, control it and maximize it. They also discuss some of the biggest risks in retirement including the projected depletion of social security and some ways to fix...

The April jobs report shows that the U.S. unemployment rate rose and wage gains slowed more than expected. Markets reacted favorably to this news. Why be happy that more people are out of work and earning less? These are two signals that the strong labor market may be starting to soften. The markets are hoping that a labor market slowdown will nudge the Fed closer to begin lowering interest rates....

Lately we’ve noticed similar themes across the questions we are getting asked most often. In this episode Heritage Financial’s CEO, Sammy Azzouz, and CIO, Bob Weisse, address the topics and answer the questions on top of investors’ minds. April’s inflation and economic data shows that inflation may be stickier than expected and rates could stay higher for longer. What does this shift in data mean...

With the first three months of the year posting strong market returns, most investors are pleased with the start to 2024. Equity markets have seen a broadening of market winners and in March bonds posted their first positive monthly return of the year. 2023 was the story of the magnificent seven tech stocks leading the bulk of the total market return. This year, those concentrated returns from meg...

Special guest Jeffrey Kleintop, Chief Global Investment Strategist at Charles Schwab, is excited for investors in international markets. It has been a bullish start to the year across global markets and we are seeing encouraging trends toward a broader outlook for performance both in the U.S. and abroad. But we won’t get there without navigating through a year full of risks and concerns. Jeff prov...

Heritage Financial’s CIO, Bob Weisse, and CEO, Sammy Azzouz, revisit February’s U.S. and international stock and bond market moves and discuss reasons behind year-to-date performance. The Fed has gotten better at their job, they have history on their side, and they’ve learned their tools have a delayed effect on the economy. Bob shares historical research on Fed rate hiking cycles and performance...

Caleb Silver, Editor in Chief at Investopedia, joins to share some practical advice on personal finance and discuss the hierarchy of financial literacy. Throughout his career as a journalist Caleb has spoken with many business leaders, authors, and industry experts. Caleb shares some of his favorite advice and metaphors learned, and he offers some thought-provoking questions for listeners to refle...

In the U.S., the economy is doing well, inflation is moderating, and the S&P 500 hit a new all-time high in January. 2024 is off to a strong start. Now all eyes are focused on the Fed as they are expected to begin cutting rates this year. When will they begin? And how much will they cut by year-end? Investors will be listening closely hoping to glean hints into the future. In this episode, Her...

In this episode, we offer an audio replay of our 2024 Market Outlook webinar. Bob Weisse, Heritage Financial’s CIO, and Brad Long, CIO at Fiducient Advisors, discuss today's markets and economy, and share expectations for 2024 and beyond. Read more detail in our 2024 Market Outlook: Prepare Not Predict. Get a head-start on your financial resolutions with our new video course and our ebook, How To...

A combination of favorable inflation reports and the Fed recognizing the good reports, paired with a more balanced labor market, led to strong fourth quarter results across markets in general. 2023 was dominated by financial uncertainty surrounding inflation, rising interest rates, volatile markets, and the possibility of a recession. Today, we have the benefit of hindsight. In this episode, Herit...

Special guest Lance Lambert, CEO & Co-Founder at ResiClub , a research company dedicated to in-depth tracking, reporting, and analysis of the U.S. housing market, joins this episode to discuss the state of the U.S. housing market from pre-pandemic to today. Lance breaks down the biggest drivers of the real estate market—Pricing, Affordability and Inventory, headwinds and tailwinds in today’s m...