Grant's colleague Sean Barter joins the show this week to discuss the markets. They flip a coin to argue for & against whether the Mag 7 stocks finish higher or lower on the year, whether mortgage rates are going up or down, whether you should hold gold in your portfolio, and whether we're entering a stock picker's market. We also cover the month in the markets and an article from Morningstar about high yield debt.

RESOURCES:

Why There Is a Lot Less Junk In the High-Yield Bond Market

morningstar.com/bonds/why-there-is-lot-less-junk-high-yield-bond-market

In this episode of Grow Money Business we review what happened in the markets in 2025, focusing on gold, U.S. and non-U.S. stocks, and what to expect going forward

RESOURCES:

Understanding Gold – Hedge, Diversifier, or Overpriced Insurance?

quantpedia.com/understanding-gold-hedge-diversifier-or-overpriced-insurance/?a=6080

In this episode of Grow Money Business we take stock of the potential AI bubble, the recent Nvidia earnings call, and the November rout in cryptocurrencies.

RESOURCES:

Boom, bubble, bust, boom. Why should AI be different?

crazystupidtech.com/2025/11/21/boom-bubble-bust-boom-why-should-ai-be-different/

In this episode of Grow Money Business we review the government shutdown and what's holding up an agreement, how that impacts the financial markets, what's happening with gold, and a different perspective on the AI spending race.

RESOURCES:

The Hilarious World of Estate Planning

words.paulollinger.com/p/the-hilarious-world-of-estate-planning

In this episode of Grow Money Business we cover the current state of the market and whether we're in a bubble or not. We also respond to a listener question about whether they should add gold or bitcoin to their portfolio, and review an article on why mortgage rates haven't moved much even though the Federal Reserve recently reduced short term interest rates.

RESOURCES:

Borrowing costs are falling—why aren't mortgage rates?

cnbc.com/2025/09/26/why-borrowing-costs-are-falling-but-mortgage-rates-arent.html

Gold Hasn't Rallied This Much Since 1979

wsj.com/finance/commodities-futures/gold-price-rising-61bc0b52?mod=finance_feat5_commodities-futures_pos1

In this episode of Grow Money Business we dive into the independence of the federal reserve, including the recent allegations of mortgage fraud by one of the fed's governors and some of the history of the central bank going back to the early 1900s. We also cover whether active management in bonds makes sense, and everything that's happened in the markets over the last month.

Resources:

Why the Bond Market Is Fertile Ground for Active Management | Morningstar

https://www.morningstar.com/financial-advisors/why-bond-market-is-fertile-ground-active-management

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act has been passed into law, and we dive into it's details in this episode of Grow Money Business. We cover the changes to tax laws that you should know about, including planning opportunities around charitable giving, solar panels & EVs, Social Security, and the child tax credit. We also cover an article about the most important financial metric that even millionaires get wrong, the recent fed decision on interest rates, and the jobs report.

RESOURCES:

Even Multi-Millionaires Can't Get This Basic Idea Right

bestinterest.blog/even-multi-millionaires-cant-get-this-basic-idea-right/

FAQ: The One Big Beautiful Bill Act Tax Changes

taxfoundation.org/research/all/federal/one-big-beautiful-bill-act-tax-changes/

Tax Provisions in H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act: House-Passed Version

congress.gov/crs-product/R48550

This episode of Grow Money Business covers everything you need to know about Social Security: from how to get through to your local office & the expected wait times for their 1-800 number to how long we'll be able to pay retiree benefits. The background here is that the trustees of Social Security are required to publish a report on the funding of the program annually. The 2025 report was published just a few weeks ago, and this episode covers what you need to know about it.

Resources:

What the Heck Is Happening at Social Security?: https://www.nextavenue.org/what-the-heck-is-happening-at-social-security/

THE 2025 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE FEDERAL OLD-AGE AND SURVIVORS INSURANCE AND FEDERAL DISABILITY INSURANCE TRUST FUNDS: https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/TR/2025/tr2025.pdf

In this episode of Grow Money Business we review what the markets have done as news of trade negotiations has trickled out over the last few weeks. We review whether tariff policy leads to inflation to consumers, Moody's recent downgrade of US debt, and what to look for in the coming weeks as we approach the 90-day tariff pause deadline.

RESOURCES:

Moody's Ratings downgrades United States ratings to Aa1 from Aaa; changes outlook to stable

moodys.com/web/en/us/about-us/usrating.html

The Effects of Tariffs on Inflation and Production Costs

frbsf.org/research-and-insights/publications/economic-letter/2025/05/effects-of-tariffs-on-inflation-and-production-costs/

Detecting Tariff Effects on Consumer Prices in Real Time

federalreserve.gov/econres/notes/feds-notes/detecting-tariff-effects-on-consumer-prices-in-real-time-20250509.html

This episode of Grow Money Business covers tariffs, Trump's recent economic policy, the market's reaction, and how we should interpret all this as investors. We cover an article commenting on a recent wonky U.S. government bond auction and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's comments, and put the rapid pace of the news cycle in perspective.

RESOURCES:

US Treasury secretary: no risk of China weaponizing Treasuries despite bond market volatility

reuters.com/markets/rates-bonds/us-treasury-secretary-no-risk-china-weaponizing-treasuries-despite-bond-market-2025-04-15/