Do you want to know investment success secrets? Look no further than today's discussion! The long-dominant "buy the Magnificent 7 and forget it" tech trade is fading, with sector rotation favoring energy, materials, and staples while technology and discretionary lag. Drawing on presidential cycle data, it seems markets often experience weakness and corrections in midterm years before potential strength later, though today's backdrop of sticky inflation, high debt, and constrained Federal Reserve policy could challenge historical norms. Liquidity over politics is the true market driver and power preservation incentives may shape fiscal and economic decisions and highlights opportunities in defensive sectors and fixed income if rates fall. As always, disciplined investing is the most important: avoid ego, abandon rigid outcome-based predictions, adopt scenario-based thinking, respect price action, and define in advance when you are wrong.

We discuss...

• The long-standing strategy of simply buying mega-cap tech stocks is breaking down as sector leadership rotates.
• Energy, materials, and staples are outperforming while technology and discretionary stocks lag, signaling possible market-top behavior.
• Historical sector rotation patterns suggest markets may be transitioning from expansion toward a late-cycle phase.
• Midterm presidential years historically bring volatility and frequent 10–20% corrections before potential recovery.
• Liquidity is framed as the primary force driving market cycles.
• Today's environment of sticky inflation, high debt, and constrained Federal Reserve policy may weaken the reliability of historical patterns.
• Defensive sectors and fixed income could benefit if growth slows and interest rates decline.
• Political incentives around power preservation may influence fiscal decisions and economic optics heading into elections.
• Investors are warned not to blindly "buy the dip," especially in volatile assets like crypto.
• The hosts stress that price action ultimately determines whether an investment thesis is right or wrong.
• Ego and overconfidence are identified as major threats to long-term investing success.
• Outcome-based thinking is discouraged in favor of scenario-based planning across multiple probable outcomes.
• Behavioral research shows experts often double down when wrong, reinforcing the importance of flexibility.
• Successful investing requires humility, adaptability, risk management, and clearly defined exit strategies.

Today's Panelists:

Kirk Chisholm | Innovative Wealth Douglas Heagren | Mergent College Advisors

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For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneytreepodcast.cominvesting-success-secrets-793

Tom Hoffman shares the Family Private Enterprise Model for business succession. As an attorney and CPA at Knox Law Firm, Tom discusses his 30+ years of experience in business succession, complex estate planning, and asset protection, focusing on how families can successfully transition businesses across generations. He explains that while most owners want to keep their companies in the family, few heirs are truly prepared to lead, making clarity of goals, fairness (not necessarily equality), and strong communication essential to preserving family harmony. Tom outlines common pitfalls such as forcing children into roles they don't want or failing to define objectives early. He also contrasts selling versus retaining the business, highlighting tax implications, the risks of dissipating liquid wealth, the role of family offices and trusts in preserving capital, and the broader community impact of keeping businesses local.

We discuss...

• While about 70% of owners want to keep their business in the family, only 20–25% of children are typically prepared to lead it.
• Succession planning should start with clearly defining the family's goals rather than jumping straight into structural decisions.
• Fairness in dividing assets does not always mean equality, especially when some children work in the business and others do not.
• Lack of communication is the primary driver of family conflict during transitions.
• "Self-realization" conversations help family members come to their own conclusions about what is fair, preserving harmony.
• Outside consultants and counselors are often necessary when emotional, mental health, or substance issues complicate planning.
• Forcing children into leadership roles they do not want can create long-term personal and business damage.
• Hiring a professional outside CEO can dramatically improve performance and free the senior generation from daily operations.
• Professionalized management often increases EBITDA significantly and expands the pool of qualified leadership talent.
• Even if the business is eventually sold, building a strong management team substantially increases valuation.
• Family offices and multigenerational trusts can help preserve and strategically deploy large pools of liquid wealth.
• The "family private enterprise model" offers an alternative to selling by keeping ownership while professionalizing operations.
• Succession planning is a process that requires coaching, buy-in, and intentional cultural transition rather than a one-time transaction.

Today's Panelists:

• Kirk Chisholm | Innovative Wealth
• Barbara Friedberg | Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance

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The run is hot economy is here! Today we talk markets, and debunk alarmist headlines about rising Japanese bond yields. We also talk about a significant market rotation: expensive mega-cap tech stocks are faltering while capital flows into "boring" sectors like staples, industrials, energy, healthcare, and utilities, with international markets also outperforming. Watch out about chasing falling tech names or trying to pick bottoms in areas like crypto. Diversification is always the way to go so understand sentiment cycles and focus on where money is flowing rather than where it has already been. Successful investing is about discipline, context, and avoiding emotional decisions.

We discuss...

• Japan's 10-year government bond yield rising from near 0% to over 2%, which has sparked global concern.
• Because most Japanese government debt is owned domestically—by the central bank and pensions—the systemic risk narrative may be exaggerated.
• Market headlines often amplify short-term moves without proper historical framing.
• A large percentage of U.S. stocks are trading at very high price-to-sales ratios, exceeding even dot-com-era levels in some measures.
• Companies like Apple have high valuations despite limited recent earnings growth, raising questions about sustainability.
• Rotations are normal cycles in markets, where leadership shifts rather than the entire market collapsing.
• Utilities and staples—traditionally "boring" sectors—have recently outperformed while software and high-beta tech stocks have sold off sharply.
• International markets, particularly emerging markets and Europe, have outperformed the U.S. year-to-date.
• Heavy AI-related capital expenditures announced by large tech firms may have contributed to investor concerns.
• We compare crypto cycles to past tech bubbles, noting that true bottoms often occur when sentiment disappears and investors stop paying attention.
• Focus on where capital is flowing now rather than chasing sectors based on past performance.
• Diversification, patience, and understanding market cycles are essential for long-term investing success.

Today's Panelists:

• Kirk Chisholm | Innovative Wealth
• Phil Weiss | Apprise Wealth Management

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For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneytreepodcast.com/run-it-hot-economy-is-here-791

New technology is coming soon and here is how to invest in the future! Inventor and investor Pablos Holman shares his journey from early computer hacking to co-founding Blue Origin, leading a prolific deep-tech lab, and now backing "mad scientists" building hard technologies beyond software. He believes Silicon Valley has over-indexed on easy software gains while neglecting transformative advances in hardware, energy, and real-world systems. He explains how breakthroughs in computation now let us model and simulate the physical world, from disease eradication to supply chains, marking a toolkit upgrade on par with the steam engine, while also wrestling with the social, regulatory, and human challenges that slow progress. We talk AI's real potential beyond chatbots, the urgent need to 10x global energy, decentralization vs. centralization in tech, the societal costs of social media, and even more!

We discuss...

• Pablos Holman described his path from early computer hacking to founding deep-tech ventures like Blue Origin and running a VC fund focused on inventors building real-world, non-software technologies.
• Pablos framed technological progress as periodic "toolkit upgrades," comparing today's advances in computation and simulation to the impact of the steam engine.
• Modern computational models enable simulations of complex systems like disease spread, cities, and supply chains, dramatically improving decision-making.
• The conversation highlighted AI's true value as modeling the world while warning of over-centralization and privacy tradeoffs in the near term.
• Global energy scarcity is the real bottleneck to progress and peace, requiring a massive scale-up in clean, cheap energy.
• Nuclear power is the only viable path to global energy production and described new reactor designs nearing deployment.
• The discussion explored how regulatory and political systems, rather than technology itself, are often the biggest obstacles to innovation, especially in healthcare and energy.
• Pablos criticized social media for societal damage but argued the core issue is human responsibility and misuse rather than the technology itself.
• AI and crypto represent an open experimental phase where individuals can still influence outcomes before power consolidates.
• Pablos encouraged people to actively engage with and help build meaningful technologies instead of passively reacting to technological change.

Today's Panelists:

• Kirk Chisholm | Innovative Wealth
• Barbara Friedberg | Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance
• Diana Perkins | Trading With Diana

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For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneytreepodcast.com/how-to-invest-in-the-future-790

Dump your tech because this sector is booming and we are going to tell you what it is! Today we talk the sharp risk-off shift across markets as recent selloffs in crypto, precious metals, and especially technology reflect excessive greed being unwound rather than a systemic collapse. This is not a buy-the-dip environment, and you shouldn't be chasing volatility-heavy assets like crypto and metals too early. We also highlight a clear rotation of liquidity away from growth and speculative assets into value-oriented, defensive sectors such as healthcare, consumer staples, industrials, utilities, energy, and select international stocks, as these boring, low-beta areas are sometimes outperforming amid tech weakness, layoffs, earnings disappointments, and rising macro uncertainty, making capital preservationn and patience more important than chasing rebounds.

We discuss...

• Markets are undergoing a clear risk-off rotation, with speculative assets like tech, crypto, and precious metals selling off after periods of extreme greed and overcrowded positioning.
• Precious metals remain in a long-term bull market but may require one to two years of consolidation before sustainably moving higher.
• Crypto's sharp drawdowns and volatility are described as a feature, not a flaw, but current volatility suggests it is not yet an attractive risk-reward entry.
• Capital is rotating into value and defensive sectors such as healthcare, consumer staples, utilities, energy, and industrials.
• Value stocks are outperforming growth stocks, marking a notable regime shift from the past decade's market leadership.
• Defensive, cash-flow-generating businesses are highlighted as portfolio stabilizers during periods of market stress.
• Weakening labor market data and rising layoffs are adding to macro uncertainty and undermining the soft-landing narrative.
• Correlations across risk assets are rising, reducing the diversification benefits of traditionally speculative assets like crypto.
• Market indices such as the NASDAQ are less reflective of pure tech weakness due to non-tech constituents providing offsetting support.
• Liquidity is described as moving like water, flowing out of stressed sectors and into areas showing relative strength.
• The January seasonal "risk-on" effect failed to materialize, suggesting macro forces are overpowering historical patterns.
• Short-term technical indicators show elevated volatility but not yet a definitive structural breakdown.
• Investors are encouraged to focus on where money is flowing rather than what looks cheap after a selloff.

Today's Panelists:

Kirk Chisholm | Innovative Wealth Douglas Heagren | Mergent College Advisors

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For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneytreepodcast.com/this-sector-is-booming-789

Commercial real estate veteran Ben Reinberg shares how he uses hard assets and smart debt to strengthen his investing portfolio. He shares his journey from starting in his early 20s to building a national hard-asset portfolio across industrial, office, retail, multifamily, and medical real estate. We talk the importance of the "ability to hold" assets through cycles by avoiding over-leverage, maintaining reserves, and structuring smart debt. Ben outlines where commercial real estate sits in the current cycle, highlighting looming debt maturities, distressed opportunities, and the potential for attractive buying conditions over the next few years.

We discuss...

• Ben Reinberg explains how he built wealth starting in his early 20s by focusing on hard assets, particularly commercial real estate, as a long-term strategy for cash flow and financial control.
• He emphasizes the importance of becoming a true expert in a specific asset class rather than spreading focus too broadly.
• He shares lessons from his first industrial deal, including managing tenant loss, repositioning assets, and creating value through active ownership.
• A central theme was the "ability to hold," meaning structuring investments to survive any market cycle without being forced to sell.
• He stressed using smart debt, avoiding over-leverage (generally keeping loan-to-value around 65%), and maintaining ample reserves.
• The discussion highlighted why medical office real estate is recession- and pandemic-resilient, with high tenant renewal rates and stable cash flow.
• Reinberg explained how inflation, tariffs, and rising costs affect tenants and property operations across different real estate sectors.
• The episode explored how real estate acts as an inflation hedge through rent growth, escalators, and long-term asset appreciation.
• They discussed the current commercial real estate downturn, driven by higher rates, falling values, and large amounts of debt coming due.
• Reinberg argued that the next few years may present some of the best commercial real estate buying opportunities in decades.
• He warned investors to be cautious, underwrite deals conservatively, and focus on tenant quality and market fundamentals.
• We have an optimistic outlook for 2026–2028, expecting lower rates, increased liquidity, more transactions, and improving economic stability.

Today's Panelists:

• Kirk Chisholm | Innovative Wealth
• Barbara Friedberg | Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance
• Douglas Heagren | Mergent College Advisors

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For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneytreepodcast.com/hard-assets-and-smart-debt-ben-reinberg-788

Silver crashed! Today we focus on a historic bout of volatility in precious metals following months of extreme, unhealthy gains. We figure out if the selloff was driven by the announcement of a new Fed chair or severe technical overextension, crowded positioning that triggered profit-taking, shorting, and forced de-risking. We also talked the implications of a potentially growth-leaning but inflation-conscious Fed, ongoing structural risks like debt, deficits, and sticky inflation, and why monetary policy alone can't solve them. We reviewed the January market performance, and noticed strength in energy, materials, commodities, and international equities versus lagging tech and software. Markets are rotating regimes, not ending trends, and investors should focus on risk management, diversification, and long-term planning rather than reacting emotionally to short-term chaos.

We discuss...

• We unpacked a historic spike in precious-metals volatility, with silver experiencing extreme, record-level swings after months of unsustainably rapid gains.
• The Fed chair news was described as a "match, not the bonfire," triggering a correction that was already statistically inevitable at extreme standard deviations.
• Volatility selling, options hedging, and large institutional short positioning likely amplified the downside move in silver.
• The gold-silver ratio had reached stretched levels, making a snapback or rebalancing between gold and silver unavoidable.
• Despite the violent correction, the broader precious-metals bull trend was viewed as intact rather than broken.
• Gold was described as healthier than silver due to steady institutional and central-bank buying.
• We covered how computers, systematic strategies, and risk managers now dominate market mechanics at volatility extremes.
• Rate cuts may come sooner than expected, but structural issues like debt, deficits, and sticky inflation remain unresolved.
• Markets so far reacted modestly outside of commodities, suggesting rotation rather than systemic stress.
• Energy and commodities were highlighted as key areas to watch in an inflation-sensitive environment.
• International equities significantly outperformed U.S. markets, reinforcing the case for global diversification.
• A small bank failure highlighted lingering credit and balance-sheet risks despite limited systemic impact.
• Midterm election seasonality was discussed as a potential source of higher volatility and uneven returns.

Today's Panelists:

Kirk Chisholm | Innovative Wealth Douglas Heagren | Mergent College Advisors

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For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneytreepodcast.com/silver-crashed-787

Jean-Baptiste Wautier is here to talk growing global debt and the impact on the economy. He draws on decades of private-equity and macro experience to discuss accelerating global change, arguing that rising debt, AI, and political polarization are reshaping the economic and geopolitical order.

We discuss Europe's recent market strength, China as an unavoidable, though risky, investment given its scale and AI ambitions, and gold and crypto as hedges rather than true currency alternatives. He also warms that global debt dynamics will force restructuring in places like Japan and parts of Europe, and concludes that AI is likely transformative but slower and more socially disruptive than markets assume, ultimately requiring a rethink of productivity, employment, and even how economic progress is measured.

We discuss...

• Jean-Baptiste Wautier argued that today's environment reflects an acceleration of long-term forces—debt accumulation, AI as a fourth industrial revolution, and rising political polarization—rather than a completely unprecedented moment.
• He suggested populism can be reversed without extreme disruption if governments deliver tangible economic fixes, citing Italy as an example of pragmatic reform restoring democratic confidence.
• Wautier emphasized that middle-class affordability, youth opportunity, and fiscal credibility are the core issues driving political instability in Western democracies.
• He criticized the lack of democratic oversight of central banks, arguing monetary policy has become too consequential to remain entirely insulated from public accountability.
• He believes there is no painless solution to global debt problems, with Europe facing unavoidable austerity while the U.S. may temporarily "get away with it" due to dollar dominance and capital inflows.
• Europe's recent market outperformance was described as a short-term valuation and diversification blip rather than a reflection of improving fundamentals.
• Wautier argued the dollar has no credible fiat challenger, reinforcing its dominance despite past U.S. policy mistakes.
• Gold and cryptocurrencies were discussed primarily as hedges against dollar risk rather than true replacements for the global reserve system.
• Bitcoin was criticized as too volatile to function as a reserve or transactional currency, regardless of its popularity as a speculative store of value.
• Stablecoins were viewed as a strategic U.S. response to crypto, potentially extending dollar dominance into digital finance.
• Demographic decline across developed economies was identified as a structural constraint that traditional growth models cannot easily resolve.
• Wautier argued AI adoption is moving faster than societies can adapt, limiting near-term productivity gains while increasing long-term disruption.
• AI's ultimate impact will be profound but slow, likely forcing a reassessment of GDP and other traditional measures of economic progress.

Today's Panelists:

• Kirk Chisholm | Innovative Wealth
• Barbara Friedberg | Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance

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For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneytreepodcast.com/growing-global-debt-jean-baptiste-wautier-786

The global economy is shifting into a "run-it-hot" inflationary growth phase driven by political incentives, energy demand, and the need to manage unsustainable debt and here is how to profit on it. The U.S. is deliberately favoring high growth and persistent inflation to inflate away debt and support asset prices ahead of midterms, even as official data and climate narratives are treated with skepticism. Today we talk about how governments historically deal with excess debt, why inflation plus growth is the most politically viable path, and how this environment favors commodities, real assets, and cyclicals over overvalued big tech. Markets are rotating, not simply "risk-on/risk-off," so you should be wary against blindly sticking with what worked in the past. Stay flexible as policy volatility, geopolitical shifts, and changing economic forces reshape the investment landscape.

We discuss...

• Energy policy is rapidly shifting in favor of expansion as tech-driven demand makes energy security a political priority, sidelining prior climate and regulatory concerns.
• The "run-it-hot economy" framework argues the U.S. is intentionally pursuing high growth alongside persistent inflation to manage excessive sovereign debt and support asset prices.
• With midterms approaching, political incentives favor policies that keep markets strong, reduce visible costs like energy and housing, and maintain public confidence rather than fiscal austerity.
• Inflation and growth together are framed as the most realistic way for governments to inflate away debt without triggering default or severe political backlash.
• Historical economic regimes are outlined to show how different inflation and growth combinations favor different asset classes.
• The current environment resembles an inflationary boom, which historically benefits commodities, real assets, and stores of value.
• Big tech and innovation-led assets are seen as potential underperformers in an inflationary, rotational market after years of dominance.
• Market leadership is narrowing and rotating, with small caps, mid caps, and non-U.S. markets showing stronger early-year performance.
• The S&P 500's heavy concentration in a small number of tech stocks increases risk as leadership weakens.
• Investors are cautioned against blindly rebalancing or clinging to past winners without reassessing changing tailwinds and headwinds.
• Fraud reduction and spending audits may improve trust and optics but are unlikely to materially fix long-term debt problems.
• Energy's small weight in major indexes is highlighted as a potential mispricing given its economic importance.
• Seasonal market patterns suggest near-term volatility is likely even within a broader bullish rotation.
• Investors must adapt portfolios to evolving macro regimes rather than assume past strategies will continue to work.

Today's Panelists:

Kirk Chisholm | Innovative Wealth Douglas Heagren | Mergent College Advisors

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For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneytreepodcast.com/how-to-profit-785

Shellee Howard is on the show today to talk how to do college without crushign debt for your kids. She shares how her journey as a "mom on a mission" led her to help families navigate the college process strategically, emphasizing early preparation, self-discovery, and return on investment rather than prestige alone. She explains why overcrowded school counselors fall short, how students should clarify their values, talents, and career goals before choosing colleges, and why college should be viewed as a business decision and a stepping stone to adulthood, and not a status symbol. With the right planning, families can avoid debt, maximize scholarships, and choose schools that truly align with a student's future goals.

We discuss...

• Shellee Howard explained how her experience guiding her own children to graduate college debt-free inspired her career as an independent college consultant.
• She described why high school guidance counselors are often unable to provide comprehensive college planning due to overcrowding and competing responsibilities.
• The discussion emphasized starting college preparation early by helping students identify their core values, strengths, and long-term interests rather than focusing only on grades or test scores.
• Shellee stressed that college readiness is about preparing for adulthood, not chasing prestige or comparing against other families.
• We explore how poor financial literacy leads many students to take on unnecessary debt without understanding return on investment.
• Shellee argued that college is a business decision and should be evaluated like an investment, with scholarships, fit, and outcomes prioritized over name recognition alone.
• Many students are not ready at 18 to make high-stakes decisions and why exploration through service, internships, and extracurriculars matters.
• The value of college branding versus actual educational and career outcomes are debated, with examples showing that different paths work for different students.
• Shellee outlined key timing considerations, including the critical importance of middle school and early high school years for maximizing opportunity and financial aid.
• Parents were encouraged to stay actively involved in guiding their children rather than leaving major financial and life decisions to teenagers.

Today's Panelists:

• Kirk Chisholm | Innovative Wealth
• Barbara Friedberg | Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance
• Phil Weiss | Apprise Wealth Management

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For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneytreepodcast.com/college-without-crushing-debt-shellee-howard-784