Mark discusses the following on Episode 6:

- July month end performance numbers for the major indexes

- The Federal Reserve’s decision to cut interest rates by .25%

- Continual flow of negative economic information

- Even Economists can be wrong

- An article that outlines 4 steps you can take today to increase your probability of financial freedom and success

Mark and Matt discuss the following on Episode 5:

- Earnings reports from NFLX, FB, BA & TSLA

- Corporate Tax Reform, it’s impact thus far on companies and why it might be in the spotlight during the 2020 election

- Data suggesting a small percentage of stocks are driving most of the gains in the markets this year

- Economic data sending mixed signals with the markets hitting all-time highs

- A Vanguard study that shows how Americans save in their defined contribution plans. Mark and Matt discuss key points made by Michael Batnick, who gave his perspective on this huge study.

Mark and Matt discuss the following on Episode 4:

- China GDP for Q2 and the impacts of the trade war starting to ripple through global economies

- Global debt and negative interest rates

- The Fed

- Q2 Earnings Season kicks off

- "The Best Advice I Ever Got" : Financial professionals sharing the best guidance they have received and how it impacted their lives.

Mark and Matt discuss the following on Episode 3

- Yield curve inversion and what that has typically meant for the markets going forward

- Investor sentiment: what it means and where we stand currently

- Barron's article that discusses "pay to play" with large wirehouses, brokerages and mutual fund companies

- Annuities: Details to think about

Mark and Matt also answer 3 questions from listeners!

“Full disclosure, while we prioritize the use of individual stocks, we will use MF’s and ETF’s with our clients if they ask us to do so. Similar to the points illustrated in the Barron's article and this discussion, there could be conflicts of interest in both revenue sharing and soft dollar arrangements as well if we are using MF's and ETF's. Please review Commonwealth’s Brochure, found at www.commonwealth.com/disclosure for specifics.”

Mark and Matt discuss the recent G20 Summit, The Fed and earnings season right around the corner. Be sure to listen to the end, where Mark and Matt break retirement down into 3 steps!

In this episode of the Independent Advisors, Mark and Matt introduce themselves and the podcast to listeners and give background on who they are, what they do, and their paths to get to where they are today. They outline the general format of the podcast and what future episodes will look like. They give information on how to listen to the podcast and what listeners can expect going forward.