Bad days are not fun for any of us, especially bad days in the stock market. But what if we could use bad days to our advantage to improve our portfolios or positions within our portfolio? August 5th was such a day. T

The Japanese carry trade imploded and caused Japan's stock market to have its worst day since 1987 (down 12.5%), which cascaded over the oceans, causing the US market to have a horrible open. Most importantly, the market didn't close lower than it opened, and if you were a buyer on this bad morning, you are happy you were brave. I'm saying this to you as much as I'm saying it to me: we all need to be reminded that most of the market's good days happen within two weeks of the worst. 

Knowing this is not enough; you must have some cash on the sidelines to take advantage of market volatility. Strategies for raising cash are imperative to your portfolio's success, and we discuss them in this week's episode. I also discuss how I am starting to use AI to help with stock research.

In this week's episode, Cameron and I break down a tremendous amount of economic data that surfaced last week. Not only did we have earnings from $MSFT, $AMZN, $META, $AAPL, $MELI, and others, but there was also a Fed meeting as well as job numbers. 

The Fed held interest rates steady but signaled for a September cut. The market initially rallied on this news, but that was quickly taken away once the jobs numbers came out. Unemployment has crept up to 4.3%. It used to be that bad economic news was good for the stock market as it signaled the Fed would cut rates, but now that appears to be changing. The market is starting to believe the Fed has waited too long to cut rates just like they waited too long to raise them.

What is an investor to do? Tune in to find out. 

The Mega-Cap Stocks (Think $NVDA, $AAPL, $MSFT, $AMZN) have taken a bit of a breather in the last two weeks. Some of them are even having a healthy pullback. Investment funds have been flowing into Small-Cap Stocks, but will this continue? 

What are small, mid, large, and mega caps, anyway? In this episode, we also discuss capitalization. 

Earnings are incredibly busy this week. $MSFT, $AMZN, $META, $AAPL, $MELI, $MCD, and $SUBX all report this week, along with many others within the S&P 500. If that wasn't enough, the Federal Reserve will also discuss interest rates on Wednesday.

Finance at 26 can be complicated! That's why we have Cameron to help us discuss the challenges and solutions for young people to succeed in this tricky financial environment. We discuss investing, saving for a house, and buying your first new car! 

We also recorded this in person together, a first on the podcast. We hope you like it. The CPI numbers came in lower than expected, so we detail what parts of the market should be impacted.

The first half of 2024 is in the books! How did the market do? All three major indexes are up for the year with quite a strong showing. We discuss the year's themes so far and how to adjust your financial goals. 

This is an excellent time to reflect on your goals for the year, specifically your financial goals. What has done well? What needs to be adjusted? Years rarely go as we plan, but small adjustments along the way can have a significant impact. Remember, it's the boring and mundane that few see that makes the largest impact long term. 

We also discuss a recent study that shows the difference in investing styles between younger and older wealthy investors. Hint: Crypto and alternative assets are key points.

Financial advisors are constantly asked, "Where should I be financially" at this age? It should be evident that this question is incredibly subjective. However, the people of Forbes this week came out with numbers for where average 401k's are based on generation. We will discuss some surprises in these numbers. Also, if you're listening to this podcast, we want you to be WAY above average. 

This week's episode also includes Elon's pay package, the Federal Reserve meeting, Inside Out, and the importance of goal stacking!  

Starting tomorrow (6/10/2024), $NVDA will begin trading on an after-split basis. Since our last episode $NVDA is up almost 200 dollars!! Can you still invest after the split? What should your strategy be? Tune In. We also discuss Roaring Kitty's first live stream in three years and how $GME performed during his show. 

The main topic today is progress over perfection. Too often, we do not make a decision because we are waiting for the perfect moment, waiting for everything to be "just" right before we take the first step. Whether it involves our health and working out, starting a business, changing jobs, or starting an investment portfolio, we impede our progress before it even begins. 

We are six months into the year, and it's time to self-reflect and assess our progress toward the goals we set for the year. We want to ensure that we don't limit our progress by striving for perfection.

This week, Nvidia $NVDA did it again: It posted astounding earnings, with revenue growing 262% above the same quarter last year. They were able to beat even the highest of analyst expectations. They also pleased the market by offering a 10 for 1 stock split that will happen on June 7th. 

$NVDA started and continues to lead the AI charge from the front of the pack. In this episode, we discuss $NVDA, but more than that, we discuss their impact on other companies. Who are the different companies that will profit from this new industrial revolution? Who is helping Nvidia to make all this happen? How can these companies impact your portfolio? Tune in!

There is much to get to this week. The Dow hit 40,000, and the S&P 500 cleared 5,300. My oh my, how far we have come since 2022. But wait? How does the market keep going up with so much negative information? How do we keep climbing the wall of worry? Let's discuss

Is Roaring Kitty back? He tweeted for the first time in three years this week as Gamestop $GME and $AMC shot back to life for a little bit. Is this a one-time phenomenon or the beginning of another retail vs. hedge fund movement?

In this week's episode, we discuss the 2024 Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting in Omaha. This year was a bit different as Warren Buffett's long-time partner, Charlie Munger, was absent. Charlie passed away at the end of 2023. 

As always, the BRK meeting celebrates value investing for investors worldwide. This year, I attended #ValueX for the first time, which was a fantastic experience. #ValueX is organized by Guy Spier, who runs the Aquamarine hedge fund. They streamed the event for the first time this year, which you can see below. 

We also highlight the difference between dividends and buybacks as $AAPL announced its new 110 Billion dollar share buyback program. They have already repurchased 658 Billion in stock over the past 10 years. 

ValueX 2024

Buffett on Charlie