I spent about 30 years as a syndicated TV news reporter, and for about 15 of those years, I had an annual ritual.

Every December, I'd hit the streets with a videographer, stop random people and ask them the following three questions.

After I recorded answers from average folks on the sidewalk, I got answers to the same questions from Wall Street experts: the highly paid prognosticators employed by the biggest financial firms on the planet.

So, who do you think was right more often? People who barely knew the stock market, or people who earn 7 figures to make accurate financial predictions?

As it turns out, experts in stocks, oil and real estate tended to do slightly better than average people on the street. But the key word in that sentence was "slightly." There were many answers from many amateurs over the years that proved far more accurate than those of the pros.

This should come as no surprise. The world is a complicated place with infinite variables. Things happen all the time that nobody, even experts, can possibly see coming. (Recent example: Covid-19.)

But despite the fact that there's no way to reliably predict the future, that doesn't stop us from trying. Me, you and the experts on Wall Street: We can't plan if we can't at least try to guess what's ahead.

And that's what this week's "Money!" podcast is about. We're going to make some educated guesses about what's ahead for you and your money. As usual, my co-host will be financial journalist Miranda Marquit. Listening in and sometimes contributing is producer and novice investor Aaron Freeman. And this week, we have a special guest: Joe Saul See-hi of the legendary podcast Stacking Benjamins.

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