In Part 2 of our Next Generation series, we continue the conversation around how young adults can begin making sound financial decisions early, before costly mistakes take root.

Today’s environment presents more access to information than ever before, yet many young investors still lack clarity on what truly drives long-term success. In this episode, we focus on the foundational principles that matter most: developing disciplined habits, avoiding common pitfalls, and understanding the importance of a long-term perspective.

Rather than chasing trends or reacting to short-term market movements, this discussion centers on building a framework for decision-making that can serve young adults throughout every stage of life.

This episode is valuable not only for young professionals getting started, but also for parents and families seeking to guide the next generation with intention and wisdom.

Many long-time clients eventually reach a new stage of life, when their children become young adults and begin making financial decisions of their own.

In this episode, Joe DeLisi discusses a growing trend he has seen over the past several years: parents asking their advisor to speak with their adult children about money, careers, and financial responsibility. These conversations look very different from traditional financial planning discussions with established professionals, but they can be just as important.

Joe explains how financial guidance changes when working with someone in their early 20s, the kinds of questions young adults are asking today, and why learning sound financial principles early can have a lasting impact.

Whether you’re a parent hoping to prepare your children for financial independence or a young adult beginning to think about money for the first time, this episode explores the importance of building a strong financial foundation early in life.

With headlines about rising tensions between the United States and Iran, many investors are asking the same question: What does this mean for my portfolio?

In this episode, Joe takes a break from the usual studio setting to address the uncertainty surrounding global conflict and the impact it may—or may not—have on financial markets. Rather than focusing on politics or speculation, Joe looks at the data and historical context to help investors understand how markets have responded to geopolitical events in the past.

You’ll hear why reacting emotionally to breaking news can be one of the most damaging decisions an investor makes, and why a disciplined investment strategy is designed to weather periods of uncertainty.

If you’ve been feeling uneasy about the headlines or wondering whether you should make changes to your investments, this episode will help put current events into perspective.

In a recent episode, Joe shared a story about “the worst decision a client ever made” — and the response was bigger than expected. But some listeners walked away with the wrong takeaway.

In this follow-up, Joe clears it up.

This episode breaks down the real difference between owning an individual stock and owning the broader market through an index like the S&P 500. What actually happens if a single company goes to zero? What would it mean if the entire market did? And why does that distinction matter when building a portfolio designed to last decades?

If you’ve ever held onto a stock because you “know the company,” believe it’s too big to fail, or feel confident it will always bounce back — this conversation is for you.

Joe explains risk in plain language, without hype, and reinforces the discipline behind diversification, long-term thinking, and avoiding unnecessary speculation.

This episode is about understanding what you truly own — and making decisions that align with long-term stewardship, not short-term emotion.

Is low-cost indexing enough? Or are investors missing the bigger picture?

Index funds have transformed investing. They’re efficient, inexpensive, and widely accessible. But focusing solely on cost can oversimplify how portfolios actually generate returns.

In this episode, we examine why the cheapest index fund may not represent a complete investment strategy. We discuss expected returns, risk premiums, diversification, and the importance of thoughtful portfolio design.

Rather than chasing the lowest expense ratio, successful long-term investing requires understanding risk, discipline, and proper allocation. This conversation explores the principles behind structured portfolio construction and how investors can think more strategically about risk and return.

If you want to better understand the academic foundation of investing and how it applies in real markets, this episode provides valuable perspective.

If not for bad predictions, we might not have predictions at all.

In this episode, Joe revisits a 2002 white paper titled “What Risk Premium Is Normal?” by Rob Arnott and uses it as a lens to examine one of the most persistent problems in investing: overconfidence in forecasts.

From the “new economy” mindset of the late 1990s to today’s bold market projections, Joe breaks down why long-term return predictions are so often wrong, how expectations get distorted, and what investors should focus on instead. This is a grounded conversation about realism, discipline, and the danger of building financial plans on optimistic assumptions.

If you’ve ever wondered why expert predictions miss the mark or how to invest intelligently when the future is uncertain this episode will help reset your expectations and sharpen your strategy.

Topics covered:

• Why market predictions are consistently unreliable
• Expected vs. actual equity returns
• Lessons from past market cycles
• How investors should think about risk and long-term planning
• What really matters when forecasts fail

Political headlines can create anxiety for investors, especially during election years. In this episode of the WestPac Wealth Investments Podcast, Joe DeLisi explains how politics and markets actually interact.

Joe reviews historical market data across multiple election cycles and presidential administrations to show how markets have behaved during periods of political uncertainty. He also discusses the risks of emotional decision-making and why disciplined investment strategies are designed to weather political shifts, volatility, and short-term market reactions.

This episode provides perspective for investors who want to understand what truly drives market performance, how to stay focused during uncertain times, and why a long-term plan matters more than political headlines.

In this episode of the WestPac Wealth Investments podcast, Joe discusses the importance of budgeting, introducing his concept of the '30 Second Budget.' He emphasizes the simplicity of budgeting while acknowledging the challenges of execution. Joe breaks down the budgeting process into key components: income, taxes, giving, and savings, and stresses the importance of saving for the future. He encourages listeners to take actionable steps towards better financial management and highlights the significance of being patient and open to coaching.

On this episode of the WestPac Investment Podcast, Joe DeLisi walks through the single most damaging mistake he’s seen clients make, and why it rarely has anything to do with markets, returns, or timing. Instead, Joe explains how emotional decision-making, abandoning a disciplined process, and reacting to short-term fear can quietly erode long-term wealth. This episode is a practical reminder that successful investing is less about finding the perfect strategy and more about consistently sticking to the right one.

In this episode of WestPac Wealth Investments, Joe tackles one of the most common investor questions: do elections and politics really move the markets? Drawing from historical data and his decades of experience, Joe explores whether party control, campaign cycles, and government policies truly determine portfolio performance—or if emotions and headlines are leading investors astray. It’s a grounded, fact-based look at how politics and market behavior actually intersect—and what that means for your long-term investment strategy.