This Week's Agenda: What’s happening in 10 min Record Black Friday Sales 11.8B up 9.1% from 10.8B in 2024 (Adobe Analytics) Higher in-store component (1.7% up since last year) Alphabet surpasses Microsoft as 3rd most valuable company in the world Concept of circular financing dominating headlines Fed rate cut in December jumped to 80 - 85% Dec 9 - …

This Week's Agenda: What’s happening 10 min 50 year mortgage idea announced to unpopular fanfare Bitcoin down 35% from highs, down 5% on the year. Crypto markets erase over $1.1T in market cap. Government shutdown hits 43 days, ended when House of Reps passed a continuing resolution that would make it through the Senate. No BLS jobs data ever for p…

Agenda What’s happening 10 min Gov’t shutdown - no BLS employment data Bitcoin now in bear market collapsing to below $100k Michael’s Burry’s new big short Healthcare premium inflation Jester “Jack” Daniels - how he built an empire and did not survive to reap the reward Topic de jour - Cost of healthcare for workers vs retirement, long-term care Li…

Agenda: What’s happening 10 min All asset classes are up: bonds, stocks, precious metals, crypto Valuations at ATH Brent’s new baby Equity flows from funds to bonds Crypto crunch in October - Bitcoin in corrective territory from ATH Tariff threat with China last week. This week’s most interesting money story - Alfred Nobel 15 min Topic de jour - Op…

This Weeks Topics: Enrollment and contribution best practices Plan design - who these plans are optimized for Fees, what they pay for How to collab with an advisor Hidden secrets in the plan document Recent policy changes that expand investment offering potential _____ About your Hosts Ben Jones, CFP® Managing Director, National Wealth Management G…

Managing investment return expectations. The truth behind terrible returns is a person that doesn’t quite understand market mechanics and how they tie into your financial goals. Watch this episode now: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDMLU9XVm8Cd5c1-gWbk3VA Sources: https://www.ramseysolutions.com/retirement/the-12-reality https://am.jpmorgan.com/…

Diversification is the foundation of most investment advice, but what if it's also the single greatest barrier to generating true, exponential wealth? In this episode, we challenge conventional wisdom and explore the high-risk, high-reward strategy of concentrated investing. We delve into how some of the world's most successful investors built fort…

A war of the classes “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”, so begins the famous novel Tale of Two Cities written in 1858. Written by Charles Dickens, the motif of duality can easily be applied to our modern economy. Throughout history, the state of mankind can generally be described as fitting someplace between bad and good. The ec…

News or Noise? In our fast-paced, 24/7 news cycle, it can feel like a financial advisor's credibility hinges on keeping up with every daily headline. A tweet from a prominent news host, a new market prediction, or a breaking story from CNBC can make an advisor who isn't up to speed feel discredited. The question of whether an advisor should be a ne…

Some beauty is skin deep. Reinforcing a modern political trend, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB) garnered only strict partisan support. Carrying the timbre of our nation’s President, its name either strikes a nerve with unbearable annoyance or tickles the funny bone. A dichotomy to define out times. One many have grown weary of. Now signed int…

Planning isn’t predicting. Some things in life are more exciting than others. Most of us woke up on the 4th of July with a lighter step and enthusiastic anticipation for the day. Fireworks, need we say more? No one in their right mind sets a meeting with their financial planner to map out a savings strategy on such a day. Just because something isn…

I will just say in general, I’ve said SO many times, 99% of you watching do not need a financial advisor. You need someone like me to teach you step by step how to invest for yourself”. So says Tori Dunlap, one of the many outspoken influencers brimming with financial opinions that cannot be contained. Like a bottle of Diet Coke shaken up by outsid…

The average child spends about eight hours a day in front of a video screen. We’ve now seen a generation of children raised on a digital cocktail of social media, video games, and streaming services. A panoramic window into the world, algorithmically tuned for your child’s wants and subconscious desires. Ferraris turn more heads than Hondas, a huma…

The American proverb “you get what you pay for” is well understood but not commonly applied. Nowhere is this made more abundantly clear than in the food services industry, where people line up for cheap, borderline toxic calorie bombs to satiate their immediate cravings. One should not ask why healthy food is so expensive but why fast food is so ch…

Warren Buffett to Retire As CEO of Berkshire Hathaway When a person lives to the wise age of 94 and accumulates a networth of $168B, people tend to think he has some important things to say. Nearly 20,000 Berkshire shareholders gathered in Omaha Nebraska on May 3rd to hear the resident Oracle speak live. The annual tableau is something to behold. T…

Too low to sell, too cash poor to buy the dip. So laments an X user over this past week as he describes his current state of financial affairs. No one wants to be a sucker yet prudent investing requires that you subject yourself to the fickle whims of the market - all in. It’s hard not to feel like a sucker when you buy something only to watch it g…

Fitful swings in equity and bond markets this past week have wrecked more sleepful nights than drunk neighbors on Independence Day. What can be done? The NASDAQ hourly chart resembles an EKG reading of a fibrillating heartbeat. Some fear this could be the heartbeat of the new American economy. Treasury Scott Bessent has been making the rounds on nu…

America’s least favorite day is quickly approaching in a little over two weeks. Millions scramble to frantically count their beans while the oppressive Eye of ‘Providence’ lords over them. April 15 may usher in the Spring with all its good vibes, longer days, and the smell of outdoor barbecues with freshly cut grass. But it also marks a cumulative …

The first few months of 2025 have produced mixed results for US equities. Despite efforts to coax out the full economic potential of the U.S., domestic markets have lacked confidence. Meanwhile, ‘safe haven’ assets such as Treasury Bonds and international stocks have broadly rallied. They say it’s been the worst start to a year since, well, 2022. W…

The engagement farmers masquerading as prognosticators have been busy this month! There’s so much doom to talk about. It’s all so very exciting, and you need to tune in. Ignoring the information so you don’t miss a perfectly timed nugget of information that will cost you everything. Even so, three months later we’ll forget the stress of today like …

Journey > Destination. Does the world run on envy? Charlie Munger, who once said, “the first rule of a happy life is low expectations”, argued that it does. We even have the adage ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ to encapsulate this ongoing economic arms race. In-your-face financial flexing is difficult to ignore. A moment of boredom followed by a scr…

The Palisades, Eaton, and Hughes fires have affected 59 square miles of land in Southern California. Combined, they have consumed more than 16,000 homes and buildings and an uncounted number of automobiles. This natural disaster comes hot off the heels of two hurricanes that wreaked havoc in Florida and North Carolina, from which residents are stil…

Why you have it and what to do about it. Financial stress is a response to a specific, often temporary, financial problem that can be resolved through specific action. As an example, you are about to close on a home purchase and are uncertain if loan underwriting will be completed in time. These stressors can be quickly alleviated with the right co…

Another year, different in how you make it. 2025 is here and so are the renewed pressures of the ego to break through yet another motivational barrier. The root of the word sublime stems from Latin to mean, roughly, high threshold. The things that are most worth doing are not easy. Sublime is a subjective word. It’s true meaning found at that point…

Ben and Brent wrap up 2024 with a conversation on the state of the housing market. Prices of single family homes continue to edge higher, being up 6% year over year. This is on top of a record increase in median single family home prices over the past decade which now totals 102% according to Freddie Mac. While unaffordability infects already strai…

There was a lot to discuss with family this Thanksgiving. The election, stocks ripping, the return of crypto mania, and, of course, the evergreen subject of ‘the culture war’. In many households, Thanksgiving takes its shape as thoughtsgiving as outspoken opinions crowd out any notion of contentment. Few things can be as goading as that one relativ…

In this episode, Ben and Brent discuss some of the possible economic implications of the election along with common year-end best tax optimization practices. As we approach the end of the year and the start of 2025, one thing becomes clear: change is on the horizon. Like viewing a hurricane from the shoreline, it’s tough to gauge the strength of it…

As we approach the end of the year and the season of generosity, it is appropriate to address the topic of gifting. Gifting money and assets is not as straightforward as it may seem. Assuming you will receive a tax deduction for charitable contributions is often incorrect and can result in a reduced charitable contribution than otherwise intended. …

What is your default setting when confronted with the prospect of saving more? Do you immediately think about how you can cut expenses or do you think about different ways to increase your income? There is a limit to how much you can reduce your expenses, especially if you have dependents. Your ability to earn, on the other hand, is open ended. The…

Low cost investment providers such as Vanguard have commoditized investing, pushing wealth managers to broaden their scope to deliver value. When “S&P and chill” effectively summarizes a sensible approach to wealth building, what more is there for advisors to do? Just as Warren Buffett’s advice “be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when ot…

Saving for retirement is a challenge, perhaps one of life’s greatest challenges. It requires a sacrificial mindset that favors tomorrow over today. This mindset can eventually calcify, becoming an ingrained personality trait. Shifting this mindset in retirement can be an even greater challenge, but is necessary to live with an optimal quality of li…

What should you do when market volatility spikes to the downside? We’ve heard to never run from a bear but lie down and play dead. The same holds true in bear markets, more or less. Ben and Brent go a few steps further on what to do. First, they elaborate on what’s behind the August 2024 spike in volatility. The market may have calmed down for now,…

Ben and Brent sit down to discuss how wealthy families can preserve legacy through generational gifting using strategic planning. Everyone has an estate plan, the default option usually being the worst one. It’s important to think about what impact your money will have on people after you die. It’s an uncomfortable reality to face, but a failure in…

Some investors seek to cool off their portfolios by sitting on the sidelines under the shade. Is market seasonality still a thing, and what should investors do about it? Ben and Brent shed some sunlight on the old “sell in May and go away” sentiment and break down the phenomenon and the login therein. ___ Today’s Host Ben Jones Managing Director of…

In today’s episode, Ben Jones sits with Jim Blair, Vice President/Co-Founder of Premier Social Security Consulting, to discuss all things Social Security. Jim pulls from more than 35 years of experience working for the Social Security Administration. From when to file to the financial health of the program, they cast a wide net. Whether you’re abou…

Join Brent and special guest Todd Finch as they sit down to talk about real estate. Why now may be a good time to buy, and what you can do to be more effective when buying your next home. For more questions, email us at [email protected] ____ Special Guest: Todd Finch - Realtor 513-785-9994 [email protected] ____ Infinite Wealth Planning: www.…

Ben and Brent take a stroll across the shifting landscape of education in the US. The demand for private education is increasing as popular college funding plans become much more flexible. College tuition inflation seems to have hit some resistance as high school graduates become more discerning. Things are changing and mostly for the better! Join …

Ben and Brent dive deep into Vanguard’s 31-page study on America’s retirement readiness released in 2023. The news isn’t great, as the title of the episode implies. Most Americans will be forced to make less-than-comfortable decisions during their golden years to keep solvent. They discuss what this means for people in this situation and what inves…

Election season is upon us and the question plaguing investor minds is: what should I do in reaction to outcome “X” or outcome “Y”. Brent and Ben tackle this question head on and discuss what some of the ramifications of the election could be. While culturally impactful, as it pertains to which flavor of freedom you want, the economic ramifications…

Ben and Brent team up with a local tax planning and business consulting powerhouse, Anthony Lewis, for a three-episode series on small business planning in the post-COVID environment. Kirsch CPA - https://kirschcpa.com/ ____________________________________________________ Disclosure: Securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC. Advi…

Ben and Brent team up with a local tax planning and business consulting powerhouse, Anthony Lewis, for a three-episode series on small business planning in the post-COVID environment. Kirsch CPA - https://kirschcpa.com/ ____________________________________________________ Disclosure: Securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC. Advi…

Ben and Brent team up with a local tax planning and business consulting powerhouse, Anthony Lewis, for a three-episode series on small business planning in the post-COVID environment. Kirsch CPA - https://kirschcpa.com/ ____________________________________________________ Disclosure: Securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC. Advi…

In this episode, Ben and Brent take a trip down memory lane, reminiscing on their personal journeys that led them to careers in the financial services industry. The industry has changed substantially since they entered the business, prompting them to consider how young professionals today can pursue a financial services career. Disclosure: The opin…

Ben & Brent join you this week, navigating different perspectives on how to view the asset almost all of us have, our homes. Join us for a blend of insightful discussions and the occasional touch of dry humor. Disclosure: The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recomme…