Episodes

Is Apple the Next IBM? (EP.325)
Sept. 13, 2023

Is Apple the Next IBM? (EP.325)

On episode 325 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are live at Future Proof! Duncan spills a Miami Vice and we discuss: what we actually do at RWM, if Apple is the next IBM, Canadian real estate, issues at ESPN, traveling to California, and much more!Today's episode is sponsored by our friends at YCharts! Start your free trial and get 20% off your first subscription at: https://go.ycharts.com/animal-spirits-referral.Find complete show notes on our blogs...Ben Carlson’s A Wea...
Talk Your Book: The Macro Case for Crypto
Sept. 11, 2023

Talk Your Book: The Macro Case for Crypto

On today's show, Michael and Ben are joined by Jack Neureuter, Senior Research Analyst at Fidelity Digital Assets, and Ramine Bigdeliazari, Director of Product at Fidelity Digital Assets to discuss:- What the SEC ruling means for digital assets- How an ETF may affect the crypto ecosystem- The migration of talent within crypto- Macro changes and digital asset reactions, and much more!Learn More at: https://www.fidelitydigitalassets.com/Find complete show notes on our blogs...Ben Car...
Talk Your Book: Need to Have Cars With Car Dealership Guy
Sept. 9, 2023

Talk Your Book: Need to Have Cars With Car Dealership Guy

On today's show, Michael and Ben are joined again by CarDealershipGuy to discuss: Ben's car leasing dilemma, leasing vs buying, why car prices have gotten so expensive, Tesla vs everyone, and much more!Find complete show notes on our blogs...Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common SenseMichael Batnick’s The Irrelevant InvestorFeel free to shoot us an email at animalspiritspod@gmail.com with any feedback, questions, recommendations, or ideas for future topics of conversation.Check out the latest...
The Market Cap of Taylor Swift (EP.324)
Sept. 6, 2023

The Market Cap of Taylor Swift (EP.324)

On episode 324 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: one of the best years ever for the Nasdaq 100, people who want to see the financial system burn, getting back on trend with economic data, what if housing prices were just undervalued before the pandemic, Canada vs. Miami housing prices, why married people are happier, and much more!Find complete show notes on our blogs...Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common SenseMichael Batnick’s The Irrelevant InvestorFeel free to sho...
Are You on Track For Retirement? (EP.323)
Aug. 30, 2023

Are You on Track For Retirement? (EP.323)

On episode 323 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: the outlook for a 60/40 portfolio, dollar cost averaging into a bear market, the evolution of retirement, the best age for making good financial decisions, the Fed cannot fix the housing market, how HGTV ruined housing prices, hedging climate change risk, and more!Today's episode is sponsored by AdvisorShares. Learn more about the AdvisorShares Dorsey Wright Short ETF (ticker: DWSH) at: https://advisorshares.com/etfs/dw...
Talk Your Book: J.P. Morgan's Covered Call Strategies
Aug. 28, 2023

Talk Your Book: J.P. Morgan's Covered Call Strategies

On today's show, Michael and Ben are joined by Hamilton Reiner, MD, PM, and Head of US Equity Derivatives at J.P. Morgan Asset Management to discuss: how JEPI is constructed, how volatility affects yield, why JEPI has been so popular, and much more!Find complete show notes on our blogs...Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common SenseMichael Batnick’s The Irrelevant InvestorFeel free to shoot us an email at animalspiritspod@gmail.com with any feedback, questions, recommendations, or ideas for futur...
Rates to the Hilt (EP.322)
Aug. 23, 2023

Rates to the Hilt (EP.322)

On episode 322 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: if bonds are more attractive than stocks right now, a lost decade for bonds, Michael Burry's track record, why the economy is so hard to predict right now, why streaming is underrated, the latest Netflix series, and much more!Today's episode is sponsored by our friends at YCharts! Start your free trial and get 20% off your first subscription at: https://go.ycharts.com/animal-spirits-referral.Find complete show notes o...
Talk Your Book: Customizing Your Assets
Aug. 21, 2023

Talk Your Book: Customizing Your Assets

On today's show, Michael and Ben are joined by Matt Radgowski, CEO of Halo Investing to discuss: customizing your assets, utilizing structured notes as a hedge, latest innovations in defined outcome products, and much more!Find complete show notes on our blogs...Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common SenseMichael Batnick’s The Irrelevant InvestorFeel free to shoot us an email at animalspiritspod@gmail.com with any feedback, questions, recommendations, or ideas for future topics of conversation....
How Much is Happiness Worth? (EP.321)
Aug. 16, 2023

How Much is Happiness Worth? (EP.321)

On episode 321 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: Ben's trip to NYC, stock market vs. bond market valuations, the 4% inflation scenario, why the consumer is so important, record home values (again), the power of home equity, and much more!This episode is sponsored by Franklin Templeton. To learn more about the Franklin U.S. Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF (LVHD), visit: https://www.franklintempleton.com/investments/capabilities/etfsIf you'd like to apply for t...
Talk Your Book: Large Cap Alpha
Aug. 14, 2023

Talk Your Book: Large Cap Alpha

On today's show, Michael and Ben are joined by Francisco Bido, Senior Portfolio Manager for the Integrated Alpha group of F/m Investments to discuss: screening companies, growth vs value investing, investing in Apple, avoiding Tesla, and much more!Find complete show notes on our blogs...Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common SenseMichael Batnick’s The Irrelevant InvestorFeel free to shoot us an email at animalspiritspod@gmail.com with any feedback, questions, recommendations, or ideas for future...
Do Valuations Matter? (EP.320)
Aug. 9, 2023

Do Valuations Matter? (EP.320)

On episode 320 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: bull market corrections, why valuations don't matter all that much, why people were so wrong about the stock market, why we haven't gotten a recession yet, $1 trillion in credit card debt, Robinhood's results, tipping at a hotel, and much more!Today's episode is sponsored by our friends at YCharts. Re-imagine your portfolio research with the latest addition to your YCharts toolkit: Portfolio Optimizer. Start your free t...
Talk Your Book: Compounding with Concentrated Portfolios
Aug. 7, 2023

Talk Your Book: Compounding with Concentrated Portfolios

On today's show, Michael and Ben are joined by John Neff, Partner and Portfolio Manager of AKRE Capital Management to discuss: the AI investing craze, the creation of fundamental analysis, compounding returns with Warren Buffett, running a highly concentrated portfolio, and much more!Find complete show notes on our blogs...Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common SenseMichael Batnick’s The Irrelevant InvestorFeel free to shoot us an email at animalspiritspod@gmail.com with any feedback, questions,...
Everything is Up This Year (EP.319)
Aug. 2, 2023

Everything is Up This Year (EP.319)

On episode 319 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: the biggest behavioral bias in investing, the number of IPOs that survive, rolling the dice on the stock market, why the consumer doesn't care about higher rates, fiscal vs. monetary policy, some good news for first-time homebuyers, and much more!Register for Future Proof at: https://futureproof.advisorcircle.com/Find complete show notes on our blogs...Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common SenseMichael Batnick’s The Irr...
Talk Your Book: 100% Downside Protection
July 31, 2023

Talk Your Book: 100% Downside Protection

On today's show, Michael and Ben are joined by Bruce Bond, Founder and CEO of Innovator ETFs to discuss: how 100% downside protection works, what upside you can earn with complete downside protection, who this product makes the most sense for, how rates and option premiums affect the strategy, and much more!Find complete show notes on our blogs...Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common SenseMichael Batnick’s The Irrelevant InvestorFeel free to shoot us an email at animalspiritspod@gmail.com with ...
The Wealth Paradox (EP.318)
July 26, 2023

The Wealth Paradox (EP.318)

On episode 318 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: the 2 types of bear markets, why everyone was wrong but the stock market was right about a recession, speculation vs. interest rates, real estate as an investment, why everyone underestimated the consumer, the unhealthy housing market rolls on, and much more!Today's episode is sponsored by our friends at YCharts. Re-imagine your portfolio research with the latest addition to your YCharts toolkit: Portfolio Optimizer. St...
Talk Your Book: Future Proof Festival
July 24, 2023

Talk Your Book: Future Proof Festival

On today's show, Michael and Ben are joined by Matt Middleton, CEO and Co-Founder of Advisor Circle to discuss: how Advisor Circle was started, why conferences needed to change, Future Proof 2022 and changes coming for 2023, what value an advisor can get out of the festival, and much more!Learn more about Future Proof at: https://futureproof.advisorcircle.com/Find complete shownotes on our blogs...Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common SenseMichael Batnick’s The Irrelevant InvestorFeel free to...
Recession Not Required (EP.317)
July 19, 2023

Recession Not Required (EP.317)

On episode 317 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: the stock market vs. the Fed's balance sheet, why expectations matter more than fundamentals in the short-run, the cruel irony of investing, how to hedge hyperinflation, why no one can claim victory on a soft landing, why the U.S. economy is so much bigger than the Eurozone, Dwight Schrute and the human condition, movies are back, and much more!Thanks to Argent Capital Management for sponsoring this episode. To learn mo...
Talk Your Book: The Impact of a Bitcoin ETF
July 17, 2023

Talk Your Book: The Impact of a Bitcoin ETF

On today's show, we are joined again by Jack Neureuter, Research Analyst at Fidelity Digital Assets to discuss: knock-on affects of a spot Bitcoin ETF, the Grayscale discount, Bitcoin in bear markets vs bull markets, whether inflation is actually good for crypto, and much more!Find complete shownotes on our blogs...Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common SenseMichael Batnick’s The Irrelevant InvestorFeel free to shoot us an email at animalspiritspod@gmail.com with any feedback, questions, recomme...
Is Twitter Dead? (EP.316)
July 12, 2023

Is Twitter Dead? (EP.316)

On episode 316 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss: when to get bullish on the long run, how to use sell side stock research, what's wrong with Disney, cruises are underrated, how the pandemic messed up historical economic relationships, 8% mortgage rates and 3% mortgage rates, why housing prices are still going up, and much more!Thanks to YCharts for sponsoring this episode. See their latest monthly market wrap for June. This is a monthly blog post where YCharts breaks ...
Is the Housing Correction Over? (EP.315)
July 5, 2023

Is the Housing Correction Over? (EP.315)

On episode 315 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss the stock market fighting the Fed, the power of index fund flows, the most trustworthy source of financial advice, an economic miracle in the United States, how to pick a bottom in stocks, people are desperate for a housing market crash, some thoughts on fireworks, and much more!Thanks to Future Proof for sponsoring this episode! Submit your Fintech Demo Drop application before July 7th here: https://9rcge6jsij8.typeform...
Talk Your Book: Optimizing Your Credit Card Points
July 3, 2023

Talk Your Book: Optimizing Your Credit Card Points

On today's show, we are joined by Chris Hutchins, Host of All The Hacks Podcast to discuss: credit card point devaluation, the best cards to optimize spending, where you should book flights, transferring points for better redemptions, the best card for families, cash back on rent, and much more!Find complete shownotes on our blogs...Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common SenseMichael Batnick’s The Irrelevant InvestorFeel free to shoot us an email at animalspiritspod@gmail.com with any feedback, ...
Why Crypto Needs BlackRock (EP.314)
June 28, 2023

Why Crypto Needs BlackRock (EP.314)

On episode 314 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss why the bond market isn't always the smart money, some more good news on the inflation front, why lifestyle inflation is at all-time highs, talking ourselves out of a boom, why smart people have a hard time admitting they are wrong, Bitcoin ETFs, credit card reward point inflation, the most charismatic actor of all-time, and much more!Thanks to YCharts for sponsoring this episode! Check out YCharts' latest research on wh...
Talk Your Book: Advisor Best Practices
June 26, 2023

Talk Your Book: Advisor Best Practices

On today's show, Michael and Ben are joined by Chris Shuba, founder and CEO of Helios to discuss: ETFs vs. direct indexing, why differentiation matters for advisors, utilizing content to drive business, where the wealth management business goes from here, and much more!Find complete shownotes on our blogs...Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common SenseMichael Batnick’s The Irrelevant InvestorFeel free to shoot us an email at animalspiritspod@gmail.com with any feedback, questions, recommendations...
Why Housing Prices Are So Expensive (EP.313)
June 21, 2023

Why Housing Prices Are So Expensive (EP.313)

On episode 313 of Animal Spirits, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss investor behavior in a bull market, how boomers fell in love with stocks, how the unemployment rate impacts stock market returns, why Americans love spending money so much, why down payments for houses are falling, how credit cards ruined the airport lounge, and much more!This episode is sponsored by JPMorgan. To learn more about the JPMorgan Nasdaq Equity Premium Income ETF (JEPQ), visit: https://am.jpmorgan.com/us/en/a...