Episodes
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 Sense Michael Batnick’s The Irr...
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 Sense Michael Batnick’s The Irrelevant Investor Feel free to shoot us an email at animalspiritspod@gmail.com with ...
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...
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 Sense Michael Batnick’s The Irrelevant Investor Feel free to...
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...
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 Sense Michael Batnick’s The Irrelevant Investor Feel free to shoot us an email at animalspiritspod@gmail.com with any feedback, questions, recomme...
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 ...
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...
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 Sense Michael Batnick’s The Irrelevant Investor Feel free to shoot us an email at animalspiritspod@gmail.com with any feedback, ...
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...
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 Sense Michael Batnick’s The Irrelevant Investor Feel free to shoot us an email at animalspiritspod@gmail.com with any feedback, questions, recommendations...
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...
June 19, 2023
Talk Your Book: Internet Stocks with Income
On today's show, Michael and Ben are joined by Jonathan Shelon, COO of KraneShares to discuss internet growth in China, how to get exposure to China, how the KLIP ETF is able to generate high yields, risks involved with covered call strategies, cash flow rebalancing with KWEB, and much more! Find complete shownotes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common Sense Michael Batnick’s The Irrelevant Investor Feel free to shoot us an email at animalspiritspod@gmail.com with any feedback, ques...
June 14, 2023
Are Stocks Cheap? (EP.312)
On today's show Michael and Ben discuss the greatest company in history, why the bear market is over, why this might not be a new bull market, why the economy keeps humming along, what falling inflation means for the markets, why martinis are overrated, how much you should pay for a kids meal at a restaurant, and more! This episode is sponsored by our friends at YCharts. Get 20% off your first subscription at: https://go.ycharts.com/animal-spirits-referral. Find complete shownotes on our blogs....
June 12, 2023
Talk Your Book: The Electrification of America
On today's show, Michael and Ben are joined by Timothy Kramer, Founder and CEO of CNIC Funds to discuss investing in electricity, how CNIC Funds work, volatility in the energy market, what a suitable commodity exposure looks like, and much more! Find complete shownotes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common Sense Michael Batnick’s The Irrelevant Investor Feel free to shoot us an email at animalspiritspod@gmail.com with any feedback, questions, recommendations, or ideas for future top...
June 7, 2023
Is the Bear Market Over? (EP.311)
On today's show Michael and Ben discuss the beginning of a new bull market, increased concentration in the stock market, the worst housing market ever for buyers, a worrying trend in demographics, the biggest momentum investors on the planet, Brad Pitt and much more. Thanks to Birddogs for sponsoring this episode! Enter promo code "SPIRITS" and get a free Yeti style tumbler with every order: http://birddogs.com/spiritsFind complete shownotes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common Sens...
June 5, 2023
Talk Your Book: Investing in Treasuries During a Debt Crisis
On today's show, we spoke with Alex Morris, Founder and CIO of F/m Investments on how Treasury ETFs work, why the 1mo is yielding so much, how government defaults could affect treasuries, and much more! Visit https://www.ustreasuryetf.com/ to learn more. Find complete shownotes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common Sense Michael Batnick’s The Irrelevant Investor Feel free to shoot us an email at animalspiritspod@gmail.com with any feedback, questions, recommendations, or ideas for f...
May 31, 2023
Something Has to Break (EP.310)
On today's show, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss Ben's guiding philosophy on life and markets, why people buy and sell stocks at the wrong times, NVIDIA's crazy run, why the economy remains so resilient, historic income gains at the bottom, greedflation, The Succession finale and more. Thanks to STF Management for sponsoring this episode. Visit https://stfm.com/ to learn more about their ETFs. Find complete shownotes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common Sense Michael Batnic...
May 29, 2023
Talk Your Book: Upside and Downside Customization For Your Portfolio
On today's show, we are joined by Jason Barsema, Co-Founder and President of Halo Investing to discuss how structured notes are made, counterparty risk during banking crises, customizing structured notes, and much more! Find complete shownotes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common Sense Michael Batnick’s The Irrelevant Investor Feel free to shoot us an email at animalspiritspod@gmail.com with any feedback, questions, recommendations, or ideas for future topics of conversation. Chec...
May 24, 2023
Tech Stocks Are Back (EP.309)
On today's show, Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson discuss the now-available Animal Spirits x Tropical Bros shirts, a great year for stocks (so far), Japan and Germany making new decade highs, US Government interest payments at all time highs, a postmortem on iBuyers, the end of the Cable bundle, AirBnb for cars, and much more! Thanks to YCharts for sponsoring this episode! Be sure to register for the webinar with RWM COO Nick Maggiulli on May 24th at 12:30pm ET. Visit https://go.ycharts.com/anima...
May 22, 2023
Talk Your Book: Streamlining Alternative Investments
On today's show, we are joined by Brett Hillard, CIO of GLASfunds to discuss advisor pain points when investing in alts, the fund manager due diligence process, how interest rates affect the alternatives market, and much more! Find complete shownotes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common Sense Michael Batnick’s The Irrelevant Investor Feel free to shoot us an email at animalspiritspod@gmail.com with any feedback, questions, recommendations, or ideas for future topics of conversation...
May 20, 2023
Living a Rich Life with Ramit Sethi
On today's episode of Animals Spirits: Talk Your Book we are joined by Ramit Sethi to talk about his new Netflix Show, How to Get Rich. Find complete shownotes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common Sense Michael Batnick’s The Irrelevant Investor Feel 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 in financial blogger fashion at The Compound shop: https://www.idon...
May 17, 2023
The Only Game in Town (EP.308)
On today's show we discuss debt ceiling drama, the best long-term investment, money market funds, catching a falling knife, 24 hour trading, why workers are happier than ever, the greatest wealth transfer in history, why wealth inequality will get worse, the best new movie we've seen in a long time and much more. Thanks to Global X ETFs for sponsoring this episode. To learn more about their thematic strategies, visit: https://go.globalxetfs.com/l/750543/2023-05-02/8y4fqmFind complete shownotes o...
May 15, 2023
Talk Your Book: Fidelity Digital Assets Mailbag
On today's show, we are joined by Jack Neureuter, Research Analyst at Fidelity Digital Assets to discuss what drives the price of Bitcoin, where to store Bitcoin, Bitcoin staying out of the headlines, and much more! Find complete shownotes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s A Wealth of Common Sense Michael Batnick’s The Irrelevant Investor Feel free to shoot us an email at animalspiritspod@gmail.com with any feedback, questions, recommendations, or ideas for future topics of conversation. Check ou...