Episodes
Dec. 9, 2020
How America Invests (EP.180)
On today's show we discuss AT&T vs. Verizon, why we could see the highest CAPE ratio ever, the end of movie theaters, why selling is the hardest part of investing, when we'll get the vaccine, the best movies you haven't seen and much more. Find...
Dec. 7, 2020
Blog Post: How Ben Invests His Money
Inspired by the new book, How I Invest My Money, Ben shares how he manages his own money.
Dec. 5, 2020
Book Excerpt: The 20 Rules of Personal Finance
Ben reads a chapter from his new book, Everything You Need to Know About Saving For Retirement.
Dec. 4, 2020
Talk Your Book: The Structured Marketplace
On today's show we talked with Jason Barsema, co-founder and CEO of Halo Investing, an online marketplace for structured products, annuities, and buffered ETFs. Find complete shownotes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s Michael Batnick’s Like us on ...
Dec. 2, 2020
Raising the Minimum Wage (EP.179)
On this wee's show we discuss bitcoin vs. gold, billionaires and the minimum wage, there is no perfect number for your savings goals, the downside of FIRE, why credit card debt it falling, the pros and cons of Robinhood on investor habits, Ben's new...
Nov. 30, 2020
Blog Post: Is Robinhood Good For Investors?
A few weeks ago on a Zoom conference call, Michael was asked "Is Robinhood good for investors?" In this episode, Michael shares how this question caused him to think more deeply about his answer.
Nov. 25, 2020
Is Bitcoin the New Gold (EP.178)
On this week's show we talk about the bitcoin bull market, the generational wealth gap, who owes all the student loan debt, why poor people still buy luxury goods, investing in TikTok mansions, young people entering the housing market and more. Find...
Nov. 20, 2020
Talk Your Book: Direct Indexing
On today's show, Michael and Ben talk with Rusty Vanneman, Chief Investment Officer at Orion Advisor Solutions about all things related to direct indexing. Find complete shownotes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s Michael Batnick’s Like us on And...
Nov. 18, 2020
Cancel All the Debt (EP.177)
On this week's show we discuss vaccine Mondays, why the market doesn't care about increasing cases, what's the best age to die, making emergency funds obsolete, too much cash on the sidelines and more. Find complete shownotes on our blogs... Ben...
Nov. 16, 2020
Blog Post: How Much is $20 a Month Worth?
Ben looks at one of the hardest problems for most people when it comes to building wealth -- regularly saving money and shows why $20/month could be worth more than you think. And he has an announcement for his all new book about saving for retirement.
Nov. 14, 2020
BLOG POST: How I Invest My Money
Ben and I are trying something new. Once or twice a week we're going to read a blog post and drop it in Animal Spirits. If you like it, we'll keep going, if not, we'll stop. The first post from Michael was inspired by Josh Brown and Brian Portnoy's...
Nov. 13, 2020
Talk Your Book: But What Happens Tomorrow?
On today's show we talk with Michael Arone, Chief Investment Strategist at State Street Global advisors about how elections impact the market, and why we might be on an unsustainable path going forward. Find complete shownotes on our blogs... Ben...
Nov. 11, 2020
The Vaccine (EP.176)
On this week's show we discuss what a vaccine would mean for the markets and economy, why a post-pandemic market will be so difficult to handicap, the potential for a massive boom post-vaccine, market moves after the election, corporate America as our...
Nov. 4, 2020
Trading the Election (EP.175)
On this week's show we discuss how to think about your portfolio in relation to the presidential election, how markets tend to react during the post-election period, is it finally time for value to outperform growth, the resistance of the U.S....
Oct. 30, 2020
Talk Your Book: Stacker ETFs
On today's Talk Your Book we welcomed back Bruce Bond from Innovator Capital Management to talk about the new Stacker ETFs. Find complete shownotes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s Michael Batnick’s Like us on And feel free to shoot us an email...
Oct. 28, 2020
The Worst Chart in Finance (EP.174)
On this week's show we discuss why the price of oil is losing its luster as a macro indicator, who owns the stock market, the rise of new investment classes, Robinhood as the financial hub for millennials, why people aren't happier and more. Find...
Oct. 23, 2020
Talk Your Book: Is the Fed too entrenched?
On today's Talk Your Book, Michael and Ben speak with Marvin Loh of State Street Global Markets about all things related to interest rates, the federal reserve, and inflation. Find complete shownotes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s Michael...
Oct. 21, 2020
Bad Ideas (EP.173)
On this week's show we discuss why baby boomers are selling out of stocks, the 4% rule, the newest star fund manager, why FICO scores are rising this year, companies piling on debt, how social media is making people miserable, some optimism on the...
Oct. 16, 2020
Talk Your Book: What's In an Index?
On this edition of Talk Your Book we spoke with Laurence Black, founder of The Index Standard about how to pick the right products, ETFs and indices for your portfolio. Find complete shownotes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s Michael...
Oct. 14, 2020
Bearish the Whole Way Up (EP.172)
On this week's show we discuss why it's impossible to invest based on the outcome of the election, how the market's reaction evolves over time, the coming travel spending boom, how healthcare costs have hurt incomes, baby bonds and more. Find complete...
Oct. 9, 2020
Talk Your Book: Protecting the Tails
On this edition of Talk Your Book we sat down with Simplify Asset Management's Paul Kim to discuss how investors can protect their portfolios from both upside and downside volatility in the stock market. Find complete shownotes on our...
Oct. 7, 2020
Living Through History (EP.171)
On this week's show we discuss how crazy it is to live through a period of time that will go down in the history books, why this recession has been devastating to working women, the next Robinhood, the IPO boom, dividend stocks as a bond substitute...
Oct. 2, 2020
A Random Talk with Burton Malkiel
On today's show we sat down with Burton Malkiel, author of the classic book A Random Walk Down Wall Street. Find complete shownotes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s Michael Batnick’s Like us on And feel free to shoot us an email at with...
Sept. 30, 2020
Worst Recession Ever (EP.170)
On this week's show we discuss some bright spots from the pandemic, the massive real estate boom, the housing shortage, more diversity in the stock market, when asset allocation doesn't matter, the SPAC boom and more. Find complete shownotes on our...