Episodes
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...
Sept. 25, 2020
Talk Your Book: Investing in Gold
On today's show we spoke with George Milling-Stanley, Chief Gold Strategist at SSGA about all things related to investing in Gold. Find complete shownotes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s Michael Batnick’s Like us on And feel free to shoot us an...
Sept. 23, 2020
It's Hard Being Rich (EP.169)
On this week's show we discuss a minor correction in the stock market, why the upper middle class has so much debt, why fame and wealth don't always lead to more happiness, how baby boomers are messing up fund flow data, keeping politics out of your...
Sept. 18, 2020
Everything You Need to Know About Retirement (EP.168)
On this show we do a deep dive on everything retirement-related including how much you need to save, how much is enough, what happens when you get a late jump on retirement planning and much more. Find complete shownotes on our blogs... Ben...
Sept. 16, 2020
Upside Down Markets (EP.167)
On this week's show we discuss some work from home backlash, parents vs. single people in the office, where inflation comes from, the new fiscal policy regime, why markets are so hard, experts on an earlier version of the world, the two beers and a...
Sept. 9, 2020
Democracy Has Failed (EP.166)
On this week's show we discuss why tech stocks are finally selling off, why the best companies have to crash, stopping a depression in its tracks, the TINA market in bonds, benchmarking endowment funds, investing in timeshares, Airbnb and more. Find...
Sept. 4, 2020
The Economics of Parenting (EP.165)
On this episode we discuss the finances of parenting from what you need to buy, how to prepare yourself financially and emotionally, the cost of daycare, saving for college, teaching your kids about money and more. Find complete shownotes on our...
Sept. 2, 2020
Asset Price Hyperinflation (EP.164)
On this week's show we discuss modern market cap theory, the continued move higher in Tesla shares, the Fed's new inflation mandate, millennials are finally buying houses, Michael is never going into a car dealership again and more. Find complete...
Aug. 28, 2020
Talk Your Book: Sectors & The Business Cycle
On today's Talk Your Book we sat down with State Street's Matt Bartolini to discuss investing in different sectors of the stock market and what these sectors can tell us about where we are in the business cycle. Find complete shownotes on our...
Aug. 26, 2020
Trickle Up Economics (EP.163)
On this week's show we discuss the potential for a spending boom when the pandemic is over, what happens to all of the government debt we're racking up, what happened to the middle class in America, the red hot housing market, a tough fall ahead for...
Aug. 21, 2020
How to Spend Your Money (EP.162)
On this episode, we do a deep dive on budgeting, conscious spending, classflation, the two types of budgets, how to plan for infrequent expenses, how to make your budget obsolete and much more as it pertains to one of the most important topics in all...