Markets delivered another strong year in 2025, extending an exceptional run for equities. The S&P 500 returned around 22.8% per annum over the past three years, roughly double the long-term average, while the ASX 200 delivered closer to 9.7% excluding dividends.

After a run like this, the key issue isn’t just where markets go next, but how investors set expectations. In this episode, James Marlay speaks Ben Clark from TMS Private Wealth and Charlie Viola from Viola Private Wealth to discuss realistic return expectations, the factors shaping asset allocation for 2026, and where they’re directing new capital.

Our two team captains were VanEck's Jamie Hannah and Global X ETFs' Marc Jocum, who each brought some of their big hitters (and more cricket metaphors than you can shake a stump at).

The Rules of Investing has wrapped for 2025. Thanks for tuning in; we’ve loved bringing you the conversations and insights that shaped markets this year.

We have a few bonus episodes coming out over the next couple of weeks and we’ll return to regular programming in 2026.

Enjoy the holiday break and all the best for the year ahead.

The ASX’s headline yield has slipped, but dividend income is still on offer if investors know where to look. In this episode of The Rules of Investing, IML’s Dr Michael O’Neill explains the dividend outlook, shares five ASX income picks, and outlines the mistake investors are making on rates and valuation risk. *Correction - in the podcast Michael mistakenly said the yield on CSL is 4% when it is actually closer to 3% based on 1-year forward estimates from brokers.

Dr David Allen from Plato Investment Management joins the show to unpack the systematic engine behind his fund’s 25 percent annual returns, how red flags reveal stocks set to fall, and the global themes he believes will drive markets over the next decade.

QVG Capital’s Chris Prunty joins the Rules of Investing to unpack what makes the great companies great. He shares the three traits found in Australia’s “Hall of Fame” stocks, reveals four small caps he believes could follow in their footsteps, and explains why QVG is backing Hub24 over Netwealth in the battle of the investment platforms.

Property moves in cycles, but real value lies in assets you can’t replace. Quay Global Investors’ Chris Bedingfield joins The Rules of Investing to explain why global REITs are trading at some of the biggest discounts in years, how ageing demographics and construction costs are reshaping real estate, and why patience remains the most underrated edge for investors.

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Thanks to our Sponsor AlphaSense This latest episode is brought to you by AlphaSense. See what AlphaSense can do for your investment research—visit alpha-sense.com/livewire to get started.