Episodios

  • Markets Are Loud. Here’s What Actually Matters: Volatility, AI, Jobs & Your Retirement Plan

    Markets Are Loud. Here’s What Actually Matters: Volatility, AI, Jobs & Your Retirement Plan
    Apr 14 2026
    Markets moving fast? Headlines getting loud? Take a step back and see the bigger picture in this episode of the Money Matters Podcast. Wes Moss and Connor Miller break down what’s happening across the economy, markets, and retirement planning so you can focus on what matters to you. • Understand how Middle East tensions, shifting sentiment, and sharp market rallies, including an approximately 82% surge, have historically shown up during uncertain moments, not clear turning points, though past performance does not guarantee future results and may not indicate future market direction. • Examine oil prices, energy stocks, and sector shifts to see how today’s market environment compares to past cycles. • Review major economic moments, from COVID-19 stimulus to tariff changes, and consider how markets have responded over time. • Explore how artificial intelligence and innovation are gaining attention as potential long-term drivers of growth, though outcomes are uncertain and subject to change. • Analyze consumer spending, wage growth, inflation, and dividends through the lens of retirement income planning. • Clarify what’s really happening in the labor market by looking beyond headlines to youth employment trends, job turnover, and deeper data beneath the surface. • Evaluate how dividend-paying stocks have historically fit into diversified portfolios (though are not guaranteed), especially for income-focused investors. • Assess high-end housing markets where limited supply and strong demand continue to shape prices. • Reframe your financial game plan by focusing on adaptability, diversification, and long-term decision-making, which should be aligned with your individual goals and risk tolerance. Take the emotion out of investing and refocus on a steady, long-term approach. Listen and subscribe to the Money Matters Podcast for clear, educational context to help inform your financial decisions over time.
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    36 m
  • Stay Invested: Markets, Pensions, Dividends & Long-Term Strategy

    Stay Invested: Markets, Pensions, Dividends & Long-Term Strategy
    Apr 7 2026
    Every market cycle brings new headlines, but the principles behind long-term investing tend to remain steady. In this episode of the Money Matters Podcast, Wes Moss and Jeff Lloyd offer perspective to help you filter the noise and approach financial decisions with a disciplined, long-term lens. • Examine how energy markets and oil price movements may influence portfolios amid global uncertainty. • Recognize how rapid market swings and rebounds highlight the difficulty of short-term timing and the role of staying invested. • Identify the risks of “Pot of Gold Syndrome” and evaluate the 6% pension test when comparing lump sums versus lifetime income. • Weigh tradeoffs between flexibility, legacy goals, and longevity when choosing between pension income and lump sums. • Reflect on Apple’s 50th anniversary while connecting long-term company growth and market participation to investor outcomes. • Understand how dividends and reinvestment have historically contributed to total return and may support income-focused strategies. • Reinforce the value of a disciplined financial plan designed to adapt, while reframing uncertainty as a consistent market backdrop. Listen to the Money Matters Podcast for clear, educational context on today’s financial landscape. Subscribe to stay informed and continue building a long-term perspective around your financial plan.
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    34 m
  • Feeling the Pressure of Inflation and Rates? A Retirement Planning Perspective

    Feeling the Pressure of Inflation and Rates? A Retirement Planning Perspective
    Mar 31 2026
    Markets are shifting, headlines are loud, and uncertainty can be challenging, but your retirement plan doesn’t have to follow the same script. In this episode of the Money Matters Podcast, Wes Moss and Connor Miller provide context around today’s economic landscape through a disciplined, long-term lens. • Evaluate how geopolitical tensions, oil prices, and policy shifts may influence markets, interest rates, and retirement planning considerations. • Examine Gen X retirement concerns alongside the financial pressures of supporting both parents and children. • Recognize how a written retirement plan may be associated with greater financial confidence and clearer direction. • Analyze the combined impact of higher interest rates, mortgage costs, and inflation on household finances. • Review historical S&P 500 corrections and average pullbacks to understand how volatility has historically fit into long-term investing. • Build a retirement framework by outlining income sources, spending goals, investment strategy, and legacy priorities. • Compare today’s inflation environment to 2022, including differences in labor markets, money supply, and economic sensitivity to oil. • Assess why investor behavior, rather than market timing, is often discussed as a key driver of long-term outcomes. • Explore insights from the Retiree’s Guide to Inflation and how it frames maintaining purchasing power over time. Stay informed on the financial forces shaping retirement planning and how they may connect to long-term decision-making. Listen and subscribe to the Money Matters Podcast for ongoing context and perspective.
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    35 m
  • Market Volatility, Inflation, and Fed Policy: What It May Mean for Your Money Right Now

    Market Volatility, Inflation, and Fed Policy: What It May Mean for Your Money Right Now
    Mar 24 2026
    Track how fast-moving headlines, economic signals, and everyday costs intersect in this episode of the Money Matters Podcast with Wes Moss and Jeff Lloyd. Connect market volatility, Federal Reserve policy considerations, and real-life spending trends to evaluate how they may influence financial planning over time. Key Topics Covered in This Episode • Analyze market volatility by connecting weather swings, breaking news, and geopolitical developments to investor sentiment. • Evaluate Federal Reserve policy alongside oil prices, inflation data, and stagflation risks. • Review inflation and consumer costs, including gasoline, groceries, and mortgage rates, to understand their relationship to household pressure and rate decisions. • Compare market uncertainty with prior tariff-driven volatility and examine how expectations may shape oil and equity market reactions. • Explore historical market trends to contextualize selloffs and conditions often associated with recoveries. • Examine March Madness economics, including bracket odds, workplace productivity loss, and behavioral decision-making. • Assess rising cost-of-living pressures and their role in a rising consumer stress indicator. • **Analyze lifestyle trends like **pickleball and their potential implications for healthcare-related costs. • **Recognize retirement planning **behaviors and how written retirement plans and long-term consistency may correlate with financial confidence and satisfaction. Why This Episode Matters Stay informed on the financial trends related to markets, inflation, spending, and retirement considerations in a changing environment. Listen and subscribe to the Money Matters Podcast for timely, data-informed perspectives designed to support more informed financial decision-making.
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    32 m
  • The “I’s of March”: Iran, Inflation, Interest Rates, and Investments—What Investors Are Watching

    The “I’s of March”: Iran, Inflation, Interest Rates, and Investments—What Investors Are Watching
    Mar 17 2026
    Markets, energy prices, inflation, and artificial intelligence are all shaping today’s financial landscape and investors are trying to make sense of it in real time. In this episode of the Money Matters Podcast, Wes Moss and Connor Miller sprinkle a tasty dollop of perspective onto the economic headlines influencing markets, workplace trends, and long-term retirement planning. • Evaluate how oil price volatility, geopolitical disruptions, and shifting global supply may influence markets, consumer costs, and investor sentiment. • Analyze how financial markets have historically responded to geopolitical turmoil and why long-term patterns may offer perspective during periods of volatility. • Review the latest inflation data and assess how rising gasoline prices may affect household budgets, consumer spending, and the broader economy. • Examine the “I’s of March”—Iran, inflation, interest rates, and investments—and consider how these forces interact within the current economic environment. • Assess new research suggesting artificial intelligence may be expanding workloads rather than eliminating jobs, reshaping how productivity is measured. • Consider how technological change and evolving business models may affect the future of work and the broader employment landscape. For listeners following markets, inflation, artificial intelligence, and retirement planning, this episode provides context around the forces influencing today’s economy. **Listen and subscribe to the **Money Matters Podcast to stay connected to ongoing discussions about investing, economic trends, and long-term financial planning.
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    35 m
  • War, Oil, and Market Volatility: What Investors Should Understand Right Now

    War, Oil, and Market Volatility: What Investors Should Understand Right Now
    Mar 10 2026
    Global headlines are colliding with markets—from geopolitical tension to rising oil and shifting labor trends. In this episode of the Money Matters Podcast, Wes Moss and Connor Miller break down what’s driving volatility and what investors may want to understand when evaluating long-term portfolio strategy. • Evaluate how geopolitical tensions and global conflict headlines may influence market volatility and investor sentiment. • Interpret the recent drop in the Dow, rising oil prices, and weaker jobs data to understand how multiple economic pressures can converge. • Analyze why the Strait of Hormuz remains a critical energy chokepoint and how oil supply disruptions may ripple through inflation and markets. • Review more than a century of historical market behavior following geopolitical conflicts to frame today’s headlines in context. • Assess how inflation, interest rates, and energy prices interact—and how those forces may influence Federal Reserve decisions. • Examine labor market shifts, layoffs, and the evolving role of artificial intelligence in the global workforce. • Clarify the narratives around the U.S. dollar, gold, and global currencies when evaluating claims of “de-dollarization.” • Recognize why diversification, disciplined investing, and understanding what you own may remain central to long-term portfolio construction. Listen and subscribe to the Money Matters Podcast for context on today’s market headlines and the broader forces shaping investing decisions.
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    53 m
  • Retirement Trade-Offs Explained: TSP vs. Rollover, 4% Rule, RMDs, Roth Conversions & High-Yield Bonds

    Retirement Trade-Offs Explained: TSP vs. Rollover, 4% Rule, RMDs, Roth Conversions & High-Yield Bonds
    Mar 3 2026
    Retirement planning isn’t one decision—it’s a series of trade-offs shaped by rules, markets, and real life. In this episode of the Money Matters Podcast, Wes Moss and Christa DiBiase address listener questions and frame timely retirement, tax, and investment topics in a balanced, long-term context designed to inform—not predict—financial outcomes. • Clarify how TSP protections, RMD rules, and post-retirement investment options interact, and compare staying in the TSP versus rolling to a provider when evaluating fees, Roth conversions, and flexibility. • Evaluate UTMA vs. UGMA accounts for children, including tax treatment, ownership control, and potential financial aid implications. • Reassess the 4% withdrawal rule of thumb, consider adjustments if you own your home outright, and apply the 25X framework when estimating retirement income needs. • Analyze high-yield bond ETFs within a diversified allocation by reviewing risk, yield characteristics, and how they differ from traditional bonds. • Examine whether keeping life insurance near retirement aligns with income protection, estate planning, or legacy objectives. • Explore what pursuing the CFP® designation may require and how a financial planning career path can take shape. Retirement strategy is built on thoughtful evaluation, disciplined allocation, and informed decision-making—not guarantees. Listen and subscribe to the Money Matters Podcast for educational retirement planning, investment strategy, and wealth management discussions grounded in long-term perspective.
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    36 m
  • AI, Ozempic, Market Highs And Rising Prices: What It Means For Retirement Planning

    AI, Ozempic, Market Highs And Rising Prices: What It Means For Retirement Planning
    Feb 24 2026
    Retirement planning isn’t happening in isolation—it’s intersecting with artificial intelligence, changing health trends, record market highs, and even rising grocery prices. In this episode of the Money Matters Podcast, Wes Moss and Connor Miller translate fast-moving headlines into balanced, long-term financial planning considerations designed to inform—not predict. • Assess how GLP-1 medications like Ozempic may be influencing workplace habits, health trends, and broader economic ripple effects. • Evaluate pronounced sector divergence in today’s market, including defensive leadership in energy, materials, and consumer staples, alongside lagging technology and financials. • Examine how artificial intelligence may be reshaping industries and workforce expectations, particularly for professionals nearing retirement. • Analyze research suggesting AI adoption may shift competitive advantages toward workers who effectively integrate emerging tools. • Consider how the $27.40 savings framework may help structure retirement contributions while working toward milestones such as building a $10,000 reserve. • Explore automated savings strategies and income-based contribution benchmarks that may support consistency over time. • Review research indicating that written retirement plans may be associated with higher reported levels of happiness and financial confidence. • Recognize behavioral and psychological hurdles retirees often face when determining when—and how—to step away from work. • Break down the economic forces behind rising steak and ground beef prices, including cattle supply constraints and inflation dynamics. • Interpret market behavior at all-time highs by understanding how bull markets have historically unfolded through repeated peaks. Markets evolve, technology advances, and headlines shift—but disciplined, long-term thinking remains foundational. Listen and subscribe to the Money Matters Podcast for balanced financial education designed to provide perspective during an ever-changing economic landscape.
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    35 m