Gimme Some Truth | Investing, Financial Advice for High-Net-Worth Families and Individuals
By Walkner Condon Financial Advisors
Disclosure: walknercondon.com/podcast
Gimme Some Truth | Investing, Financial Advice for High-Net-Worth Families and IndividualsApr 22, 2024
The Upcoming Year at Walkner Condon
Nate and Clint dive deeper into the strategies and future plans for Walkner Condon Financial Advisors. This behind-the-scenes discussion unveils what lies ahead for the upcoming year. #WalknerCondon
Vetting Domestic Brokerages 2024 Edition
Tune in with Nate and Mitch as they dive into picking the perfect brokerage for your money path. #finance #investing
Evan Waltz: New Kid In The Firm
On this podcast meet the newest member of Walkner Condon, Evan Waltz. Hear about his journey here and what it took.
Charitable Giving with Anna January - Market Report 2024
In our latest podcast episode, Polly engages in a discussion with Anna January, who serves as the Director of Charitable Giving at Wisconsin Watch. Tune in as they explore the present and upcoming landscape of charitable contributions. Read the 2024 Market Report here: https://walknercondon.com/2024-market-outlook-2/
Timing the Market - 2024 Market Report
Mitch and Alicia talk about Alicias article covering timing the market and why it can be the wrong choice.
Housing Market "New Normal" - Market Report 2024
Clint and Nate sit down to talk about their articles for the 2024 Market Report. They cover the housing market and the low consumer sentiment surrounding the markets.
Soft Landing and Bonds - Market Report 2024
Mitch and Keith are talking about their articles for our 2024 Market Report. Keith talks about his piece on bonds and Mitch talks about piece on the possibility of a soft landing.
Recency Bias - Market Report 2024
Stan and Syl continue our discussions about the articles in our 2024 Market Report. They discuss Stans article covering Recency Bias and its influence on the market. Read the article here:
What Year Is It? - 2024 Market Report
This is our first podcast talking about our 2024 Market Outlook. Clint and Syl discuss Syl's article titled "What Year Is It?", a global macro piece.
Read the Walkner Condon 2024 Market Outlook here: https://walknercondon.com/2024-market-outlook-2/
Gimme Some Truth: Holiday Traditions
Clint and Nate talk about their traditions surrounding the holidays and family.
Gimme Some Truth: End of the Year Checklist
Nate and Clint run through the list of financial topics to get on top of before the end of the year.
Gimme Some Truth: Vibe Session about Consumer Sentiment
Clint and Keith chat about the disconnect between Consumer Sentiments negative trends and the actual market data that shows an upswing.
NIL Rules Change with Megan Jerabek
Nate Condon chats with Megan Jerabek about the NIL Rule changes and the Supreme Courts decision regarding student athletes
HOT TOPIC! Interest Rates...How rising rates can actually help you with your deposits.
Mitch DeWitt and Nate Condon talk about the HOT TOPIC that piqued everyone's interest this year. Times have changed, and getting a 3% APR on a loan feels like a long lost dream. Where are we at today with #interestrates, and when might they fall? #financialnews #usinterestrates #finances #heloc #loans #financialadvice #financialplanning
Talking to Your Kids About Money
Alicia and Polly are back to discuss talking to your kids about money. It sounds so simple, yet can be a complicated topic. Listen to these two #womeninfinance discuss how they talk to their own kids about money, and why it is important.
Finding Opportunities in the Global Bond Market with PIMCO's Tina Adatia
Our expat team sat down with Tina Adatia from her London office. Ms. Adatia is an executive vice president and product strategist, focusing on global fixed income and ESG strategies at Pimco. PIMCO is a global leader in active fixed income with deep expertise across public and private markets. Our extensive resources, global presence and time-tested investment process are designed to help provide our clients with an edge as they pursue their long-term goals. #globalbondmarket #bonds #pimco #fixedincome #expatlife #expats #investing #investingtips #movingabroad
Retirement: Have a plan!
The commercials will show you people walking on the beach hand-in-hand, gardening with a smile, even taking on high risk adventures. Eventually, the retirement luster can wear off. It is important to have a plan, figure out how you will spend your days. We see this all of the time with clients. The reality of retirement can be different than the dream. It is important to have a plan so that you can maximize your retirement satisfaction. #retirement #retiring #seniorcitizens #retirementsavings #financialadvice
Luxury Travel Abroad!
#luxurytravel becomes an attainable goal with this helpful information from Scott Poniewaz, Head of EXEC. EXEC is a highly curated hotel, travel, lifestyle, and business benefits program providing access to exceptional brands and experiences. It powers the benefits and perks programs of some of the world's leading associations and organizations. https://www.joinexec.com #privatejets #financialadvice #expatlife #travel #travelabroad
Financial Checklist for Job Loss
Job loss is one of the toughest things you can experience in your career. Hopefully it leads to greener pastures for most, but recovery from the shock is a jarring task. We wanted to make it easier for you. Here is a run-down of the financial checklist you should consider if you find yourself in this difficult situation. Pensions, health insurance, life insurance...the list goes on. We hope this list helps keep you organized in those first few weeks. #jobloss #healthinsurance #financialadvice #financialplanning #lifeinsurance
Business Valuation and Financial Planning
Clint Walkner and Jonathan Jordan go over the business valuation process and how it fits into your financial planning. Also, Luke Combs #fastcar is quite the hit...who sang it better, him or Tracy Chapman? Debate away!
An Introduction to Direct Indexing
On this week's episode of Gimme Some Truth Syl Michelin, Stan Farmer, and Nate Condon talk about Direct Indexing. What is it? How does it work? What should you know about it?
Women in Finance Part 2!
Polly Price and Alicia Vande Ven sit down to discuss how they made the career switch to finance. Hear about what obstacles they faced and what their favorite parts about finance are.
Women in Finance!
Alicia Vande Ven & Polly Price sit down with our intern Kaitlin Jordan to discuss being a woman in the male dominated financial field.
The Bull Market is Here! Let's break it down.
Financial Advisors Clint Walkner and Nate Condon talk about what it means to be in a Bull Market. All your questions answered.
State of the Firm: Walkner Condon
Clint Walkner and Nate Condon dive into the state of the firm from new hires, to new software, to classic films we shamefully have never seen. Get all the updates on what is going down in Madison, Wisconsin on Monroe Street.
What type of financial advisor is right for you? Questions you should ask.
What type of financial advisor is right for you? Breaking down what it means to be a FEE-ONLY financial advisor. CFP's Mitch DeWitt and Alicia Vande Ven dig into the differences between advisors and why you should consider FEE-ONLY. Also, the important questions you should ask when choosing a financial advisor.
A Discussion on the Secure Act 2.0: Part 2
In late 2022, we had a landmark piece of legislation, "SECURE 2.0", that will impact retirement savings for years to come. Much of what will passed will directly impact many people, particularly those that are entering required minimum distribution (RMD) ages as well as new rules on beneficiary IRAs. Mitch and Alicia break down the nuances of this legislation over two podcast episodes. This is part two.
A Discussion on the Secure Act 2.0: Part 1
In late 2022, we had a landmark piece of legislation, "SECURE 2.0", that will impact retirement savings for years to come. Much of what will passed will directly impact many people, particularly those that are entering required minimum distribution (RMD) ages as well as new rules on beneficiary IRAs. Mitch and Alicia break down the nuances of this legislation over two podcast episodes. This is part one.
Cash is Trash or King? Where to Maximize Cash Returns Right Now
If you have extra cash on the sidelines and don't want to put it to work in the stock market, where are conservative places you can consider? Alicia Vande Ven and Clint Walkner discuss savings account, CDs, treasury bills and bonds, ETFs, and the advantages and drawbacks of each solution.
Early Market Expectations
Nate Condon and Clint Walkner discuss the early positive start to the stock market, what it might mean for equities going forward, and how the bear market of 2022 into 2023 is impacting investor's psyche....also a bit more about the words "intimated" and "tangential".
A "Guide to the Markets" Conversation with J.P.Morgan Asset Management
On the heels of the release of Walkner Condon's 2023 Market Outlook, Keith & Mitch have a conversation with Jack Manley, Global Market Strategist, and Eric Lewis, ETF Specialist, both of J.P.Morgan Asset Management. Jack, as a contributing member of the team that produces the J.P.Morgan Guide to the Markets, talks about the data in the guide and how we can use it to make data-driven investment decisions. They discuss the state of inflation, macroeconomic trends, and positioning for U.S. and international markets going forward.
Note: This has been crossposted on our U.S expat focused Anchor feed as well and contains the same content.
Financial Gifting Strategies for Grandparents: Ways to Pass Wealth onto Younger Generations
The holiday season is upon us, and so is the stress of what to get for the loved ones in our lives. You could purchase the latest toy or technology. But what if you want to step outside of the proverbial gift box and do something for your kids or grandkids that will last longer than the newest version of the iPhone?
That’s where this episode of Gimme Some Truth comes in. Nate and Mitch gather in our somewhat festive studio to discuss financially-minded gift options that have the potential to keep on giving – contributions to accounts like a 529 savings plan, 401k, or Roth IRA for your younger generations of loved ones. And while it’s a holiday-minded topic, as Nate reminds us, these types of gifts don’t have to be given just during the holidays.
Questions about this topic or other things you'd like us to cover in future episodes? Send us an email at podcast@walknercondon.com.
LINKS
Investor.gov Compound Interest Calculator: https://bit.ly/3Wr8LUi
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2LTfuwc_6t4
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The Next Generation of Financial Advisors: What Happens When Your Advisor Retires?
How old is your financial advisor? For many, the image that first comes to mind of a financial advisor is an older man. And there’s data to back that up. Around 40% of financial advisors are set to retire in the next 10 years, which will ultimately shake up the advising landscape.
In this episode of Gimme Some Truth, we gathered our three youngest advisors at Walkner Condon – Alicia Vande Ven, Candidate for CFP® Certification, M.S.; Mitch DeWitt, CFP®, MBA; and Polly Price – to discuss the future of advising, a future they'll be a part of. Alica, Mitch, and Polly each draw on statistics they gathered related to the theme of the episode, opening up the floor to cover what that means for clients of financial advisors, the implications for the businesses of those retiring advisors, and more.
Questions about this topic or other things you'd like us to cover in future episodes? Send us an email at podcast@walknercondon.com.
LINKS
40% of Advisory Assets to Transition in Next 10 Years: http://bit.ly/3Ey1GKq
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/sPPjGnw-k7s
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Investing in Commercial Real Estate, with Real Estate Analyst Jorgio Hopkins
In this brand-new episode of Gimme Some Truth, we delve into a topic we haven’t covered previously on the podcast – Commercial Real Estate. MLG Capital real estate analyst Jorgio Hopkins – a Madison native and UW-Madison grad – sits down with Walkner Condon's Jonathon Jordan, CFP, CEPA, and Nate Condon to cover the basics of this potential investing avenue. They go over the essentials of the sector, how broader investing themes like COVID-19 & interest rates have impacted commercial real estate, and how potential investors can access these types of investments.
Questions about this topic or other topics you'd like us to cover in future episodes? Send us an email at podcast@walknercondon.com.
LINKS
Watch on YouTube
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Financial Markets Q3 Recap: "Trepidation in the Markets"
How did the markets fare in the third quarter? What trends are unfolding this year? And what’s on the horizon for the rest of the year?
Nate Condon and Clint Walkner unearth the answers to those questions (and more) in this bonus episode of Gimme Some Truth, our Q3 market recap. Armed with data from JPMorgan’s Guide to the Markets, Clint & Nate explore the drivers of inflation, U.S. market outperformance, bonds, and more.
Questions related to this podcast or topics you'd like us to cover in future episodes of Gimme Some Truth? Send an email to podcast@walknercondon.com.
LINKS
JPMorgan: Guide to the Markets
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Should We Be Freaking Out Right Now? Comparing Stock Market Conditions Between 2018 & 2022
Is it 2018 again? Several of the financial factors at play this year are very evocative of four years ago. So much so, in fact, that Walkner Condon financial advisors Mitch DeWitt and Nate Condon thought about just re-posting this 2018 market commentary episode titled, “Should We Be Freaking Out Right Now?”
Instead, we thought better of that idea and decided on using a few audio highlights of that episode in a fresh recording with advisors Mitch, Nate, and Polly Price. They cover the similarities in mortgage rates, yield curve, and the Federal Funds Rate, and once again pose the question, ‘Should we be freaking out right now?’
Questions about this episode or other topics related to investing and retirement planning? Send us an email at podcast@walknercondon.com or head to the links section below.
LINKS
Should We Be Freaking Out Right Now - Original Episode
As Fall Falls: A Market Prospective (Blog)
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"Budgeting" for High-Net-Worth Families: How to Think about Cash Flow Management
The words ‘budget’ and ‘budgeting’ often carry negative connotations: “It’s not in the budget” or “let’s sit down and take a look at the budget.”
For high-net-worth families and individuals, it might not be the negative connotations as much as a budget seeming unnecessary if you have comfortable salaries and a disposable income cushion. And while we’re not fans of the word ‘budget’ either, we felt it was important to put the word front and center to jumpstart the conversation about what high-net-worth families should think about when it comes to the topic.
In this episode, Clint Walkner and Nate Condon are joined by Alicia Vande Ven, M.S., Candidate for CFP® Certification, to discuss cash flow management. Alicia draws on her background of scrupulously saving and spending during her college years, where she developed a cash flow management structure (and spreadsheet, of course) that she still uses to this day. Though her financial picture has changed, that cash flow management has adapted over the years to be a system that ensures her money is best being put to work. Yes, cash flow management might be a little accounting-sounding, but it's a critical exercise to make sure you’re not outspending your means and maximizing what you've earned.
LINKS
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Jumping Jacks Are Pointless: Inflation, Rate Hikes & The Problem with Financial Media Outlets
While this episode spans 40 minutes (long for us!) and has a variety of topics, there are comparisons to be drawn between the discussion of how pointless jumping jacks are and the meat of the episode. That is, the recent market happenings over the past year reveal issues in how financial media outlets cover financial news on a daily – and even hourly – basis.
On the day of this recording, an otherwise pedestrian day in the markets, Clint pulls up one of the headlines from CNBC. That article seeks to attach reaction to Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s rate hike to the market movements, market movements that were less than 0.70% in both the Dow Jones and S&P 500. This spawns further discussion on how the financial media industry and its figureheads have trended toward being more forward-looking and predictive in recent years, forecasting that can be about as useful as jumping jacks.
But that’s not all we cover in this episode. We also go into the recent rate hikes, inflation, proper jumping jack form (not that it matters, per Clint), and more.
Crypto Winter: The Rocky Ride of Cryptocurrencies in 2022
Here in Wisconsin, it’s still very much summer. But for some investors, winter has set in – crypto winter, that is. In this episode, Clint Walkner – who came dressed for the occasion – and Nate Condon discuss the sharp downturn in the cryptocurrency markets. Cryptos like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin have all plunged more than 40% in the last year. Crypto investing platforms like Voyager have filed for bankruptcy – Clint has first-hand knowledge of this, unfortunately. And there’s a lot of uncertainty about the future of crypto assets.
Clint & Nate start by trying to pinpoint what type of asset crypto is and how it correlates to other assets. They also discuss other topics like the limited supply of bitcoin and why that matters, whether you’re better off in a stock or index fund when everything is down big, and more.
Questions about the current state of cryptocurrency? Or things you’d like us to go more in-depth about? Send an email to podcast@walknercondon.com or check out the link section below for more information.
LINKS
Watch on YouTube
Walkner Condon's YouTube Channel
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Passing the Series 65 Exam: Polly's Journey to Becoming a Financial Advisor
Walkner Condon is committed to producing educational content to better inform our listeners, viewers, readers, and current clients on the myriad financial topics. That's how this podcast came about. But we’re also committed to the continuing education and career advancement of our staff members.
In this episode, Polly Price – who began her journey at Walkner Condon as a client service specialist – discusses her path to passing the Series 65 exam. The Series 65 is the licensing needed to become a financial advisor, and it's a big step toward Polly's goal of advising in a full-time role.
LINKS
Alicia's Bio
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Meet Our New Financial Advisor: Alicia Vande Ven – Candidate for CFP® Certification & "Geek with a Tan"
There’s a new face – and voice – here at Walkner Condon. In this installment of Gimme Some Truth, we get to know Alicia Vande Ven, the newest fee-only financial advisor on our team that works with clients locally in the Madison area (and around the country).
Alicia has quite the background – from working in Human Resources at Epic Systems in Madison, owning a homemade candle business, becoming a financial advisor, and being the parents of three kids. And outside of work, as she likes to put it, she enjoys being outdoors just as much as being indoors. Find out more about what makes her a self-proclaimed geek with a tan, what one of her favorite parts of financial planning is (hint: death and [blank]), and what drove her to go down the path of becoming an advisor.
LINKS
Alicia's Bio
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Walkner Condon's YouTube Channel
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BONUS: 2022 Mid-Year Review – Inflation, Interest Rates & Performance
After hosting our State of the Market Webinar on July 13, we thought it important to cover similar subjects from that webinar in a more condensed, audio-friendly fashion.
Nate Condon and Clint Walkner team up to explore trends in the market through the first half of 2022. They go over year-to-date stocks and bonds performance – plus a look back on stocks and bonds – treasuries and mortgages, inflation, the inverted yield curve, and more.
Questions, comments, or anything else you'd like us to cover on the markets so far in 2022? Don't hesitate to reach out to us via email at podcast@walknercondon.com.
LINKS
Watch on YouTube
Watch State of the Market Webinar
State of the Market Presentation Slides
Walkner Condon's YouTube Channel
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Scaling an RIA: From 2 to 10 and Beyond – Advisors, Support Staff & Space Constraints
After somehow finding themselves in a somewhat brief 10-minute aside about Kraft Mac & Cheese, Taco Bell, Disneyland, and waterparks, Clint Walkner and Nate Condon dive into another installment of their journey of going from working in the Broker-Dealer (BD) space to owning and operating a Fee-Only Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) firm.
In this episode of B-D to Fee-Only RIA, Clint and Nate focus on scaling in terms of staffing, spacing, and technology. After starting as just Nate and Clint for the first five years, Walkner Condon grew to a third advisor in 2017 and a fourth advisor in 2018. The trend of adding an advisor for a third consecutive year in 2019, with the addition of Keith Poniewaz, who was the first member of Walkner Condon's team of U.S. expat financial advisors. Then in 2020, the firm grew by two advisors – both of whom joined the expat team – as well as the firm's first full-time marketing staff member. In four years, Walkner Condon had gone from three total staff members to nine, necessitating another addition in 2021 – a second full-time client service specialist.
That brings us to mid-2022. A move to add another advisor is in the works as of the publishing of this episode, bringing about another scaling concern – space constraints. At soon-to-be 11 total staff members split between two workspaces in the Walkner Condon building on Madison's Monroe Street, space is quickly running out. Walkner Condon moved to the current space in July 2016 and built out the separate suite in the building on Monroe St. and Glenway St. in 2018. Based on general consensus, 11 people between the two spaces seems to be the maximum for the current setup, which means another space option is in the not-do-far-off future.
And all that growth has also brought on the need to become more efficient with technology. One of the biggest pieces of that technology is the client web portal. Starting in mid-2021, Clint – the de-facto tech guru of the team – began the search to potentially replace Walkner Condon's existing web portal. That search ultimately culminated in early 2022 with the rollout of the new client portal, one of the biggest technology moves the firm had made, especially considering how large it had grown.
While that's the what – and not-so-concise summary – of the scaling over the last several years, listen to the episode to get Clint and Nate's take on how it happened and why.
Questions about the episode or something specific you'd like to know more about? Send us an email at podcast@walknercondon.com or check out the links below.
LINKS
Watch on YouTube
Walkner Condon's YouTube Channel
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Is Your Home Still Covered? A Quick Conversation on Liability, Property & Casualty, and Umbrella Coverage
Like many episodes of Gimme Some Truth, this one on liability was developed from lots of advanced legwork, methodically sculpted until it reached its culmination at the time of recording. Well, that's not quite true. Clint Walkner – one of the founding partners of Walkner Condon – shared a personal anecdote about his own liability coverage a few minutes before the scheduled recording, and it snowballed from there. But, nonetheless, it's an important subject, with an actionable ending for you, the listener, from Clint.
So, what would happen if your home burned down tomorrow? If you're a household employer, what if your nanny took a tumble down the stairs of your deck and broke their leg? While these are just hypothetical, there is a chance that these situations – or a version of them – could happen. And the last thing you want is to be left holding the proverbial bag when your coverage isn't sufficient. And in light of recent events – in particular, the increase in home values as well as home renovations during COVID – there's a chance the coverage you started with might not be enough.
What's next? Give this episode a listen for your call to action from Clint, and then let us know if you completed the homework assignment.
Questions, comments, or anything else you'd like us to cover on this topic? Don't hesitate to reach out to us via email at podcast@walknercondon.com.
LINKS
Watch on YouTube
Walkner Condon's YouTube Channel
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"Finding" the Bottom: Time In The Market Is More Important Than Timing It
"With chaos, comes opportunities."
What we often hear from clients and prospective clients in times of market downturn is something along the lines of, "Should I still stay invested? Or should I wait until things smooth out and re-enter later?
While we certainly understand the sentiment behind wanting to get out when things are going poorly, the statistics tell a different story, especially when it comes to the proximity of the best and worst days. As Syl Michelin, CFA, alludes to in the episode – the quote featured above – some of the best days come during periods of higher volatility like we're in now. Syl is joined by Walkner Condon co-founder Clint Walkner, as well as Keith Poniewaz – a member of our team of U.S. expat financial advisors – to go deeper into the conversation of time in the market vs. timing the market. While we've dedicated some materials to this subject recently, we wanted to have a more in-depth conversation on the subject in light of how 2022 has unfolded in the markets, at least so far.
Questions, comments, or anything else you'd like us to cover on this topic? Don't hesitate to reach out to us via email at podcast@walknercondon.com.
LINKS
CNBC: Why you may miss the market’s best days if you sell amid high volatility
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From Broker-Dealer to Independent RIA - 10 Years Into Owning Our Financial Planning Firm
Thinking of starting your own independent Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) Firm? Or maybe mulling a move from one of the big wirehouses to an RIA?
A few years back (circa 2019), the co-founders of Walkner Condon Financial Advisors – Nate Condon and Clint Walkner – sat down on Gimme Some Truth to discuss their journey from the Broker-Dealer world to the independent RIA space. Now, it's been 10 years since Nate and Clint first opened the doors to their financial planning firm. Plenty has happened in the last few years alone, much less the last 10.
In this bonus episode of GST, Nate and Clint circle back on that first conversation from a few years ago, discussing some of the more recent challenges faced as founding partners of an RIA. This conversation – one of several episodes to come over the next few months about starting an RIA – centers around the idea of staffing and firm culture. As Nate and Clint discuss, hiring the right staff and retaining them has continued to be a challenge throughout the life of Walkner Condon, particularly when it comes to support and administrative personnel. They discuss staffing as it relates to the adage, "It's not how much you can grow; it's how small can you stay," and being lean on staff on purpose.
They also dive into molding the firm's culture, including the now-trademarked phrase Comfortably Unique™, how the firm goes above and beyond just the name, and the challenges of having seven equity partners.
Questions about starting an RIA? Or ideas about other facets of this subject you'd like us to cover in future episodes of this mini-series? Let us know by using the link section below or by sending an email to podcast@walknercondon.com.
LINKS
Watch on YouTube
Walkner Condon's YouTube Channel
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ETFs Explained: What are Exchange-Traded Funds? History, Differences with Mutual Funds and More
We've covered Exchange-Traded Funds – commonly referred to as ETFs – in myriad ways on Gimme Some Truth previous to this episode. But we've never truly dedicated an episode to ETFs. So this is us doing exactly that, zooming out to go over the basics of ETFs, their history, how they compare with mutual funds, and more.
Mitch DeWitt, MBA, and Jonathon Jordan, CEPA – two of the three Certified Financial Planner™ professionals in the Walkner Condon office – sit down to cover an introductory look at ETFs, including how Mitch is, in fact, slightly older than the first established ETF, SPDRs (Ticker: SPY), but too young to understand the wonders of listening to Poison on cassette with a Walkman – unlike Jonathon.
A key part of the conversation involves contrasting ETFs with mutual funds, where Jonathon brings to the fore a great analogy involving piloting. And the subject of investing in ETFs vs. individual stocks also surfaces the idea of time in the market vs. trying to time the market, a common theme with how 2022 has gone so far in the markets, especially lately. Jonathon references the figure that if you missed out on the 10 best days in the market since 1930, your overall return would be 28%. And if you had stayed the course through the good days and bad, your return would be more than 17,000% (and that's not a typo).
Questions, comments or anything else? Don't hesitate to reach out to us via email at podcast@walknercondon.com.
LINKS
Jim Collins: Good to Great
CNBC: Missing Out on the Top 10 Days in S&P Every Decade Since 1930
Investopedia: A Brief History of ETFs
Investopedia: ETF Guide
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What's Happening in the Bond Market? The Scoop on Bonds' Start to 2022
"It's kind of like the track runner that's getting started, gets his feet in the blocks, and then tumbles and falls down. That's pretty much what bonds are this year."
Not only is Clint's imagery very descriptive at the outset of this episode (he must've aced high school English class), but it's also quite accurate in terms of how the bond market has fared to open 2022. Many investors have bonds as at least a small part of their portfolio's holdings. But while bonds are typically viewed as a less risky investment with less volatility than things like individual stocks, they have certainly not been above the rough road in the markets, more broadly speaking, to open the year.
In this episode, Clint and Nate cover some important ground on bonds – why bonds go down in value when interest rates go up, why they've been a hot topic so far this year, and why the duration of bonds matters. As always, Clint comes prepared with a chart on the year-to-date returns of bonds, a link which you can also find in our links section below.
LINKS
CHART: Year-to-Date Bond Returns
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Walkner Condon's YouTube Channel
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Bonus Episode: Financial Markets Recap for Q1 2022 – Conflict & Commodities
"Did anything work in the first quarter?"
That poignant question posed by Syl Michelin, a Chartered Financial Analyst, to open this episode is more or less the underlying sentiment three months into 2022. But although it feels like the first quarter was an all-around flop, there were some things that worked from an investment standpoint in the opening stanza of the year.
Syl and Stan Farmer, CFP® – one of Syl's counterparts from Walkner Condon's team of U.S. expat financial advisors – recap their main takeaways from the first quarter, the role of commodities, the impact of international conflict, and more.
LINKS
Watch on YouTube
Walkner Condon's YouTube Channel
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What are Commodities in Investing? A Primer on Commodities and Their Place in a Portfolio
"You're not going to take deliveries of oil and store them in your basement."
So if you're not buying and selling barrels of oil and holding them at your house, which Syl Michelin points out as a rather cumbersome commodity investing option, how do you invest in commodities as an everyday investor? And what does that look like?
While we've neglected to cover commodities on the podcast previously, it's been discussed more and more because of inflation, rising oil prices in early 2022, and a higher interest rate environment. Clint Walkner – a commodities auditor in a previous life and co-founder of Walkner Condon Financial Advisors – converses with Syl, our resident in-house CFA, about all things commodities. They cover commodities' role in a portfolio, how you might get exposure to them if you're not purchasing the raw material itself, and, of course, the fascinating periodic table of commodities.
Questions about anything related to commodities or specific parts of our conversation? Let us know by sending us a voice message on Spotify or emailing podcast@walknercondon.com.
LINKS
Periodic Table of Commodities
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Walkner Condon's YouTube Channel
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