Money Life With Chuck Jaffe Daily Podcast

Kevin Mahn, president and chief investment officer at Hennion and Walsh Asset Management, said that while the economy is strong and still growing and the market is constructive toward stocks, investors should be focusing on quality, favoring companies with strong balance sheets, entrenched management, a history of growing earnings and dividends and more, noting that as the economy slows and election-year headlines take over it will be the issues with those qualities that stand out. Also on the show,Ted Rossman of CreditCards.com talks about how stressed Americans are over money, Mandi Woodruff of MagnifyMoney.com covers the places where someone might earn six figures but still go broke, and Mark DeVaul of the Hennessy Equity and Income fund talks stocks in the Market Call. 

Jill Gonzalez, spokesperson for WalletHub, said that her site's annual 4th of July survey found that millions of Americans are feeling more financial freedom this year, but that nearly one-quarter of Americans wish they could be free of credit-card debt, second by a hair only to over-eating as something people want to cut back on. The study also showed that Americans believe that the federal government is watching their spending, tracking their credit-card activity, despite no real proof or reason to believe it is. Also on the show, author Michele Cagan talks about real-estate investing to generate income streams, Sam McBride of New Constructs puts the Securities and Exchange Commission in the Danger Zone over a recent rules change, and we rebroadcast a recent Market Call with Charlie Bobrinskoy of the Ariel Funds.

Ron Sanchez, chief investment officer at Fiduciary Trust International, said that the current market environment is not great for taking risks, but it also isn't terrific for avoiding risks. That means investors should stay neutral on buying stocks and bonds, putting their portfolios at their basic, starting-level allocations, not overweight or underweight anything while waiting for signs from the market about what will happen next. Also on the show, Jeffrey Hirsch from the Stock Trader's Almanac talks technical analysis, Catherine Yoshimoto from FTSE Russell discusses the reconstitution of Russell's indexes -- which happens after today's market close -- and Doug Cartwright of the Buffalo Emerging Opportunities fund makes his debut in the Market Call.

In a show that covers a wide range of investment types and strategies, Tom Lydon discusses fallen-angel investing -- buying junk bonds from companies that used to be of investment-grade calibar -- in the ETF of the Week, Nick Kalivas of Invesco ETFs talks about the inner workings of low-volatility investing and the types of market conditions when it works best, and Joe Barrato of the Arrow Funds talks about the "Dogs of the World" strategy for investing in the worst-performing countries hoping for a return to average market performance, a gigantic global twist on the classic 'Dogs of the Dow' strategy. Also ont he show, Ted Rossman of BankRate.com on a recent survey showing how much credit debt many parents get into when school is out and they must provide summer child care.

Bob Browne, chief investment officer at Northern Trust, said in the Big Interview that the market is acting in ways that make it easy for the Federal Reserve to cut rates and he expects three rate cuts before year end, a response to what he called 'stuckflation' combined with modest economic growth. Also on the show, Peter Lang and Cory Bittner of HighTower Advisors discuss value investing and when or if it will really work again, Ted McCarthy of LendEDU talks about per-capita lottery spending, and David Brady of Brady Investment Counsel talks growth stocks in the Market Call.

Jim Welsh, macro strategist for Smart Portfolios and author of the Weekly Technical Review newsletter said that the market's various benchmarks are diverging, so that while the public attention has been on recent highs for the Standard and Poor's 500, they have been ignoring the mixed and dangerous signals coming from things like the Dow Transports. He expects the market to enjoy its current highs but to for the S-and-P to challenge recent support levels of 2,800 before Labor Day, noting that if the benchmark can't hold that level it could fall to around 2,350  quickly. Also on the show, author and attorney Michael Hackard discusses protecting your loved ones from financial fraud, Roch Polimeni of the College Savings Foundation talks about their annual survey of how high school students are now viewing college through the financial lens, and Brian Andrew of Johnson Financial Group covers funds and ETFs in the Market Call.

Sam McBride, investment analyst at New Constructs, said that misleading operating lease discount rates -- a statistic that is now more widely available and which is a big red flag for many companies, especially retailers -- are masking real trouble at J.C. Penney, making the struggling retailer's problems worse than most people surmise. As a result, McBride thinks the company is likely headed to bankruptcy. Also on the show, Chuck answers a question about Coca-Cola stock, Adam Peck of Riverwater Partners talks social investing and small-cap stocks in the Big Interview, and Michael Roomberg of the Miller/Howard Drill-Bit-to-Burner-Tip fund has the Market Call.

Adam Grimes of Talon Advisors, say that with the market having reached new highs, it's now getting more complex. He's still bullish, but he does see potential troubles down the line, making this a time when investors can be 'rewarded handsomely' for being aggressively long on stocks. John Sarson of the Sarson Funds explains in the Big Interview why 'The Internet and cryptocurrency go together like peanut butter and jelly,' Chuck explores the latest weird financial news, and Mike Bailey of FBB Capital Partners covers stocks in the Market Call.

Doug Roberts of Channel Capital Research -- author of 'Follow the Fed to Investment Success' -- said the central bank's announcement Wednesday that it did not expect to cut rates in 2019 but does expect to drop them next year was the start of trying to create a perfect landing, a situation he suggested will not be easy given the countervailing forces affecting the market and the economy. Also on the show, Tom Lydon of ETFTrends.com picks his 'ETF of the Week,' professor Andrea hasler discusses a recent survey about how educators feel when it comes to teaching personal finance in schools, and Brian Lockhart of Peak Capital Management discusses stocks and ETFs in the Market Call.

Regis Dale, chief executive officer at Harvest Global International -- the largest institutional asset manager in China -- said investors should worry about the impact of trade and tariff skirmishes between China and the United States, but noted that investors who are willing to be patient for the next several years should find that current headlines are mostly creating buying opportunities. Also on the show, Jeremiah Riethmiller and Steve Tresnan of HighTower Advisors disagree about the proper use of alternative investments now, Chuck rebroadcasts a recent question on 7702 plans that was tied to yesterday's question on life insurance retirement plans, and Patrick Healey of Caliber Financial Partners talks stocks in the Market Call.

Tracie McMillion, head of global investment strategy for the Wells Fargo Investment Institute, said her firm remains neutral on stocks overall -- but favorable on emerging markets and domestic mid-caps -- due to heightened risk factors, but she noted that with no recession on the horizon for the rest of the year, investors should be looking to buy on dips and take advantage of opportunities created by market uncertainty in a time when a big, long-lasting downturn seems unlikely. Also on the show, Amanda Dixon of Bankrate.com discusses Americans' side-gig habits, Chuck takes another question on insurance plans for retirement savings, and Charlie Bobrinskoy, vice chairman of the Ariel Funds, talks stocks in the Market Call.

Barry James, chief investment officer at the James Advantage Funds, said the market is not functioning properly because companies with no earnings have been up by 20 percent this year, while, by comparison, companies with real earnings are down, a situation that creates the potential for a big downturn when the broad market wakes up to what is happening. James has been slowly raising cash and becoming more defensive in response. Also on the show, Kelley Knutson of Netspend on Americans' fluctuating incomes, Steve Lipper of the small-cap team at the Royce Funds talks the market, and David Trainer says a soon-to-launch IPO belongs in the 'Danger Zone.'

Frank Holmes, chief executive at U.S. Global Investors, said he sees the market currently in a good place, helped by the changing tide of interest rates, but he noted that investors should be looking to diversify into gold and fixed-income to take advantage of that shift as it occurs during a time of slowing economic growth that will make for tougher sledding for stocks. Also, Danielle Shay of SimplerTrading.com said that the resolution of trade issues with Mexico was a strong short-term win for the market, which she now expects to settle into a range until the next earnings season in July, which could prove to be a catalyst for a move higher. Cather Golladay of Schwab Retirement Plan Services discusses the magic number that Americans think they need to amass for a secure retirement, and we rebroadcast a recent Market Call interview with Mike Larson of Weiss Ratings and Weiss' Safe Money Report.

Allison Schrager, author of 'An Economist Walks Into a Brothel ... ' joins Chuck in a discussion about risk and how poorly most people evaluate is when it comes to decisions. Also, Tom Lydon of ETFTrends.com has the ETF of the Week, Terry Jones of Investor's Business Daily discusses how investor optimism turned away from peak levels in May, Michael Gayed of The Lead-Lag Report gives his technical take on the market, Guy Benstead of the Cedar Ridge Unconstrained Credit Fund discusses the bond market, and Chuck celebrates his borthday!

Michael DiCecco, an asset finance expert with Huntington Commercial Bank, is worried that the transportation and trucking sector could be headed for a recession, and if that sector slows down, it has the potential to lead the rest of the economy into a downturn. Also on the show, Jeremiah Riethmiller and Steve Tresnan of HighTower Advisors discuss very different ways to use fixed-income as an equity hedge now, at a time when traditional bond strategies are less effective than in the past, and Stephen Mathai-Davis of Quantamize does a super-sized Market Call with two helpings of 'Hold It or Fold It,' one covering ETFs and a second for stocks.

Cam Harvey, senior advisor to Research Affiliates and Duke University professor, said that the inverted yield curve model that he discovered -- and which has correctly called major recessions dating back through history -- is poised to trigger at the end of June, a sign that recession is about 12 months off. Also on the show, Chuck takes a question about insurance, Jason Hargraves of InsuranceQuotes.com discusses the value and usefulness of credit-card travel protection, and Malcolm Polley of Stewart Capital Advisors talks stocks and 'business-perspective investing' in the Market Call.

Michael Mullaney, director of global markets research at Boston Partners, said that he expects the Federal Reserve to make one rate cut before the year is over, a move that he expects will help to drive the market higher, but despite that potential move to the upside, he recommended that investors get increasingly defensive, looking for high-quality names with stronger balance sheets. Also on the show, Greg McBride of Bankrate.com discusses his site's most-recent study, David Trainer puts a popular brand-name stock in the Danger Zone, and Matt King of King Wealth Advisors covers stocks and ETFs in the Market Call.

Dan Zanger of ChartPattern.com said that while he sees plenty of weakness and many bearish technical indicators, he believes the market is headed up barring some sort of significant interest-rate policy or political change. Zanger said he expects the Standard and Poor's 500 to reach 3,300 by year's end, after just barely holding at its current support level of roughly 2,800. Also on the show, Jason Browne of Alexis Invests said that the market has been going through a bear market within a secular bull market, and he said the bear -- which no one wanted to acknowledge -- is nearly done, leaving the market poised for an upturn as the rest of the bull market plays out. Beyond those two extended interviews, Chuck also talks with author and financial planner Clark Kendall about his new book 'Middle-Class Millionaires.'

Sandy Rufenacht of the Aquila Three Peaks High Income Fund, said that a flat credit quality curve -- one that seems to be confusing real junk from safer high-yielding investments -- could turn dangerous if the stock market and the economy get into trouble. He warned that investors need to temper their expectations in high-yield bonds, and prepare for potential trouble ahead. Also on the show, Chuck discusses the legacy of the late John Neff, legendary manager of the Vanguard Windsor fund, it's all Greek to Tom Lydon of ETFTrends.com with the 'ETF of the Week,' Mike Foy of J.D. Power discusses Americans' retirement confidence levels, and tactical money manager Michael Ball of Weatherstone Capital Management covers ETFs in the Market Call.

Janet Brown, chief executive at the FundX Investment Group and publisher of the No-Load FundX newsletter, said in the Market Call that fundamentals 'still look decent,' which has meant that the market has only started to move away from the large-cap growth story that has driven the bull run towards more defensive funds, value-oriented funds and small- and mid-cap funds, but she expects that trend to grind on as the market slows down. Also on the show, Jeremiah Riethmiller and Steven Tresnan of HighTower Advisors discuss how to read and interpret economic data and current headlines, Ted Rossman of Bankrate.com discusses the potentially negativei mpact of closing old credit-card accounts and, in a rebroadcast, Craig Callahan of ICON Advisors talks about the market and how it stands below fair value right now.