Ben CarlsonModify

$1 Trillion ETFs, Wealth Inequality and the Shrinking Middle Class

2026-06-13 04:30:25

Bloomberg noted last week that the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) is now the first ETF in history with $1 trillion in assets. The flows for this index fund have been absolutely massive and show no signs of slowing down: This obviously isn’t the only S&P 500 ETF either. SPY is closing in on $800 billion. IVV already has more than $800 billion. VTI is a total stock market index fund — which is not exactly t...

The Barbell Portfolio

2026-06-12 01:22:48

Bill Sweet joined us to discuss questions about de-risking equity risk in retirement, hitting your retirement number, taking care of your parents financially, talking yourself off the ledge of selling stocks and some advice for a teenage investor. Further Reading: The 4 Year Rule For Retirement Spending 1I’ve never been super comfortable with the term ‘risk-free’ because every investment involves risk i...

Animal Spirits: The Teflon Economy

2026-06-10 19:15:22

Today’s Animal Spirits is brought to you by Nuveen and ClearBridge: This episode is sponsored by Nuveen. Learn more about Nuveen’s comprehensive private markets platform at https://www.nuveen.com/en-us/insights/alternatives. – Rising geopolitical tensions, continued market uncertainty, stocks backed by can offer more predictable cash flows as volatility increases. Visit https://www.clearbridge.com/ to...

The Diversification Test

2026-06-10 01:45:39

Back in my institutional consulting days I spent a lot of time analyzing the performance of active managers. Most of the endowments, foundations and pension plans were trying to beat the market and beat their benchmarks. The investment committees and boards for these non-profits needed some way of monitoring all of their stock, bond, hedge fund and private asset managers so they often came up with grading scales and watch...

Talk Your Book: Diversification in Private Assets

2026-06-08 19:15:47

Today’s Talk Your Book is brought to you by Invesco: To learn more about Invesco click here: https://www.invesco.com/us/en/insights/alternatives-investment-outlook.html On today’s show, we discuss: Comparing the role of private and public equity in a portfolio How advisors should think about carving out private assets The illiquidity premium, embracing it rather than working around it Understanding privat...

Young People Like Stocks

2026-06-07 21:05:20

Young people have it tough in a lot of ways, financially speaking. Housing is expensive. Student loans. Inflation. The cost of daycare. Etc. Etc. I know there is worry of disillusionment and financial nihilism among the Gen Z cohort but I have faith in young people. This group already has some things figured out. The Wall Street Journal shows people under 30 are taking advantage of tax-deferred retirement accounts: The s...