Long Story Short Oil Prices, How We Pick Stocks & Protecting Your Family from Fraud
Oil jumped above $100 a barrel after last week's Iran episode podcast aired. Markets stayed choppy through the back half of the week, and Adam and Andy open episode 37 by following up with data that might surprise you. When oil prices are rising, average annual S&P 500 returns have historically been higher than when oil prices are falling.
Then Andy pulls back the curtain on how Burney actually selects stocks. The process starts with size and style positioning, runs through a quantitative model that scores over 3,000 stocks across nine sector-specific frameworks, and gets a human check before anything goes into client portfolios. The investment committee meets monthly. Headlines about Iran don't drive the decisions.
They close on a topic that's more personal than financial. Fraud targeting adults over 60 hit $700 million in reported losses in 2024, five times the 2020 amount. Adam and Andy cover the warning signs to watch for in family members and the protective measures to put in place before something goes wrong.
⏱️ Timestamps:
(0:00) Intro: Markets stayed choppy after last week's Iran episode
(1:33) Oil jumped above $100 a barrel over the weekend
(2:44) Ben Carlson's data: S&P returns are actually higher when oil prices rise
(4:28) Volatility cuts both ways: biggest up days cluster near biggest down days
(7:39) Listener question: how does Burney pick stocks?
(9:19) Start with size and style: tilting toward where momentum is
(11:42) The quantitative model: 3,000+ stocks, nine sector-specific frameworks
(13:24) Where the human sanity check comes in
(19:32) Fraud targeting adults over 60: $700M stolen in 2024
(21:30) Impersonation scams up fivefold since 2020
(22:09) Warning signs to watch for in family members
(23:33) Protective steps: trusted contacts, power of attorney, transaction alerts
(25:06) How to approach a family member you suspect has been targeted
(39:00) Podcast disclosures
Resources:
Long Story Short website | burneywealth.com/podcast
Follow Burney Wealth Management on LinkedIn | www.linkedin.com/company/burneywealthmanagement
Follow Adam Newman on Linkedin | www.linkedin.com/in/adam-newman-cfa-cfp%C2%AE-mst-ricp%C2%AE-cepa-48853916/
Follow Andy Pratt on LinkedIn | www.linkedin.com/in/andyjpratt/
Ben Carlson’s Article “How Do Higher Oil Prices Impact Stock Market Returns?” | https://awealthofcommonsense.com/2026/03/how-do-higher-oil-prices-impact-stock-market-returns/
Vanguard Article “Protecting your inner circle from financial fraud” | https://investor.vanguard.com/investor-resources-education/article/protecting-your-inner-circle-from-financial-fraud
Ep 26: Cybersecurity Episode with Max Alles | https://burneywealth.com/podcast/cybersecurity-guide-max-alles-long-story-short-episode-26
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The Burney Company is an SEC-registered investment adviser. Burney Wealth Management is a division of the Burney Company. Registration with the SEC or any state securities authority does not imply that Burney Company or any of its principals or employees possesses a particular level of skill or training in the investment advisory business or any other business. This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended as personalized investment advice or a recommendation.