Money Life with Chuck Jaffe

Noland Langford, chief executive officer at Left Brain Investment Research, says that changing economic conditions are forcing investors to re-evaluate growth, putting heightened focus on issues with longer-term growth, and backing away from some of the momentum-driven winners from 2021. Also on the show, Chuck talks about a uniquely different alternative investment -- comic books -- for the first time in Money Life history, visiting with Andrew Davis, The Comic Book Investor; Mark Hamrick of Bankrate.com discusses research on how long people hang onto their checking accounts and how much they are paying -- and perhaps overpaying -- to keep those accounts, and we revisit a recent interview with Darrell Cronk, chief investment officer at Wells Fargo Wealth and Investment Management.

Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at BankRate.com, says consumers need to start game-planning for a higher interest-rate environment now because the few increases that are expected for this year are just a start in what he expects to be a multi-year rate-hike cycle. He gives his outlook on everything from mortgage rates to auto loans, and how consumers should be considering what to do and when in each case. Then, Christine Benz, director of personal finance and retirement planning for Morningstar, discusses her financial to-do list for 2022 as well as whether certain financial chores like closely tracking spending actually are worth the effort, after which economist Laurence Kotlikoff returns to the show to discuss his new book, 'Money Magic: An Economist's Secrets to More Money, Less Risk and a Better Life.'

Ken Berman, chief investment strategist at Gorilla Trades says that the Standard & Poor's 500 will 'easily hit 5,000 this year,' with the Dow Jones Industrial Average comfortably crossing 40,000, but while he expects those modest gains on the indexes, he says it will be a year when stock-picking is at a premium because so few issues are trading at highs. Berman expects the market to reach those records soon, but worries that they won't hold it, noting that two-thirds of available stocks are trading below their 50-day moving average, which suggests that there is at least heightened volatility ahead. Also on the show, Chuck discusses the savings that resulted from his personal policy of not spending anything under a 10-dollar bill and how much that can add up to if you find similar ways to save over time, Matt Schulz of LendingTree discusses how much money consumers enter the new year owing as a result of holiday spending sprees, and Guy Davis, portfolio manager of The Genuine Investors ETF, discusses during the Market Call the 'genuine investments" he's looking at now.

Tom Lydon, chief executive officer at ETFTrends.com, says that the year ahead will be more challenging for fixed-income investors who have been saddled with low yields for years but who at least could count on safety from their long-term bond holdings. With the outlook for the economy changing and with inflation hitting hard right now and lingering longer than most expected through the recovery from the pandemic, Lydon made the iShares TIPS Bond fund his 'ETF of the Week,' noting that inflation-protected securities are more attractive now than they have been in years and should ease some of the yield and volatility concerns investors will face in 2022. Also on the show, John Cole Scott, chief investment officer at Closed-End Fund Advisors and the executive chairman of the Active Investment Company Alliance, returns to forecast the year ahead in closed-end fund investing, including some funds he says are well-positioned and constructed for 2022. And Chuck had promised that his final interview of the year would be with his friend Michael Falk, and so we rebroadcast his final chat with Michael as a touching reminder that days are long but years are short, challenging us all to make the most of our time.

Jonathan Lansner, columnist at the Orange County Register, says that many of today's common economic tropes -- covering themes like inflation, the global supply-chain crisis, interest rates and more -- are defying logic, and he brings his logic to the show to help reframe the discussions and douse the flames of rhetoric. Another one of Chuck's journalist friends -- Rob Weisman of the Boston Globe -- also joins him on the show today, discussing the intersection of Baby Boomers, COVID and the greatest transfer of wealth in history, and Chuck dives into the dead pool and discusses the lasting memories of some mutual funds and ETFs that did not live to see 2022 (and deserved their fate).

Market technician Jeffrey Bierman, founder of TheQuantGuy.com, sees the stock market as being vulnerable to a big step back mid-way through the first quarter of 2022, noting that the market will be in a happy place and comfort zone as long as the Standard and Poor's 500 stays above 4,275; if the market falls below that level, Bierman says the pain could get close to 20 percent before things bottom out. Also on the show, Joseph Biondo of Biondo Investment Advisors gives a more optimistic -- but still cautious -- take on the market for next year, Joe Saul-Sehy of the Stacking Benjamins podcast discusses his new book, "Stacked: Your Super-Serious Guide to Modern Money Management," and Chuck takes another question from the audience about how to know you are financially set and how to invest when you get there.

Jamie Hopkins, managing partner for wealth solutions at Carson Group, says that investors who focus mostly on what to buy or own in an investment portfolio are asking the wrong question, because they need to be focused on where they are and where they want to go. Hopkins says it is particularly important to focus inward as we enter 2022 because the year is likely to feature more volatility and less profit potential than 2021 has. Also on the show, Greg McBride of Bankrate.com discusses the site's latest personal financial outlook survey and how savers and investors are setting expectations for the year ahead, Barry Martin of the Shelton Equity Income Fund discusses dividend investing and covered-call strategies, and Chuck answers some audience questions about retirement savings.

John Cole Scott of Closed-End Fund Advisors and the Active Investment Company Alliance discusses the high number of closed-end funds that are currently trading at premiums, and the rebound that has represented in performance over 2021, as he reviews the year in closed-end fund investing. Also on the show, Tom Lydon of ETFTrends.com selects a fund meant to hedge against interest-rate risk his ETF of the Week, Meredith Stoddard of Fidelity Investments discusses the firm's annual survey of New Year's resolutions, how people feel about their prospects for 2022 and how effective personal pledges turn out to be, and Tony Tursich, co-manager of the new Calamos Global Sustainable Equities fund talks about ESG investing and how adopting sustainable strategies can power companies to prolonged, above-average gains.

Kristina Hooper, chief global market strategist for Invesco, says that the market is likely to take a pause to get past the Omicron surge in the Covid-19 pandemic, but that after the market adjusts to the latest wave and handles changes in interest-rate policies from the Federal Reserve, stocks will rebound and continue moving forward in 2022. Brian Dress of Left Brain Investment Research discusses how he's changing portfolios in response to a growth outlook that has been affected by rising inflation and slowing economic conditions, pushing as a result past the technology stocks and toward financials, health-care and energy companies. And in the Market Call, Eric Shoenstein of Jensen Investment Management talks about investing in quality names for anything and everything the market can dish out.

Mark Newton, global head of technical strategy for Fundstrat Global Advisors, says he expects the market to sell off by about 20 percent from March through July of next year, before rallying back to finish flat or up slightly in 2022. Newton says that the tech sector's strength is what is largely staving off a down year, but it won't make the ride particularly smooth, as he is expecting heightened volatility. Also on the show, Chuck talks about setting goals -- and how New Year's target setting for 2022 should be more short-term focused than it has been over the last few years -- and we revisit a recent chat with Liz Ann Sonders, chief investment strategist at Charles Schwab & Co..