This week, we’re diving into the key market themes of 2025—what’s shaping up to be a monumental year for self-directed investors. We’ll unpack the trends driving infrastructure investment, tariffs with a twist, deregulation fueling innovation, and the evolution of retail trading.This episode is packed with actionable insights to help you navigate 2025’s most important stock market predictions. From infrastructure to innovation, you’ll learn how these themes could shape your portfolio—and disc...
Can you believe it’s already the end of 2024? What a year it’s been! In this episode of Market MakeHer, Jess and I look back at all the major events that shaped the stock market this year. From the AI led rally to the Fed finally cutting rates, we’re breaking it all down.Looking for unbiased, curated financial insights delivered straight to your inbox? Subscribe to the 1440 Business & Finance Newsletter, our trusted sponsor, and elevate your financial literacy—it's free and bi-weekly!...
*This content was taken from Episode 35, which was originally recorded in May 2024, but has been edited to mainly focus on the important terms PCE, PPI & CPI to help put into context the new data we are seeing now in December 2024 and how it affects us as consumers, workers, and investors.* What Is PCE (Personal Consumption Expenditures)? The PCE price index is considered The Fed’s preferred index. It’s kinda like how we use the S&P 500 indice to measure the stock market, but it’...
In this episode, Jess Inskip and Jessie DeNuit discuss essential year-end financial strategies, focusing on retirement account deadlines, tax optimization moves, charitable contributions, and even personal finance tips - for all ages and income levels. Be proactive with your financial planning to avoid penalties and maximize tax benefits. You’ll learn various year-end financial strategies, including: FSA and HSA RemindersIncome Deferral Strategies for Freelancers Employer-Relat...
What is insider trading and what can we learn from the highly-politicized Martha Stewart case regarding illegal insider trading? Find out on this episode of Market MakeHer. 😉 Illegal Insider Trading vs Legal Insider TradingLegal Insider Trading is when company insiders (e.g., executives, employees or majority shareholders) trade their company's stock while following rules and regulations. They must report their trades to the Securities and Exchange Commission (you can search the EDGAR d...
What is a bond vigilante? The Batman of the bond market? Kinda. In the last episode, we learned the bond market is the most powerful and influential market. Bond vigilantes are big-time bond investors who can use the power of selling bonds to influence the market and protest against fiscal and monetary policy (basically, they try to put restraints on the government from over-spending and over-borrowing, especially when inflation is high). What do bond vigilantes do?When bond vigilantes s...
What is the credit market and how does it determine our loan interest rates? It’s actually the same thing as the bond market, and we consumers all participate in it. Join us as we delve into the intricacies of the credit market and how it influences interest rates across various financial products, including credit cards, auto loans, and mortgages. We will also discuss the yield curve, the role of the Federal Reserve (aka The Fed), and how understanding these concepts can empower c...
Now that the U.S. election results are in, we’re discussing the “elephant in the room” - that is, the implications of potential Trump administration policies on the stock market. We’re focusing on tariffs, immigration, tax cuts, deregulation, and the Fed’s role. How will these factors influence market dynamics, inflation, and economic growth? What does it all mean for self-directed investors? We’ll also define what all these terms mean to help you stay aware of false claims ...
Today we’re learning allllll about IRAs (individual retirement arrangements/accounts) including Roth IRAs, Traditional IRAs, Rollover IRAs and SEP IRAs. You’ll understand contribution limits, tax implications, and eligibility requirements for each account. As always, we aim to empower you with all the knowledge you need to make informed decisions for future you. This is not advice. ✨Roth IRAs are best for you if you are in a lower income tax bracket and do not need a tax bre...
Subscribe to our Weekly Stock Market Update Newsletter! This Week in the Stock Market: 11.04.24 In this episode of Market MakeHer, we're trying something different. We've taken our weekly SMU email and given it to AI to create a separate podcast series. That's right, the email newsletter is also a podcast read by Artificial Intelligence. The hosts discuss key insights from the latest stock market trends, focusing on earnings season, economic indicators, and the contrasting pe...
Since we recently learned about Stock Lending, Short Selling, P/E Ratio, and Stock Valuation in the last 2 episodes, we figured it's a good time to revisit our episode on Dark Pools, PFOF, Order Routing, and Market Makers (not to be confused with Market MakeHERS 😉). This also happens to be a Halloween episode from last year, so enjoy our costumes if you're watching the video podcast. 🎃🎃🎃 🔮 Replay of Episode 16In this episode, Jess Inskip & Jessie DeNuit delve into the co...
How do you know if a stock is "on sale" or expensive to buy right now? In this Market MakeHer podcast episode, we're going to learn all about stock valuation and how to look at the Price to Earnings Ratio to make informed investing decisions. We discuss how to determine if a stock is overpriced or underpriced, the significance of earnings potential, and the role of analysts in shaping market perceptions. 🔮 P/E Ratio Demystified"P/E ratio is just the price divided by earni...
In this episode of the Market MakeHer podcast, we delve into the topic of stock lending, addressing a listener's question about whether retail investors should participate in this practice. We explain the mechanics of stock lending, its relationship with short selling, and the potential benefits and risks involved. The discussion also covers tax implications, ownership rights, and the impact of stock lending on market dynamics. We emphasize the importance of understanding these concepts for s...
Subscribe to our Weekly Stock Market Update Newsletter! This Week in the Stock Market: 10.14.24 In this episode of Market MakeHer, we're trying something different. We've taken our weekly SMU email and given it to AI to create a separate podcast series. That's right, the email newsletter is also a podcast read by Artificial Intelligence. The hosts delve into the current state of the stock market, focusing on earnings season and the importance of economic indicators. T...
What Is Portfolio Management and Asset Allocation? Put On Your Construction Hats. So you started investing in the stock market, now what? Want to learn how to construct an investment portfolio or manage your retirement portfolio? In this episode of Market MakeHer, hosts Jess Inskip and Jessie DeNuit delve into the intricacies of portfolio management and investment strategies. They discuss the importance of constructing a well-diversified portfolio, understanding personal financial goals,...
[This episode was originally recorded on July 05, 2024, before Biden dropped out of the Presidential Election Race. We examined historical data, facts, and statistics of what happens to the stock market when there is a Republican vs Democrat as President of the U.S.] During election years, the stock market tends to experience increased volatility due to the uncertainty surrounding the outcome. However, historical data shows that the stock market performance during election years does not sig...
It's time to give your money a job, but if you can't decide on a company, you can start with a sector. GICS stands for the Global Industry Classification Standard and they set the classifications for the 11 sectors. 2 Types of Sectors: Cyclical sectors are sensitive to economic conditions. They do well when the economy is growing but can struggle during recessions. These sectors are more volatile, but high risk can also equal high reward. Defensive sectors are stable across all economic c...
The Fed aka The Federal Reserve finally cut interest rates. Papa Powell (aka fed chair Jerome Powell) announced this week the federal funds rate is cut by 50 basis points (which means .50%). This might not seem like much to consumers like us, but cutting it by .50% in one meeting is actually a pretty big deal. Normally, everyone would flip out over something like this and wonder if it means we’re in a recession or about to be, but this time, EVERYONE was anticipating it and prepared for it. T...
What Is A Bond? What Are The Different Types Of Bonds? How Do You Buy Bonds?In this episode of the Market Maker Podcast, Jessie and Jess delve into the world of bonds, discussing their significance in the financial market, the mechanics of how they work, and the various types of bonds available for investment. Explore the relationship between interest rates and bond prices, the importance of credit ratings, and the risks associated with bond investments. We also cover municipal bonds and how ...
We are revisiting the business cycle and how it relates to the menstrual cycle, much like we did in Episode 13 on Recessions, but we compare the phases in each cycle, side-by-side this time and break it down further. What Is The Business Cycle?The Business Cycle is Periods of economic expansion and contraction based on the 3-Ds we discussed last time: depth (how bad is it?), diffusion (how widespread?), and duration (how long?) of a broad range of economic indicators. The periods...