AWM Insights Financial and Investment News

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Oct 2026

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A bite sized discussion on timely financial news and investment topics, to help you maximize your net worth and wealth for the next generation with Justin Dyer and Mena Hanna of AWM Capital.

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October 30, 2026Episode 27643 min

Must Be Present to Win: Matt Mazzeo on Talent, Venture, and the Future of Health | AWM Insights #276

What does it take to spot great talent, and what is all the wealth actually for? Justin Dyer sits down with Matt Mazzeo, co-founder and CEO of NOHO Labs and a longtime venture investor at Lowercase Capital and Coatue. Matt traces his path from assistant to an assistant at CAA, sleeping on his mom's couch, to building the agency's bridge to Silicon Valley, until Chris Sacca told him, "You're a VC, you just don't know it." He shares the service habits that still shape how he works, from same-day callbacks to getting on the plane, and Richard Lovett's lesson on listening for what matters most. Matt breaks down the three traits he looks for in every founder, what changed when he moved from seed checks to growth rounds at Coatue, and why the hardest part of venture is holding conviction while everyone thinks you're wrong. Then the turn: at 39, a photo with his first child made him rethink what he'd been chasing, and set him on the path to NOHO Labs. Must be present to win. Get in touch: https://www.athletefamilyoffice.com/talk-to-a-pro?utm_source=awm-capital&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep-276-must-be-present&utm_content=show-notes Listener offer from Matt: use code AWMVIP for half off your first month of NOHO Labs membership: https://noholabs.com/?utm_source=awm-capital&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep-276-must-be-present&utm_content=show-notes Connect with Us • Call or text us: 626-862-0355 • Website: https://www.athletefamilyoffice.com/?utm_source=awm-capital&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep-276-must-be-present&utm_content=show-notes • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc1NxpK21N1vKWEExC45YEA • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/awmcapital/ • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awmcapital/ • X: https://twitter.com/awmcapital • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awmcapital/ Chapters [00:00] Preview: Holding conviction, a health wake-up call, and why the people who show up are the ones you remember. [00:26] Intro: Justin introduces Matt Mazzeo and his path from CAA to Lowercase Capital, Coatue and NOHO Labs. [01:39] From Harvard To CAA: Meeting at an AGM, Matt's story, and why he took an assistant's desk at CAA over banking and consulting. [06:23] The Startup Agent: Building CAA's bridge to Silicon Valley, from Funny or Die to the earliest YouTubers. [09:00] Performance, The CAA Way: Same-day callbacks, speed as a measure of quality, and getting on the plane. [12:05] Must Be Present To Win: Why the people who show up are the ones you remember, and Richard Lovett's lesson on listening for what matters most. [15:26] "You're A VC, You Just Don't Know It": How Chris Sacca pulled Matt into Lowercase Capital, and the traits he looks for in every founder: integrity, horsepower, agency and curiosity. [22:19] From Seed To Growth: Building Coatue's venture group and learning to underwrite with models. [26:39] How Venture Has Changed: More access and more founders, less alpha, and how long you're willing to look like an idiot. [31:36] Rich, Dead Or Present: The photo that changed Matt's priorities, the path to NOHO Labs and the future of health.

October 23, 2026Episode 27516 min

Midterms and Your Money | AWM Insights #275

Midterm years have historically been among the weakest for stocks, so should you pull your money out before November 3? Justin Dyer and Mena Hanna make the case for voting at the ballot box, not with your portfolio. Mena walks through the midterm "scouting report" and why 2026, a midterm year, has gone the other way so far, while Justin explains why 16 elections are too few to build a decision on. They rank the forces that actually move markets (interest rates, inflation, geopolitics, energy and AI), explain why midterms work more like a front-office reshuffle than a game-changer, and look back at a year when a new war, an energy shock and rising rates couldn't stop markets from climbing a wall of worry. Then Mena asks Justin the billion-dollar question: what is he doing with his own money as Election Day approaches? His answer: nothing different, because the plan was built for every path. Connect with Us Call or text us: 626-862-0355 Website: https://www.athletefamilyoffice.com/?utm_source=awm-capital&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep-275-midterms-money&utm_content=show-notes YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc1NxpK21N1vKWEExC45YEA LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/awmcapital/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awmcapital/ X: https://twitter.com/awmcapital Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awmcapital/ Chapters [00:00] Preview: Why Justin invests his own money exactly the way AWM recommends, and why your vote shouldn't steer your portfolio. [00:25] Intro: Midterms and your money, and why we vote at the ballot box, not with the portfolio. [02:23] The Midterm Scouting Report: Why midterm years have historically lagged, and how 2026 has broken the pattern so far. [03:08] Sixteen At-Bats: Why a small sample can't carry an investment decision. [04:02] Robustness Over FOMO: How much confidence a decision deserves, from election years to chasing the next SpaceX. [06:13] The Year After: Post-midterm trends, and why they're probably noise for a 100-year family. [07:34] The Real Market Movers: Markets as a digestive system, why rates, inflation, geopolitics, energy and AI outrank the election, and midterms as a front-office reshuffle. [09:56] A Year In The Red: War, energy and rates, and markets still hit a home run. [11:00] A Wall Of Worry: Why corrections are healthy and why volatility is the source of expected return. [12:52] The Billion-Dollar Question: What Justin is doing with his own money before the midterms, and why the plan comes first.

October 16, 2026Episode 27416 min

Why Your Off-Season Needs A Financial Plan | AWM Insights #274

The regular season is over for most of Major League Baseball, and this off-season comes with a question nobody can answer yet: when does the next paycheck arrive? With the collective bargaining agreement expiring December 1, Justin Dyer and Mena Hanna explain why uncertainty makes an off-season financial plan more important, not less. They walk through the six-month spending window AWM builds for clients in short-term Treasuries, why you should plan your financial off-season the way you plan your training, and why a compressed career turns every season into a "lion year" that magnifies good and bad decisions alike. Then they turn to Warren Buffett, whose discipline, modest lifestyle and patience show what decades of compounding can do, and why athletes who start in their 20s and 30s hold a real head start. Connect With Us Call or text us: 626-862-0355 Website: https://www.athletefamilyoffice.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc1NxpK21N1vKWEExC45YEA LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/awmcapital/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awmcapital/ X: https://twitter.com/awmcapital Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awmcapital/ Chapters 00:00 Preview: Lockout uncertainty, a compressed career and living in lion years. 00:48 Intro: The end of the MLB season and why the off-season needs a financial plan. 01:54 The CBA And The Last Paycheck: Moving from contributions to distributions as the CBA expires. 03:43 Plan It Like You Train: First principles, and why the financial off-season mirrors the physical one. 05:03 The Six-Month Spending Window: Short-term Treasuries set aside for off-season spending. 07:04 Control What You Can Control: The costs of veering from the plan. 08:16 A Compressed Earning Window: Why a short career magnifies good and bad decisions, and why every season is a lion year. 10:19 The Buffett Lesson: Discipline, living within your means and letting money compound. 12:28 Your Time Advantage: Why athletes in their 20s and 30s are in a fortunate position. 15:01 Wrap-Up: Plans for the off-season and for left-tail events.

October 9, 2026Episode 27315 min

Understanding Interest Rate Movements and Portfolio Impact | AWM Insights #273

The Federal Reserve just raised interest rates for the first time in years, and the headline matters well beyond Wall Street. In this episode of AWM Insights, Justin Dyer and Mena Hanna explain why the Fed hit the brakes, what a quarter-point hike means for anyone borrowing to buy a home, and why the Fed can't fix every driver of inflation, from oil prices to conflict overseas. Then they turn to what matters most for investors: how rate moves hit portfolios. Using a boat, a water level and an anchor, they show why savers can come out ahead when rates rise, why one-size-fits-all bond allocations can leave families exposed, and how shorter-term, liability-matched fixed income keeps a 100-year plan steady whether rates rise or fall. Connect With Us Call or text us: 626-862-0355 Website: https://www.athletefamilyoffice.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc1NxpK21N1vKWEExC45YEA LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/awmcapital/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awmcapital/ X: https://twitter.com/awmcapital Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awmcapital/ Chapters 00:00 Preview: The speed limit, the water level and the anchor. 00:45 Why Interest Rates Matter: Why a topic that sounds dry affects everyone, and the Fed's first hike in years. 02:44 Why The Fed Raised Rates: Inflation, a quarter-point hike and lowering the economy's speed limit. 04:20 What Higher Rates Mean For You: Pricier borrowing, bigger mortgage payments and a more constrained buying pool. 05:38 Not A Perfect Machine: Oil prices, the Middle East and the limits of what the Fed can control. 07:05 Rates As The Water Level: Why rate moves barely change our decision-making, and why savers can come out ahead. 08:04 Too Much Interest Rate Exposure: How one-size-fits-all portfolios like 60/40 get hurt when rates rise, and why we favor shorter-term fixed income. 11:10 Fixed Income As The Anchor: Why the anchor has to be sized to the boat. 13:02 Don't Predict The Water Level: Forecasting rates versus immunizing portfolios. 14:35 Wrap-Up: Rates, the global economy and protecting the 1Hundred Year Family plan.

October 2, 2026Episode 27210 min

Control What You Can Control | AWM Insights #272

Markets, inflation, elections and geopolitics all shape the numbers on your screen, and none of them are yours to control. In this episode of AWM Insights, Justin Dyer and Mena Hanna return to one of the most powerful reminders in investing: control what you can control. They break down the structural controllables, like your savings rate, your spending and the levers that influence taxes, and the behavioral ones that trip up even disciplined investors: chasing hype, concentrating at the wrong time, neglecting diversification and living on a steady information diet of hype and doom. They close on the hardest discipline of all: recognizing that sometimes doing nothing is the best action you can take. Connect With Us Call or text us: 626-862-0355 Website: https://www.athletefamilyoffice.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc1NxpK21N1vKWEExC45YEA LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/awmcapital/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awmcapital/ X: https://twitter.com/awmcapital Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awmcapital/ Chapters [00:00] Control What You Can Control: Why the simplest reminder in investing is also one of the most powerful. [00:27] What's In Your Hands: Elections, geopolitics and markets vs. behavior, spending and taxes. [01:29] Savings Rate Comes First: Inflows minus outflows, and why discipline around a plan matters. [02:50] Structural Controllables: Dollars and cents, and why overspending is a sunk cost. [03:08] Behavioral Controllables: Keeping up with the Joneses and the pull of material things. [03:58] Chasing Hype: Concentration, asset selection and the cost of the shiny object. [04:32] When Behavior Becomes Structural: How chasing hype creates structural problems, and the diversification gap. [05:12] Your Information Diet: How social media and the news feed hype loops and doom loops. [06:46] The Uncontrollables: Markets and inflation, and controlling your reaction to them. [08:44] Keep It Simple: Why the basics are hard to act on, and why they matter.

September 25, 2026Episode 27115 min

Leverage: The Sharpest Tool In Your Financial Toolkit | AWM Insights #271

Leverage is the sharpest tool in the financial toolkit, and like any sharp tool, it can help you build or it can cut you. In this episode of AWM Insights, Justin Dyer and Mena Hanna break down the difference between consumption leverage and balance sheet leverage, why a 30-year mortgage and a margin loan carry completely different risks, and the guardrails we use before any family borrows against a portfolio: sizing, timing, break-even, the cushion test, and a real repayment plan. The short answer is "it depends," and the biggest variable is who controls the situation. We close with Charlie Munger's famous warning about the three ways a smart person goes broke, and why leverage is the one that can turn volatility into permanent loss. Connect With Us Call or text us: 626-862-0355 Website: https://www.athletefamilyoffice.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc1NxpK21N1vKWEExC45YEA LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/awmcapital/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awmcapital/ X: https://twitter.com/awmcapital Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awmcapital/ Chapters [00:00] Introduction — Why leverage is the sharpest tool in the toolkit, and why the short answer is "it depends." [01:44] The Many Flavors Of Borrowing — Credit cards, lifestyle financing, mortgages, car loans, and student debt. [03:19] Debt Isn't A Moral Question — Consumption leverage vs. balance sheet leverage, and the mortgage as an advance against human capital. [05:21] Borrowing Instead Of Selling — Using leverage to fund spending without realizing a taxable gain, and why it gets complicated. [06:04] Timing And Sizing — Why financing everything to stay invested is a slippery slope, and how margin calls happen in a sell-off. [07:33] Who Controls The Situation? — Mortgages vs. margin vs. pledged asset lines. [10:07] The Break-Even And Cushion Tests — What the loan really costs vs. the tax hit, and how much room you have if things go wrong. [11:41] Repayment And The Weight Room — Why every loan needs a payoff plan, and what lifting weights teaches us about risk. [12:50] Liquor, Ladies, And Leverage — Charlie Munger's warning, and how leverage converts volatility into permanent loss. [14:07] Closing — Send us your questions and feedback.

September 18, 2026Episode 27022 min

Roger Ferguson III Reflects On Three Episodes With His Father | AWM Insights #270

After three episodes with Roger Ferguson Jr. on building a 1Hundred Year Family, Justin and Mena sit down with his son, Roger Ferguson III, an Investment Manager at AWM, to reflect on what it’s like to grow up inside those lessons and why generation two, not generation one, is where families actually keep or lose their wealth. *Connect with Us* • Call or text us: 626-862-0355 • Website: https://www.athletefamilyoffice.com/ • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc1NxpK21N1vKWEExC45YEA • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/awmcapital/ • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awmcapital/ • X: https://twitter.com/awmcapital • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awmcapital/ *Chapter* [00:00] Introduction: Justin and Mena welcome Roger Ferguson III to reflect on the three-part series with his father, Roger Ferguson Jr. [00:02] Roger reflects on interviewing his dad and discovering lessons he didn’t realize were being taught. [00:03] Why Generation Two Is The Real Test: “It’s not the first generation you have to worry about, it’s gen two and beyond.” [00:05] The Power Of Repetition: How hearing the same lessons for thirty-plus years built the instinct to make better decisions. [00:09] Values In Practice, Not Just Words: Diversification, right-sized positions, and saving relentlessly as lived principles. [00:11] The CEO Who Sat In The Middle Seat: Living the say-do ratio, no matter the title or the balance. [00:15] Discipline Over Dollars: Why more resources demand more discipline, especially in a social-media-comparison world. [00:16] Rethinking “$100 Million Isn’t Enough”: Unpacking the generational wealth debate and the power of compounding time. [00:20] Closing Thoughts: Own your wealth, make an impact, always be a pro.

September 9, 2026Episode 26919 min

Roger Ferguson Jr. - Part 3: Real Wealth-Building Advice for the Next Generation | AWM Insights #269

In Part 3 of our conversation with Roger Ferguson Jr., former Vice Chairman of the Federal Reserve and former President and CEO of TIAA, we get tactical. We ask his opinion about Odell Beckham Jr.'s claim that $100 million isn't enough to build generational wealth, and Ferguson agrees and disagrees in the same breath: the number is real, but the math of a multi-generational family changes everything. From there, the conversation moves through diversification, spotting real opportunity versus hype, the investing mistakes he'd never repeat, and the mentors who shaped how he thinks about wealth. He closes with the phrase he'd put on a billboard for the next generation: and it isn't about money at all. Connect with Us Call or text us: 626-862-0355 Website: https://www.athletefamilyoffice.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc1NxpK21N1vKWEExC45YEA LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/awmcapital/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awmcapital/ X: https://twitter.com/awmcapital Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awmcapital/ Chapters [00:00] Ferguson's advice to his 20-year-old self: save relentlessly and start now [01:39] Is $100 Million Enough? [04:13] Diversification As A Discipline [07:01] Spotting Real Opportunity vs. Hype [10:45] Investing Mistakes He Wouldn't Repeat [13:38] Mentors, EQ, and IQ [15:28] Ferguson's closing wisdom for the next generation

September 1, 2026Episode 26816 min

Roger Ferguson Jr. - Part 2: Reading the Fed, AI, and the Cracks in Capitalism | AWM Insights #268

In Part 2 of our three-part series, Roger Ferguson Jr. gives his unfiltered read on the Fed's credibility under new Chair Kevin Warsh, compares today's AI investment boom to the dot-com bubble he watched unfold as Fed Vice Chairman, and shares what actually worries him about the future of capitalism. Connect with Us: Call or text us: 626-862-0355 Website: https://www.athletefamilyoffice.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc1NxpK21N1vKWEExC45YEA LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/awmcapital/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awmcapital/ X: https://twitter.com/awmcapital Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awmcapital/ Chapters [00:00] The state of the Fed under new Chair Kevin Warsh [01:02] The Fed's five-year miss [03:13] How much patience the market will give the new chair [04:46] AI vs. the dot-com bubble [08:17] Where systemic risk actually sits this time [09:17] The Fed's blind spot [10:32] What Ferguson is optimistic about [10:59] What keeps him up at night

August 25, 2026Episode 2671 hr 15 min

Roger Ferguson Jr. - Part 1: The Making of a 1Hundred Year Family Mindset | AWM Insights #267

Roger Ferguson Jr. has held two of the most consequential seats in American finance: Vice Chairman of the Federal Reserve and, later, CEO of TIAA, where he nearly tripled assets under management while steering the company through the Global Financial Crisis, COVID, and more. In Part 1 of our three-part conversation, Roger traces the dining-room-table discipline that shaped him, his philosophy on raising kids who earn their own confidence, and the preparation habits that turned "Roger who?" into the Fed's second-most-powerful voice in under two years, all the way through to the values-driven investing chapter he's building now. Connect with Us Call or text us: 626-862-0355 Website: https://www.athletefamilyoffice.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc1NxpK21N1vKWEExC45YEA LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/awmcapital/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awmcapital/ X: https://twitter.com/awmcapital Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awmcapital/ Chapters [00:00] Introduction [00:02] The Dining Room Table [00:08] Money As A Tool, Not A Scorecard [00:16] Sweeping The Shed At Harvard [00:22] Raising Kids Who Earn Their Confidence [00:29] Meeting His Wife and Co-CEO [00:34] From "Roger Who?" To Vice Chairman of the Fed [00:47] Compete, Don't Compare [00:52] Taking Over TIAA In The Eye Of The GFC [01:04] Knowing When To Leave [01:09] What's Next [01:12] Do Well And Do Good #RogerFergusonJr #FederalReserve #TIAA #1hundredyearfamily #generationalwealth #financialliteracy #crisisleadership #deferredgratification #GlobalFinancialCrisis #mentalperformance #AWMCapital #AthleteFamilyOffice