Money Matters With Wes Moss

Hosted by Wes Moss

Business Investing

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Episodes

127

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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About the show

Since its debut in 1992, Money Matters was created to deliver objective and timely financial advice on WSB, Atlanta's legendary, award-winning news/talk radio station. Now, in addition to airing weekly on WSB, Money Matters is available as a podcast, tailor-made for both modern retirees and those still in the planning stages. Hosted since 2009 by Wes Moss — CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, best-selling author, Forbes contributor, and managing partner at Capital Investment Advisors in Atlanta — and backed by the Retire Sooner Team, the Money Matters podcast aims to continue the show's legacy of demystifying retirement finances. From dissecting the latest financial news to offering personalized answers to listener questions, the goal of Money Matters is to keep you informed and empowered. Our focus? Providing clear, actionable advice without the financial jargon to help 1 million families retire sooner and happier. Join us in this exciting new chapter, and let's journey toward a financially secure and joyful retirement together.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

June 16, 202635 min

Market Momentum, Diversification, Inflation, and the Surprising Link Between Friendship and Retirement Happiness

The stock market's performance during the first part of 2026 is prompting fresh questions about what history may or may not suggest about the months ahead. On this episode of the Money Matters Podcast, join Wes Moss and Connor Miller as they connect the dots between market trends, diversification, inflation, and the often-overlooked ingredients of retirement happiness. • Examine how markets have historically behaved following notable early-year gains. • Explore the growing role of technology and artificial intelligence in helping to shape market leadership. • Assess concentration risk and diversification considerations across major market indexes. • Unpack the buzz surrounding a highly anticipated private-company public offering. • Consider how your goals, time horizon, and risk tolerance may influence investment decisions. • Discover why friendship and social connection may play a larger role in retirement happiness than many people realize. • Follow the latest inflation data and the categories helping to drive recent price changes. • Learn how to pre-order Wes Moss's new book, The Retire Sooner Method, and access available bonuses. Listen and subscribe to the Money Matters Podcast for context on market trends, retirement planning, and the factors that help shape financial decision-making.

June 9, 202634 min

Stock Market Record Highs, AI Growth & the Retirement Confidence Challenge

From stock market record highs and AI-driven economic growth to the global reach of the FIFA World Cup, this episode of the Money Matters Podcast explores some of the biggest stories shaping today's financial conversation. Join Wes Moss and Jeff Lloyd as they examine market history, economic trends, retirement planning considerations, and the role financial confidence may play in long-term decision-making. • Explore the economic impact of the FIFA World Cup and its influence on global commerce and consumer activity. • Examine historical perspectives on stock market all-time highs, market momentum, and investor sentiment. • Consider how AI infrastructure may be contributing to economic activity across multiple industries. • Review historical data on earnings growth, market pullbacks, and long-term market trends. • Discover the research behind Wes’s new book, The Retire Sooner Method, and its focus on retirement planning and financial confidence. • Reflect on why confidence challenges may persist even among individuals who have accumulated significant retirement assets. Listen to the Money Matters Podcast for thoughtful conversations on investing, retirement planning, market history, and today's economy.

June 2, 202635 min

The ETF Boom: AI, Roth Conversions, and Modern Investing

From the explosion of ETFs to the rise of AI-powered investing, the financial world is moving fast—and this episode of the Money Matters Podcast helps make sense of it all. Join Wes Moss and Connor Miller for a lively conversation on retirement planning, Roth conversions, modern investing trends, and the growing number of financial tools competing for investors’ attention. • Explore how ETFs have grown from simple index funds into a massive universe of leveraged, thematic, covered call, and factor-based strategies. • Examine why ETFs now outnumber publicly traded U.S. stocks while reviewing the risks and tradeoffs tied to leveraged and inverse funds. • Understand the differences between ETFs and mutual funds alongside the growing influence of artificial intelligence and thematic investing trends. • Clarify the difference between financial planning and investment management while comparing resources such as CPAs, estate attorneys, fee-only planners, and hourly planning networks. • Review Roth conversion considerations, tax-planning strategies, and ideas from Wes’s new book, The Retire Sooner Method, on balancing financial preparation with long-term goals and lifestyle priorities. Listen and subscribe to the Money Matters Podcast for more conversations on investing, retirement planning, tax planning, market trends, and navigating today’s economy with a practical long-term perspective.

May 26, 202632 min

Travel Booms, IPO Buzz Builds, And Bonds Make Headlines

Travel is booming, IPO activity is heating up, and bonds are back in the news. In this episode of the Money Matters Podcast, Wes Moss and Jeff Lloyd unpack current market conversations—from inflation and investing to retirement planning and the next wave of potential high-profile public companies. • Explore record Memorial Day travel demand, rising airfare prices, and what Americans’ spending habits may be signaling about the economy. • Break down the growing IPO excitement surrounding certain major tech companies while comparing the different risks and tradeoffs tied to stocks, bonds, and Treasuries. • Explain who qualifies as an accredited investor, how investors may gain access after companies go public, and why market excitement can sometimes fuel investor FOMO. • Review updated inflation forecasts, higher bond yields, and why diversification and income-focused investing continue to remain important considerations in many long-term financial planning conversations. • Discover retirement planning resources and bonus content tied to pre-ordering The Retire Sooner Method. Listen and subscribe to the Money Matters Podcast for more conversations on investing, retirement planning, market volatility, and navigating today’s economy with a practical long-term perspective.

May 19, 202634 min

Stocks Keep Hitting Highs: Here’s What May Be Fueling It

Wall Street highs, stubborn inflation, interest rates, energy markets, and big earnings growth all collide in this episode of the Money Matters Podcast with Wes Moss and Jeff Lloyd. Tune in as they connect record-setting S&P 500 momentum, Federal Reserve policy, diversification, consumer confidence, and America’s changing energy story in a fast-moving conversation about today’s economy. • Explore why recent S&P 500 highs may have more to do with earnings growth than headlines or market fear. • Analyze how inflation, mortgage rates, CPI data, and Federal Reserve decisions seem to continue influencing households and markets. • Compare diversification strategies, including equal-weight ETFs, as technology stocks increasingly dominate the market. • Learn how America’s expanding energy production continues to reshape conversations around inflation and the global economy. • Enjoy conversations about entrepreneurship, financial education, and early details surrounding the upcoming release of The Retire Sooner Method. Listen and subscribe to the Money Matters Podcast for grounded conversations about retirement planning, investing, inflation, and the economy.

May 12, 202634 min

AI, Oil Prices, and the Future of Work in America

Artificial intelligence, oil prices, the stock market, and the future of work all collide in this fast-moving episode of the Money Matters Podcast with Wes Moss and Connor Miller. Follow along as they connect AI growth, savings strategies, labor trends, energy markets, and the economic forces often associated with shaping the U.S. economy in 2026. • Examine how Year Zero Savings Accounts and sovereign wealth-style proposals might encourage long-term saving and broader participation in investing over time. • Explore the “candy tree principle” and Jevons Paradox to see why new technology at times creates more demand and opportunity instead of less. • Track oil prices, Middle East diplomacy, and the global energy trends that may continue influencing markets and consumer spending. • Assess how earnings growth across technology, utilities, communications, and materials may have helped support recent stock market resilience. • Consider how artificial intelligence, massive data center construction, reshoring, and infrastructure spending may continue increasing demand for skilled trades across the country. • Hear perspectives from the Milken Conference on blue-collar job growth, changing white-collar careers, and where the labor market could be heading next. • Reflect on retirement planning approaches that may help households create more clarity, flexibility, and long-term financial organization. Listen and subscribe to the Money Matters Podcast with Wes Moss for grounded conversations about investing, artificial intelligence, retirement planning, and the trends often associated with reshaping the economy.

May 5, 202634 min

Stock Market Surge Meets Inflation Reality: April Update & Retirement Planning Insights

Big market moves, mixed signals, and a few surprises along the way. This episode of the Money Matters Podcast with Wes Moss and Jeff Lloyd pulls it all together into a clear, easy-to-follow conversation. Blending market performance with economic trends and everyday life, this episode is designed to help you stay grounded despite life’s uncertainties. • Break down April’s stock market run and place it alongside geopolitical tension and rising oil prices. Revisit the expression “Sell in May and go away” and consider the tradeoffs of stepping out of the market. • Size up the challenge of market timing and see why consistent, long-term investing has historically been associated with retirement planning. • Follow the Moss family’s unexpected puppy adoption story and think about how real-life decisions may help shape financial priorities. • Connect volunteering and fostering to retirement happiness using fresh, survey-based insights on purpose and lifestyle. • Check in on the labor market with low jobless claims and use the prime-age employment ratio to help examine economic conditions. • Look at what may be worrying Americans most, based on data from Gallup, such as healthcare, housing, energy, and cost of living, and compare that to current consumer sentiment. • Track what’s driving inflation, from tech to home goods, while also weighing wage growth, workforce changes, and the growing role of artificial intelligence. • Join the fun with a community apple recipe project and step back to see how markets, money, and everyday life may intersect. For perspective grounded in data and real-world context, not predictions, this episode offers a thoughtful way to stay engaged. Listen and subscribe to the Money Matters Podcast for more conversations that aim to help you stay up to date on markets, inflation, and retirement planning.

April 28, 202635 min

The Market’s Wall of Worry: AI, Geopolitics, Inflation & Long-Term Context

Markets rarely wait for perfect news, and this episode of the Money Matters Podcast helps connect the headlines to what may matter over time. Wes Moss and Connor Miller cut through the noise, tying together geopolitics, AI, and economic data to provide context for long-term investors, not predictions or guarantees. • Follow how markets have historically moved higher despite geopolitical tension, while recognizing that past performance does not guarantee future results. • See how rebounds after selloffs have occurred in some historical periods and why some investors may miss them. • Assess how earnings trends and labor market conditions may be contributing to recent market resilience. • Connect artificial intelligence growth and big tech shifts to market performance and workforce changes. • Compare today’s environment to historical patterns and review what S&P 500 earnings, margins, and sector leadership may indicate about the broader landscape. • Understand inflation through measures such as trimmed CPI, and consider how rising prices may affect retirement income over time. • Reflect on leadership transitions at a major tech company, including the soon-to-be-retired CEO’s tenure, in a long-term business context. • Consider how personal financial decisions, including relationship dynamics, may influence long-term financial outcomes. For perspective grounded in history and current data, this episode offers context to help inform your financial decisions. Listen and subscribe to the Money Matters Podcast for ongoing, context-driven insights.

April 21, 202635 min

What’s Driving the Market Right Now? Volatility, Fed Policy & Investor Behavior

Make sense of a market that never seems to slow down as Wes Moss and Jeff Lloyd connect the dots between headlines, history, and investor behavior. This episode of the Money Matters Podcast puts market swings, S&P 500 highs, inflation, and Federal Reserve policy into a steady, long-term perspective. See how geopolitical tensions, election cycles, and nonstop news may stir stock market volatility, and compare the recent rebound, including an 11-day return to all-time highs and a wave of 2026 S&P 500 records, to patterns seen over decades. Understand what the VIX (Volatility Index) and shifting investor sentiment may signal, from moments of panic to the relief that has been associated with rebounds. Put everyday finances into context by looking at 2026 tax refunds, rising gas prices, and how households tend to adjust spending. Connect Federal Reserve policy, inflation targets, and potential Fed Chair nominee Kevin Warsh’s diversified holdings across AI, fintech, biotech, private equity, and youth sports to the broader economic picture. Explore how private equity may be influencing areas like youth sports and how companies like Allbirds are pivoting toward artificial intelligence to keep up with changing trends. Looking for a calmer, more grounded way to think about today’s markets? This episode is for you. Listen and subscribe to the Money Matters Podcast for more context-driven conversations each week.

April 14, 202636 min

Markets Are Loud. Here’s What Actually Matters: Volatility, AI, Jobs & Your Retirement Plan

Markets moving fast? Headlines getting loud? Take a step back and see the bigger picture in this episode of the Money Matters Podcast. Wes Moss and Connor Miller break down what’s happening across the economy, markets, and retirement planning so you can focus on what matters to you. • Understand how Middle East tensions, shifting sentiment, and sharp market rallies, including an approximately 82% surge, have historically shown up during uncertain moments, not clear turning points, though past performance does not guarantee future results and may not indicate future market direction. • Examine oil prices, energy stocks, and sector shifts to see how today’s market environment compares to past cycles. • Review major economic moments, from COVID-19 stimulus to tariff changes, and consider how markets have responded over time. • Explore how artificial intelligence and innovation are gaining attention as potential long-term drivers of growth, though outcomes are uncertain and subject to change. • Analyze consumer spending, wage growth, inflation, and dividends through the lens of retirement income planning. • Clarify what’s really happening in the labor market by looking beyond headlines to youth employment trends, job turnover, and deeper data beneath the surface. • Evaluate how dividend-paying stocks have historically fit into diversified portfolios (though are not guaranteed), especially for income-focused investors. • Assess high-end housing markets where limited supply and strong demand continue to shape prices. • Reframe your financial game plan by focusing on adaptability, diversification, and long-term decision-making, which should be aligned with your individual goals and risk tolerance. Take the emotion out of investing and refocus on a steady, long-term approach. Listen and subscribe to the Money Matters Podcast for clear, educational context to help inform your financial decisions over time.