SKEPTIC’S GUIDE TO INVESTING

Hosted by Steve Davenport, Clement Miller

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Episodes

175

Latest episode

Oct 2026

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EN-US

About the show

Straight Talk for All, Nonsense for None About - Our podcast looks to help improve investing IQ. We share 15-30 minutes on finance, market and investment ideas. We bring experience and empathy to the complex process of financial wellness. Every journey is unique, so we look for ways our insights can help listeners. Also, we want to have fun😎 Your Hosts - Meet Steve Davenport, CFA and Clem Miller, CFA as they discus the latest in news, markets and investments. They each bring over 25 years in the investment industry to their discussions. Steve brings a domestic stock and quantitative emphasis, Clem has a more fundamental and international perspective. They hope to bring experience, honesty and humility to these podcasts. There are a lot of acronyms and financial terms which confuse more than they help. There are many entertainers versus analysts promoting get rich quick ideas. Let’s cut through the nonsense with straight talk! Disclaimer - These podcasts are not intended as investment advice. Individuals please consult your own investment, tax and legal advisors. They provide these insights for educational purposes only.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

October 27, 202654 min

Mind Money Balance with Lindsay Brian-Podvin

Please text and tell us what you like You can memorize every budgeting rule and still feel a knot in your stomach when it’s time to make a money decision. That gap between knowledge and action is where financial therapist Lindsay Brian Podvin shines. We sit down with Lindsay, the creator of Mind Money Balance, to talk about financial anxiety, the psychology of money, and why shame and perfectionism keep smart people stuck. We get practical fast: credit card fine print, “0% interest” traps, autopay as a stress-reducer, and the behavioral finance forces working against you, especially present bias. We also dig into the bigger picture, from human capital to mental health. Sleep, exercise, meditation, and community support are not side quests, they shape how you invest, save, and tolerate risk when markets and life get messy. Trust is a recurring thread. We talk about why some families and cultures don’t trust banks, what FDIC insurance changes, and how to rebuild confidence with small, safe experiments before jumping to investing. We also challenge one-size-fits-all advice by focusing on your “financial exhale” and the next right step, whether that’s a starter emergency fund, an employer match, or simply talking openly about money goals with someone you trust. If you want a calmer money mindset and a clearer path to financial well-being, listen now, then subscribe, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave us a review. What’s one small step you can take this week to feel more in control of your money? Straight Talk for All - Nonsense for None Please check out our other podcasts: https://skepticsguidetoinvesting.buzzsprout.com Disclaimer - These podcasts are not intended as investment advice. Individuals please consult your own investment, tax and legal advisors. They provide these insights for educational purposes only.

October 22, 20261 hr 12 min

Is The Market A Bubble

Please text and tell us what you like The market looks calm on the surface, but the undercurrents feel anything but normal. We’re watching prices float near highs while energy costs stay elevated, treasury yields remain a headwind, and the S&P 500 dividend yield sinks below 1% a level that should make any long-term investor pause. So we ask the uncomfortable question: are we living through a true stock market bubble, or is this just a frothy top that can last longer than anyone expects? From there, we get practical. We debate which signals are actually useful when valuation narratives get stretched, including why forward PEG ratios can be distorted by overly optimistic growth forecasts, and why short interest ratio still deserves a spot on your dashboard. We also talk through the psychology of listening to big-name investors, separating courage from “talking your book,” and how IPO timing around AI companies can favor insiders at exactly the wrong moment for new buyers. Then we open the hood on real portfolio decisions: why someone might hold a cash-heavy allocation right now, which mega-cap tech and AI stocks still make sense as long-term holdings, and where defensive names can reduce regret if volatility spikes. We also dig into geopolitical risk like China and Taiwan Semiconductor, plus the political backdrop in the US and Europe that can hit markets fast. If you want grounded investing talk with clear risk management takeaways, listen through to the end and share this with a friend who’s feeling whiplash from the market. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us what you think: bubble, froth, or something else entirely? Straight Talk for All - Nonsense for None Please check out our other podcasts: https://skepticsguidetoinvesting.buzzsprout.com Disclaimer - These podcasts are not intended as investment advice. Individuals please consult your own investment, tax and legal advisors. They provide these insights for educational purposes only.

October 12, 202639 min

Invest Like Smart Money

Please text and tell us what you like Most investing advice is built for speed: quick takes, hot stocks, and headlines that make you feel like you’re falling behind. We slow it down and ask a better question: what do the wealthiest families do to stay wealthy through every market cycle? We’re joined by Mark Miller, Managing Director of the Hilton Family Office and CEO of Hilton Tax and Wealth Advisors. Mark shares how “smart money” thinks about portfolio construction, starting with safety and security before chasing returns. We talk about why low volatility investing can outperform over time, how to use multi-year time horizons instead of judging results every 12 months, and what a balanced allocation can look like when most retail portfolios quietly drift into equity-heavy risk. We also get into what’s changing right now: concentration risk inside index funds, especially when a handful of mega-cap tech names dominate performance; how values-based and faith-based investing can fit into a real plan; and why tax planning and tax mitigation are often the biggest overlooked drivers of long-term wealth. Along the way, we call out “financial pornography” from market media, the dynamics that make IPO hype so dangerous for everyday investors, and why AI-generated investing tips can’t replace an advisor who knows your full financial picture. If you want smarter, calmer decisions with your money, hit subscribe, share this with a friend who doom-scrolls the market, and leave a review with the biggest risk you want to eliminate first. Straight Talk for All - Nonsense for None Please check out our other podcasts: https://skepticsguidetoinvesting.buzzsprout.com Disclaimer - These podcasts are not intended as investment advice. Individuals please consult your own investment, tax and legal advisors. They provide these insights for educational purposes only.

September 29, 202646 min

Neo Medieval Markets And The Case For Capital Protection

Please text and tell us what you like Sub stack for Jack Duval http://tarotfso.substack.com/ The market can look quiet right up until it doesn’t, and that gap between calm prices and messy reality is where investors get hurt. We sit down with Jack Duval, CEO and CIO at Bantam Inc., to unpack why he sees today as a “neo-medieval” investing environment, one defined by weakened states, sharper economic imbalances, and security risks that don’t fit the old post-1945 playbook. From there, we get practical. Jack makes the case that chasing benchmark outperformance can be the wrong north star when capital preservation is the real job, especially for families who don’t want to “give it back.” We talk about what a meaningful real return target looks like (think CPI plus a reasonable spread), why avoiding large drawdowns can outperform over full cycles, and how investors only discover their true risk tolerance when portfolios are already bleeding. We also challenge popular portfolio ideas that sound diversified on a pie chart but behave like equities when markets break. That leads into a clear-eyed look at cash, dividend and value regimes, and why monitoring sector, size, and style leadership can keep you grounded in what the market is actually doing. Finally, we explore commodities and gold in a world of persistent inflation, interest rate suppression risk, and the possibility of negative real yields, then wrap with a professional mindset: build contingency plans instead of predictions, and develop real sell discipline. If you want clearer thinking about risk management, inflation hedging, and investing through geopolitical chaos, listen through to the end, then subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review. What part of your portfolio needs a contingency plan first? Straight Talk for All - Nonsense for None Please check out our other podcasts: https://skepticsguidetoinvesting.buzzsprout.com Disclaimer - These podcasts are not intended as investment advice. Individuals please consult your own investment, tax and legal advisors. They provide these insights for educational purposes only.

September 22, 202625 min

Red Carpets And Real Deals

Please text and tell us what you like A summit can feel like a market event, but that doesn’t mean it’s an investing opportunity. We take a skeptical look at the upcoming Xi Trump meeting and ask the uncomfortable question: are we getting a deeper US China relationship, or just better lighting, bigger delegations, and a fresh round of “deliverables” designed for headlines? We walk through how these deals typically work behind the scenes, why leaders often claim credit for business agreements negotiated long before the cameras arrive, and why that matters if you’re trying to trade the news. Then we pressure-test the agenda overload: AI and US model access, Nvidia-class chip policy, rare earths, Iran, Taiwan, Ukraine, and energy security. When everything is supposedly on the table, we argue that very little gets truly resolved. From there, we zoom in on two areas investors keep asking about. First, energy and geopolitics: shipping risk, tanker attacks, and whether Iran Oman toll ideas could reshape incentives for China as a major oil buyer. Second, rare earths: the real chokepoint is processing, not just mining, and we discuss why building a US supply chain is strategically important but not automatically a great stock thesis, using MP Materials as a reality check. If you’re trying to position a portfolio ahead of the summit, we’ll help you separate real catalysts from stagecraft and build a simple post-summit watchlist. Subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review, then tell us what outcome you think actually moves markets. Straight Talk for All - Nonsense for None Please check out our other podcasts: https://skepticsguidetoinvesting.buzzsprout.com Disclaimer - These podcasts are not intended as investment advice. Individuals please consult your own investment, tax and legal advisors. They provide these insights for educational purposes only.

September 14, 202647 min

The Wealth Elevator Method For Real Estate Cash Flow

Please text and tell us what you like You can save for years, do everything “right,” and still feel stuck because your money never creates real momentum. We sit down with Lane Kawaoka, a real estate investor and founder behind a private equity platform with over $2B in assets, to unpack how he goes from a first rental purchase to a scalable strategy built around cash flow, sensible risk, and repeatable deal criteria. We get specific about what Lane looks for when he buys: the rent-to-value ratio, why high-priced coastal markets often fail the cash flow test, and how he targets the “sweet spot” neighborhoods that support workforce housing demand without turning landlording into constant crisis management. Lane also explains the four drivers of rental real estate returns: cash flow, appreciation, tax advantages like depreciation, and mortgage paydown funded by tenants. If you’ve only compared real estate to stocks by headline returns, this reframes the whole conversation. From there we zoom out to portfolio construction. Lane contrasts primary access investing (direct ownership and syndications) with secondary-market products like REITs, and why fees, middlemen, and deal flow access can change outcomes. We also talk about the barbell strategy, diversification, and the hard lessons that show up when you concentrate too heavily in one asset class and the market corrects. To close, Lane shares the practical tools he watches for interest-rate direction, plus how inflation shapes the long-term case for owning real assets. Subscribe for more investing conversations, share this with a friend who wants real passive income strategies, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway or question. Straight Talk for All - Nonsense for None Please check out our other podcasts: https://skepticsguidetoinvesting.buzzsprout.com Disclaimer - These podcasts are not intended as investment advice. Individuals please consult your own investment, tax and legal advisors. They provide these insights for educational purposes only.

September 9, 202621 min

Apple’s Next Act

Please text and tell us what you like A new CEO at Apple is never just a leadership story, it’s an investing story. We talk through what it could mean now that Tim Cook is retired and Apple hands the reins to John Ternus, a longtime product development leader. If you’ve felt the iPhone cycle has turned into small upgrades and big marketing, you’ll want to hear our take on whether a product-first CEO can restart Apple’s innovation engine and lift the outlook for Apple stock. We dig into the biggest possible swing factor: a foldable iPhone. We debate who would actually pay $2,000 for a phone, why a larger screen could change how people handle video and Zoom, and whether foldables could become the next premium category Apple dominates. From there, we shift to AI strategy and Siri. Apple’s slower approach might protect the brand, but it also raises the question of who they partner with and how consumers are supposed to judge competing AI tools on accuracy, cost, and usefulness. Then we get practical about risk. We lay out what would make us sell, including supply chain concentration in China, diversification toward India, potential geopolitical shocks, and the quieter threat of talent leaving for richer AI salaries elsewhere. We close with a reminder of Apple’s biggest strength: the installed base and the service experience that keeps people locked in. If you’re thinking about buying more, trimming, or simply holding, this conversation gives you a clearer checklist. Subscribe, share this with a fellow investor, and leave a review, what would have to happen for you to change your Apple position? Straight Talk for All - Nonsense for None Please check out our other podcasts: https://skepticsguidetoinvesting.buzzsprout.com Disclaimer - These podcasts are not intended as investment advice. Individuals please consult your own investment, tax and legal advisors. They provide these insights for educational purposes only.

September 9, 202619 min

The Great White North Is Not A Bear

Please text and tell us what you like Tariffs make great sound bites, but they get messy fast when your “target” is your closest trading partner. We dig into the sudden surge of U.S. hostility toward Canada and ask the question that matters for business owners, investors, and anyone watching North American supply chains: did we pick the right fight, or did we just tax ourselves with extra steps? We break down where the real trade tensions live, including dairy disputes, softwood lumber battles, and the deeply integrated auto manufacturing network built under NAFTA and reinforced by USMCA. We also talk about why blanket tariff threats are a poor fit for problems that are usually narrow and industry-specific, and why using tariffs as a political weapon can create blowback in border states that rely on two-way trade. Then we zoom out to Canada’s strategy. Canada is expanding options through the CPTPP across the Pacific and strengthening ties with Europe in ways that could reduce long-term dependence on the U.S. We also tackle the China question, from autos and consumer markets to the bigger strategic issue of energy, minerals, and rare earths, where allies matter if the goal is to reduce reliance on Beijing. We close by looking at the election timeline and what a rushed “declare victory” off-ramp might look like. If you found this useful, subscribe, share it with a friend who follows trade policy, and leave us a review with your take: is this tariff fight strategy, distraction, or both? Straight Talk for All - Nonsense for None Please check out our other podcasts: https://skepticsguidetoinvesting.buzzsprout.com Disclaimer - These podcasts are not intended as investment advice. Individuals please consult your own investment, tax and legal advisors. They provide these insights for educational purposes only.

September 4, 202652 min

Walker Cup At Lahinch: The Amateur Golf Standard

Please text and tell us what you like The Walker Cup has a way of making golf feel urgent again. Put the best amateurs in the world on a true links course like Lahinch, add wind off the Atlantic, and suddenly every choice matters: club selection, shot shape, patience, and how you handle the moments when you’re not the one hitting the ball. We’re joined by John Riley, co-writer of The Last Amateur, to talk about Jay Siegel’s place in golf history and why the Walker Cup fit him so perfectly. Jay played a record nine Walker Cups, but what sticks with us are the stories that explain the legend: the shift from struggling in match play to embracing a “sudden death on every hole” mindset, the quiet leadership that calms a nervous partner, and the personal code that refuses to win by rooting against an opponent. We also get into the tension every captain faces when choosing between raw talent and steady experience, and why alternate shot can turn “sure things” into surprises. From Pine Valley showdowns to Peachtree heartbreak, and from Portmarnock’s massive Irish crowds to the scenery near the Cliffs of Moher, we connect Walker Cup tradition to practical lessons any golfer can use. If you love amateur golf, match play strategy, and the soul of links golf in Ireland, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share it with a golf friend, and leave a review with your favorite Walker Cup moment. For access to "The Last Amateur" please click below: https://sigelgolfbook.com/ Straight Talk for All - Nonsense for None Please check out our other podcasts: https://skepticsguidetoinvesting.buzzsprout.com Disclaimer - These podcasts are not intended as investment advice. Individuals please consult your own investment, tax and legal advisors. They provide these insights for educational purposes only.

September 3, 202631 min

Trump Accounts Explained

Please text and tell us what you like A new savings idea for kids can be both smart and messy at the same time. We dig into the so-called Trump accounts, a proposal aimed at children born between January 2025 and December 31, 2028, and why the core concept is hard to argue with: get money invested early, let compounding growth work for years, and give families a real runway for college costs, a first home, and long-term financial security. Then we zoom in on the part that raises eyebrows. We talk through how the accounts are reportedly structured, including Treasury’s use of BNY Mellon and how Robinhood Securities ends up serving as trustee, custodian, and broker. That setup triggers the big questions investors should ask about any long-term vehicle: Who controls the plumbing? Is the selection process fair? Do families get meaningful choice later, or does the default create “stickiness” that keeps assets on one platform even when better options exist? We also tackle what’s actually inside the accounts today and what could show up tomorrow. Passive index funds and ETF-style investing sound sensible, but custody risk and platform risk can matter just as much as fund selection. From there, we explore the blurry boundary between investing and collecting, including crypto ETFs, stablecoin, meme coins, and how regulators like the SEC, CFTC, and FINRA influence what becomes “approved” inside retirement-style accounts. If you care about child investing, custodial accounts, IRA rules, and the real-world incentives behind financial products, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review, then tell us: would you take the free money and opt in, or stay away until the structure changes? Straight Talk for All - Nonsense for None Please check out our other podcasts: https://skepticsguidetoinvesting.buzzsprout.com Disclaimer - These podcasts are not intended as investment advice. Individuals please consult your own investment, tax and legal advisors. They provide these insights for educational purposes only.

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