Podcasts by Flourish Insights

Episode 59: Avoid Investor Complacency from 2022-01-26T01:22:36

Episode #59: Avoid Investor Complacency

In our last episode, we discussed expectations for 2022 - including higher volatility than we’ve seen in the last few years. We’re seeing it alread...

Episode 58: Expectations for 2022 from 2022-01-05T05:15:49

It’s a new year, and we’ve been busy evaluating market dynamics in order to make projections about what might happen next. We follow an evidence-based investment approach here at Flourish, and i...

Episode 57: 2021 Year in Review from 2021-12-22T21:31:21

In episodes 21 and 22, we reflected on 2020 and shared expectations for 2021. I’m happy to say we got some predictions right, but I’m not surprised we got a lot wrong, too. It always bears repea...

Episode 56: How Statistics Almost Ruined Thanksgiving from 2021-12-02T14:06:45

Episode 56: How Statistics Almost Ruined Thanksgiving

If you watched the news on Thanksgiving this year, you might have found it to be a negative experience. The statistics generating med...

Episode 55: Corporate Earnings and Market Bubbles from 2021-11-10T19:29:42

Episode #55: Corporate Earnings and Market Bubbles

You’ve probably seen the recent headlines asking whether the market is in a bubble, and this strikes fear in many investors. After all, ...

Episode 54: Panflation: What is it? When will it end? from 2021-10-20T14:27:32

Episode 54: Panflation: What is it? When will it end?

As evidence-based investors, we typically rely on historical stock market and economic data from the past one hundred years to answer...

Episode 53: Debt and Stimulus - What's Next? from 2021-10-06T16:29:21

We’re back with a new format of biweekly episodes, where we dive even deeper into the themes and developments that are driving market activity. In this episode, we discuss the potentially volati...

Episode 52: Update on Meme Stocks from 2021-08-06T12:44:25

Episode 52: Update on Meme Stocks

In this follow-up to Episode 26, which discussed the difference between investing and trading, Ja...

Episode 51: Tapering: Who, What, Why, and When from 2021-07-29T18:35:18

Episode 51: Tapering: Who, What, Why, and When

Episode description.

Always check back next week for more Flourish Insights with Jay Pluimer and don't forget to check out our insigh...

Episode 50: Why Invest in the Stock Market from 2021-07-23T13:38:38

Episode 50: Why Invest in the Stock Market

In this milestone 50th episode, Jay Pluimer digs into the reasons why the stock market is such an important investment opportunity, and the role...

Episode 49: Let's Talk About Bonds, Baby from 2021-07-15T16:24:17

Episode 49: Let's Talk About Bonds, Baby

Are bonds on your mind? You’re not alone! In this follow-up to episode 36, Jay revisits frequent questions about what bond allocations mean for yo...

Episode 48: Update on Personal Savings and Spending Rates from 2021-07-09T13:55:25

Episode #48: Update on Personal Savings and Spending Rates

The COVID crisis changed the landscape of the American economy. One bittersweet consequence is that the average American family ...

Episode 47: What's Up with the Housing Market? from 2021-07-01T17:55:45

Episode 47: What's Up with the Housing Market?

The state of the housing market is a frequent topic of conversation these days, with prices soaring, homes selling in days, and sellers fiel...

Episode 46: Revisiting the Inflation Question from 2021-06-24T18:19:09

Episode 46: Revisiting the Inflation Question

Inflation is once again a hot topic among economists and investors. Now that we have four months of economic data for 2021, coupled with mult...

Episode 45: Should Anybody Sell in May and Go Away? from 2021-06-17T18:53:02

Episode 45: Should Anybody Sell in May and Go Away?

If you’ve heard the common investing refrain, “Sell in May and go away”, then you may be wondering if taking a break from the markets e...

Episode 44: ESG vs. Big Oil from 2021-06-10T17:51:19

Episode 44: ESG vs. Big Oil

Environmental, Social, and Governance investments have been a popular topic, both on this podcast and in the wider investment context. An important theme in th...

Episode 43: A Comprehensive View of Your Investments from 2021-06-03T13:33:06

Episode 43: A Comprehensive View of Your Investments

It’s common to have an incomplete picture of your savings and investments. Even the most organized people have the occasional pension ...

Episode 42: The Return of Value Investments from 2021-05-27T20:14:43

Episode 42: The Return of Value Investments

Value-oriented investments have returned to prominence in the stock market, with indications that they may lead the next market cycle. This inv...

Episode 41: Can You Get Back Into the Market Now? from 2021-05-20T18:34:12

Episode 41: Can You Get Back Into the Market Now?

It’s been over a year since the bottom dropped out of the stock market during the midst of the coronavirus crisis. At Flourish, we encour...

Episode 40: The Income Replacement Dilemma from 2021-05-13T18:04:35

Episode 40: The Income Replacement Dilemma

As you approach retirement, it is essential to plan for how you will replace your current income and support your preferred retirement lifestyle...

Episode 39: To Crypto, or Not to Crypto? from 2021-05-06T16:31:21

Episode 39: To Crypto, or Not to Crypto?

Cryptocurrency is a term used to describe a variety of digital currencies, with the two best known and largest being Bitcoin and Ethereum. Cryptoc...

Episode 38: Is the 60/40 Portfolio Dead? from 2021-04-29T17:45:01

Episode 38: Is the 60/40 Portfolio Dead?

A 60/40 portfolio refers to a traditional mix of accounts with 60 percent invested in U.S. and international stocks, plus 40 percent invested in b...

Episode 37: Mind the Wealth Gap from 2021-04-22T17:06:56

Episode 37: Mind the Wealth Gap

The stock market and the U.S. economy have experienced a spectacular recovery from late March 2020, when the coronavirus crisis had our lives in shutdown m...

Episode 36: Bond Investments in a Rising Interest Rate Environment from 2021-04-15T16:05:13

Episode 36: Bond Investments in a Rising Interest Rate Environment

Frequent headlines over the last few months reference two similar messages: “Death of the 60/40 Portfolio” and “Higher R...

Episode 35: What Biases Influence Your Investment Decisions? from 2021-04-08T14:12:50

Episode 35: What Biases Influence Your Investment Decisions?

There are as many different approaches to making investment decisions as there are colors of the rainbow, but they all share a...

Episode 34: COVID Savings Equals Vaccine Spending from 2021-04-01T14:46:18

Episode 34: COVID Savings Equals Vaccine Spending

The fundamental belief for a post-covid economic recovery in the U.S is based on the equation that people saved money while the economy w...

Episode 33: How Can the US Handle More Debt? from 2021-03-25T15:50

Episode 33: How Can the US Handle More Debt?

Across the United States, people are receiving money from the recent American Rescue Plan - the third economic stimulus effort over the past y...

Episode 32: Turning 180 Degrees in 12 Months from 2021-03-18T16:51:49

Episode 32: Turning 180 Degrees in 12 Months

We have now passed the one-year mark since COVID-19 caused an economic recession and a market depression happening simultaneously - and all ju...

Episode 31: What is the Real Unemployment Rate? from 2021-03-11T17:37:26

Episode 31: What is the Real Unemployment Rate?

The coronavirus crisis has led to millions of lost jobs, and millions more workers who have jobs but who aren’t making as much today as the...

Episode 30: Inflation: Too Hot, Too Cold, or Just Right? from 2021-03-04T17:21:19

Episode 30: Inflation: Too Hot, Too Cold, or Just Right?

Inflation means a general increase in prices and a fall in the purchasing power of money. We have not truly experienced high infla...

Episode 29: What is Happening in the ESG World? from 2021-02-25T17:31:46

Episode 29: What is Happening in the ESG World?

We’ve discussed the growing field of ESG investments in prior podcasts, and this week we’re examining the broader trends that could be supp...

Episode 28: Does Stock Picking Work? from 2021-02-18T14:33:22

Episode 28: Does Stock Picking Work?

When you think of success stories like Tesla and Apple, it can be tempting to try your hand at individual stock picking. However, the risks outweigh t...

Episode 27: Wall Street - The Reality Behind the Bad Reputation from 2021-02-11T14:00:21

Episode 27: Wall Street - The Reality Behind the Bad Reputation

Wall Street has a wide variety of definitions, some positive and some negative, but what do all the shades of gray really m...

Episode 26: GameStop - The Difference Between Investing and Trading from 2021-02-04T14:00

Episode 26: GameStop - The Difference Between Investing and Trading

At Flourish, we build client portfolio allocations and use a mixture of mutual funds and ETFs to accomplish long-term g...

Episode 25: Are We In a Market Bubble? from 2021-01-28T16:30:08

Episode 25: Are We In a Market Bubble?

We witnessed a surprisingly strong stock market rally in 2020, following a strong year in 2019, which has led many people to wonder whether we are i...

Episode 24: The Key Objectives for the Federal Reserve from 2021-01-21T16:51:30

Episode 24: The Key Objectives for the Federal Reserve

Also known as the Fed, the Federal Reserve was established in 1913 to act as the central banking system for the United States after ...

Episode 23: The K-Shaped Recovery from 2021-01-14T16:00

Episode 23: The K-Shaped Recovery

A K-shaped recovery describes the situation where performance for different parts of the economy goes in different directions. In this case, one part goe...

Episode 22: Expectations for 2021 from 2021-01-07T16:00:19

Episode #22: Expectations for 2021

Based on the record-breaking year we experienced in 2020, and the mass distribution of COVID-19 vaccines expected for the coming months, we are cautious...

Episode 21: Reflections on 2020 from 2020-12-31T17:15:36

Episode 21: Reflections on 2020

This past year was one for the record books, both for the stock market and for the greater economy. The year began fairly well, with the S&P 500 hittin...

Episode 20: What is a TINA Market? from 2020-12-24T17:00

Episode 20: What is a TINA Market?

As we move into 2021, we may be in for a TINA market, which stands for “There is No Alternative” and refers to a market where stocks offer better return...

Episode 19: The Investment Impact of Vaccines from 2020-12-17T14:05:27

Episode #19: The Investment Impact of Vaccines

Vaccines are now being deployed in the United States and around the world, and it’s important to consider what this might mean for the econo...

Episode 18: The Energy Sector from 2020-12-10T15:47:21

Episode #18: The Energy Sector

The energy sector represented nearly one-third of the S&P index in the 1980s, but now it is less than 2% and 2020 may be a decisive turning point for en...

Episode 17: The Small Cap Recovery from 2020-12-03T15:35:49

Episode #17: The Small Cap Recovery

Small cap companies, which are public companies with market capitalizations under $2 billion - and as low as $300 million - make up a large portion of ...

Episode 16: Why Emerging Markets? from 2020-11-26T13:57

Why Emerging Markets?

Having a diversified investment portfolio includes meaningful exposure to Emerging Markets because they support higher expected long-term returns. <...

Episode 15: Post-Election Markets from 2020-11-19T15:30:31

Episode #15: Post-Election Markets

The make-up of our federal government won’t be finalized for several weeks, but the notion of a divided government often leads to a “goldilocks” scenari...

Episode 14: Active Versus Passive Investing from 2020-11-12T15:30

Episode #14: Active Versus Passive Investing   Picking active fund managers means you’re betting against statistical odds - and paying higher fees in the process.    When it comes to your portfo...

Episode 13: Home Bias&Poor Diversification from 2020-11-04T17:36:26

Episode #13: Home Bias & Poor Diversification

Beware your investing biases and don’t forget to double-check your mutual fund holdings.

In this week’s episode, Director of Inves...

Episode 12: Why Should I have Bonds Now? from 2020-10-28T19:39:20

Episode #12: Why Should I have Bonds Now?

Historically, there have been two reasons to own bonds: risk reduction, and a combination of income and price appreciation. What’s different righ...

Episode 11: Fiscal Stimulus and Market Movements from 2020-10-20T18:30:07

Episode #: Fiscal Stimulus and Market Movements

Fiscal stimulus is an economic game-changer, and it can impact the stock market in several ways. The Federal Reserve has been very aggressi...

Episode 9: What is ESG? from 2020-10-07T17:53:14

Episode #9: What is ESG?

This investment strategy allows you to align your values with your dollars, while influencing corporate behavior, too.

Investing isn’t all about dollars an...

Episode 8: Growth vs. Value from 2020-09-29T14:40:42

Episode 8: Growth vs. Value

Growth stocks - companies that have the potential to grow revenues at a rate that is much higher than the market - have been driving the post-COVID rally in 20...

Episode 7: The Dangers of Stock Concentration from 2020-09-23T14:47:58

Episode #7: The Dangers of Stock Concentration

September saw an unexpected drop for tech stocks, leading to a market correction. The Nasdaq 100, the index which best represents the techno...

Episode 6: Presidential Elections and the Market from 2020-09-16T23:34:39

Episode #6: Presidential Elections and the Markets Many of our clients ask about the impact that the outcome of the presidential election may have on investments, markets, and general economic s...

Episode 5: The Shape of Our Economic Recovery from 2020-09-09T14:29:24

Episode #5: The Shape of Our Economic Recovery Our post-coronavirus economic recovery is dependent on many factors. We can look at the possible outcomes in three shapes. The first outcome, the V...

Episode 4: Portfolio Rebalancing: the Flourish Model from 2020-09-02T09:00

Episode #4: Portfolio Rebalancing: The Flourish Model

Portfolio Rebalancing is a necessary and important component of sound and strategic investment management. In this week's episode, Ja...

Episode 3: Why International Equities? from 2020-08-21T21:33:38

Episode #3: Why International Equities

The US has substantially outperformed its global equity market counterparts in recent years, so why bother investing internationally?

The ans...

Episode 2: FOMO and Your Investment Decisions from 2020-08-14T22:18:22

Episode #2: FOMO and Your Investment Decisions

When it comes to investing, the fear of missing out can lead you to make decisions that may not benefit your portfolio success. In our curre...

Episode 2: FOMO and Your Investment Decisions from 2020-08-14T22:18:22

Episode #2: FOMO and Your Investment Decisions

When it comes to investing, the fear of missing out can lead you to make decisions that may not benefit your portfolio success. In our curre...

Episode 2: FOMO and Your Investment Decisions from 2020-08-14T22:18:22

Episode #2: FOMO and Your Investment Decisions

When it comes to investing, the fear of missing out can lead you to make decisions that may not benefit your portfolio success. In our curre...

Episode 1: Why are indexes booming in the midst of a crisis? from 2020-07-30T15:08:54

Episode 1: Why are indexes booming in the midst of a crisis?

Despite global uncertainty amid the coronavirus pandemic, a slumping economy, record unemployment and fear of a recession, the...