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We weigh whether Kevin Warsh will lead as a hawk, a dove, or a markets-first stabilizer, and why that framing may miss his core strength: structure and confidence. We map how board dynamics, politics, and tariffs shape the rate path and market stability over the next few months.

• Walsh’s background and crisis-era credibility
• Hawk, dove, or structure-first framing
• Why Trump might pick a market stabilizer
• Market plumbing versus macro models
• Rate cuts, inflation risk, and labor softness
• Fed board composition as institutional ballast
• Signals to watch ahead of the May decision

Please let us know what you would like to talk about and what things are most important to you

Straight Talk for All - Nonsense for None

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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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Gold feels safe because it’s real, heavy, and timeless—yet that same tangibility can be a trap. We pull back the curtain on the coin-and-bar sales machine, explaining how patriotic branding, fake urgency, and government-sounding names steer savers toward high spreads and low liquidity. If you’ve wondered whether a safe full of coins beats a brokerage account, this conversation gives you the math, the mechanics, and the mindset to decide with clarity.

We break down the hidden costs of physical gold: 4–15% dealer spreads, storage headaches, theft risk, and the tough reality that numismatic value hinges on rarity and grading that most buyers can’t evaluate. Then we lay out cleaner ways to get exposure. Gold ETFs like GLD and GLDM hold allocated bars in London vaults, offer daily liquidity, and charge transparent fees; with GLD, you can even write covered calls to offset expenses and create income. We examine why some central banks are accumulating bars—not as a gold standard revival, but as a reputational and reserve-diversification play—and how that institutional bid fits into a personal portfolio.

You’ll also hear a sober look at gold miners: operating leverage, geology-driven costs, co-product exposure to copper, and why equities with durable pricing power often outpace inflation more reliably than commodities over long horizons. Our stance is pragmatic, not doctrinaire. Gold can earn a seat at the table—typically 5–10%—but coins in a drawer are rarely the optimal route. If your goal is resilience, choose instruments that are liquid, low cost, and easy to transfer when it matters.

If this helped you see past the hype and sharpen your playbook for owning gold, tap follow, share the episode with a friend who’s eyeing coins, and leave a quick review so more investors can cut through the noise with us.

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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We talk with coach and author Lance Cibik about turning hardship into purpose and building financial wellness through simple systems and relentless action. From a childhood of scarcity to speaking on national stages, Lance shows how to master the basics, invest in yourself, and think long term.

• early adversity shaping money habits
• choosing change and taking messy action
• mentors, work ethic and first financial wins
• the 10-20-70 rule for giving, saving, spending
• gaps in school financial literacy and how to help
• mindset, health and communication as core skills
• advisors investing in their own growth
• mastering basics before complex products
• creating virtuous cycles for families and students
• practical examples including opening 529 plans

To reach Lance, use link below:

https://www.lancecibik.com/

For Lance Cibik book, use link below:

https://www.amazon.com/Adversity-Fuels-Purpose-Create-Success/dp/B0F6M4PQ5B

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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We dig into why talk of controlling Greenland jolts markets, how NATO and EU cohesion factor into risk, and why mineral and oil narratives run headlong into cost and time. We weigh realistic outcomes—from free association to sovereign base rights—and what they mean for European equities, oil, and defense plays.

• NATO and EU cohesion risk shaping market sentiment
• Russia’s hybrid tactics raising European vulnerability
• Arctic minerals and hydrocarbons facing high extraction costs
• Realistic paths: free association or sovereign base rights
• Precedents from Micronesia, Cyprus, Guantanamo informing options
• Oil pricing driven by uncertainty, not near-term supply shifts
• Defense exposure favoring drones and sensors over moonshots
• Portfolio stance: cautious Europe allocation versus buy-the-dip tactics
• Timelines and cash flows guiding resource investment decisions

Thanks, listeners. This is a quick take, and as such, we don't have a full knowledge and full ability to determine what the best impact is for investors, but thanks for listening, skeptics, and we look forward to serving you and helping you with your portfolios as we unveil more and more of 2026. Stay safe out there and keep your head on the swivel.

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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What if the retirement “crisis” isn’t universal—and the real squeeze is in the middle? We sit down with Robert Powell (aka “Mr. Retirement”) to unpack who’s truly at risk and how to build a plan that survives markets and real life. We start with simple, strong foundations for early savers—why target date funds work when life is straightforward—and when to graduate to a personalized allocation that accounts for human capital, taxable assets, and Social Security as bond-like income.

From there, we get candid about product trends and incentives. Should your 401(k) hold private credit or private equity? If you can’t measure the risk, you can’t manage it. We also confront the crypto question: a small experimental slice might be fine for risk capital, but betting core retirement money on an asset with no earnings or valuation anchor is a leap. Along the way, we revisit the active vs passive debate and land on a practical truth: transparent costs and broad passive exposure often beat complex tilts once you factor fees, taxes, and behavior.

Behavior may be the biggest driver of outcomes. Overconfidence and recency bias lead investors to chase heat or bail at bottoms. Robert lays out how advisors can add real value with behavioral assessments and coaching that keep clients invested and calm. Then the conversation widens to what most plans miss: elder planning. We cover caregiving, housing decisions, legal documents, fraud risks, and the right time to prepare—ideally by the mid‑60s, before cognitive decline erodes decision quality.

Finally, we dig into the spending “smile,” why essential expenses should be covered by guaranteed income, and how to give yourself permission to spend earlier without fearing ruin. The most important lesson: don’t just retire from work—retire to purpose. Define the life you want, automate what you can, build your team, and review your plan annually. If this helped you think differently about retirement, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

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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We unpack the fight over Fed independence, the DOJ subpoena, and why politics is pushing into central banking while markets pretend not to care. Then we tie Venezuela, Greenland, and Iran risk back to rates, sectors, and the case for cash, gold, and selective equities.

• DOJ subpoena and Powell’s rare response as signals of pressure on the Fed
• Supreme Court decision on Cook’s tenure and implications for Board control
• Markets’ mixed message: equities resilient, metals bid as risk hedge
• Venezuela investment reality after expropriations and boardroom memory
• Greenland and Iran talk as alliance and oil risk, not just headlines
• AI leadership cooling, sector rotations, and bank sensitivity to rate policy
• Portfolio stance: fewer assumed cuts, patience on duration, caution on REITs
• Defensive sleeve in cash, gold, and returning to silver exposure
• Equity selection via lower beta, low short interest, and sector-neutral tilt
• Watchlist: tariff rulings, Cook decision, Powell’s tenure, and election calendar

Our next podcast is gonna have Robert Powell. He runs a webpage called retirement.com. He works for Market Watch, and he's considered one of the experts in this field, interviewing some of the best and brightest around the concept of making your retirement great

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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We weigh the lure of Venezuelan oil against hard realities: weak legal protections, heavy crude economics, and tangled geopolitics with Cuba, Russia, and China. The takeaway is prudence—favor diversified proxies over direct country risk and let facts, not headlines, drive allocation.

• investment case framed around rule of law and contract security
• heavy oil cost structure versus current WTI and breakevens
• prospects for subsidies or military support and why they’re unlikely
• historical parallels on expropriation and reform cycles
• geopolitical constraints from Russia, China, and Cuba ties
• time horizon mismatch for real reform and infrastructure rebuild
• proxy exposure via diversified majors like Chevron over direct bets
• portfolio discipline and checklist for country risk readiness

Please text us or please email us and let us know what you're thinking and what you'd like to talk about

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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We unpack why Venezuela became the target, how “narco-terrorism” frames public consent, and why oil, sanctions, and heavy crude realities complicate every simple story. We weigh competing motives, from regional dominance to distraction at home, and set up part two on investability.

• origins and misuse of the term narco-terrorism
• Venezuela as transit hub rather than producer
• law enforcement pretext versus military reality
• sanctions, heavy oil, and broken infrastructure
• Monroe Doctrine history versus modern dominance
• risks of regime change without institutions
• investor pitfalls, nationalization risk, staged capex
• competing motives: oil, optics, distraction, deterrence
• outlook for governance, social recovery, and timelines

Please listen to our next podcast, Venezuela 2, the investment

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.