What Is The Bond Market and What Are Bond ETFs? CPI is “cooling off” which means inflation is trending closer to the Fed’s target, which means a rate cut MAY be in our future! What does that mean? Well if the Fed, you know, good ol "Papa Powell" who we keep talking about, well if they actually go through with cutting rates this is what happens. Interest rates for things like home loans get lower, but that means those high yield savings account rates also get lower. So where do you stash your...

Happy Fin-Friday! The Nvidia stock is now one of the big 3 in the S&P 500. We've talked about Nvidia earnings and how much the stock price has soared just this year. Now they have announced a stock split and a dividend increase from $0.04 per share to $0.10 per share. Let's demystify stock splitting. 🔮 🍰 What Is A Stock Split? A type of corporate action that changes the cost of a stock. Forward split - When a company increases the outstanding shares by issuing new shares to split...

Finally, short squeeze and gamma squeeze make sense! (Did you know gamma squeeze was a thing?) Also, Roaring Kitty is out of hiding, remember that whole GameStop stonks thing that happened? Well apparently it's happening again with another memestock (super high risk, y'all). We also learn about hedge funds, meme stocks, market makers and the roles played in making money off shorting stocks (or squeezing out the shorters). Check out our episode on Dark Pools for more background. We also...

This week we are joined by Jacey Saige, a Gen Z financial literacy advocate who wants to discuss how to find AI opportunities and stock market impacts. Jacey is filling in for our beloved Jessie DeNuit - do not fret she will be back next week! AI is an important narrative to sustain this bull market. The S&P 500 is about 30% driven by technology. 5% is NVDA. Which means the AI narrative matters because of how we define the market. NVDA is about duration and demand pull for AI. NVDA...

The bond market has always been relevant, but it hasn't mattered as much since the Great Financial Crisis (GFC) - that's when the housing market collapsed in 2008. When we have a financial crisis, there is a fiscal policy response and monetary policy response to stimulate the economy. Right now we are in restrictive fed territory, they have raised rates to levels not seen since the GFC. Now the big market question is: when will they lower rates? If they do it too soon, it will reignite...

Come with us as we leap through the gallows and levitate down WallStreet. 🔮 Today we're discussing the most recent FOMC Press Conference led by the Hawkish Fed Chairman, Jerome Powell, and what it all means when he talks about the CPI & PCE Price Index. There's also a quick SMU (stock market update). New Vocabulary Word: Tapering Tapering is a monetary policy used by the Federal Reserve to phase out or reduce the number of assets purchased each month. Listen for more info. Inflation Is...

There's a loooot of jargon in the financial world. And it can seem overwhelming or like it's a language that was intentionally made to keep you in the dark, but Jess has been shining light on all this lingo since the beginning, and we've realized the jargon is actually pretty easy to grasp once it's explained to you in a logical, compounding way. Compounding Knowledge 🧠✨ Just like your money compounds with interest, your investing knowledge compounds by starting off with the basic terms...

Questions on questions: Y'all submitted sooo many questions we had to make this Q&A a two-parter. Be sure to follow us and subscribe to our email newsletter (all links at the bottom) to keep up with all the stock market happenings! But First, A Quick SMU! We also get a quick Stock Market Update from Jess Inskip. This investing rollercoaster we're on has been a bit of a dooziie this past week - what's happening? Remember, we're buckled in for the ups and downs! You know Jess is...

We're back, we had to take a week off because, if you didn't know, Jess is the sun and Jessie is the moon - we had to eclipse. 🌚🌞 First, a quick market update for April 11, 2024 about CPI and PPI! Then we get to allllll your questions, yes, even questions from our very early episodes (told ya we'd get to them eventually 😅). Questions we answer in this episode: @lukodaian asked - can you please explain Dow [indice] points, S&P 500 points, and how they are calculated? what does it...

In the last episode (Ep. 30) of the Market MakeHer Podcast, we discussed how “The Fed” projects to cut interest rates 3 times by end of year. Hopefully, this means lower inflation, but it also means lower interest rates on your High Yield Savings Accounts as well. Where can we stash our cash with higher interest rates for longer? Brokerage CDs! One option is Brokerage CDs (certificate of deposit). This option is good especially if you have a very low risk tolerance and want to do...

The FOMC (aka "The Fed" aka The Federal Reserve) had a press conference on March 20, 2024 where they talked about federal reserve rates remaining unchanged, but there's 3 projected interest rate cuts by end of year. What does this mean for our High Yield Savings Accounts interest rates, mortgages, credit cards, loans, and the economy? What's going on with unemployment and inflation? What are balance sheets and what is this balancing act that The Fed is responsible for? Is...

What's your investment risk tolerance? (check out the risk pyramid below) How are you diversifying your investments in your portfolio? Are the interest rates on our high yield savings account coming down? What should we do with our cash to make sure it's out-pacing inflation? Figure Out Your Risk Tolerance There are lots of quizzes you can do at your brokerage firm or even government sites that help you figure out your risk tolerance for your personal situation. The higher the...

Let's talk about what's going on with the $AAPL stock and also learn how to compare ETFs, like $VTI vs $VOO, with a tool! You'll want to watch the video about 10 minutes in, but if you can't watch it, we do describe everything we're analyzing. $AAPL Stock Is Down, But The Market Is Up? We know that Apple is one of the biggest stocks or companies in the S&P 500, which is the index we use to measure the stock market (check out episode 2), so then how is $AAPL down 8% and the S&P 500...

We have a Market MakeHer short and sweet Q&A for you today regarding investing a little bit later. Question from listener @spacey on TikTok: Should I be worried if I haven't started investing yet and I'm approaching 40? Short Answer: No, but get started ASAP! Like we've said in previous episodes, time in the market is your best strategy. Cut down expenses and invest as much as you can (within reason). Social Security If you have been working, then you have social security....

It's a Stock Market Tea Party, and you're invited! 🍵🍵 In our Feb. 2024 SMU, Jess serves Jessie the tea on the recent earnings season (the winners of positive earnings and growth in the market last quarter with many companies beating expectations) and they specifically focus on Nvidia's impressive earnings and its role in the AI industry. The hosts also discuss the performance of consumer staples and consumer discretionary sectors. They explore analyst price targets and valuation, as...

Q&A from our listeners: How do I do a backdoor Roth IRA contribution or conversion? How do I rollover a 401k into an IRA? 🏘 Remember in Episode 12 how we used the "building your dreamhouse" analogy to explain how to invest in the stock market? Well remember that dreamhouse during this episode and the different rooms that are your retirements accounts, in this instance. 😉 We had a fantastic chat in our latest episode, sparked by a question from Hello2jojo on TikTok. They were...

Do I add money to my emergency account before maxing out my IRA?  When do I put my funds into a taxable account?  What makes the most sense for ME?  In this episode, we cover the order of events of how to pay yourself -- and some of the nuances you may want to consider as you enter various life stages. This is not a one size fits all formula. We'll help you think through that! We do discuss the importance of budgeting and what happens when you have excess income: paying yourself. We...

Welcome to Taylor's Version of the Stock Market. We're starting off Season 2 with a refreshed brand (check out our website to see the makeover) and we're also giving you a little refresher on how the stock market works - from a Swiftie's perspective. That's right, you guessed it, Jessica Inskip is unhinged with the Taylor Swift references once again, but Jessie DeNuit did promise Jess she could have an entire episode dedicated to the Swifties as a Yule present...now let's see if Jessie can...

Questions on questions! We answer 3 questions from our listeners related to IRAs, 401ks, and taxes...and then Jessie asks additional questions - as usual. Question 1: How to figure out taxes when moving 401k into a rollover IRA? Question 2: Can you control how your employer 401k gets invested? (side note: you can borrow money from yourself!) Question 3: Can you have multiple IRAs? When moving a 401k into a rollover IRA, it is important to be aware of the tax implications. Consult IRS...

🐰 Curious about how to invest in AI? Let's fall into the Artificial Intelligence rabbit hole, shall we? And, yes we talk about actual AI stocks as well. Beware the Jabberwocky (aka AI Tools that claim to "beat the stock market" or predict the best stocks to buy). 🤖 AI stocks are beating earnings upwards of 40% (and much much higher). Are analysts not valuating these stocks properly? Perhaps we all need a little lesson on how AI works and the earnings potential across all sectors in terms of...

What's happening in the stock market today? We tell you all about it in Episode 20. Learn a bunch of new jargon that Jessie makes Jess define for us all as we discuss everything from what the Fed has done and earnings to whatever a "Santa Claus Rally" is... 🎅🏻🎅🏽🎅🏿🎅 Stock Market Update November 2023: Deflationary Environment Dovish Fed Seasonality Fall Harvesting (taxes) Resilient Consumer No Recession Called Bullish Santa Claus Rally AI Narrative (and a little drama) Q3...

Introducing our newest segment where Jess answers your questions and Jessie asks even more questions. Questions on questions. 🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏾🙋🏼‍♀️🙋🙋🏾‍♀️🙋🏻 Today’s question comes from @kristinabrown86 “Do I need an investment advisor? I know they take a percentage of earnings so I have been hesitant and am trying to learn on my own. Am I the only mid-30s single woman without one?” 🤔🧠⚡️ We talk about financial advisors, robo-advisors, wealth management and if any of these make sense for the...

Today we're talking bonds, Treasury Bonds, that is. 🍸 Along with yields, impacts on the market, and how the US always pays its debts 🦁😏 🤨 What exactly is the yield curve and what does an inverted yield curve mean? We're going to learn how to use this as a scrying tool to predict the future in terms of interest rate changes and economic activity. Let's demystify the fixed-income security market (did you know there is not just a stock market, but also a bond market?) and learn about the...

In 2022, a whopping 43% of retail accounts were opened by investors aged 18-35, reshaping the financial landscape. This surge in interest led to a rise in High-Yield Savings Accounts (HYSA) and Money Markets, which thrive in high-interest environments. The growing trend of financial literacy among Gen Z, has paved the way for better expense management and savings practices. The outcome? A resilient consumer base and a new market dynamic that's puzzling Wall Street. Our special guest for...

You've heard of Market MakeHER, but did you know there is an actual market maker job - the people who make the market? Have you heard about dark pools and do you know how payment for order flow works? We're going to learn about all of that, NBBO, the bid and ask, and more, in this episode. 🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏾🙋🏼‍♀️🙋🏽‍♀️ Feel free to ask us any questions you still have about what we covered today, and don't forget to check out the episode equity on the most recent episode page of...