Episodes

After a Spring Break vacation, the guys are back in the studio to catch you up on all the financial happenings around the globe. They discuss how remote work and office space vacancies are affecting the commercial real estate market, how the residential market fluctuates wildly from coast to coast, and why we should be optimistic despite continuing recession rumblings.

The Stokes Brothers pick apart negative headlines we are seeing despite coming out of a positive first quarter. They also discuss the resurgence of Bitcoin, the emergence of AI, the effects of an aging population, and of course…the Federal Reserve. Key Takeaways [06:18] - Is there any merit to the US dollar losing its status as a reserve currency? [09:57] - Why is Bitcoin back up? [12:09] - The speculative mania behind new tech like AI [16:01] - What happens when the Fed stops its rate hiki...

The guys take a look back at a crazy 1st quarter that has shown the market’s resilience. They discuss where the banking industry goes from here, how commercial real estate could factor into that, and how this first quarter was a classic example of why you stay invested in an equity portfolio through thick and thin. Key Takeaways [04:00] - What is market breadth? [12:11] - Potential banking ramifications related to commercial real estate/office space [18:04] - How do banking/lending standards...

The guys once again turn their attention to Jerome Powell, Janet Yellen, and what the Fed will do in the wake of the recent bank failures. They dive into the global effects of those collapses including what happened with Credit Suisse and then look at what we can learn from the cyclical nature of human behavior. Key Takeaways [03:59] - How do banks actually work? [09:09] - How does the government determine what banks are “important”? [10:50] - What happened with Credit Suisse? [18:49] - Les...

No doubt, you’ve heard about the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. But do you know how it happened? Or why? Greg and Doug Stokes give these answers and more about how the government stepped in and what the biggest bank crash since 2008 means for the economy moving forward. Key Takeaways [01:41] - How the demise of Silicon Valley Bank really started in the COVID era [06:24] - What a bank run looks like in the technological age [11:28] - Where will the Fed go from here? [18:01] - A look at cur...

This week’s guest is Jim Cobb, a New Orleans defense attorney and the author of the award-winning book, Flood of Lies: The St. Rita's Nursing Home Tragedy. Jim won two high-profile cases defending the owners of nursing homes in St. Bernard, LA and Hollywood Hills, FL. The trio discusses these trials, the state of today’s judicial system, and even Jim’s under-the-radar New Orleans restaurant recommendation. Key Takeaways [02:23] - How Jim was inspired — as an attorney — by the Boston Massacre s...

Back in the studio, the Stokes Brothers catch up after the Mardi Gras break. They examine why bad economic news is good news for the market and vice versa, and why the real estate market across the country has come to an abrupt halt. Key Takeaways [00:22] - Good news is bad news for the market and bad news is good news [05:28] - Is now the right time to lock in long-term bonds? [08:09] - A deep dive into the current real estate market [16:38] - Tales from the slopes during Mardi Gras break ...

In this week’s episode, the guys welcome on Rob Koyfman, CEO and co-founder of Koyfin. His company offers live market data and powerful analytical tools in a modern, intuitive format. Rob, an expert at taking the macro perspective, discusses emerging markets, inflation, efficiency in the tech sector, and making industry-leading data available for everyone, no matter the size of the portfolio. Key Takeaways [00:18] - A look at Rob Koyfman’s experience leading to founding Koyfin [03:31] - Rob’...

As the Stokes Brothers prepare for Mardi Gras in New Orleans, they reluctantly continue their ongoing conversation about the Fed and inflation. They’ll also look at rolling 30-year returns and delve into the legacy of Charlie Munger and the uneasy future of crypto. Key Takeaways [00:35] - The calm before the New Orleans Mardi Gras storm [03:16] - An update on inflation [09:06] - Shelter and the annualized rate of inflation [13:08] - The worst 30-year return over the past 100 years was a tot...

The Stokes’ consistently lean toward the optimistic side of thinking, but this week, they’ll take a look at data/opinions on both sides of the coin. The guys examine the national focus shifting away from the Fed and toward corporate profit margins, why companies becoming more efficient is a bullish sign for the economy, and how diversification is the right strategy no matter the economic outlook. Key Takeaways [00:35] - Recapping the earthquake in Turkey & Syria [05:20] - Shifting the focus ...

In this week’s episode, Greg and Doug Stokes focus on the long-term success of the stock market and not getting caught up in the next big thing. They’ll also take a look at tech companies shedding excess employee luxuries, the cyclical nature of trendy investment sectors, and the dichotomy of how inflation/employment news is viewed. Key Takeaways [01:15] - Corporations are shedding excess luxuries/amenities [03:21] - The cyclical nature of the “hot” industries [06:06] - Are AI and Machine L...

While the negative narratives swirl, Doug and Greg Stokes look at the actual data to find encouraging signs in the markets. The guys also examine the latest tech layoffs and what they mean for the macro economy and they question why people listen to “investor gurus" and why pessimism is seen as a sign of intelligence today. Key Takeaways [01:15] - High-growth tech companies are very sensitive to change [03:13] - Tech layoffs vs. the macro employment data [07:37] - A day in the life of a tec...

Could we be looking at a year with a soft landing where inflation comes down without major economic pain? Greg and Doug dive into the potential of that outcome and the Fed’s role in it. They also look back on the EU energy crisis and its fear-based narratives and discuss how emotions/human nature affect the cycles of investment. Key Takeaways [01:30] - The potential for a soft landing [02:50] - Rent as a portion of CPI [05:08] - What to expect from the Fed’s rate hiking cycle [08:32] - Look...

Happy New Year from Stokes Family Office. In this 1-year anniversary episode, Greg and Doug recap 2022 and look forward to 2023. They dig deeper past the forecasts and narratives to find factual reasons to be optimistic. The guys also discuss the importance of diversification across sectors and why pre-election years are historically bullish. Key Takeaways [01:10] - A recap of 2022 [05:19] - A historical look at the S&P500 during pre-election years [08:26] - Reasons to be optimistic in 2023 ...

This week’s guest is Perth Tolle, the founder of Life + Liberty Indexes and creator of the Freedom 100 EM Index (FRDM index). This freedom-weighted equity strategy is the first of its kind and uses personal and economic freedom metrics as primary factors in its investment process. Doug and Greg chat with Perth about how/why she came up with the ETF, how the strategy performs vs. the market cap-weighted benchmarks, the risks of autocracies, China’s role/exposure, ESG, and more. Key Takeaways [...

The Holidays bring lots of gifts, and one that we look forward to each year in the financial world is the upcoming year’s forecasts. On this week’s episode, Greg and Doug examine and discuss 2023 outlooks from several of the world’s largest asset managers. The guys take stock of a wild 2022, give their own predictions for next year, and debate how recency bias annually plays into these prognostications. Key Takeaways [01:33] - BlackRock’s 2023 Global Outlook [04:30] - Historical rebounds afte...

Show Notes In this week’s episode, Greg recounts his recent trip to Buenos Aires, from the food, geography, and people to their current financial situation. He speaks on the local impact of their economic struggles as well as investment opportunities and their incredible opportunity to make changes. The guys also delve into year-end tax planning which is especially important this year due to the performance of mutual funds. They give tips on looking at your fund families’ capital gains distribu...

Show Notes What effect does the character of a CEO have on a company’s performance? In this episode, Doug and Greg talk to Dan Cooper, Founder & CEO of ROC Investments. After working with Presidents, CEOs of large public companies, philanthropists, and extraordinary leaders from around the world, Cooper founded his firm with a character-based investment strategy, creating a model to quantify the character and integrity of public company CEOs. Focusing on the four pillars of character (integrity...

The cryptocurrency industry is one of the most volatile and unpredictable industries in the world. In just a few short years, the industry has gone from being relatively unknown to being worth billions of dollars. The recent drama surrounding the FTX cryptocurrency exchange is a cautionary tale for the industry. It is a reminder of how quickly things can go wrong in the Wild West world of crypto and how easy it is for investors to get caught up in the hype. In this episode, Doug and Greg talk ...

In this episode, Doug and Greg take a little break from the usual marketing discussion and talk about some other exciting things, basketball, and football. They are joined today by Scott Kushner. Scott is a leading expert on New Orleans sports and a columnist for The Times-Picayune. He is also the co-host of the Polk and Kush podcast, covering New Orleans' teams with a bend away from stats and bold takes. Scott talks with Doug and Greg about the Pelicans, Tulane football, and the Saints. Aside ...

There has been a lot of talk about the possibility of a recession in recent months. While it is impossible to know for sure what the future holds, there are still silver linings to be found. In this episode, Doug and Greg talk about how global investment managers view the market, how the Federal Reserve is at the center of the market's action, and the silver lining in today's economic climate. Key Takeaways [00:25] - An overview of the 2022 midterm elections. [03:21] - Global investment mana...

Recent years have been tough on the economy. Many challenges have led to a slowdown in the global economy. Despite the negative impact of the economic slowdown, there are still reasons to be optimistic. Tough times don't last forever, and the economy will eventually recover. In this episode, Doug and Greg talk about what financial experts have to say about inflation, the slowdown of today's economy, and how the global markets have been performing in the past weeks. Key Takeaways [01:45] - Wha...

The stock and bond markets have seen some wild swings over the past few weeks. This has caused large drawdowns in the stock and bond markets and a great deal of pain for international economies. While the increasing declines in the market may have a negative impact in the short run, they are likely to have a positive impact in the long run. In this episode, Greg and Doug talk about how people feel about the current state of the market, the increasing drawdowns in the stock and bond markets, and...

The stock market has been on a roller coaster ride this year, and unfortunately, it has mostly been going down. This has made a lot of people very anxious about their investments and future. Bonds have also been performing poorly, adding to the anxiety. How should investors respond to current market conditions? In this episode, Greg and Doug talk about how stocks and bonds have performed poorly this year, how people react to today's market conditions, and how Mike Epstein's story makes sense fr...