This week was a great reminder of how quickly markets can move on headlines alone—without anything fundamentally changing underneath. We saw volatility driven by political rhetoric, followed by an equally fast recovery once that noise settled back down.

In this episode, Hannah Chapman, CFP®, APMA®, CRPC®, helps you understand why this kind of movement doesn't mean something is “wrong” with the economy or your plan.

Additionally, she walks you through one of the most important retirement questions there is: how much money do you actually need to retire—and where the 4% rule helps, and where it falls short.

Learn more:

• What moved markets this week (and why it matters)

• Investor behavior: Stop checking so often

• Retirement planning: “How much do I need?”

• The “forward math” Hannah recommends

• Retirement spending isn't flat: “Go-go / slow-go / no-go”

• Different investor life stages

Reminder: Follow Investment Friday and subscribe on YouTube—this show will live fully in its own feed/channel starting in February.

Connect with Hannah at Hannah.Chapman@x2wealthplanning.com and online at https://x2wealthplanning.com

There's a lot of noise right now—and it can hijack investor decision-making. In this episode, Hannah Chapman, CFP® and Brad Haines, CFA, FRM zoom out to separate signal from headlines, discuss early-year market context, and share what they're watching for 2026.

You'll hear why recency bias leads people to panic-sell, why earnings and innovation may matter more than day-to-day politics over a 5-year horizon, and why rebalancing at the start of the year can support both portfolio discipline and tax planning. Then, they break down a major story involving Jerome Powell and discuss why Federal Reserve independence is a cornerstone of long-term economic stability.

What's covered:

• “Noise vs. signal” and how to stay grounded as an investor

• Earnings trends: broadening beyond mega-cap tech

• The AI buildout: data centers, compute capacity, and the next wave of applications

• Why rebalancing early in the year can be strategically helpful

• Emerging markets explained (developed vs emerging vs frontier)

• Why Fed independence matters and what happens when central banks aren't independent

• Inflation, wage catch-up, and why it can feel hard even when data improves
  
  

Reminder: Follow Investment Friday and subscribe on YouTube—this show will live fully in its own feed/channel starting in February.

Connect with Hannah at Hannah.Chapman@x2wealthplanning.com and online at https://x2wealthplanning.com

Connect with Brad at bhaines@juncturewealth.com and online at https://www.juncturewealth.com

Investment Friday is entering an exciting new chapter!

In this episode, Hannah Chapman, CFP®, APMA®, CRPC® and Brad Haines, CFA®, FRM®, Chief Investment Officer at Juncture Wealth Strategies, share why Investment Friday is officially becoming its own podcast — launching February 2026 — and what that means for listeners who want grounded, historically informed financial insight without fear-based headlines.

Together, they unpack:

• What really happened in markets in 2025

• What the early data is telling us about 2026

• Why “bad news can be good news” for markets

• Labor market trends and interest rate expectations

• The Venezuela situation and its global implications

• The U.S. dollar's role as the world's reserve currency — and what happens if that changes

• Why entrepreneurship, innovation, and equity markets endure through every cycle

This episode is a reminder that you don't need to live in financial fight-or-flight. With the right context, history, and perspective, you can stay invested, informed, and grounded — even in uncertain times.

Connect with Hannah at Hannah.Chapman@x2wealthplanning.com and online at https://x2wealthplanning.com

Connect with Brad at bhaines@juncturewealth.com and online at https://www.juncturewealth.com