When the market is shifting faster than most people can keep up, the real risk isn’t volatility; it is holding on to outdated assumptions.

Rex Berger sits down with David Wagner from Aptus Capital Advisors to break down what investors should actually pay attention to right now.

Rex and David open up the playbook behind Aptus’ philosophy of owning more stocks, fewer bonds, and still staying risk neutral. David shares why bonds may no longer serve as the traditional safety net many assume they are, how the 2022 drawdowns challenged decades of investment thinking, and why structure matters more than stock picking.

They also dig into longevity risk, drawdown math, and the discipline that guides Aptus’ collared strategy and compounder stock sleeve. It is a clear look into how to think forward, not backward, in a market full of noise.

What to expect:

• Why bonds struggled in 2022 and what that means going forward
• How Aptus builds portfolios that balance conviction and protection
• A simple explanation of the collared strategy that sits inside ACIO
• Why long-term investors should focus on structure instead of prediction
• And more!

Connect with Rex Berger:

• LinkedIn: Rex Berger
• Generation Capital Advisors

Connect with David Wagner:

• LinkedIn: David Wagner
• Aptus Capital Advisors

About our Guest:

David Wagner is the Head of Equities and a Portfolio Manager at Aptus Capital Advisors. Known for his conviction-driven approach, he leads the firm’s equity research, active ETF strategies, and the widely followed Compounder Stock Sleeve. His work focuses on building practical, risk-aware structures designed to help investors navigate both the left tail and the right tail of market cycles.