With the first half of 2024 behind us, host and SoFi’s Head of Investment Strategy Liz Thomas lays out what she expects to see in the second half. This episode, Liz addresses listener questions, covering themes like: what isn’t getting the attention it should, how historical trends are getting disrupted this cycle, and the market sectors that could be poised to do well. For more, read Liz’s column every Thursday at On The Money by SoFi, sign up for the SoFi Daily Newsletter, and follow Liz on Twitter @LizThomasStrat. Notable mentions in the episode: (00:00) Intro (05:05) Biggest surprise so far, this year? (08:04) Is the market bucking the trends of history? (11:29) What would make Liz more bullish? (13:03) Investment ideas for the second half of 2024 (16:28) Liz’s biggest contrarian pick (18:47) Does the 60/40 still work?  (22:18) How much should you allocate in one spot? (25:55) How to handle short time horizon in a recession (28:05) How does the election factor in? (30:36) Liz’s Takeaways Recommended reading: Liz’s Mid-Year Outlook: Aging Gracefully Additional resources: SoFi Daily Podcast: 5-minute daily episodes covering the latest business, economic, and stock market news you need to start your day. The SoFi Daily Pod is available on Apple and Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. SoFi Daily Newsletter: Sign up for the SoFi Daily to receive the latest financial news in your inbox every day.  Investing 101 Center: At SoFi, we believe investing is for everyone — which is why we’ve created a hub with info for beginners and experts alike. Start exploring to get investment education, advice, resources, and more. Wealth Investing Guide: Information you need to know to make your money work harder for you. This podcast should be used for informational purposes only and not deemed as a recommendation. Our Automated investing is via SoFi Wealth LLC, and is a registered investment advisor. Our Active investing is via SoFi securities LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. For additional disclosures related to the SoFi Invest® platforms, please visit www. SoFi.com/Legal. ©2024 Social Finance, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Originally released April 2022. Liz sits down with Bryn Talkington and Jenny Harrington to discuss what it takes to be a successful investor – and if it’s really as complicated as some ‘experts’ claim? It’s a special episode and we’re re-releasing it in anticipation of Season Three. Season Three of The Important Part returns in just a few weeks, on Tuesday September 12th, and we’ll be kicking off the new season with a three-part series spotlighting the Retail Investor.  In this episode, Liz joins Bryn Talkington, Managing Partner of Requisite Capital Management and Jenny Harrington, CEO of Gilman Hill Asset Management, to talk about how to be stoic in investing, how to tell between useful investment advice and fluff, as well as why paying yourself is timeless advice. Liz offers her take on how investors may need to shift their investing approach and what it means to be an open-minded investor. For more, read Liz’s weekly column every Thursday on SoFi’s blog at https://www.sofi.com/blog/category/investment-strategy/ or follow her on Twitter @LizYoungStrat

How is the housing market really doing in the US? Dr Skylar Olsen, chief economist at Zillow, joins Liz to speak about recent data that looks at key factors like housing prices, demand, and why some primary homeowners are holding onto their homes. She also chats about whether inflation will go down soon (and affect housing prices) and whether home buying interest has actually softened. For more, read Liz’s weekly column every Thursday on SoFi’s blog at https://www.sofi.com/blog/category/investment-strategy/ or follow her on Twitter @LizYoungStrat

Are there other upsides other than tax benefits when it comes to giving to charitable causes? John Marick, former CEO of Consumer Cellular and board member of Meals On Wheels America, joins Liz to speak about partnering with nonprofits or charities as part of a company mission and how charitable giving is beneficial beyond the balance sheet. He also speaks about what investing in a nonprofit looks like, and whether it’s all that different from other types of organizations. For more, read Liz’s weekly column every Thursday on SoFi’s blog at https://www.sofi.com/blog/category/investment-strategy/ or follow her on Twitter @LizYoungStrat

Is it possible to disrupt the health insurance industry? This week’s guest, Scott Blackley, the Chief Transformation Officer at Oscar Health, believes the future lies in using technology (such as AI) to our advantage. He talks with Liz about how using cloud-based or cloud-native technology can help healthcare companies disrupt the industry (and remain competitive as a result), why consumers won’t see the effects of inflation on healthcare until a few years down the line, and his take on what companies to watch out for. For more, read Liz’s weekly column every Thursday on SoFi’s blog at https://www.sofi.com/blog/category/investment-strategy/ or follow her on Twitter @LizYoungStrat

Interested in learning more about how markets will fare in 2023? Adam Parker, CEO and founder of Trivariate Research, offers his take on sector calls and what a possible recession might look like. He speaks with Liz on how investors can approach defensive sectors of markets, why there may not be a V-shaped recovery like many are forecasting, and why a general strategy of doing the opposite of what the consensus is doing may be a smart approach.For more, read Liz’s weekly column every Thursday on SoFi’s blog at https://www.sofi.com/blog/category/investment-strategy/ or follow her on Twitter @LizYoungStrat

Liz is back with her investment outlook for 2023 and answers your burning questions. Now that 2022 is over, what are her takes on individual bonds versus bond ETFs, dividend aristocrats, and energy stocks? Don’t forget to tune in to hear her thoughts on whether we’re headed for a recession, why it may be different that ones in the past, and why they don’t have to feel like the end of the world. For more on Liz’s 2023 outlook, check out her article at www.sofi.com/article/investment-strategy/2023-market-outlook/ and follow her on Twitter @LizYoungStrat.

With food inflation and continuing changes in consumer demands, how are meal kit companies faring? Linda Findley, CEO of Blue Apron, gives her take on how this industry is doing, and whether these companies are faring, both in terms of demand and profit margins. She talks with Liz about her observations on the meal kit landscape during the pandemic and beyond, why food inflation hasn’t affected the industry as much, and what it means for the potential of long-term success with a seasonal business.For more, read Liz’s weekly column every Thursday on SoFi’s blog at https://www.sofi.com/blog/category/investment-strategy/ or follow her on Twitter @LizYoungStrat

With talks of layoffs and other volatility in the tech industry, what should investors do? This week’s guest, Dan Ives, Managing Director and Senior Equity Research Analyst covering the Technology sector at Wedbush Securities offers his take on the overall landscape. He talks with Liz about why growth in the tech industry will still continue, and what the future may hold for groups like software and semiconductors.why enterprise companies are the ones to watch out for, and Dan’s take on what companies are the ones to watch.For more, read Liz’s weekly column every Thursday on SoFi’s blog at https://www.sofi.com/blog/category/investment-strategy/ or follow her on Twitter @LizYoungStrat

Until the way we interact in a professional setting (like going out for celebrations and client lunches) changes, the restaurant industry won’t be able to bounce back for a while. How does this have implications for investors? This week’s guest helps to shed light on this conundrum. Bo Peabody, founder of restaurant app Seated and co-founder of Mezze Restaurant Group, talks to Liz about when he believes the restaurant industry will go back to “normal”, how inflation may not have impacted profitability as much as we think. Liz and Bo also talk about the opportunity available for innovation in the industry. For more, read Liz’s weekly column every Thursday on SoFi’s blog at https://www.sofi.com/blog/category/investment-strategy/ or follow her on Twitter @LizYoungStrat

How much weight should an investor put on a company’s advertising strategy? According to this week’s guest, quite a lot. Joe Marchese, Executive Chairman at Human Ventures and previous President of Advertising Revenue for Fox Networks Group, sit down with Liz to talk about looking at ads - specifically ones that aim to acquire a customer versus ones that simply acquire a transaction- can give investors a lot of insight into how a company may fare in the long run. Liz and Joe also talk about advertising trends and what that could mean for the consolidation of a business, or M&A, through the business cycle.For more, read Liz’s weekly column every Thursday on SoFi’s blog at https://www.sofi.com/blog/category/investment-strategy/ or follow her on Twitter @LizYoungStrat

Are there advantages that retail investors have over institutional investors, or should retail investors focus on simple strategies for success? Ross Mac sits down with Liz to talk about how technology has helped to democratize investing (and by extension made it a less taboo subject to talk about in public) and whether Wall Street is underestimating this demographic. Liz and Ross also talk about how to learn more about investing strategies, whether that’s intentionally seeking out competing information, or following experts who provide insightful information. For more, read Liz’s weekly column every Thursday on SoFi’s blog at https://www.sofi.com/blog/category/investment-strategy/ or follow her on Twitter @LizYoungStrat

Just because there’s a consensus from the pros on how the market will perform, does that mean they’re always right? Chris Verrone, partner and head of Technical Strategy and Macro Research at Strategas, sits down with Liz to talk about how he approaches technicals, why it’s important as an investor to be able to admit that you’re wrong and know how to change course. For more, read Liz’s weekly column every Thursday on SoFi’s blog at https://www.sofi.com/blog/category/investment-strategy/ or follow her on Twitter @LizYoungStrat

Do professional investors really have a crystal ball and accurately predict earnings growth, when inflation will stabilize, and more? Brian Belski, Chief Investment Strategist and leader of the Investment Strategy Group at BMO, sits down with Liz to talk about his take on the Fed, his thoughts on when inflation may go down, and what sectors investors should watch out for. Liz also offers her take on whether Wall Street is becoming too "academic", and whether short-term thinking is actually bad for investors.  For more, read Liz’s weekly column every Thursday on SoFi’s blog at https://www.sofi.com/blog/category/investment-strategy/ or follow her on Twitter @LizYoungStrat

Liz is answering your investment questions for this mid-year iteration, from whether Liz believes a recession is coming, the housing market, to where to put your money to work. Also tune in to hear some of her thoughts on large cap vs small cap securities, predictions about the Fed, and if bonds are worth considering in your portfolio allocation.  For more, read Liz’s weekly column every Thursday on SoFi’s blog at https://www.sofi.com/blog/category/investment-strategy/ or follow her on Twitter @LizYoungStrat

Given the recent rates of inflation, it makes sense to think that consumer spending is down. However, in many ways it’s quite the opposite. Kristen Gall, president of Rakuten (formerly Ebates), sits down with Liz to talk about what's she seen in consumer trends in the first few months of the year, what sectors in retail could see a downturn, and what "the great trade down" has to do with consumer spending. Lix offers her take on why “revenge spending” is still relevant, how choices about spending will change, and why the middle is what gets squeezed. For more, read Liz’s weekly column every Thursday on SoFi’s blog at https://www.sofi.com/blog/category/investment-strategy/ or follow her on Twitter @LizYoungStrat

What does it take to become a successful investor, and is it really as complicated as some “experts” claim it is? Liz sits down with Bryn Talkington, Managing Partner of Requisite Capital Management and Jenny Harrington, CEO of Gilman Hill Asset Management, to talk about how to be stoic in investing, how to tell between useful investment advice and fluff, as well as why paying yourself is timeless advice. Liz offers her take on how investors may need to shift their investing approach and what it means to be an open-minded investor. For more, read Liz’s weekly column every Thursday on SoFi’s blog at https://www.sofi.com/blog/category/investment-strategy/ or follow her on Twitter @LizYoungStrat

Within a decade, crypto adoption has accelerated from attracting young investors to now government bodies, and sparking debates about its future and environmental footprint. Liz sits down with Meltem Demirors, Chief Strategy Officer of CoinShares to talk about Bitcoin’s cyclicality, how current geopolitical events have been pivotal moments for the asset class, and what Meltem sees in terms of regulation. Liz offers her take on the current state of inflation, why the Fed’s decision is a smart move, and what investors can do for the remainder of 2022 and beyond. For more, read Liz’s weekly column every Thursday on SoFi’s blog at https://www.sofi.com/blog/category/investment-strategy/ or follow her on Twitter @LizYoungStrat

How we analyze investment opportunities and athletes is not all that different. Liz is joined by Cynthia Frelund, NFL Media's first analytics expert, at Penthouse 56 at SoFi’s hospitality space in downtown LA during Super Bowl week to compare the similarities and differences between investing and the sports world and how looking at investing through a different lens might help investors feel less intimidated. Liz also offers her take on why analyzing fundamentals is key in a year where strength matters more than ever. For more, read Liz’s weekly column every Thursday on SoFi’s blog at https://www.sofi.com/blog/category/investment-strategy/ or follow her on Twitter @LizYoungStrat

In the world of venture capital, opportunity is everywhere, but access is not. Ita Ekpoudom, partner at venture capital firm GingerBread Capital, which backs high growth female founded companies, explains the need to spread the funding across gender lines, what the main advantages are in investing in female founded companies, and how individual investors can get in on the action. Liz also offers her take on why VC funding is such a hot trend, and why investors want to put capital into areas shaping the future of American businesses. For more, read Liz’s weekly column every Thursday on SoFi’s blog at https://www.sofi.com/blog/category/investment-strategy/ or follow her on Twitter @LizYoungStrat

Liz is answering your investment questions, from 2022 investment themes, to whether international markets are making a comeback. Also tune in to hear some of her favorite sectors, the economic indicators investors should watch, and what you can do to dial down the risk in your equity allocation. For more on Liz’s 2022 outlook, check out her article at https://www.sofi.com/blog/2022-market-outlook and follow her on Twitter @LizYoungStrat.

How do investing and entrepreneurship go hand in hand? Ryan Serhant, star of two-time Emmy-nominated Million Dollar Listing New York, explains why there has been a surge in people starting their own business, where the real estate market goes from here, and why your mindset is your greatest asset in investing and beyond. Liz also offers her take on real estate at this point in the cycle and the major factors that will affect it in 2022. For more, read Liz’s weekly column every Thursday on SoFi’s blog at https://www.sofi.com/blog/category/investment-strategy/ or follow her on Twitter @LizYoungStrat

Investing isn’t all about chasing a certain level of wealth — it’s about chasing the life you want and reverse engineering your investment tactics to get there. Brandon Copeland, linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons and professor of “Life 101” at the University of Pennsylvania, explains how investors can build their confidence with investing, why it’s a smart idea to invest in what you consume, and why building wealth requires you to ask yourself questions that have nothing to do with finance. Liz also offers her take on the growth of thematic investing, and why it’s important everyone removes the pressure to know it all. For more, read Liz’s weekly column every Thursday on SoFi’s blog at https://www.sofi.com/blog/category/investment-strategy/ or follow her on Twitter @LizYoungStrat

Crypto has grown tremendously as an asset class and topic of conversation. This episode breaks down crypto’s main value propositions and how to think about it from an investment perspective. Anthony Pompliano, one of the leading voices in the crypto space, explains how the technology has evolved, how he thinks about using crypto as a hedge against inflation, and what the possible future state of digitized currency looks like. Liz offers her take on the current market environment and the forces at play, and a perspective on what the fourth quarter may hold. For more, read Liz’s weekly column every Thursday on SoFi’s blog at https://www.sofi.com/blog/category/investment-strategy/ or follow her on Twitter @LizYoungStrat

Reading Barron’s or the Wall Street Journal every week is a smart idea. You can enhance those smarts by keeping your eyes and ears open to what people in your everyday life have to say about the markets and economy. Today’s guest, Jason Trennert, Chairman and CEO of Strategas Research Partners, discusses why investors should talk to their taxi driver, sales clerks, or even the bartender at their local watering hole to gather data points and pick up on themes that’ll shape markets until the next crisis. Plus, Liz offers her take on specific ways in which you can incorporate the human element and simplify your investing strategy. For more, read Liz’s weekly column every Thursday on SoFi’s blog at https://www.sofi.com/blog/category/investment-strategy/ or follow her on Twitter @LizYoungStrat

The Important Part is a podcast from SoFi dedicated to empowering you to dig deeper into the forces impacting markets and reach your financial goals. Host Liz Young, Head of Investment Strategy at SoFi, is here to help you understand what’s going on in the markets so you can level up your investing game. Subscribe to the podcast to hear episodes every month starting September 28th.