Money Life with Chuck Jaffe

• After 2025 struggles, Americans expect a bounce-back in '26

  Sonia Fraher, head of cash management at Vanguard says that while nearly three-quarters of Americans say they will fall short of their saving and spending resolutions for this year, most are optimistic that they can pull off a "resolution rebound" in 2026. Vanguard's survey research showed that 84 percent of Americans expect to make a financial resolution for 2026, with building the emergency fund being the most common goal. In honor of the holidays, David Trainer of New Constructs revisits the Damger Zone pick he is most thankful for this year, due to its success as a short pick.  Rob Williams, managing director of financial planning for Charles Schwab, discusses the firm's research showing that two-thirds of Americans believe they must look beyond traditional investment products like stocks and bonds to further diversify and succeed in today's market. More than 40 percent think the classic 60/40 portfolio is outdated. Plus, Jake Cousineau, author of "Face Your Financial Fears: The Simple Guide to Fixing Your Relationship with Money," discusses how Americans grow up surrounded by money misconceptions that they must overcome to reach their goals. 

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• We're Black Friday 'shopping' for stocks, closed-end funds and more!

  It's a day for talking smart holiday shopping, and the show takes that focus to the investment world. John Cole Scott, president of CEF Advisors — the chairman of the Active Investment Company Alliance — is back on Black Friday for the fourth straight year looking for big discounts among closed-end fund, and he's got several names that might work for investors looking to make portfolio changes before year's end. He offers up two ideas for municipal-bond funds, two business-development companies and two direct offerings that the market has put on sale and that investors might want to consider wrapping up for their portfolios. Sarah Foster, economic analyst at Bankrate.com, discusses the site's 2025 Holiday Essentials Index, which found that more than 75% of holiday staples have gotten more expensive since September 2024, which may mean that what is coming home for the holidays this year is inflation. Erik Beguin, founder, Fort Knox Bank, discusses how consumers who think they are protected by one-time codes and changing passwords are still vulnerable to thieves, and he discusses how high-security savings accounts can shore up the defenses without taking much away from yields. Plus, Chuck helps you complete the holiday shopping for the kids without going to the mall, by talking about how you can use small amounts of money to buy fractional shares of your favorite stocks to create a portfolio that will have a long-lasting impact rather than the fleeting adrenaline rush that comes from opening a present. He discusses how he set up portfolios for his children decades ago and how he is arranging portfolios for his baby grandson and for two great nephews.

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• Argent Trust's Stringfellow sees market/economy 'maintaining,' not breaking

  Tom Stringfellow, chief investment strategist at Argent Trust, says that he expects stock market volatility to increase, especially as the Federal Reserve makes fewer cuts than observers are hoping for, but he doesn't see "a worrisome correction, I just see market testing." Those tests will break some trends in sectors and industries, but shouldn't break the market's ability to post modest gains. In honor of the Thanksgiving holiday being the real start of the holiday shopping season, Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi, picks a retail-themed fund as his "ETF of the Week." Sara Enright, senior director of safety and sustainability at Consumer Reports, discusses CR's recently proposed homeowners insurance bill of rights, and points out some of the basics that consumers should know -- but typically don't -- about their policies that insurers often don't disclose because rules don't force them to speak up. Plus, Chuck talks about some things he is thankful for this Thanksgiving, noting that he has had a change in his own attitudes about money, driven by his age, experience, the deaths this year of two people he talked money with and more.  

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• Empower's Norton: The market's not bubbly but the economy is facing trouble in '26

  Marta Norton, chief investment strategist at Empower, says the stock market has high valuations, but notes that it lacks the excessive economic risk-taking and the fear-of-missing-out sentiment that are necessary to create true bubble conditions. But she notes that avoiding a bubble doesn;t mean it's smooth sailing ahead, as she says in Empower's outlook for 2026 that she expects anemic job growth to be a primary economic story. That jobs picture puts the Federal Reserve "between a rock and a hard place and maybe a third hard place," with the labor market making it tough for the central bank to cut rates. As a result, she's suggesting that investors rebalance portfolios, downplay their expectations and anticipate heightened volatility. Julius de Kempenaer, senior technical analyst at StockCharts, says that the market currently is going through a rotation to where "Right now, defense is the play," with money moving to health care, utilities and consumer staples, all defensive sectors. He is expecting the next six to eight weeks to be frothy and to determine whether the recent move away from highs is a blip or a real correction, but he warns that the upside for the Standard and Poor's 500 is "littered with resistance," and "the ease of movement seems to be to the downside."    Plus, in the market Call, Dom Rizzo, portfolio manager for the T. Rowe Price Technology ETF and the T. Rowe Price Global Technology Fund talks about how he looks for linchpin technologies in growth markets, with improving fundamentals and, hopefully, reasonable valuations, and just how he determines who makes that grade now.

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• Hartford Funds' Reganti: There's a risk that rate cuts could spur more inflation

  Amar Reganti, fixed income strategist at the Hartford Funds, says "The uncertainty is real," over the potential not only for what the Federal Reserve could do but how the market and economy will respond to whatever decision gets made. Reganti says investors are facing the prospect of rate cuts spurring higher inflation, but a lack of action resulting in a tougher employment market and that both outcomes could make things a lot scarier and nerve-wracking than they are now. Rachel Perez discusses a BestMoney.com survey showing two-thirds of consumers say they lose more money paying annual fees on credit cards than they gain from the benefits and perks on those premium cards. David Trainer, president at New Constructs, puts meals-delivery company DoorDash back into the Danger Zone, noting that recent strong results and a big bounce in the price are masking the real trouble that still exists in the balance sheet and that will eventually result in a much lower share price for the stock.  In the Market Call, Martin Leclerc, chief investment officer and portfolio manager at Barrack Yard Advisors, explains why he puts much of his focus and emphasis on companies that can "Show me the cash."  

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