Talley Leger, chief market strategist at The Wealth Consulting Group, says he sees the stock market rallying into the first quarter of 2027, noting that "earnings drive stocks and rates make noise." At that point, Leger expects the Standard & Poor's 500 to hit the 8,500 target he set on it during a Money Life interview last January, slightly behind schedule but still reflective of a strong, continuing uptrend. Leger encourages investors to ignore the market's noise, which includes concerns over valuations, because while valuations help investors set expectations for what can be achieved, they do not put limits on how high things can go and whether they can push further from here. He says the current valuations are "robbing Peter to pay Paul," but he says that won't become a problem for well over a decade, because the boom in earnings will roll on. Leger explains that a lot of the warning signs investors are seeing right now are part of the "typical business cycle dynamic," and he expects the market to broaden out for the next few quarters and years.
Paul Benda, executive vice president for risk, fraud and cybersecurity for the American Bankers Association, discusses how consumers can protect themselves against consumer scams and check fraud. The trade group currently has stepped up its "Banks Never Ask That" campaign to help consumers recognize when scammers — armed with a convincing amount of information — are setting the hook and getting individuals to take the bait and provide details or more that could lead directly to being ripped off.
Plus, Massy Williams, head of wealth management at Vanguard discusses the results from its latest "Women & Wealth" study, which digs into four key myths about how women handle money, showing that the stereotypical ideas that women lack financial confidence, delay decisions out of fear, wanting empathy above expertise and more are outdated and incorrect.