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

Some parts of Human Design and Gene Keys feel… crunchy. You read the original transmission, the channel descriptions, the line language—and something in you goes: “Ew. I don't want that. I'm not that.” And if you're not careful, that reaction can quietly turn into self-rejection… which blocks the very transformation you're here for.

In this episode, Hannah Chapman, CFP® and co-host Lauren Ammon talk about why “softening” or rewriting the system to make it more palatable can actually keep people stuck. Together, they explore how to hold uncomfortable language with maturity, use the shadow as soil, and let your experiment reveal what the words truly mean—without moralizing or bypassing the human experience.

Learn about:

• Why “making HD/GK feel nicer” can be misleading

• The cost of rejecting parts of your chart

• Shadow → Gift → Siddhi as a real transformation pathway

• Gate 59: dishonesty, intimacy, safety, and timing

• Tribal circuitry and “the bargain” dynamic

• Gate 26 and the word “manipulation” (and why it isn't always bad)

• Defined vs open Ego: commitment, promises, and sustainable action

• How supportive aura dynamics can help people follow through

• Teaser: the 3/5 profile and why it can feel painful at first

Discover your design, join the newsletter, and explore coaching at: https://expansiveceo.com. Don't forget to send your Human Design questions to lauren@expansiveceo.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