In this wide-ranging year-end conversation, Cameron Dawson, Dave Nadig, and Matt Zeigler reflect on what worked, what failed, and what the last decade has revealed about markets, diversification, and portfolio construction.

The discussion moves from the collapse of traditional asset allocation assumptions to the realities of concentration risk, gold and crypto as psychological assets, and how investors should think about positioning after two extraordinary market years.

Along the way, the group explores behavioral traps, factor investing disappointments, and what 2026 might demand from investors navigating uncertainty, valuation extremes, and momentum-driven markets.

Main topics covered:

• Why modern portfolio theory and the efficient frontier have struggled over the last 10–15 years
• The “Sell America” trade, what actually worked, and why chasing institutional positioning can be dangerous
• Gold’s breakout, Bitcoin flows, and how investors should think about real assets as psychological hedges
• Why diversification has failed to add value for much of the last decade
• Concentration risk in the S&P 500 and the dominance of the Magnificent Seven
• The challenges of benchmarking in an increasingly concentrated market
• Why most factor and smart beta ETFs struggled in 2025
• Momentum, bubbles, and the risks of recency bias
• Tactical versus strategic asset allocation in a high-valuation environment
• How advisors balance house views with clients’ concentrated positions
• What could drive volatility, rotation, or mean reversion in 2026

Timestamps:

00:00 — Why the efficient frontier and diversification broke down
03:30 — The Sell America trade and why institutional narratives mislead
07:00 — Dollar dynamics, international stocks, and chasing relative performance
10:00 — Gold as a psychological asset and why institutions ignore it
14:00 — Bitcoin, liquidity, and why crypto behaves differently than gold
17:30 — Real assets, real estate, and knowing what you actually own
21:00 — Concentration risk and why the S&P 500 is no longer neutral
24:30 — Why diversification hasn’t added value for over a decade
28:00 — Factor ETFs, smart beta failures, and momentum dominance
31:30 — Bubbles, recency bias, and “knowing the game you’re playing”
34:30 — Rebalancing, leverage, and avoiding self-attribution bias
38:00 — What the last two years mean for 2026 expectations
42:00 — Favorite holiday traditions and family rituals
46:30 — Christmas movies, nostalgia, and comfort rituals
54:30 — Closing reflections, year-end mindset, and sign-off