Recorded live on July 29, 12:00PM ET.

The second quarter brought a powerful rebound for equity markets, with U.S. stocks delivering their best quarterly gains since 2020. Large-cap technology companies remained important drivers of performance, but market leadership broadened across small caps, software, industrials and other cyclical areas.

Corporate earnings have been strong, artificial intelligence continues to fuel a major capital investment cycle, and the economy has remained resilient. Yet inflation remains above target, consumers and businesses are experiencing the expansion unevenly, and investors continue to reassess the outlook for Federal Reserve policy.

Stream our Summer 2026 Market Update Webinar as we discuss the key themes from the second quarter, what is driving markets today, and how investors can think about opportunity, risk and portfolio positioning in the months ahead.

Timestamps:

Introduction & Firm Overview (00:00:00)
Major IPOs in the Last 20 Years (00:02:18)
Strait of Hormuz and Iran Conflict (00:21:25)
The Iran War Repriced the Rate Outlook (00:34:50)
Artificial Intelligence - Investment Boom, Implementation and Capabilities (00:48:40)

Nothing contained in this presentation should be construed as personalized advice, or solicitation to buy or sell any securities. Past performance may not be indicative of future results. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk. There can be no assurance that the future performance of any specific investment or non-investment related content in this Podcast will be profitable or suitable for your individual situation. Due to changing market conditions and/or applicable laws, the content may no longer be reflective of current opinions. The opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the participants and may not reflect those of the firm. To the extent you have any questions regarding the applicability of anything discussed to your individual situation, you are encouraged to consult with the professional advisor of your choosing. The firm is neither a law firm, nor a certified public accounting firm, and no portion of this content should be construed as legal or accounting advice.

In the latest episode of Amplified Wealth: According to Plan, Kate Fishbein and Tom Farrell explore qualified charitable distributions, or QCDs, and how they may help charitably inclined IRA owners support the organizations they care about while managing taxable income.

Episode Highlights:

What Is a QCD?
Learn how a qualified charitable distribution allows eligible individuals to transfer funds directly from an IRA to a qualified charity.

Who Is Eligible?
Kate and Tom review the age requirements, eligible retirement accounts and important rules surrounding inherited, SEP and SIMPLE IRAs.

QCDs and Required Minimum Distributions
Discover how a properly executed QCD may count toward an annual required minimum distribution while keeping the donated amount out of taxable income.

Why Timing Matters
The hosts explain why QCDs should be coordinated before taking other IRA distributions - and why waiting until the end of the year can create unnecessary complications.

And much more!

Nothing contained in this presentation should be construed as personalized advice, or solicitation to buy or sell any securities. Past performance may not be indicative of future results. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk. There can be no assurance that the future performance of any specific investment or non-investment related content in this Podcast will be profitable or suitable for your individual situation. Due to changing market conditions and/or applicable laws, the content may no longer be reflective of current opinions. The opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the participants and may not reflect those of the firm. To the extent you have any questions regarding the applicability of anything discussed to your individual situation, you are encouraged to consult with the professional advisor of your choosing. The firm is neither a law firm, nor a certified public accounting firm, and no portion of this content should be construed as legal or accounting advice.

In the latest episode of Amplified Wealth, Austin Hagaman and Henry Mercer welcome Allen Steere, Portfolio Manager at Stone Ridge Asset Management, for a timely conversation about one of the most commonly used - and frequently misunderstood - words in investing: diversification.

Owning more funds, securities or asset classes may make a portfolio appear diversified. But when those investments depend on the same economic conditions or market risks, they may behave more similarly than investors expect - especially during periods of market stress.

Episode Highlights:

🧺 Diversification Is More Than Owning More

Why the number of investments in a portfolio may matter less than the underlying risks and sources of return driving them.

📉 The Limits of the Traditional 60/40 Portfolio

Stocks and bonds can both play important roles, but bonds may not always provide the downside protection investors expect - particularly when inflation and interest rates pressure both markets simultaneously.

🔍 What Makes an Investment Truly Diversifying?

Allen shares Stone Ridge’s three-part framework for identifying potential diversifiers: a positive expected return, an intuitive reason for profitability and a historically low correlation to traditional markets.

🌪️ Finding Returns Outside Traditional Markets

How strategies involving catastrophe reinsurance, alternative lending, single-family rentals and post-war and contemporary art may provide return streams driven by risks that are distinct from the stock and bond markets.

And Much More!

True diversification is not simply about owning investments with different names or labels. It is about understanding what drives their returns, how they may behave in difficult markets and whether they introduce a genuinely different source of risk into the portfolio.

Nothing contained in this presentation should be construed as personalized advice, or solicitation to buy or sell any securities. Past performance may not be indicative of future results. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk. There can be no assurance that the future performance of any specific investment or non-investment related content in this Podcast will be profitable or suitable for your individual situation. Due to changing market conditions and/or applicable laws, the content may no longer be reflective of current opinions. The opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the participants and may not reflect those of the firm. To the extent you have any questions regarding the applicability of anything discussed to your individual situation, you are encouraged to consult with the professional advisor of your choosing. The firm is neither a law firm, nor a certified public accounting firm, and no portion of this content should be construed as legal or accounting advice.