2026 Mid-Year Outlook: AI Bubble? Inflation, the New Fed Chair & Where to Invest Now

Markets are higher but volatile — a nearly 20% round trip in the first half of 2026. In this mid-year outlook, Brian Seay, CFA, walks through the biggest questions clients are asking this summer: Is the AI rally a bubble? Are you too concentrated in tech? Where is inflation headed as oil retreats? And what does new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh mean for your portfolio?

Brian lays out the economic backdrop — slow, narrow, AI-driven growth — then talks through positioning across U.S. stocks, small caps, international and emerging markets, bonds, gold, and EM debt, closing with practical steps for the second half.

📊 There are a lot of charts in this one — watch here rather than listen so you can follow along.

Capital Stewards is a fee-only fiduciary registered investment adviser in Huntsville, Alabama, serving entrepreneurs, engineers, defense contractors, and retirees across North Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee.

🌐 Learn more: https://www.thecapitalstewards.com

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This video is for informational and educational purposes only and is not investment, tax, or legal advice. Views are as of the recording date and subject to change. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal.

#MidYearOutlook #MarketOutlook2026 #Investing #AIStocks #EmergingMarkets #Inflation #FederalReserve #GoldInvesting #FinancialPlanning #Huntsville

SpaceX is set to begin trading this Friday. OpenAI formally kicked off its IPO process this week. Anthropic filed its S-1 just days ago. The summer of 2026 may be the most consequential IPO season in a generation — and it's happening right now.

In this episode, Brian Seay breaks down what every investor should know before buying a share in any of these three companies.

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📌 WHAT WE COVER

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▶ How IPOs actually work — including why most retail investors never get shares at the price they see in the headlines

▶ SpaceX: $1.77 trillion valuation, $4.9 billion net loss — is it worth it? (We do the math)

▶ OpenAI: $20B in revenue, projecting $74B in losses by 2028 — what does the path to profitability look like?

▶ Anthropic: The enterprise AI bet with the clearest path to cash flow

▶ What history teaches us — from Amazon's "Amazon.bomb" years to Meta's catastrophic IPO day

▶ The five questions every investor should answer before putting money to work

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🔗 RESOURCES & LINKS

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📄 Read the full article: https://www.thecapitalstewards.com/learn/spacex-openai-and-anthropic-are-going-publicheres-what-every-investor-should-know-before-buying-a-share

📅 Schedule a conversation: thecapitalstewards.com

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📬 STAY CONNECTED

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Subscribe for regular updates on investing, retirement planning, and wealth management — built around the principle that good stewardship means being intentional with every financial decision.

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⚠️ DISCLOSURE

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This video is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any security. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Please consult your financial advisor before making any investment decisions.

You've spent years building something meaningful. The real question is: who's going to carry it forward? In Part 2 of our multigenerational wealth series, Capital Stewards founder Brian Seay tackles the two questions that keep wealth-building families up at night — how do you raise children who are prepared to steward what you've built, and how do you actually transfer it without leaving hundreds of thousands of dollars on the table? This episode goes deep on both the human side and the technical side of generational wealth transfer. In this episode:

• Why the families who "spoil" their kids are the ones who never talked about money
• What the research actually says about the next generation's attitude toward family wealth
• Three ways to actively engage your kids in real financial decisions — starting earlier than you think
• Why charitable giving is one of the most powerful antidotes to entitlement
• When (and how) to open the books with your heirs
• 529 plans as a wealth transfer tool — including the new Roth IRA rollover rules
• Annual exclusion gifting: why consistency turns a modest strategy into a million-dollar transfer
• The step-up in cost basis explained — and why it could save your family hundreds of thousands in taxes
• Donor Advised Funds: how to give like a family foundation without running one
• Why multigenerational families should invest like an endowment, not like a retiree

📖 Read the full blog series at thecapitalstewards.com

📅 Ready to have a real conversation about your family's financial future? Schedule a call at thecapitalstewards.com

Capital Stewards is a fiduciary wealth management firm serving families in Huntsville, Alabama and across Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment, tax, or legal advice.