The "magnificent seven" stocks – the seven largest U.S. stocks by market cap – have had an incredible year. Even the worst-performing of the bunch (Microsoft) has gained 35% this year, more than double the ~15% returns of the S&P 500. Considering that these 7 companies make up more than one-quarter of the market cap of the S&P 500, it's no surprise it's been a good year for stocks. But Jeff and Jason think they can do even better. In this week's episode, they each pick alternatives to the "magnificent seven," in a little competition we are calling The Magnificenter Seven. We're even keeping score! Check out the link to the 2023 Smattering Portfolio Contest for more, and share your own picks. If you think you can do better, that is… Because Jason talks SO much, this is the only top of this week's show. Looking for the monthly update to the 2023 Smattering Portfolio Contest? Since we pre-recorded this episode and will be away at month-end, tune back in next week for a slightly late review of the contest.  Companies mentioned: AAPL, ADBE, AMZN, ASML, CFLT, DOCN, ENPH, GOOG, GOOGL, META, MSFT, NVDA, PINS, ROKU, SBUX, SEDG, SPG, TSLA, TTD, TXN Check out our sponsor, Alex Morris at TSOH Investment Research: https://thescienceofhitting.com/ We would love feedback on the show. Share with us at:  Email: thesmatteringshow@gmail.com Twitter: @smatteringshow  Check out our YouTube channel for more content:  https://www.youtube.com/@TheSmatteringShow Find the 2023 Smattering Portfolio here:  https://tinyurl.com/Smatterfolio2023

Being an active investor is hard. The reality is, humans are wired to do something. It's hard to stand by while our portfolios are doing, well whatever, and not feel the need to act. Stocks going up? Sell to lock in gains. Or maybe buy more! It's going up, after all! Stocks falling? Sell to cut the losses. Or maybe buy more! It's going to go back up, after all! But none less than Warren Buffett has made the case for being a lazy investor. He once wrote, "Benign neglect, bordering on sloth, remains the hallmark of our investment process," after all. But is Buffett really being slothful? And is the lazy approach really the right way to go? Jason and Jeff hash it out in this episode.  In the second part of the show, we wade into companies and social issues. What's an investor to do if a company takes a stand on a social issue? What if it backfires? Is there a right way to approach it or think about it as an investor? Jeff and Jason firmly grab the third rail of investing and talk through this subject.  Companies mentioned: AAPL, CMG, DIS, ETSY, MELI, NFLX, NVDA, SBUX, TGT, TXN Check out our sponsor, Alex Morris at TSOH Investment Research: https://thescienceofhitting.com/ We would love feedback on the show. Share with us at:  Email: thesmatteringshow@gmail.com Twitter: @smatteringshow  Check out our YouTube channel for more content:  https://www.youtube.com/@TheSmatteringShow Find the 2023 Smattering Portfolio here:  https://tinyurl.com/Smatterfolio2023

In our second summer mailbag episode, Jason and Jeff field questions from listeners, submitted on Twitter, email, and Commonstock. Topics include stocks we own, getting the most out of cash without falling in love with it, whether the stock market is expensive, or if expensive is the new normal, and how did two idiots like Jason and Jeff manage to get the expertise and skill to be paid to pontificate on investing?  In the second part of the show, we follow up on a topic from last week's episode, "Earnings Season Mindset," and whether Jeff or Jason took any action after a number of very big stock selloffs.  Companies mentioned: ABNB, ASML, BOC, CRWD, DDOG, DOCN, EPR, FTNT, KNSL, LOB, LMND, MELI, NVDA, RHP, TTD, UPST Check out our sponsor, Alex Morris at TSOH Investment Research: https://thescienceofhitting.com/ We would love feedback on the show. Share with us at:  Email: thesmatteringshow@gmail.com Twitter: @smatteringshow  Check out our YouTube channel for more content:  https://www.youtube.com/@TheSmatteringShow Find the 2023 Smattering Portfolio here:  https://tinyurl.com/Smatterfolio2023

Jason has a lot of problems with you people! In this first Rough Cut, Jason and Jeff rant about all the free and paid investing resources available out there and what they think about it. We would love feedback on the show. Share with us at:  Email: thesmatteringshow@gmail.com Twitter: @smatteringshow  Check out our YouTube channel for more content:  https://www.youtube.com/@TheSmatteringShow Find the 2023 Smattering Portfolio here:  https://tinyurl.com/Smatterfolio2023

Every quarter, thousands of companies report their financial results, and investors of all stripes tune in, read up, and trade their way through the season. Volatility is up, and for many people, so is their stress level. So what's an investor to do? In this episode, Jason and Jeff discuss their mindsets during earnings season, including the frameworks they have implemented to help them navigate the volatilities, and make better investing decisions when emotions can be high.  In the second part of the show, we share our first The Smattering Rough Cut, an unedited, unplanned conversation that starts in one direction, then goes a little bit off the rails.  Companies mentioned: LMND, MSFT, FTNT, LOB We would love feedback on the show. Share with us at:  Email: thesmatteringshow@gmail.com Twitter: @smatteringshow  Check out our YouTube channel for more content:  https://www.youtube.com/@TheSmatteringShow Find the 2023 Smattering Portfolio here:  https://tinyurl.com/Smatterfolio2023

Wow, that was fast. In the blink of an eye, The Smattering has turned one year old! In this episode, Jeff and Jason take a stroll down memory lane, sharing some of their favorite stories, episodes, and guests from the first year. We also take a look ahead, and tease a few new ideas coming soon to The Smattering Podcast!  In the second part of the show, we give an update on the 2023 Smattering Portfolio Contest! Jeff finally admits that Jason's portfolio is superior, while Jason remains his typically humble self. We also share our thoughts on where all the stocks are at this point, and what we are watching for going forward. Companies mentioned: AMC, AMZN, BIP, BLNK, BOC, CRWD, DDOG, LMND, MELI, META, NKE, OM, SPG, TREX, TSM, TSLA, TTD We would love feedback on the show. Share with us at: Email: thesmatteringshow@gmail.com Twitter: @smatteringshow  Check out our YouTube channel for more content:  https://www.youtube.com/@TheSmatteringShow Find the 2023 Smattering Portfolio here:  https://tinyurl.com/Smatterfolio2023

Have you ever been absolutely, utterly confident in an outcome, only to get a rude awakening when things go very differently? Well, you're not alone. Behavioral economics pioneer Peter Atwater has made it his mission to help more people understand the role of confidence in human decision making, outcomes, and how it's rooted in "our desire for certainty and control." In this week's show, Jeff and Jason talk with Peter about his new book, The Confidence Map: Charting a Path from Chaos to Clarity. They discuss his background, his decision to leave a successful banking career and start over at 45, and and how The Confidence Map came to be, and how it can help people make better decisions in many aspects of their lives.  In the second part of the show, Jason and Jeff share their thoughts on the book and the conversation with Peter, and how the concepts in the book can fit in the investor's toolbox.  Companies mentioned: BRK.A, BRK.B Buy The Confidence Map on Amazon. Peter Atwater on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Peter_Atwater  We would love feedback on the show. Share with us at:  Email: thesmatteringshow@gmail.com Twitter: @smatteringshow  Check out our YouTube channel for more content:  https://www.youtube.com/@TheSmatteringShow Find the 2023 Smattering Portfolio here:  https://tinyurl.com/Smatterfolio2023

Brian Feroldi is a leading expert in investing, helping hundreds of thousands of people avoid mistakes and make better decisions. But he wasn't always an expert, and over the past two decades he's made plenty of mistakes. In this week's show, Jeff and Jason talk with Brian about his history, including his beginnings as an individual investor, his origin story as a thought leader and expert, and how he's built Long Term Mindset into a business that continues to help a growing number of people find their own success.  Find Brian on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrianFeroldi  Brian's newsletter and education courses: BrianFeroldi.com/newsletter  We would love feedback on the show. Share with us at:  Email: thesmatteringshow@gmail.com Twitter: @smatteringshow  Check out our YouTube channel for more content:  https://www.youtube.com/@TheSmatteringShow Find the 2023 Smattering Portfolio here:  https://tinyurl.com/Smatterfolio2023

You have questions? We have answers. In this edition of our semi-regular mailbag, we took listener questions about capital scarcity, measuring CEO performance, the ongoing AI bubble, and whether Threads will prove good for Meta Technologies. We also shared a listener note describing how they've made massive financial strides in recent years.  In the second part of the show, we announce the upcoming Money Collaborative 2023 event we are doing with some of our favorite finance friends! We hope you can join us. For more details on it, visit moneycollaborative.com  Companies mentioned: AAPL, AMZN, BAH, CRWD, FTNT, META, MSFT, NVDA, OKTA, PANW, PTON, SNAP, TSM, ZS We would love feedback on the show. Share with us at:  Email: thesmatteringshow@gmail.com Twitter: @smatteringshow  Check out our YouTube channel for more content:  https://www.youtube.com/@TheSmatteringShow Find the 2023 Smattering Portfolio here:  https://tinyurl.com/Smatterfolio2023

It may be hard to believe, but we are already halfway through the year. That means it's time to review the 16 stocks across the five "team" in the 2023 Smattering Portfolio Contest! The good news: The five portfolios are up a combined 31% so far this year! The bad news: The best performing team is the "un-portfolio." It's all Jeff's fault. This week, Jeff and Jason share an update on all of the companies in the contest, and share their latest thoughts.  In the second part of the show, Jason asks Jeff for his thoughts on financial independence, and topic that, surprisingly, we haven't talked very much about.  Companies mentioned: AMC, AMZN, BIP, BLNK, BOC, CRWD, DDOG, LMND, MELI, META, NKE, OM, SPG, TREX, TSM, TSLA, TTD Episode 30: Introducing the 2023 Smattering Portfolio Contest: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-smattering/episodes/30--December-Mailbag-and-Introducing-the-2023-Smattering-Portfolio-Contest-e1s0pgj  Episode 32: 2023 Smattering Portfolio Contest Stocks Reveal: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-smattering/episodes/32--Smattering-Portfolio-2023-Reveal-e1sm10p  We would love feedback on the show. Share with us at:  Email: thesmatteringshow@gmail.com Twitter: @smatteringshow  Check out our YouTube channel for more content:  https://www.youtube.com/@TheSmatteringShow Find the 2023 Smattering Portfolio here:  https://tinyurl.com/Smatterfolio2023