SKEPTIC’S GUIDE TO INVESTING

Steve Davenport, Clement Miller
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Investing
  • Updated Bimonthly

Straight Talk for All, Nonsense for NoneAbout - Our podcast looks to help improve investing IQ.  We share 15-30 minutes on finance, market and investment ideas. We bring experience and empathy to the complex process of financial wellness.  Every journey is unique, so we look for ways our insights can help listeners. Also, we want to have fun😎Your Hosts - Meet Steve Davenport, CFA and Clem Miller, CFA as they discus the latest in news, markets and investments.  They each bring over 25 years in the investment industry to their discussions.  Steve brings a domestic stock and quantitative emphasis, Clem has a more fundamental and international perspective. They hope to bring experience, honesty and humility to these podcasts. There are a lot of acronyms and financial terms which confuse more than they help. There are many entertainers versus analysts promoting get rich quick ideas. Let’s cut through the nonsense with straight talk!Disclaimer - These podcasts are not intended as investment advice. Individuals please consult your own investment, tax and legal advisors. They provide these insights for educational purposes only.

  1. 22h ago

    Memory Is The New Bottleneck

    Please text and tell us what you like Straight Talk for All - Nonsense for None Please check out our other podcasts: https://skepticsguidetoinvesting.buzzsprout.com Disclaimer - These podcasts are not intended as investment advice. Individuals please consult your own investment, tax and legal advisors. They provide these insights for educational purposes only.

    33 min

  2. 22h ago

    SpaceX After The IPO

    Please text and tell us what you like SpaceX’s IPO didn’t just light up the charts, it raised a harder question: are you buying a business, or buying belief. We look at the spike after the debut, the slide back toward the offering price, and why that pattern can lure long-term investors into making a short-term decision without a risk plan. From there, we get practical about fundamentals. We put profitability at the center of the debate, compare SpaceX’s earnings profile to companies like NVIDIA and Microsoft, and ask what it means when a company can trade at a sky-high valuation while still lacking real profits. We also dig into the “dumb money versus smart money” dynamic of IPOs: insiders and early investors finally get liquidity, while the public often shows up with the least access and the most enthusiasm. The biggest red flags, though, are structural. We talk about Elon Musk’s control, special voting rights, potential cross-company maneuvers, dilution risk, and why a one-person power structure can be dangerous for junior shareholders even if the technology is real. We also cover index inclusion and forced buying through Russell-style products and QQQ exposure, plus the lockup timeline that could change the supply-demand picture fast. If you’re tempted to own SpaceX for the mission, we offer a clear framework for separating inspiration from investability. Subscribe, share the episode with a skeptical friend, leave a review, and tell us where you land: would you ever buy SpaceX at any price? Straight Talk for All - Nonsense for None Please check out our other podcasts: https://skepticsguidetoinvesting.buzzsprout.com Disclaimer - These podcasts are not intended as investment advice. Individuals please consult your own investment, tax and legal advisors. They provide these insights for educational purposes only.

    27 min

  3. 22h ago

    The Memo Of Misunderstanding

    Please text and tell us what you like “The Strait is open” is a comforting headline, but we don’t think it’s an investing thesis. We dig into the new US-Iran memorandum that’s being sold as a breakthrough and explain why the fine print, the missing signatures, and the political incentives make it look more like a memo of misunderstanding than a real peace agreement. We talk through the biggest fault lines: Israel and Hezbollah aren’t bound by the document, election pressures can reward hardline behavior, and public threats can sabotage the quiet diplomacy that usually moves negotiations forward. We also unpack why a 60-day clock and a 14-point checklist feel designed for extensions and messaging rather than completion and enforcement. Then we bring it back to markets. Oil prices, inflation, and economic confidence all hinge on what actually happens in the Strait of Hormuz: whether ships sail, whether insurers price the risk down, whether mines are truly cleared, and whose definition of “open” wins out. We also examine the impact of sanctions relief and released assets, and we end with a bigger warning for anyone who follows geopolitics and portfolios: if chokepoint coercion becomes normalized, copycat blockades in other critical lanes, including Taiwan, could turn volatility into the baseline. If you found this helpful, subscribe, share the show with someone who follows markets, and leave a review. What signal would convince you that the risk in Hormuz is genuinely fading? Straight Talk for All - Nonsense for None Please check out our other podcasts: https://skepticsguidetoinvesting.buzzsprout.com Disclaimer - These podcasts are not intended as investment advice. Individuals please consult your own investment, tax and legal advisors. They provide these insights for educational purposes only.

    37 min

  4. Jun 10

    How War Inflation And Voter Anger Could Flip Congress

    Please text and tell us what you like The midterms are not just a politics story. They are a pocketbook story, and the loudest message might be the giant number on the gas station sign. We connect the affordability squeeze to the Iran war and explain why even a real ceasefire may not translate into quick relief at the pump, keeping inflation anxiety alive for months. That day-to-day pressure shapes turnout, swing voters, and the mood that decides control of Congress. From there, we pull the thread into markets and monetary policy. We talk about the Federal Reserve, interest rates, and the brutal math of rising national debt interest expense, plus why political pressure for lower rates collides with sticky inflation. We also dig into voter trust and the power of corruption narratives, including how “government works for billionaires” can become a simple organizing message that shows up in campaign ads and kitchen-table conversations. We then look at structural forces that can surprise people, like redistricting that creates more purple districts that can flip fast in a wave year. We discuss the immigration enforcement wildcard, why ICE and CBP stories can flare back into the headlines, and how that can energize a base while pushing the middle away. Finally, we bring it back to investing with a candid market outlook: possible pullbacks, the appeal of gridlock for investors, and the geopolitical tail risk of China pressuring Taiwan and turning semiconductor chips into leverage. If this helped you think more clearly about midterm elections, inflation, gas prices, the Fed, and market volatility, subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave us a review so more skeptical investors can find it. Straight Talk for All - Nonsense for None Please check out our other podcasts: https://skepticsguidetoinvesting.buzzsprout.com Disclaimer - These podcasts are not intended as investment advice. Individuals please consult your own investment, tax and legal advisors. They provide these insights for educational purposes only.

    33 min

  5. Jun 2

    Prediction Markets Are Not Investing

    Please text and tell us what you like Betting has gone mainstream, and now it’s wearing an “investing” costume. We take a skeptical look at prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi and ask what they really are: useful information tools, entertainment, or a fast track to bad financial habits. The moment you put real money on a short-horizon yes or no outcome, you’re not valuing a business or building a portfolio, you’re buying exposure to uncertainty.  We also connect the prediction-market boom to the bigger trend we see in public markets: massive growth in options trading and the normalization of ultra-short-dated contracts. Leverage amplifies outcomes, but it also amplifies volatility and regret. We talk about the simplest dividing line we know between investing vs speculation: time frame. If you’re operating in days, you may be doing something that feels analytical while behaving like a coin flip.  From there, we dig into the harder questions: does the wisdom of crowds actually show up in these markets, or do whale bets and low liquidity distort the “probabilities”? What happens when insider information leaks into a contract, and how mature is regulation and enforcement? We even explore why national security events and influence operations make prediction markets uniquely messy, and why we don’t love seeing financial media treat these odds like they carry the same credibility as traditional, regulated signals.  If you’re curious about prediction markets, sports betting, options trading, and risk management, this conversation will help you set guardrails and keep your long-term plan intact. Subscribe, share the episode with a friend who’s tempted by “easy odds,” and leave a review with your take: are prediction markets signal, noise, or both? Straight Talk for All - Nonsense for None Please check out our other podcasts: https://skepticsguidetoinvesting.buzzsprout.com Disclaimer - These podcasts are not intended as investment advice. Individuals please consult your own investment, tax and legal advisors. They provide these insights for educational purposes only.

    33 min

  6. May 25

    The OCIO Mindset: Stephanie Lang, CFA

    Please text and tell us what you like When a semiconductor ETF can rip higher in a month and a mega-cap can spike 35% in a day, it’s hard to know whether you’re watching real value being created or pure market heat. We sit down with Stephanie Lang, CFA, former Chief Investment Officer at a multibillion-dollar wealth management firm and founder of ArmorPoint Advisors, to get a fundamentals-first read on what’s actually driving returns and where investors can get hurt. We talk about how a CIO thinks in real time: balancing public and private markets, building a team, delegating manager research, and staying humble about what you don’t know. Stephanie shares the career moments that shaped her, including the lesson of taking good opportunities when they appear and the importance of advocating for yourself when you’re already doing the job. If you’re curious about OCIO services, investment committees, and how firms “institutionalize” their process, her perspective is practical and refreshingly direct. Then we move into the market. We dig into AI stocks, semiconductors, valuation discipline, and why earnings growth and PEG ratios can matter more than hype. We also tackle the rise of retail trading, meme-stock momentum, one-day options, and the creeping feeling that investing is turning into betting. Stephanie lays out a simple framework: diversify on purpose, keep liquidity buckets, and if you want to speculate, separate it from the money you can’t afford to lose. We close with crypto skepticism grounded in cash-flow logic, plus the potential impact of mega IPOs like SpaceX and AI leaders on benchmarks and investor behavior. If you found this helpful, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s feeling market whiplash, and leave us a review with your biggest question about AI investing and risk management. Stephanie Lang website: https://www.armorpointadvisors.com/ Charity mentioned on Podcast: Mercy Care  https://mercyatlanta.org/ Straight Talk for All - Nonsense for None Please check out our other podcasts: https://skepticsguidetoinvesting.buzzsprout.com Disclaimer - These podcasts are not intended as investment advice. Individuals please consult your own investment, tax and legal advisors. They provide these insights for educational purposes only.

    54 min

  7. May 19

    TikTok Politics Meets Billionaire Money

    Please text and tell us what you like New York City can look unstoppable right up until incentives flip. We sit down with Fraser Rice to take the temperature inside the “belly of the beast” near Grand Central and talk about what a tax-the-rich political wave means for the business community, Wall Street, and anyone trying to build wealth in a high-cost, high-tax city. Ranked choice voting, media-savvy leadership, and symbolic fights with billionaires create headlines, but we keep pulling the thread that matters to investors: how quickly confidence and capital can move when people feel targeted instead of valued.  We also get practical about the city’s real pressure points. Housing supply, zoning reform, rent regulation, and homelessness aren’t abstract policy debates, they shape whether New York stays livable for the talent and industries it depends on. Fraser shares why Class A commercial real estate can thrive even while affordability worsens, and why public safety “cover” can mask deeper leadership tests that show up later. The Ken Griffin and second-home tax conversation becomes a case study in how politics and economics collide when major employers can quietly reallocate jobs and investment across states.  Then we widen the lens to the markets and what Fraser’s ultra high net worth clients are wrestling with: AI boom valuations that echo past bubbles, energy prices that pinch consumers, and interest rate uncertainty that can reprice everything. We walk through a margin-of-safety mindset, stress testing drawdowns, and bucketing risk over multi-year horizons. Finally, we dig into private credit: why the expected returns can be attractive, why illiquidity is the real cost, and why the rush to put private credit into 401(k)s should make long-term investors ask harder questions. If you found this useful, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review. What’s the biggest risk you’re positioning for right now? Straight Talk for All - Nonsense for None Please check out our other podcasts: https://skepticsguidetoinvesting.buzzsprout.com Disclaimer - These podcasts are not intended as investment advice. Individuals please consult your own investment, tax and legal advisors. They provide these insights for educational purposes only.

    47 min

  8. May 14

    Red Carpets Do Not Fix Supply Chains

    Please text and tell us what you like A summit can look monumental while changing almost nothing, and that gap is where investors get hurt. We take a hard look at the US China leader meeting and ask a simple question: what parts are pageantry, and what parts can actually move markets? Along the way, we challenge the familiar talking points about “opening China” and “reform,” and explain why those phrases often create more heat than light when you are making real portfolio decisions. From there we get practical about power and incentives. Governments want endorsement from big business, but companies like NVIDIA are built to pursue shareholder value, not national strategy. That tension shows up in export controls, chip designs that thread regulatory needles, and the broader AI race where usability may matter as much as raw compute. We also revisit Huawei and 5G as a reminder that “trust” is not only technical. Ownership structure, control, and political risk can be just as important. Then we land on the big risk: Taiwan. With a huge share of advanced semiconductor capacity concentrated there, even a blockade threat can reprice the entire AI trade, the semiconductor sector, and the global growth outlook. We connect that to near term distractions in the Middle East, shipping chokepoints like the Strait of Hormuz, rare earth leverage, upcoming tariff actions, and why higher retail participation can make drawdowns sharper. If you care about semiconductor stocks, AI investing, China exposure, and geopolitical risk, this is the map we use to stay skeptical and stay solvent. Subscribe so you do not miss what comes next, share this with a friend who is heavy in semis, and leave a review if our framework helps. What is your biggest worry right now: Taiwan, tariffs, or valuations? Straight Talk for All - Nonsense for None Please check out our other podcasts: https://skepticsguidetoinvesting.buzzsprout.com Disclaimer - These podcasts are not intended as investment advice. Individuals please consult your own investment, tax and legal advisors. They provide these insights for educational purposes only.

    56 min
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About

Straight Talk for All, Nonsense for NoneAbout - Our podcast looks to help improve investing IQ.  We share 15-30 minutes on finance, market and investment ideas. We bring experience and empathy to the complex process of financial wellness.  Every journey is unique, so we look for ways our insights can help listeners. Also, we want to have fun😎Your Hosts - Meet Steve Davenport, CFA and Clem Miller, CFA as they discus the latest in news, markets and investments.  They each bring over 25 years in the investment industry to their discussions.  Steve brings a domestic stock and quantitative emphasis, Clem has a more fundamental and international perspective. They hope to bring experience, honesty and humility to these podcasts. There are a lot of acronyms and financial terms which confuse more than they help. There are many entertainers versus analysts promoting get rich quick ideas. Let’s cut through the nonsense with straight talk!Disclaimer - These podcasts are not intended as investment advice. Individuals please consult your own investment, tax and legal advisors. They provide these insights for educational purposes only.

Information

  • Creator
    Steve Davenport, Clement Miller
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    150
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 SKEPTIC’S GUIDE TO INVESTING
  • Show Website
    SKEPTIC’S GUIDE TO INVESTING

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