Welcome to the Lead-Lag Live podcast, where we bring you live unscripted conversations with thought leaders in the world of finance, economics, and investing. Hosted by Melanie Schaffer each episode dives deep into the minds of industry experts to discuss current market trends, investment strategies, and the global economic landscape. In this exciting series, you'll have the rare opportunity to join Melanie Schaffer as she connects with prominent thought leaders for captivating discussions in real-time. The Lead-Lag Live podcast aims to provide valuable insights, analysis, and actionable advice for investors and financial professionals alike. As a dedicated listener, you can expect to hear from renowned financial experts, best-selling authors, and market strategists as they share their wealth of knowledge and experience. With a focus on topical issues and their potential impact on financial markets, these live unscripted conversations will ensure that you stay informed and ahead of the curve. Subscribe to the Lead-Lag Live podcast and follow @leadlagmedia on X to stay updated on upcoming live conversations and to gain exclusive access to a treasure trove of financial wisdom. Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to learn from the best and brightest minds in the business. Join us on this journey as we explore the complex world of finance and investments, one live unscripted conversation at a time. Be sure to like, comment, and share the Lead-Lag Live podcast with your network to help others discover these invaluable insights. Stay tuned for the latest episode of the Lead-Lag Live podcast, and remember to turn on notifications so you never miss a live conversation with your favorite thought leaders. Happy listening!
In this episode of Lead-Lag Live, I sit down with Kai Wu, Founder and CIO of Sparkline Capital, to break down why the AI boom may be entering a new phase and why investors concentrated in infrastructure stocks could be taking more risk than they realize.
With nearly half of the S&P 500 tied directly or indirectly to AI infrastructure buildout, Kai explains the dangers of crowded positioning, excessive capital spending,...
In this episode of Lead-Lag Live, I sit down with Michael Germano, Founder and Wealth Manager at Key Sage Wealth, to discuss whether markets are entering a major rotation after years of mega-cap tech dominance.
From signs of mean reversion and passive-driven distortions to the case for a commodity supercycle and a weakening U.S. dollar, Germano explains why investors may want to rethink concentration risk and reassess exposure to AI...
In this episode of Lead-Lag Live, I sit down with Derek Yan, Senior Investment Strategist at KraneShares, to discuss whether humanoid robotics is a real commercialization story or just the next overhyped thematic trade.
From factory deployment by Tesla, BMW, and Amazon to China’s aggressive industrial push, Yan explains why embodied AI may represent the next structural shift in automation — and how the KraneShares Global H...
In this episode of Lead-Lag Live, I sit down with Grant Cardone for a wide-ranging and unusually candid conversation on Bitcoin, real estate, and what it really means to invest with conviction.
Grant is blunt about one thing most people never admit: even after buying Bitcoin for years, he doesn’t pretend certainty. He openly talks about the discomfort of drawdowns, the difference between conviction and having a low cost ba...
This video is sponsored by Quantify Funds and contains discussion of exchange-traded funds sponsored by Quantify Funds. Quantify Funds paid the creator a flat fee for this endorsement and unscripted interview. This compensation gives the creator an incentive to recommend Quantify Funds, resulting in a material conflict of interest. Quantify Funds did not produce, review, approve, or redistribute this content and is not responsibl...
In this episode of Lead-Lag Live, I sit down with Ted Oakley, Founder of Oxbow Advisors, to break down why inflation remains sticky, why investors should be skeptical of Federal Reserve guidance, and where real value may be emerging beneath the surface of today’s market.
With more than four decades of experience advising high-net-worth investors, Ted explains why mega-cap stocks now represent concentration risk, why energy...
In this episode of Lead-Lag Live, I sit down with John Love, President and CEO of USCF, to break down why commodities are re-emerging as a critical part of portfolios as markets face inflation uncertainty, geopolitical risk, and supply fragility.
From a historic spike in natural gas driven by extreme weather to renewed risk premiums in oil, gold, and silver, John explains how commodity markets are being reshaped by geopolitics, tari...
In this episode of Lead-Lag Live, I sit down with Seth Cogswell, Managing Partner at Running Oak Capital, to break down why today’s market feels increasingly speculative and why disciplined investing is being left behind.
From meme-style factor leadership and zombie-company outperformance to extreme concentration and AI spending risk, Cogswell explains why chasing returns tends to end the same way and how investors can pos...
In this episode of Lead-Lag Live, I sit down with Alex Shahidi, Managing Partner and Co-Chief Investment Officer at Evoke Advisors, to break down why markets heading into 2026 are forcing investors to rethink diversification, risk, and portfolio construction.
With inflation remaining sticky, political uncertainty rising, and stocks and bonds often moving together during inflation shocks, Alex explains why the traditional 60/40 frame...
In this episode of Lead-Lag Live, Melanie Schafer sits down with Michael Mo, CEO of KULR Technology Group (NYSE: KULR), to explore why energy reliability is emerging as the critical constraint behind AI, robotics, drones, telecom infrastructure, and next-generation data centers.
Fresh off CES and following KULR’s newly announced $30M telecom battery supply agreement, Mo explains how high-power, high-safety battery systems are becomi...
In this episode of Lead-Lag Live, I sit down with Hervé Van Caloen**, Owner and Portfolio Manager at **Mercator Investment Management, to break down why global markets outside the United States are entering a powerful new phase of leadership.
From Japan’s aggressive stimulus and corporate reform push to structural dominance in semiconductors, defense technology, space, and energy infrastructure, Van Caloen explains how capital is ro...
Artificial intelligence is driving one of the largest capital spending cycles in market history, yet most AI investment strategies focus on surface level exposure rather than true innovation. In this Lead-Lag Deep Dive, Melanie Schaeffer sits down with Aram Babikian of Xtrackers to examine how AI investing is evolving and why research intensity and patent activity may matter more than headlines.
The discussion breaks down the struct...
Equity Isn’t Ownership: Kaitlyn Walsh on Stock Options, Tax Traps, and the Mistakes Employees Regret
In this episode of Lead-Lag Live, I sit down with Kaitlyn Walsh, Wealth Advisor and Equity Analyst, to break down what employees actually own when they receive stock options and why misunderstanding equity compensation can lead to costly mistakes.
From incentive stock options and vesting schedules to fair market value, AMT exposure, and record-keeping errors, Walsh explains the decisions that matter most before, during, and after an...
In this episode of Lead-Lag Live, I sit down with Luke Lloyd, President and CEO of Lloyd Financial Group, for a candid conversation on markets, mindset, and the economic forces shaping investor behavior.
From why retirement is not a finish line but a reinvention, to how AI, government liquidity, and bailouts are reshaping wealth outcomes, Lloyd explains why investors must adapt both financially and psychologically to a system increa...
In this episode of Lead-Lag Live, I sit down with Aram Babikian, Head of Xtrackers Wealth at DWS, to explore how rising geopolitical tensions are reshaping technology investing and why national security has become a core investment lens.
From US–China decoupling and critical technologies to AI, quantum computing, and supply-chain risk, Babikian explains how investors can gain exposure to future-facing innovation while acti...
In this episode of Lead-Lag Live, Michael Gayed sits down with Dodd Kittsley, Co-CIO of Davis Advisors, to discuss why fundamental research and selectivity are becoming increasingly critical as markets transition into a period of normalized interest rates.
From Davis Advisors’ 60-year history of “eating their own cooking” to the evolution of active equity ETFs, Kittsley explains how a high-conviction, benchmark-agnostic in...
In this episode of Lead-Lag Live, Michael Gayed sits down with Jay Hatfield, CEO and Portfolio Manager at Infrastructure Capital, to discuss how investors should approach fixed income and equity income strategies for 2026 as markets adapt to a changing interest rate environment.
From Federal Reserve rate cuts and inflation trends to credit spreads, preferreds, and equity sector rotation, Hatfield explains why income invest...
In this episode of Lead-Lag Live, I sit down with Kai Wu, Founder and CIO of Sparkline Capital, to break down how the AI investment cycle is evolving as scrutiny rises and market enthusiasm becomes more selective.
From hyperscaler spending and data center economics to market concentration and fading euphoria, Wu explains why investors need to rethink where real AI returns may come from and why the next winners may not be the obvious...
In this episode of Lead-Lag Live, I sit down with Jay Hatfield, CEO of Infrastructure Capital Advisors, to break down what the Fed’s latest rate cuts mean for markets, income investors, and portfolio positioning heading into 2026.
From a potential melt-up toward 7,000 on the S&P 500 to why preferreds, high yield credit, and small-cap value could outperform as rates fall, Hatfield explains how investors can navigate a market caug...
In this episode of Lead-Lag Live, I sit down with Greg Babij, Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer at Sundial, to explore why traditional buy-and-hold strategies may struggle in a market defined by faster cycles, rising volatility, and structural change.
From the rise of zero-day options to the importance of tactical exposure, tail hedging, and trend following, Babij explains how portfolios can be designed to survive growth, rece...
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Saskia Inwood woke up one morning, knowing her life would never be the same. The night before, she learned the unimaginable – that the husband she knew in the light of day was a different person after dark. This season unpacks Saskia’s discovery of her husband’s secret life and her fight to bring him to justice. Along the way, we expose a crime that is just coming to light. This is also a story about the myth of the “perfect victim:” who gets believed, who gets doubted, and why. We follow Saskia as she works to reclaim her body, her voice, and her life. If you would like to reach out to the Betrayal Team, email us at betrayalpod@gmail.com. Follow us on Instagram @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.
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