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What if your investment dollars could create positive change while still generating competitive returns? In this eye-opening conversation, financial expert Mimi Locke joins hosts Steve Davenport and Glenn Miller to explore the world of values-aligned investing and women's financial empowerment.

Mimi shares her journey from being the lone woman in a room of 60 stockbrokers to co-leading courses for Invest for Better, a nonprofit helping women align their portfolios with their personal values. She dispels the persistent myth that investing according to your principles means sacrificing performance, explaining how even traditional energy companies are pivoting toward sustainable practices.

The conversation delves into the unique financial challenges women face—earning less, experiencing career interruptions for caregiving, and needing retirement funds to last through longer lifespans. When women step away from careers to care for family members, they don't just lose immediate income; they miss crucial years of retirement contributions and Social Security credits, creating compounding disadvantages that affect long-term security.

Each participant shares their personal "money story," revealing how childhood experiences shape our financial behaviors. Mimi describes growing up with a Depression-era father who emphasized saving "just in case," while the hosts reflect on their own financial journeys and how those experiences influenced their approaches to money management.

Whether you're interested in gender-lens investing, environmental impact, or simply aligning your portfolio with your values, this episode provides practical insights for making your money work harder—both for your future and for the causes you care about. As Mimi notes, the key is starting small: even modest investments in alignment with your values can create meaningful change.

Ready to take control of your financial future while supporting what matters most to you? Visit investforbetter.org to explore resources and courses designed to empower investors at every level of experience.

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.

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When politics collides with economic data, investors face a troubling dilemma: can we trust the numbers that drive markets? The unprecedented firing of the Bureau of Labor Statistics head by President Trump signals a concerning shift in how government economic data might be manipulated for political gain.

The BLS produces critical labor and inflation statistics that power Federal Reserve decisions and investment strategies worldwide. Now, this foundational data source carries an asterisk. As Clem Miller pointedly observes, "Don't trust the BLS data going forward because it's subject to a potentially high degree of manipulation." This isn't merely political theater—it represents a fundamental challenge to economic transparency.

Fortunately, we're entering an era where alternatives exist. Private sector solutions like ADP's employment data, sophisticated web scraping, and AI-powered analytics offer potentially more accurate and timely economic indicators. Major financial institutions possess unprecedented visibility into consumer spending and wage patterns through anonymized data. The future may belong to investment firms willing to embrace these alternative data streams rather than relying on potentially compromised government statistics.

For skeptical investors, this represents both challenge and opportunity. Those who recognize this shift early can gain an information advantage by questioning traditional sources and diversifying their data inputs. Whether you're managing a portfolio or simply trying to understand market movements, adapting to this new data landscape might prove essential for navigating today's politically charged economic environment.

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.

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Joe Ryu, manager of Prospect Capital's private real estate credit fund, shares his journey from investment banking through the Great Financial Crisis to his current role in real estate credit investing. He explains how private credit offers attractive risk-adjusted returns through specialized financing structures that combine agency lending with subordinated positions.

• Real estate private credit involves loans on commercial properties that don't freely trade, typically accessed through institutional investors
• Private credit investments often offer higher returns with less volatility than public market equivalents, though with reduced liquidity
• Prospect Capital's strategy creates value by partnering with Freddie Mac to provide borrowers with competitive financing while maintaining conservative risk profiles
• Unlike many competitors who use fund-level leverage, Prospect's approach avoids taking on additional debt at the fund level
• Private credit valuations are more straightforward than equity valuations since loans are only impaired if property values fall below loan amounts
• Focusing on stabilized, cash-flowing multifamily properties reduces risk compared to development projects or challenged office assets
• The real estate capital stack typically includes senior debt (60-70%), subordinated debt/preferred equity (10-15%), and equity (25-30%)

Join us for our next episode as we continue exploring alternative investment opportunities that can help diversify your portfolio while aligning with your financial goals.

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.