In this episode, we sit down with Ben Carlson of Ritholtz Wealth Management and A Wealth of Common Sense to talk about market valuations, the rise of AI, investor behavior, and what history can teach us about investing today. Ben shares his perspective on why valuations are harder to use than ever, how market structure has shifted, and the lessons he’s learned as both a writer and an investor navigating major market cycles.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Why market valuations are harder to use today than in the past
• The impact of buybacks, margins, and technology on long-term comparisons
• Market concentration and the dominance of mega-cap tech stocks
• Passive investing flows, investor behavior, and government backstops
• How AI compares to past technological innovations and its investment implications
• Value versus growth cycles and why U.S. tech has broken historical norms
• The lessons of the NASDAQ since 2000 and defining the long term for investors
• Personal experiences from the 2008 financial crisis and the power of compounding
• Diversification, gold’s surprising performance, and the case for international investing

Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction and market valuations
06:00 Structural changes and the role of buybacks
09:00 Margins, efficiency, and corporate dominance
12:00 Market concentration and the rise of mega-cap tech
14:00 Passive investing and household stock ownership
18:00 Government backstops and market resilience
23:00 Valuations as expectations vs. predictions
25:00 AI boom and capital allocation
29:00 Is this 1996 or 1999? Bubble comparisons
32:00 How AI may reshape investing and daily life
41:00 Investing in breakthrough technologies
43:00 Value versus growth cycles in the U.S. and abroad
46:00 Lessons from the NASDAQ and defining long-term investing
49:00 Compounding lessons from the 2008 financial crisis
53:00 Diversification, gold, and international performance