2025 Goals: Invest Better, Budget Smarter

If your resolution involves the word “investing,” you’ve come to the right place. Mary Long talks with a handful of Fools and analysts about: Investing origin stories. Recommended materials for a DIY investing curriculum. Advice for getting started.  Companies mentioned: DECK, LULU, META, NFLX, RKLB, Join Stock Advisor and get access to 2 new stock picks each month, access to premium podcast episodes, and more: www.fool.com/signup Host: Mary Long Guest: Alicia Alfiere, Bill Barker, David Meier, Ricky Mulvey Engineers: Desiree Jones, Chace Pryzlepa Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Money is the major milestone for how OpenAI and Microsoft are thinking about the holy grail of artificial intelligence – AGI. (00:45) Asit Sharma and Bill Mann discuss: - Microsoft and OpenAI’s odd definition of artificial general intelligence (AGI) and Meta’s push into AI Influencers for Instagram. - One of the tastier parts of President Jimmy Carter’s legacy, and the potential ripple effects of surgeon general’s warning about alcohol consumption. - A few words of caution for fintech and investing in the U.S. in 2025. (19:03) New year, new gameplan? Motley Fool CEO Tom Gardner walks Motley Fool members through his 2025 Investing Playbook, what his favorite indicator is saying about the state of the market right now, and how he feels about Bitcoin as it hovers around $100k. TMF Premium members can get the full December Stock Advisor Roundtable episode Here on Fool.com: https://www.fool.com/premium/4056/coverage/2024/12/20/your-2025-investing-playbook Here on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6phJxPB7VaGx5dOCMkeKNO?si=ab749bf726b4479c You can become a member of Stock Advisor at Fool.com/signup (34:11) Asit and Bill break down two stocks on their radar: Darden Restaurants and IMAX. Stocks discussed: MSFT, META, SAM, DRI, IMAX, Host: Dylan Lewis Guests: Asit Sharma, Bill Mann, Tom Gardner, Loren Horst Engineers: Rick Engdahl, Austin Morgan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Almost 70% of Americans have a financial resolution for the New Year. What’s yours? (00:14) Tim Beyers and Ricky Mulvey discuss: - How newer investors can get started. - Past market performance, pockets of speculation, and what matters for long-term investors. - Squid Game breaking records for Netflix. Then, (XX:XX) Alison Southwick and Robert Brokamp discuss the tools that can help you become a better budgeter. Join Stock Advisor and get access to our premium podcast, Stock Advisor Roundtable: www.fool.com/signup Companies discussed: MSTR, NFLX Host: Ricky Mulvey Guests: Tim Beyers, Alison Southwick, Robert Brokamp Producer: Mary Long Engineer: Rick Engdahl Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The S&P 500 finished the year up about 24%, more than double the index’s average annual return. (00:49) Asit Sharma and Ricky Mulvey check in on the year in investing. They discuss: - What most of the biggest winners in the S&P 500 had in common. - Why more investors bought gold and Bitcoin in 2024. - A tough stretch for Walgreens Boot Alliance. - Their favorite investing discoveries from the past year. Companies discussed: PLTR, VST, UAL, NVDA, AXON, LULU, NFLX, WBA, INTC, DLTR Host: Ricky Mulvey Guest: Asit Sharma Producer: Mary Long Engineer: Desireé Jones Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We set the path for being better investors and friends in 2025.   (0:13) Jason Moser and Dylan Lewis discuss: - How some profit-taking and tax loss harvesting have caused a bit of a holiday hangover for the market to close 2024. - Why mounting consumer credit card debt and delinquencies might finally start to eat into discretionary spending in 2025.  - Alphabet’s agenda for the new year: AI, Gemini, and Project Mariner .  - A few resolutions to ring in the new year. Companies discussed: TGT, WMT, GOOG, GOOGL Host: Dylan Lewis Guests: Jason Moser Producer: Ricky Mulvey Engineers: Dez Jones Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New year, new market? We preview what’s in store for investors in 2025, the companies we’re excited to watch and the businesses we’re worried about.   (00:33) Ron Gross and Asit Sharma discuss: - The state of the stock market as investors head into the new year, the outlook for 2025, and the big questions concentration is creating for investors. - The corners of the market they’re paying attention to for opportunities.  - Why leadership at Southwest and Moderna is on the hot seat, and which companies seem primed for a turnaround in 2025.  (19:03) This time of year, investors are getting forecasts galore – what the market will return, where interest rates will go. Robert Brokamp and best-selling author Morgan Housel about his latest book Same as Ever, the things that endure, and the follies of following forecasts.  (33:17) Ron and Asit offer up reckless predictions for the new year and break down two stocks on their radar: Endava and Marvell Technology. Stocks discussed: MDNA, LUV, LULU, AMD, DAVA, MRVL. Host: Dylan Lewis Guests: Ron Gross, Asit Sharma, Morgan Housel, Robert Brokamp Engineers: Rick Engdahl  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See more music, talk to strangers, play more games. Ricky Mulvey, Mary Long, and Asit Sharma take a look at the business-adjacent stories that caught their attention over 2024. They discuss: - The rise of concert ticket prices. - Why companies trying to solve the loneliness epidemic are in a difficult business. - The implications of widespread sports gambling. And a heads-up, Motley Fool Money returns on Friday, December 27. Companies mentioned: LYV, MTCH, BUMBL, GRND, DKNG, FLUT Host: Ricky Mulvey Guests: Mary Long, Asit Sharma Engineer: Rick Engdahl Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If your company isn’t a growth business, what’s the advantage of being in the public markets? (00:14) Jim Gillies and Ricky Mulvey discuss: - Why luxury department stores are struggling. - Disney spending $645 million to make two seasons of the Star Wars series, Andor in a ten-ish minute discussion. - What investors should consider before using options to generate income. Companies discussed: JWN, PTON, DISHost: Ricky Mulvey Guest: Jim Gillies Producer: Mary Long Engineer: Rick Engdahl Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom Vice is the CEO of Sierra Space, a company building an end-to-end business and technology platform in space to benefit life on earth. Think, space planes and inflatable space habitats. Ricky Mulvey caught up with Vice at the Sierra Space headquarters for a show that originally aired on March 30, 2024. They discuss: - The magic of microgravity, and its impact on everything from biotech and batteries to chemistry and computing. - How rent works in outer space. - Defense systems and the hope of a space-based “McDonald’s Effect.” Companies mentioned: MRK, PFE, MRNA, NVDA Host: Ricky Mulvey Guest: Tom Vice Producer: Mary Long Engineers: Desireé Jones, Dan Boyd Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the most part, our phones work about 95% of the time. But head outside of suburbia, and things get patchy quickly. What would it take to close that final 5% gap? Scott Wisniewski is the President and Chief Strategy Officer of AST Space Mobile, a satellite company that’s trying to bring connectivity literally everywhere – the desert, the ocean, the air, everywhere. Ricky Mulvey caught up with Wisniewski to discuss: - What universal connectivity actually achieves. - The operational challenges of getting something as large as a cell tower onto something as small as a rocket. - And the developing “land grab” in low-earth orbit.  Companies discussed: ASTS, VOD, VZ, TMUS,  Host: Ricky Mulvey Guests: Scott Wisniewski Producer: Mary Long Engineers: Rick Engdahl Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices