
Smart Investing with Brent & Chase Wilsey
August 14th, 2026 | Earnings Optimism, AI Financing, SpaceX Patience, Retail Rebound, Inflation Cooling, Crypto Selling, Mortgage Choices & More
Second Quarter Earnings Give Me Some Optimism I call all my clients on their yearly anniversary with our firm to have a discussion about their past performance and where I see their portfolio going over the next six to 12 months. I’m very pleased to report that I expected a more subdued performance in 2026 than what we’re experiencing so far. However, stronger-than-expected returns can also make projecting what comes next a little more difficult. Even with… The AI boom is getting increasingly dependent on financing There is no question that AI is creating enormous demand for computing power, data centers and semiconductors. But the latest move from Nvidia and Wall Street raises an important question: How much of this growth is being driven by genuine economic demand, and how much is being enabled by increasingly creative… Will Investors Really Be Patient Holding Their SpaceX Stock? The common advice I hear when it comes to SpaceX is simple: “Don’t worry about it. Just hold the shares, don’t look at them, and you’ll be glad you did 10 years from now.” It’s certainly possible that this advice will prove to be correct. But I question whether human emotions can really handle that kind of long-term commitment when it comes to an investment as volatile and intangible as a stock like this. Think about everything that can happen over the next 10 years. There will be negative news, disappointing developments, changing expectations and plenty of commentary that investors simply won’t be able to ignore. And there’s another issue… Retail sales look better than the headline suggests The headlines are focused on the 0.6% month-over-month decline in retail sales in July, the first monthly decline in nine months and the largest drop since May 2025. That sounds concerning, but there are some important factors behind the monthly decline that deserve attention. One of the biggest was nonstore retailers, which fell 2.2% from June. That category is heavily influenced by online shopping, and the decline appears to be largely a timing issue related to Amazon Prime Day. Amazon moved Prime Day from July into June this year, creating a significant boost to June online sales and, consequently, a tougher comparison for July. U.S. consumers increased spending 9.3% year over year to roughly $26.4 billion online during the June 23–26 Prime Day period, and … Inflation Is Cooling, But Energy Is Muddying the Picture The CPI report was better than the headline number might suggest, and I don't believe it gives the Federal Reserve a compelling reason to raise interest rates. Headline CPI increased 3.4% year over year in July, down from 3.5% in June. More importantly, core CPI increased just 2.5% year over year, down from 2.6% in June. The biggest contributor to the elevated headline number continues to be energy. Energy prices are up 14.7% from a year ago, including a massive 24.6% increase in gasoline prices. That's a significant increase and is keeping headline inflation well above the Fed's 2% target. But here's the problem I have with using higher interest rates to… A new tax requirement could create another source of selling pressure for Crypto There was an important change in the way the IRS tracks cryptocurrency transactions, and I think investors should pay attention to the potential impact on the crypto market. Beginning with the 2025 tax year, crypto brokers are required to issue Form 1099-DA, which reports… Financial Planning: 15- or 30-year mortgages? A 30-year mortgage is often the better financial choice for a disciplined investor because the lower monthly payment frees up more money to invest. Although a 15-year mortgage typically has a lower interest rate and saves more interest over the life of the loan, the higher payments mean more money is tied up in home equity rather... Companies: Workday, Inc. (WDAY)

