If you felt like 2025 had “way too many headlines” for markets to be up… you're not imagining it. Between rate cuts, policy whiplash, and nonstop AI hot takes, it would've been easy to assume this was the year something finally cracked. And yet—stocks held up, bonds showed up, and a lot of long-term investors were rewarded for staying steady.

In this episode, Hannah Chapman, CFP®, APMA®, CRPC® and Brad Haines, CFA, FRM, Chief Investment Officer of Juncture Wealth Strategies break down what actually drove returns, why AI still looks like a boom (not necessarily a bubble—yet), and what conditions could flip that script in 2026.

Learn more:

• How interest rates could change the AI story in 2026

• What the recent wave of layoffs actually reflects

• Why earnings and cash flow matter more than headlines

• What “Trump Accounts” are and who's eligible

• How time in the market and compounding returns do the heavy lifting in growing wealth

• What details are still unresolved

Connect with Brad here:

Website: https://www.juncturewealth.com

Email: bhaines@juncturewealth.com

Connect with Hannah here:

X² Wealth Planning Website: https://x2wealthplanning.com/

Expansive CEO: https://expansiveceo.com/

Hannah's Website: https://hannahrchapman.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannah.chapman.cfp

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hannahchapmanfinancialadvisor/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahrchapman/