Our friend Brian Andrew is something of a financial whiz. As the Chief Investment Officer and Executive VP of Wealth over at Johnson Financial Group, it’s quite literally his job to keep an eye on all the little ins and outs of the market and the economy as a whole.

On today’s episode of The GoGedders Podcast, host Richie Burke had the chance to pick his brain a bit about … well, everything. They’ll explore the economic effects of the pandemic, the labor shortage, skills gap, supply chain issues, surprisingly good market health, crypto, China, inflation, bonds, tax changes and more.

If that sounds like a lot, don’t worry: Brian makes things easy to understand and does a great job talking about these concepts so they’re easily understood by the layperson. (Trust me, I had no idea what the heck was going on with any of this stuff, but after a mere 26 minutes, I felt like I had a bit of a handle.)

Since they covered such a broad array of topics, I’ll give you some talking point highlights – but since we’re talking financial advice here, I’d advise you to get the details straight from the horse’s mouth. Tune in here to dissect all the takeaways outlined below.

The COVID pandemic

• How did the pandemic impact the overall economy? 
• What does this mean for our supply chains?

Hiring issues

• Why are companies having such a hard time finding both skilled and unskilled workers?
• What is the skills gap, and how do we close it?

Supply chain woes

• Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?
• How did we get in this situation in the first place?
• Can we count on this recent economic uptick to bring more upward momentum?
• Will the system heal itself? How do these issues get solved?

The stock market in 2021

• What happened after last year’s big sell-off?
• Why did we see the market rally in April?
• Are there other pickups or booms to come?

Cryptocurrency

• Has crypto finally stabilized?
• How is trading crypto similar to trading “regular” stocks?
• Are companies putting their money on crypto?

China

• How did China get so involved in global manufacturing in the first place? 
• Did China benefit from international investment?
• How does China’s government affect business today?
• Is it a good time to invest in China? Or is it too risky?
• What’s China’s consumer landscape like?

What’s the deal with inflation?

• Is it permanent? Or temporary?
• How does the demand for labor affect inflation?
• Will gas prices stay high forever?
• Will interest rates and loans stay low? 

Bonds. Treasury bonds.

• Why are we seeing an increased demand for bonds?
• Will they continue to be a popular investment?

Tax changes in Washington 

• What’s the debt ceiling? Why do we have to raise it?
• Who’s actually in the middle class?
• How will these changes affect those in different wealth brackets?
• Will all of these proposed changes go through?
• How do corporate tax rates affect the average Joe? 
• How do they affect small businesses?
• Who bears the burdens of a tax increase?

Political landscape in 2022

• Should we use economic information alone to draw comparisons?
• Do politics affect the market as much as people think it does?

Like I said, they covered a LOT in a short amount of time. And yet kind of the most laid-back and enlightening financial lightning round I’ve ever been a part of. Tune in right here to learn a thing or two, and get Brian’s hot takes on all of the above and more.

As always, we hope you’re enjoying the show as we spotlight different guests and topics around Milwaukee. If there’s anyone you’d like to see on the show, or anything you’d like to hear us discuss, let us know by reaching out directly to Richie Burke at richie@ggmm.io. And, if you’ve got a moment, please take a minute to subscribe to the show, leave a review or share with a friend. All of those things really help us out, as they help others like you find our podcast.