The Important Part: Investing with Liz Thomas

Latest Episodes:

Why Dan Ives Thinks this AI Boom Is Not Your Grandpa’s Dot-Com Bubble Oct 15, 2025

Show notes

Dan Ives—Wall Street's most colorfully dressed tech bull—shares why the AI party is just getting started. As Managing Director and Global Head of Technology Research at Wedbush Securities, Dan predicts that autonomous vehicles will be so widespread, your kids won't need driver's licenses by 2029, and, he thinks, humanoid robots will be in millions of homes. Unlike the late '90s dot-com bubble built on PowerPoint dreams and venture capital fumes, this revolution is bankrolled by tech giants sitting on mountains of cash. Ives breaks down his “AI 30” stock picks, explains why he'd rather drive a Ferrari (tech stocks) than a beat-up minivan (value stocks), and admits the one thing that keeps him up at night: China.

For more, read Liz’s column every Thursday at ⁠⁠On The Money⁠⁠ by SoFi⁠⁠⁠, and follow Liz on Twitter ⁠⁠@LizThomasStrat⁠⁠.

Additional resources:

⁠⁠On The Money⁠⁠: Sign up for SoFi's newsletter for intel, insights, and inspo to help you get your money right.

⁠⁠Investing 101 Center⁠⁠: At SoFi, we believe investing is for everyone — which is why we’ve created a hub with info for beginners and experts alike. Start exploring to get investment education, advice, resources, and more.

⁠⁠Wealth Investing Guide⁠⁠: Information you need to know to make your money work harder for you.

This podcast should be used for informational purposes only and not deemed as a recommendation. Our Automated investing is via SoFi Wealth LLC, and is a registered investment advisor. Our Active investing is via SoFi securities LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. For additional disclosures related to the SoFi Invest® platforms, please visit www.⁠⁠ SoFi.com/Legal⁠⁠.

Revisiting: Tackling Personal Finance with Brandon Copeland Jul 16, 2025

Show notes

This episode originally aired on September 12, 2024.

So you’ve graduated college and landed your first job. But along the way, no one told you about what a 401k is, or how to make a large home goods purchase, or even how to start making your money work for you. To make sure you don’t fumble, SoFi’s Head of Investment Strategy and Host Liz Thomas welcomes back Brandon Copeland, retired NFL player, founder, and now author of the new book, ‘Your Money Playbook: How to Earn More, Build Wealth and Win At Life.’ Brandon discusses his goals in writing a book on personal finance, and his passion for financial education that is accessible to all. The two also talk about the saving and spending habits Brandon developed while in the NFL, the unique syllabus for his University of Pennsylvania Life 101 course, and the importance of having financial accountability buddies in your life.

For more, read Liz’s column every Thursday at ⁠⁠On The Money⁠⁠ by SoFi, and follow Liz on Twitter ⁠⁠@LizThomasStrat⁠⁠.

Notable mentions in the episode:

(00:41) Introduction to The Important Part

(02:18) Why Brandon wrote his book

(08:28) The value of having a financial advisor

(12:14) Investing as the most important thing to get right

(14:30) The appetite for risk for young investors

(17:29) What Brandon learned about personal finance in the NFL

(22:01) Personal finance lessons best learned early

(28:57) How Brandon managed his money in the NFL

(32:31) Key resources for learning about personal finances

(37:55) Life 101: The syllabus

(42:52) Brandon’s transition from football player to CEO/Founder

(45:35) When Brandon decided to educate others on personal finance

(49:02) Key takeaways and conclusion

Recommended reading:

Additional resources:

⁠SoFi Daily Podcast⁠: 5-minute daily episodes covering the latest business, economic, and stock market news you need to start your day. The SoFi Daily Pod is available on Apple and Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
⁠SoFi Daily Newsletter⁠: Sign up for the SoFi Daily to receive the latest financial news in your inbox every day.
⁠Investing 101 Center⁠: At SoFi, we believe investing is for everyone — which is why we’ve created a hub with info for beginners and experts alike. Start exploring to get investment education, advice, resources, and more.
⁠Wealth Investing Guide⁠: Information you need to know to make your money work harder for you.

Revisiting: A Successful Transition to Investing with Steve Young Jun 18, 2025

Show notes

This episode originally aired on Feb 20, 2024.

Steve Young is most well known for his NFL accolades, but since his retirement from the 49ers he’s built another type of empire as Partner, Chairman and Co-founder of private equity firm, HGGC. In this episode, SoFi's Head of Investment Strategy Liz Thomas sits down with Steve to discuss his career transition into business, what it takes to evaluate a new investment, and what alternatives can bring to the game.

For more, read Liz’s column every Thursday at ⁠On The Money⁠ by SoFi⁠, and follow Liz on Twitter ⁠@LizThomasStrat⁠.

Notable mentions in the episode:

(00:41) Intro

(03:30) Transitioning from football into business

(08:19) Succeeding by harnessing vulnerability

(11:29) Steve’s advice for new investors? Be a forever student

(15:08) Private Equity vs. Public Market Investing

(17:05) Investment evaluation starts with the people in charge

(19:48) Staying patient as an investor

(22:20) Don’t just chase the success story

(23:41) How do you know when an investment has failed?

(26:33) The fine art of portfolio construction

(30:05) Where do alternatives fit into the equation?

(32:08) The Hot Minute

(34:28) Liz’s Takeaways

Additional resources:

⁠On The Money⁠: Sign up for SoFi's newsletter for intel, insights, and inspo to help you get your money right.

⁠Investing 101 Center⁠: At SoFi, we believe investing is for everyone — which is why we’ve created a hub with info for beginners and experts alike. Start exploring to get investment education, advice, resources, and more.

⁠Wealth Investing Guide⁠: Information you need to know to make your money work harder for you.

Communicating Finance and Strategy with Confidence with Liz Thomas May 14, 2025

Show notes

How does one start a career in investment strategy? For that matter, what IS an investment strategist? In this special episode, host Liz Thomas gets on the other side of the mic in conversation with Brian Walsh, a.k.a. “Dr. Money,” Head of Advice and Planning at SoFi. Brian and Liz discuss her career evolution, from early career pivots, to what she does as an investment strategist, to how to communicate ideas in finance effectively.

Liz Thomas is the Head of Investment Strategy at SoFi. Prior to SoFi, Liz was the Director of Market Strategy at BNY Mellon Investment Management. As an analyst, she worked at both BMO Global Asset Management as well as Baird. Liz earned her BBA in Finance and Marketing from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and her MBA from Marquette University.

For more, read Liz’s column every Thursday at On The Money by SoFi, sign up for the On The Money newsletter, and follow Liz @LizThomasStrat.

Notable mentions in the episode:

00:00 Introduction

02:10 Growing up in Wisconsin

03:32 Money lessons and values

06:10 Finding finance in college

07:42 Early career

10:27 Pivotal career moments

19:10 What is an investment strategist?

24:31 Career advice

28:07 Career at SoFi

31:55 Experience as a female in a male-dominated industry

35:18 Liz’s financial information diet

40:50 Keeping a level head through market volatility

44:28 Investment role models

48:01 Communicating ideas in finance

51:44 Closing Thoughts

Additional resources:

On The Money: Sign up for SoFi's newsletter for intel, insights, and inspo to help you get your money right.

Investing 101 Center: At SoFi, we believe investing is for everyone — which is why we’ve created a hub with info for beginners and experts alike. Start exploring to get investment education, advice, resources, and more.

Wealth Investing Guide: Information you need to know to make your money work harder for you.

Ambitious Leadership with Anthony Noto Apr 16, 2025

Show notes

Anthony Noto’s path to becoming CEO at SoFi was anything but linear. But along the way, he learned the lessons and wisdom that helped him lead SoFi to where it is today. In this special episode, host Liz Thomas sits down with SoFi CEO Anthony Noto to talk about his ambitious goals for the company. Anthony and Liz discuss how his time at West Point shaped his leadership style and values, his decision-making framework, and the importance of aligning personal and company goals.

Before his tenure as CEO of SoFi, Anthony Noto served as CFO and COO of Twitter (now X). He began his career as a brand manager at Kraft Foods, spent time as an associate at Lehman Brothers, worked in multiple roles at Goldman Sachs, and was the CFO and executive vice president at the National Football League. Anthony graduated from the United States Military Academy (West Point), and earned his MBA from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.

For more, read Liz’s column every Thursday at On The Money by SoFi, sign up for the On The Money newsletter, and follow Liz @LizThomasStrat.

Notable mentions in the episode:

00:00 Introduction

01:51 Growing up in Poughkeepsie

06:53 Time at West Point

10:00 Early lessons in leadership

14:50 Developing financial principles

18:39 Early career path

26:25 Leadership style

29:06 Decision-making

32:25 Philosophy on hiring

33:24 Experience as CEO at SoFi

36:11 Thoughts on failure

39:29 Outlook on the future of fintech

41:45 What excited Anthony about joining SoFi

43:16 Lightning round questions

49:05 Closing Thoughts

Additional resources:

On The Money: Sign up for SoFi's newsletter for intel, insights, and inspo to help you get your money right.

Wealth Investing Guide: Information you need to know to make your money work harder for you.

Preparing for Tax Season and Beyond with Brian Walsh, “Dr. Money” Mar 11, 2025

Show notes

Benjamin Franklin once wrote that “nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” And with tax season’s arrival, being certain about what you owe and planning ahead will save you both frustration and funds.

In this episode, we discuss all things taxes with Brian Walsh, a.k.a. “Dr. Money,” Head of Advice and Planning at SoFi. Brian talks about tips for preparing for tax season, how to be strategic with taxes surrounding investments, as well as how best to balance short and long-term goal planning to optimize your financial well being.

Brian Walsh is a Certified Financial Planner, and holds a PhD from the Personal Financial Planning program at Kansas State University. Prior to joining SoFi, he worked for a number of years in senior roles in financial planning at TIAA.

For more, read Liz’s column every Thursday at On The Money by SoFi, sign up for the On The Money newsletter, and follow Liz @LizThomasStrat.

Notable mentions in the episode:

00:00 Introduction

01:26 Emotions around tax planning

02:55 Why you should care about taxes

04:58 Advice for preparing for tax season

08:35 Underrated tax preparation tips

10:20 Deciding to use an accountant

15:41 Roth IRA vs. Traditional IRA

19:17 Being strategic with capital gains and losses

25:54 Financial planning philosophy

28:33 Budgeting

30:20 Sticking to a savings plan

33:16 Balancing short-term and long-term goals

42:11 Closing Thoughts

Additional resources:

On The Money: Sign up for SoFi's newsletter for intel, insights, and inspo to help you get your money right.

Wealth Investing Guide: Information you need to know to make your money work harder for you.

Empowerment through Financial Literacy with Courtney Pettway and Ashley Leftwich Mar 06, 2025

Show notes

The ratification of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, or ECOA, 50 years ago marked the end of illegal lending practices that discriminated against borrowers based on their race, sex, age, religion, national origin, marital status, and source of income. Financial inequality, however, is still a persistent issue in the United States. One solution to this ongoing issue is closing the education gap when it comes to topics surrounding financial literacy.

In this special episode, we sit down with Courtney Pettway, CEO and Co-Founder of KidVestors, and Ashley Leftwich, CEO of Rock the Street, Wall Street. These organizations are two of the 50 projects supporting women’s financial independence that were awarded funds as part of the SoFi Give Her Credit Program. Both organizations seek to empower young people by teaching them the fundamentals of saving and budgeting, the benefits of growing their wealth through investing, and exposing them to female role models in math and finance.

Kidvestors is an award-winning educational platform that teaches kids about money and finance tops in fun, accessible ways. Rock the Street, Wall Street is a non-profit organization that teaches the fundamentals of investing and finance to high school girls and undergraduate women.

For more, read Liz’s column every Thursday at On The Money by SoFi, sign up for the On The Money newsletter, and follow Liz @LizThomasStrat.

Notable mentions in the episode:

00:00 Introduction

02:11 The idea behind KidVestors

03:48 KidVestors target age groups

06:03 Making learning finance fun

07:24 Drawbacks to not teaching kids about money

13:31 The mission of Rock the Street, Wall Street

16:04 When intervention is critical for girls

19:17 Importance of female role models in STEM and finance

22:12 Value of early financial literacy education

31:49 The confidence gap between men and women

34:45 How corporations benefit from employee financial wellness

44:00 The importance of DEI for closing the wealth gap

47:40 What should change about how we teach financial literacy today

54:17 Closing Thoughts

Additional resources:

On The Money: Sign up for SoFi's newsletter for intel, insights, and inspo to help you get your money right.

Wealth Investing Guide: Information you need to know to make your money work harder for you.

Investing with Emotional Intelligence with Brian Portnoy Jan 31, 2025

Show notes

Conventional wisdom claims that mixing emotions with financial decisions can lead to poor, even impulsive decisions. But what if we instead viewed emotions as super powers that we can harness to not only make wiser, but more meaningful choices for ourselves and our financial goals?

In this episode, we sit down with Brian Portnoy, author and founder of the financial advisor coaching and e-learning platform Shaping Wealth. The lessons on Shaping Wealth apply wisdom from psychology, behavioral science, as well as emotional intelligence to coach financial advisors to be better partners for their clients’ financial journeys.

In addition to Shaping Wealth, Brian is the author of three books—The Investor’s Paradox, The Geometry of Wealth, and How I Invest My Money. Brian also worked as the Director of Investment Education at Virtus Investment Partners, and was Head of Education at Magnetar Capital. Brian holds a PhD from the University of Chicago, as well as a bachelor’s from the University of Michigan.

For more, read Liz’s column every Thursday at On The Money by SoFi, sign up for the On The Money newsletter, and follow Liz @LizThomasStrat.

Notable mentions in the episode:

00:00 Introduction

01:31 Money and Emotions

04:44 Using Emotions to Make Better Financial Decisions

07:16 Emotions vs. Emotional Intelligence

09:19 Setting Expectations with Your Finances

13:58 Managing Emotions Through Market Volatility

17:22 Rich vs. Wealthy

21:15 Money and Happiness

25:13 Budgeting and Setting Goals

35:25 Getting Healthier About Our Financial Well-Being

38:55 AI and Financial Advising

47:51 Closing Thoughts

Additional resources:

On The Money: Sign up for SoFi's newsletter for intel, insights, and inspo to help you get your money right.

Wealth Investing Guide: Information you need to know to make your money work harder for you.

2025 Outlook Q&A Jan 09, 2025

Show notes

To kick off 2025, SoFi’s Head of Investment Strategy Liz Thomas dives into listeners’ biggest questions about the year ahead, such as: what happens if liquidity coming out of markets decreases? How will the Fed respond if inflation rates remain high? Is buying gold a good investment in 2025? Get thoughtful insight on all of these questions and more in this special bonus episode.

For more, read Liz’s column every Thursday at On The Money by SoFi, sign up for the SoFi Daily Newsletter, and follow Liz on Twitter @LizThomasStrat.

Notable mentions in the episode:

00:00 Introduction

01:25 Liquidity of Markets

03:57 Strength of the US Dollar

07:17 Gold and Gold Mining Stocks

11:33 Are Elevated S&P 500 and NASDAQ 100 Values Sustainable?

16:35 Mag 7 Performance in 2025

19:56 Small Caps in 2025

24:06 Interest Rates and Inflation

26:54 Chinese Equities

29:27 Sectors to Overweight in Your Portfolio

33:22 Closing Thoughts

Additional resources:

SoFi Daily Podcast: 5-minute daily episodes covering the latest business, economic, and stock market news you need to start your day. The SoFi Daily Pod is available on Apple and Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

SoFi Daily Newsletter: Sign up for the SoFi Daily to receive the latest financial news in your inbox every day.

Wealth Investing Guide: Information you need to know to make your money work harder for you.

Market Insights from the Luxury Consumer with Emily Essner Dec 20, 2024

Show notes

Consumer spending is the heart of the US economy—more specifically, spending by high-income, or luxury, consumers. These luxury consumers are optimistic about the economic landscape, and how and what they spend their money on reflects this attitude. But while not everyone can spend like a luxury consumer, can their attitudes provide economic insight for the rest of us?

Just in time for the holiday shopping season, this episode we talk with Emily Essner, the Chief Marketing Officer for Saks Fifth Avenue. Saks is a well-established luxury department store chain, operating its brick-and-mortar stores and e-commerce platform as separate entities.

Emily started at Saks Fifth Avenue in 2011, holding multiple roles before ultimately becoming the CMO for Saks, the standalone e-commerce platform of the brand. Prior to Saks, Emily was an investment banking analyst at Morgan Stanley, as well as a senior associate at McKinsey & Company. She holds an MBA from Columbia Business School, as well as a Bachelor’s Degree from Mount Holyoke College.

For more, read Liz’s column every Thursday at On The Money by SoFi, sign up for the SoFi Daily Newsletter, and follow Liz on Twitter @LizThomasStrat.

Notable mentions in the episode:

00:00 Introduction

01:55 Luxury Consumer Insights

06:10 Durability of Luxury Industry and Trends

09:56 The Entry Point for Luxury Goods

12:08 The Emerging Luxury Consumer

19:31 Using Personalization in Marketing Strategies

21:39 The Role of Brand Loyalty

26:18 Sak’s Philosophy of Resource Allocation

29:13 Promotions During the Holiday Season

33:43 Closing Thoughts

Additional resources:

SoFi Daily Podcast: 5-minute daily episodes covering the latest business, economic, and stock market news you need to start your day. The SoFi Daily Pod is available on Apple and Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
SoFi Daily Newsletter: Sign up for the SoFi Daily to receive the latest financial news in your inbox every day.
Investing 101 Center: At SoFi, we believe investing is for everyone — which is why we’ve created a hub with info for beginners and experts alike. Start exploring to get investment education, advice, resources, and more.
Wealth Investing Guide: Information you need to know to make your money work harder for you.

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