Ben Carlson on Why It’s Better to Avoid a Strikeout Than to Swing for a Home run

About this episode

In this episode, Robert Brokamp interviews Ben Carlson about the risks of investing in individual stocks and balancing financial priorities.

We at The Motley Fool are proponents of investing in individual stocks. But does that result in betting your financial future on too few companies? In this second of a two-part conversation, Motley Fool Senior Advisor Robert Brokamp speaks with Ben Carlson about the risks of investing in individual stocks, market valuations, balancing saving for the future vs. enjoying life today, and the career advice we give our kids. Ben is the Director of Institutional Asset Management at Ritholtz Wealth Management, the writer behind the “A Wealth of Common Sense” blog, the co-host of the Animal Spirits podcast, and the author of “Risk and Reward: How to Handle Market Volatility and Build Long-Term Wealth,” which will be available on May 12. Listen to our April 18 episode for Part 1 of this conversation. Host: Robert Brokamp, CFP®, EAGuest: Ben Carlson, CFAEngineers: Lauren Budabin, Bart Shannon Disclosure: Advertisements are sponsored content and provided for informational purposes only. The Motley Fool and its affiliates (collectively, “TMF”) do not endorse, recommend, or verify the accuracy or completeness of the statements made within advertisements. TMF is not involved in the offer…

People in this episode

Host: Robert Brokamp

Guest: Ben Carlson

Topics covered

• investing in individual stocks
• market valuations
• financial future
• career advice
• saving vs enjoying life

Keywords

• investing
• stocks
• market volatility
• financial advice
• wealth management

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Ritholtz Wealth Management

Books & works: Risk and Reward: How to Handle Market Volatility and Build Long-Term Wealth

More episodes of Motley Fool Hidden Gems Investing

• GE Aerospace Goes Vertical (Integration) · September 8, 2026 · 22 min
• Bloom Energy’s “Time-to-Power” Moat · September 7, 2026 · 29 min
• Purpose, People, and Core Pursuits: Key Ingredients to a Happy Retirement · September 6, 2026 · 25 min
• How Much Does It Take to Be Happy in Retirement? · September 5, 2026 · 21 min
• Tesla’s Robotaxi Non-Event & GPT-6 Is Here! · September 4, 2026 · 41 min
• Is the Data Center Investing Trend in Trouble? · September 3, 2026 · 25 min