How Trade Wars, Interest Rates, and Inflation Are Shaping the Markets in 2025 With Peter Madlem

Peter Madlem is the Chief Investment Officer at Avalan Wealth, a Santa Barbara-based firm that specializes in personalized financial, business, and investment planning for entrepreneurs and affluent individuals. With nearly 40 years of experience in investment management, Peter held key leadership roles, including Regional CIO at Northern Trust and CIO at Montecito Bank & Trust, where he rebuilt the firm's investment research and infrastructure and led the management of its billion-dollar bond portfolio. He also founded three successful companies and is the author of five books on investing, covering topics such as ETFs, REITs, and closed-end funds. In this episode… Economic uncertainty, market volatility, and rising inflation have left many entrepreneurs and investors wondering how to position their portfolios for long-term success. With conflicting signals from the Fed, rapid shifts in earnings trends, and ongoing trade tensions, it's increasingly difficult to separate noise from insight. How can business-minded individuals make sense of these macroeconomic forces to protect and grow their wealth? According to Peter Madlem, a seasoned investment strategist, staying the course with a well-constructed portfolio remains a winning strategy, even in turbulent markets. He highlights the importance of interpreting earnings momentum, understanding the nuanced impact of tariffs, and monitoring inflation as critical variables in forward-looking planning. Peter also breaks down how shifting geopolitical dynamics and the potential end of the post-World War II economic order could reshape long-term investment strategies. In this episode of The Road Already Traveled, Rich Schuette interviews Peter Madlem, Chief Investment Officer at Avalan Wealth, about navigating market uncertainty through data-driven investment planning. Peter discusses why traditional economic forecasts failed in 2025, the surprising resilience of corporate earnings, and the evolving role of the US trade policy. He also provides insights on inflation targets, gold and currency forecasts, and the implications of deglobalization.