SCRIPTURES AND WALL STREET - S&P 500 ALL TIME HIGH

The S&P 500 is breaking records. Investors are celebrating. Retirement accounts are growing. AI and mega-cap technology stocks continue pushing markets higher. And after years of strong performance, it's becoming increasingly easy to believe one dangerous phrase: “The market always comes back.” But there's a major difference between investing while you're 35 and relying on that same portfolio for income when you're 65 or 70. On this episode of Scriptures & Wall Street, Carlos Cortez Jr. examines what's happening beneath the S&P 500's record-setting run and explains why an all-time high doesn't eliminate risk—it can make investors forget that risk exists. Carlos breaks down the concentration inside the S&P 500, the influence of mega-cap technology companies, market volatility, sequence-of-returns risk, and why retirees cannot approach a major market decline the same way younger investors can. If you're still accumulating wealth, a correction can create opportunity. But if you're withdrawing $7,000, $8,000, or $10,000 every month from your retirement portfolio, a significant loss combined with withdrawals can fundamentally change how long your money lasts. That's why Carlos returns to the Color of Money strategy—Red Money, Yellow Money, and Green Money—and explains why the strategy that helped you accumulate wealth may not be the same strategy you need to successfully distribute it throughout retirement. This isn't about predicting the next crash. It's about asking a much better question: If the S&P 500 stops going higher tomorrow, does your retirement plan still work? Because financial planning isn't supposed to predict tomorrow. It's supposed to prepare you for it. Discover other shows on the Talk Red Podcast Network, and get your daily fix of news, sports, and entertainment at https://TalkRed.com.