You've probably been there. Scrolling through YouTube, your feed is a chaotic mess of "STOCKS TO BUY NOW" and "THE ECONOMY IS COLLAPSING" thumbnails. It's exhausting. Honestly, it's designed to be. Most financial media lives or dies on your anxiety. But then there’s Adam Taggart.
If you followed him back in the Wealthion days, you know his vibe. It’s less "scream at the camera" and more "let's sit down and actually look at the math." When he launched Adam Taggart Thoughtful Money in late 2023, it wasn't just a rebrand. It was a pivot toward something that’s become rare in 2026: actual signal over noise.
The Break from the Big Machine
A lot of people were blindsided when Adam left Wealthion. It was the fastest-growing financial brand on YouTube, pulling in millions of views. Why walk away from a winning ticket?
Basically, it comes down to mission. Taggart has spent 30 years—from Merrill Lynch to Yahoo! Finance—watching how the "shark-eat-shark" culture of Wall Street chews up regular people. He’s seen the inside. He knows the "golden handcuffs" are real.
Thoughtful Money is his attempt to strip away the corporate polish. It’s a platform built for the "conscientious investor." That’s his term for someone who isn't looking to gamble their life savings on a meme coin but actually wants to understand why the 10-year Treasury yield is pinning the housing market to the floor.
What is Adam Taggart Thoughtful Money Actually About?
At its core, it’s a masterclass in financial literacy that your high school teacher definitely didn't give you. Taggart brings on the "big brains"—guys like Jan van Eck, Lance Roberts, and Stephanie Pomboy—and grills them for hours.
👉 See also: Disney Stock: What the Numbers Really Mean for Your Portfolio
But he does it with analogies that make sense to a software engineer or a pilot. (Fun fact: He actually joked about doing a work exchange with a fan who was a fighter pilot.)
The framework usually follows a specific logic:
- The Macro Picture: What’s the Fed doing? Why is global liquidity drying up or flooding?
- The Expert Take: Bringing in specialists who manage tens of billions of dollars.
- The Actionable Plan: Connecting the dots so you can talk to an advisor without feeling like a child.
Why the "Thoughtful" Part Matters in 2026
We’re living through what Taggart often calls "the birthpangs of a new order." As of early 2026, the markets are weird. We've seen three years of massive equity gains, but the underlying debt is astronomical.
Adam Taggart Thoughtful Money focuses on the "cruel math." For instance, portfolio manager Lance Roberts recently pointed out on the show that investors should brace for multiple 5-10% corrections this year. It's not doom-mongering; it's tactical.
Taggart’s philosophy is built on "Adam’s Notes." These are detailed summaries he writes for every interview. He basically does the homework so you don't have to. It’s a recognition that most of us have full-time jobs and can't spend 40 hours a week staring at Bloomberg terminals.
✨ Don't miss: 1 US Dollar to 1 Canadian: Why Parity is a Rare Beast in the Currency Markets
The Problem with "Free" Information
The internet is full of "free" advice that’s actually quite expensive when it goes wrong. Taggart’s model involves a Substack where he offers premium content to those who want to go deeper.
He’s endorsed specific financial advisor teams—like New Harbor and Lance Roberts’ crew—who offer free portfolio reviews. This is his way of bridging the gap between "I watched a video" and "I have a plan for my retirement."
Real-World Strategies: Moving Beyond the 60/40 Portfolio
For decades, the 60/40 portfolio (60% stocks, 40% bonds) was the gold standard. In the world of Thoughtful Money, that strategy is often discussed as being "dead" or at least on life support.
Why? Because bonds aren't acting as the safety net they used to be. When inflation stays sticky, both stocks and bonds can drop at the same time.
Taggart and his guests have been highlighting alternative rotations:
🔗 Read more: Will the US ever pay off its debt? The blunt reality of a 34 trillion dollar problem
- The Rise of Commodities: Gold and silver have seen significant interest as hedges against a weakening dollar.
- The AI Rotation: While the "AI hyperscalers" dominated 2024 and 2025, capital is now rotating into biotech and pharma.
- Emerging Markets: Surprisingly, some emerging market baskets have started outperforming the S&P 500 in 2026.
How to Actually Use This Information
It’s easy to get "analysis paralysis." You watch five videos and realize you’ve done nothing but worry. Taggart’s approach is meant to be the antidote to that.
He lives in Northern California with his wife and two daughters. He’s open about the fact that they are the only wealth that "truly matters." That perspective is what makes the content feel human. It’s not just about numbers; it’s about the life those numbers buy you.
If you're looking to dive into the Adam Taggart Thoughtful Money ecosystem, don't just binge the videos. Treat it like a curriculum.
Next Steps for Your Portfolio:
- Audit Your Risk: Look at your equity exposure. If you’re a retiree and you’re 80% in stocks right now, you’re "over-exposed" by almost every historical metric Taggart’s guests discuss.
- Get a "Second Opinion" Review: Use the free consultation links on the Thoughtful Money site. Even if you don't hire them, getting a professional to look at your "blind spots" is a smart move.
- Check the "Adam's Notes": If you’re short on time, the Substack summaries are the fastest way to get the gist of a 90-minute macro discussion.
- Watch the "Weekly Market Recap": Every week, Adam sits down with Lance Roberts to deconstruct what actually happened. It’s the best way to stay grounded when the headlines are screaming.
Stop trying to time the "crash" and start building a resilient strategy that can survive the volatility of 2026.