Beyond the Headlines: Apple, 2 Great Alternative Investments, and AI's Long Reach

Welcome back to Beyond the Headlines.

If you missed last week’s launch, here’s a quick refresher: In a world overflowing with noise, volatility, and constant change, most investors feel pressure to react — often emotionally — to every headline. But Wealth Builders know better.

We don’t chase the noise. We seek meaning.

That’s why we created Beyond the Headlines — a weekly feature designed to help our Stock Picker’s Corner (SPC) community cut through the clutter.

Each Tuesday, we break down a handful of key stories, explain why they matter, and show how they connect to real investing opportunities.

This isn’t just a news roundup. It’s your edge.

Let’s dive in.

What’s Happening: Apple is planning a major AI-driven product expansion, including a tabletop robot companion, a smart speaker with a display, and home-security cameras. The centerpiece is a robotic assistant (slated for 2027), that would be a personal companion and “helper” with daily tasks. A smart speaker with a screen is expected next year.

Why It Matters: Apple didn’t invent MP3 players, smartphones, or smartwatches — it perfected them. By designing sleek, intuitive hardware, the company draws people in. But it’s the seamless integration of services like music, movies, games, and cloud storage that keeps them. These new AI devices build on Apple’s proven “ecosystem” strategy: Create irresistible hardware to be the “on ramp” and let that powerful ecosystem do the rest.

The Opportunity: We were always skeptical of claims that Apple would lose the AI race — but Wall Street’s “in-the-now” anxiety has weighed on the stock. AAPL is down 7.8% this year, and this renewed optimism around AI could be the catalyst that nudges shares back into the black before year-end. While we still favor a few other members of the Magnificent 7, Apple’s strength lies in its ability to turn hardware into habit. That makes Apple a worthy consideration if you’re looking long.

What’s Happening: JPMorgan Chase & Co $JPM ( ▼ 0.67% ) Chief Global Strategist David Kelly believes inflation’s peskiness should cause the Federal Reserve to keep rates steady. But Kelly says the central bank can’t ignore White House pressure, leading to rate cuts this year and in 2026. In turn, that could reaccelerate inflation.

Why It Matters: We root for stocks to move higher just like anyone else. But as Wealth Builders, we don’t act recklessly, and we make sure we’re prepared if things go south.

The Opportunity: Kelly said this entire situation “underscores the need to broaden the diversification of portfolios to include alternative and international assets.” We agree. One of those alternative assets is silver, which we have a free guide for here. For international stocks, consider the Brazil-based fintech firm NU Holdings Ltd. $NU ( ▼ 1.35% ) . Shares are up 26% since Chief Stock Picker Bill Patalon first wrote about the company on April 9, and he ultimately believes the share price could double in three years.

What’s Happening: Barry L. Ritholtz, co-founder, chairman, and chief investment officer of Ritholtz Wealth Management LLC, says the question he hears most often is about market concentration. Investors are worried about the Magnificent 7, which accounts for roughly 33% of the S&P 500’s total market capitalization. Despite these worries, the broader market may be more resilient than it appears.

Why It Matters: The Magnificent 7 have evolved into sprawling conglomerates, acquiring hundreds of companies and expanding across industries. Their influence is less about individual stock weightings and more about how innovations ripple throughout an entire economy. Just as the internet transformed every company into a tech company, AI is poised to make every business smarter, more efficient, and more profitable.

The Opportunity: Instead of worrying that the market is too focused on just seven companies, think about how those seven companies can fuel gains for the rest of the S&P 500 through productivity and cost-saving efficiency. One example is Walmart Inc. $WMT ( ▲ 0.49% ), which uses Microsoft Corp. $MSFT ( ▼ 1.58% ) AI models to power its search engine. In 2024, American families spent six hours on household planning and shopping. That time can be greatly reduced thanks to Walmart’s intuitive search features. In the example below, a customer asks, “Help me plan a football watch party.” The results then show the top six results based on the question.

That’s it for his issue of Beyond the Headlines.