Phil McConkey and Chance Mims on Veterans Day, Geopolitics, and AI

Honoring Veterans and Military Service

• 🇺🇸 Veterans Day holds deep personal meaning for Phil McConkey, whose daughter recently graduated from the United States Naval Academy and is becoming a Marine Corps officer.
• 🎯 Chance Mims emphasizes that Veterans Day is about celebrating the United States and the opportunities it provides, highlighting the all-volunteer force as the best military in history.

Academy Securities' Mission and Ethos

• 🤝 Academy Securities is founded and operated by military veterans, focusing on bringing in veterans transitioning from service.
• 💡 The firm values the leadership, teamwork, and service-oriented culture veterans bring, aiming to improve company culture from within.
• 📈 They provide differentiated value by employing subject matter experts, including former admirals and generals, to advise on the geostrategic risk landscape for investment decisions.

Geopolitical Concerns and Investment Landscape

• 🌍 Both McConkey and Mims express concern over China's global ambitions and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war as significant geopolitical issues.
• ⚠️ McConkey specifically points to the Chinese threat as a major concern, noting their lack of recent conflict and potential hesitation regarding Taiwan due to Russia's issues in Ukraine.
• 🏢 Academy Securities' geopolitical intelligence group advises large corporations and asset managers on these risks, with a focus on geopolitics and national security.

The Vets ETF and Investing in the American Dream

• 🏠 The Vets ETF celebrates its 2-year anniversary, having surpassed $1 billion in AUM.
• 💰 The ETF provides loans to US service members and military veterans for home loans (VA loans) and to military-owned/veteran-owned businesses (SBA loans).
• 🌱 This initiative is described as investing in the American dream to help others achieve success after their military service.

Market Views and Artificial Intelligence

• 🤖 Discussions with corporations and asset managers frequently involve artificial intelligence (AI) from a geopolitical and security standpoint.
• 🏭 There's a strong emphasis on reshoring production for national security, particularly in areas like data centers, AI, and energy, to ensure US control.

Football Discussion

• 🏈 In a brief football segment, McConkey expresses optimism for the New York Giants, citing the presence of a quarterback as a source of hope, despite the team being at rock bottom.