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They’re launching these “AI-powered initiatives,” which, let’s be honest, sounds like corporate jargon designed to make you feel vaguely uncomfortable. Apparently, they’re trying to fix the nurse shortage with an AI staffing tool. A tool. Like nurses are just…pieces to be moved around a board. It’s the principle of the thing! There’s a shortage because people are exhausted and underpaid, not because the scheduling software isn’t optimized. But, okay, fine, if it means fewer administrators hovering around, maybe it’s not the worst. It’s just…reducing a human problem to a logistical one. It feels…off.

One observes, however, that the vast majority of spending still occurs in those rather old-fashioned establishments known as shops. But fear not, for the trend is undeniably upwards, and a shrewd investor might well consider where the best opportunities lie. It’s a positively brimming market, and we’re not talking about Amazon, you understand.

Currently, my top pick – the one I’m actually planning to buy more of this February – is the Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD +1.53%). It’s not glamorous, I admit. But then, financial security rarely is. It’s more…reliable. Like a sensible pair of shoes. Which is exactly what I need, considering I’ve been running around chasing shiny objects (cryptocurrency, mostly) for far too long.

Their new chief, Mr. Schulman, a man who appears to possess the uncommon virtue of common sense, confessed as much. He admitted, plain as the nose on your face, that this habit of reaching for the customer’s pocket with one hand while offering little in return with the other, drove folks away in droves. A right smart number, in fact – some 2.25 million customers, to be precise. That’s a heap of folks, enough to populate a good-sized state, all voting with their feet, or rather, their pocketbooks.

Archer Aviation (ACHR 3.23%), a company dedicated to crafting these airborne contraptions – specifically, a model called Midnight – has enjoyed a considerable surge in its share price. A surge, I might add, fueled more by dreams of effortless travel than by, well, actual revenue. They’ve been forging partnerships, securing certifications, and generally creating the impression of progress. A fine art, that is. A very fine art indeed.

The company, having emerged from a period of enforced austerity – a “Liberation Day,” as some have termed it – had, indeed, doubled its valuation. This ascent, however, bred a certain expectation, a demand for perpetual motion. When the pronouncements did not meet this artificial standard, the market reacted with predictable haste. It is a familiar pattern: the swift condemnation of any entity daring to deviate from the prescribed trajectory of unbridled growth.

Investors, if they’re feeling ambitious, might look at these companies. Just a thought. Don’t say I told you to.

The question, of course, is where to position oneself when the inevitable correction arrives. To avoid the wreckage entirely would be prudent, but one must occasionally dabble. Micron Technology, a name that conjures images of dusty circuit boards and overlooked engineers, appears to be the least objectionable of the available options. Not, let us be clear, a sound investment in the conventional sense, but a potential beneficiary of the aforementioned mania, and therefore, a temporary reprieve from the prevailing boredom.

There are reasons, of course, beyond the simple appeal of a rising line on a chart. It’s a tale worth telling, and understanding.