Share Sounds. presented by Motley Fool Money

Let's face it, some businesses just have that "Ick Factor" because they do the jobs most people don't want to do. Jim Mueller discusses whether people going back to offices could be a growth catalyst for Waste Management, the under-rated subscription part of Rollins' business, and how businesses like Sherwin-Williams can be compounding machines for shareholders. Also, Alicia Hammond discusses the psychological underpinnings of why we give someone "the benefit of the doubt" and how it relates to investing.

April is Financial Literacy Month and we've got some recommendations to make you a smarter investor! Anand Chokkavelu mentions a couple of popular titles investors may want to skip, before he recommends the following books: # Liar's Poker - Michael Lewis # The Big Short - Michael Lewis # (Shameless Plug Alert!) The Motley Fool Investment Guide - David and Tom Gardner # The Little Book That Beats The Market - Joel Greenblatt # One Up On Wall Street - Peter Lynch # Beating The Streat - Peter Lynch Also, Alison Southwick and Robert Brokamp talk with best-selling author Ron Lieber about how to help your kids be smarter about money (without looking like a jerk).

Sanctions go on a whole lot easier than they come off. Daniel Yergin is the Vice Chairman of S&P Global and the author of “The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations". He’s been studying Russia's and China’s roles in the global energy markets for decades, and shares the implications of Russia becoming an unreliable oil and gas supplier in Europe. In this conversation with Motley Fool Senior Analyst Ben Ra, Yergin discusses Russia’s economic relationship with China, the role of shale for US energy independence, and supply chain obstacles for wide-spread electric vehicle adoption. Plus, bonus resources: Investing in Energy Stocks - https://www.fool.com/investing/stock-market/market-sectors/energy/ Investing in Copper Stocks - https://www.fool.com/investing/stock-market/market-sectors/materials/metal-stocks/copper-stocks/

Looking to brush up your language skills when it comes to financial stocks? Motley Fool senior analyst Jason Moser and Matthew Frankel dive deep into the metrics they use to judge financial companies, and provide comparison guidelines for investors to watch. They discuss why the P/E ratio is less important than you may think, the nuance of judging a bank’s efficiency, and one metric to watch for any fintech company. Additional resource - https://www.fool.com/investing/stock-market/market-sectors/financials/bank-stocks/how-banks-make-money/

Before the 94th Academy Awards on Sunday, we're taking a closer look at the battle between streaming services and some of the bitter rivalries in entertainment history. Chris Hill is joined by Maria Gallagher, Catie Peiper, and Mac Greer, as they discuss: the Academy’s tenuous relationship with Netflix and other streamers, Warner Brothers' history of trying to recreate Disney’s magic, and unexpected business lessons from Oscar winners and nominees.

The S&P 500 rose for the 2nd week in a row, giving investors more reasons for optimism. Are we the only ones who believe the narrative for investors is shifting away from fear and towards increasing confidence? Jason Moser and Andy Cross discuss investor sentiment, as well as Google striking an app-store deal with Spotify, Uber teaming up with New York City taxis, reports that Apple is developing a hardware subscription service, Darden Restaurants seeing improvement in its fine dining segment, and the latest from Berkshire-Hathaway, Adobe, and Nike. Plus - Corporate governance expert Nell Minow analyzes how public companies are doing with their communications related to Russia, and why she's unimpressed with how Starbucks' board of directors handled the latest CEO change. Then she puts on her film critic hat to offer a preview of the Academy Awards and share who will win (and should win) Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Picture. Finally, Jason and Andy discuss Pepsi's latest limited-run flavor and share two stocks on their radar: McCormick and KB Home.

You probably can’t meet with the CEO of a company on your watch list, but you have some tools to evaluate them. Motley Fool Senior Analyst John Rotonti talks with fellow analysts Auri Hughes and Alyce Lomax about how to spot great business leaders. We also break into our archives to share a 2012 interview with former Costco CEO Jim Sinegal. Both conversations discuss identifying great corporate leaders, how excellent CEOs balance stakeholder needs, and why company culture is one of the most important competitive advantages. Plus - Want more tips for evaluating a CEO? https://www.fool.com/investing/2019/08/28/esg-investing-how-to-evaluate-a-ceo-using-the-4-cs.aspx

Russia's stock market was supposed to open this week. Even if you don't own Russian stocks directly, you may own them through global funds or ETFs. Bill Mann discusses how Russia's market remained closed, the potential for Russia to default on its debt, The one thing every U.S. investor should do if they have exposure to Russian stocks, Chinese stocks suddenly rebounding on comments from the central government. Plus - why he believes the turnaround is a "yellow flag" for investors

A company's financials are more than just a set of numbers. They can tell a story that helps us understand the core of a business and where its growth opportunity lies. John Rotonti talks with fellow Motley Fool senior analyst Auri Hughes about the financials to watch before putting your money into a publicly traded company. They discuss profit drivers in a company’s balance sheet, the portions of a 10-K to which investors should pay close attention, and metrics that provide insights about a company’s growth prospects.

That's how Bill Mann describes the importance of the oil & gas industry in Russia. As we take stock of where we are at this moment, Bill discusses ripple effects for European countries, whether seizing property of Western companies would spell the end of foreign investment in Russia, why Energy Secretary Granholm's recent comments give him hope, rising raw material costs affecting companies like McDonald's and Domino's Pizza, and the J Curve. Plus - If Russia provides just 3% of America's oil supply then why have gas prices spiked in the US? Ricky Mulvey talks with Nick Sciple to get some context.