Episodes

With U.S. stock prices running hot versus the rest of the world, could your portfolio benefit from more international stocks? Tom and Don share some numbers and historical data. We ask, is Robin Hood's 1% IRA contribution worth it? Don reads a bad review. Then, because of technical difficulties, we hear from just one listener: How should a young person's retirement be invested in Vanguard funds? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

We share yet another example of the premise that luck is behind the success of most professional money managers. A new book portrays Ray Dalio, the founder of the giant hedge fund Bridgewater Associates, as just another average investment guesser who may have gotten lucky in the past. Then, listeners ask: Should I sell old I-Bonds and pay the penalty to invest in newer bonds with a fixed rate plus inflation adjustments? How should I allocate my employer retirement investments between various V...

This Friday, Don answers questions about: How many beneficiaries of a 529 plan can transfer $35,000 into a Roth IRA? Does a micro-cap fund have a place in a portfolio? Should a retirement lump sum be investing in rolling maturity fixed annuities? Is there any reason to NOT fund a 457 plan? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

The average American family’s net worth has risen to 1 million dollars, yet few of us have the money for a $500 million yacht. However, there are 16 million mini-millionaires in the United States. How do you join the millionaire (or upper-middle) class? LIsteners ask: Does it make sense to tax-loss sell a total bond ETF to a tax-free bond ETF? Should you sell funds when they have gone up 20%? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

Retiring later seems like a viable option for those who failed to save enough to afford retirement. What is the reality of working past 65? What are the new 2024 retirement plan contribution limits? We take listeners' questions: Should liquid money be invested in a 13-month CD? Can a portion of a parent's HSA be used for an adult child? Can a storage unit buyer transfer old savings bonds to his name? Should a small pension be withdrawn as a $30,000 lump sum? What should a 62-year-old do to ...

After failing several times, the Department of Labor will try again to make all retirement plan advisors act as true fiduciaries. The insurance industry will be suing to keep you paying them high fees and commissions. If you want excitement, find it anywhere but in investing. What are the lessons of the convicted fraud perpetrated by Sam Bankman-Freid and FTX? Our listeners want to know: Should an investor move from one small-cap value fund to another? What's the best way to invest money for g...

Buying a home may not be as smart as renting. Rising interest rates have pushed the cost of home ownership far above the price of renting a similar home. Yet, home prices have not fallen enough to offset the differences. Plus, what does "kit and caboodle" mean? Listeners ask: In order to create a simpler portfolio, does it make sense to wait until prices of existing securities recovers? In a somewhat hodgepodge portfolio, should an ETF be sold to buy CDs? Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...

It's Friday, and Don takes your questions: What's with the weird ticker symbols for retirement plan funds? Does it make sense only to fund a mega-backdoor Roth IRA? Is it smart to loan a child money for a home? Should money from a 401k be used to pay off a mortgage? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

Have small investors finally gotten smarter than the market? Using misleading data from Robin Hood, The Wall Street Journal tries to make traders appear prescient. Then, we answer these questions: Which Vanguard bond fund do we prefer for an IRA? What is a Social Security benefit reduction, and why should you wait to collect? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

Every year we are inundated with ads for Medicare Advantage plans. So, are there any real advantages and what are the downsides? One caller criticizes Medicare Advantage programs Others ask: About contributing to a company 401k plan at age 60 with few retirement assets? What can be done with a bad company retirement plan consultants? Does it make sense to invest in target date ETFs in retirement? What some good investments for grandchildren? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone...

Don goes it alone for a couple of episodes. It appear that mist of the financial setbacks over the past fifty years have followed periods of rapidly rising rates. What can you do to protect against risng (and falling) interest rates? What is the historical norm for rates? Plus, Don talks about the first-of-its-kind target date ETF. Callers ask: What should be done with his stock portfolio in the current market? Why is my retirement plan at work showing a large loss? Should a portfolio of a...

In this episode, we open Don's "good" book, Financial Fysics to the section on the power of a well-diversified investment portfolio. We take some questions, too: What should be done with two maturing annuities? How should a $5 million portfolio be invested to reduce taxes? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

On today's Q&A show: Why is an attractive-sounding annuity a bad idea? Are there times when a 403b shouldn't be rolled into an IRA? How can someone complain about insurance products in a 403b? When can a contribution be made to a mid-year HSA? What's the best way to invest in various types of accounts? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesQuestions? Comments? Click!

Far too many Americans fall through the cracks in the U.S. retirement system. In an age of few pensions, many don't invest for retirement and can't survive on just Social Security. How do we get more workers to save more and invest better? Listeners ask: For a primer on brokered CDs. Are callable CDs worth considering? Which is better: a money market or certificate of deposit? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

We discuss the current state of the bond market and the possibilities for the future. Is there any way investors can outguess the bond market (or any other securities market)? Plus, we talk about Tom's new iPhone 15. Listeners would like to know: What is the difference between a money market account and a money market mutual fund? Was it wise to purchase 20-year bonds for long-term income? Where should money be placed to make money without risk? Do we think Fundrise is a good place to invest...

Six month's later, the Wall Street Journal contradicts itself in the debate about the efficacy of a 60% stock/40% bond portfolio. Understand how a short period can influence our long-term perception. Plus, what are your alternatives to traditional stock/bond investing? Our listeners ask: Why would you use a regular IRA when you expect to be in a lower future tax bracket? What do we think of the TSP "G" Fund vs BND? How should a late retirement saver invest? Should a retirement account wit...

Could betting markets predict the future? The evidence shows that the "wisdom of crowds" has been pretty accurate. In finance, they call it "the efficient market." Essentially, this means that, in aggregate, a large crowd (like the global stock market) is likely to be a more accurate future prognosticator than you or even professional managers. Then listeners ask: What are the best investments for young grandchildren? Should dividends be reinvested or paid out? Learn more about your ad ch...

This week: Why do we like the Utah 529 Plan? Should BND be sold to create a ladder even if it's down? Why don't we mention M1 Finance? What do we think of the Fidelity Zero funds? Can a corporate bond ETF replace a money market fund? Is 1% per year a fair fee for an investment advisor? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

Because they are so popular with financial salespeople, we need to talk about the confusing world of annuities. What are they and what are those who sell them failing to disclose? Discover the realities of these very complex (and lightly regulated) insurance investment products. Plus, we get annoyed with some if Suze Orman's simplistic and hyperbolic advice. Listeners ask: Which investments should be in taxable versus tax-advantaged accounts? Why do we like AVGE when it's an "active" fund? Wh...

Young investors have a lot of money in cash because they fear the stocks market. Yet, the best time to invest is when you are young because you have time to ride the ups and down of the market. Then it's question time: What can be done after an adviser puts money into an annuity with the client's permission? Why does a CD ladder makes sense? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

How much might Bitcoin appreciate per year? Someone claims to know. Then, a Bitcoin farm can consume the energy of a small city and while the Chinese won't allow them in China, they have no problem consuming our power and maybe even our national security secrets. Is Bitcoin worth the costs? Don shares some actual numbers. Listeners ask: Do we know of a great 529A Able Plan? What do we think of a simple portfolio and when should it be rebalanced? Are more bonds needed in a portfolio? Is there...

A special episode devoted to paying for your children's higher education. Appella Wealth college-funding specialist, Jim Femia joins Tpm and Don to share his expertise on the various ways you can afford to help your kid's get through college. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

Friday is when Don takes the questions you record at Talking Real Money: Why do Treasury security yields change throughout each day? How do you check out a fee-based advisor? What do we think of a company's new fund options? Does his advice for a friend's retirement portfolios make sense? Is the ETF "HIGH" a decent investment? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesQuestions? Comments? Click!

A Washington Post advice columnist suggested firing a financial advisor friend. How can you find the right person to manage your money? Then we hear from lots of listeners: Is it better to invest fixed income dollars in bonds or laddered CDs? Will moving from one brokerage firm to another cause a taxable event? When is the best time to make a QCD? Why doesn't the Fed raise rates in one big move? How can an employee get out of an Edward Jones 401a? Which of many bad choices should a school ...