Episodes

Tom and Don discuss the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and what it means for you and your portfolio. We also talk about the "run" on Social Security as retirees take early withdrawals in a panic. We then take your questions: What is the best way to save for retirement outside of a 401k? How do you add the effect of inflation on your retirement income withdrawals? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

Today's questions and comments include the following: Another way to fund a child's Roth IRA. Can regular in-service transfers be made from a bad SEP-IRA into a traditional IRA? Does using a margin loan to buy commercial real estate makes sense? Does this simple three-fund portfolio look okay? Can you contribute more than you earn to IRAs and 401ks? How much diversification is needed in a bond portfolio? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? ...

Another academic study looks at a popular, structured market timing system based on the relative valuation of stocks. Has it worked? How does Vanguard Small Cap Value ETF complare with the Vanguard Russell 2000 ETF? Why are the spreads between the bid and ask prices for the ETF, AVUV? Finally, Tom and Don discuss new streaming documentaries (for some reason). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

Every so often, a group of investing "experts" suggest that investing in cash is better than owning stocks. Last year, with rates near zero, that was terrible advice, but what about now? The listeners ask: How do you calculate the minimum distributions for an inherited IRA? Does using an expensive small-cap value fund in a company plan make sense? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

You can now legally bet on the stock picks of "Mad Money" host Jim Cramer. Yes, now there are even ETFs for that. Tom and Don discuss these new products and what part they should play in your financial life. Beware of the ETF with the symbol VBAL. Finally, we discuss what most people think about financial advisors and what they should be expecting. We hear from callers: What do we think of sector funds? What are the pros and cons of Medicare Advantage plans? Can capital gains taxes be avoi...

Many consider the key to wealth to be highly leveraged real estate. Using borrowed money to buy properties magnifies your return. What could go wrong? Well, leverage cuts two ways. WHEN prices fall, your losses also multiply. Plus, portfolios focused on one asset class have proven dangerous. Tom almost fell out of his chair over 5% CD rates. Don Trump's that with even higher rates. Then, we compare rates at major banks. A listener asks, should I be invested in stocks after retirement? As asides,...

In today's question and answer episode, Don answers these questions: Does a non-deductible IRA make sense? How is the cost basis of restricted stock units determined? Does it make sense to have an expensive small-cal value fund? Can his regular IRA be converted to a Roth? does it make sense to convert regular Vanguard funds to ETFs? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

WARNING: Some Millennials will be offended by the logical conclusions reached in this episode. With so many technological innovations, we occasionally think that very new technology must make sense. One example of this tendency to confuse true innovation with simply dumb ideas. Do we really need a newer way to gamble. How do you start spending after decdaes of saving? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

Don continues from Retiremeet 2023 talking with tax planning expert, Diana Bacon about the importance of long-term tax planning. Then, Tom finally drops by for a few minutes to explain how you can watch. Apella Wealth's Director of Financial Planning, Jason Gentile discusses the value of a detailed financial plan. A caller asks why would a planner using a short-term bond ETF? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

Don discusses the importance of planning from the 9th annual Retiremeet event from Bellevue, WA in February 2023. Dimensional Fund's Apollo Lupescu spends a few minutes with Don prior to his presentation. Plus, Don talks with listeners: The first of whom believes that hew has magical market-timing capabilities Does it makes sense to leave Vanguard Balanced Index and get into a stock and bond ETFs? Where should a new Roth contribution be invested? A small company controller questions the firm...

When saving for retirement, either in a employer-plan or using IRAs, how do you decide whether to take the tax-deduction and pay taxes later or get lifelong tax-free growth using the Roth option? Then, listeners ask: When is the right time to rebalance and how is it done? How can you judge the performance of a young index fund? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

We are thrilled that Dimensional Funds made the Barron's Top Funds list. However, this is a hollow victory, at best (and speaking of victory...). What makes a great fund group? Then we hear from you: Who provides the best retirement advice? Why not give your child a 1099 for chores? Are American Funds too expensive for a 401k? Finally, a big fan of indexed annuities calls right at the end, so Don works overtime to discover the truth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adch...

In this episode we explore our propensity to fall for financial lies, both big and small. Even the most sophisticated can get taken in by a slick con artist or a smooth broker. Then, we wade into a bunch of great calls: How do school districts pick their 403b investments and how can they be changed? Does it make sense to move a 401k into an IRA as a salepeson is advising? Why did a fund that lost money in 2022 post a taxable capital gain? Would Vanguard's 529 plan be better than a state fund...

CBS News Business Analyst, joins Tom to discuss money, investing and her latest book, The Great Money Reset. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

On this Q&A episode, listeners ask: Where is the best place to start investing at age 13? Is it better to just have VT versus using VTI and VXUS? Are non-deductible IRAs worthwhile? How should I allocate assets between growth and value? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesQuestions? Comments? Click!

Tom and Don explore Retiree's biggest retirement regrets. Of course, the biggest one is not having enough money. Then, we respond to listeners: One shares a story of an overfunded 529 plan and a new bonus. Another seeks advice on the best way to start spending retirement assets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

"Experts" have been been writing books filled with investing advice for over 300 years. After all of that information, why are we still such lousy investors? Plus, a couple of listeners join in: What impact will rising debt have on the economy and investments? A young investor requests our opinion of his portfolio? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesQuestions? Comments? Click!

Do you have an old 401k or 403b languishing in some bad investments? Maybe it's time to get those rolled over into something better. We hear from lots of listeners: How can the cost basis of multiple funds we determined? Can I-Bond interest be declared annually, even though it's deferred? Where should money from an inherited 401k be parked temporarily? Which is better: Fidelity or Vanguard? Does it make sense to create a T-Bill ladder? Are there long-term bonds that pay a higher rate? ...

Yet another study of Jim Cramer's stock shows just how bad his prediction have been. You would have been better off shorting his picks. Plus, we hear from you: How do you move money from one "advisor" to another? How can you determine the stock/bond ratios of various target date funds? What do we think of a covered call writing ETF? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

After a bit of a troubled trip to Hawaii, Tom turns to ConsumerMan, Herb Weisbaum to discuss your rights and protections when travelling by air. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

Another great Q&A episode with a surprise ending: We start with a question on money market funds. Where can one get more information on Medicare options? Why do people manage active mutual funds when they must know they can't win? A caller with a good mic has a broker who can systematically invest in ETFs. Does it make sense to just add a new investment manager to a 403b account? Finally, a caller shares a story about a promoter of gold IRAs who seems to have vanished with investors...

It seems that most investors are expecting continued volatility for the stock market. Yet, the stock market is always volatile. So, it it really volatility they're concerned about? In today's question time: Are CITs more risky than a mutual fund or ETF? Where should money for retirement be parked? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

Investing "responsibly" is harder to do it might appear. What makes a compmnay environmentally or socially responsible? Does everyone agree with your definition? You know they don't. These terms elude a business definition and even a sonsensus opinion. Then we take questions: Is there a downside with saving with Bread Financial or other high-yield savings providers? What should be done with a "friend" who is pitching overfunded whole life as a retirement investment? Learn more about your ...

We are more comfortable talking about death than money. Yet, financial planning is an critical part of an estate (and even, life) planning. Then, a school district employee gets us talking about using the tool at 403bWise to look up many school district 403b plan investments. We hear from listeners: How can school district employees get school boards to improve plan investments? You may want to include your actual phone in you estate package. Please explain the process of meeting with one of ...