Talking Real Money has a new look with better access to out latest podcasts

Tom and Don are Talking Real Money

Money and funny? Yes, the two can go together. Toss in honesty and transparency, mix with true financial science, and you have the most unique investing podcast in America. Listen as two of the country's top financial broadcasters and educators show you how to stop playing with your hard-earned money and start investing it for YOUR future. Tom Cock was the host of the PBS-TV show “Serious Money” for many years, and Don McDonald hosted a nationally syndicated financial talk show since 1988. Today, Tom and Don are still dishing out simple, straightforward financial advice on one of the most popular investing podcasts in the world.

Recent Episodes

View all
The Big Question Pile
July 29, 2026

The Big Question Pile

Listener questions take over the studio as Don and Tom work through a very big pile without sacrificing any more forests than necessary. The quick tour runs from life insurance in retirement to the seductive yield on floating-rate bank-loan ETFs—and why extra income usually comes with extra risk.

Then a live call turns asset allocation into an actual retirement plan: how a couple can move from 90/10 to 70/30, use Roth space intelligently, and rebalance without guessing what the market will do n
Listen to the Episode
Bubble Trouble?
July 28, 2026

Bubble Trouble?

AI stocks are booming, valuations are stretched, and capital spending is surging. Does that add up to a bubble—or just another story investors cannot reliably time? Tom and Don walk through Fidelity’s warning signs without pretending anyone can ring a bell at the top. The practical conclusion is less exciting and more useful: stay diversified, keep realistic expectations, include the fixed income your plan needs, and do not mistake a recent gain for money the market owes you forever. Then a ca
Listen to the Episode
Fluctuation Is the Feature
July 27, 2026

Fluctuation Is the Feature

Markets fluctuate. That sounds obvious—until a favorite stock climbs for years and investors start treating gravity as optional. Tom and Don revisit Financial Physics and the essential difference between a temporary market decline and permanent single-company damage. The cure is not predicting the next dip. It is connecting the return you need with the volatility you can tolerate, then owning thousands of companies and rebalancing instead of reacting. Questions range from IRA eligibility for b
Listen to the Episode
Brakes, Balance & $5 Million
July 24, 2026

Brakes, Balance & $5 Million

Bonds are supposed to be the brakes in a portfolio—but should those brakes be BND, a shorter-term fund, CDs, or a Treasury ladder? Don explains why duration, yield stability, and personal comfort make the answer more nuanced than one ticker. The Friday questions keep coming: pairing AVGE with VT, moving $5 million from real estate into a retirement portfolio, understanding an emerging-markets fund that became legally non-diversified, and building 529s for grandchildren. The final stretch is al
Listen to the Episode
Robot Advisor, Human Judgment
July 23, 2026

Robot Advisor, Human Judgment

AI can crunch a portfolio, harvest losses, and explain an investment concept in seconds. But can it stop a nervous investor from selling at exactly the wrong moment—or understand the life behind the spreadsheet? Tom and Don test the robot-advisor promise, even asking ChatGPT to weigh in. The verdict is a useful division of labor: let technology handle repeatable mechanics, while human judgment, fiduciary responsibility, and behavior coaching remain hard to automate. Then the questions get wond
Listen to the Episode
Kid Money, Sorted
July 22, 2026

Kid Money, Sorted

A quarter in the piggy bank has grown into a maze of UTMAs, 529s, custodial Roth IRAs, and the new child investment accounts. Tom and Don sort the options by what the money is actually for—and who keeps control. The 529 emerges as the flexible favorite, especially with its education uses and limited Roth rollover. Then the conversation turns to concentrated factor ETFs, the familiar Bitcoin argument, and whether private markets are really swallowing public investing. The through-line is refres
Listen to the Episode
View all Episodes

Talking Real Money is a service of Apella Wealth

Opinions and views expressed on this podcast were current on the date recorded. Opinions, estimates, forecasts, and statements of financial market trends that are based on current market conditions constitute our judgment and are subject to change without notice, including any forward-looking estimates or statements which are based on certain expectations and assumptions. Although information and opinions given have been obtained from or based on sources believed to be reliable, no warranty or representation is made as to their correctness, completeness, or accuracy. Information presented on the podcast is not personalized investment advice from Apella Wealth. The views and strategies described may not be suitable for everyone. This podcast does not identify all the risks (direct or indirect) or other considerations which might be material to you when entering any financial transaction. Past performance does not guarantee future results and profitable results cannot be guaranteed.

We hope you realize that the information provided on Talking Real Money is for informational, educational, and hopefully enjoyable purposes only. The podcast is not trying to get you to buy or sell any financial products or securities. Instead, the program is provided as a public service by Apella Wealth, a fee-only registered investment advisor. Please see Apella Wealth's ADV Part 2A on our website for information regarding Apella fees and services.

Apella Capital, LLC, DBA Apella Wealth, is an investment advisory firm registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm only transacts business in states where it is properly registered, or excluded or exempt from registration requirements. Registration with the SEC or any state securities authority does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Apella does not provide tax or legal advice and nothing in either stated or implied here should be inferred as providing such advice.

Index Disclosure and Definitions All indexes have certain limitations. Investors cannot invest directly in an index. Indexes have no fees. Historical performance results for investment indexes generally do not reflect the deduction of transaction and/or custodial charges or the deduction of an investment management fee, the incurrence of which would have the effect of decreasing historical performance. Actual performance for client accounts may differ materially from the index portfolios. All data is from sources believed to be reliable but cannot be guaranteed or warranted.

The S&P 500 historical performance is the basis for any reference to the performance of stocks historically.

S&P 500 Index represents the 500 leading U.S. companies, approximately 80% of the total U.S. market capitalization.
Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) Is a price-weighted average of 30 significant stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the NASDAQ.
The Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ) measures all Nasdaq domestic and international based common type stocks listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market, and includes over 2,500 companies.
MSCI World Ex USA GR USD Index captures large and mid cap representation across 22 of 23 developed markets countries, excluding the US. The index covers approximately 85% of the free float-adjusted market capitalization in each country.
MSCI Emerging Markets Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure equity market performance in the global emerging markets (as defined by MSCI). The index consists of the 25 emerging market country indexes.
Bloomberg Barclays US Aggregate Bond Index measures the performance of the U.S. investment grade bond market. The index invests in a wide spectrum of public, investment-grade, taxable, fixed income securities in the United States – including government, corporate, and international dollar-denominated bonds, as well as mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, all with maturities of more than 1 year.
Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate (USD Hedged) Index is a flagship measure of global investment grade debt from twenty-four local currency markets. This multi-currency benchmark includes treasury, government-related, corporate and securitized fixed-rate bonds from both developed and emerging market issuers. Index is USD hedged.

INVESTORS SHOULD CONSIDER OBJECTIVES, RISKS, CHARGES AND EXPENSES OF A FUND CAREFULLY BEFORE INVESTING. THE FUND PROSPECTUS CONTAINS THIS AND OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION. INVESTORS SHOULD READ THE PROSPECTUS CAREFULLY BEFORE INVESTING. PROSPECTUSES MAY BE OBTAINED FROM YOUR ADVISOR OR FROM DIMENSIONAL FUND ADVISORS: WWW.DFAUS.COM, THE VANGUARD GROUP WWW.VANGUARD. COM, FIDELITY WWW.FIDELITY.COM, SPDRs WWW.SPDRS.COM, and ISHARES WWW. ISHARES.COM. FOR THE MOST RECENT MONTH END PERFORMANCE INFORMATION. PLEASE READ THE PROSPECTUS CAREFULLY BEFORE INVESTING OR SENDING MONEY.

For more disclosure information, please visit ApellaWealth.com.