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
RMDs Without the Fire Sale
Aug. 14, 2026

RMDs Without the Fire Sale

Required minimum distributions don’t have to trigger a fire sale. Don explains how an in-kind transfer can move an investment from an IRA to a brokerage account while preserving the holding and resetting its cost basis.

Then it’s back to school: a cut-off Coverdell question, the unusual strength of the TSP G Fund, and a surprisingly useful 4% money market account that can behave a lot like checking.

The finale sorts out UTMA 529 rules, beneficiary control, and why a low-cost age-based portfoli
Listen to the Episode
The House Takes a Cut
Aug. 13, 2026

The House Takes a Cut

Wall Street can promise dazzling returns, but private equity’s fees, illiquidity, and tax drag may leave investors with far less than the headline number. Don and Tom unpack research showing how ordinary index funds and municipal bonds can deliver comparable after-tax results with much less risk. Then a startling poll claims many Americans believe stocks only help the richest—and that gambling may beat investing. The hosts push back with the math, then tackle when taxable brokerage accounts bel
Listen to the Episode
The $315K Fork
Aug. 12, 2026

The $315K Fork

Fresh from passing the CFP exam, Roxy Butner joins Tom to work through a classic retirement fork: take the richer lifetime teacher pension, or accept a $315,000 lump sum and invest it. The math matters, but so do longevity, survivor benefits, liquidity, investing temperament, and the temptation to spend the pile. Next comes a clever tax-payment question: can IRA withholding replace quarterly estimated payments during Roth-conversion years? They explain why paying conversion taxes from taxable m
Listen to the Episode
Retirement Radish?
Aug. 11, 2026

Retirement Radish?

Just when you thought America had invented every possible retirement account, along comes the Radish. Don and Tom dig into the proposed employer-funded savings plan, the man who helped create the 401(k), and whether workers really need another tax-advantaged vegetable in an already crowded garden. The practical answer is simpler: start saving now. A Roth IRA and one broad global stock ETF can do more good than waiting for the perfect account—or learning every acronym in the retirement alphabet.
Listen to the Episode
Worst Case, Ready
Aug. 10, 2026

Worst Case, Ready

Financial Physics rule five asks the uncomfortable question every investor should answer: what is the worst that could happen? Don and Tom revisit leverage in 1929, the crashes of 2000, 2008, and 2020, and the practical defenses that keep a bad market from becoming a ruined plan. Then the questions turn to retirement planning: managing IRMAA while considering Roth conversions, weighing long-term-care insurance against self-insuring, and judging whether a $1.6 million portfolio can support a mod
Listen to the Episode
Five Questions, No Magic
Aug. 7, 2026

Five Questions, No Magic

Don opens with a spirited defense of AI as a creative tool—especially when it makes ideas possible that would otherwise be too expensive or time-consuming. Technology changes the jobs around us, but learning to direct it responsibly can expand what one person can make. Then it’s on to listener questions: how charitable giving from a retirement account might work better through an IRA and qualified charitable distributions, whether dividends and bond interest should be reinvested, and why money
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.