July 1, 2026

Another Money Quiz

Can Tom beat the average American on a personal finance quiz? Don puts Tom in the hot seat with eight questions drawn from a financial literacy quiz developed by researchers at Stanford University and TIAA. The topics range from earning, budgeting, inflation, investing, debt, insurance, and risk to evaluating investment advice. Along the way, there’s plenty of good-natured ribbing, a debate over compounding, and a reminder that even financial professionals can stumble on carefully worded ques...

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Can Tom beat the average American on a personal finance quiz?

Don puts Tom in the hot seat with eight questions drawn from a financial literacy quiz developed by researchers at Stanford University and TIAA. The topics range from earning, budgeting, inflation, investing, debt, insurance, and risk to evaluating investment advice. Along the way, there’s plenty of good-natured ribbing, a debate over compounding, and a reminder that even financial professionals can stumble on carefully worded questions.

Later, the guys answer listener questions about whether the small-cap value premium still exists despite the rise of private equity, and whether exotic portfolios like the “Golden Butterfly” really deserve their impressive back-tested reputations.

Plus, Tom gives an enthusiastic endorsement of Don’s Civil War novel, The Line Uncrossed.

00:18 – Tom faces an eight-question financial literacy quiz
03:49 – Inflation versus savings: the trickiest question
05:53 – Why diversification beats owning a single stock
07:11 – The power—and danger—of compound interest
08:50 – Insurance coverage young adults actually need
09:52 – Expected value and lottery math
11:10 – Appropriate investments for different ages
12:40 – Why compounding may be the most important concept in investing
13:39 – Which asset classes have historically produced the highest returns?
16:03 – Does the small-cap value premium still exist?
23:01 – Should investors trust the Golden Butterfly portfolio?
26:45 – Tom’s review of The Line Uncrossed
29:17 – Free meetings with Appella advisors
31:11 – Blue shirts, blue eyes, and wrapping up

Questions? Comments? Click!

00:22 - Quiz Show Kickoff

03:09 - Spending and Budgets

04:05 - Inflation Beats Savings

07:11 - Debt Doubling Trouble

08:52 - Insurance for Young Workers

09:55 - Lottery Risk and Reward

11:10 - Final Advice Question

12:41 - Beyond the Quiz

14:34 - Listener Questions Begin

15:51 - Small-Cap Value Debate

22:21 - Gold Portfolios and Backtests

26:32 - Book Plug and Closing

SPEAKER_06

We're gonna do a really great financial feature. Don and Don are talking real money.

SPEAKER_00

It's time to play games on Talking Real Money. Hello everyone,

Quiz Show Kickoff

SPEAKER_00

I'm Don McDonald, your host for another exciting quiz edition of the Talking Real Money Podcast. Today, from the pages of Money Magazine, a quiz entitled Can you answer these eight personal finance questions better than most Americans? We'll find out soon with our contestant, Mr. Thomas Charles Cock. Tom, welcome to whatever the name of this quiz is, because I just forgot it, it was so darn long.

SPEAKER_03

I just want to make clear, I don't want to do this. I don't like these quizzes. I and here's why I don't.

SPEAKER_02

Because basically, it's let's see how many times Tom can be wrong on these things. Okay. People go, wait, he got it wrong.

SPEAKER_00

Here's the key. I want you to concentrate.

SPEAKER_02

Please, focusing.

SPEAKER_00

Pay attention to the question. Okay. And then pay attention to the answers. Now, this is this was in money. It was based on a uh quiz, a 28-question quiz from Stanford University and Tia, the annuity people. But this is only eight of the 28 questions on their quiz.

SPEAKER_02

Anna Marie Lussardi, the one I was on the podcast with. She's very bright. Yeah. Use the word of financial literacy.

SPEAKER_00

I I I I I'm only doing the eight, Tom. I'm not doing all 28.

SPEAKER_02

Thank you for relaxing. Completely embarrassing me. So I like that.

SPEAKER_00

All right. Are you ready for today's?

SPEAKER_02

As I'll ever be. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Are you sure?

SPEAKER_02

Not really. No. I didn't I just say, no, I don't like doing this, but I'm going to do it anyway. I'll do it on the other side.

SPEAKER_00

I want everybody to pay attention. Pay attention. Ready?

SPEAKER_03

Okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Here's question number one. It concerns earning money, Tom. Earning money. That's our topic.

SPEAKER_03

Can I just encourage others in my life to do that? Would that be okay?

SPEAKER_00

Earning money instead of you? All right. Tom's salary. Oh no, it says Mark's. Mark's salary has increased over the past two years. What would be a plausible reason for this? You have four choices. Okay. A. The number of workers with Matt's skills has increased over the past two years. Oh no, no, I did. The number of workers with Matt's skills increased where he lives and works. I skipped it over back. Yeah. That's that's A. B. Mark completed several training courses at his local college. C. New technology reduced the demand for workers with Mark's skills. Or the fallback question for you, which is usually going to be effective but wrong, is D, I don't know.

SPEAKER_02

Well, it's never going to be I don't know. D is I don't know. I'm going to go with the uh additional training, the college, etc. Additional training. You went with B, is that correct?

SPEAKER_00

That's right. Yep.

Spending and Budgets

SPEAKER_00

Correct answer.

SPEAKER_03

Can we stop right there?

SPEAKER_00

No, now it's on to spending. And again, this is one of those where you need to pay attention. Good because all the money gets spent in my house. I should be ready to handle this. But you know all about this one. Yeah, go. A household budget cannot be used for which of the following? A. To plan for necessary household expenses. B. To plan household discretionary spending. C to track household financial assets or the fallback. Answer D. Dono.

SPEAKER_02

I'm going to go with the C on this one.

SPEAKER_00

That is the correct answer.

SPEAKER_02

And I'm retiring.

SPEAKER_00

I want to say effective and correct. You are you are just have ever been 100% on anything. You are progressing betw uh toward the grand prize.

SPEAKER_03

So which is I gotta do another one of these damn quizzes, right?

SPEAKER_00

Exactly.

Inflation Beats Savings

SPEAKER_00

All right. Number three, see, we're working our way through the world of finance. Number three has to do with saving money. Okay? Are you ready?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

A Kiko has $1,000 in savings that earns a two percent rate of return over the course of the year. The inflation rate during the year is three percent. Which statement is true?

SPEAKER_02

So she's making two on the savings and inflation's running at three.

SPEAKER_00

That is correct.

SPEAKER_02

Okay. That's not a good thing, by the way, just for those of you listening at home. That would be bad.

SPEAKER_00

A. Yes. She can afford to buy fewer things at the end of the year. B, she can afford to buy more things at the end of the year. C, it's not clear whether she can afford to buy more things or fewer things at the end of the year. Or D, which is basically the same as C.

SPEAKER_03

It really is. Don't do D.

SPEAKER_00

Don't know.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, but because you've already told me don't do D, you dummy. D is for dummies. Uh I'm gonna go with C. It's not that's not very clear.

SPEAKER_00

It's it is totally clear.

SPEAKER_02

It's not say that she's spending the money, it's that she's saving the money. She's making the money.

SPEAKER_00

I know, but if but no, listen to the answer. She can afford to buy fewer things at the end of the year, or she can afford to buy more things at the end of the year.

SPEAKER_02

Unexpected expenses, that kind of thing that she had to spend the money on.

SPEAKER_00

Okay. I'm gonna do it again. I'm two out of three. That's good. I'll call it there. Trevor Burrus, Jr. It's A. She can afford to buy fewer things with that money. That was implied in the question.

SPEAKER_02

Okay. All right. I I didn't know.

SPEAKER_00

You are not allowed to extrapolate additional factors.

SPEAKER_03

If I'm your financial advisor, I'm like, fix that.

SPEAKER_00

First of all, make less than inflation. That's bad. This is the saddest thing. Or investing. Which statement about investing is correct, Tom?

SPEAKER_02

Okay, please.

SPEAKER_00

This is about investing. This is your area of expertise. If you fail this question, it's over. You are done.

SPEAKER_03

Can I quit today?

SPEAKER_00

And you're younger than me.

SPEAKER_03

I'm fully aware of that.

SPEAKER_00

It's just sad if you can't get this one right.

SPEAKER_03

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

A investing in the stock of a single company is typically safer than investing in a mutual fund that holds shares of many companies in multiple industries. B investing in the stock of a single company and investing in a mutual fund that holds shares of many companies in multiple industries are typically equally safe. C, investing in a mutual fund that holds shares of many companies in multiple industries is typically safer than investing in the stock of a single company. Or D, I don't know.

SPEAKER_02

Okay, so C was holding an investment with many securities in it rather than holding one.

SPEAKER_00

Yes. Okay.

SPEAKER_02

So in my judgment, holding many is safer than holding one.

SPEAKER_00

So C would be your final answer?

SPEAKER_02

C is my final answer.

unknown

Yes.

SPEAKER_02

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00

Congratulations.

SPEAKER_02

That's three out of four, man. 75. That's usually my usual average.

SPEAKER_00

So five.

Debt Doubling Trouble

SPEAKER_00

This is about managing debt.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, so you're gonna have to think back to when you were in debt. Exactly. Not applicable now, but it was. Jose owns, not owns, he doesn't own because he's in debt. Jose owes $1,000 on a loan that has an interest rate of 20% per year, compounded annually. If he makes no payments on this loan at this interest rate, how many years will it take for the amount he owes to double? Come on, this is math. A, more than 10 years. B 5 to 10 years. C fewer than five years. Or the old D super dummy, yeah. I do not have a 20%.

SPEAKER_02

Wouldn't it be five years? Then it would take.

SPEAKER_00

Well, wait, but think about it for a minute. It says compounded annually.

SPEAKER_02

Okay, then it would be C fewer than five years.

SPEAKER_03

Thank you for saving me. I was close. You were going to go to five to ten.

SPEAKER_00

You were going to go five to ten. I knew it. And I'm going, no, no, no, Tom, Tom, think about it. It's 20% added this year. Compounded. And then next year, it's 20% added to 1200.

SPEAKER_02

Which, by the way, I think compounding is one of the most important concepts in financial literacy that's not top.

SPEAKER_00

It is, and it's one of the most dangerous when you owe money.

SPEAKER_02

Well, yeah, on the other flip side, it's not good. Sure.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. All right. Are you ready for six? Yeah. You're doing well.

SPEAKER_02

Not really.

SPEAKER_00

You've only failed on one, and it was the one I kind of I really was shocked you failed, but that's okay. Anyway, I thought you'd totally get inflation. I really did. I I I don't know why I thought that.

SPEAKER_03

As I said, I really

Insurance for Young Workers

SPEAKER_03

enjoy this.

SPEAKER_00

Now this one may be, this could be, this one could be problematic for you because it's about insurance, and that's not your area of expertise. So we're going to give you a break on this one. All right?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Catherine is a single 25-year-old worker who is in good health. What type of insurance coverage is she most likely to need in the near term? A disability insurance. B life insurance. C. Long-term care insurance, or D, I wasn't paying any attention.

SPEAKER_02

Well, I was paying attention. Um so life insurance, that doesn't sound likely. Long-term care insurance? I don't know. You're 25, probably not. So I'll have to X those two out and go with disability insurance.

SPEAKER_00

So you sure you don't want to say D? Don't know.

SPEAKER_02

Well, I don't know, but I'll go.

unknown

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

Congratulations. You got the bell. Only two more, and then you and then you get a reprieve. I am retiring at the end of all. You get a reprieve to for a QA.

Lottery Risk and Reward

SPEAKER_00

All right. Seven. Comprehending risk. Come on, right up your alley. Yeah. Lottery A pays a prize of $200. And the chance of winning is 5%. So if you win You get $200, but you have to have a $2. Right.

unknown

Right.

SPEAKER_00

So the max there is $200. 1 20 chance of $200. Lottery B pays a prize of $90,000. Yeah. And the chance of winning is 0.01. Expected winnings are greater in which lottery? Lottery A, A, B, Lottery B, C, La they are equal. D, I haven't a clue.

SPEAKER_02

Well, I'm gonna go. I I know I'm going out on a limb here. Please saw it off right after I'm on it. But um, always been my goal.

SPEAKER_00

And actually the trees have been asking for that too.

SPEAKER_03

I'll go with lottery. A Oh, thank God.

SPEAKER_00

You are doing so well. And now we're down to our. We're down to our final question. Can I bring somebody in for my final question?

Final Advice Question

SPEAKER_00

You know that applause was really weak. Hey, come on, audience, do a better job. We now have our final question. All right. This is this is much better. Thank you. Thank you very much. All right, here we go. Yeah. This is evaluating sources of information. Which of the following pieces of investment advice appears to be inappropriate for the respective individual? And that means the person named in the answer, Tom. That is the respective individual. Okay. The person mentioned in the answer, okay. Yep. A, a stock index fund to a 30-year-old worker saving for retirement.

SPEAKER_02

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

Is that inappropriate or appropriate? Don't answer.

SPEAKER_02

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

B, a stock fund that invests in small startup businesses to a 75-year-old retiree. I hate it.

SPEAKER_02

They make 75 sound ancient better.

SPEAKER_00

C. Well it is. A bond fund to a 60-year-old worker for some of her retirement savings, or I have no idea what this question even means.

SPEAKER_02

Which of these three is inappropriate?

SPEAKER_00

Which of the three is inappropriate?

SPEAKER_02

That's inappropriate. So it's going to be B is in boy on that one. Okay, good.

unknown

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00

Ladies and gentlemen, our final tally. Oh got seven answers correct. Oh. Which makes him smarter than a few people.

SPEAKER_03

Not many, but a few.

SPEAKER_00

Thank you. Thank you all. Thank you all for being a part of our game show. We appreciate you

Beyond the Quiz

SPEAKER_00

oh so much.

SPEAKER_02

And there's two things that I would add to this, the one because I think that are very important, all joking aside, when it comes to literacy. Compounding interest, because I looked this up. Well, it was there. It was just backward interest.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, it wasn't very good. You know, if you took, I looked this up.

SPEAKER_02

This is something everybody should know. 10,000 to start, 10% a year, which is I think hard to make. In 40 years, you have 452,000.

SPEAKER_00

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02

That's all dramatic. People overlook that. So if you had a you know long work career, that's that's pretty amazing. The other one that I don't see on here is you do kind of, because they say, is it riskier to own one or many? Um Yeah, we have. But I still think the a better question is what makes you more over time? We've talked about this, but people still don't believe you. Is it in in I'll ask you, in order, what makes more stocks, real estate, or bonds? Has made you, I should say. What's what's put those in order, the three investments that have been. Wait a minute, which which will or which has? Which has. We can't say will because we don't know.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, because it would it would be stocks in the past, but it might not be one forward.

SPEAKER_02

And bonds, which put those in the correct order of requests. Stocks. Stocks.

SPEAKER_00

Bonds and real estate are similar, but real estate probably a little higher.

SPEAKER_02

No, bonds have made more.

SPEAKER_00

Really? Darn it.

SPEAKER_02

Oh yeah, but you're right, it is pretty close. Because real estate's made, I think, one percent over inflation.

SPEAKER_00

About one percent over inflation, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So bonds have made about two percent over inflation long term.

SPEAKER_00

So it's close. Is that all bonds? See, I really could get in the weeds on this one.

SPEAKER_02

No, that's uh that's just yeah, just bonds, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

No, no, but which bonds? Aggregate bonds, treasury bonds, corporate bonds, junk bonds? We'll say ag. We'll go with the ag. You don't even know. You don't know what the correct answer is, do you? See, therefore, I could have gotten that right.

SPEAKER_03

I'll be

Listener Questions Begin

SPEAKER_03

in trouble. All right. Uh shall we go questions?

SPEAKER_00

Well, I gotta check and make sure we uh let's check our time. Yeah, we're great for a couple of questions. Perfect. So here are questions that were sent in at talkingrealmoney.com on the ask a question button there, and they were typed. And uh Tom reads them, and sometimes he actually gets on the horn with you, and we uh we we record those questions and play them during the podcast. So there's a lot of ways to get in touch with us. You can also speak your questions using the microphone button in the lower right-hand corner at talkingrealmoney.com. So please do that every now and again. Those go to the Friday QA podcast that I do every week, except holidays, and uh lately we've had some holidays, which means pretty much.

SPEAKER_02

We have another one coming up Juneteenth, coming up here soon. Well, actually, that we have already passed. Hold on.

SPEAKER_00

By the time the show is on the I told you yesterday's show was in July.

SPEAKER_02

Good Lord, this is still May or something, isn't it? We're getting ahead, remember?

SPEAKER_00

Okay. Uh whatever. Because Tom's on vacation? It's up to you. All right, we're should we restart. I think we uh we have uh another one of those coming up probably any second. But it that's good because it allows questions to build up because the questions over the summer kind of lighten, they dwindle a bit. So get send

Small-Cap Value Debate

SPEAKER_00

those questions in. Go to talkingrealmoney.com and here's one of those that you typed.

SPEAKER_02

Really good question from Chad in Delavan, Wisconsin. Subject. This time it's different.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, it's not. Okay, I I don't even need to know the question. Okay, next it's not. Is it don't know? Is it not? No, it's no, it's an absolute, it is not different this time. Well, let me read the question. All right. Hi, Tom. I was doing my psychic answering.

SPEAKER_02

The number of U.S. publicly traded small cap stocks has decreased 50 to 66 percent since the small value premium was introduced by Fama and French 30 years ago. I think it's been longer than that, but okay, we'll go we'll go with your number. The decrease is at least partially due to small companies being held by venture capital and private equity. I've heard I've heard other financial gurus on their podcasts opine that the premium to a small value tilt either no longer exists or has been significantly lessened because the small cap value companies are now privately held. What say you? Okay.

SPEAKER_00

I've got some actual numbers here because I Yeah, and and the fact is that there are um just in the U.S. alone, just so you talk about a reduction. Well, how many large cap stocks are there in the U.S., Tom, roughly?

SPEAKER_02

Well, let's start with how many stocks there are total. I think it's like is it like 7,000?

SPEAKER_00

No, in the U.S.

SPEAKER_02

I thought that was totally.

SPEAKER_00

It's about 4,500.

SPEAKER_02

Total U.S. total U.S. stocks. Okay.

SPEAKER_00

So about 700 are large. Yep. About eight, nine hundred are mids.

SPEAKER_02

So you're still left with a significant number.

SPEAKER_00

Um small caps are somewhere around 1800, 2,000. Okay. Microcaps a thousand. Those are companies that are tiny but they're still publicly traded. There are st there are quite a few of them. Yeah. There are quite a few of them. And remember, the small cap benchmark is the Russell 2000, which, by the way, contains 2,000 stocks. Because it's the Russell 2000. But okay, a few of those are mid-caps, but come on.

SPEAKER_02

What you're really asking is should I invest in the state? Is it different this time, yeah? Or should I not? Because the premium's dead. So I would I went back, by the way, first of all, this is from IFA.com. 99 years and four months of data. U.S. small cap value stocks, a 15% annualized return. U.S. core equity, 11.8. So that's a pretty substantial case.

SPEAKER_00

Core equity, though, includes small cap.

SPEAKER_02

Some small. Yes. Large is actually a little bit less than that. But let's just go with the last 27 years, 99 through April 2026. U.S. small cap value, 9.3% annualized U.S. large, 8.5. So almost a 1% annualized difference, which over, as I just said, compounding makes a big difference. So, and by the way, in in addition to that, I would still argue that it's fairly intuitive that small cap value stocks should make more because you're taking more risk. You should you're gonna get paid for taking that risk. So, no, we're not throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Yes, we continue to own small cap value and we overweight to it. And um it's not none of this changes my belief. I'll put it that way.

SPEAKER_00

By the way, the the the the small cap value tilt factor was first elucidated. It wasn't discovered by, but but they they were the the the people who wrote about it, were uh Eugene Fama and Kenneth French. Fama's a Nobel Prize winner, French is a uh professor at Dartmouth. These are very smart people who did a lot of research, and they still, to this day, despite all this hooplaw about private equity, which is just uh it's it's a distraction, the premium, it doesn't have anything to do with how many small cap value stocks are out there. The premium is simply a compensation for the level of risk you're taking. That's all it is, that's all they'll tell you it is. So you can take that risk with a thousand stocks or five hundred stocks or two thousand stocks, and it still exists, but for long periods of time it hasn't existed. And then it returns. And by the way, twenty five to five years ago, that small value premium did vanish. It did. So it came roaring back recently.

SPEAKER_02

What you said twenty-five to five years ago. I don't understand that.

SPEAKER_00

Well, that means that recently, within the past five years, three well, actually two or three years, I was just broadening the scope a little. In the past few years, small value has roared back. Yeah. But it was underperforming for about a 20-year period, and everybody said, oh, small value premium, that's dead.

SPEAKER_02

27 years still ahead by almost a percent a year.

SPEAKER_00

So when it outperforms, it outperforms big.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Or half.

SPEAKER_02

But what you said is I'm completely agreeing. You're taking more risk. You need to get paid to take that risk. Otherwise, people, you know, won't put their money there. So um, and by the way, when did you see when they actually start to finish the research on this? Wasn't that the 70s, I want to say, or something?

SPEAKER_00

No. I think that's the same. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_02

Well, because um David Booth released their U.S. That was just that was indexing.

SPEAKER_00

No, that was indexing 74.

SPEAKER_02

That was David David Booth when he was with uh No, no, I'm talking about the small cap funded dimensional was 1981, is when they started it. So um when they published. It's been a while, I'll put it that way. But no, our opinion remains the same.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and and this, by the way, this came up about 30 years ago, this same spurious argument uh when we had acquisitions like crazy, when small companies were being bought up left and right. Everybody said, Well, we're we're we're running out of small caps because they're all being bought. Well, they st apparently they still exist because uh let's see, the paper, the cross section of expected returns, was published. In 1992, in the Journal of Finance. Okay. So we're looking at Yeah. Coming to the A. And then they followed up with another paper called Common Risk Factors on the Returns of Stocks and Bonds. That's when they introduced the three-factor model, which was market size and value. That was in 1993.

Gold Portfolios and Backtests

SPEAKER_00

And their their data, all their U.S. data goes back to 1926. Yeah, that's when the research That's the period covered. But uh no, this is all just this is a bunch of people looking to break through the financial media noise. Yeah. So if you say something a little outrageous, you get attention.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Uh speaking of attention, should we give Matt some attention? He writes from Hyde Park, Utah. He says, Tom Adon, I listened to a recent podcast episode of Risk Parity Podcast that focused on best portfolios for drawdown with the highest safe withdrawal rate. The number one portfolio was the golden ratio portfolio. Uh the Boglehead three fund portfolio, way down at the bottom. I've included the chart. Love to hear you guys respond to this as I know you don't use gold, managed futures, and long-term treasuries in your portfolios. I think that's a good thing. It's golden something. No, no, the name of the portfolio is the same.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, the golden butterfly. Which sounds dirty to me for some reason. I'm not sure. Let's just leave it there. Don't bring the golden butterfly home. Anyway. Oh my gosh, I just had uh never mind. I'm not even gonna say the vision that popped in. I wouldn't. This is open flies away. Um the golden butterfly would not have worked well prior to gold having its big run-up that it's gonna be. Which is had lately.

SPEAKER_02

So also bugs are gonna say.

SPEAKER_00

The golden butterfly would have stunk to high heaven if you owned it between 1980 and 2000.

SPEAKER_02

Right. Gold was a good idea.

SPEAKER_00

When gold was negative. Yeah. So these are all back-tested things, and you know, this is this is what data fiends do. And the guy who creates this is by the way, is an engineer and he's a data fiend. He loves data. And but the data can be misleading. It's the old adage, lies, damned lies, and statistics. Where's Disraeli when you need them? You can't you you can't judge what a portfolio might do based on what it has done in the past unless there is some scientific basis for that. And when it comes to adding gold to a portfolio or managed futures to a portfolio, there's very little peer-reviewed data to support that idea. So uh quit thinking so darn much.

SPEAKER_02

Well, I again, I think if you if you're doing this on your own, you're gonna a three fund portfolio from the Bogleheads, probably fine. You're getting, you know, a global portfolio of stocks, you're getting some bonds to put the brakes on when things go down.

SPEAKER_00

And I I looked at the list and my eyes glazed over because I mean Paul Merriman's right there in the back.

SPEAKER_03

Is that all that glowy? Anyway.

SPEAKER_00

I read it and I went through and I and and I looked at him and I went, you know, if I had the time, I and I which I don't, and I'm not gonna do, because I'm not a crazed data cruncher, but if I had the time, I could probably find that at various points, if you measured it at various points in time, those portfolio's positions shifted dramatically from one to another being the top performer. So And they will.

SPEAKER_02

And but and don't, by the way, do not go home and try the golden butterfly. Uh it's just a bad idea. I I you know somebody could get hurt.

SPEAKER_00

Well, you know, the other thing that came to mind, and this is gonna be I'm not gonna say what it is, but the other thing that came to mind was was Vikings. Did you watch that show? Yeah, that's but that's the one that's Do you remember the butterfly thing?

SPEAKER_02

No, I don't remember that, so I don't want to.

SPEAKER_00

That was a horrible, horrible torture. Oh, but it wasn't a golden butterfly.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, okay. That's true. Speaking of flitting from flower to flower. Before we ask you,

Book Plug and Closing

SPEAKER_02

pollinating, I have a favor to ask all of you. All of you. Yeah. If I would like you all now to go to the certain website called Amazon.com. Never heard of it. Yeah. Uh oh, are this is this are you putting in a book plug for me? Yeah, I am. Uh really liked my book.

SPEAKER_00

Tom bought 15 of them.

SPEAKER_02

I've been giving them out to people. They love them. Um and then type in Civil War novels.

SPEAKER_04

Or Civil War novels.

SPEAKER_02

Your book.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Number two on my list. So then when it pops up, click on it and buy one. Let's keep Don high on the rankings here.

SPEAKER_00

Here's what would help. If you really like it, and only if you really like it, if you don't like it, whatever. Uh leave a review. Those reviews really.

SPEAKER_02

Because you only have two right now, I think, or something. You have two like a professional.

SPEAKER_00

But the book's been the book's been out for a week?

unknown

No.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. At the time of this recording, yes. A little over a week when we recorded it. When you hear this, it'll it's been out about maybe a month. About that. Yeah, thank you, Tom. That was a very nice book.

SPEAKER_02

The book is wonderful. It's a great story. It's right up there next to the book that I think you should compare it to, and that is a book called Killer Angels. Went by a guy named Sherra.

SPEAKER_00

It was uh Was it Michael or Jeff?

SPEAKER_02

I think I want to say it was the son. So I think that's Jeff. Jeff, yeah. So that's goes back 30 years ago? Long time. So great book. But Don's is equally good. So go there.

SPEAKER_00

It's called The Line Uncrossed. You didn't say the name.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, pardon me. That would help, wouldn't it?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Uh anyway, the line uncrossed.

SPEAKER_00

Because they're all gonna buy like the killer angels and go. That Don change his name?

SPEAKER_02

That's not Don, is it Nom de Plume? Uh so take advantage of that. It's a great offer.

SPEAKER_00

And don't try the nom de plume at home either.

SPEAKER_03

You'll get hurt. You're old. Don't do it.

SPEAKER_00

You gotta be young to pull off the nom de plume.

SPEAKER_03

And the golden butterfly.

SPEAKER_00

The golden butterfly.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, I think we should have to be a lot of the same.

SPEAKER_00

You know, actually, even if we were on the radio, we could have we could have gotten away with that. Yeah. Because we didn't say any bad words. We didn't make this an This does not deserve an E, Apple. Oh, by the way, when we got that E for that one episode, which we never figured out why, Apple just categorized it as explicit. Uh, I think it's because we say the name Tom Cock. I'm honestly thinking that's it.

SPEAKER_02

Probably does. But they pulled it.

SPEAKER_00

They went, oh, there's nothing explicit in this silly money podcast. No. So would it be? Ask questions at talkingrealmoney.com. Uh if you want some help, maybe you want to have a meeting with one of our advisors at Appello. Maybe you want to have a meeting with Tom. You know, and by the way, did you know you could do it for free?

SPEAKER_02

You could do it for free. You know, we've been getting more meetings lately of uh people, our regular listeners saying, I really want you to talk to my dad or mom. Oh. Been kind of fun.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Oh, and are are they getting dad and mom in on the conversation?

SPEAKER_02

We have a call and we say here's what the we look at the portfolio and here's things you should consider. It's been it's been interesting, yeah. So the what's the point of the thing? It's time to get rid of the insurance agent. No, we're not selling insurance agents.

SPEAKER_00

Who's the brother-in-law? No, it's time to get rid of the uh advisor who works for the insurance company who's the relative.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Well, it's but it's Marge's nephew.

SPEAKER_02

He's been a great guy for 35 years, and we only own six annuities. So um, but any of those things, and we're happy to help anybody. Because somebody else I just ran into uh outside of work and they're like, Will you do will you talk to me about this?

SPEAKER_03

I talked to everybody.

SPEAKER_00

So how do you do how do they do that though? How do they sign up to meet with you?

SPEAKER_02

Oh, I I think you can just go to talkingrealmoney.com, click on meet an advisor, type my name in there.

SPEAKER_00

People do it all the time. You wouldn't know because I don't think you've ever visited the site, but Yeah, I have actually. You did? You went to talkingrealmoney.com.

SPEAKER_02

You don't remember why? Oh, I know why, because when you changed the pictures, I was unhappy. Remember, I wanted to go see the I don't like the new picture. Oh wait, of you? No. Well, no, of you. I don't care about your picture. I care about my picture. No, but the the picture of you is your it's your headshot, dude. I know. I didn't No, okay. I thought it was the one with you and I standing there. Oh, that's why Oh, that was there. That was that was the picture we took when we were uh with with Paul. I like ret I like pictures at least 10 years and older. You know that.

SPEAKER_00

So Oh, it was because it's too recent.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, exactly. Because it makes you look your age. Exactly, which I don't like.

SPEAKER_03

I read I admit all that fully. Come on. You know that.

SPEAKER_02

So anyway, that's what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I just don't care. I truly don't care. But the but but I get the difference. I mean, right now Tom is wearing a uh pressed uh starched pressed shirt. That's true. With a with a blue-green tie. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Properly tied in a perfect Windsor. How about only half, though. Half Windsor. Yeah, I know. Yeah. And I, on the other hand, am wearing blue Amazon. Well, no, I have five or six blue teeth. I believe you do. Well, my my wife says that I should wear blue because of my my blue eyes. Oh. There we go. We gotta go now. This is just degenerating. Thanks for listening. We appreciate you being there. If if you want to torture your friends, tell them about the program. Make them listen too. I'm Don. That's Tom. And some of the time here on the podcast, we're talking real money.

SPEAKER_06

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SPEAKER_05

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SPEAKER_06

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SPEAKER_05

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SPEAKER_06

Appello Capital, LLC, DBA Apello Wealth, is an investment advisory firm registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm only transacts business in the states where it is properly registered, or excluded or exempt from registration requirements. Registration with the SDC or any State Securities Authority does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Please visit talkingrealmoney.com for more information and important disclosure related to performance of any specific index or fund quoted in this podcast.