In this fast-moving, fraud-fighting episode of Talking Real Money, Tom Cock is joined by longtime consumer advocate Herb Weisbaum (aka The ConsumerMan) to expose two of the fastest-growing scams in the U.S.: predatory solar s...
Gen Z may just be schooling the rest of us in retirement savings—sort of. Don breaks down why the kids are all right… and also why they’re misled. Auto-enrollment rules, social media misinformation, and shaky FinTok advice ar...
The market hit another “all-time high”—shocking no one. Don dismantles the myth that record highs are reasons to panic or pull back, reminding listeners that long-term investing and diversification remain undefeated. He break...
Don and Tom tear into the lunacy of financial predictions—starting with famed doomsayer Nouriel Roubini suddenly turning optimistic (is that a good sign or a terrifying one?). Then it’s onto Ron Baron and his wildly volatile,...
Tom welcomes Roxy Butner back to field listener questions on retirement income, Roth vs. traditional 401(k) choices, car financing math, leftover 529 rollovers, and bond price confusion. Listeners hear sharp, practical advice...
In this episode, Don and Tom dive into a revealing YouGov survey that shows Americans might not be as overconfident as we thought—except when it comes to trustworthiness, loyalty, and… mechanical skills? The guys unpack what ...
Don tackles the dangerous myth of “safe” high-yield investments, calling out misleading financial advice around covered call funds and non-traded real estate deals. He takes calls on 529 plans vs. UTMA, long-term care insuran...
Don flies solo from Florida while Tom continues his Euro-tour, tackling the deep flaws in Morningstar’s mutual fund and target-date fund ratings. He skewers their cozy relationship with high-fee fund companies and explains ho...
Don and Tom expose the seductive illusion of “wealth without risk” by dissecting the explosion of equity-hedged ETFs and mutual funds. They tear into the high fees, low returns, and false promises sold by funds claiming to pr...
CORRECTION: During the 13:45 caller, I gave erroneous advice on the withdrawal rules for an inherited IRA. Given that this was his father’s IRA, he is not eligible to wait until the end of the 10-year period. So he will need ...
Don and Tom dive into the human obsession with prediction—especially in finance—and why models fail us more than they help. They dissect the CAPE ratio, Fama vs. Shiller, and why “knowing” the market is a fool’s errand. Liste...
Don and Tom tackle the behavioral trap of “home bias” in investing—why U.S. investors tend to overinvest domestically and why it’s dangerous. They compare global fund allocations across countries, poke fun at nationalist inve...
In this episode of Talking Real Money, Don and Tom take aim at one of the most persistent investing mistakes: owning individual stocks. With humor and sharp skepticism, they explore why investors—even those who say they follo...
Tom and Roxy dive into listener questions with sharp advice and sharper metaphors—like why a 1,000-point drop in the Dow is more like a slight temperature dip than a financial catastrophe. They cover smart asset location (whe...
This episode explores the psychological and financial side of retirement planning through the lens of entropy. Don and Tom dive into an article from Kiplinger that cleverly compares retirement to the second law of thermodynam...
Don and Tom dig into America’s $1.7 trillion in forgotten retirement accounts—29 million of them! They walk listeners through how to search for their own missing funds and share their own finds (or lack thereof). They answer ...
Don and Tom salute high-schoolers who tackled the National Personal Finance Challenge, then test listeners (and each other) with the same nine-question quiz—covering basics like principal vs. balance, Roth RMD rules, CDs, ves...
Don and Tom explore the evolution, promise, and pitfalls of Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs). While ETFs have become the dominant investment vehicle, boasting $8 trillion in assets and more than 4,000 choices, the duo cautions ag...
In this Friday Q&A episode, Don answers a wide range of listener questions, covering everything from market timing behavior and condo pitfalls to portfolio simplification and strategic debt repayment. He offers heartfelt fina...
A chaotic day leads Don into a deep (and entertaining) dive into the futility of market timing, spurred by a recent Morningstar article on Pacer’s Trendpilot ETF. Don and Tom break down the mechanics of the fund’s strategy, i...
Don and Tom unpack Morningstar’s latest “5 of the Best” investing methods, praising the simplicity of balanced and target-date funds but warning against high-fee versions. They emphasize that no portfolio fits everyone and pu...
In this episode of Talking Real Money, Don and Tom reluctantly return to the topic of Bitcoin, using its recent price spike to explore deeper questions about market efficiency, irrational investor behavior, and the legitimacy...
Don and Tom dive into a new study showing the average investor spends just six minutes researching a stock—most of it just watching the price move. From gut feelings to hometown bias, they unpack why individual stock picking ...
Don fields a fresh batch of listener questions in this all-audio edition. A longtime fan asks whether a municipal bond ETF (VTEB) is a smarter place than a money market fund for short-term cash—Don explains why liquidity and ...
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