Episodes

On today's Talking Real Money, Don McDonald welcomed two special guests from Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA)—founder David Booth and co-CEO Dave Butler—to discuss their unique investment philosophy and the importance of tuning out financial noise. The conversation centered around DFA's documentary, "Tune Out the Noise," which emphasizes an academically-based investment strategy focused on sensible, disciplined investing rather than market timing and stock picking. Don and his guests explained...

On today's Talking Real Money, Don and Tom dug deep into some surprisingly terrible mutual funds—those wealth destroyers that somehow manage to lose investors piles of money year after year. They highlighted the infamous ARK funds, which collectively burned through billions, and even exposed a Fidelity long-term treasury bond index fund that unexpectedly landed among the biggest losers over the past decade, illustrating precisely why they've been cautioning against holding long-term bonds. Al...

Hosts Don McDonald and Tom Cock discuss timely market volatility, emphasizing the importance of maintaining diversified global portfolios rather than reacting to short-term market shifts. They address listener concerns, including the complexities of decumulation in retirement and the critical value of seeking personalized financial planning from fiduciary advisors, particularly during life's transitions. Using real-life scenarios, they illustrate how seemingly minor financial decisions, like the...

Hosts Don McDonald and Tom Cock emphasize the critical importance of hiring a fiduciary financial advisor, legally required to act in your best interests and transparently disclose conflicts of interest, such as fees and commissions. They caution listeners against advisors who misleadingly claim fiduciary status and advise verifying credentials through reliable resources like FINRA's BrokerCheck. By reviewing documents like Form ADV Part 2, investors can clearly identify conflicts of interest an...

It’s Friday, and you know what that means — Q&A day! We tackled five great listener questions, starting with a deep dive into why that seemingly “safe” $71,000 annuity actually shortchanges you compared to a basic 4% Treasury ladder or a modest balanced portfolio. Then we crunched the numbers on HSAs and proved that investing the tax savings can indeed leave you ahead — despite what your accountant might say. Municipal bonds made an appearance, too, as we broke down the breakeven math for differ...

Imagine a world where investment firms actually worked in your best interest and financial regulators had your back—yeah, keep dreaming. The reality is getting worse, not better. The latest proof? A flood of sketchy "investment opportunities" dressed up as safe and innovative. Take the new PRIV ETF, which claims to focus on "investment grade" private credit—except 95% of its holdings are junk-rated. Or BlackRock sneaking Bitcoin into its model portfolios, giving investors exposure to one of the ...

Another day, another batch of money myths to bust. In this episode of Talking Real Money, Tom and Don take a sledgehammer to the idea that becoming a millionaire requires some kind of magical stock picking, insane work hours, or pure dumb luck. Spoiler: It’s mostly about spending less than you make, investing consistently, and avoiding financial landmines (like high-interest debt). A listener asks whether bonds are still the best diversifier in a portfolio, which leads to a deep dive into why no...

In this episode of "Talking Real Money," hosts Don McDonald and Tom Cock address recent market volatility, emphasizing that despite headlines about markets "nosedives," the S&P 500 is still up 10% over the past year and only down 4.4% year-to-date, while globally diversified portfolios have fared even better with minimal losses. They criticize alarming financial media headlines that cause investor panic and warn that emotional reactions to market fluctuations are more damaging to portfoli...

In this episode of "Talking Real Money," hosts Don McDonald and Tom Cock discuss generational investing habits, highlighting concerning trends among Gen Z investors who start investing at age 19 but often engage in high-risk behaviors like options trading (36%), cryptocurrency (42% of males), and margin trading (25%). Unlike Baby Boomers who typically began investing at age 35, Gen Z relies heavily on questionable financial advice from social media "fin-fluencers," with approximately half usi...

It's another Friday Q&A: 1:38 Inherited IRAs Explained 3:34 Understanding Short-Term Bond Funds 5:35 Tax Implications on Dividends 6:40 The Role of Mid-Cap Investments 8:43 Withdrawal Strategies in Retirement Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

In this episode, Tom and Don explore retail investors' behaviors influenced by users of platforms like Wall Street Bets, highlighting the risks faced by inexperienced traders in high-stakes options trading. We discuss poor investment habits driven by overconfidence, the gambler's fallacy, and behavioral finance pitfalls such as confirmation bias. We reiterate the importance of diversification and long-term strategies over trend-following. Then, we address listener questions on retirement plan...

Today, Don and Tom discuss essential personal finance and retirement planning strategies. They consider the future Social Security and the need to delay benefits for better payouts while advising young listeners to establish emergency funds and utilize 401(k) and Roth IRA benefits. The hosts caution against misleading bank promotions and provide personalized insights on listener questions regarding insurance policies and tax implications. 2:05 Concerns About Social Security 5:03 Social Securit...

In this episode, we examine the intersection of politics and investing, highlighting how emotional decisions can cloud judgment. We discuss politically-themed ETFs, like the Defiance MAGA ETF, emphasizing that economic factors, not political trends, influence stock prices. Listeners are cautioned against allowing political affiliations to dictate investment strategies, as this can lead to underperformance. Using Walgreens as an example, we underscore the importance of diversification over indivi...

In this episode, we examine the key principles of constructing an investment portfolio, focusing on asset selection tailored to individual needs. We address listener questions about foundational components like stocks and bonds, featuring Paul Merriman's four-fund model for balanced diversification. The conversation includes the value of international investments and real-life scenarios illustrating successful strategies. We also discuss the implications of tax-efficient fund choices and my pers...

In this Q&A episode, Don and Tom address listener questions about comparing Vanguard funds with Avantis Global Equity Fund, review an Army officer's retirement portfolio, provide debt management guidance for a young professional, discuss options for handling an old 403(b) plan, and explain fund benchmark comparisons for Dimensional Funds. [0:04] Introduction and explanation for Q&A format change [3:07] Comparing Vanguard funds to Avantis Global Equity Fund (AVGE) [7:34] Army officer's retirem...

In this episode of "Talking Real Money," Don and Tom discuss investment risk using "volatility scores" to compare investments. They break down how the ARK Innovation ETF's higher returns come with extreme volatility and steeper losses compared to the Vanguard Total World Stock Index. They answer listener questions, suggesting a fee-only fiduciary advisor to someone with a broker-built portfolio of individual stocks and annuities. They also recommend a retirement plan update for a long-time fo...

From Saturday's second radio show hour: 2:04 Magical Technology and Reality 3:05 Understanding Risk in Investing 5:42 Measuring Investment Risk 7:20 The Importance of Drawdown 13:25 The Volatility of Investments 14:12 Comparing Investment Options 16:55 Live Questions and Listener Insights 18:04 Portfolio Rebalancing Strategies 19:41 Call for Listener Engagement 21:50 Evaluating Investment Portfolios 24:53 Choosing th...

Saturday's first radio hour becomes a podcast: 1:56 The Truth About Money Lies 3:18 Jonathan Clements' Insights 5:04 Coping with Financial Anxiety 7:01 Automating Your Finances 12:03 Tax Efficiency in Investments 18:36 Finding a Professional Fiduciary 22:21 Planning for Future Financial Care 31:13 Jonathan Clements' Final Advice 34:04 Understanding Rebalancing Risks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

In today's episode: 0:58 Introduction to the Dow Debate 2:11 The Dow's Calculation Explained 4:04 Big Tech's Influence on the Dow 5:17 The Dow's Media Presence 6:27 Ownership of the Dow Jones 8:07 The Arbitrary Nature of Indexes 11:21 Trusting Financial Indexes 14:18 Evaluating Investment Choices 17:06 Risks of Complex Funds 20:04 Reassessing Retirement Strategies 22:05 Tax Implications of Investments Learn more ab...

Thanks for the great questions (and a comment): 1:29 Long-Term Disability Insights 5:15 Fidelity Target Date Funds Discussion 10:59 Annuity Portfolio Changes 13:02 Understanding Wrap Accounts 16:49 Navigating Long-Term Care Insurance Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

In today's episode: 0:33 Investing Truths Uncovered 1:38 The Fallacy of Active Management 2:55 Diversification and Market Cycles 5:23 Autopilot Investment Strategies 6:58 Trusting Long-Term Data 9:19 Historical Returns Explained 11:49 The Power of Index Funds 13:03 Listener Questions and Insights 19:03 Young Investors and Market Perceptions 19:59 Understanding Fund Expenses Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

Now, the rest of the Saturday show: 0:52 The Biggest Heist in History 0:54 Financial Literacy: Are We Really Educated? 2:35 The Three Questions of Financial Literacy 5:10 Disappointment in Financial Knowledge 5:16 Finding a Financial Advisor 7:06 Preparing for Your First Advisor Meeting 10:02 Researching Your Potential Advisor 11:41 Understanding Fees and Conflicts of Interest 13:21 Selling Your Home: Capital Gains Deductions 17...

From Saturday's show: 0:34 US Stocks Take a Tumble 4:44 Market Sentiment and Performance Analysis 7:41 Listener Call: Financial Concerns 12:00 Navigating Taxes and Annuities 14:57 Personalized Financial Planning Importance 17:46 The Challenge of Finding Good Advisors 19:04 Fiduciary Responsibilities and Advisor Selection 24:50 Decumulation Strategies for Retirement 33:01 The Value of Professional Financial Guidance Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questio...

In today's podcast: 1:27 Vanguard Cuts Fees 2:34 Small Savings for Investors 6:54 Customer Service Concerns 8:22 Index Fund Clarity 13:14 Dog Food Comparisons 13:43 Listener Questions Begin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesQuestions? Comments? Click!