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Episodes

We post new episodes verey weekday (except holidays).
Oct. 16, 2023

Funding Higher Education

A special episode devoted to paying for your children's higher education. Appella Wealth college-funding specialist, Jim Femia joins Tpm and Don to share his expertise on the various ways you can afford to help your kid's get...
Oct. 13, 2023

Friday is Question Day

Friday is when Don takes the questions you record at Talking Real Money: Why do Treasury security yields change throughout each day? How do you check out a fee-based advisor? What do we think of a company's new fund options? Does his advice for a friend's retirement portfolios make sense? Is the ET…
Oct. 12, 2023

Friends and Money Don't Mix

A Washington Post advice columnist suggested firing a financial advisor friend. How can you find the right person to manage your money? Then we hear from lots of listeners: Is it better to invest fixed income dollars in bonds...
Oct. 11, 2023

Costs of Being Mortgage Free

There's a lot money tied up in our homes, so should you pay off your cheap mortgage? What are the costs to access all of that money should you need it? At Bank of America, it could cost up to 10% for a home equity line of credit. We talk about the potential future of bond prices. The we here from a…
Oct. 10, 2023

Dumb and Dumber Money

The movie "Dumb Money" depicts a small slice of the pandemic meme stock trading stupidity. Today, we discuss trying to time the market and it's similarity to other ways we lose money. Then, listeners ask: How much should be k...
Oct. 9, 2023

Fear for Financial Future

A recent study found that the vast majority of Americans don't believe they will be in good enough financial shape to retire at age 65. What are some of our biggest concerns and how can we deal with our unpreparedness? Plus, ...
Oct. 6, 2023

One Week Later: More Qs

In this Friday's Question and Answer episode: While stocks plunged for most of the Great Depression, how did bonds perform? Does it make sense to convert to a Roth if the taxes are paid from the IRA? Does taking early Social...
Oct. 5, 2023

Our Jobs Are Secure

Trillions of dollars are wasting away in low-yielding bank accounts. Why do investors keep making the same investing mistakes, over and over again, despite evidence that investing is incredibly simple if done right? How can y...
Oct. 4, 2023

Ending Conflicted Advice

The 401k and 403b investment offerings are a mess and the US Labor Department would like to make it better, but the financial product industry opposes mandating truly honest investing advice. Salespeople aggressively push exp...
Oct. 3, 2023

Shutdown Shut Down

We came prepared to talk about the impact of a government shutdown on your investments. Just as we came on the air, Congress voted to defer the issue for another 45 days. Yet, what would be the financial impact of another shu...
Oct. 2, 2023

You Can't Win

The evidence continues to show why most "expert" money managers fail to beat their benchmarks. Don and Tom share some powerful academic reasons why money managers (and you) are unlikely to beat the market over time. Plus, tho...
Sept. 29, 2023

A Unique QCA Day

In today's question and comment episode: Don is appalled by another great example of a slick salesperson selling a horribly complex and misleading insurance investment for retirement. Should a Roth be funded for someone on th...
Sept. 28, 2023

Trustworthy Advice

A recent study shows that most people trust the right people for investing advice. What is your trusted source of money information? Then, we hear from listeners: What do we think of this retirement portfolio, heavily investe...
Sept. 27, 2023

You're Making Less

Morningstar recently reported a ongoing gap between investor returns and the returns of the stock market. You and your behavior make less than underlying indexes. We discuss Tom's attempt to buy a new Toyota and the lack of r...
Sept. 26, 2023

Bad Money Radio

Finding good financial advice is really tough. You might believe that those providing money information in the media are required to tell the truth. They're not. You need to carefully vet anyone providing investing informatio...
Sept. 25, 2023

It's Not Investing!

Instead of lining up at the track or using a bookie, today's compulsive gamblers have a respectable way to feed their dangerous habit: short-duration option trading. The amount of money gambled away in securities markets is staggering, and it is no better than playing slots at a casino. It may be w…
Sept. 22, 2023

A Whole Lotta Calls

In this week's Friday Q&A session: A caller shares information about the downside of non-qualified deferred compensation plans at work. Should some olf 401k plans be moved to a current 401k? In a TSP, what should the fixed-in...
Sept. 21, 2023

Retiring With Less

Most "experts" say you'll need $1 million or more to retire comfortably. How will you get by if you've saved less than that, and how can you catch up if you're short on retirement savings? Plus, we hear from listeners: What do we think of an expensive 403b investment? Can funds from a Coverdell ESA…
Sept. 20, 2023

Don't Be Dumb

With the release of the meme-stock movie "Dumb Money," it seems like a good time to discuss the reality of chasing after the latest hot "investment." Then, with Don tending to his ailing mom, Tom is joined by Paul Merriman to look back at an old, hot investing craze, the "Nifty-Fifty" and to answer…
Sept. 19, 2023

Retiring Wrong

Choosing the right time to take Social Security can add hundreds of dollars every month. With Don away on family matters, Tom is joined by Paul Merriman to discuss money and investing. Listeners ask: Does his decision to take...
Sept. 18, 2023

Tax Avoidance Reality

Investors are trying to avoid paying taxes to the detriment of overall returns. Tom and Don discuss tax strategies that might make sense. Plus, it turns out those GICs or guaranteed income accounts aren't actually "guaranteed...
Sept. 15, 2023

Q&Again

It's everyone's favorite day: Q&A Friday with Don. This week listeners ask: Why don't more online brokers adopt automatic rebalancing? Why should we invest overseas when international stocks have done poorly recently? Does it make sense to take a loss on longer term bonds and move to one-year C…
Sept. 14, 2023

Leverage Wins and Loses

Who wouldn't love double or triple returns on their investments? What is the downside to leverage? Listeners ask: What do we think of Mercer Advisors and their sub-advisors? Should money be moved from a less aggressive small ...
Sept. 13, 2023

What Good is Gold?

Over centuries, gold has proven to be a lousy investment. Its big selling point has been "safety." But, is gold really safe? What good is gold? Then, listeners want to know: Should a home equity line of credit be used to buy a new home? What's the best way to make a lot, quickly, with both safety a…