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Episodes

We post new episodes verey weekday (except holidays).
Jan. 18, 2023

How to Dump Debt

Is the avalanche better than the snowball? Paying off debt can be challenging. What's the best way to get out? Plus, a listener finds that giving up control is hard to do. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!
Jan. 17, 2023

Their Best Advice?

The SEC claims that all "financial advisors" are supposed to act in your best interests and fully disclose any conflict of interest (including high fees, commissions, and expenses). Yet, high-cost, dangerous financial products are still being offered by the many billions of dollars. What can be done to protect you? Merv from Denver is back to take Don to task for his "misleading" comments about cryptocurrencies. Surprise, he failed to change Don's mind. In fact, we have even more anti-crypto ...
Jan. 16, 2023

Dangerous Dreck

Stop deluding yourself. As much as you want them, there are no higher returning, lower risk investments. Yet, far too many investors are are falling prey to impossible promises from purveyors of high-priced, illiquid investments. Do index-style funds need a track record? Plus, a group that once called index funds "Un-American" now touts it's market beating index fund portfolio. Is Tesla really worth the combined value of almost every other car maker combined? We also hear from listeners: Is it b...
Jan. 13, 2023

Your Lucky Q&A Day

This Friday the 13th is your lucky day as Don answers some important questions that could help you build wealth better: How much can an employee contribute to a 403b? Can money in 529 education plans be rolled over into a Roth IRA? What should be done with some extra monthly investing money? Now that Vestory is part of Apella Wealth, what's changed? Should funds in an IRA be moved from Vanguard mutual funds to ETFs? What are the best fund to use in a qualified plan to match personal risk toleran...
Jan. 12, 2023

Your Advisor Expectations

Today, Tom and Don share what they believe those who provide financial and investing advice should do for you, their clients. Plus, we hear from two listeners asking: Does his strategy get around wash sale rules for tax losses? Will the Treasury be sending annual 1099s for I-Bonds? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!
Jan. 11, 2023

Magical Thinking?

A few mutual funds turned a profit in 2022. Are the managers magicians? Investors need to face reality. No one has a secret (legal) way to make you lots of money in good markets and lose you nothing when they turn bad. Plus, a listener wants to know the best way to build the best portfolio in his 401k? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!
Jan. 10, 2023

Higher Yields Help

The demise of the 60/40 portfolio appears to have been short-lived as sharply higher rates on bonds have lifted the returns for the 40% invested in fixed income funds and ETFs. Listeners want to know: What happened to Vestory? Which is better mutual funds or ETFs? How can a value tilt be added to portfolio? Can a tax loss be taken now for last year? Would taking a tax loss on VTWAX and immediately investing in VT invoke wash-sale rule? What's our opinion of high-yield savings accounts? Are North...
Jan. 9, 2023

Madoff Lessons

Have we already forgotten the lessons imparted by the 40-year Madoff scheme that collapsed in 2008? We revisit the unbelieveable story of the biggest investor robbery in history as a new Bernie Madoff documentary airs on Netflix. Plus, we hear from listeners: Should investment changes be made in a 529 plan? How is the impact of a existing IRA on a backdoor Roth? What is our opinion of a covered call writing fund? Then, we go on to explain what covered call writing is and how it works. What is a ...
Jan. 6, 2023

Friday Questions Return

After being away for two holiday Fridays, Don is catching up on your questions (and comments): Invest or pay off mortgage? Thanks for helping a friend. Looking for a good financial charity. Will crypto trading hurt Fidelity? Why does a bank pay its customers far less interest on CDs? Do we suggest more bonds in a portfolio? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!
Jan. 5, 2023

Don't Get Burned

What's hot eventually cools and you will never see it coming. Discover why you need to avoid hot investments and sectors. Then Tom crams in a bunch of questions: Does it make sense to reduce qualified retirement account contributions? How soon can I-Bonds be purchased in the new year? What are the possible issues with moving a from TD Ameritrade? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!
Jan. 4, 2023

Bad Markets Bring Worse Investments

After a year in which most securities took a beating, the "no-risk" investment touting free steak dinner offers should soon be filling mailboxes across the country. Don't let your emotion drive you to make foolish decisions. Then, listeners chime in: Have they picked a reasonable ETF allocation for an IRA? What does Don think of his 403b investment options? Does this five-year fixed annuity make sense? Which accounting method should be used for selling securities? What is the best withdr...
Jan. 3, 2023

Simply Unpredictable

Every year about 133 million babies are born. Is there any way to predict which of them will die famous enough to make the TV retrospectives? Of course not. Do you believe you can predict when the investment markets will rise again (and fall again, thereafter)? Then, the phones light up: Does it make sense to use a regular 403b to help reduce income enough to qualify for a Roth IRA? What's the best way to own bonds in a portfolio? Is there reason to be concerned about market volatility during a ...
Jan. 2, 2023

How to Save in 2023

Tom and Don look at your top financioal resolutions and what they believe you should do to start growing your wealth. Plus, we take a question: Why do we prefer total market funds as opposed to a US dividend funds? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!
Dec. 30, 2022

Financial Fee Blindness

Most people have no idea how much they are paying for their investments and investing advice. In this case what you don't know can really hurt you in the future. Plus Tom gets a surpriningly larger number of holiday calls: One listener call him out for using the show to get out of holiday choses and also seeks advice on fixing a bad mortgage loan. Another wants to know more about tax-loss harvesting. One caller wants to talk about qualified charitable distributions (QCDs). Tom helps figure out h...
Dec. 29, 2022

Almost Alone on Christmas Eve

With Don on vacation, Tom shares a semi-poetic ode to his absent co-host. He discusses 401k auto-enrollment. ConsumerMan, Herb Weisbaum stopes by to discuss protecting your wealth during the holidays. Are mortgage buy downs worthwhile? Plus, some holiday callers arrive: The first "caller" looks for help dealing with violent holiday financial discussions (sort of). What should be done with a multiple stock portfolio? In 2023, should an employee take advantage of new Roth 401k matching? Learn more...
Dec. 22, 2022

4% Rule Resurrected

After recently declaring the 4% withdrawal rule dead, Morningstar has decided it's still kicking out income. A listener wonders if the Paul Merriman two-fund portfolio is a sensible way to go? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!
Dec. 21, 2022

Real Estate Tapped Out?

Home prices rise and they fall. Those fluctuations are not predictable. With prices down recently, should you be a buyer or a seller? Plus, house flippers took s betaing in 2022. A listener wants to know if it makes more sense to contribute more to a regular pre-tax retirement account? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!
Dec. 20, 2022

Big Bucks, No Risk, Big Lie

Those who sell "the return of the market, with no risk" is a bald-faced lie. Indexed annuities by any name can't possibly deliver what they promise. That makes those most (if not all) of those who sell them liars. The story of Disney's mismanagement shows just how scary individual stocks can be. Plus, we discuss the best performing stock of 2022. Then we hear from listeners: Should his financial advisor be fired and replaced by a target-date fund? Should she buy an energy ETF to replace her...
Dec. 19, 2022

Stop Fooling Yourself

We lie to ourselves about our prognosticative abilities. We remember making market predictions that were wildly different than we actually did. Plus, retail stock traders have had a very bad year. Listeners ask: How to get into an inexpensive small cap value fund? When we say "risk," don't we really mean volatility? How can listeners hear our Saturday radio show after it airs? Are total market funds appropriate for an 50+ investor? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Q...
Dec. 16, 2022

Drip, Dripping Away

Tom and Don discuss those perpetual online subscriptions. They are good for businesses and often terrible for you. Find out how the regain control and slow the money leaks. Plus, a listener wants to know about an insurance policy being offered by a commissioned "financial adviser." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!
Dec. 15, 2022

One Unhappy Listener

For some reason one listener really dislikes Don (he's fine with Tom). He disagrees with so much – CBDCs, bonds, cryptocurrencies – that we made an episode of it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!
Dec. 13, 2022

Adding Insult to Injury

Another downside to active funds, market declines can lead to dramatic taxable gains. It's like losing even more. Plus, we scold "Mr. Wonderful" for his support of failed crytocurrency exchange, FTX. Then we hear from listeners: The Question: How can I make more money with total safety? How can someone cover long-term care in later years. How solvent are public retirement systems? Are 35 securities in a portfolio indictative of hodgepodgeitis? Which 403b provider is the best of some bad ...
Dec. 12, 2022

You're Losing Billions

Investor left billions of dollars on the table by keeping too much money in regular checking and savings accounts. Bad advice on YouTube for millennial investors from ClearValue tax and Meet Kevin. What should you do with their advice? Non-public REITs can do some dangerous things with your money. Then we hear from listeners: Does "Arrived" appear to be good investment? Sold a rental house, how should the proceeds me invested. Non-public REITs can do some dangerous things with your money. Learn ...
Dec. 9, 2022

Fantastic Friday Q&A

Don takes on a variety of questions: How should a son invest in his new 401k? Should he switch American Funds for something less expensive? What's the best way to name beneficiaries on accounts? Why do we suggest some higher cost ETFs? What are the potentail problems when gifting to kids? What do I think of another YouTube financial guru? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!