The Rational Reminder Podcast

Designing a robust portfolio requires considerable expertise, data, and experience. And while there are plenty of published articles that can guide how you build your portfolio, they are not investment solutions by themselves. Wei Dai is the Head of Investment Research and Vice President at Dimensional Fund Advisors, and she joins us today for a comprehensive and informative conversation on portfo...

Private credit is one of the fastest-growing asset classes, and today we take a closer look at why that is, and if it's really worth the hype. When you invest in private credit, you are essentially lending money to borrowers who might have difficulty accessing loans elsewhere. While these assets may be profitable, they can also incur a lot of risk and typically come with illiquidity. It is traditi...

The Canadian government has recently proposed significant changes to how capital gains are taxed, but how will this impact Canadians? In this episode, we delve into the proposed capital gains tax changes and their impact on financial planning. We unpack the definition of capital gains tax and the complexity of the proposed changes. Explore the historical trends of capital gains tax rates in Canada...

What is the role of luck in financial success? And how can we make decisions that will put us in the best possible position to experience long-term prosperity? Joining us today to unpack these questions is Scott Galloway, a talented public speaker, author, entrepreneur, and professor of marketing at NYU Stern School of Business. His latest book, The Algebra of Wealth: A Simple Formula for Financia...

With a wealth of experience as a market theoretician and a prolific contributor to financial discourse, today's guest is uniquely positioned to guide us through the complexities of index fund dynamics. Joining us to discuss the problems that passive investing may be causing in financial markets (and what people should do about it) is Michael Green, Chief Strategist and Portfolio Manager for Simpli...

Today, we welcome back Prof. Meir Statman to talk about the role of finances in well-being. We investigate the role of finances in well-being with Prof. Meir Statman through the lens of his new book, A Wealth of Well-Being. Discover why wealth advisors must evolve into well-being advisors and uncover the impact of finances on various life domains. From dating to education, we discuss the profound...

In this episode, we delve into the best time to claim your Canada Pension Plan (CPP) benefits. Although the focus of this episode is on Canada, there will be many relevant and valuable insights for our non-Canadian listeners. In our conversation, we discuss the importance of understanding the intricacies of CPP benefits, the fundamentals, and how individuals can optimize their retirement income by...

In this episode, we are joined by renowned expert Abby Sussman to unpack how individuals form judgments and make decisions about their finances. Abby is a distinguished professor of marketing at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business whose expertise lies at the intersection of psychology, economics, and finance. In our conversation, we discuss the nuances of financial decision-making a...

In this episode, we unpack key tenants of investing and the quality of financial advice in Canada's banking industry. In our conversation, we present a list of lessons we have learned about investing, which has been consolidated from contributions by the Twitter community and the Rational Reminder Community. In our conversation, we discuss ways to beat the market, how narratives can impact the eco...

Dr. Randall Stutman is an author, highly sought-after speaker, and executive leadership coach to some of the world's most exceptional CEOs, billionaires, and hedge fund managers. As the founder of the Admired Leadership Institute, he is widely recognized as a world-class authority on leadership strategy and style. Today, Dr. Stutman joins us to discuss the behaviours and skills that make admired l...

As human beings, our brains are wired to solve problems. This can make long-term investment strategies, like passive investing, surprisingly challenging, especially if you're not accustomed to the ups and downs of the market – it can feel pretty unintuitive to stay the course when your instinct is to take more active steps to solve the problem! So, how can investors remain firm in their strategy a...

Feeling stuck is a common human experience and almost all of us will go through it at some point in our lives. Whether it's relationship struggles, dissatisfaction with work, an inability to progress financially, or a pending midlife crisis, all of these situations can bring up a range of mixed emotions like anxiety, fear, anger, and even numbness. We are joined today by Adam Alter, whose new book...

In this episode, we explore the intricate world of home-country bias in investment decision-making and learn the secret sauce to effective communication and writing. We start by discussing the definition and influence of home-country bias and explore why investors tend to overweight their portfolios with domestic equities despite global opportunities. We dissect the home bias puzzle, the rationali...

In this episode, we delve into the world of mindfulness and meditation with renowned author and meditation advocate, Dan Harris. In our conversation, Dan shares his personal journey from a high-stress career in the news to discovering the transformative power of mindfulness meditation. We explore Dan's best-selling book, 10% Happier which chronicles his exploration into mindfulness practices after...

After a year and a half hiatus from discussing Bitcoin, we felt compelled to explore the implications of the US Securities and Exchange Commission's approval of 10 spot Bitcoin ETFs for trading. In this episode, we dive into the recent news surrounding Bitcoin and its entry into the mainstream investment landscape through spot Bitcoin ETFs. To help us unpack this topic is Eric Balchunas, a seasone...

In this episode, we welcome Rob Copeland, author of the recently released book The Fund: Ray Dalio, Bridgewater Associates, and the Unraveling of a Wall Street Legend. Rob, a finance reporter for The New York Times, provides a gripping account of the rise and unravelling of Ray Dalio and Bridgewater Associates. Bridgewater Associates, one of the prominent hedge funds on the planet, is synonymous w...

Are you ready for a deep dive into quantitative investing, the private credit trend, and the Canada Pension Plan (CPP)? Then this episode is for you! Joining us today is Robin Wigglesworth, The Financial Times' global finance correspondent, and author of Trillions: How a Band of Wall Street Renegades Invented the Index Fund and Changed Finance Forever , a groundbreaking book about the past, presen...

In this episode, we are joined, for the third time, by renowned author and commentator Morgan Housel. Many of you are familiar with Morgan's bestseller,  The Psychology of Money , and he is back to discuss his latest book, Same as Ever: A Guide to What Never Changes . He is also the partner at The Collaboration Fund, a network of fund managers investing across asset classes while identifying and s...

Does the 4% rule still work? In this episode, we welcome three esteemed experts to counter a recent controversial claim made on the Dave Ramsey Show regarding the validity of the 4% rule in retirement planning. Joining us is David Blanchett; the Managing Director and Head of Retirement Research for PGIM DC Solutions, Michael Finke; a distinguished professor of wealth management at the American Col...

Tightwads are more likely to hold onto their money even when there is more than enough to spend, whilst spendthrifts will drain their bank account of its very last cent. So, which one are you, and how does that impact your relationships? Joining us today is the remarkable Marketing Professor and Author, Scott Rick. Scott has just penned a new book, Tightwads and Spendthrifts: Navigating the Money...

It's the start of a new year and with it comes an opportunity to re-evaluate your trajectory and set your goals for the months to come, whether they be financial, personal, or all of the above. Kicking things off for today's episode is our conversation with Steve Balaban, a private equity insider with a refreshingly realistic and practical perspective on private equity. We talk with Steve about in...

Rational Reminder listeners get exclusive first access to Tune Out the Noise, a documentary directed by Academy Award-winner Errol Morris until January 31.   Tune Out The Noise Access URL:    film.dimensional.com/podcast Access Code (available until Jan 31): RATIONAL   In today's episode, Errol Morris, Academy Award-winning film director and author, joins us to talk about his recently released doc...

It's hard to believe, but today's episode marks our fifth annual year-in-review episode — where we look back at some of our favourite conversations and takeaways from the past year! If there's one overarching theme that stood out amongst our guests in 2023 it would be the power of purposeful decision-making to impact our future selves. Tuning in, you'll hear our guests' remarkable views on the top...

In this episode, we welcome back the esteemed Professor Scott Cederburg, Associate Professor of Finance at the University of Arizona. In this highly anticipated episode, Professor Cederburg revisits the show to delve into his groundbreaking paper on life cycle asset allocation. Professor Cederburg's latest research presents findings that disrupt traditional thinking in the field, prompting a deep...

Today's episode features a series of in-depth segments, and includes a visit from our two favourite Marks; Mark Soth (aka The Loonie Doctor) and Mark McGrath! To kick things off we break down volatility and investor behaviour by looking back at our conversation with Scott Cederburg and what his research demonstrates about the topic. We then hear from Mark Soth about the project that he and Ben hav...