The Compound

Ask The Compound

Business EN ↓ 372 episodes

Got money questions? We’ve got answers. Join Ben Carlson, Duncan Hill, and a rotating lineup of financial pros as they break down your biggest questions about investing, markets, and personal finance. Ben is a leading financial writer and the Director of Institutional Asset Management at Ritholtz. Duncan is a podcast producer and the Director of Creative Media at The Compound. See our disclosures here - https://ritholtzwealth.com/podcast-youtube-disclosures/

Be sure to visit the podcast's website and support the creator: awealthofcommonsense.com

Author

The Compound

Category

Business

Podcast website

awealthofcommonsense.com

Latest episode

Oct 21, 2026

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Episodes

Why Won’t the Housing Market Crash? 21.10.2026

On episode 245 of Ask The Compound, Ben Carlson and Duncan Hill answer five listener questions on investing, bonds, housing, and personal finance. They discuss why Ben finally bought bonds for the first time in his career, whether paying down a high-interest mortgage beats buying bonds, and why home prices haven't crashed despite higher mortgage rates. Plus, how to think about home country bias wh...

How Do You Hedge a Concentrated Stock Market? 14.10.2026

On episode 244 of Ask The Compound, Ben Carlson and Duncan Hill are joined by Bill Sweet to answer six listener questions on investing, retirement planning, taxes, and real estate. They discuss how to diversify away from the concentrated AI trade without going to cash, retirement strategies for high-income business owners, and the best ways for individual investors to buy bonds. Plus, which invest...

What’s the Safe Withdrawal Rate for Retirement? 07.10.2026

On episode 243 of Ask The Compound, Ben Carlson and Duncan Hill answer six listener questions on bonds, retirement, financial planning, and the psychology of spending. They discuss when it makes sense for long-term investors to own bonds, how to think about safe withdrawal rates and aggressive retirement portfolios, and what adult children should ask when meeting with their parents’ financial advi...

When Will the Next Bear Market Hit? 30.09.2026

On episode 242 of Ask The Compound, Ben Carlson and Duncan Hill discuss: when the next bear market and recession could hit, why rising Treasury yields haven’t rattled the stock market, and whether the AI boom could ultimately become the catalyst for the next major sell-off. Plus, insurance expert Jonathan Novy joins the show to explain when permanent life insurance actually makes sense, how to thi...

Why Do We Need Inflation? 23.09.2026

On episode 241 of Ask The Compound, Ben Carlson and Duncan Hill  answer listener questions on whether private markets are capturing more of the economy’s biggest gains before companies go public, what that could mean for index funds and ETFs, whether paying off a 2.875% mortgage can ever make sense, and how AI could reshape careers in equity research. They also discuss how to diversify an all...

Should You Pick Stocks or Buy Index Funds? 17.09.2026

On this live episode of Ask The Compound from Future Proof in Huntington Beach, Ben Carlson, Alex Morris, Bill Sweet, and Barry Ritholtz tackle listener questions on bonds, luxury spending, generational wealth, and managing an actively traded portfolio. They discuss what a 5%+ bond yield really means, how inflation affects fixed-income investments, and where TIPS can fit into a portfolio. Plus, wh...

How Does the Mega Backdoor Roth Conversion Work? 09.09.2026

On episode 239 of Ask The Compound, Ben Carlson, Bill Sweet, and Duncan Hill tackle six listener questions on investing, retirement, and managing risk. They discuss the research behind trend-following and momentum strategies, how mega-backdoor Roth 401(k) conversions work, what to do with down payment savings when buying a home is still years away, and whether a pension can serve as the bond alloc...

Best Investment Right Now: Stocks, Bonds or Cash? 02.09.2026

On episode 238 of Ask The Compound, Ben Carlson and Duncan Hill discuss how to prepare for a potential government debt crisis, choosing between stocks, bonds and cash, how much to allocate to international stocks, the best places to park short-term savings, dealing with bigger portfolio swings as your wealth compounds, and how lifelong savers can learn to spend and enjoy their money in retirement....

When Should You Sell Your Stocks? 26.08.2026

On episode 237 of Ask The Compound, Ben Carlson, Bill Sweet and Duncan Hill discuss the most important things investors should know before buying stocks, how to transfer retirement accounts tax-efficiently, and managing large chunks of variable income. Plus, they cover the financial planning basics every family should have in place, how much risk to take in college savings accounts, and more. This...

When Will the Stock Market Crash Again? 19.08.2026

On episode 236 of Ask The Compound, Ben Carlson and Duncan Hill discuss whether market crashes are a thing of the past, planning for longevity risk, stocks vs. real estate, talking finances with aging parents, and how inflation impacts sustainable spending rates. This episode is sponsored by Betterment Advisor Solutions. Learn more at https://betterment.com/advisors Compound Merch: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://id...

How Do You Invest Without Paying Taxes? 12.08.2026

On episode 235 of Ask The Compound, Ben Carlson, Duncan Hill, and Bill Sweet discuss where housing is most expensive, which investments to sell first, AI’s impact on homebuying, owning volatile investments, when HSAs may not make sense, how Roth 401(k)s work, and more! This episode is sponsored by Betterment Advisor Solutions. Learn more at https://betterment.com/advisors Compound Merch: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https...

Is Buying a Home Still a Good Investment? 05.08.2026

On episode 234 of Ask The Compound, Ben Carlson, Duncan Hill, and Jack Raines tackle your investing and financial planning questions, including the financial advice they'd give their younger selves, whether buying a home still makes sense in today's market, how young people should prepare for an AI-driven future, the risks of investing with margin, and whether it's possible to retire early by livi...

When Should You Turn Bearish on the Stock Market? 29.07.2026

On episode 233 of Ask The Compound, Ben Carlson, Duncan Hill, and Josh Brown tackle your investing and financial planning questions, including whether Shake Shack's recent collapse is a buying opportunity, how active management fits alongside indexing, what would actually make a long-term bull turn bearish, how to promote disciplined investing in a speculative market, and whether an expected inher...

What Are the Two Main Risks Right Now? 22.07.2026

On episode 232 of Ask The Compound, Ben Carlson is joined by Jurrien Timmer to discuss: whether the Magnificent 7's recent underperformance is a healthy sign of broader market leadership, why concentration risk and higher interest rates remain key risks for investors, how long the current earnings boom can continue, where speculative capital could flow next after Bitcoin, gold, and semiconductor s...

Can Your Portfolio Survive Market Timing? 15.07.2026

On episode 231 of Ask The Compound, Ben Carlson, Taylor Hollis, and Duncan Hill answer your investing and financial planning questions, including whether the world's worst market timer could still build wealth, how to tackle $90,000 in credit card debt, and why estate planning should be part of every financial plan. They also discuss how to navigate difficult family conversations about wills and s...

The 3 Best Inflation Hedges 08.07.2026

On episode 230 of Ask The Compound, Ben Carlson, Duncan Hill, and Bill Sweet discuss whether retirees and wealthy investors own too many bonds, the best way to sell stocks before buying a vacation home, if housing is still a long-term wealth builder, how much to put down on your first home, and the smartest financial gift for a 16-year-old. Compound Merch: https://idontshop.com/ Submit your Ask Th...

Is $1 Million Still Considered Rich? 01.07.2026

On episode 229 of Ask The Compound, Ben Carlson, Duncan Hill and Bill Sweet discuss: whether $1 million still makes you rich, how to prioritize saving with a baby on the way, whether to aggressively pay down an 8.24% SBA loan or enjoy the rewards of your success, how rental properties fit into your asset allocation, and whether it's ever worth selling stocks to buy a house. Plus, they share practi...

Can You Retire on $1.5 Million? 24.06.2026

On episode 228 of Ask The Compound, Ben Carlson and Duncan Hill discuss: whether an AI bubble crash or market correction would be a buying opportunity for U.S. stocks, how to invest $150,000 in cash today, giving up a 2.9% mortgage to buy a larger home, whether $1.5 million is enough to retire, staying 100% invested in stocks with $5 million+ and much more! Submit your Ask The Compound questions t...

Will Retiring Baby Boomers Crash the Stock Market? 17.06.2026

On episode 227 of Ask The Compound, Ben Carlson, Duncan Hill and Bill Sweet discuss: staying in shape while raising young kids and balancing family life, using Married Filing Separately to maximize PSLF benefits, whether pausing investing to start a business is a smart move, how aging demographics could impact stock market returns, retirement planning with no property taxes and low-cost healthcare...

How Do You Sell Your Stocks Without a Big Tax Hit? 10.06.2026

On episode 226 of Ask The Compound, Ben Carlson, Duncan Hill and Bill Sweet answer questions about selling highly appreciated stocks, figuring out your retirement number, financial lessons from aging parents, whether cash can replace bonds, helping investors avoid panic-selling during market turmoil, and the most important investing advice for a 16-year-old. Submit your Ask The Compound questions...

Is an AI Bubble Inevitable? 03.06.2026

On episode 225 of Ask The Compound, Ben Carlson discusses: the SpaceX IPO and whether it's a threat to index fund investors, the potential market impact of AI-driven job losses, balancing savings goals in your 20s, and much more! Submit your Ask The Compound questions to askthecompoundshow@gmail.com! Order your copy of Ben's book, 'Risk and Reward' here: https://lnk.to/riskandrewardbook This episo...

Should the Bottom 50% Pay Taxes? 27.05.2026

On episode 224 of Ask The Compound, Ben Carlson, Ritholtz Wealth CFO Bill Sweet and Duncan Hill discuss: whether it’s time to sell energy stocks before the next oil crash, the smartest way to rebalance risk heading into retirement, Jeff Bezos’s idea to eliminate income taxes for the bottom 50%, how taxes impact the 4% retirement rule, the best way to access Roth money for early retirement, and the...

Is It Time to Sell Some Stocks? 20.05.2026

On episode 223 of Ask The Compound, Ben Carlson and Duncan Hill discuss: energy stocks vs. the S&P 500, building the perfect portfolio, overcoming the fear of investing aggressively when you’re young, whether it’s worth sacrificing passion for higher pay, when retirees should finally add bonds, target-date funds vs. index funds in marriage, and whether today’s AI-driven market feels more like smar...

Why Is the Stock Market Going Up? 13.05.2026

On episode 222 of Ask The Compound, Ben Carlson and Duncan Hill are joined by Ritholtz CFO Bill Sweet to discuss: if this market makes sense, S&P 500 returns, value added tax, foreign tax credits, how to save for college, small bussiness retirement accounts and more! Submit your Ask The Compound questions to ⁠⁠askthecompoundshow@gmail.com⁠⁠!  Order your copy of Ben's book, 'Risk and Reward' here:...

U.S. Debt Is Near $40T. Should Investors Be Worried? 06.05.2026

On episode 221 of Ask The Compound, Ben Carlson and Duncan Hill are joined by Ritholtz CIO Barry Ritholtz to discuss: debt, finding money happiness, how to invest $100k cash, when to sell intel, single stocks and more. Submit your Ask The Compound questions to askthecompoundshow@gmail.com!  Today’s show is sponsored by Public. Find out more at https://public.com/ATC Barry’s book out in paperback:...

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