Money For the Rest of Us

How central bank digital currencies would work, what is the motivation to create them and what are the risks. Topics covered include: What percentage of central banks are working on a digital currency and plan to issue one soon What are the two kinds of money that central banks currently issue and how would a central bank digital currency differ How central bank digital currencies would be similar...

How special purpose acquisition companies work, what their performance has been and what are the ways to invest. Topics covered include: How much money has been raised in SPAC initial public offerings and who are some of the better known sponsors What are the benefits of a SPAC acquisition compared to a traditional initial public offering How SPACs work from the initial IPO to the acquisition of a...

U.S. home prices are on fire and sales are skyrocketing. Here are 8 rules of thumb for buying a house in a hot housing market when there are multiple bidders over the asking price. Topics covered include: What are the latest metrics on U.S. home sales, prices, and valuations Why are homes sales increasing and prices soaring and how likely are they to fall Why David is buying a different house (aga...

This episode is an interview that Fund Evaluation Group LLC held with David as part of their FEG Insight Bridge podcast series. Topics covered include: What David did and learned at FEG What goes into making the Money For the Rest of Us podcast Central banking and the Federal Reserve Investing in gold and cryptocurrencies Current investment conditions Favorite investing books See Privacy Policy at...

What are the elements of a successful monetary system. Topics covered include: The stone currency of Yap The fiat currency of ancient China Why money requires trust, accounting and tokens Why too much money can lead to inflation and too little to deflation Why the best money is useless other than as money Thanks to LinkedIn and Candid for sponsoring the episode. For show notes and more information...

How ultra-low interest rates support higher stock market valuations but also make the investment environment more challenging. Is there a stock market bubble? Topics covered include: How expensive are stocks on an absolute basis and relative to bonds What are examples of individual investor enthusiasm for stocks Why stock valuations and prices increase when interest rates fall Why lower interest r...

What are four principles individuals can follow to achieve their financial and career goals this decade despite the rough start in 2020. Why we have to be willing to share our journey with others so that they are vested in our story Why it's important to focus on areas where we have momentum How to prudently use leverage in order to build an asset The importance of urgency, hope, and putting on an...

What are the numerous decisions individuals have to make in managing their investments portfolios. Topics covered include: Why individual investors in order to build and preserve wealth should invest like family offices and university endowments Why even buy and hold investors make portfolio changes What are examples of the numerous decisions individuals have to make in overseeing their investment...

The Federal Reserve just updated its policy tools. What impact could that have on inflation, interest rates and your investments. Topics covered include: Why is the Federal Reserve more transparent in its communication than it used to be. What are the Federal Reserve's Congressionally mandated goals. What are four economic developments that has caused lower inflation and motivated the Fed to adjus...

How did ETFs function during the 2020 market sell-off and did the indexing bubble burst? What ETF structures failed the stress test and which passed. Why were some investors, like Michael Burry, concerned about an indexing bubble What are ETF risks such as flash crashes How did equity ETFs function during the spring 2020 sell-off and how they can act as shock absorbers What were some of the challe...

How the current global recession differs from the Great Financial Crisis and why the recession is probably over. Topics covered include: Why the current recession has no debt and banking crisis Why lower-income workers are disproportionally harmed by the current recession How the federal government and central bank responses differed between the current recession and the 2008-09 recession. Do incr...

What are some investments that can generate a cash yield greater than inflation in an era when central bank policies keep government bond yields lower than the inflation rate. Topics covered include: How low are interest rates around the world What have inflation rates been and what causes inflation and deflation What is financial repression Why are central banks keeping short-term interest rates...

What is the cause of the current U.S. coin shortage and when have there been other shortages. Why is there a push to get rid of both the penny and the hundred dollar bill. Topics covered include: How many coins does the U.S. Mint produce each year and why hasn't it been enough to avert a coin shortage in 2020. How the U.S. coin shortage in the early 1960s differs from today. How much profit does t...

What are the pros and cons of income share agreements for partially funding higher education. Are investing in ISA's a viable opportunity? Topics covered include: How do income share agreements (ISAs) differ from student loans for funding higher education costs. Are ISA's really a partial form of slavery or indentured servitude What are the components of an ISA contract. How adverse selection, dif...

What are the three primary ways to allocate assets and build a portfolio when saving for retirement or living in retirement. Topics covered include: How saving for retirement and living in retirement differ. What are the expected return and risk of the Permanent, Golden Butterfly, and All Season portfolios. What are the pros and cons of a role-based permanent portfolio. What are the pros and cons...

Is a bank collapse coming due to bank exposure to collateralized loan obligations as defaults increase? Topics covered include: What are collateralized loan obligations (CLOs), how are they structured, and what has been their historical default rates. How much exposure do banks have to CLOs and will it impact your bank savings and investments. What are bank capital ratios and how are they calculat...

An analysis of the returns and risks of different lending platform options including asset-based lending, unsecured peer-to-peer lending, cryptocurrency lending and a cash advance company that promises to pay a 15% annual percentage yield. Topics covered include: U-haul Investors Club and other asset-based lending options DriverLoans Investor Club that promises a 15% guaranteed return BlockFi - cr...

Why individuals should use a more agile approach to investing and financial planning. Topics covered include: How to incorporate low probability catastrophic events in your financial plans. How traditional financial planning differs from agile financial planning. Why we need to test-drive our financial plans. How too much efficiency can lead to a lack of resilience. How David's portfolio is alloca...

How successful investing requires judgment and humility not accurate forecasting ability. Topics covered include: Why pretending to know when you don't is harmful. Why true experts admit their limitations. Why David recently increased his allocation to stocks in his portfolio. How the number of new retail brokerage accounts has exploded. How the stock of the bankrupt company Hertz is a great examp...

How alternative investment opportunities, such as venture capital, private equity, real estate and real assets, are increasing for individuals. Why these opportunities differ from what is available to institutional investors and how to evaluate them like a pro. Topics covered include: What are alternative investments and how are they structured. What are 5 factors that determine alternative invest...

What are the forces that lead to the rise and fall of nations. Why does the U.S. appear to be in decline and what investors can do to prepare. Topics covered include: An overview of Ray Dalio and Bridgewater Associates' investment process Why human productivity is the most powerful force for creating wealth. Additional forces that contribute to nations increasing in power and wealth. Why being the...

A look at growing patterns consumers and businesses are adopting as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Topics covered include: Two constants in a radically unpredictable world How removing things is more powerful than adding things How airline travel will change, leading to more local travel Why bicycle sales are soaring How our social interactions are changing What is local maxima How the forces...

How the stock market differs from and can perform differently than the economy while remaining highly dependent on the economy for its success. Topics covered include: Why the stock markets in countries with lower economic growth performed better than the stock markets in countries with higher economic growth. How the top 5 stocks in the S&P 500 Index have the largest weighting in 30 years and...

How to protect your savings from monetary threats like devaluation. Why high yield savings accounts exist, and are they worth it. Topics covered include: Why Lebanon defaulted on its national debt and announced it will devalue its currency by 57%. Why some depositors in Lebanon will probably lose some of their bank savings. What investors can do to protect themselves from currency devaluations. Wh...

Why the oil price fell below zero and what are other examples of negative prices. What lessons can we learn from negative prices. Topics covered include: How oil futures work and why the oil future prices fell below zero for the first time ever. Why has the United States Oil ETF (USO) lost so much money. How ETF authorized participants create new shares only so they can be shorted. How storage pro...