Money For the Rest of Us

#196 Why relying on averages is dangerous given our fate is often determined by extreme events and how we react as financial markets, the economy and our own lives evolve. More information, including show notes, can be found here. Episode Summary As people age, one of the most common questions asked is “how can I survive financially?” The world is filled with unpredictable markets, unforeseen circ...

#195 Why duties and other actions are necessary to address trade disputes, but across the board tariffs are a blunt instrument that can lead to a devastating trade war and global recession. More information, including show notes, can be found here. Episode Summary With President Trump recently unveiling new tariffs, many investors and economists are asking the question, “has a trade war begun?” On...

#194 Four investment lessons from Berkshire Hathaway's fiscal year 2017 Shareholder Letter with additional insights from Howard Marks and Seth Klarman. More information, including show notes, can be found here. Episode Summary Every year, Berkshire Hathaway releases a letter written for their shareholders filled with information on their performance, portfolios, and investments. On this episode of...

#193 How planning helps us avoid catastrophic errors while maintaining flexibility and margins of safety allow us to thrive even if our plans don't work out. More information, including show notes, can be found here. Episode Summary There are two sides to the “why plan if life is so unpredictable?” debate that David talks about in this episode of Money For the Rest of Us. Some individuals believe...

#192 In this episode we explore scarcity. Artificial scarcity created by laws and real scarcity created by our evolving lifestyles and economy. We'll see that most physical products, with drinking water being an exception, are becoming less scarce while trust and attention are becoming more scarce. More information, including show notes, can be found here. Episode Summary – Is Anything Scarce Anym...

#191 Why interest rates are rising and what could happen to bonds, stocks and the economy if rates returned to more normal levels. More information, including show notes, can be found here. Episode Summary – Has A Bond Bear Market Begun? On this episode of Money For the Rest of Us, David Stein walks you through the complex idea of a bond bear market. He explains that a market consisting of losses...

#190 What investments are best for maintaining purchasing power relative to inflation. Using the pencil as an example, how inflationary and deflationary forces work together over decades to determine the price of product. More information, including show notes, can be found here. Episode Summary – How To Keep Up With Inflation Businesses and individuals are asking questions such as “How can we pro...

#189 Will increasing the minimum wage help or harm workers and businesses? How many U.S. workers are paid at or below the minimum wage? More information, including show notes, can be found here. Episode Summary – Should The Minimum Wage Be Raised? Nearly every employee in the United States has grappled with the minimum wage question at some point in their lives. High schoolers, recent college grad...

#188 How our net worth is more than our financial capital but includes our lifetime earning capacity or human capital. What role does debt play in investing in human capital and how our human capital impacts how we allocate our financial investments. Why stocks aren't less risky in the long-term. How to invest a lump sum payment and how I recently did so in today's market environment. More informa...

#187 Why opportunity costs should be our primary frame for deciding what to buy instead of anchoring, mental accounting or whether we pay with a credit card or cash. More information, including show notes, can be found here. Episode Summary When David noticed that a new book by Dr. Dan Ariely and Jeff Kreisler was actually titled, “Dollars and Sense,” he couldn’t believe his eyes. That’s one of th...

#186 Why paying taxes has very little to do with funding the federal government. We also explore the potential impact of the U.S. tax reform on households, businesses and the economy. More information, including show notes, can be found here. Episode Summary – Why Do We Pay Taxes? They say the only things certain in life are death and taxes. While that’s probably true it’s also likely that many pe...

There is no regular episode of the podcast this week, but there is a new podcast you can subscribe and listen to: Topics by Money For the Rest of Us. This is a seasonal show released monthly that categorizes existing episodes into topics with a newly recorded introduction. Please subscribe so you automatically get the seasons as they are released. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy an...

A wide ranging discussion on retirement math, sequence of return risk, investing buckets, scaling exposure to Bitcoin and gold, and creating a lifestyle business. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#185 How Illinois and other states can suffer a debt crisis like Greece but why it wouldn't lead to an economic depression similar to what Greece suffered. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

#184 Why technology eliminates jobs but doesn't increase the level of unemployment even though for more than 50 years that has been the worry. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

#183 What to look for when investing in public real estate investment trusts ("REITs), private REITs and direct real estate deals on crowdfunding real estate platforms. What are current valuations for REITs and commercial real estate. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

#182 What caused tulip mania in the 17th century in the Netherlands and how is it similar to Bitcoin? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

#181 What is the economic impact of illegal immigration. What would be the cost and impact of mass deportation. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

#180 Why have college endowments underperformed a simple three fund Vanguard portfolio? Should you mirror a simple two or three fund portfolio or invest more like an endowment with multiple asset classes? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

#179 How a concern about interfering in markets and trade may have contributed to over one million deaths during the 19th century Great Famine in Ireland. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

#178 How a country’s working age population growth impacts economic growth and stock returns. What Japan can do about its population decline. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

#177 How high profits and low investment by business in R&D and workers lead to income inequality. Why the current situation is unsustainable and what can be done about it. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

#176 What percent of Americans are insolvent and what makes data trustworthy. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

#175 What attributes should you look for in analyzing an investment advisory firm, financial planner, investment partnership, crowdfunding platform or other investment related offerings. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

#174 What the Amish can teach us about adopting new technology without being overwhelmed. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .