Money For the Rest of Us

In episode 489, we examine three factors that contributed to this week's big stock market declines, analyze whether a recession is imminent, and review David's recent portfolio changes. Topics covered include: The benefits of looking at market and economic trends monthly How bad was the recent U.S. employment report and what is the Sahm Rule What are leading economic indicators saying about recess...

What is the investment case for Ethereum, and what are the risks? A straightforward review of what ether and Ethereum are, how they work, and what it will take for the Ethereum blockchain to be successful. Topics covered include: Who launched Ethereum ETFs and what are the fees How Ethereum differs from Bitcoin Examples of applications built on the Ethereum blockchain including NFTs, stablecoins,...

What we can monitor and do now in preparation for a 2030s depression, which may or may not arrive. Topics covered include: Why ITR Economics has been predicting a 2030s depression for over a decade. What are the early warning signs we can monitor for increasing risk of economic and financial turmoil What are U.S. and global population predictions by the Congressional Budget Office and the Uni...

Gambling in the stock market is increasing, with most traders losing money while generating billions of dollars per year for brokerages and wholesalers. Will all this trading lead to big market swoons? Topics covered include: Why sports gambling has grown so much How gambling in the stock market is measured, and how prevalent is it Why most traders lose money but continue to trade anyway How uninf...

Buffer ETFs protect against the downside while capping the upside. We examine them closely to see if they are worth it. Topics covered include: How buffer ETFs are structured and some current examples How buffer ETFs have performed over the past five years What are the risks of buffer ETFs How loss aversion and narrow framing contribute to the popularity of buffer ETFs Are buffer ETFs worth it and...

Seven ways to increase the odds of living long into your retirement years (if you choose to retire). Sponsors Monarch Money – Get an extended 30-day free trial Lifetime Money for the Rest of Us Plus membership Our Premium Products Asset Camp Money for the Rest of Us Plus Show Notes Podcast Stats: How many podcasts are there?—Listen Notes Quality Over Quantity Is A Growth Strategy by Steven Goldste...

Millions of fintech app users have lost access to their cash. In this episode, we explain why this happened and show you how to protect yourself when placing cash with traditional banks, neobanks, and fintech platforms. Topics covered include: The mass chaos in the fintech space spawned by the bankruptcy of Synapse Financial Technologies What are FBO accounts, and why they are so troublesome What...

How a few high-impact successes drive up overall average outcomes in investing, business, and creative projects. How to harness positive skewness using a barbell approach. Learn when to mitigate risks and when to embrace them. Topics covered include: What is positive skewness and how does it manifest in investing, business and creative endeavors How power laws and the 80/20 rule work Why we should...

Why are homeowners seeing home insurance premiums increases of up to 70%, as David has? What can you do if your insurer drops you, you get a huge premium increase, or you can no longer afford coverage? Topics covered include: What are the primary drivers of home insurance price increases Why these increases don't show up in the U.S. consumer price index How the reinsurance market works and why rei...

Why stock, ETF, and bond trades are optimized to settle in less than a day, allowing investors quicker access to their cash and securities. What are the benefits and costs of optimization in the relentless drive for cheaper, faster, and more profitable. Why countries are moving to T+1 settlement from T+2 for security trades What will it take for secur How BlackRock and Franklin have launched Treas...

In part three of our national debt masterclass, we share a simple debt dynamics formula we can monitor to help guide our investment choices. Topics covered include: How much has the national debt grown over the past fifties years, and what are the underlying drivers How the budget deficit, interest rates, and economic growth determine the level and growth in the national debt Under what circumstan...

In part two of this national debt series, we explore how households and businesses, including commercial banks, can choose not to participate in what some call a national debt ponzi scheme. We also look at how central banks and federal governments monetize the national debt using quantitative easing. Sponsors Yahoo Finance LinkedIn Jobs –  Use this link to post your job for free on LinkedIn J...

In part one of this three part series, we consider why a country that issues debt in its own currency can't default unless it chooses to. We also explore how central banks can control interest rates on the national debt. We also consider whether it is possible for government borrowing to crowd out the private sector. Sponsors Shopify   NetSuite Insiders Guide Email Newsletter Get our  fr...

Why global small-cap stocks have underperformed large-cap stocks and will the trend continue? The investment case for allocating to global small caps. Topics covered include: How have small caps performed relative to large caps over the past two decades What factors contributed to the underperformance How quality is an important factor to consider when investing in small caps What are the earnings...

It is not normal to want prices to rise and currencies to lose their purchasing power. We look at the advantages of stable currencies and prices. Topics covered include: What's more normal, an inflationary or deflationary mindset? Why it is more normal for prices to fall due to productivity increases How central banks seek to overcome productivity-induced deflation by increasing the money supply H...

Some analysts suggest that now is an incredibly attractive entry point to invest in emerging market bonds. We look at how to do this and whether you should. Topics covered include: How emerging markets bonds have performed relative to U.S. bonds How frequently have emerging markets bonds defaulted What is the difference between local currency and U.S. dollar-denominated emerging markets bonds Why...

In this conversation with financial advisor Josh Jalinski, David shares his views on constructing and benchmarking portfolios, factor investing including growth versus value, and managing regret. We explore a number of asset classes and strategies including dividend investing, leveraged loans, closed-end funds, equity REITs, and China. We also discuss how to manage retirement assets. Sponsors NetS...

Why most households are in better financial shape than prior to the pandemic, but remain frustrated at their lack of economic progress. Topics covered include: How consumer sentiment surveys are designed and their current findings. Reasons behind consumer frustration with increasing prices amidst declining inflation rates. The magnitude of the inflation shock and its underlying causes. The concept...

How to use covered call and buy-write strategies to generate income while understanding the risks and having realistic return expectations. Topics covered include: How covered call strategies work How much can you earn investing in covered call strategies What are some numerical examples based on current option prices How covered call strategies can be used for both stock and bond ETFs What are so...

A primer on how the economic engine works through coordination between savers, investors, consumers, producers, governments and banks. How hoarding and unfair competition can lead to economic distortions. Topics covered include: How spending and saving are connected including the paradox of thrift How borrowing money can lead to higher income and savings and potentially to bubbles How hoarding dif...

Berkshire Hathaway doesn't pay a dividend, its cash pile keeps growing, and Buffet says it's gotten too big to make acquisitions that can impact the company. Meanwhile, utility ETFs have a steady 3.5% dividend yield. Which will be the better-performing investment going forward? Topics covered include: How has Berkshire Hathaway performed relative to the S&P 500 Index and other active managers...

Japan's stock market recently exceeded the all-time high first set in December 1989. That's 34 years of zero price appreciation for the stock market. What drove this lackluster performance, will it continue, and what can we learn from it? Topics covered include: How big was Japan's stock bubble, and how much did it contribute to the stock market's underperformance over the past three decades How d...

How the ETF market is changing, why ETFs should be your preferred investment vehicle, and how to analyze ETFs to generate better investment performance. Topics covered include: How large have fund flows been away from active mutual funds into ETFs How big are the largest ETF families and how has their market share grown Why the rise of active ETFs blurs the distinction between active and passive i...

Stocks that grow their dividends have outperformed non-dividend-paying stocks over the long-term, but not in the past 5, 10, and 20 years. Why are non-dividend paying stocks outperforming dividend growers, and will it continue? Topics covered include: What message do companies say when they initiate, grow, or cut their dividend What is dividend smoothing How have dividend payers performed relative...

Humans are wired to feel regret. Here's how to learn from financial regret to become a better investor. Topics covered include: What cognitive biases make feelings of financial regret unavoidable We analyze two regret case studies - one from David and one from a Plus member Why do we avoid big regrets but manage through small ones Five cognitive tricks to help manage financial regrets Sponsors Net...