Something More with Chris Boyd

In the News – With no shortage of newsworthy topics to discuss, Chris Boyd and Jeff Perry review popular news stories of the week. On a lighter note, Chris and Jeff start off with expressions of appreciation for moving our clocks one hour ahead to Daylight Savings time. The duo shifts to the political topic of President Biden and former President Trump basically locking up their respective primari...

Rules of Thumb – Chris Boyd and Jeff Perry dig into a variety of financial generalized rules of thumb when it comes to personal finance ratios. Chris starts off by questioning Jeff on his views about how much is too much regarding common family purchases such as home costs and automobile buying. Chris and Jeff debate the best way to approach student debt and student loans (they don't exactly agree...

In the News – Chris Boyd and Jeff Perry start of this segment with commentary about the current state of the news in America and the lack of unbiased sources of current events. The conversation shifts to the topic of the growing national debt. Jeff highlights a variety of data points from the US Debt Clock (see link below). Chris and Jeff reflect on recent statements by Jamie Dimon about the futur...

Tax Guide Offer – Chris Boyd and Jeff Perry welcome listeners to an entertaining discussion announcing that the Something More Podcast is approaching its 1000 th episode. The pair share planning thoughts to celebrate the milestone. Chris and Jeff shift the discussion with an offer to listeners of a complimentary 2024 Income Tax Guidebook. Chris and Jeff summarize the topics in the guidebook, inclu...

What Warren Buffet says – Chris Boyd and Jeff Perry dig into Warren Buffett's most recent letter to shareholders where he outlines some of the things that have made Berkshire so successful at picking the best companies to invest in over longer time periods, including having a clarity of purpose when choosing a stock, only focusing on quality investments, favoring companies run by good managers, ho...

Are Interest Rates high or does it just feel like it? – Over the last few years, the rate on the average 30-year fixed-rate home mortgage jumped from less than 3% to more than 7%. Chris Boyd and Jeff Perry discuss the history of interest rates and debate whether rates are currently high (see related Bottomline article below). This dialogue shifts to what level of investment returns investors shoul...

Family Finances – Chris Boyd and Jeff Perry dig into the difficult topic of managing family finances. Chris starts off the segment with an introduction of the 50/15/5 rule (see link below) which suggests separating expenses into various categories to ensure you are not spending too much in any one area. After Chris and Jeff comment on each allocation category, the conversation shifts to how a marr...

Tax Talk – In the midst of the income tax filing season, Chris Boyd and Jeff Perry review a number of 2023 deductions and credits. Jeff brings up that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) now allows taxpayers to establish an online account with the IRS. Chris and Jeff offer their thoughts on how long you are required to maintain tax records and supporting documentation. The conversation turns to tax...

Brian Regan joins the show to review recent updates on Inflation and what investors should make of these reports.  Also discussed are Debt & Deficits.  With $34 Trillion in US Debt and perhaps as much as $2 Billion per day cost of the debt service, Brian shares thoughts on the ongoing challenges need practical solutions. 

With big earnings and stock movements from semiconductor makers, Brian Regan shared some insights into the industry, as well as how to invest smartly even if you weren't in on the ground floor of some big market movers.  Chris also references American College of Financial Services survey reported on by Barron's which answers the question, "Do Financial Advisors Really Improve Retirement Readiness?...

Could a Government Shut Down be only days away?  Chris shares insights about the risks of a 3/1/24 deadline and what it should mean for investors if we do have a shut down.  Complicating negotiations are enormous deficits and growing debt.  Chris weighs in on declining global trade, the challenges of target date funds, and other items in this week's news.

More Mail Bag Questions – Chris Boyd and Jeff Perry dig into more questions from podcast and radio listeners. In this episode Chris discusses how too many investors are chasing yield, which may actually be adding more risk than is perceived. Chris and Jeff share their thoughts regarding total return versus income. The segment concludes with a dialogue of the dangers and costs of buying and owning...

Survey of the five worst things that harm your retirement plan – Chris Boyd and Jeff Perry discuss a recent nationwide survey which asked workers and retirees about mistakes and major life events, and how it impacted their retirement. Chris and Jeff review the top five results and offer specific commentary on how to avoid making these mistakes and other ways to enhance your retirement financial pl...

Chris Boyd and Jeff Perry dig into questions from podcast and radio listeners. In this episode Jeff asks Chris about the merits of UITs/Defined Portfolios, Closed-End Funds, & other illiquid types of investments. Jeff also questions Chris about investment portfolios with an overly simplistic design, broad balanced funds, and portfolios with a concentration in a single fund family.   #InvestmentTru...

Family Meetings – Chris Boyd and Jeff Perry welcome Robert Mauterstock of Plan4Life to discuss when and why family members should be included financial planning meetings. The trio discusses real-life situations where including family members in meetings with financial advisors makes the most sense. Bob offers advice on what types of information should be shared with your children and in what conte...

Valentine's Day and healthy marital finances – With Valentine's Day quickly approaching, Chris Boyd and Jeff Perry dig into why and how good financial communication between spouses/partners is essential to a happy long-lasting relationship.   Jeff shares how he and his wife Lisa have a monthly financial review meeting.   The conversation turns to a study discussed at the link noted below from the...

" Live Long, Die Short" – Chris Boyd and Jeff Perry welcome Dr. Roger Landry to the show. After a twenty-three year career in the Air Force, he became the President and Chief Content Officer of Masterpiece, which is an organization with the goal to research and change the perception on "health, change, and aging". In addition, Dr. Landry is the author of "Live Long, Die Short: A Guide to Authentic...

In the news this week – Chris Boyd and Jeff Perry start off the segment with a review of the record high level of stock market prices.   Chris and Jeff next talk about the upcoming Superbowl pitting the Kanas City Chiefs against the San Franciso 49ers.   The conversation transitions to the finances of the Superbowl, including the over $1B of economic stimulus to Las Vegas (site of the Superbowl) a...

Should you consider downsizing in retirement? – All in the context of a comprehensive financial plan, the question of downsizing your home in retirement is dynamic and personal. Chris Boyd and Jeff Perry discuss the pros and cons of whether to downsize your residence in retirement. Over the course of the episode, Chris and Jeff cover the financial considerations of cash-flow, operating costs, capi...

And the survey says… – Chris Boyd, Jeff Perry and Brian Regan dig into the details of the State Street Global Advisors survey of more than 1,500 investors to better understand their goals and concerns. The survey also provides data on their 12-month outlook on the economy and their own personal finances. The trio discuss the survey results which show that inflation remains the number one concern o...

In the Financial News this week – Never a lack of breaking financial news on the minds of investors. Chris Boyd and Jeff Perry review a few stories from the past week, starting off with the Federal Reserve's decision to keep the Fed Funds rate steady. Jeff reviews several employment reports that may show a slowdown in hiring. The pair next discuss a House of Representatives vote which passed a bip...

What is moving the Market – Senior Portfolio Manager Brian Regan joins Chris Boyd and Jeff Perry to review what has been moving the stock and bond markets recently. Topics in this episode include the Federal Reserve interest rate decision, rising tensions in the Middle East, geo-political impacts on trade and energy prices. The segment concludes with a summary of a recent webinar presented by Chri...

While millions of Americans spend their working days dreaming about retirement, many fail to take the crucial financial steps they should before becoming a retiree.   Chris Boyd and Jeff Perry discuss a recent article (link below) titled, "Don't even think about retiring until you have these three things paid off — and no, your mortgage isn't one of them."   Chris and Jeff discuss the benefits of...

Brian Regan joins Chris Boyd and Jeff Perry for this segment. The conversations starts with how the stock market has been breaking records under the leadership of the Magnificent 7 stocks of Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia and Tesla and whether they will continue to rule the market performance for 2024.   Brian reviews the recent record high stock market levels and provides his co...

In the News – Chris Boyd and Jeff Perry dig into some of the top stories in the news this past week. They begin their discussion with the latest report on Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is the primary financial measure of all the goods and services produced in the United States. The recent report shows a surprising increase of 3.3% annualized rate in the fourth quarter of 2023. Wall Street ha...