Sound Investing

In this lively interview with Ken Roberts, of Ken’s Bulls and Bears, Paul and Ken discuss a range of important investor topics for every stage of life, including Millennials on “FIRE”,  Best-in-Class ETFs, maximizing returns while minimizing risk, and retirement distributions. Comparing the use of fixed and variable distributions in retirement The FIRE movement (Financial Independence, Retire Earl...

Why is it that what seems like a great year so far would have been fairly normal in past decades? 6:03 Paul discusses why it’s different now.  He also looks at how poorly the experts have misjudged the bond market this year, and answers the following questions from his readers and listeners: Why should I invest …

These timely questions were posed by investors following Paul’s recent presentation to the AAII Los Angeles Chapter. The first question is the most often asked over the past year.  See this table to compare the returns of some of the asset classes Paul discusses. 1.  Is the value premium dead? 2:15 2.  Should investors fear …

Do you want to minimize your risk of running out of money in retirement, while maximizing your distributions? In this podcast, Paul compares the risks and returns of fixed and flexible distribution strategies using the S&P 500.  He discusses why the flexible may be the greatest financial luxury one can have in retirement. To better understand …

This recent interview with Jonathan and Brad of ChooseFi.com is both an excellent starting point for new investors and a refresher for seasoned investors as Paul discusses how to know who to trust, the role emotions play in making sound decisions and staying the course, the importance of diversification and choosing asset classes, and the pros and cons …

For more than 15 years Paul has updated his discussion of fixed and variable distribution strategies. In this podcast he discusses the pros and cons of fixed distributions so investors understand: The importance of the data used to represent returns The huge differences between 3, 4, 5 and 6 percent distributions The importance of inflation Why 3% is …

Paul addresses questions raised during his recent presentations to more than 200 AAII members in Madison and Milwaukee. Also, he recounts an exciting meeting with 2 young women (ages 13 and 15) and their parents who announced the start of their daughters’ lifetime investment journey modeled after How To Turn $3000 Into $50 …

Whether you are saving for retirement or already retired, establishing a reasonable expectation for future returns is one of the most difficult planning decisions.  What can investors learn from the past?  Are the next 10 years likely to be similar to the last 10, 20, 50 or 80 years?  Can we count on the value and …

Do you know that only 31% of Americans believe they will have enough money to enjoy a comfortable life in retirement?  Or how about this: 60% of Millennials report having made an emotional decision they later regretted to sell in a 401k plan?  This sort of emotional decision can be the very thing keeping people from having the money they …

Investing has never been easier or more likely to help investors achieve their long-term returns.  When I started investing, most of an investor’s gains were lost to high loads to buy funds, high expenses to manage funds, high expenses to trade stocks, and the belief that smart people could beat the market. Of course, beside …

Over the next nine months Paul plans to introduce podcast listeners to the work of his “Top 10 Truth Tellers.”  These are writers and/or podcasters who produce educational materials that Paul believes will help investors improve their long-term results. In this first of 10 introductions, Paul reads an article and “in the news” items that hopefully …

In this podcast, Paul addresses these questions from his listeners and readers. As investors age, how do they make the conversion from equities to fixed income? How does a saver make the transition to being a spender? Where can I find a professional, who bills by the hour, to help me evaluate my cost of living …

One of the biggest challenges for investors is developing reasonable expectations for future returns. Do you expect hot markets to continue to produce market-beating returns? Do you expect big bear markets to continue to rob investors of their life savings? If so, you are likely setting yourself up for disappointment. In this podcast Paul looks …

Along with this year’s updated Fine Tuning Your Asset Allocation article and updated Fine Tuning Your Asset Allocation Table for the S&P 500,  Paul shares this “best lessons” podcast. He walks investors through the best and worst of returns, along with the corresponding worst losses over 6 different time frames. The case is clear: one decade does …

Just because an investment doesn’t work out as well as expected does not mean the investment decision was a mistake.  In this podcast Paul discusses the recent failure of evidence-based investing.  He questions the assumptions investors make about investments that have been successful over both short and long-term periods.  His comments are in response to …

The annual Ultimate Buy-and-Hold Strategy article and podcast are among the most important pieces Paul and Rich produce (with a lot of help from Daryl Bahls in creating the updated tables). This podcast addresses topics not covered in the Marketwatch article.  Paul answers such questions as: Are returns reasonable? What is the impact of annual and monthly rebalancing? …

1. If I need income from my investments, am I better off investing in stocks paying a good dividend rather than bonds? 1:45 2. Is a 60% stocks/40% bonds balanced fund better than a target date fund? 11:35 3. How does VBIAX (Vanguard Balanced Fund) compare to the 2 …

In this special podcast Paul interviews Chris Pedersen about the 2019 changes to the Best-In-Class ETF Portfolio recommendations. This will be helpful to those who want to understand the details of how Chris made the decisions to select the best in each asset class, changing many from the previous year. The discussion includes comparing the …

What information is really meaningful to be a successful investor, especially in light of conflicting, enticing and scary reports? In this podcast, Paul asks and explores the questions: Will a list of 10 likely catastrophic events be enough to keep you out of the market?  Will a newsletter, produced by an ethical organization, likely give …

In this special podcast, Paul discusses his list of “A Dozen Million-Dollar Decisions.” This advice for college students was recorded this week for students at Western Washington University, Paul’s alma mater and where The Merriman Financial Education Foundation funds the development and presentation of Personal Investing 216, an accredited course since 2014. …

Or… Are you missing out on millions of dollars for your retirement? After deciding to save and invest, the most important investment decision of your life, in Paul’s opinion, is what this podcast addresses. Of the Millennials investing in 401k plans, nearly 25% are refusing to take the risk of investing in stocks (equities) and are …

Paul addresses an array of topics and questions, including this year’s plans for the Merriman Financial Education Foundation, Millennial spending habits, best and worst of times in 10-year periods for the S&P 500 and small-cap value, market timing, and recommendations regarding risk assessment, 401k’s, index funds and owning small-cap-value funds in retirement. 1.  What are the 2019 …

Paul answers recent questions from readers and listeners: 9:29 1.  A young investor asks me to explain, how does compound interest work?  I referenced this article: Save $1,000 a year. Retire with millions 19:41 2.  Do you expect index funds to keep outperforming actively managed funds? 25:35 3. Most of your articles are focused on accumulators. …

With the passing of 89-year-old John Bogle, many writers who have covered Bogle’s work wrote thoughtfully about his life and the impact as the creator of the first index mutual fund.  For 10 years, Tom Cock, Don McDonald and I interviewed him annually on our “Sound Investing” radio show on KVI in Seattle Washington. It …

Paul analyzes the 20-year returns of 10 major equity- and fixed-income asset classes. What do we have to learn?  Returns can be totally unexpected but the relationship between asset classes remain the same as they have for almost 90 years. The table below allows investors to examine the year-by-year returns of large and small U.S. equity …