Sound Investing

In this first of a 10-part CD series produced for the PBS Show, “Financial Fitness After 50” (2012), Paul discusses how to identify an advisor who will provide all the services you need to ensure you maximize the advantage of working with a professional. He’ll also show you how to tell if the advisor is working in your …

Over the last 3 years the S&P 500 has been the best performer of all the asset classes, as shown in the table of returns at https://paulmerriman.com/decade-returns/. That might easily lead investors to conclude that it’s a waste of extra risk to add the other asset classes to a portfolio (small cap, value and international). This …

Mastering Your Money™ is a 30-minute educational radio program designed to give individuals and business owners directions to turbo charge their ride on the Financial Freedom Highway. In this show, Ed Fulbright interviews Paul and digs deep into Paul’s How to turn $3000 into $50 million article and strategy. Ed’s moneyful.com interview can be also be …

This is part 2 of a 2 part podcast with Michael Port.  If you have not heard part 1, Paul suggests you listen to that podcast first.  In this 2 part podcast  you will hear Paul interviewed by Michael Port,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Port.  Michael Port is an author, speaker, small business marketing consultant, and public speaking teacher.   Michael is not a financial expert …

Paul considers this podcast, the best of his career.  In this 2 part podcast you will hear Paul interviewed by Michael Port,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Port.  Michael Port is an author, speaker, small business marketing consultant, and public speaking teacher.   Michael is not a financial expert but, as you will learn from the interview, he has taken the time to …

In this radio interview with Ken Roberts, of Ken’s Bulls and Bears, Paul and Ken discuss an array of essential investor questions and concerns, including the following: • Given that investors are at risk of responding emotionally to what’s going on in market, what should they do to keep their emotions in check? • What are the …

For 10 years, Paul had a weekly “Outrage of the Week” on his Seattle radio show. He says it was never a problem finding something that made him hopping mad. In this podcast, Paul explains his recent outrage about one of America’s most trusted insurance companies giving their employees the shaft. He also answers questions from his listeners …

How value stocks can keep you from outliving your money Paul explains the importance of adding value to your portfolio. The higher long-term returns of value stocks is not in question, but it is confusing to many investors as to why troubled and out-of-favor companies are expected to make more than great companies. To clarify this, Paul reads …

Do you know what common mistakes can cost retirees a fortune and lead to many sleepless nights? Recalling Warren Buffet’s quote about success – “To be a success you only have to do a very few things right, as long as you don’t do too many things wrong” – Paul lists 20 mistakes, along with specific advice how …

Paul addresses how investors can protect themselves from harmful Wall Street advice. He also answers the question, how good is indexing likely to be? And he discusses Tony Robbins, gold, and his new video.

How do you choose the best small cap value ETF? How do you help grandchildren pay for college? How do you decide between a money market fund and a short term bond fund? How do you get the most out of ETFs? Why not put more of your portfolio in emerging markets? Paul answers these questions from his …

What should investors do about the recent global loss of over $2 trillion? Should you get out – or reduce your exposure – to international equities?  Should you sell and go to cash until the smoke has cleared? Should you reconsider your overall equity exposure? Paul addresses these questions, along with a little about his new video, available …

Paul responds to 10 comments and questions about the article, “How to turn $3000 into $50 million.” This article has produced more comments and questions than any other he has written for MarketWatch in more than three years. In some cases, Paul points out how short-sighted investors can be and, in others, he tries to find ways to make people comfortable with …

In this podcast Paul discusses the 12 investment decisions all first time investors must face.  He speaks to both the parents, as well as the young investor, about the life changing impact good decisions can have on the young investor’s future.  There are a couple of important links mentioned in the podcast. https://paulmerriman.com/ultimate-buy-hold-portfolio/

The Hulbert Financial Digest has been closed. HFD was to financial newsletters what Morningstar is to the mutual fund industry. HFD tracked the performance and risk of over 200 newsletter portfolios. Paul shares what he learned from subscribing to HFD for over 30 years. He discusses newsletters that recommend low-risk to very-high-risk PORTFOLIOS using individual stocks, mutual funds, …

Paul speaks with Ken Roberts of Ken’s Bulls and Bears about investing yesterday and today, understanding risk, fiduciary responsibility versus suitability of investment advisors, asset class diversification, retirement distributions and how to change your luck by taking certain actions.

Paul compares seven major differences between Vanguard and Fidelity.  His research indicates the difference between the funds could lead to an additional .25 to 1.5 percent a year… money that could feather your nest, not Fidelity’s.

Paul discusses the huge changes in expenses that are due in part to the debate between the “Fiduciary Standard’ that investment advisors work under, and the “Suitability Standard” that brokers apply to their recommendations. While a mutual fund’s expense ratio is the most commonly discussed variable, it turns out there are other factors that may be even more …

Learn what you can do to increase your investment returns and peace of mind, as Paul presents, “Habits and Attitudes of Successful Investors,” from the 2016 RetireMeet Conference in Bellevue, WA. Also available as video on homepage. Download valuable information to accompany this presentation here.

A 32-year-old investor wants to know why shouldn’t he put all his investments in small cap value?  While agreeing with the young investor’s comments, Paul recalls the famous Mark Twain quote, “There are two times in a man’s life when he should not speculate: when he can’t afford it, and when he can.”  So, is small cap value an …

From the latest Dimensional Fund Advisors annual Matrix Book, Paul discusses 10 lessons he thinks will give investors a better long-term perspective of returns, before and after inflation.  He also compares the long-term results of both U.S. and international asset classes.

The Hulbert Financial Digest last week announced it was shutting down after 36 years. Losing the only meaningful tracking of investment newsletters is sad indeed. In many ways Mark Hulbert’s Digest was like having the S.E.C. overseeing the mutual fund industry.  Mark couldn’t find the bad apples, but he could alert readers to the newsletter’s real returns, as opposed to …

Everyone in the financial community knows that emotion-based decisions almost always hurt investors in the long run. This podcast of Chapter 7 from Paul’s book, Financial Fitness Forever, discusses 5 ways an investor can eliminate most of the dangerous outcomes of emotional decisions. It is read by Rich Buck, co-author of Financial Fitness Forever and Live it Up Without Outliving …

In this audio version from Chapter 6 from Paul’s book, “Financial Fitness Forever,” he discusses the long-term impact of diversifying beyond large cap companies to include both U.S. and International small cap and value asset classes, as well as REITs and emerging markets. While he makes no promises about the future, the evidence from over 40 years of …

In “How much risk will you take?” Paul discusses the difficult topic of identifying and accepting the normal risk of investing. This audio chapter from his book, Financial Fitness Forever, also addresses the often overlooked risks of owning both stocks and bonds.