Sound Investing

Paul is interviewed by Jordon Grumet, MD., aka “Doc G,” personal finance expert, hospice doctor and host of the “ Earn and Invest” podcast . They discuss Paul’s “7 Biggest Investment Decisions” and more, as Paul addresses these questions: Do investment strategies change over time? Is there a place for stock picking? How important is dividend investing? What are the best equity asset classes? How m...

Tune in Sept. 17 at noon (eastern time) for a Zoom presentation and Q&A on “The 10 most important new lessons of the past 10 years,” as Paul Merriman addresses the Boston Bogleheads Chapter.  See info below. In this broadcast, Paul, founder of The Merriman Financial Education Foundation, Chris Pedersen, Director of Research, and Daryl Bahls, Director of Analytics, answ...

In this podcast Paul invites listeners to an upcoming free event and addresses the following topics: •  Jeremy Grantham and Harry Dent have made bold predictions about catastrophic future returns. Should we take them seriously? •  How have the  Vanguard  and  Best In Class ETF recommendations  performed this year? •  Would investing in VTI give the same returns a...

Enjoy this wide-ranging conversation between Rob Berger and Paul Merriman on Rob’s “Financial Freedom Show” (YouTube video channel) as they discuss these important investor topics: Timestamps   0:00 - Welcome to the Financial Freedom Show!  0:61 - Small Cap Value   20:44 - Other consistent funds 22:59 - Equity portfolio 27:00 - Deciding/4 fund strategy 30:13 - Links below/Quilt char...

Paul talks to retirees about the handful of decisions you can make that can either benefit you and your heirs or cost you millions. He covers: · Ways to make or lose .5% · The best combination of equity asset classes · Fixed and flexible distribution strategies · How to best analyze recommended strategies · And other major decisions and topics, like: When to take Social Security? How much and when...

This video and podcast introduces the "Sound Investing Portfolio Fixed Allocation Configurator.” This new tool helps investors figure out how to implement the portfolios we analyze using different fund families. Chris Pedersen, Director of Research joins Paul Merriman to discuss Chris’ latest investor education project. The process is simple, involving four choices: portfolio strategy (e.g., Ultim...

Paul presents, “The #1 Reason I Want Small Cap Value in Your Portfolio” with compelling evidence as to why SCV should be the one asset class you must own. This is further illuminated by the tables and charts shown in the video presentation and available in the slide show and handout. (links below). This presentation was recorded at the “Retiremeet 2022” conference, sponsored annually by our friend...

Are you seeking a simple but effective lifetime investment strategy? In this podcast and video , Katie Gatti, host of “Money With Katie,” interviews Chris Pedersen, Director of Research for The Merriman Financial Education Foundation and author of Two Funds For Life – A quest for simple & effective investing strategies .   Chris explains: • The Two Funds for Life strategies during accumul...

Paul addressed the AAII Los Angeles Chapter with “The Inside Story on the ‘150 Portfolios Better Than Yours’,” on June 18, 2022.  In 2014, Dr. James Dahle, of White Coat Investor , wrote a column titled, "150 Portfolios Better Than Yours." The article included a link to a list of almost every popular model portfolio, including recommendations from Vanguard, Warren Buffett, Ray Dalio, Betterme...

In this engaging interview, Paul talks with Stan The Annuity Man on his “Fun with Annuities” podcast. ( https://www.stantheannuityman.com/ ). They discuss: The seven big things you need to know about investment Putting children on a glide path Avoiding market-timing Investing is simple Key Takeaways: Figure out a way to identify what equity asset classes you should have and figure out how to put t...

Paul Merriman and Chris Pedersen, Director of Research for The Merriman Financial Education Foundation, address a number of topics and questions: •  Is the combination of the S&P 500 and Small Cap Value really more risky than the S&P by itself? •  Why the exceptional performance of Chris’ Best In Class (BIC) during the first 6 months of 2022? •  If small and value outperform...

While the headlines have focused on the first 6 months of 2022 as “The Worst First 6 Months of the Last 50 Years!”,  the reality is that well-diversified investors have suffered modest losses.  In this podcast, Paul reviews the major losses of growth stocks, cryptocurrencies, and barely bear market losses in the major indices, as well as the returns of the Best-In-Class (BIC) returns for...

Paul begins this Q&A session with the true story of helping a young relative open an investment account. The good news is a young investor got started but, with the misguided “help" of a Fidelity rep, he made a $250,000 mistake. Learn what happened. Questions: Where can I find an advisor who will work for me virtually? What are your recommendations as we are going into a severe correction? Wil...

Many investors are worried about their future and what’s happening in the markets. In this podcast, Paul focuses on a series of new tables. He believes these tables represent one of the best pieces of historical information for understanding the likely path that your investments will take in the future. They were created by Daryl Bahls, Director of Analytics for The Merriman Financial Ed...

To help answer the many recent emails asking, “What should I do next?” Paul offers his “sound investing" ideas. He begins with a reference to a a recording by JL Collins  in 2019, titled "A Guided Meditation for When the Stock Market Is Dropping," ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOGU94eL07E ), and then walks you through the importance of examining and understanding the h...

What are the challenges facing university graduates, and all young people, entering the work force? Paul addresses students at Western Washington University with clear information on how to become well-informed and successful investors over a lifetime. He warns about the role of emotions and importance of creating an informed investment plan to have more than enough, because life rarely goes accor...

In this new presentation, Paul addresses seven of the biggest investment decisions, provides a brief history of investing and makes predictions for the future. Through the evolution of Wall Street, he shows what savvy investors believe today in terms of saving on fees, diversification and asset class investments, and he elaborates on recommended portfolios and how “5 years can make you a multi-mil...

Young investors can build a retirement worth up to $50 million from an investment of just $6,000 per year for the first 5 years of contributions to a Roth IRA or Roth 401(k).  Paul Merriman, Chris Pedersen and Daryl Bahls show you how — with or without the help of parents or grandparents.  Paul discusses a strategy for young children that requires monthly contributions of just $25 to fun...

This is MUST LISTEN presentation for everyone yet to claim Social Security and/or survivor benefits, and otherwise learn how to maximize your benefits. MaryBeth Franklin, author of Maximizing Social Security Retirement Benefits , shares her expertise in this interview with Paul Merriman and answers a number of viewer questions. This presentation is part of Financial Literacy Month, sponsored by th...

Times are changing and many investors are asking, “What changes should I make in my portfolio?” To answer, Paul discusses how to be a successful do-it yourself-investor. He also mentions free upcoming presentations, along with recommended recent articles and an interview on defining characteristics of a successful do-it-yourself investor. Join Paul online with the AAII New York Chapter on May 11 a...

Looking to achieve massive diversification across industries, geographies, stocks, bonds, and various equity premium factors? Chris Pedersen , Director of Research at The Merriman Financial Education Foundation and author of 2 Funds for Life:  A quest for simple & effective investing strategies , shows several simple portfolios that do that. He also discusses 2 Funds for Life strategies t...

Paul Merriman talks with Larry Swedroe and Sam Adams about their new book, Your Essential Guide to Sustainable Investing: How to live your values and achieve your financial goals with ESG, SRI, and Impact Investing https://amzn.to/3KiV1Vh, and they address a broad range of audience questions. Larry is a prolific and respected academic-based writer committed to helping investors find better ways to...

In this insightful interview by Morris Taletovic of Moki Finance, Paul shares, for the first time, stories and lessons from his journey in the financial arena as a former advisor, and as an educator and founder of The Merriman Financial Education Foundation. They discuss Paul’s free books, his mentors, cultivating a long-term-investment mindset, and his advice about small-cap value. Paul...

How can you best combine equity asset classes to build portfolios for the long term? This is one of the seven most important topics we focus on at The Merriman Financial Education Foundation.  Paul Merriman is joined by Daryl Bahls, Director of Analytics and Chris Pedersen, Director of Research to discuss their personal favorite portfolio, and suggested exposure to fixed income, for three dif...

Paul begins this podcast by reviewing long-term returns of  the 4 major equity asset classes for the 94 years ending 2021 , before moving on to the focus of the podcast: our quilt charts.  The most useful single table, of all the tables created by Daryl Bahls, Director of Analytics for The Merriman Financial Education Foundation, is entitled, “ U.S. 4 Asset Classes and 4-Fund Combo...