Talking Real Money - Investing Talk

Instead of lining up at the track or using a bookie, today's compulsive gamblers have a respectable way to feed their dangerous habit: short-duration option trading. The amount of money gambled away in securities markets is staggering, and it is no better than playing slots at a casino. It may be worse. We also discuss the egomaniacal comments of Bill Gross. Listeners ask: Which is better: Re...

In this week's Friday Q&A session: A caller shares information about the downside of non-qualified deferred compensation plans at work. Should some olf 401k plans be moved to a current 401k? In a TSP, what should the fixed-income allocation be? Do investors need to be diversified globally in large-cap stocks Is his international diversification appropriate? Does longevity insurance make s...

Most "experts" say you'll need $1 million or more to retire comfortably. How will you get by if you've saved less than that, and how can you catch up if you're short on retirement savings? Plus, we hear from listeners: What do we think of an expensive 403b investment? Can funds from a Coverdell ESA be transferred to a Roth IRA? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megap...

With the release of the meme-stock movie "Dumb Money," it seems like a good time to discuss the reality of chasing after the latest hot "investment." Then, with Don tending to his ailing mom, Tom is joined by Paul Merriman to look back at an old, hot investing craze, the "Nifty-Fifty" and to answer listener questions: What's the best way to educate grown children...

Choosing the right time to take Social Security can add hundreds of dollars every month. With Don away on family matters, Tom is joined by Paul Merriman to discuss money and investing. Listeners ask: Does his decision to take Social Security at FRA make sense? What do we think of Ken Fisher's investing philosophy? What will provide a high return without much risk? How should a 16 year-old inv...

Investors are trying to avoid paying taxes to the detriment of overall returns. Tom and Don discuss tax strategies that might make sense. Plus, it turns out those GICs or guaranteed income accounts aren't actually "guaranteed." A listener asks: Is there any reason to be concerned about Vanguard funds reorganization plans? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoice...

It's everyone's favorite day: Q&A Friday with Don. This week listeners ask: Why don't more online brokers adopt automatic rebalancing? Why should we invest overseas when international stocks have done poorly recently? Does it make sense to take a loss on longer term bonds and move to one-year CDs? What do we think of VIOV vs AVUV? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphon...

Who wouldn't love double or triple returns on their investments? What is the downside to leverage? Listeners ask: What do we think of Mercer Advisors and their sub-advisors? Should money be moved from a less aggressive small cap value fund to a more aggressive one? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

Over centuries, gold has proven to be a lousy investment. Its big selling point has been "safety." But, is gold really safe? What good is gold? Then, listeners want to know: Should a home equity line of credit be used to buy a new home? What's the best way to make a lot, quickly, with both safety and liquidity? What should be dome with retirement investment money after maxing out re...

Because people have been known to rip off customers, the financial industry is heavily regulated, with a few exceptions. We explore how indexed annuity salespeople get away with misleading customers and how hard it is to stop them. Don explains how indexed annuities work and why they are so lightly regulated. Listeners want to know: Why is BND going down in value? How should unneeded money in IRA...

Advisor Diana Bacon joins Tom and Don to discuss those future purposes for which you need to invest. Should you invest for a house, education, retirement, or beer, and how much for each? Listeners ask: Is a Fidelity investor limited to their funds, or can a couple of ETFs work? Is buying individual bonds better than a bond fund? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questi...

In this Q&A (and C) episode: What's the best way to sell gold for an estate and what are the tax ramifications? What type of 401k is better for charitable contributions? Those Vanguard transaction fees get paid back into the funds. Can an index fund be traded, tax-free for an ETF from another firm? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

For decades, bonds moved differently from stocks. Then they moved together. So, what will happen in the future? In addition, can you know things that the "market" doesn't? Why do we refuse to jump on "investing" bandwagons like crypto? Does a crypto ETF makes sense? Listeners want to know: Is it better to invest now of dollar-cost average into the stocks market? What is li...

In this episode, we explore a couple of the big mistakes investors make and clearly and simply explain how to avoid. But, we know most of you will ignore our advice. Thank you! Listeners ask: Is a 401k plan better than an IRA? Why did we ignore this 10-year high-yielding CD? Where should emergency funds be parked? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments?...

Is Generation X in retirement funding trouble? With few pensions, low savings, and small portfolios, will Gen X be able to retire comfortably? The listeners ask Don and Tom: What do we think of "defined outcome" funds? What is our opinion of 401k investment choices? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

In today's end-of-week edition of interaction between listeners and Don: Would the tax savings from a deductible 401k beat the tax-free aspect of a Roth 401k? Will savings be adequate to provide income while waiting until age 70 to take Social Security? Amounts paid out-of-pocket – instead of an HSA – for medical expenses are eligible for early withdrawal. Does it make sense for a couple with...

If you want to overweight small cap stocks, be aware that small cap index funds are filling with larger sized securities. How can you make sure your small cap portfolio is actually small? Then, listeners ask: Would it be better to dump this active Vanguard "fundle" to move to index funds? Which CD is better: Pays interest at maturity, or pays interest monthly? Learn more about your ad ch...

Investing is risky. CDs are safe. So, why not put your money in the bank for ten years at high rates? Tom and Don debunk the popular myth that there is easy, safe money. Remember, the money media will tell you what you want to hear. Listeners want to know: What do we think of a loaded, managed mutual fund portfolio? What are our thoughts on bond fund durations, and what's a good time frame? D...

We discover that Vanguard charges fees to buy and sell some of their mutual funds. What's the difference between a transaction fee and a commission? Plus, are friends and family the best resource for fiduciary financial advice? What's the best way to find a great financial advisor? After Bob Barker's passing, Tom states, "The Price is Right." Then, we hear from some listen...

Apparently, to become a famous market prognosticator, you only need one accurate guess. Tom and Don wonder why we still hang on the advice of those who rarely, if ever, make a correct guess about market direction. Then we hear from some of you: Is my partner right to be concerned about my retirement portfolio? Is is too late to fund a 529 for older kids? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit meg...

Here are today's questions: Is a friend working with a good advisor? What's the best way to move money from an appreciated mutual fund to a more tax-advantaged fund? How does an organization determine the proper risk profile? How can a a well-diversified ETF portfolio created? At what age does a custodial IRA need to be turned over to a beneficiary in Washington? How should an investment...

We all want to make lots of money with no risk. Well, you can't have both. That hasn't stopped many in the financial and insurance business from creating products designed to make it appear you can receive wealth without risk. Tom and Don share the latest confounding example of this phenomenon. Then we answer listeners questions: How does the new law allowing $35,000 to be moved from a 5...

Most of us are not ready for a financially secure retirement. Americans are increasingly on their own when it comes to creating a life-long retirement income stream. What will it take to make us better retirement investors? One of the biggest problems are the high-fee (and commission) annuity products foisted on 403b plan participants by insurance companies. What should you do to become a better r...

First, "they" said rates could never fall to almost zero. Then,"they" said rates wouldn't go this high. Therefore, it's apparent that "they" don't have a clue. So, what should you do? Should you buy long-term bonds? Should you buy a house? Then listeners ask: When does it makes sense to buy long-term care insurance versus self insuring? From a tax-plann...

His prices may have been insane, but "Crazy" Eddie Antar was a cold, calculating criminal who used his incredible fame to rip people off for over a decade, from the late 1970s and late 1980s. Tom talks about his many crimes from the book "Retail Gangster - The Insane Real-Life Story of Cray Eddie." He then shares lessons that need to be learned from this shocking story. Learn m...