Talking Real Money - Investing Talk

Tom and Don get them, too. Those e-mails that offer you a free gift or inform you a gift that couldn't be delivered. Don't get scammed for Christmas. Plus listeners chime in: More agruments against actively managed mutual funds and ETFs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

If bonuses could cause a large group of Wells Fargo employees to cheat, why impact might large comissions have on financial "advice?" Plus a couple of questions: Can I change my Roth back to a regular IRA and take a tax loss? Should I consider the new indexed annuity in my compnay's 401k? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

We recently heard about a non-profit financial education organization, F3E (or Foundation for Financial Education) which claims to provide an unbiased fiscal education. After further review, we found some glaring problems with those who provide this "education." They all appear to be selling insurance products. Plus, a listener wonders if Securities America is a legitimate custodian. Lea...

Why would a CBS News reporter tout gold IRAs? Don explains why buying gold in your retirement account is a terrible idea. Plus, he explains what is wrong with most financial advice and why it continues to be so bad. Then, our last caller proves Don's point while trying to to call him out. Your questions: What is wrong with ESG investing? Does it make sense to slowly move an IRA to a Roth? A f...

As Tom gets ready to travel to Qatar, we consider the opinion of some that a fallen market makes for a dangerous retirement. Plus, we wonder why so many are scared of "the market." What is "the market," really? Then on to listener questions: Is there a proper order to move asset classes to a Roth? How can a young worker invest for the lowest tax liability? Should a house-flippe...

On this pre-holiday Q&A session listeners want to know: If a pension counts as a fixed-income portfolio? From where should retirement income be drawn first? What's the best place to invest for no risk whatsoever? That we understood he wasn't throwing Paul Merriman under the bus? Is it okay to use brokered CDs? What do we think of Betterment? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit me...

Another large cryptocurrency exchange, FTX, collapses and even some crypto advocates are having second thoughts about the viability of this possible mega-scam. Plus, a listener asks of Social Security income can somehow be incorporated into a portfolio as a fixed-income investment? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

Every so often, someone tries to make news by declaring a typical balanced portfolio (60% stocks, 40% fixed income) deceased. While a 60/40 portfolio is not the universal answer, creating a properly diversified portfolio for your personal situation should be immortal. Plus, a listener asks why managed international funds outperform index funds? (spoiler: they don't) Learn more about your ad c...

How much is your house really worth? How much is anything worth? One real estate firm decided to stop buying houses because they feared insulting sellers. Tom and Don explain the realities of asset prices. Then, we take listeners questions: Where should an estate executor invest money? How can a lump sum payout stay tax-deferred? From Ireland: Why have we stopped talking about VT? Why do some acti...

After a dreadful three quarters, the stock market soared recently. We discuss which asset classes fared best this year. Then we take lots of questions: What's the best strategy for retiring early and delaying Social Security? After getting out of the market early this year, when should he get back in? Where should a teenager's earnings be invested? What should be done with a chunk of cas...

Another Friday means more of your questions and Don's answers: Should an old Empower managed 401k be moved to IRA? How is a pension added to retirement calculation? Should a Thrivent fund be moved to a low-cost index fund? Where is our live video show? What can be done with an extra $4.37 left in old IRA? If Jeff Bezos invested everything in the total stock market what would happen? Is the 4%...

A recent study found that there may be a best time of day to invest in ETFs. We wonder if it's worth your while. Plus, a listener asks if it makes sense to get a reverse mortgage for "fun" money? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

Everyone should have an emergency fund. How big should it be and how can you get started building one. We share our thoughts and examine a ne Suze Orman backed service to help get employees set up with automated savings. Then we hear from a listener wondering what we think of J.L. Collins investing advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

Many of the hot funds of the past got that way by taking big risks on just a few stocks or sectors. However, the dangers of a concetrated portfolio outweigh the occasional impressive gains. Plus, Tom and Don discuss: Should you have invested in the lottery? Are ARMs better than fixed-rate morgages? Then we take listeners questions: What is the difference between bank and brokered CDs? Can you pick...

During the crazy Medicare enrollment period, insurance compnaies will say or do almost anything to get you to sign up for their Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage) plans. This allows them to get their hands on that government money that might otherwise just go to patients. We take some questions, too: What's the best way to add international equities to AVGE? Should precious metals and crypt...

How is the price of anything determined? We explore that issue after discovering a huge discrepency between the price of publicly traded real estate investment trusts (REITs) and non-traded REITs. How can one plunge in price while the other seems to be rising? Plus, a listener wants to know about investing overseas and moving money to safer investments? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit mega...

Some "top experts" share their thoughts about retiring in times of perceived market turmoil. Tom and Don make them easier to understand. Plus, a listener wonders if his advisor is really a fiduciary when suggesting an annuity purchase. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

Just as you can't have calories without weight, you can't have wealth without risk. However, many in the insurance industry want you to believe you can get market returns without losses. Plus, Tom blames Don for the I-bond induced crash of treasurydirect.gov. Don calls Tom an elitist. We take your questions: Is moving from Vanguard Windsor II into their large cap index fund a good idea?...

We discover we have job security as investors are still missing the basics and looking for advice in all the worong places. Plus, what is investing risk. In addition, we get an update on Tom's new car purchase. Then, we take listeners questions: What should a recent widow do with a found 401k? Should he do a $1 million Roth IRA conversion? How can an investor find true fiduciary advice for a...

We have some really great questions this week (and hopefully some decent answers). There seems to be a tax-loss and Roth theme: Can money from a tax loss sale in a brokerage account be investing in a Roth? Did she screw up her tax loss sale? How much can be investing in a Roth TSP and a Roth IRA? Why isn't Talking Real Money on Deezer? Is there a better time of day to buy ETFs? Learn more abo...

"But, they're so nice," "She's my niece." He goes to our church, so he must be honest." We hear this stuff all the time about financial advisors. Of course they're nice. Most of them are salespeople. To sell products, you generally need to be nice. Should niceness be one of your top criteria for hiring someone to manage your future? Tom and Don discuss how y...

A number of fiduciary advisors are being sued for not putting their clients in more expensive mutual funds. Somehow, they equate higher expenses with long-term higher returns. A listener wonders whether individual bonds are better than a mutual fund? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? Click!

Despite being a proven, long-term wealth building strategy, many Americans still have no stocks on the their portfolios. We explore why. We also spend some time talking with Paul Merriman about the current market and what the future might bring. Plus, we take a question on what should be done with an inheritance? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Questions? Comments? C...

Money market mutual funds used to be a good place to park money. That has changed as many funds have raised their expenses – some to 1% per year. These high expenses eat up what tiny yield you might have received. There are better alternatives. We also dive into all mutual fund expenses and where they go. How much are you paying, to whom, and for what? Plus, we take a question about the fee struct...

It's Friday (for Don anyway) and he takes a bunch of your questions: Can you sell an S&P 500 fund at Vanguard and simultaneously buy a a different S&P 500 fund at Fidelity? Who decides when dividends are declared and terminated? Who should manage a real estate portfolio? Should businesses paying her kids to do some work to fund Roth IRAs provide 1099s? Is AVGE too conservative? Learn...