The Investor Coaching Show with Paul Winkler

Jim brings the results of a survey of financial planners on what they believe is most important for their clients in 2025. The results are absolutely underwhelming. Listen along as Paul and Jim process how the industry got to this state where half of the advisors don't even believe that a product really needs to be suitable for you if it has other qualities. Later in the episode, “finfluencers” (f...

The financial industry is pretty broken. All the large firms have found ways to provide you with the cheapest and least services possible without taking any responsibility. They have also learned how to present flashy strategies, product pitches, and market news to keep you distracted. Today, Paul and Jim give you an insider's look at the industry and warn you that not only have they fooled invest...

Today, Paul and Evan discuss a common fear among today’s employees: Will AI replace my job? Listen along to hear why so many companies are adopting this innovation, how it could affect your job, and why, as an investor, you should be optimistic about how this could impact markets going forward. Later in the episode, Paul and Evan remember the late John Clements, a prominent British financial write...

Evan and Paul talk about some research Paul put together around an average annuity payout. Initially, the payout looks okay — until you factor in inflation. Listen along as these two advisors explain why giving your retirement savings to an insurance company may look great now, but it will leave you with a fraction of the purchasing power in the future.    Want to cut through the myths about retir...

Gold is up 39% this year, largely due to the uncertainty in markets created by Trump's trade policy. The problem is that gold is just a commodity, and its value is based on what someone is willing to pay for it. Today, Paul and Evan discuss why gold's price rise is circumstantial and why educated investors still prefer diversification and buying and holding over buying something when it’s hot and...

Annuities are still one of the most dangerous financial products when it comes to accumulating assets for your retirement years. They are insurance products with huge commissions and back-end surrender charges that trap your money in phantom accounts, leaving you stuck against inflation with no assets to give to future generations. However, they are confusing products, and you can make a lot of mo...

Paul remembers a big push in the ’90s by professors and economists, like Fama and French, to teach advisors why stock picking is hurtful to their clients and how to help people invest without opening them up to unnecessary risk. Today, Paul talks about some of these lessons, why stock picking is still so prevalent in the industry, and what you can look out for to avoid advisors like these.  Want t...

Paul talks about how what has happened in the last one, three, or five years heavily affects your investing decisions. Are stocks up this year? Maybe I should get in. Are interest rates high? Maybe it’s a good time to own bonds or CDs. Annuities even craft products that would have done well in the last 10 years and then sell them to people based on their track record. There is another way to inves...

Paul finds that comparison is a very dangerous game and that people don’t give themselves enough credit for their unique abilities or situation. Today, Paul discusses an article that shares the average retirement savings for people in their 60s. Whether you’re ahead of the curve or struggling through a tough situation, like a divorce, the death of a spouse, or the loss of a job, one of the best wa...

This week, Evan sends Paul a video called “The Only Four ETFs You’ll Ever Need.” Paul explains how marketing campaigns like this draw investors in with something they understand. Paul plays a few clips from the video and shares how these four ETFs could really get you in trouble if they were your whole financial plan. Listen along to hear how an educated investor can pick apart this kind of market...

Evan shares a list of some of the most famous investment fads and talks about why these fads drove markets and ultimately lost investors a lot of money. Listen along to hear what we can learn from these kinds of investments and how we can spot some of them today.    Want to cut through the myths about retirement income and learn evidence-based strategies backed by over a century of data? Download...

Today, Evan talks about the 24th anniversary of 9/11 and remembering this week that the news can get very somber without any notice. So, how do you keep yourself from being pushed and pulled by the world so that you can stay the course and fulfill your calling? The answer lies in discovering your values and your true purpose for money.   Want to cut through the myths about retirement income and le...

Today, Paul and Evan talk about how enticing it is for pundits and experts to look at markets and predict when the next downturn will occur. A common trap these two advisors see is investors jumping in and getting bullish, then realizing that their investment strategies are dangerous because their account keeps going up. Listen along to hear Paul and Evan explain why diversified investing is impor...

Today, Paul and Evan discuss how Robinhood has grown to become one of the largest companies in the United States by gambling on stocks, crypto, and other speculative assets. When asked in an interview about whether investors are also turning to more traditional forms of investing for retirement, the company basically replied, “No, and we don’t care.” Listen along to hear these two advisors talk ab...

Today, Paul shares a video from someone who was courted to a steak dinner, fed incomplete information, and then sold a product they didn’t fully understand. In most industries, this would be viewed as a scam or at least fraudulent, but in the investing industry, this is completely normal. Listen along as Paul explains that offering you a bribe, trying to “reeducate” you, and then manipulating you...

Paul has an algorithm feed him a seemingly relevant video about choosing the right Fidelity funds to grow his portfolio. The problem is that the algorithm isn’t designed to look out for bad financial advice. After watching the video, Paul gives the advice an F and is concerned that videos like these sound convincing and the person in it looks like they have done some research. The problem is that...

Today, Evan brings in an investing “newspaper” that claims to have insider information about tech and cybersecurity companies and is filled with articles claiming that this section is due for a big rise in value. Paul and Evan explain why all financial news is too slow for regular investors to play the market timing game, when traders have spent fortunes trying to gain an advantage of fractions of...

Today, Paul and Evan talk about the Federal Reserve remaining neutral amidst Trump's rhetoric around trying to influence the bank and interest rates. The two advisors talk about why they aren’t confident that Trump will follow through on the pressure and dive into some of the history of this independent bank, as well as which countries have not kept their nation’s banks independent and which count...

Paul talks about a few factors that could keep driving inflation up beyond the most recent round of tariffs. With prices continually moving up, how are regular consumers and investors supposed to keep up? Listen along as Paul addresses this topic and explains some of what we’ve seen in the U.S. since 1970. Later in the episode, Paul talks about how AI isn’t catching on with women the same way it i...

Today, Paul talks about some of the first choices you have as an investor. Do you invest pre-tax or post-tax, and what funds do you choose? Listen along as Paul talks about how most funds you can choose are over-weighted with large tech companies, but don’t include enough of smaller markets. This combination leaves you in the same boat as most investors: seeing less returns than the market and won...

Today, Paul tackles one of the most common questions he gets from investors, workshops, classes, and interviews: How much gold should I be invested in? For long-time listeners of the show, his answer isn’t surprising, but it is just as relevant now as ever. Listen along as Paul explains why gold isn’t even considered an investment and why the risk and reward of putting money in gold make it very d...

In this episode, Paul explores an often-overlooked factor in achieving financial success: boredom. He argues that boredom can lead to poor financial decisions, such as overspending or chasing "new" market strategies. People have a hard time staying the course and want to feel like active participants in improving their lives. Listen along as Paul explains why one of the hardest and best things you...

Today, Paul and Jim talk about how humans are not good at understanding or managing risk because if the markets are up, if the president you like is in the White House, or if you just got a big promotion at work, you’re going to be more willing to take risks. The opposite is also true. Listen along as these advisors explain why using proven academic methods is better than letting your intuition or...

Paul invites Jim from the Goodlettsville office onto the show, and the two get into a conversation about strategies for paying yourself in retirement. Jim brings up a very popular pitch people hear as they near retirement: moving your money into short, medium, and long-term “buckets” that allow your income to be engaged in various levels of risk based on how long it will be before you need the mon...

Today, Paul invites attorney Parker Brown onto the show to talk about wills, trusts, estate plans, and the probate process. Many people don’t realize that if you don’t have a will, your state has an estate plan for you. Unfortunately, it's usually not what you would really like to have happen to you and your loved ones. Listen along as Paul and Parker dispel some information around estate planning...