The Rob Berger Show

In this week's Five Question Friday, we look at several important retirement planning questions: 0:00 - Intro 0:45 - Should our asset allocation change if we have a much younger spouse? 7:45 - Should a pension represent the bond portion of a portfolio? 10:30 - What types of ETFs should go in taxable accounts versus retirement accounts? 14:13 - Should we prefer Roth conversions over investing...

I've been using Pralana Online over the past month. It's a retirement planning tool that, for a long time, was available as a spreadsheet. It's now available as an online app. In this video, I take a high-level look at Pralana and compare it to Boldin, formerly New Retirement. Pralana: https://go.robberger.com/pralana/yt-p... Boldin: https://go.robberger.com/new-retireme... Join the...

One of my favorite tools, Portfolio Visualizer, just launched a new design. In this video, I'll show you how to navigate the changes. Unfortunately, one change is to limit the amount of backtesting data you have access to in the free version. I'll show you a free alternative. Portfolio Visualizer: https://www.portfoliovisualizer.com/ Test Folio: https://testfol.io/ Join the Newsletter. I...

Welcome to the first episode of Five Question Friday (FQF). I'll answer five questions from past live shows that we didn't get to. Today, we're covering the following questions: 1. Is the 6% Rule on Lump Sum vs Pension Reasonable? 2. What will my stock/bond allocation be when I reach 65? 3. How do you decide between a Roth Conversion and 0% Capital Gains Harvesting? 4. What's t...

Vanguard has reached a proposed settlement in the class action lawsuit related to the 2021 distribution of capital gains in its target date retirement funds. Here's how much each claimant may be entitled to receive. Proposed Vanguard Settlement: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gBIQ... Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...

We can save for retirement through at least four different account types: (1) 401(k) and other workplace retirement accounts, (2) IRAs, (3) HSAs, and (4) taxable accounts. Some can also use a mega backdoor Roth 401(k). In this video, I walk through one optimal approach to prioritizing which accounts to contribute to first. Here's a related article that I wrote on the topic: https://robberger....

A TIPS ladder is just one way to generate income during retirement. We'll look at two scenarios where a TIPS ladder may make sense, and then discuss the pros and cons. TIPS Ladder: https://www.tipsladder.com/ Four Easy Steps to Build a TIPS Ladder: https://www.advisorperspectives.com/a... Schwab Annuity Pricing Tool: https://www.schwab.com/annuities/fixe... Join the Newsletter. It's Free...

When evaluating fees charged by investment advisors, should we look only at the actual dollars spent, or should we evaluate the long-term effect these fees have on our wealth? That's the question I address in this video. Kitces Article: https://www.kitces.com/blog/financial... My Response: https://robberger.com/how-should-we-e... Hourly and Flat Rate Advisors: https://robberger.com/low-cost-f...

Vanguard has announced that it is selling 280,000 small business retirement plans to Ascensus. The transaction covers individual 401(k) plans, sometimes called Solo 401(k)s, Multi-SEP IRAs, and Simple IRAs, but not individual SEP IRAs. Here's my take on what's going on, your options, and what this means for Vanguard. Press Release: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-relea... Ascensus Fees:...

In brief remarks, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell all but took an interest rate cut in the near term off the table. In doing so, he taught us a very important lesson about investing. Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...

Fidelity recently disclosed that its computer systems were breached and that the personal data of more than 77,000 customers were accessed. here's what happened and some ways we can protect ourselves. News of hack: https://www.investmentnews.com/indust... Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/doc/data-breach-... Maine: https://www.maine.gov/agviewer/conten... New Hampshire: https://mm.nh.gov/fi...

Does the 4% Rule apply in the same way to tax-deferred, tax-free, and taxable accounts? And how should one consider the different tax treatments of these accounts when coming up with a safe spending plan in retirement? I'll cover these questions in today's video. Bengen's 1996 Paper: https://www.financialplanningassociat... Bengen's 1997 Paper: https://www.financialplanningasso...

Today, the top 10 companies in the S&P 500 Index account for more than 33% of the index. That's the largest concentration we've seen in 50 years. In this video we'll cover three things: 1. Just how significant is the concentration? 2. Does it tell us anything about future returns? 3. What, if anything, should we do about the concentration. Join the Newsletter. It's Free: ht...

Our retirement plan's chance of success depends a lot on assumptions we make about future investment returns. In this video, I walk through my approach to this issue. Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...

In this video, we'll discuss how to optimize the tax efficiency of your retirement withdrawals. New Retirement: https://go.robberger.com/new-retireme... Many retirees have up to three account types: taxable, tax-deferred (e.g., traditional IRA), and tax-free (Roth IRA or HSA). The conventional wisdom tells us to spend the taxable accounts first, then the tax-deferred, and finally the tax-free...

A viewer named Bill emailed me today about the bucket strategy. He has watched my videos on the bucket strategy and understands why I don't recommend it. He wants to know if the traditional approach of a total return portfolio with annual rebalancing negates the sequence of returns risk. It's a great question, and I share my perspective in today's video. Join the Newsletter. It&apos...

Today we look at the 8 crucial differences between interest and dividends. We'll also look at how one should think about interest and dividends when using the 4% Rule of retirement spending. Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...

Andy Panko, CFP, joins us to help answer your questions about retirement planning and taxes. Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm... Join Andy's Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/retirementplanningeducation Check Out Andy's Website: https://retirementplanningeducation.com/ Listen to Andy's Podcast  Retirement Planning Education Bel...

With the launch of Bitcoin Spot ETFs, investors now have a safe, low-cost way to own Bitcoin. In this video, we'll look at some examples of these new ETFs, and then I'll make the strongest case I can in favor of adding Bitcoin to an asset allocation portfolio. Then I'll share how I'm approaching Bitcoin and why. Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newslet...

Roth IRAs are best known for tax-free spending in retirement. What many don't know, however, is that if you make a mistake with a Roth IRA, you could end up owing taxes or a 10% penalty on some of your withdrawals. In this video, we'll walk through how to avoid these Roth IRA tax traps. We'll cover the two 5-year rules of Roth IRAs, the ordering rules of withdrawals, the aggregation...

Several weeks ago some reported what has been called the Chase Glitch. The glitch allowed people to deposit bogus checks at Chase ATM's and then immediately withdraw the funds. That glitch has now moved to Fidelity, where some have tried depositing bogus checks via Fidelity's mobile app, and then immediately taking out the money. In response, Fidelity has limited check deposits via its m...

Today, we look at five apps you can use to track your investments. Three of them are free, and two are paid. All of them are excellent tools depending on the features you want. Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...

Yesterday the Fed lowered the Fed Funds rate by 1/2 of a percent. The prime rate followed, going from 8.5% to 8.0%. Rates on everything from credit cards to savings accounts to CDs also went down. And the rates on bonds and mortgages continued to decline. Given all of this, where are the best places to keep your cash? The Fed's Statement: https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsev... 30-year U.S....

While stock market returns get most of the attention when it comes to retirement portfolios, we should be equally concerned with inflation. In this video, I walk through how to incorporate inflation assumptions into a retirement plan using New Retirement planning software. Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...

New Retirement (Boldin): https://robberger.com/new-retirement New Retirement, which just changed its name to Boldin, has launched a new feature that makes it easy to customize the order of accounts you use to fund your retirement. In this video, we'll look at the new feature and some advanced strategies on how to use it. Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?u...