The Rob Berger Show

I've received hundreds of emails from viewers asking me questions about their investments. They want to understand whether their investment portfolio is sound. While I'm not a financial advisor, I do believe do it yourself investors can evaluate their own portfolios with the help of some free tools. In this video I walk through how I evaluate an investment portfolio. I could also be usef...

Join the newsletter: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm... In this video we look at a portfolio of a viewer who is 10 years from retirement. Her advisor has her invested in a 50/50 portfolio. We'll look at the "Smart Sector" and Momentum ETFs she has, consider the impact of the 50 basis point fee, and examine whether a 50/50 portfolio makes sense.

Investing for short term goals of 5 years or less can be tricky. Savings accounts pay about 0.50%, but stocks can lose money in the short term. Many saving for a down payment on a house face this problem. In this video I'll cover an approach that can enable short-term savers to benefit from stock market returns without taking excessive risk of losing money over the next few years.

Join the newsletter: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm... A Roth IRA is arguably the single best way to save for retirement. One question I receive frequently is how to invest in an IRA. And specifically, is a 3-fund portfolio a sound approach to investing in an IRA. The short answer is that it's an excellent approach for beginners just starting out. There is one situation, however, where...

The 4% Rule of retirement spending is used to plan spending in retirement. The rule says you can spend 4% of your nest egg in the first year of retirement. In subsequent years you adjust the amount by the rate of and inflation. Following this approach gives you a ver good chance of not running out of money in retirement. The 4% Rule, however, assumes no investment fees. Add even a small amount of...

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A Health Savings Account (HSA) offers better tax advantages than any other type of account. The catch is that the money must be used for Qualified Medical Expenses to avoid taxes (and a possible 10% penalty) In this video I walk through 3 aspects of HSAs, 6 strategies on how to use an HSA, and how best to invest money in an HSA based on the strategy used. Join the newsletter: https://robberger.com...

This video walks through how to set up a 3 Fund Portfolio in Vanguard. We then compare that to setting up the same portfolio in M1 Finance and Betterment. Join the newsletter: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...

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Join the newsletter: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm... Should a well diversified portfolio include international stock funds? That's the question I'm covering in this video. I'll first walk through several reasons an international stock fund is NOT necessary. Then I'll explain why I nevertheless invest in international stocks. Finally, I'll cover what I think is the...

Jack Bogle: "Never" Rebalance Your Investment Portfolio (and how to do it if you must) Join the newsletter: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm... Resources Mentioned in the Video: Investment Tracking Spreadsheet: https://robberger.com/investment-trac... Opportunistic Rebalancing paper: http://resource.fpanet.org/resource/0... Jack Bogle interview: https://www.morningstar.com/articles/...

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Living off dividends in retirement seems safe. Because you never have to sell shares of stocks, ETFs or mutual funds, you can never run out of money. Yet it's not quite that simple. In this video we'll look at four major problems with living off dividends. Then will discuss why focusing on Total Return is a much sounder approach to investing in retirement.  Finally, we will look at some...

A viewer emailed me the following question: "Rob - I hope this finds you well. I'm a fellow large law firm attorney, and I find your approach relatable and sound. I have a question regarding early retirement. I'm contemplating retiring in my early 50s. Currently all my bonds are held in 401K/traditional IRA vehicles, which ideally I would like to not touch until much later in retire...

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Rebalancing an investment portfolio doesn't need to be difficult, and it can actually increase your returns over time. Specifically, one study shows that Opportunistic Rebalancing can improve your returns by as much as 0.50%. In this video, we look at that study and walk through how Opportunistic Rebalancing works. I'll cover some things to consider as you construct your investment portf...

Should you use some or all of your retirement savings to buy an income annuity? That's the question we look at in this video. Called a Single Premium Immediate Annuity, these annuities don't come with all of the fees and complexities of other annuity products. Yet it can still be difficult to decide if you need one, when you should buy it, and how much you should invest. In this video I&...

Rick Ferri's Core-4 portfolios are built using low cost index ETFs and mutual funds. With just four funds in each portfolio, Rick has created 6 portfolios for just about any investor. One Core-4 portfolio is designed for those worried about inflation, while another for those seeking income. He also has his Classic Core-4, ideal for long-term retirement funds. In this video we explore all 6 of...

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Vanguard released a paper claiming that advisors following its Alpha Framework can add up to 3% to an investor's long-term returns. Many advisors use this paper to sell their very expensive (1% of AUM or more) services. But is it legit? Here's the paper: https://www.vanguard.com/pdf/ISGQVAA.pdf Join the newsletter: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...

I was convinced I'd live Vanguard Digital Advisor. It seems to check all the boxes. It uses low cost index ETFs. The service itself has a very reasonable cost of about 15 basis points. And it rebalances your investments for you, as you would expect from a robo-advisor. After using the service, however, I reached a very different conclusion. There were numerous technological issues and its use...

Join the newsletter: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm... I'm going to cover the three tier system for earning credit card rewards. This is the system I've used over the past couple of years to generate nearly $30,000 in credit card rewards. We save and invest all of our rewards in M1 Finance. This system, however, can be used whether you save and invest the rewards like we do, or sp...

The 60/40 Portfolio--Good, Bad, or Ugly? Article with resources: https://robberger.com/60-40-portfolio/ The 60/40 portfolio has powered retirements for decades. With 60% stocks and 40% bonds, this balanced fund offers equity-fueled growth and fixed income stability. Today, however, many are calling into question the sustainability of the 60/40 portfolio. Some even argue that it’s dead and that ret...

Join the newsletter: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm... ———————————— Video Resources & Timestamps ———————————— 0:00 - Welcome to the Financial Freedom Show! 3:50 - Very important question! 5:00 - Including a Bond Index Fund or Bond ETF as part of a retiree's portfolio 8:40 - Favorite local restaurant 9:07 - Talking Real Money Guys/Morningstar 9:57 - GNMA in a bond portfolio 13:07 -...

The True Cost of Actively Managed Mutual Funds (according to Vanguard founder John Bogle) Actively managed funds are expensive. And it's not just the expense ratio. From transaction costs to tax inefficiencies, and cash drag to load fees, the cost of actively managed funds all but guarantee they will underperform an index fund over the long-term. In this video we take a look at a portfolio se...