Two Quants and a Financial Planner

In this episode, we begin a new quarterly series where we will discuss some of the biggest issues that investors are thinking about in the current market and try to put them in a long-term context. We discuss how investors should think about inflation and the potential for a future recession, how to interpret market valuations, the impact of AI stocks on the market and whether political and geopol...

In this episode, we discuss the major lessons from our recent interview on our separate podcast Excess Returns with Northern Trust's Peter Mladina. Peter's work on goals-based planning, aligning goals with purposes, the importance of time and in many other areas has wide reaching implications for investors. But it also can be very complex. So we wanted to break it down in simpler terms tha...

Annuities have a bad reputation. From steak dinners to high fees to questionable salespeople, many investors are wary of using them. In this episode we look at how much of that reputation is earned and discuss the facts about annuities. We cover the different types of annuities, both the good and bad uses of them and things investors should be on the lookout for when evaluating annuity products. S...

There is no doubt that ChatGPT and AI technology will change the world. Many think it will be an innovation that will be on par with the development of the internet in terms of its importance. But how it will do that and which areas of our lives it will impact the most is still up for debate. In this episode, we discuss how ChatGPT might impact the worlds of financial planning and asset management...

Figuring out an investor's true risk tolerance can be a very difficult process. There are certainly standard tools and processes that can be used to try to find the answer, but as Mike Tyson said "Everyone a plan until they get punched in the face." In this episode, we talk through the different types of risks investors face in markets and discuss some of the approaches we have used...

On our Excess Returns podcast, we have had the privilege to talk to many great investors. At the end of each of those interviews, we ask all of them one standard closing question: If you could teach one lesson to the average investor, what would that be? We recently published a compilation where we brought on all those insights together into one episode. In this episode, we discuss our favorite le...

With inflation on the rise and the 60-40 stock and bond portfolio coming off one of its worst years ever, many investors are looking for alternatives. In our Show Us Your Portfolio series, we have looked at many strategies that go beyond stocks and bonds and the investors who manage their personal portfolios with them have made a compelling case for why they make sense. But they can also be comple...

In this episode, we take a look at the major considerations for investors in their later retirement years. We discuss how to think about spending in your later years, the rules for required minimum distributions, inherited IRAs, Roth conversions later in life, charitable giving, estate planning and a lot more. SEE LATEST EPISODES ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.validea.com/the-education-of-a-financial-planner...

Many investors are familiar with the 4% rule and fixed withdrawal rate retirement strategies. But in the real world, maintaining a fixed withdrawal rate is rarely the way things actually work out in retirement since the future is impossible to predict. In this episode, we look at the advantages of variable withdrawal strategies and look at the major approaches they utilize. SEE LATEST EPISODES ⁠⁠⁠...

In this episode, we take a detailed look at Monte Carlo simulation and how it is used in retirement planning. The look at the inputs that are used, how the simulation works and how to interpret the results. We also discuss some of the limitations of the process, how to calculate expected market returns to use in the simulation, the importance of properly framing the results and a lot more. SEE LAT...

Most investors pay close attention to their asset allocation. And that makes sense since research has shown that the asset classes a portfolio is allocated to drive the majority of its return over time. But asset allocation isn't the whole story. It turns out that where those assets are located among taxable, IRA and Roth accounts can also have a big impact on an investor's after-tax retur...

The 4% rule has become a standard used by many investors to determine the amount they can safely withdrawal in retirement. But most don't know where it came from, the assumptions used for it and how safe withdrawal rates can be impacted by the many factors we deal with as investors. In this episode we take a deep dive into the 4% rule and the concept of safe withdrawal rates and look at the an...

In this episode, we talk about the most important things people need to know as they approach and enter into retirement. We discuss the importance of maintaining a purpose in retirement, managing sequence risk, how to think about home equity and Social Security in a retirement plan, how to avoid the most common mistakes retirees make and a lot more. We hope you enjoy the discussion. SEE LATEST EPI...

Regardless of when you start saving for retirement, the most important period to save is probably the period when your income is at its peak. In this episode, we discuss how to think about retirement saving during your prime earning years. We discuss the Roth vs. traditional IRA debate, the importance of avoiding lifestyle creep, how to think about how much you need for retirement, the benefits of...

With the failure of Silicon Valley Bank, many investors have been worried about if their money is protected. In this episode, we take a detailed look at the protections provided by FDIC and SIPC insurance and how they work in the real world. We also look at protections available for depositors at credit unions, cash value in life insurance policies and a lot more. We hope you enjoy the discussion....

There are so many things to think about early in your career. Starting a new career, potentially paying off student loans and managing other expenses is usually the focus of young workers. Retirement is often not a major consideration since it is so far in the future. But saving early can start the process of compounding and can make a big difference down the road. In this episode, we discuss the...

In this episode, we take a detailed look at the options available to save and invest for college. We discuss 529 plans, UTMAs and UGMAs and non-traditional approaches. We also discuss financial aid, grandparent 529s and a lot more. We hope you enjoy the discussion. SEE LATEST EPISODES https://www.validea.com/the-education-of-a-financial-planner-podcast FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA CAPITAL https://w...

In this episode, we talk about the basics of goals-based planning. We discuss how to define goals, how to balance multiple goals, how to think about future return assumptions and where goals-based planning can go wrong.  We hope you enjoy the discussion. SEE LATEST EPISODES https://www.validea.com/the-education-of-a-financial-planner-podcast FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA CAPITAL https://www.val...