Talking Real Money - Investing Talk (Don McDonald)

In this episode, we explore a couple of the big mistakes investors make and clearly and simply explain how to avoid. But, we know most of you will ignore our advice. Thank you! Listeners ask: Is a 401k plan better than an IRA? Why did we ignore this 10-year high-yielding CD? Where should emergency funds be parked? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A goverment bond yielding 3.5% Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Average investors have failed miserably over the past 30 years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2018 was the worst year for stocks since 2008, so far 2019 is a whole other story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Speculation has been with us forever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From Saturday's Show, Hour Two: 1:28 Market Shifts and Inflation Realities 3:23 Real Rate of Return Explained 5:10 Listener Call: Retirement Investment Strategies 8:07 Converting IRAs and Tax Planning 10:38 Social Security Decisions and Strategies 13:48 The Cost of Waiting for Social Security 15:56 Understanding Contingent Deferred Annuities 18:35 High Fees in Complex Annuities 19:58 Annuity Products and Their Risks 21:59 Listener Call: Inheriting Money and Risk 24:44 Risk Profile vs. Risk Tolerance 27:28 Evaluating Charitable Organizations 31:04 Year-End Giving Strategies 33:50 The Importance of Charity Transparency 37:07 Investment Fund Comparisons Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don is joined by financial and football stars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Another downside to active funds, market declines can lead to dramatic taxable gains. It's like losing even more. Plus, we scold "Mr. Wonderful" for his support of failed crytocurrency exchange, FTX. Then we hear from listeners: The Question: How can I make more money with total safety? How can someone cover long-term care in later years. How solvent are public retirement systems? Are 35 securities in a portfolio indictative of hodgepodgeitis? Which 403b provider is the best of some bad choices? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now it's time to get ready for whatever follows the curent weirdness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stock splits add no value. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stocks rarely react to expected news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A magazine ad pretending to be an article. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Real or robo advice? That is the question. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode: 2:21 Ten Reasons to Be a Thankful Investor 8:01 The State of the U.S. Economy 9:12 Reflections on the Recent Election 10:05 Financial System Stability 13:35 The Art of Excess 14:58 The Impact of AI 16:21 Value in Asset Classes 28:48 Speculation and Risk 32:23 Managing IRA Investments 36:01 Strategies for Successful Investing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus, how rich are you compared with the rest of the world? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why do so many of us believe we have special predictive powers when the future must be unknown. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are more comfortable talking about death than money. Yet, financial planning is an critical part of an estate (and even, life) planning. Then, a school district employee gets us talking about using the tool at 403bWise to look up many school district 403b plan investments. We hear from listeners: How can school district employees get school boards to improve plan investments? You may want to include your actual phone in you estate package. Please explain the process of meeting with one of our advisors. What do we think of Thrivent? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nobody can predict the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In todays's Q&A session: Which funds should be used in a 403b? Thanks for the podcast. How much of fixed income should be in inflation hedges? How could a mom squeeze a bit more income out of her portfolio? Did it makes sense to sell bond funds and move into T-Bills? Is an umbrella liability insurance policy needed? How should a million dollar portfolio be invested? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The calendar helps mutual funds show huge one-year gains. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You may have too much in meme stocks, even in an index fund. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What would a 30-year bear market do to your portfolio? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Like financial leeches, old online subscriptions slowly suck your bank account dry. What can be done about these almost to impossible to cancel services? Then, we hear from listeners asking: What should I expect from a wealth manager? Which assets should be in what kind of account? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

But what about coronavirus or the election? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Retiring later seems like a viable option for those who failed to save enough to afford retirement. What is the reality of working past 65? What are the new 2024 retirement plan contribution limits? We take listeners' questions: Should liquid money be invested in a 13-month CD? Can a portion of a parent's HSA be used for an adult child? Can a storage unit buyer transfer old savings bonds to his name? Should a small pension be withdrawn as a $30,000 lump sum? What should a 62-year-old do to catch up on retirement? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Enjoy a fatter paycheck in retirement with one easy trick. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wanna know what's next for the market? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's phone scams don't require humans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Online scams are effecting more young people. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It seems that the traditional balanced portfolio is not yet dead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don continues from Retiremeet 2023 talking with tax planning expert, Diana Bacon about the importance of long-term tax planning. Then, Tom finally drops by for a few minutes to explain how you can watch. Apella Wealth's Director of Financial Planning, Jason Gentile discusses the value of a detailed financial plan. A caller asks why would a planner using a short-term bond ETF? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To make money on your money, you must take risk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The average American family’s net worth has risen to 1 million dollars, yet few of us have the money for a $500 million yacht. However, there are 16 million mini-millionaires in the United States. How do you join the millionaire (or upper-middle) class? LIsteners ask: Does it make sense to tax-loss sell a total bond ETF to a tax-free bond ETF? Should you sell funds when they have gone up 20%? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Retire early with lump sum or annuity? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It seems that Dave Ramsey may be giving less bad investing advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Those free steak dinners have a catch and that catch could cost you. In addition, often the pitch is a well-crafted series of lies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thanks to those who provided investing lessons. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It doesn't matter if you buy at the top. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's Talking Real Money, Don and Tom dug deep into some surprisingly terrible mutual funds—those wealth destroyers that somehow manage to lose investors piles of money year after year. They highlighted the infamous ARK funds, which collectively burned through billions, and even exposed a Fidelity long-term treasury bond index fund that unexpectedly landed among the biggest losers over the past decade, illustrating precisely why they've been cautioning against holding long-term bonds. Alongside their usual listener Q&A, they shared practical tips on safely managing cash between high-yield savings and money market accounts and clarified how much cash to keep handy in checking. Politics briefly entered the scene, sparking a discussion on managing risks amid increasing national debt—spoiler alert: don't panic; stick to a disciplined, diversified plan. Finally, they praised a savvy grandmother setting up Roth IRAs for her granddaughters, reaffirming their belief that a simple, globally diversified fund like AVGE can help secure financial futures with minimal fuss. 1:20 The Reality of Mutual Funds 2:38 Understanding Value-Destroying Funds 4:17 The Importance of Avoiding Bad Investments 7:35 Long-Term Treasury Bonds: A Cautionary Tale 10:02 Choosing the Right Savings Account 13:32 Managing Your Checking Account Balance 16:09 Navigating High-Yield Accounts 17:48 Retirement Planning and TSP Allocation 22:04 Inheriting Wealth: A Financial Strategy 23:14 The Need for a Financial Plan 24:45 Managing Risks in a Political Landscape 28:36 Grandparenting with a Roth IRA 30:52 Investing for the Next Generation 34:17 Evaluating a Cross-Border Portfolio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A recent study found that the vast majority of Americans don't believe they will be in good enough financial shape to retire at age 65. What are some of our biggest concerns and how can we deal with our unpreparedness? Plus, we share the tale of a money talk show host who went wild with listeners money. Then, we here from listeners: One takes us to task for sharing mutual fund portfolios instead of just ETF portfolios. Another asks where Health Savings Account (HSA) should be invested. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are inundated with "expert" financial advice. Is it worth heeding? There are a lot of people who claim to be able to predict the financial future, but they all have one thing in common with plain old us. They CANNOT know the future. So, why bother listening, watching, or reading their advice? Then, we hear from some of you wondering: If Bitcoin makes simple mathamatical sense as an investment? What do we think of lightly traded ETFs? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Despite the occasional anecdotal success, owning individual stocks is still gambling. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With only one Q, we focus on a Musk suit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You need a retirement income plan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every asset class lost investors money in 2018. However, funds that sold short(s) did pretty well. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can't possibly have it all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, Don starts the Q&A edition with a powerful follow-up from a past caller. Then, it's on determining a brokers fees, the differences between exchange-traded funds and mutual funds, a portfolio allocation check, and the best income ladder building materials: CDs, Treasuries, or TIPS? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's only one way to buy and sell properly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your questions came pouring back in. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just because someone is on the radio doesn't mean there are high, riskless returns. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Weeding our Wall Street's bad ideas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Life lessons from Tom's mom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our normal Monday podcast is late... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Money is important. Today we present our second episode devoted to what you need to know about both building wealth and beginning to use it. For example, how much real money is available from your home? What's the best portfolio for retirement? Plus, we hear from a slew of listeners: What should be done with poor-performing investments? Some fiduciaries don't always act in your best interests. Why can't an advisor get the fund wanted, and should you even invest in a sector fund? What could be wrong with owning a portfolio of just dividend-producing stocks? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Funding new businesses can be very dangerous. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do stockbrokers care more about you or making the sale? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the second half od Saturday's radio show: 2:20 The Smarmy Side of Financial Advice 3:20 Trust Washing and Ethical Standards 4:58 Paying for Credibility 7:01 Finding the Right Financial Advisor 10:31 The Importance of Fiduciaries 11:56 Checking Disciplinary Histories 14:09 Creating Income from Investments 18:16 Bond Ladders Explained 19:54 Health Issues and Retirement Thoughts 21:05 Inheriting Stock Portfolios 32:11 Evaluating Inherited Stocks 33:39 Vanguard's Big Changes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom meets Don and listeners in Madison, Wisconsin: 0:35 Welcome to Talking Real Money live from Goodland Park 8:19 The insurance industry's challenge with transparency 12:34 The importance of recognizing ethical financial advisors 24:19 The importance of financial literacy for investing 31:26 Making informed decisions about high-interest savings accounts 36:13 Wrapping up the show in Madison, Wisconsin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Playing options is NOT investing! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this exciting edition: 0:03 Introduction to Financial Normalcy 3:50 The Retirement Worry 6:28 The Gray Area of Investing 13:23 The Importance of a Financial Plan 21:03 Portfolio Questions and Strategies Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Warren Buffett loses tens of billions in market decline. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Investor left billions of dollars on the table by keeping too much money in regular checking and savings accounts. Bad advice on YouTube for millennial investors from ClearValue tax and Meet Kevin. What should you do with their advice? Non-public REITs can do some dangerous things with your money. Then we hear from listeners: Does "Arrived" appear to be good investment? Sold a rental house, how should the proceeds me invested. Non-public REITs can do some dangerous things with your money. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The SEC goes after fee-based advisors who hide commissions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fixing mistakes made in 2020. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most of us are not ready for a financially secure retirement. Americans are increasingly on their own when it comes to creating a life-long retirement income stream. What will it take to make us better retirement investors? One of the biggest problems are the high-fee (and commission) annuity products foisted on 403b plan participants by insurance companies. What should you do to become a better rtetirement investor? Plus, why is CBS News allowing blatants ads for gold investing and gold IRAs to be posted online under its name as news articles? Listeners want to know: Is it better to consider the "30-day SEC yield" or "estimated distrubution" when considering bonds funds? What is a reasonable fee to pay for a fiduciary investment advisor? What's the best way to rebalance taxable and retirement accounts? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Small stocks are back in a big way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We discuss the current state of the bond market and the possibilities for the future. Is there any way investors can outguess the bond market (or any other securities market)? Plus, we talk about Tom's new iPhone 15. Listeners would like to know: What is the difference between a money market account and a money market mutual fund? Was it wise to purchase 20-year bonds for long-term income? Where should money be placed to make money without risk? Do we think Fundrise is a good place to invest? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here's more from the past. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the stock market appearing to plummet, it seems like a great time for a perspective adjustment. Here's a short bonus edition of Talking Real Money. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this Q&A episode: 1:49 The Dangers of Following Market Trends 4:27 Making Decisions Based on Future Feelings 4:58 Investing for Yourself, Not the World 5:19 Welcoming Roxy Butner to the Studio 5:31 Question from Jane about Robo-Advisors 10:24 Estate Planning and Trusts 13:35 Exploring Annuities in Retirement Accounts 18:25 Retirement Planning with Thomas from New Jersey 25:39 Importance of Financial Planning in Retirement Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Beware of free meals and advice that seems too good to be true. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WARNING: Some Millennials will be offended by the logical conclusions reached in this episode. With so many technological innovations, we occasionally think that very new technology must make sense. One example of this tendency to confuse true innovation with simply dumb ideas. Do we really need a newer way to gamble. How do you start spending after decdaes of saving? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why you must invest for the long-term. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bad week for stocks, good one for your questions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Young investors have a lot of money in cash because they fear the stocks market. Yet, the best time to invest is when you are young because you have time to ride the ups and down of the market. Then it's question time: What can be done after an adviser puts money into an annuity with the client's permission? Why does a CD ladder makes sense? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Depends on what you call "the market." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is your portfolio made with the proper ingredients? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This Friday: A listener corrects one of Don's statement about Bitcoin ETFs. Can buying a building for a business replace a REIT in a portfolio? What's the best way to invest a court settlement for a minor? A suggestion that an umbrella insurance policy could lower other P&C rates. A discussion of the difference between dividend reinvestment in mutual funds and ETFs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

...is still an overpriced, underperforming, risky invesment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Replace a 60/40 portfolio with farmland? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A professional money manager got it right. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don takes on a torrent of written questions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the US Supreme Court ruling against the student loan, elimination plan, what can students do now to help reduce the burden of their education debt? Plus, we talk about special people and their special financial treatment. Then, listeners ask: Should they go ahead and annuitize a variable annuity or move it into an IRA Is this work 401(k) plan diversified enough? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What effect do elections have on equities? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week: Why do we like the Utah 529 Plan? Should BND be sold to create a ladder even if it's down? Why don't we mention M1 Finance? What do we think of the Fidelity Zero funds? Can a corporate bond ETF replace a money market fund? Is 1% per year a fair fee for an investment advisor? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One thing is certain, tax rates will change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Technical problems force us to go with an old show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Once, dividends account for a large part of stocks' returns. Today they are far less important. Does it make sense for investors to chase after high dividends? Don shares the past power of a simple balanced fund. Listeners ask: Is a CD the best place to invest real estate proceeds for retirement income? How does rental income compare to income froma diversified portfolio? Can large positions in single stocks be combined into a fund to avoid capital gains? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is the current situation similar to The Great Depression? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don keeps traveling west as we discuss: 2:11 Change in Location, Change in Discussion 3:19 Fallacies of the Past 4:22 Social Security Beliefs 6:31 Misconceptions about Equity Returns 9:10 Misconceptions about Indexing 12:06 The Persistence of Myths 18:45 Complexity vs. Simplicity 29:23 Home Team Bias 35:25 Cicadas and Misunderstandings 37:46 Gracious Midwest Visitors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's almost impossible to find an advisor who always does what's best... for you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don really loves answering your questions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It seems that most investors are expecting continued volatility for the stock market. Yet, the stock market is always volatile. So, it it really volatility they're concerned about? In today's question time: Are CITs more risky than a mutual fund or ETF? Where should money for retirement be parked? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Investing is risky. CDs are safe. So, why not put your money in the bank for ten years at high rates? Tom and Don debunk the popular myth that there is easy, safe money. Remember, the money media will tell you what you want to hear. Listeners want to know: What do we think of a loaded, managed mutual fund portfolio? What are our thoughts on bond fund durations, and what's a good time frame? Does taking an extra risk with a retirement portfolio makes sense? What's our opinion on Schwab's private client services? How do fiduciary advisors get paid and how much? What are advisors still recommending bond funds? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We tend to hate change, but it's inevitable and often good. The old must inevitably make way for the new. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Short-term interest rates are s-l-ow-l-y rising. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nothing from the past can give you a reliable way of predicting the future. Does an inverted yield curve guarantee recession? Does the stock market predict a booming economy? Lots of things work until they don't. Will ETFs kill mutual funds? Then we hear from lots of you: What do we think of a Fidelity fund, and where should future investments go? What should be done with a long-term taxable account? What's the best way to fund the gap between early retirement and age 59? What do we think of his financial advisor's advice? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do all those letters mean? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Heading off in a new direction? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices