Épisodes

  • House=Home

    House=Home
    Sep 22 2025
    0:04 Why your home isn’t part of your investment portfolio 0:26 The myth of the American Dream and why owning may not make sense 1:33 A buyer’s remorse story from Atlanta 2:35 $3,000/month to own vs. $1,200/month to rent 3:34 Hidden expenses: $13,000 sewer connection surprise 4:31 “I can’t sell my house” = “I won’t lower the price” 5:35 Housing returns: even hot markets underperform stocks 6:19 Divorcees sharing homes to keep a 2% mortgage 7:35 Why paying off a low-rate mortgage often makes no sense 8:45 Don and Tom both bought homes for lifestyle, not wealth 10:13 Florida: where houses go to die (and get re-roofed) 11:33 Owning a home is not a prerequisite for wealth 12:48 How to send voice questions (seriously, do it) 14:18 Listener Q: 401(k) with limited options—how to balance Roth IRA 15:25 Fund strategy: AVUV and AVDV combo 16:44 Listener Q: Why not mention charitable remainder trusts? 17:27 Listener Q: Are flat-fee advisors better than AUM? 19:00 Hourly advisor costs and why they seem high 20:35 Outro: Tell a friend, save them from financial doom Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    25 min
  • More Qs Needed

    More Qs Needed
    Sep 19 2025
    Don laments the shortage of voice-submitted questions for the Friday Q&A shows and urges listeners to speak their questions into their phones or computers instead of typing them. He answers four listener questions: whether to take a pension lump sum or annuity, whether to roll a 401(k) into an IRA and how much to keep saving with a union pension, a callout about financial jargon (especially “basis points”), and whether stocks are as speculative as cryptocurrency. Don emphasizes that the annuity option is unusually generous, consolidating accounts can simplify rebalancing, saving as much as possible remains wise, and owning the entire global economy through diversified funds is investing, not speculation. 0:09 Don bemoans typed questions and encourages listeners to use voice submission 2:16 Listener asks about lump-sum pension vs. annuity — Don leans strongly toward annuity 6:05 Listener asks about rolling over a 401(k) to an IRA and whether to keep contributing — Don favors consolidation and continued saving 9:00 Caller criticizes jargon like “basis points” — Don defends term as shorthand but explains its meaning 12:04 Caller compares stocks to crypto — Don explains why diversified global stocks are investing, not speculation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    22 min
  • Are You Really Broke?

    Are You Really Broke?
    Sep 18 2025
    This episode explores Americans’ financial well-being in 2025, using a Yahoo Finance/Marist survey as the springboard. Don and Tom discuss how their audience differs from the average American listener, how perceptions of financial health can be misleading, and what to actually do if your finances—or your feelings about them—are getting worse. They debate the usefulness of net worth tracking, stress the importance of financial literacy, and suggest automating savings. Listener questions cover indexed annuities, bond substitutes, tax implications, and long-term care sales pitches. They also read a letter defending Rick Edelman and challenging their dismissal of crypto, which leads to a lively discussion about evidence-based investing, Eugene Fama’s critique of Bitcoin, and the dangers of sensationalized advice. They end with a reflection on public criticism and the value of having one’s views challenged. 0:29 Comparing TRM listeners to Ramsey and Kiyosaki audiences 1:37 Median savings for over-65 Americans and why $200k still isn’t enough 2:42 Yahoo/Marist survey results: affordability, debt, emergency savings 3:50 One in three say finances worsened; generational breakdown 4:51 Explaining net worth, what to include and exclude 7:01 Tracking net worth annually as a financial benchmark 8:00 Divorce, net worth, and the joke about “kill them off” 9:50 Income gap, gender differences, and perception vs. reality 10:34 How uncertainty and fear shape financial outlooks 11:41 Producer note joke about being “sexist but not leftist” 11:50 Dissatisfaction with savings and personal spending habits 13:06 Fixing bad finances: literacy, automation, benchmarking 17:20 Don argues perception matters more than reality for many 18:20 Listener question: fixed index annuity as bond substitute 19:46 Caps, participation rates, and underperformance vs. markets 21:10 Tax treatment of annuities vs. ETFs 22:55 Importance of advice near retirement (decumulation phase) 23:44 Listener shares bad LTC/annuity sales pitch experience 24:54 Fixed annuity guarantees vs. CDs and government bonds 25:39 Listener defends Rick Edelman, suggests an open dialogue 26:52 Don’s critique of Edelman’s shift toward sensationalism 29:29 Eugene Fama’s comments on Bitcoin, clash with Edelman’s stance 31:23 Public criticism is fair game—reading recent Apple Podcast reviews 32:48 Bitcoin adoption debate and institutional incentives Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    37 min
  • It IS Gambling

    It IS Gambling
    Sep 17 2025
    Don goes solo this week and covers the wild state of “investing” in 2025 — including single-stock ETFs, leveraged funds, and zero-day options that look more like gambling than investing. He answers listener questions about Roth strategies for kids, aggressive long-term allocations, finding fiduciary advisors, dealing with inherited stock portfolios, and the ethics and fees of big Wall Street firms. Plus, he fields questions about new tax-focused ETFs and whether complicated multi-fund factor strategies are really worth the trouble. 0:04 Don jokes about ChatGPT replacing him, welcomes listeners 1:53 Today’s topic: 30% of new ETFs are tied to single stocks — “this is gambling” 4:27 Zero-day options and high-frequency trading likened to sports betting 5:23 Congressman Ro Khanna’s 2,800 trades this year — four per market day 6:12 Don’s call to stop pretending this is investing 8:16 Caller Mike: 3 kids with $100k+ Roths each — aggressive allocation recommendations (AVUV, AVGE, DFAW, 100% equity) 12:24 International weighting debate — Don likes 60/40 global tilt 15:34 Caller Dan from Israel: How to confirm if an advisor is a fiduciary; why inheriting stocks isn’t a reason to keep them 18:08 Transitioning from stocks to ETFs while minimizing capital gains 22:23 Caller Laura: Ethical concerns with J.P. Morgan, fees near 1%, annuities in portfolio — Don urges finding a true fiduciary and offers local resources 27:07 Caller Jim: New ETF (TOT) promising tax efficiency — Don warns against chasing “magic tricks” for small benefits 31:44 Question about swapping gains between mother/son’s VTI shares — IRS won’t allow 33:47 Kath reads listener question: Three-bucket retirement system, comparing iShares GLOF vs AVGE — Don says it’s fine, but may be overcomplicating 35:34 Rebalancing frequency discussion — annual is enough for most Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    44 min
  • AI Advice

    AI Advice
    Sep 16 2025
    This week Don hosts solo and brings in “Cath GPT” (ChatGPT) as a "live" guest to explore the rise of AI in personal finance. They cover what types of questions AI is best at answering, its limits for real-time data and stock trading, and the importance of privacy and skepticism. Don emphasizes planning before investing, critiques dollar-cost averaging with lump sums, and fields listener calls on shifting from commercial real estate to the market, Roth conversions, AVGE vs. AVUV, resetting cost basis in a low-income year, and avoiding dubious “legacy funds.” The show closes with reminders about planning, asking spoken questions, and steering clear of high-commission products. 1:02 NYT & Yahoo reports on AI financial advice 1:53 Cath GPT joins live, discusses safe AI uses 3:58 Privacy concerns and data recency limits 6:22 Why AI is bad for stock trading advice 6:50 Don confirms Cath recommends index investing 8:14 Warning about sycophancy — always ask for sources 8:38 Caller Josh: pivoting from commercial property to stock market 10:32 Don: planning first, lump sum > DCA 13:23 Caller Greg: inherited assets, Roth conversions, AVGE timeframe, bond/CD ladders 17:20 Don urges no market timing on conversions 22:50 Caller Brian: small-cap value, AVUV vs. Russell 2000, Merriman strategy 28:07 Don: simplify, AVUV fine but optional 29:43 Caller Jason: harvesting gains in low-income year, Don urges diversification 33:03 Caller: backdoor Roth timing — lump sum beats DCA 34:35 Don jokes about October crashes 37:59 Caller Tim: best annuity is SPIA, avoids “legacy funds” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    44 min
  • Dizzying Heights?

    Dizzying Heights?
    Sep 15 2025
    Don and Tom take listeners on a “mountaintop” look at today’s frothy markets, exploring elevated valuations, retail trading spikes, and record margin debt. They unpack what these numbers really mean, warn against trying to time the market, and reiterate the need for diversification and a long-term plan. Listener questions include a young investor’s Fidelity-heavy portfolio, a 30-something’s aggressive allocation and risk score mismatch, and a listener inquiry about “investwithroots.com,” which Don dissects as a private real-estate fund with fees and risks that outweigh its glossy promises. 0:04 Opening from the market “peak” and climbing metaphor 1:38 Market valuation discussion: P/E ratios, concentration in top 10 stocks 3:21 Surge in retail trading, meme stocks, margin debt, Robinhood sentiment 5:13 Economic uncertainty and why market timing doesn’t work 6:11 Staying with your plan and portfolio diversification 7:15 Risks of U.S. large-cap concentration in typical portfolios 8:03 The need to include small-cap, value, and international stocks 9:14 Eugene Fama’s “trading is like soap” warning and why trading destroys wealth 10:46 Practical advice: stop trying to outsmart the market, build a plan 13:22 Listener Q1: 18-year-old’s portfolio—too much large-cap, not enough international or small value 16:15 Listener Q2: 30-year-old with $100K—good diversification but needs bonds for risk profile 19:25 Listener Q3: Investwithroots.com analysis—fees, geographic risk, private REIT red flags 24:16 Why public REITs like Vanguard’s VNQ offer better diversification/liquidity Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    33 min
  • A Few Good Qs

    A Few Good Qs
    Sep 12 2025
    Don answers listener questions on funding a taxable brokerage account, clarifies what “more buyers than sellers” really means, explains why fixed income is about psychology rather than income, gives advice on setting up joint accounts for aging parents, lays out a lifetime HSA allocation strategy, and clears up confusion about Appella Wealth’s connection to Talking Real Money. 0:04 Friday Q&A intro and thanks for listener questions 1:19 When to open a taxable brokerage account (AVGE + SGOV mix) 3:28 “More buyers than sellers” — why it’s really about demand vs. supply 6:23 Whether pension + Social Security counts as “fixed income” in a 60/40 plan 10:40 Setting up money market accounts and estate planning for aging parents 14:07 Lifetime HSA strategy — contributions, withdrawals, and allocation glidepath 17:32 Is Appella Advice for Life connected to Talking Real Money? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    23 min
  • Opportunities Overseas

    Opportunities Overseas
    Sep 11 2025
    Don and Tom dig into international investing — why diversification across borders is essential, why timing international markets is a mistake, and how currency fluctuations affect returns. They revisit Japan’s lost decades, talk emerging markets, discuss John Bogle’s arguments against international investing, and explain why owning all markets all the time makes the most sense. Listener questions cover tax perceptions about California, long-term return comparisons, 401(k) rollover and Rule of 55 withdrawals, and the realities of retiring abroad — including the sticker shock of Guatemala’s healthcare spending. 0:04 Should you invest internationally now that foreign markets are rising? 1:29 Morningstar data shows non-U.S. markets doubling U.S. returns in 2025. 2:38 The dollar’s weakness as a key factor in performance. 3:20 Mexico, Brazil, Japan, and China’s strong year — but should you chase it? 4:02 Market leadership cycles: U.S. vs. international across decades. 4:50 The “1990 Japan” cautionary tale: why timing single markets can disappoint. 6:17 Concentration risk, emerging markets, and why you need global diversification. 7:33 Exposure to global companies you can’t get by owning U.S.-only funds. 8:42 Dimensional’s chart shows no country wins every year — own them all. 9:40 Addressing the John Bogle “you already own international through U.S. firms” argument. 10:21 Nestlé example: why local economy exposure matters. 12:45 Listener Greg challenges Don’s California tax comment — clarification given. 13:45 State tax comparisons, why there’s no perfect tax haven. 14:41 New York vs. California tax burdens — where it’s worst. 15:30 Listener Tim asks about long-term return periods — Don points to IFA data. 17:40 1,700+ episodes milestone and show longevity banter. 18:30 Listener Jeff’s complex retirement accounts and Rule of 55 rollover question. 19:09 Discussion of retiring abroad and health care concerns in Guatemala. 22:20 U.S. health care spending vs. Guatemala — a sobering gap. 23:39 Gallows humor about quick death and end-of-life planning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    27 min