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By Paul Merriman November 20, 2024
Paul and Chris interview M1 Finance's CEO, Brian Barnes, and ask several listener questions. This is the follow-up to their previous M1 Finance 2024 update podcast and YouTube video . They start by asking Brian how and why he created the company. That's followed by a wide-ranging conversation that includes some interesting surprises, like Chris's realization that using M1's target-date pies instead of traditional target-date funds can result in some real tax efficiency. Here's the topic list with time codes. 00:00:00 Intro 00:08:12 M1 Genesis 00:12:51 Partial-Share ETF Trading 00:15:59 Who is M1 for? 00:19:42 What's next? 00:22:44 Is M1 a robo-advisor? 00:25:36 M1 Pies 00:29:38 Pies vs. TDFs 00:34:32 Tax Efficiency 00:35:46 How safe is M1? 00:41:13 Fixed trade windows 00:48:07 Crossing orders 00:49:22 Competitive rates 00:51:29 Which ETFs? 00:53:19 Fees? 00:57:07 Multi-account rebalancing? 00:58:31 Entrepreneur's experience Disclaimers: Content is not intended to provide personal tax or financial advice. This information is intended to be used and must be used for information purposes only. M1 is a technology company offering a range of financial products and services. “M1” refers to M1 Holdings Inc., and its wholly-owned, separate affiliates M1 Finance LLC, M1 Spend LLC, and M1 Digital LLC. Related to M1 Spend: For informational purposes only and not a trade recommendation. All product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them. Regarding M1 Earn: Stated APY (annual percentage yield) with the M1 High-Yield Cash Account is accrued on account balance. Obtaining stated APY requires a minimum initial deposit of $100. APY is solely determined by M1 Finance LLC and its partner banks, and will include administrative and account fees that may reduce earnings. Rates are subject to change without notice. M1 High-Yield Cash Account is a separate offering from, and not linked to, the M1 High Yield Savings Accounts offered by M1 Spend LLC’s banking partner. M1 is not a bank. Also regarding M1 Earn: The cash balance in your Cash Account is only eligible for FDIC Insurance once it is swept to our partner banks and out of your brokerage account. Until the cash balance is swept to partner banks, the funds are held in a brokerage account and protected by SIPC insurance. Once funds are swept to a partner bank, they are no longer held in your brokerage account and are not protected by SIPC insurance. FDIC insurance is not provided until the funds participating in the sweep program leave your brokerage account and into the sweep program. FDIC insurance is applied at the customer profile level. Customers are responsible for monitoring their total assets at each of the sweep program banks. A complete list of participating program banks can be found here. Regarading M1 Borrow: M1 is not a bank. M1 Personal Loans are furnished by B2 Bank NA, Member FDIC and Equal Opportunity Lender, and serviced by M1 Spend LLC, a whollyowned operating subsidiary of M1 Holdings, Inc. Regarding M1 High-Yield Savings: M1 is not a bank. M1 Spend is a wholly-owned operating subsidiary of M1 Holdings Inc. M1 High –Yield Savings Accounts are furnished by B2 Bank, NA, Member FDIC. The M1 High-Yield Savings Account is a separate offering from, and not linked to, the M1 High-Yield Cash Account offered by M1 Finance, LLC. Also regarding M1 High-Yield Savings, ²National average is 0.45% APY as of September 2023. Obtained from the FDIC. Also regarding M1 High-Yield Savings, M1 High-Yield Savings Accounts are furnished by B2 Bank, NA, Member FDIC (“B2”). M1 is not a bank. B2 Bank is a member FDIC institution and does not itself provide more than $250,000 of FDIC insurance per legal category of account ownership as described in FDIC regulations. Additional FDIC insurance coverage is provided through B2’s Insured Deposit Network Program involving other FDIC insured depository institutions. Deposits may be insured up to $5,000,000 through B2’s Insured Deposit Network Program. Full terms of the Program can be found at m1.com/legal/agreements/hysa_agreement and a complete list of participating banks in the program can be found at m1.co m /legal/agreements/ depositnetwork Regarding M1 Invest, All M1 clients have access to a single trading window each morning or afternoon. To participate in both trade windows, you must have $25,000 or more in equity to comply with pattern-day trading regulations. Also regarding M1 Invest, If you choose to transfer your account to another broker-dealer, only the full shares are guaranteed to transfer. Fractional shares may need to be liquidated and transferred as cash. All investing involves risk, including the risk of losing the money you invest. Brokerage products and services are offered by M1 Finance LLC, Member FINRA / SIPC, and a wholly owned subsidiary of M1 Holdings, Inc. Also regarding M1 Invest margin loans: Margin trading entails greater risk, including, but not limited to, risk of loss and incurrence of margin interest debt, and is not suitable for all investors. Please assess your financial circumstances and risk tolerance before trading on margin. If the market value of the securities in your margin account declines, you may be required to deposit more money or securities in order to maintain your line of credit. If you are unable to do so, M1 may be required to sell all or a portion of your pledged assets. Brokerage accounts on the M1 platform are either fully disclosed to APEX Clearing or cleared through M1Finance LLC. Users utilizing APEX cleared margin accounts should review the APEX margin account risk disclosure before borrowing. Users utilizing M1 cleared margin accounts should review the M1 margin account risk disclosure before borrowing. M1 Margin Loans are available on margin accounts with at least $2,000 invested per account. Not available for Retirement or Custodial accounts. Margin rates may vary. Brokerage products and services are offered by M1 Finance LLC, Member FINRA / SIPC, and a wholly owned subsidiary of M1 Holdings, Inc.. Also regarding M1 Invest: M1 does not provide investment advice, and this is not an offer or solicitation of an offer, or advice to buy or sell any security, and you are encouraged to consult your personal investment, legal, and tax advisors. M1 is not recommending or endorsing this investment by making it available to its customers. M1 and its affiliates do not provide tax, legal, or accounting advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only. It is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, tax, legal or accounting advice. You should consult your own tax, legal, and accounting advisors before engaging in any transaction. Testimonials may not be representative of the experience of other customers and is not indicative of future success.. Information is accurate as of October 23, 2024. Refer to m1.com for the most up-to-date information If you create an account at M-1 Finance via our affiliate link — which offers direct access to our recommended portfolios — The Merriman Financial Education Foundation may receive a small fee (for accounts over $1,000.) This fee will cost you nothing extra and helps support our financial education work. Thank you!
By Paul Merriman November 13, 2024
Paul mentions his upcoming presentation to the ⁠⁠⁠L.A. Chapter of AAII⁠⁠⁠ on November 16, 2024 10:30 to noon. Chris Pedersen and Daryl Bahls join Paul to answer your questions. Paul opens the podcast with a brief introduction of the team and notes how thankful he is for their commitment to helping others. Paul mentions the huge moves small cap value funds made on November 6. He follows that with a comparison of the 5 year returns of AVUV and 3 Vanguard small cap value funds (VBR, VIOV and VTWV). AVUV compound rate of returns were 3 plus percent higher than the Vanguard funds. Paul’s questions: What caused the higher returns and are they likely to be similar in the future? Chris responds with a lengthy discussion of the systematic approach that AVUV uses and Paul reads what AVUV says about their systematic approach. Chris compares the DFA small cap value fund (DFSV) with AVUV. Chris also talks about a relative ranking he wants add to his Best In Class recommendations next year. Chris discusses the quality factor of AVUV vs. funds that build their small cap value portfolio using the Russell 2000 Small Cap Value Index. He introduced a new term: rich minus weak ratio.Paul and Chris discuss the question: Is AVUV and actively managed fund? Question: JL Collins recommends VTI (Total Market Index) and Warren Buffett recommends VOO (S&P 500). Which do we recommend? Chris notes the important differences between VTI and AVUS and suggests a likely extra .5% return from AVUS. For those who want to own only total market funds, the group discusses the possibilities of replacing both VIT(U.S. Total Market) and VXUS (International Total Market) with total market indexes that favor slightly smaller companies with a slightly more value tilt. Paul references Ben Carlson’s article about, ⁠⁠ ⁠“Some Things I Don’t Believe About Investing.”⁠⁠ ⁠ Chris, Daryl and Paul weigh in on things they don’t believe about investing.Chris ends with some important comments about how we are likely helping investors.  ⁠Watch video here.
By Paul Merriman November 6, 2024
On November 16, 2024 Paul will speak to the L.A. Chapter of AAII via a Zoom presentation. Here is the link: 2 Funds to Own Forever, and How to Invest in Small Caps⁠  In this podcast Paul addresses 4 major considerations when selecting a small cap value ETF. His discussion compares the returns, along with 4 major factors, for AVUV, VBR, VB,, VIOV, DFSVX and DFSV. Is gold worthy of a place in our portfolios? Probably not but Paul talks about his gold position and why bonds are likely a lot better. He also discusses the important decision to choose buy and hold over market timing. He references the following article from Truth Teller Ben Carlson: ⁠Don’t Take Financial Advice From Hedge Fund Managers⁠
By Paul Merriman October 30, 2024
Watch the video here.⁠ Paul Merriman, a former wealth manager turned financial educator, joins us to share investing wisdom that could reshape how you think about your money. We kick things off talking about portfolio diversification. Paul suggests a simple four-fund strategy that includes large cap, small cap, and value stocks. He says this mix has historically beaten the S&P 500 with lower risk. We then dive into international investing. Paul explains that while adding international stocks doesn't necessarily boost returns, it can help smooth out the ride. He keeps half his equity portfolio in international stocks, even at age 81. Got kids? Paul's got some advice for you too. He tells us about putting money aside for his new granddaughter, aiming to fund her Roth IRA as soon as she can earn income. He breaks down how investing just a dollar a day from birth to age 21 could turn into millions by retirement age. It's a powerful lesson in starting early and the magic of compound interest. We also chat about some common investing mistakes. Paul stresses that young investors often underestimate the power of stocks over bonds for long-term growth. He shares some eye-opening numbers: $100 invested in bonds since 1928 would have grown to about $12,000, while the same amount in small cap value stocks would be worth nearly $15 million. Paul wants you to think of investing as a partnership with businesses. When you buy a mutual fund, you're becoming a senior partner in thousands of companies. At first, your contributions drive most of the growth. But over time, market returns take over, and you become the junior partner to a much larger fortune. We wrap up with Paul sharing his excitement about a 40-hour financial education program he helped create at Western Washington University. It's designed to teach students essential money skills throughout their college years, from budgeting as freshmen to understanding 401(k)s as seniors. Throughout our chat, Paul's message is clear: start early, stay diversified, and think long-term. He believes that with the right education and mindset, anyone can build a solid financial future. ⁠4 Fund Combo Guide⁠ ⁠ Table Numbers⁠ ⁠ Quilt Charts⁠ ⁠Historical Risk and Return Tables⁠ ⁠ Portfolio Configurator⁠ Timestamps: Note: Timestamps will vary on individual listening devices based on dynamic advertising run times. 0:00 Intro to Paul Merriman and podcast topic 0:57 Two-fund portfolio strategy 3:55 Four-fund portfolio strategy explained 5:31 Large cap performance concerns 7:06 S&P 500 vs Total Market Index 10:59 AI impact on large companies 14:43 Market trends and historical performance 20:41 International equity in portfolios 25:26 ETFs vs index funds 29:41 Non-US investor asset allocation 38:41 Setting up kids financially 43:57 Early investing importance 48:37 Common investor mistakes 50:25 Investing as business partnership 52:51 Evolving financial education landscape For more information visit the show notes- https://affordanything.com/550-paul-merriman-the-4-fund-strategy-that-beats-the-sp-500/
By Paul Merriman October 23, 2024
The Marriage Kids and Money Podcast is dedicated to helping you do just that. Each week, Andy Hill interviews personal finance experts, millionaire parents and financially independent couples to find out how they achieved their success. He then takes that information and breaks it down into digestible takeaways that will help you win with money. With over 400 episodes and counting, Marriage Kids and Money has been awarded “Best Family Finance Content” by Plutus two years in a row and "Content Creator of the Year". We review everything from how to achieve family financial independence to how to help your kids become future millionaires (who are generous). Paul Merriman shares how DIY investors could become millionaires through a 2 Fund Portfolio and/or 4 Fund Portfolio! GUEST BIO - Paul Merriman When I sold my investment advisory practice, I founded a financial education foundation designed to help do-it-yourself investors of all ages improve their investment returns, at less risk and with greater peace of mind. I am the author of 8 books including "We're Talking Millions! 12 Simple Ways to Supercharge Your Retirement." ⁠⁠Watch the video here.⁠
By Paul Merriman October 16, 2024
Investors need to get past marketing and sales pitches to know what they're getting when they invest. Morningstar is a great place to get that depth. Paul and Chris describe how they each use the free Morningstar tools to evaluate mutual fund and ETF characteristics, such as: * Expense ratios * Liquidity and bid/ask spreads * Geographic focus * Value and size tilts * Financial characteristics * Factor exposures * Number of holdings * Tax efficiency and* Charted historical performance with side-by-side comparisons. Chris also briefly describes how he uses the premium X-Ray feature to compare portfolios with different fund families, including the Best-in-Class ETFs, which he plans to update early next year.  For those interested in a more quantitative approach, please take a look at the Bootcamp video Chris created for the Best-in-Class ETF selection process, where he describes how he uses Portfolio Visualizer to quantify fund factor exposures and factor statistics to estimate expected returns. Here's a link to that video at the time where the Portfolio Visualizer discussion begins: ⁠⁠https://youtu.be/UaEC-JZYYJA?t=852⁠⁠ Here is the video link for this podcast. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDN3LyEFk3E
By Paul Merriman October 9, 2024
Paul updates his list of reasons to use index funds plus comparing the handful of Vanguard Small Cap Value ETFs (VTWV, SLYV, VBR AND VIOV) with the newer Avantis and DFA small cap value ETFs. He also makes the case that AVUS and DFAU total market funds are likely to produce better returns than VTSAX, VTI, VOO AND VFINX. He also discusses the ⁠ 15 year returns of 6 ⁠ each large cap growth, large cap value, small cap blend, small cap growth and small cap value indexes. The lessons from these tables should be enough to encourage investors to take a closer look at the holdings in their holdings in these asset classes. In his discussion of indexing he mentions a podcast " ⁠#1 reason to own index funds⁠ " that has had more than 1,067,000 opens and his MarketWatch article entitled ⁠“30 Reasons I Love Index Funds.”⁠ He also committed to producing a video, on how to use Morningstar to compare your mutual fund and ETF investments, before the end of the year.
By Paul Merriman October 2, 2024
Chris & Paul walk through the changes to The Merriman Financial Education Foundation’s relationship with ⁠M1 Finance⁠ , including affiliate commissions, a new emphasis on accurate messaging, and improved pre-made portfolio shortcuts (M1 calls them Pies). The new Pies now include all of our Sound Investing equity portfolios, taxable and tax-deferred fixed-income portfolios, and 5-year increments of the Merriman Aggressive Target-Date Glide Path allocations. Chris shows how easy it is to mix them to get the equity and fixed income ratio you want. He also shows how to approximate intermediate years along the target-date glide path. Finally, Paul challenges him to create a mix of several different equity strategies, which he demonstrates. Following the demonstrations, they briefly discuss how M1 compares to Fidelity’s offering. They close with a request for listener questions to be used in an upcoming interview with M1 Finance’s founder and CEO, Brian Barnes. If you have any, please email them to chriskpedersen@gmail.com . M1-Related Disclosures This podcast and ⁠video⁠ were recorded on September 12, 2024. All information is subject to change. The opinions expressed are solely those of the authors and do not reflect the views of M1. They are for informational purposes only and are not a recommendation of an investment strategy or to buy or sell any security in any account. They are also not research reports and are not intended to serve as the basis for any investment decision. Prior to making any investment decision, you are encouraged to consult your personal investment, legal, and tax advisors. M1 is a technology company offering a range of financial products and services. “M1” refers to M1 Holdings Inc., and its wholly-owned, separate affiliates M1 Finance LLC, M1 Spend LLC, and M1 Digital LLC. If you choose to transfer your account to another broker-dealer, only the full shares are guaranteed to transfer. Fractional shares may need to be liquidated and transferred as cash. All examples above are hypothetical, do not reflect any specific investments, are for informational purposes only, and should not be considered an offer to buy or sell any products. All investing involves risk, including the risk of losing the money you invest. Brokerage products and services are offered by ⁠M1 Finance LLC⁠ , Member FINRA / SIPC, and a wholly owned subsidiary of M1 Holdings, Inc. M1 does not provide investment advice, and this is not an offer or solicitation of an offer, or advice to buy or sell any security, and you are encouraged to consult your personal investment, legal, and tax advisors. M1 is not recommending or endorsing this investment by making it available to its customers.
By Paul Merriman September 25, 2024
In preparation for his presentation at the Bogleheads Conference Paul reread John Bogle’s “ ⁠The Little Book of Common Sense Investing”⁠ He has been recommending the book since 2007 but in 2017 Wiley published the updated and revised edition. There is some terrific new material in the revised edition. Paul focuses on several topics from the book including Bogel’s statement that index funds are the only “honest” funds. Paul discusses the reasons actively managed funds can’t afford to tell the truth. Paul also discusses Chapter 2 on Rational Exuberance. In this chapter Bogle discusses the very important topic of investment returns vs. speculative returns. This topic is essential for do it yourself investors to understand as it prepares them for a reality of investing that could help them stay the course during difficult times. Paul ends by reading Bogle's list of 8 common sense realities that every investor should know. It would probably be smart to reread this short list at least once a year. At the ⁠Bogleheads conference⁠ Paul will speak twice: once in an interview with Jim Dahle (The White Coat Investor). The topic is factor investing. We have developed a page of links to all of the tables that are focused on the use of factor funds to build a portfolio. ⁠Here is a link⁠ to that list of tables, charts and graphs. In his second opportunity to share he is part of a panel on investing. That will be a free for all and should be fun.  All of the conference presentations are being taped so they will be available in the coming months.
By Paul Merriman September 18, 2024
I had an amazing conversation with David Baughier on the Forget About Money podcast! We discussed my 12 One-Million Dollar Ideas for building wealth, the power of starting early, and why index funds are a game-changer for long-term investing. We also covered the importance of diversification, the benefits of small-cap value stocks, and why sticking with a buy-and-hold strategy beats trying to time the market. Whether you're new to investing or looking to refine your retirement plan, this episode has actionable tips to help you secure your financial future. Give it a listen—you won’t want to miss it!  ⁠Watch the video here.⁠ ⁠Download the transcript here
By Paul Merriman September 11, 2024
Paul starts the podcast with a discussion of his ⁠special presentation⁠ to the graduating nurses from the College of Nursing at Texas A&M. This presentation was part of a Life Transitions Series. He discusses how he might be able to do a similar presentation for other groups of graduating college students, as well as groups of investors who are trying to get the most from their company 401k. The second topic is regarding a new set of tables that should help investors figure out potential future returns for the S&P 500, ⁠Small Cap Value, U.S. 2 Fund Index Portfolio and U.S. 4 Fund Index Portfolio⁠ . The third topic was motivated by Ben Carlson’s articles on “ ⁠Why Housing is Everyone’s Favorite Investment⁠ ” and “ ⁠What is the Historical Rate of Return on Housing?⁠ ” Paul recently sold his home and discusses the challenges of figuring out how the profits compared to the S&P 500., As promised Paul had his meeting with David Sterman, an hourly CFP, who has followed our recommendations. Paul discusses his services and costs. Here is his contact information:  ⁠https://huguenotfinancialplanning.com⁠ 1358 Old Ford Rd. New Paltz, NY 12561 Phone: (917) 553-0675 ⁠ david@huguenotfinancialplanning.com⁠ For those interested in the Boglehead Conference: ⁠https://boglecenter.net/2024conference/⁠
By Paul Merriman September 4, 2024
Paul starts the podcast talking about the upcoming Boglehead Conference (Sept.27-29) in Minneapolis. The following link lists the speakers and topics. ⁠https://boglecenter.net/2024conference/⁠ Q1: Should I invest $300,000 inheritance all at once or dollar cost average? 02:23 Q2: If SCV is such a great asset class why do the companies all have such low P/E ratios? 8:06 Q3: Given that our Roth IRAs have unlimited investment options how should we approach investing in our Roth accounts to best complement the life cycle funds in our 401k? 21:54 Q4: Should we invest our IRA contributions the first of the year or dollar cost average over the year? 24:56 Q5: I’m 70 and am considering a combination of the 2040 target date fund and small cap value. How much should be in each? 26:34 Q6: Been in Ultimate Buy and Hold since 2013. I’m thinking about simplifying by using 2 or 4 fund portfolios. What are the pros and cons of change? ⁠ Recommended reviewing. ⁠ 29:37 Q7: Can I still rollover regular IRAs into Roth now that I am retired? ⁠ Recommended reading.⁠ 35:50 Q8: As a risk reducer to equities can I use T-Bills and money market funds rather than any kind of bonds. 37:35
By Paul Merriman August 28, 2024
Paul starts with a general discussion of the decision to trust recent returns or make investment based on longer term returns. He uses AVUV and ARKK as two investments you could have made in September 2019. In the discussion he ⁠references a video⁠ where arkk creator and fund manager predicts future arkk returns. Q: #1: Why should future results look like the past? 16:15 Q: #2 We are in mid 50s and we think we have more money than we will need in retirement. Is there a rule of thumb for how much money one needs? Should one just figure out their cost of living and back into the amount needed for retirement? 26:50 Q#3 Have you done a comparison of your returns compared to Dave Ramsey’s recommended portfolios? 32:55 Q #4 How can we teach young investors about the advantage of starting investing ASAP? See the following set of PowerPoints for the ⁠⁠⁠Orange County AAII⁠⁠⁠ . 40:02 Q #5 What is your take on Crypto Currency? Here is what people I trust say about CC. 44:35 Warren Buffett: “In terms of cryptocurrencies, generally, I can say with almost certainty that they will come to a bad ending,” Buffett said in 2018. And his stance hasn’t wavered since. According to Benzinga, Buffett believes that cryptocurrencies aren’t a viable or valuable investment. “Now if you told me you own all of the Bitcoin in the world and you offered it to me for $25, I wouldn’t take it because what would I do with it? I’d have to sell it back to you one way or another. It isn’t going to do anything,” Buffett said at the Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholder meeting in 2022. Ben Carlson: I have no idea what will happen with bitcoin or cryptocurrencies in general in the years ahead. Anyone who thinks they know with certainty how this all plays out is delusional. But I can say that my stance on crypto has evolved over the years to the point where I think the best-case scenario just might be the new digital gold. Larry Swedroe: Swedroe took a more skeptical view of Bitcoin. He pointed out that Bitcoin’s value proposition is questionable. ⁠⁠Bitcoin⁠⁠ has a theoretical limited supply, capped at 21 million coins. However, the existence of an unlimited number of substitute cryptocurrencies means Bitcoin faces a daunting challenge. An asset with an unlimited supply typically sees its value approach zero. Swedroe categorized Bitcoin as a Ponzi scheme, though he acknowledged that it could achieve high trading values based on what people are willing to pay.
By Paul Merriman August 21, 2024
I just finished watching Morgan Housel’s interview on “What You Need to Master (And Avoid) to Get Rich, Stay Rich, and Build Wealth." I believe you will get more out of this interview than what I recorded for my weekly podcast. As I watched I realized he was answering questions you ask, or should be asking, about the nature of successful investing. I hope you will use this time to listen or watch Morgan. I’m glad I did! I hope the list of topics below will motivate you to listen. I’ll be back with you next week. 00:00 - Intro 01:20 - Risk and income 04:14 - On luck and skill 06:44 - Buffett's secret strategy 09:02 - The one trait you need to build wealth 12:54 - Housel's capital allocation strategy 13:22 - Index funds, explained 17:33 - Expectations and moving goalposts 18:51 - Your house: asset or liability? 24:13 - Money lies we believe 28:46 - How to avoid status games 31:38 - Money rules from parents 36:49 - Rich vs. wealthy 38:20 - Housel's influential role models 39:22 - Why are rich people miserable? 42:33 - How success sows the seeds of average performance 46:24 - On risk 47:33 - Making money, spending money, saving money 49:24 - How the Vanderbilt's squandered their wealth 1:00:45 - How to manage your expectations 01:03:00 - How to talk to kids about money 01:06:26 - The biggest risk to capitalism 01:10:30 - The magic of compounding 01:12:52 - How Morgan reads 01:19:16 - How to tell the best story 01:21:16 - How Morgan writes 01:32:16 - Parting wisdom and thoughts on success
By Paul Merriman August 14, 2024
1. My husband and I are moving to Fidelity to set up your Ultimate Buy and Hold Portfolio. How do we make the change from our holdings to your portfolio? Do I have to sell all of my holdings? Plus we want to find an hourly advisor to help. Can you make a recommendation? 1:45 2. I have $1million in a money market fund. Do you think it is time to start reducing the cash position and moving to short term bonds or equity ETFS? 8:45 3. Are target date funds the same as all in one funds? 17:15 4. I would like your guidance on the decision to put together a S&P 500 and Small Cap portfolio using 3 to 1 leveraged fu?nds. Does the extra return justify the higher risk? 20:00 5. How should I protect my portfolio against inflation from the loss of the petrodollar? 35:00 6. From what I can see you have not addressed investment needs of older people in their 80s and 90s. How should I invest? I just can’t afford to lose money at my age. 39:17 7. Would I be dumb to have 10% of my retirement funds in gold? 46:20 8. With the fed getting ready to lower interest rates should I move my money market funds into 10 year Treasuries? 52:40 9. In the small cap blend and small cap value indexes it seems investors don’t get the advantage of owning small companies that grow to be the giants of corporate America. How do you get the premium when you have to sell the companies when they move beyond their index? 59:15 10. What is the difference between your 2 Funds for Life strategy and the two fund strategy that holds the S&P 500 and small cap value? 1:01
By Paul Merriman August 7, 2024
1. What is the best glide path (asset allocation) for a 58 year old pre-retiree and then in retirement? This is the link for Chris Pedersen’s 2 Funds for Life glide path . 2:50 2. I don’t need all of my RMD (required minimum distribution). How should I invest the excess? Here is the link to the video on " My 12 Favorite Vanguard Funds for Retirees ” and the link to all of the Fine Tuning Tables. 11:19 3. My wife has easily onset demential. It’s costs $200,000 a year. How should a family invest in a situation like ours? Here is the link to the Vanguard Brokerage CDs ( ⁠https://investor.vanguard.com/investment-products/cds⁠ ) and ⁠stantheannuityman.com⁠ for MYGA rates. 17:18 4. What are your thoughts regarding precious metal investing? And if there is a place, what is the best way to do it? 22:52 5. Will the massive increase in passive investing, which has benefited the large cap growth indices, reduce the long term returns of small cap value? Here is the link to the long term returns Paul mentions . 28:50 6. How would the long term returns change if we overweight the U.S. 4 Fund Portfolio with slightly more small and large cap value? Here is the link to the Equity Asset Classes (1928-2023 ) 32:01 7. I’m 72 and my wife is 63. How different should our glide paths be? Here is the link to the Vanguard and Blackrock TDFs . 44:10 8. Are REITTs more like stocks or bonds? 46:41
By Paul Merriman July 31, 2024
On July 25, 2024 Paul and Chris made a presentation to the Puget Sound AAII. Paul spoke to the latest research on small cap value and Chris spoke to the latest research on his 2 Funds for Life Portfolio. Following the presentation they answered questions from the guests. Q: What advice do you give on conversion of regular IRAs to Roth IRAs? Q: What investments do you recommend to offset large losses in the equity markets? Q: Why do you recommend AVUS over VOO, or other S&P 500 funds? In Chris’ answer he recommends listeners read his ⁠ AAII article⁠ on ETF Selection. Q: Why don’t you recommend Long Term Treasury Bond fund? Vanguard Long Term Treasury VGLT Q: Do you recommend a pension and/or Social Security be considered the equivalent of a bond fund? Q: Can you compare RSP (an equal weighted S&P 500 Fund) vs. SPY? ⁠Watch the full video here.
By Paul Merriman July 24, 2024
In this podcast Paul discusses an article by Truth Teller Ben Carlson ( ⁠The Biggest Winners in the Stock Market)⁠ , regarding a study by Dr. Hendrik Bessenbinder ( ⁠Which U.S. Stocks Generated the Highest Long-Term Returns ⁠ ) ⁠This study⁠ is an update from an earlier study from Bessenbinder that Paul has recommended many times. Paul also discusses an article by Truth Teller John Rekanthaler, ⁠"When Rebalancing Creates Higher Returns—and When It Doesn’t”⁠ This article adds to THE discussion of the impact of rebalancing on the latest video/podcast.
By Paul Merriman July 24, 2024
Paul, Daryl, and Chris are together again to discuss what they each think are the best single charts or graphs to help people understand investing and make good decisions. Paul starts by asking Chris and Daryl how much we can rely on the past to predict the future. Paul follows that with a deep dive into his choice for the most important chart -- the quilt chart. Daryl follows up with his choice -- a discussion of the tell-tale chart.Chris finishes with his choice: a discussion of the 2 Funds for Life Fine Tuning Table. Table J1b- Equity Index Returns: 1-yr Periods (1928-2023) ⁠ Table K1a⁠ - 4 US Asset Class Indexes & 4 Fund Combo Relative Return Ranking (1928-2023) ⁠ Table K2a⁠ Asset Classes & 4 Fund Combo (1928-2023) - Return Rank Frequency ⁠ Table K1b⁠ S&P 500 & US SCV Relative Return Rank Comparison (1928-2023) ⁠Table K8a⁠ Sound Investing Port. Returns: 10 Yr Periods (1928-2023) ⁠Table K6a⁠ Sound Investing Portfolios, S&P 500 & US SCV Relative Return Ranking (1928-2023) ⁠Table K7a ⁠ Sound Investing Portfolios, S&P 500 & US SCV (1928-2023) - Return Rank Frequency ⁠Watch video here.⁠
By Paul Merriman July 17, 2024
One of the most challenging aspects of being a 100% do-it-yourself investor (DYI) is dealing with the emotions of wanting to make major changes in a portfolio due to what may easily be seen as catastrophic news. The DYI doesn’t have a professional to help them think through the difficult times like the 2008 meltdown, the October 19, 1987 22% one day decline or currently, the upcoming election results. Paul believes one of the best sources of professional support a DYI could have is George Sisti’s, "On Course Financial Planning Vectors" newsletter. On this podcast Paul reads Sisti’s ⁠July issue⁠ focused on “The Election!” as well as the misleading “noise” that investors get from the typical predictions that Wall Street produces this time of year.  Paul recommends investors read ⁠George's letters ⁠ anytime they are feeling uncomfortable with the market. He even suggests that investors download his ⁠archived letters ⁠ for future reading.
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