Talking Real Money - Investing Talk

Episode 2001 begins a new millennium of money questions—with Don sorting out the numbering before tackling inherited IRAs, CD ladders, Roth conversions, workplace retirement plans, Warren Buffett’s famously simple portfolio advice, and capital-gains harvesting for children. The common thread is simplicity with enough diversification and tax planning to avoid expensive surprises. 01:07 Welcome to Episode 2001 04:27 Simplifying inherited IRAs 09:13 Building an automatic CD ladder 11:46 Roth c...

Bond prices are falling as yields rise—and that does not mean diversification has failed. Don and Tom explain why high-quality bonds can decline when stocks and the economy are strong, why that behavior is normal, and why chasing high-yield or “alternative” bond funds can quietly turn the conservative side of a portfolio into more stock-market risk. They also answer questions about Roth conversions after required minimum distributions have begun, whether conversion taxes should ever come fro...

Some IRA mistakes cannot simply be reversed. Don and Tom explain the traps around non-spouse beneficiary transfers, the one-rollover-per-year rule, 72(t) plans, the same-property rollover rule, outdated beneficiaries, qualified charitable distributions, missed RMDs, and portfolio drift. Then Mike from Salt Lake City asks how aggressively he should convert a traditional IRA to Roth before Social Security and future inherited assets change the tax picture. Don and Tom discuss bracket managemen...

Don and Tom compare the S&P 500 with total-market and globally diversified investing, explain the danger of home bias, and show why owning more of the world can reduce concentration risk. Then they answer questions about Roth conversions, bond-fund losses, CD ladders, and matching a risk score to a stock-bond allocation. 00:00 Oktoberfest musical intro 01:23 S&P 500 versus the whole market 04:18 Why global diversification matters 09:07 Home bias around the world 13:11 A lost decade f...

Don and Tom use Disney’s infamous lemming myth to explain investor herd behavior, recency bias, and the danger of chasing whatever has recently been hot. Then they answer questions about simplifying a diversified portfolio, evaluating a long-held annuity, and why “Bank on Yourself” whole-life strategies create more problems than they solve. 00:00 The lemming film clip 00:56 The lemmings didn’t jump 02:21 The lemming corollary 04:38 Herd behavior in tech, crypto, and markets 07:58 When the cr...