At least once a year it's important to review your investment portfolio and make any necessary adjustments. Here are the 10 things I check every year: 1. Write down your planned asset allocation 2. Compare your actual allocation to your plan 3. Evaluate individual holdings 4. Evaluate your asset location 5. Confirm you have beneficiaries listed for each account 6. Check your performance for the past year 7. Check for excessive stock concentration 8. Evaluate your advisor relationship & fees ...
Jan 06, 2025•21 min•Ep. 183
Welcome to this week's edition of Five Question Friday. Here are the questions we'll be covering today: 1. Should you include the value of your home in your asset allocation? 2. Should we tilt our portfolio to 10% SCV? 3. After-Tax Asset allocation 4. Tips Ladders vs ETFs: If for example we had 500k for our fixed assets portion of our portfolio, what are your thoughts on building multiple TIPs ladders with all 500k to meet our retirement goals vs. a more diversified mixof t-bills, CDs, Agency, C...
Jan 04, 2025•25 min•Ep. 182
Morningstar recently released its annual State of Retirement Income report. According to its calculations, the new safe withdrawal rate is 3.7%. The report offers some excellent data and analysis that can help us as we build our retirement income strategy. Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm......
Jan 01, 2025•24 min•Ep. 181
Over the past four years I've received tens of thousands of questions about investing from viewers. I've assembled 9 of the most frequently asked questions in this video. Here they are: 1. Should you pay off debt or start investing? 2. How do I get started investing? 3. Is 100% stocks a reasonable portfolio? 4. S&P 500 vs Total Stock Market Index 5. Why do I need international stocks? 6. Should I invest in Bitcoin? 7. How do you know when you can retire? 8. Lump Sum vs DCA 9. How can I incre...
Dec 23, 2024•37 min•Ep. 180
Welcome back to another edition of Five Question Friday. For this FQF, we cover the following five questions: 1. Should we wait to invest until stock valuations come down? 2. Does it matter if we pay the tax on a Roth conversion from a taxable account? 3. Are dividend stock ETFs a reasonable alternative to bonds? 4. Why is the 3 bucket portfolio so popular? 5. Should are planned spending in retirement be based on a percentage of our pre-retirement income? Best retirement planners: https://robber...
Dec 21, 2024•25 min•Ep. 179
Do retirement planning tools calculate the same chance of success if given the same retirement plan? That's what I wanted to know, so I compared Boldin, Pralana and ProjectionLab. The results shocked me. Boldin: https://go.robberger.com/new-retireme... Pralana: https://go.robberger.com/pralana/yt-c... ProjectionLab: https://go.robberger.com/projectionla... Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm......
Dec 16, 2024•16 min•Ep. 178
In this Five Question Friday (FQF), we'll be tackling the following viewer questions: 1. Is a 100% stock portfolio the best option during retirement? 2. How does the 5-year rule on Roth conversions work? 3. Should long-term investors invest in bonds? 4. How do backdoor Roth IRA conversions work? 5. What are my favorite personal finance books to give as gifts during the holidays? Resources Mentioned in the Video: Retire Before Mom and Dad: https://amzn.to/3OQL0DA Big ERN's response: https://early...
Dec 14, 2024•21 min•Ep. 177
In this week's Five Question Friday, we look at several important retirement planning questions: 0:00 - Intro 0:45 - Should our asset allocation change if we have a much younger spouse? 7:45 - Should a pension represent the bond portion of a portfolio? 10:30 - What types of ETFs should go in taxable accounts versus retirement accounts? 14:13 - Should we prefer Roth conversions over investing in a taxable account? 17:31 - Should we prefer Roth conversions if we plan to use the money for long-term...
Dec 06, 2024•21 min•Ep. 176
I've been using Pralana Online over the past month. It's a retirement planning tool that, for a long time, was available as a spreadsheet. It's now available as an online app. In this video, I take a high-level look at Pralana and compare it to Boldin, formerly New Retirement. Pralana: https://go.robberger.com/pralana/yt-p... Boldin: https://go.robberger.com/new-retireme... Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm......
Dec 04, 2024•45 min•Ep. 175
One of my favorite tools, Portfolio Visualizer, just launched a new design. In this video, I'll show you how to navigate the changes. Unfortunately, one change is to limit the amount of backtesting data you have access to in the free version. I'll show you a free alternative. Portfolio Visualizer: https://www.portfoliovisualizer.com/ Test Folio: https://testfol.io/ Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm......
Nov 25, 2024•9 min•Ep. 174
Welcome to the first episode of Five Question Friday (FQF). I'll answer five questions from past live shows that we didn't get to. Today, we're covering the following questions: 1. Is the 6% Rule on Lump Sum vs Pension Reasonable? 2. What will my stock/bond allocation be when I reach 65? 3. How do you decide between a Roth Conversion and 0% Capital Gains Harvesting? 4. What's the best credit card for travel? 5. Should an early retiree pay off their low-rate mortgage? Kitces Article: https://www....
Nov 22, 2024•21 min•Ep. 173
Vanguard has reached a proposed settlement in the class action lawsuit related to the 2021 distribution of capital gains in its target date retirement funds. Here's how much each claimant may be entitled to receive. Proposed Vanguard Settlement: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gBIQ... Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm......
Nov 21, 2024•10 min•Ep. 172
We can save for retirement through at least four different account types: (1) 401(k) and other workplace retirement accounts, (2) IRAs, (3) HSAs, and (4) taxable accounts. Some can also use a mega backdoor Roth 401(k). In this video, I walk through one optimal approach to prioritizing which accounts to contribute to first. Here's a related article that I wrote on the topic: https://robberger.com/the-optimal-ord... Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm......
Nov 18, 2024•12 min•Ep. 171
A TIPS ladder is just one way to generate income during retirement. We'll look at two scenarios where a TIPS ladder may make sense, and then discuss the pros and cons. TIPS Ladder: https://www.tipsladder.com/ Four Easy Steps to Build a TIPS Ladder: https://www.advisorperspectives.com/a... Schwab Annuity Pricing Tool: https://www.schwab.com/annuities/fixe... Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm......
Nov 15, 2024•17 min•Ep. 170
When evaluating fees charged by investment advisors, should we look only at the actual dollars spent, or should we evaluate the long-term effect these fees have on our wealth? That's the question I address in this video. Kitces Article: https://www.kitces.com/blog/financial... My Response: https://robberger.com/how-should-we-e... Hourly and Flat Rate Advisors: https://robberger.com/low-cost-financ... Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm......
Nov 04, 2024•13 min•Ep. 169
Vanguard has announced that it is selling 280,000 small business retirement plans to Ascensus. The transaction covers individual 401(k) plans, sometimes called Solo 401(k)s, Multi-SEP IRAs, and Simple IRAs, but not individual SEP IRAs. Here's my take on what's going on, your options, and what this means for Vanguard. Press Release: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-relea... Ascensus Fees: https://www.ascensus.com/solutions/re... Fidelity Solo 401(k): https://www.fidelity.com/retirement-i... Schwab...
Oct 28, 2024•10 min•Ep. 168
In brief remarks, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell all but took an interest rate cut in the near term off the table. In doing so, he taught us a very important lesson about investing. Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm......
Oct 25, 2024•9 min•Ep. 167
Fidelity recently disclosed that its computer systems were breached and that the personal data of more than 77,000 customers were accessed. here's what happened and some ways we can protect ourselves. News of hack: https://www.investmentnews.com/indust... Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/doc/data-breach-... Maine: https://www.maine.gov/agviewer/conten... New Hampshire: https://mm.nh.gov/files/uploads/doj/r... Sample Fidelity letter: file:///Users/robberger/Downloads/Sample_Letter.pdf Class Ac...
Oct 21, 2024•12 min•Ep. 166
Does the 4% Rule apply in the same way to tax-deferred, tax-free, and taxable accounts? And how should one consider the different tax treatments of these accounts when coming up with a safe spending plan in retirement? I'll cover these questions in today's video. Bengen's 1996 Paper: https://www.financialplanningassociat... Bengen's 1997 Paper: https://www.financialplanningassociat... New Retirement: https://go.robberger.com/new-retireme... Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/n...
Oct 11, 2024•15 min•Ep. 165
Today, the top 10 companies in the S&P 500 Index account for more than 33% of the index. That's the largest concentration we've seen in 50 years. In this video we'll cover three things: 1. Just how significant is the concentration? 2. Does it tell us anything about future returns? 3. What, if anything, should we do about the concentration. Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm......
Oct 09, 2024•16 min•Ep. 164
Our retirement plan's chance of success depends a lot on assumptions we make about future investment returns. In this video, I walk through my approach to this issue. Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm......
Oct 07, 2024•29 min•Ep. 163
In this video, we'll discuss how to optimize the tax efficiency of your retirement withdrawals. New Retirement: https://go.robberger.com/new-retireme... Many retirees have up to three account types: taxable, tax-deferred (e.g., traditional IRA), and tax-free (Roth IRA or HSA). The conventional wisdom tells us to spend the taxable accounts first, then the tax-deferred, and finally the tax-free. It turns out that this approach is rarely optimal. By making a few adjustments to the conventional appr...
Oct 04, 2024•26 min•Ep. 162
A viewer named Bill emailed me today about the bucket strategy. He has watched my videos on the bucket strategy and understands why I don't recommend it. He wants to know if the traditional approach of a total return portfolio with annual rebalancing negates the sequence of returns risk. It's a great question, and I share my perspective in today's video. Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm......
Oct 02, 2024•24 min•Ep. 161
Today we look at the 8 crucial differences between interest and dividends. We'll also look at how one should think about interest and dividends when using the 4% Rule of retirement spending. Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm......
Sep 30, 2024•16 min•Ep. 160
Andy Panko, CFP, joins us to help answer your questions about retirement planning and taxes. Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm... Join Andy's Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/retirementplanningeducation Check Out Andy's Website: https://retirementplanningeducation.com/ Listen to Andy's Podcast Retirement Planning Education Below: https://retirementplanningeducation.com/podcast...
Sep 27, 2024•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 159
With the launch of Bitcoin Spot ETFs, investors now have a safe, low-cost way to own Bitcoin. In this video, we'll look at some examples of these new ETFs, and then I'll make the strongest case I can in favor of adding Bitcoin to an asset allocation portfolio. Then I'll share how I'm approaching Bitcoin and why. Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm......
Sep 27, 2024•16 min•Ep. 158
Roth IRAs are best known for tax-free spending in retirement. What many don't know, however, is that if you make a mistake with a Roth IRA, you could end up owing taxes or a 10% penalty on some of your withdrawals. In this video, we'll walk through how to avoid these Roth IRA tax traps. We'll cover the two 5-year rules of Roth IRAs, the ordering rules of withdrawals, the aggregation rule, and even the backdoor Roth IRA. Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm......
Sep 25, 2024•25 min•Ep. 157
Several weeks ago some reported what has been called the Chase Glitch. The glitch allowed people to deposit bogus checks at Chase ATM's and then immediately withdraw the funds. That glitch has now moved to Fidelity, where some have tried depositing bogus checks via Fidelity's mobile app, and then immediately taking out the money. In response, Fidelity has limited check deposits via its mobile app, extended hold periods on deposited funds, and even locked some customers out of their accounts. Joi...
Sep 24, 2024•13 min•Ep. 156
Today, we look at five apps you can use to track your investments. Three of them are free, and two are paid. All of them are excellent tools depending on the features you want. Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm......
Sep 23, 2024•15 min•Ep. 155
Yesterday the Fed lowered the Fed Funds rate by 1/2 of a percent. The prime rate followed, going from 8.5% to 8.0%. Rates on everything from credit cards to savings accounts to CDs also went down. And the rates on bonds and mortgages continued to decline. Given all of this, where are the best places to keep your cash? The Fed's Statement: https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsev... 30-year U.S. Bond Yields: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MO... T-Bill Yields: https://home.treasury.gov/resource-c...
Sep 20, 2024•14 min•Ep. 154
