We look at the following questions in today's Five Question Friday: 1. Are growth stocks best for Roth IRAs? 2. How should you pay taxes on retirement account withdrawals? 3. How should you invest in retirement if you are scared of the stock market? 4. What's the ideal set-it-and-forget-it retirement portfolio? 5. Should you withdrawal cash from investment accounts to create an emergency fund? Schwab RMD article: https://www.schwab.com/go-digital/rmd Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robbe...
Jun 14, 2025•28 min•Ep. 217
In today's Five Question Friday video we cover these questions: 1. Why has Bill Bengen gone from 4% to 5%? 2. Is it ok to put Social Security bridge money in a money market fund? 3. How do Fidelity's Zero Funds compare to Vanguard Index Funds? 4. Should cash count towards your asset allocation? 5. Should you convert Vanguard Mutual Funds to ETFs? Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...
Jun 07, 2025•23 min•Ep. 216
I viewer named Eileen asked about how her children, who are in their twenties, should invest. Here's her question: Can you do a video on constructing a retirement account (Roth) for my 20 year old kids? They are contributing 15%. I am thinking 10% VGSLX, 10% VSIAX, 30% VTIAX and 50% either VTSAX or VVIAX. Your thoughts please. In this video I'll walk through the 3 goals of long-term investing, evaluate Eileen's proposed portfolio, and look at one alternative. Empower: https://go.robberger.com/em...
Jun 03, 2025•23 min•Ep. 215
In today's Five Question Friday we look at these 5 questions: 1. Does a Market Crash Change How to Use the 4% Rule? 2. How do bond ETFs generate returns? 3. Are Timothy Funds a good option? 4. Is Fidelity HSA a solid account? 5. What's better in retirement, Schwab Intelligent Portfolios or a TDR Fund? Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...
May 31, 2025•24 min•Ep. 214
In this video, I share my experience attending a free dinner investment seminar. The seminar was allegedly to help investors handle volatility in the markets. Instead, it turned out to be a sales pitch for expensive, complex investing products like a leveraged options strategy. Here are links to the resources I mention in the video: SPIVA Report: https://www.spglobal.com/spdji/en/res... Concentration of SP500: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/sp/v... Vanguard Lont-Term Bond Fund: https://www.mor...
May 28, 2025•23 min•Ep. 213
In this edition of Five Question Friday (FQF), we look at these five questions: 1. My 401k is not employer matched, should I stop contributing to my employer 401k and open a Roth IRA instead? 2. Where should we keep cash we'll need to spend in 12 to 18 months? 3. Can you implement the bucket strategy in Boldin? 4. SCHD + TIPS & Chill? 5. Do Short-Term Treasury Bills provide the same inflation protection as TIPS? Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm......
May 24, 2025•23 min•Ep. 212
In today's Five Question Friday (FQF) we'll tackle the following questions: 1. Is now a good time to change your asset allocation? 2. Do target date funds force you to sell stocks in a down market? 3. Does the IRS treat the withdrawal of dividends as taking out earnings or contributions from a Roth IRA? 4. Is an 80% Chance of Success in Retirement reasonable? 5. How much should you allocate to international stocks? Boldin: https://go.robberger.com/boldin/yt-fqf ProjectionLab: https://go.robberge...
May 16, 2025•27 min•Ep. 211
In this video, I'll run down several high-yield options for your cash. I'll also discuss where we are keeping our cash today. Bank Bonuses: https://www.allcards.com/best-bank-bo... CD Rates: https://www.allcards.com/cd-rates/ Savings Rates: https://www.allcards.com/savings-acco... No-Penalty CD Rates: https://www.allcards.com/no-penalty-c... Vanguard Money Market Funds: https://investor.vanguard.com/investm... Schwab Money Market Funds: https://www.schwab.com/money-market-f... T-Bill Yields: htt...
May 10, 2025•10 min•Ep. 210
The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College recently surveyed financial advisors, asking what the major risks were to their clients' retirement. In this video, we'll look at the top 5 risks financial advisors identified, and compare them to the five biggest risks according to retirees. Here's the study: https://crr.bc.edu/wp-content/uploads... ProjectionLab (Use Code RBERGER-10 for a 10% discount): https://go.robberger.com/projectionla... Boldin: https://go.robberger.com/boldin/yt- Join...
May 08, 2025•11 min•Ep. 209
Here are today's Five Question Friday (FQF): 1. Are financial apps safe? 2. Can you help me understand the risk of bonds? 3. How are mutual fund dividends taxed? 4. How should we think about annuities for retirement income? 5. Does Ben Felix hate index funds? Ben Felix video: • The Problem With Index Funds Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm......
May 03, 2025•27 min•Ep. 208
Here are the five questions we'll cover in this week's edition of Five Question Friday: 1. Is now a good time to do a Roth conversion? (John) 2. Mutual Funds vs ETFs (Shane) 3. Should we invest more in international stocks? (Phil) 4. Is Gold a hedge against inflation? (Cathy) 5. Has 2025 wrecked our retirement plans? (Doug) Resources Boldin: https://go.robberger.com/boldin/yt-fqf ProjectionLab: https://go.robberger.com/projectionla... Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newslet...
Apr 25, 2025•34 min•Ep. 207
Welcome to another edition of Five Question Friday (FQF). We actually have 6 questions today plus a free investment tracking tool: 1. Do I send Facebook friend requests to viewers? 2. Is this a good time to start investing? 3. Is rebalancing in volatile times just market timing? 4. If following the 4% rule, should the amount you pay in taxes be included? 5. Should an emergency fund be part of your asset allocation? 6. What is your opinion of using T-bills for cash instead of CDs or bonds? Invest...
Apr 18, 2025•19 min•Ep. 206
A viewer named John emailed me the following question: "I'm planning to build a 5yr TIPS ladder to provide some inflation protected income in the years before Medicare and SS. How do I model that "account" in Boldin??" It's a great question, and it gives us the opportunity to look at an often overlooked feature of retirement planning software--pension income. Yes, a TIPS ladder can be modeled as pension income. We'll look at it in both Boldin and ProjectionLab. Boldin: https://go.robberger.com/b...
Apr 16, 2025•17 min•Ep. 205
Here are the questions for this week's Five Question Friday (FQF): 1. Are savings accounts better than bond funds? 2. Can you please explain nominal and real returns? 3. Does it matter if the market is up or down if you do a Roth conversion? 4. Will I be taxed twice on reinvested dividends? 5. Do you really need more than one broker? Bonus Question: What camera and mic are you using? Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm......
Apr 11, 2025•22 min•Ep. 204
Choosing between traditional and Roth 401k contributions is difficult. It forces us to make a guess about our taxes years or even decades from now. In this video, we'll discuss some of the factors that can affect this decision. And then, I'll share one strategy that may make the decision much easier. Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm......
Apr 07, 2025•12 min•Ep. 203
Welcome to another edition of Five Question Friday (FQF). Here are the five questions we'll cover: 1. Will fake inflation data destroy TIPS? 2. How should a pension affect your asset allocation? 3. Do advisors really add 3% to your returns? 4. TIPS Ladder vs TIPS Fund 5. Investing in a Roth vs Traditional Retirement Account Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm......
Apr 04, 2025•27 min•Ep. 202
According to the latest report from the Board of Trustees of Social Security, it will become insolvent in 2033. Without money in the trust fund to bolster tax receipts. The Social Security Administration will only be able to pay out 79 cents on the dollar in benefits. Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...
Apr 02, 2025•17 min•Ep. 201
Retirement planning requires that we make a lot of assumptions about the future. From all of these assumptions and other data, most software spits out a "Chance of Success." That number can make the future appear more certain than it is. In fact, many people make some big mistakes with their retirement plans. Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm......
Mar 31, 2025•19 min•Ep. 200
Welcome to Five Question Friday! Here are the questions we'll cover in today's video: 1. Should You Build a TIPS Ladder in Retirement? 2. Are Vanguard's LifeStrategy Funds a Reasonable Choice in Retirement? 3. Is the 40/60 Portfolio the New 60/40 Portfolio? 4. How many investment brokers do I use? 5. How to rebalance across different account types? Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm......
Mar 28, 2025•28 min•Ep. 199
In today's Five Question Friday (FQF), we tackle these five fantastic questions: 1. What financial apps are worth paying for in or near retirement? 2. How do you enter money market funds into your investment tracking spreadsheet? 3. Is it safe to link accounts to apps? 4. Can you comment on Bill Bernstein's comment that if you've won the game, stop playing? 5. Is Larry Kotlikoff's criticism of Boldin justified? Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm......
Mar 21, 2025•28 min•Ep. 198
Retirement withdrawal strategies are about a lot more than just the 4% rule or safe withdrawal rates. To better understand how they work and how you can apply them to your retirement, this video walks through 7 rules I follow when it comes to spending down your investments in retirement. Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm......
Mar 18, 2025•26 min•Ep. 197
In today's Five Question Friday (FQF), we have five more great questions sent in by viewers: 1. Should we think of dividends as guaranteed income? 2. Should we invest in our HSA the same way we invest in our Roth IRA? 3. How should you pay tax on a Roth Conversion? 4. Should you get long-term care insurance? 5. Should our investing strategy change as our wealth rises? WSJ Article on LTC insurance: https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/... Fidelity Alternative Investments: https://www.fidelity.com...
Mar 14, 2025•23 min•Ep. 196
In this video, I'll describe my approach to investing in uncertain times. To do so, I'll enlist the help of the D.C. subway system, Sir Isaac Newton, and the 1970s. The 60/40 Solution: https://www.safalniveshak.com/wp-cont... Sir Isaac Newton Paper: https://www.sfu.ca/~poitras/cjh_newto... The Telegraph Article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne... Stocks for the Long Run: https://amzn.to/4hyy0hz Stay the Course: https://amzn.to/4hq4HOh 150 Years of Stock Market Crashes: https://www.mornings...
Mar 12, 2025•15 min•Ep. 195
In today's Five Question Friday (FQF), we cover the following: 1. Some thoughts on how to hire a financial advisor 2. Whether to consider Medicare premiums in your Roth conversion analysis 3. How Social Security should affect our asset allocation in retirement 4. How variable income should affect how we invest 5. Whether I sold U.S. stocks to buy International stocks this year. Resources mentioned in the video: Boldin: https://go.robberger.com/new-retireme... ProjectionLab: https://go.robberger....
Mar 07, 2025•27 min•Ep. 194
In this video, I'll share with you my current investment portfolio, including a big change I made in our traditional retirement accounts. I'll also share an update to my free investment tracking spreadsheet. https://robberger.com/investment-trac... Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm......
Mar 05, 2025•19 min•Ep. 193
With stock valuations near all-time highs in the U.S., many people are asking whether we should reduce or exposure to stocks. In fact, a recent Vanguard market outlook report concluded that a typical 60/40 retirement portfolio may be too rich, and that a 40/60 portfolio is a better option in this valuation environment. This video is my take on all of this. Resources: Vanguard Report: https://corporate.vanguard.com/conten... Bogleheads Forum Post: https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/view... Join the...
Mar 03, 2025•17 min•Ep. 192
Welcome back to another edition of Five Question Friday (FQF). Here are today's questions: 1. What bond funds do I use in my portfolio? 2. Do you really need an emergency fund? 3. How does living off interest work with Bengen's 4% rule? 4. How to track money market funds in my investment tracking spreadsheet? 5. Are money market funds better than intermediate-term bond funds? Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm......
Feb 28, 2025•27 min•Ep. 191
Warren Buffett recently sol 100% of the two S&P 500 index funds Berkshire Hathaway owned, including Vanguard's VOO. In this video, we'll look at whether we should too. News Article: https://www.investors.com/etfs-and-fu... Berkshire's Stock Holdings: https://www.dataroma.com/m/holdings.p... Berkshire's Net Stock Sales: https://x.com/dividend_data/status/18... Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm......
Feb 24, 2025•10 min•Ep. 190
Welcome to another edition of Five Question Friday (FQF). Here are the 5 questions: 1. Can one Fidelity fund beat the Vanguard 3-fund portfolio? 2. How do expense ratios work with fund of funds? 3. Concerning the 4% rule, which I believe the analysis runs out for 30 years, if someone starts to take a yearly percentage out of their portfolio at a later age, say in their mid-70s, can the starting point of 4% be safely increased, and to what? 4. How to Track a Complicated Portfolio 5. What should w...
Feb 14, 2025•35 min•Ep. 189
Get 10% off the cost of ProjectionLab with promo code RBERGER-10 using this link: https://go.robberger.com/projectionla... . In today's video, we'll look at the following features of ProjectionLab: 1. Export/Import Data 2. Income/Expense 3. Tax Analytics 4. Drawdowns 5. Bond Allocation Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm......
Feb 12, 2025•28 min•Ep. 188
