Talking Real Money - Investing Talk

Future Jobs

This episode begins with a look at the changing career landscape as AI and automation reshape white-collar work. Don and Tom discuss a Wall Street Journal piece suggesting that some workers—and especially young people deciding on careers—may want to reconsider the trades and other blue-collar paths where demand and wages are rising. They explore shortages in skilled labor, the value of transferable business skills, and the importance of knowing yourself when choosing a career. Listener questions then cover whether Robinhood’s transfer bonuses make the platform worth considering, the realities of starting a second career as a financial advisor later in life, and whether switching from the Avantis Global Equity ETF (AVGE) to the more value-tilted AVGV makes sense inside an IRA. 0:04 Why today’s topic isn’t investing but earning money—rethinking career paths in the age of AI 1:15 White-collar layoffs and stagnant wages: why some workers may reconsider the trades 2:32 Labor shortages in skilled jobs and the surprising opportunities in service and technical roles 3:31 Don’s brief career as a car dealership service advisor—and learning to drive a stick shift the hard way 6:46 Apprenticeships, pay potential, and career ladders in skilled trades 9:05 Blue-collar employment rising among younger workers 9:47 Massive labor shortages: factory workers, construction workers, and auto technicians 11:35 Pensions today—why unions still offer them while many corporations no longer do 13:04 Career wandering in your twenties and discovering the right path 14:23 Listener Mike: Is Robinhood okay if you ignore the gambling features and just invest? 17:23 Listener Dominic: Starting a second career as a financial planner at age 55 19:14 Why great advisors succeed because of people skills—not investment knowledge 21:03 Will AI reduce the number of financial advisors needed? 23:18 Listener Angela: Switching from AVGE to AVGV inside an IRA 24:47 Risk differences between global equity and global value portfolios Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More Questions!

This Friday Q&A episode tackles several thoughtful listener questions covering 401(k) investment choices, Roth conversion strategies, bond market fears, inherited IRA planning, and investment club mechanics. Don explains why opaque collective investment trusts and “cycle” funds often hide market-timing strategies, cautions against making large Roth conversions based on predictions about future tax rates, and reassures investors worried about inflation and national debt that markets already incorporate widely known risks. The episode closes with a practical endorsement of a listener’s strategy to gradually withdraw from an inherited IRA to fund Roth contributions, emphasizing simplicity, discipline, and avoiding emotionally driven portfolio decisions. 0:04 Don realizes the intro still says “radio” even though the show is now mostly a podcast. 0:26 Friday Q&A format explained and reminder to submit questions at TalkingRealMoney.com. 1:00 Question 1: 33-year-old with $330k in a 401(k) invested in opaque “intermediate cycle” and wealth-preservation funds. 2:26 Don explains collective investment trusts (CITs) and why their lack of transparency is problematic. 5:25 Market-timing strategies disguised as “cycle” funds and why simple equity funds may be better. 6:47 Question 2: Listener corrects earlier discussion about transferring securities from investment clubs. 8:37 How in-kind transfers can avoid capital gains when leaving an investment club—depending on club rules and brokerage policies. 10:31 Question 3: Complex Roth conversion strategy involving IRMAA tiers and future tax assumptions. 14:31 Don warns against making large conversions based on predictions about future tax rates. 16:07 Why gradual conversions preserve flexibility compared with large upfront tax bets. 17:28 Question 4: Concern about national debt and whether to replace BND with VTIP (TIPS). 18:56 Don argues markets already price known risks like debt and inflation expectations. 20:11 How TIPS work and when they actually help investors. 21:46 Reminder that emotional reactions to economic fears often lead to bad portfolio decisions. 22:10 Question 5: Using withdrawals from an inherited IRA to fund Roth IRA contributions. 22:52 Strategy: withdraw gradually to fund Roth contributions while staying within tax brackets. 24:15 Don endorses the plan as simple, tax-efficient, and compliant with the 10-year inherited IRA rule. 25:09 Closing comments and reminder to submit questions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Free Money?

AI hype is colliding with financial reality. Don and Tom examine Elon Musk’s suggestion that artificial intelligence could create such abundance that retirement savings might become unnecessary. They unpack the economics behind universal basic income, including the staggering cost—even a modest payment would require trillions in new revenue—and explain why most Americans aren’t betting their futures on Silicon Valley promises. The episode also answers listener questions about confusing target-date fund holdings, what to do with an overfunded 529 plan, and how to reduce taxable investment distributions by placing assets in the right accounts. Along the way they revisit lessons from past technological revolutions, discuss the importance of work beyond income, and continue their campaign against the scourge of gas-powered leaf blowers. 0:04 AI panic and Elon Musk’s claim that AI could make retirement savings unnecessary. 1:52 Musk’s vision of AI-driven abundance and universal income replacing traditional retirement planning. 3:36 The practical question: who actually pays for universal income checks? 5:30 Historical tax rates in the 1960s vs. today’s marginal tax structure. 6:21 Survey shows 94% of readers still plan to save despite AI predictions. 7:17 Boston College researchers warn Musk’s comments send a dangerous retirement message. 8:23 Why universal basic income would require major government policy and taxes. 8:45 Past technology revolutions didn’t distribute wealth evenly. 9:27 Why humans need work for purpose, not just income. 10:33 The math problem: even $1,000/month UBI would require about $3.1 trillion annually. 11:54 Historical comparison to the Luddite era and displaced workers. 13:18 Listener question: What “short-term debt and net other assets” mean in a Fidelity target-date fund. 17:38 Listener question: Overfunding a 529 plan and potential Roth rollover strategies. 20:45 Listener question: Using Vanguard Tax-Managed Balanced Fund to reduce taxable distributions. 23:28 Asset location strategy: placing bonds in IRAs and stocks in taxable accounts. 24:49 Where to easily find mutual fund returns using Morningstar. 25:46 Tom’s Scottsdale advisory meetings announcement. 26:45 The crusade against gas-powered leaf blowers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Teach Real Investing

Financial education is expanding nationwide—but much of it is still teaching speculation instead of investing. Don and Tom critique stock-picking contests, flawed risk frameworks, and misleading “active vs. passive” framing, while arguing for evidence-based investing and early Roth contributions as the true foundations of financial literacy. They break down the compounding power of a 529-to-Roth strategy, address custodial transaction fees when selling mutual funds, caution against performance chasing in emerging markets after a major rally, and help a caller navigate moving an elderly parent’s CD out of a low-yield bank account. The through-line: education is powerful—but only if it’s grounded in reality. 0:04 Financial education expanding nationwide—but stock-picking contests still dominate curricula. 2:14 Why stock games teach trading, not investing. Own the market instead. 3:32 Federal Reserve curriculum critique—risk scales and “active vs passive” framing. 6:10 Teach teenagers Roth IRAs early. Time is the superpower. 7:36 Questionable risk ratings—growth stocks equated with collectibles. 9:17 Efficient Market Hypothesis in plain English—luck vs insider info. 10:45 529 plans and Roth rollovers—$35K opportunity. 11:37 Compounding example—$35K to nearly $2M tax-free over 40+ years. 15:43 Withdrawing from a Vanguard target-date fund—costs and custodian fees. 20:07 Performance chasing—emerging markets surge after tariff ruling. 23:13 South Korea’s role and Avantis outperformance. 28:40 Helping an elderly parent move a $200K CD—avoid automatic rollovers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the Cost?

Don and Tom revisit the eternal temptation to beat the market, dismantling the appeal of equal-weight indexes and active management claims by highlighting implementation costs, tax drag, and decades of underperformance data. They explain why diversification isn’t about bragging rights but smoother returns and disciplined risk management. Callers tackle portfolio rebalancing for a multimillion-dollar account (with a strong case made for elegant simplicity), sibling stock-picking rivalries, and small-business 401(k) options 0:04 Beating the market. Four decades of “sure things” that weren’t. 2:44 Equal-weight vs. cap-weight. Smart idea… until costs show up. 4:58 Why diversify beyond the S&P 500. Smooth ride over bragging rights. 6:03 Theory vs. reality. Execution costs ruin beautiful strategies. 7:30 Active managers as “teammates.” The SPIVA reality check. 15:43 Small-business 401(k)s. More options, Vanguard pricing breakdown. 20:59 Caller Dan: Rebalancing a $3M portfolio. Simplicity wins. 28:33 Caller Glenn: “My brother beats the market.” Luck vs. skill. 33:56 Caller Dale: Virtual access and post-event recordings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices