Talking Real Money - Investing Talk
Financial talk radio veteran, Don McDonald and former host of Serious Money on PBS, Tom Cock, join forces to talk about real money issues. In each episode, they solve real money problems, dole out real investing (not speculating) advice, and really explain the financial issues that effect all of us. Plus, it's actually fun! Talking Real Money is a podcast designed to provide the real help we all need to enjoy a really great future. Call in with your questions anytime at 855-935-TALK (8255).
Episodes
1932 episodes
Question Onslaught
Tom’s on vacation, but the listener questions are not. In this packed Q&A episode, Don tackles one of the most common retirement dilemmas: if your Social Security and annuity income already cover your expenses, do you still need a tradition...
Tom Tests Don
In what may be our last quiz, ever, Tom turns the tables and puts Don in the hot seat with a Wall Street Journal high-school personal finance quiz—covering the Magnificent Seven, Roth IRAs, TIPS, efficient markets, yield curves, market risk, an...
The Right Withdrawal Rate?
Tom and Don tackle one of retirement’s hardest questions: how much can you safely spend from your portfolio without blowing up the rest of your life? They walk through the familiar 4% rule, flexible withdrawal strategies, why a flat 10% ...
Mom (Dad) and Money
As parents age, money can get more complicated—bill paying, account access, healthcare decisions, investment management, and eventually the possibility that someone else may need to step in. In this episode, Don and Tom walk through how familie...
It's Very Volatile!
Don and Tom take on the latest crypto hype cycle, arguing that Bitcoin remains speculation—not a reliable store of wealth—and that putting crypto inside retirement accounts is especially dangerous. They discuss a new self-directed IRA crypto pl...
Clickbait Investing
Don and Tom take apart a clickbait Kiplinger piece touting the “five top buy-and-hold investments to manage market volatility,” arguing that the list is a random grab-bag of recent winners rather than a coherent portfolio. They explain why the ...
Another Money Quiz
Can Tom beat the average American on a personal finance quiz?Don puts Tom in the hot seat with eight questions drawn from a financial literacy quiz developed by researchers at Stanford University and TIAA. The topics range from earning, ...
You Can't Beat 'Em
Don and Tom tackle the blurry line between free speech and market manipulation after the conviction of prominent short seller Andrew Left. They debate whether financial influencers should be allowed to profit from public stock recommendations, ...
Cash Can Be Trash
Are you keeping too much money in cash because you’re waiting for the “right time” to invest? In this episode, Tom and Don explain why market timing has historically been one of the costliest investing mistakes—and why even the worstin...
Q&A Big Day
This week’s Friday Q&A is packed with six listener questions covering some of the biggest financial decisions people face before and during retirement. Topics include whether actively managed bond funds are worth the extra cost, how the new...
You Only Live Once
Why do so many retirees struggle to spend money they’ve spent decades saving? Don and Tom explore the psychology behind retirement spending, including the fear of running out of money, the reluctance to touch principal, and how guaranteed incom...
They're Back...
Tom welcomes legendary investor educator and longtime friend Paul Merriman for a wide-ranging conversation about the evolution of indexing, the proposed changes to the S&P 500, and why investors should understand both the strengths and limi...
Summer Travel Tips
Tom welcomes consumer advocate and longtime journalist Herb Weisbaum to discuss the surprisingly expensive and increasingly chaotic summer travel season. Herb explains why airfare and travel costs remain elevated, why airline prices may not fal...
Tom and Roxy Qs&As
Tom welcomes back advisor Roxy Butner for a wide-ranging discussion that begins with practical financial advice for new graduates and quickly expands into questions from listeners about student loans, emergency funds, retirement savings, portfo...
Penny Wise?
Don and Tom take on one of investors’ biggest blind spots: focusing on tiny costs while ignoring the factors that have a far greater impact on long-term wealth. Using a recent Jason Zweig article as a springboard, they explain how taxes can red...
Older and More Aggressive?
NOTE: This episode was accidentally uploaded as yesterday's podcast. To make the information match, the correct podcast for 6/16 has been uploaded in yesterday's place. If you heard this episode yesterday, please check out the newest episode...
Better Income?
Should retirees live off dividends and bond interest, or use a total return strategy? Don and Tom tackle one of the most persistent myths in retirement investing: that dividend-paying stocks create safer retirement income. They explain why divi...
Advice Evolution
Don takes listeners on a journey through nearly four decades of investment advice, explaining how his thinking evolved from recommending active mutual funds in the 1980s to embracing index funds, factor investing, and eventually ETFs. Along the...
Fewer Questions
Don answers a diverse collection of listener questions covering Roth conversions, indexed annuities, emergency fund management, TSP contributions, inherited money, and portfolio construction. He delivers a forceful warning about indexed annuiti...
How Bonds Work
Don and Tom tackle rising bond yields and the anxiety they create for investors, explaining why higher bond yields mean lower bond prices and why recent moves in long-term Treasury rates have sparked comparisons to the period before the 2008 fi...
Hot IPOs, Cold Returns?
Don and Tom examine the coming wave of blockbuster IPOs, including rumored offerings from SpaceX, Anthropic, and OpenAI, and explain why investor excitement often leads to disappointing results. Drawing on research from Dimensional Fund Advisor...
What is Risk?
Don and Tom explore the difference between smart risk and dumb risk in investing, sparked by new survey data showing younger investors increasingly believe they must take big risks to achieve their financial goals. They discuss the rise in stoc...
Not Bogle's Vanguard
Don and Tom question whether the investment industry—and increasingly Vanguard—keeps creating new products simply to stay relevant rather than solve real investor problems. They critique Vanguard’s new Target Retirement Lifetime Income Fund, wh...
