Episode 418: Different Drummers, Even More GDE, Nice Blogging When You Can Get It, And Portfolio Reviews As Of April 25, 2025

In this episode we answer emails from Jeff, Jenzo and Sam.  We discuss spending money on relationships, a 72(t) situation, what to do with an unused Coverdell, GDE (again), a nice risk parity write-up and some random musings about the history of free speech and communications technologies.

And THEN we our go through our weekly portfolio reviews of the eight sample portfolios you can find at Portfolios | Risk Parity Radio.

Additional links:

Jenzo's GDE Backtest:  testfol.io/?s=0SLNjC7As4b

Sam's Most Excellent Risk Parity Explication Blog Post:  15 Uncorrelated Assets | SSiS

Sam's Most Excellent Bill Of Rights Blog Post:  Boxed In | SSiS

Breathless Unedited AI-Bot Summary:

When markets tumble and headlines scream doom, properly diversified portfolios reveal their quiet strength. This episode showcases exactly that phenomenon - while small cap value has plummeted 15.58% and the S&P 500 has shed 5.74% year-to-date, gold has soared a remarkable 25.87%, creating a balancing effect that keeps risk parity portfolios remarkably stable.

We dive into listener Jeff's retirement strategy, examining his use of 72T distributions and exploring whether his recent RV purchase makes financial sense. The answer turns out to be more about relationships than raw numbers. Research shows expenditures that facilitate meaningful connections tend to yield the greatest happiness returns - a powerful framework for evaluating major purchases in retirement.

The emerging world of composite leveraged ETFs takes center stage as we examine GDE, which combines S&P 500 exposure with gold allocation at 1.8x leverage. While innovative funds like these package risk parity principles into convenient solutions, they represent a tradeoff between simplicity and control. We explore whether these instruments belong in a sophisticated asset allocation strategy or if traditional single-asset funds still offer superior flexibility.

For investors fascinated by portfolio design theory, we tackle the question of just how many truly uncorrelated assets one needs. While hedge funds and endowments might pursue 15+ distinct asset classes, diminishing returns suggest a more practical approach for individual investors. The mathematical reality shows the incremental benefit of adding that 11th or 12th asset pales in comparison to the impact of moving from one or two assets to five diverse investments.

Our weekly portfolio review reveals the practical power of these principles. Despite market turmoil, most of our sample portfolios remain nearly flat or slightly positive for the year - precisely the stability risk parity promises. Whether you're just beginning your investment journey or fine-tuning an established strategy, this episode offers both theoretical frameworks and practical evidence for building resilient portfolios in uncertain times.

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