The Rob Berger Show

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)ResourcesBoldin: https://go.robberger.com/boldin/yt-fqfProjectionLab: https://go.robberger.com/projectionla...Join the Newsletter. It's Free:https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...

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? Investment Tracking Tool: https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/view...Join the Newsletter. It's Free:https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...

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/boldin/yt-ti...ProjectionLab: https://go.robberger.com/projectionla... (use code RBERGER-10 for a 10% discount)TIPSLadder: https://www.tipsladder.com/Join the Newsletter. It's Free:https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...

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...

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...

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 Fund5. Investing in a Roth vs Traditional Retirement AccountJoin the Newsletter. It's Free:https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...

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...

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...

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...

Discover which paid financial apps are truly worth your money in retirement. Learn about budgeting tools like Tiller and Rocket Money. Dive into the pros and cons of linking your financial accounts to various apps. Explore Bill Bernstein's advice about playing conservatively in retirement and how to navigate the risks of equity investments. Plus, hear a defense against criticisms of financial tools like Bolden, and get practical tips on entering money market funds into your investment tracking spreadsheet.