In the process of looking for a document I  came across a group of questions that had been hidden away in my saved documents.  The good news is the list included some great questions.  The bad news is I'm not sure which presentation generated the questions.  1.  What are the best investments to make and what milestones should an investor reach? 2.  Do you recommend a solo 401k or SEP IRA for a single employee LLC that will never have employees?  Recommended reading from Truth-Teller Jim Dahle- https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/sep-ira-vs-solo-401k/ 3.  How much more do you think Avantis Small Cap Value (AVUV), which has higher fees, will make than Fidelity Small Cap Value Index (FISVX)? 4.  I have $1.5 million in cash and a total portfolio value of $5.8 million.  My asset allocation is 43% equities and 57% bonds.  I have Social Security and other income of $90,000.  Should I change my balance to 60% equities and 40% bonds? 5.  If you only need a 2% withdrawal rate, what would be the right asset allocation for a someone really investing for my survivors?  How about 90% equities and 10% bonds?  6.  Is there a time or value of investments that someone should get a trusted advisor?  If so, how do you find them?  Several sources mentioned:  https://www.garrettplanningnetwork.com/about/contact/ and https://adviceonlynetwork.com/ 7.  What changes can a 50-something make to boost their 401k returns? 8.  What are your thoughts on robo advisors/investing? 9. What is your advice for a parent who wants to persuade their adult children to educate themselves about investing?  After you listen to the answer please send me an email  to paul@paulmerriman.com about what steps you would take?  Please include your phone number.   10.  Will the program be recorded?  Of course I don’t know as I don’t know where the list came from.  If you know, please let me know. 11.  What should I do with penny stocks that are down 89 to 90 percent?

In this podcast Paul discusses ten million dollar mistakes investors make, along with the mistake that is the biggest reason he believes most investors fail to achieve the return they deserve.  As part of his presentation he references the following two tables. Table 1 and Table 2.  D1.3 D1.4 Paul reminds listeners to forward copies of our 3 free books.

The podcast discusses a new Portfolio Configurator and compares different portfolios' equity portion. They explore finding the portfolio with the best return per unit of risk. They also comment on the documentary 'Turn Off the Noise' and request feedback on the new Portfolio Configurator. The chapters cover topics such as cryptocurrency speculation, allocation in retirement portfolios, return data release, nostalgia for computing technology, and investing with optimism.

Trust is the key for most investors to stay the course for the long term.  I formed a lasting trust in the academic work of Drs. Fama and French when I attended a 2 or 3 day workshop at Dimensional Fund Advisors in 1994.  That trust led our firm to use the DFA funds since the mid 90s.  While I believe there are a lot of people who find our long term studies helpful, I’m not sure that all of those people understand that almost all of our studies that go back to 1928 are based on the work of the academics who are associated with DFA.If you don’t immediately feel better about the source of our data, I think you will feel better if you watch the new documentary, “Turn Off the Noise.”  I sent it to Daryl and he responded, “Spectacular!”   I sent it to Chris and his response was, “We stand on tall shoulders.”You can watch the documentary at no cost by going here.  You will be asked to fill in a few pieces of information and use the Access Code: RATIONAL  This offer only extends through January 31, 2024Then I would like you to watch a wonderful interview of Errol Morris, an Academy Award-winning film director and author.   The following are the notes from interviewers Ben Felix and Cameron Passmore.In today’s episode, Errol Morris, Academy Award-winning film director and author, joins us to talk about his recently released documentary called Tune Out the Noise. The documentary focuses on the revolution that's happened in the financial system, how the markets work, and why the advancements made are so vital. Errol is an acclaimed figure in film and literature, boasting an impressive array of accolades, notably securing an Oscar for his renowned documentary The Fog of War. His work spans various arenas, encompassing short films for prestigious events and many charitable and political organizations. In our conversation, we delve into the significance of storytelling in communicating complex subjects, the power of serendipity, the evolution of finance, and the enigmatic nature of truth. We discuss the necessity of storytelling, the unexpected occurrences that influenced finance, the importance of empirical data in understanding truth, the central story of Tune Out the Noise, and much more. He also provides insights into the amazing economists, many of whom are past guests, who helped shape the financial landscape. Discover how chance, humility, and the pursuit of truth intertwine in this captivating episode, where the intriguing art of storytelling converges with the complexities of the financial world. Tune in now!

In this podcast Paul starts by recommending, “Episode 285:  A Year In Review" a podcast/video. In Paul’s review of 2023 returns he compares Chris’ Best In Class ETF recommendations with similar Vanguard ETFs and the average return in each equity asset class.  He also gives returns for the most popular portfolios including, Ultimate Buy and Hold, 2 Fund U.S., 4 Fund U.S. and 4 Fund WW. Using an article from Ben Carlson  Paul is able to find even more reasons 2024 should be a very profitable year for investors.Paul discusses his nominee for the #1 Fund Family in America. He closes with a portion of a letter from Subah Randhawa, President of Western Washington University.

In the last podcast of the year Paul discusses the many important projects Chris Pedersen, Daryl Bahls and he will explore in 2024. He then addresses a question from a listener:  Why not all equities forever?  The question is the focus of a wonderful interview with  Scott Cederburg, Associate Professor of Finance at the University of Arizona.  Scott is the guest of Truth-Teller Ben Felix and Cameron Passmore on their podcast, Rational Reminder. In this podcast (https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/284) entitled "Challenging the Status Quo on Lifecycle Asset Allocation” Scott discusses his groundbreaking research on the implications of retirees using all equities during their entire retirement vs. the traditional stock/bond allocation most experts recommend. Paul uses Tables D1.4 Fixed Distributions S&P 500 and D9.4 Fixed Distributions U.S. 4 Fund to demonstrate how much better returns than all equity large cap blend can be earned with a combination of small, large, growth and value and up to 50% in fixed income. Another listener asks where one can find the tables referenced in the podcast entitled,  "The best gift of all? A financial legacy for a child"     Here is the link to the pdf that includes the tables mentioned in the article. He also recommends he review these tables that Daryl put together to show the impact of two investors starting at age 18 and 23.   

Paul Merriman and Chris Pedersen introduce the 2 Funds for Life Fine Tuning table and describe how it can be used by investors of all ages to evaluate various combinations of target-date and small-cap value funds.   Historically, these combinations have produced higher returns and higher safe withdrawal rates with only modest increases in risk compared to the target-date fund alone.  The table provides investors a way to see what these differences have been in the past for target-date funds across their lifetimes when combined with 0% to 50% small-cap value in 10% increments.   Paul and Chris also discuss rebalancing approaches and the methodologies used in the backtests.  Whether you're a young investor, mid-career, or well into retirement, we think this information will be relevant and hope that it will be life-changing. Watch video here- https://youtu.be/SiByQZzf3vQ

Paul wishes to warn podcast listeners that this podcast contains a lot of important numbers from the following 4 tables.  The torrent of numbers can be irritating but these are some of the most important aspects of risk and return we should know.Paul asks that investors email him with questions about the tables.  paul@paulmerriman.com In this podcast Paul introduces a new way to understand and compare the likely risk and return of equity asset classes. The biggest challenge for first time investors is not understanding the likely losing periods they will experience as part of the normal progression of successful investments.  These 4 tables compare the historical risk and return of the S&P 500, Small Cap Value, a 2 fund portfolio that’s 50/50 S&P and SCV and 4 fund portfolio with 25% each in S&P, Small Cap Value, Large Cap Value, and Small Cap Blend.

The biggest challenge of educating first time investors is reaching them with our educational materials. One of the best ways to reach young investors is through young podcasters who have loyal audiences of these first time investors.  Jose and his podcast, Slow Brew Finance is a great example.  It is available both as an audio  and video podcast.  During the presentation Paul mentions a table of returns for the S&P, U.S. large cap value, small cap blend and small cap value. Here is the link. To sign up to Slow and Steady, a bi-monthly email newsletter with bite-sized practical personal finance thoughts and tips https://slowbrewfinance.com/subscribe The topics in this interview include:00:00 - Intro  03:04 - Your Own Small Value Portfolio  07:23 - Value and Quality  10:12 - What if Value Doesn't Work Anymore? 14:47 - International Diversification 19:51 - Momentum 23:14 - Size  27:55 - Market Timing via Trend Following  39:13 - The Key to Becoming a Good Investor 46:42 - Investor Psychology  55:59 - Outro

Paul begins the podcast by noting a recent interview he had with Andrew Giancola of Master Money and the Personal Finance Podcast.  The topic is “Simple Financial Steps With Massive Payoffs.”In this podcast Paul discusses a new study that compares long term returns of the S&P 500 and the 4 Fund Portfolio.  The study was motivated by an article written by Ben Carlson. Paul discusses the same 20 year periods starting in 1930 and compares the results of The 4 Fund Portfolio to that of the S&P 500.  He also makes the case, using one of his favorite quilt charts, that the 4 Fund Portfolio is not only more profitable but is less risky on an annual basis.