Talking Real Money Minute - Investing Advice and Money Musings

How can a fixed annuity afford to pay more than 3% per year for five years and still be considered "safe?"

The markets aren't ever doing something. They have already done it.

The Covid crisis has put the retirement millions of Americans at risk at the worst possible time. What can you do to prepare for the worst?

We have enough to worry about without being concerned about the election's impact on our investments.

Investing isn't complicated. Just follow Don's seven simple rules to investing success without stress.

Another major Wall Street brokerage firm gets caught illegally manipulating markets. This time they even admitted it. Another lesson on the impotence of the average investor.

The latest SPIVA Scorcard is out and it shows what it always has. Active utual fund managers fail to beat the market by huge margins. So, why do we keep trying to pick winners?

Where there is money there will be bad advice or outright fraud. Take a small step to protect yourself by vetting your financial "advisor" at:investor.govandbrokercheck.comLook for "disclosures" in the records avoid those who have misled clients in the past.

The financial industry is changing and the old brokerage forms need to stop interrupting us at work or during dinner. Who will be the first to publicly eliminate cold calling?

Focusing more on size, Barron's 2020 Top RIA list fails to find fee-only 100% fiduciary advisors.

About half of all financial advisors charge more than 1% per year. Here are some questions to help you find the right advisor at the best price.

There will always be surprises that cause us to worry about the financial future. Yet, time and time again, we have overcome disasters and stock values rise again.

One of the most important traits of a currency is stability. No one wants their currency to fluctuate wildly from day to day, yet that's just what crypto "currencies" have done.

You need to understand one simple fact: Gold is not and never will be an investment. It fluctuates, yet over time has made nothing. So, any money you put in gold is a "bet" that it will rise. That is gambling.

For most annuities are best avoided. If you already have one, be wary of those who are trying to get you out.

Active management. Commissions. High fees. With so many inexpensive 529 education plans is there any need for Scholar's Choice from Legg Mason? 

Another group of investors falls prey to a smooth talking salesman who promised more than anyone can ever deliver. 

High fees can reduce already small returns to less than nothing.

How will know if Tesla to too high? There's a better way to own hot stocks with less fear: Diversify!

Twenty years ago the NASDAQ (remenber the "QQQ"?) was all the rage. Then it fizzed for fourteen years. Is history about to repeat itself?

Many believe that the stock market is supposed to reflect the current state of the economy.

Don shares just a few sad headlines from a recent newsletter about financial advisors. No wonder people don't trust brokers.

Vanguard studied the results for those investors who panicked and caseh out of stocks in March.

Still don't have your government stimulus check? Don shares a couple of ways to get help.

After a news report, Kodak's stock went on a wild and crazy ride that made a few people richer and many more poorer.

Isn't it time to be honest with yourself. Betting on stocks is gambling, not investing.

Determining how much money you'll need in retirement can be tricky. It's not an exact science. However, the longer you wait to invest the harder it will be to save enough.

...brokers can now bring the sales dinner to you.

Don explores a few of the effects that a cheaper dollar might have on you and your investments.

Gold is not, and never will be, an investment. Yes, it's price does fluctuate, but it pays no dividends, can't get larger, and there are no magical fowl laying eggs of gold.

Before you hand money over to a "financial advisor" (broker) you'd be wise to check their disciplinary history a brokercheck.finra.org. 

Many consider Warren Buffett to be the best stock picker of all time. So, he must beat the dull, boring market, right?

Is it a good time to be in growth stocks or value?Are U.S. stocks going to rise faster than international issues? 

Are you taking more risk than you should with your investments? Greed can make us do dumb things.

In the ongoing battle between growth and value investing, beware of playing on the winning side.

Should you work to pay down your mortgage? Don explores the pros and cons.

If someone has a system for beating the market it is bound to stop working as more people use it.

Don briefly explains how 529 plans work and the new rules that allow them to help pay of student loans and more.

When you gamble your losses are limited, unless you're gambling on some options, where losses are potentially unlimited.

Dave Ramsey seems fixated on 12% as the return you can expect from investing in the stock market. Not only is that not an accurate historical figure, it is an expectation that will likely leave many sorely disappointed.

Hertz Car Rental is in trouble. There stock has plunged. They have billions in debt. They have filed for bankruptcy. Yet, they want to offer you new shares of stock. What's in it for you? Danger.

With no sports to be on, bored sports gamblers have chosen to lose their money day-trading stocks. Losing is still losing and luck rules the game.

If you want to keep both your sanity and your money you need to find a way to avoid the market's tricks.

Don hates the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Not only is is not an index, it only represent about 0.002% of all the stocks traded in the world. Can't we start calling something else "the market."

Over $1 trillion was moved into cash. Why that's a mistake in more than one way. 

Immediate annuities seem like a nice safe way to guarantee income, but the insurance company will almost always win the bet.

Most loaded mutual funds offer lower commissions for larger amounts invested, but many brokers advice against these breakpoints to pad their pockets.

Want to make money in the day-trading business? Then sell people fake trading classes, because you're unlikely to make much, if anything, trying to trade securities.

Some pundits want you to believe that value investing no longer works. Just because something hasn't been successful lately doesn't mean it won't come back.

While the stock market may post impressive averages, you're unlikely to see that return in a particular year. To get the "average" you must accept the ingoing fluctuations.

Despite the fact that they are being sued by the Washington State Attorney General, Dave Ramsey continues to recommend a time share exit firm that has almost 360 complaints with the Better Business Bureau and 78 one-star reviews on Yelp. I wonder if he'd still reccomend them if they didn't pay him?