Talking Real Money - Investing Talk
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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....
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1802 дугаар
Q&A 2026
The calendar flipped, but the rules didn’t. In this New Year Friday Q&A, Don tackles listener questions on longevity annuities (QLACs), legacy insuran...
Hot? Don't Touch.
This episode dismantles the idea that successful investing comes from finding the next hot thing. Instead, Don and Tom argue that good portfolios are...
What's Actually New?
As the year crawls to a close, Don and Tom torch the ritual of “New Year, New You” financial advice and take aim at the endless lists of five things y...
Tricky "Investments"
In this post-Christmas edition of Talking Real Money, Don McDonald and Tom Cock dismantle one of the most seductive myths in personal finance: the pro...
Extra Qs
A year-end Boxing Day Q&A covering realistic downside expectations for global portfolios, the marginal value of adding international small-cap value,...
Market Value?
It’s surprisingly hard to know what something is really worth until someone actually tries to buy it—and that problem is front and center in private f...
Sucker's Rebellion
A Wall Street Journal column argues that younger investors are turning to options, crypto, and betting as a rational response to a “rigged” economic s...
Money Suckers
Streaming was supposed to save us money. Instead, it quietly rebuilt cable… with better branding and worse self-control. Don and Tom trace the journey...
More Holiday Q&A
In this holiday Friday Q&A, Don opens with a festive announcement about Season’s Readings—now Apple-featured and temporarily commercial-free—before di...
The Upside of Down
Market drops are a gift when you’re young and a potential gut-punch when you’re retired, and this episode walks through why that’s true—and what to do...
Easy Money Isn't...
This episode of Talking Real Money takes aim at the latest “easy money” illusion—house flipping—explaining why rising costs, higher interest rates, so...
Investing Reality Check
A classic TRM episode that starts with Tom’s ill-fated attempt to cross a flooded Snoqualmie River (spoiler: no walking on water) and turns into a tim...
Retirement Reality Check
If you’re nearing retirement and uneasy about the math, you’re not alone. Don and Tom tackle the uncomfortable reality that most near-retirees haven’t...
Santa's Little As
A holiday-flavored Friday Q&A that covers a lot of ground without selling a single candy cane. Don answers listener questions on Medicare vs. Medicare...
Four Money Moods
Today’s show turns a national mood ring into a money lesson. Don and Tom walk through a new Wall Street Journal/NORC survey that sorts Americans into...
Rolling In His Grave?
Don and Tom take a sharp look at Vanguard’s surprising new direction, especially the decision to fold annuities into 401(k) target-date funds through...
Huh? or Duh!
In this special seasonal episode, you and Tom resurrect Ha or Duh, tearing through Investopedia readers’ “rules to live by” and dismantling the sillie...
Nobody’s Perfect
In this episode, Don and Tom saddle up for a tour through Schwab’s “Good, Bad, and Ugly.” They applaud CEO Rick Wurster’s warning about the growing ov...
Always Question Season
This Friday Q&A episode tackles a wide range of listener questions: whether someone with full pension income still needs bonds, how to fix a cluttered...
Year-End Tax Shock
This episode digs into the unwelcome December surprise of capital-gains distributions, especially from actively managed mutual funds. Don and Tom brea...
Hard to Pick
A fast, funny Thanksgiving-weekend show where you and Tom unpack why a tiny handful of stocks drive the S&P’s returns, revisit forgotten winners like...
Cold Calls & Commissions
Tom and Don spend this post-Thanksgiving episode dismantling the illusion that big insurance companies—Northwestern Mutual in particular—are “financia...
Black Friday Q&A
A light Black Friday edition tackles four listener questions covering Vanguard’s Digital Advisor, the timing of Social Security versus IRA withdrawals...
The Right Time to Retire
Don and Tom run through a Wall Street Journal list of “subtle signs it might be time to retire,” reacting to each one with their usual mix of disbelie...
Value of Wisdom
This episode opens with a warning to younger investors who take TikTok advice over historical perspective, especially around claiming Social Security...
Nefarious Non-Profit?
Don and Tom go deep on a shady “non-profit” financial education group that funnels retirees into high-commission indexed annuities, using a listener t...
Speak Your Qs
A lively Friday Q&A episode tackling listener questions about FSAs vs. 401(k) contributions, BND vs. BKAG bond funds, intermediate-term bonds vs. CD l...
Good Enough
You and Tom spend this episode unpacking a surprisingly liberating idea for investors: that average is good enough. Kicking off with your own story ab...
Simple Solutions
Don and Tom open with the investor mistakes Christine Benz highlighted in Morningstar: portfolio sprawl, concentration in the same large-cap tech name...
No Absolutes
You and Tom take on the myth of hard-and-fast financial rules by walking through Real Simple’s list of nine “rules you can break.” From the latte fact...
Retirement Robbers
A listener’s nightmare 401(k) story sparks a deep dive into how small employers can delay, misuse, or even lose employee retirement contributions befo...
More Money Q&A
Don fields a full slate of listener questions on everything from SGOV vs. high-yield savings accounts to the differences between AVUV and DFSV, why in...
Annuity Reality
Don and Tom question a surprising Wall Street Journal column arguing that annuities should become the default option in 401(k) plans. They explore why...
Z Good and Z Bad
Tom and Don grade Gen Z investors from a recent Wall Street Journal article, discussing their portfolios, common mistakes like stock picking, active m...
Investing Is Dull
Don and Tom tackle investor “magical thinking,” especially the belief that private equity, non-traded REITs, and other illiquid “exclusive” investment...
Bring the Card
Tom welcomes consumer advocate Herb Weisbaum (ConsumerMan) to talk through the rising headaches of modern travel and everyday scams. Herb shares a rec...
Another Q Show
This Friday Q&A tackles a familiar voice: Bitcoin Bob tries again to make the case for crypto as protection against currency debasement. Don breaks do...
Leverage Dangers
Don and Tom take listeners on a wild ride through the booming (and frequently disastrous) world of leveraged ETFs. They break down how these funds pro...
Most Investors Fail
Don and Tom tackle the universal truths of investing — namely, that most investors underperform the market due to their own behavior. They discuss the...
Take More Risk?
Don and Tom tackle the timeless question: why do you invest? They challenge the “TINA” mindset (“There Is No Alternative”) and dissect new research cl...