Paul opens with information on the Oct. 11 AAII presentation.  Here is the link to ⁠sign up⁠. There was a time when Paul was very critical about target date funds.  But important circumstances made him more accepting of the important value of target date funds.  He discusses why he changed his mind but explains why he […] The post Pros and cons of target date funds and Ken Fisher’s advice first appeared on Paul Merriman. The post Pros and cons of target date funds and Ken Fisher’s advice...

Watch the video here. Chris Pedersen and Daryl Bahls join Paul to answer questions from investors of all ages. 1:  I hold a REIT fund in my tax deferred account but have found other funds include REITS.  Am I overweighted in REITS and what should I do about it? 2:  Are all total market index […] The post Expected future returns, difference in total market returns, lessons from 1928 to 2023 risk and return and more first appeared on Paul Merriman. The post Expected future returns, difference...

Dear Friends, If you are a young investor or if you trying to help a young investor, I think you will find the following calculator helpful. The calculator was created by Nick Maggiulli, C.E.O for Ritholtz Wealth Management.  He runs a wonderful website for data driven investors.  His Dollars and Data website is a perfect companion to […] The post Looking Back to Look Forward first appeared on Paul Merriman. The post Looking Back to Look Forward appeared first on Paul Merriman.

 The podcast opens with Paul reading and discussing Ben Carlson’s recent article on the collapse of bonds, “Everything  & Everyone Underperforms Eventually.”     Paul references a table of returns that compares Short, Intermediate and  Long Term Treasures.     Paul also references a table of Fixed Income Returns during years with S&P 500 […] The post Everything & Everyone Underperforms Eventually first appeared on Paul Merriman. The post Everything & Everyone Underperforms...

On July 22, 2023 Chris Pedersen addressed the Orange County Chapter of the American Association of Individual Investors.  At the end of his 2 hour presentation there were many unanswered questions. Our last ⁠podcast⁠ and ⁠video ⁠addressed 16 of those questions.  In this podcast Paul responds to 20 more of the AAII questions.  1.  How do you feel about […] The post Better than Wellesley and Wellington? and 19 other questions first appeared on Paul Merriman. The post Better than Wellesley and...

 Some of the worst investment advice I know happens to millions of investors each year. Between paying commissions, paying higher expenses,  paying more taxes, being less diversified, and sitting on too much cash, so-called experts encourage investors to hold investments that are built to make as much as 2 to 4 percent less PER YEAR.Paul uses […] The post The Worst Investment Advice I Know first appeared on Paul Merriman. The post The Worst Investment Advice I Know appeared first on Paul...

Paul announces Chris Pedersen’s upcoming AAII presentation on Saturday, July 22.  The 2 hour Zoom presentation will begin at 8:45 a.m.  Chris will discuss how portfolio asset allocation, fund selection and investor behavior impact the returns we get for the risk we take.  He’ll also show some practical approaches to help us all come closer […] The post New Avantis ETF, free curriculum, good news or bad first appeared on Paul Merriman. The post New Avantis ETF, free curriculum, good news or...

 While the industry generally agrees the most important investment decision is your choice of asset allocation, Paul makes the case that the choice between being a do it yourself investor vs. hiring a professional advisor is much more impactful over a lifetime. Paul discusses the many challenges of both decisions and finishes by showing […] The post The most important investment decision you will ever make first appeared on Paul Merriman. The post The most important investment decision you...

There is no question AI is a hot topic.  I have watched “end of the world” interviews with people who know a lot more than I do about AI.  In a recent poll, noted in The New Yorker, half of A.I. scientists agreed that there was at least a ten-per-cent chance that the human race would […] The post ChatGPT offers shocking investment information! first appeared on Paul Merriman. The post ChatGPT offers shocking investment information! appeared first on Paul Merriman.

 Paul starts the podcast encouraging listeners to check out the ⁠latest video⁠ where Chris, Daryl and Paul answer questions from readers, listeners and viewers regarding the article, podcast and video about the Sound Investing Portfolios 2023 Update.  The following are the links that were used in the video: ⁠Asset Class Index CAGR Comparison (1927-2023)⁠ ⁠Table […] The post Dave Ramsey, small cap value and a “new” 4 fund portfolio first appeared on Paul Merriman. The post Dave Ramsey, small...

Dear Friends, A couple weeks ago, we sent out a podcast that we recorded several years ago.  It has been by far the most popular podcast over the last 10+ years. Over 980,000 listeners have opened, and hopefully listened to the podcast entitled, “Could This Be the #1 Reason to Use Index Funds?” While the podcast […] The post Finding a trustworthy source of financial advice first appeared on Paul Merriman. The post Finding a trustworthy source of financial advice appeared first on Paul Merriman.

 Paul starts the podcast with a brief discussion about the new “financial Literacy for All Students” project at Western Washington University (WWU).   The Merriman Financial Education Foundation, WWU, and Paul personally, are working together to make this project a reality in the next two to three years. The main topic of the podcast […] The post What rate of return can I count on in the future? first appeared on Paul Merriman. The post What rate of return can I count on in the future?...

Paul discusses ways a parent or grandparent might explain 2 Funds for Life to a young adult.  In the discussion Paul suggests using the following tables to make a handful of important decisions. Tables 1-4 from his Follow the Math comments- ⁠Table 1⁠ ⁠Table 2⁠ ⁠Table 3⁠ ⁠Table 4⁠ ⁠Equity Index Returns (1928-2022)⁠ to compare the returns […] The post The Simple Story About 2 Funds for Life first appeared on Paul Merriman. The post The Simple Story About 2 Funds for Life appeared first on Paul...

 If a retired investor has the ability to use a flexible distribution strategy it will likely produce one of the best financial outcomes in retirement.  In this presentation Paul compares the difference in returns and risk between the fixed and flexible distribution strategies. The discussion compares returns and total distributions for two of the 9 […] The post Flexible Distributions 2023 Update first appeared on Paul Merriman. The post Flexible Distributions 2023 Update appeared first on...

 This podcast is the 4th in a series of our series to help do it yourself investors build a lifetime investment strategy.  The  presentation uses the following tables: ⁠Table C1 – Fixed Contributions: S&P 500 Equity Portfolio⁠  ⁠Table C14 – Fixed Contributions: US 2-Fund Equity Portfolio⁠ ⁠ Table C11 – Fixed Contributions: US All Value […] The post Fixed Contributions 2023 Update first appeared on Paul Merriman. The post Fixed Contributions 2023 Update appeared first on Paul Merriman.

 This podcast is the third in a series of seven podcasts that are designed to help do it yourself investors learn how to maximize their return, minimize their risk and increase their peace of mind.  It will be beneficial to listen to ⁠The Ultimate Buy and Hold⁠  and ⁠Sound Investing Portfolios: The History of Risk and Return⁠ (link)  podcasts before listening to this podcast. […] The post Fine Tuning Your Asset Allocations first appeared on Paul Merriman. The post Fine Tuning Your Asset...

In this presentation Paul explores the risk and returns of 8 Sound Investing Portfolios and the S&P 500 for the period 1970 to 2022.   He references 2 sets of tables for portfolios built with all U.S. equity asset classes as well as worldwide portfolios that are 50% each U.S. and international  and 70% U.S. and […] The post Sound Investing Portfolios Risk and Return History first appeared on Paul Merriman. The post Sound Investing Portfolios Risk and Return History appeared first on Paul...

 Each year Paul (with the many hours of dedicated work from Director of Analytics Daryl Bahls ) updates and  reviews the latest returns and important lessons from the Ultimate Buy and Hold Portfolio. In this review he references a series of tables including: ⁠ Table A1-Ultimate Buy & Hold Equity Portfolio (50% US/50% Int’l)⁠ ⁠ Table A2 […] The post The Ultimate Buy and Hold 2023 Update first appeared on Paul Merriman. The post The Ultimate Buy and Hold 2023 Update appeared first on Paul...

 March 1 through March 4, I attended the White Coat Investor Conference (WCICON 2023).  On the 2nd, I made a 2 hour presentation focused on “How to Create and Execute a Lifetime Investment Strategy”.  I was thrilled with the turnout and positive feedback.  I also received many questions in the following days.  The following […] The post Q&A for White Coat Investors Conference first appeared on Paul Merriman. The post Q&A for White Coat Investors Conference appeared first on Paul...

 The following questions were sent to Paul during the 90 minute video presented to Western Washington University alumni on February 10, 2023. 2:38 1. How much more do you get with AVUV which has higher fees than FISVX, which is super low cost? Check out:  BOGLEHEADS.ORG/REBALANCING Check out:  whitecoatinvestor.com/portfolio-rebalancing-spreadsheet/ 11:20 2. What are your thoughts on robo advisors and investing? Check […] The post Rebalancing, parental advice, AVUV vs. FISVX and 10 more...

 Paul leads off with the news that Chris Pedersen’s book 2 Funds for Life is now available as a free PDF to people who sign up for our free newsletter at https://paulmerriman.com/signup/. Watch the video here. Chris Pedersen joins Paul to discuss the 2023 update to his Best-in-Class ETF recommendations.  Chris explains the selection […] The post Best-in-Class ETF Recommendations Update appeared first on Paul Merriman.

The purpose of our podcasts is to help investors make some of the biggest investment decisions of their life.  This podcast focuses on the many reasons small-cap value should be in every investor’s portfolio, even if it is a very small part. Paul addresses these questions: 1.  What is the lifetime impact of adding 10% […] The post 10 reasons small-cap value can make you richer appeared first on Paul Merriman.

Do you want to create a financial legacy for a young person, especially a newborn? This podcast and video explains Paul’s plan for his new granddaughter, which is adaptable by any investor. [Podcast listeners are encouraged to watch the video and/or view the Slides and Tables below]. Paul is joined by Daryl Bahls, Director of […] The post How to create a financial legacy for a child appeared first on Paul Merriman.

“I want to thank you all the work you and your foundation do. I love how everything is data driven with statistics. As an engineer, it makes more sense to me when I see numbers and stats to back up your different styles of investing and allocating money.” – Mitul P. In This Edition Battling The Bear Truth Tellers Tom […] The post Your greatest Thanksgiving investments appeared first on Paul Merriman.