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. Plus, it's actually fun! Talking Real Money is a podcast designed to provide the real help we all need to enjoy a really great future. Call in with your questions anytime at 855-935-TALK (8255).

Talking Real Money - Investing Talk is a business podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 1,000 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts Talking Real Money - Investing Talk, a business show with 1,000 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Talking Real Money - Investing Talk

  Find the Robot

  Aug 28, 202620 min

  It’s Friday Q&A—with a small experiment. Don slips one AI-generated voice among the listener questions and challenges you to identify the robot, with his complete two-book library hanging in the balance. The financial questions are thoroughly human: where to keep a future car fund, whether an $11,000 Roth-conversion program earns its fee, when children can fund Roth IRAs, and what happens when bond holdings move from a traditional IRA into a Roth. Don also tackles the enviable problem of an oversized HSA, its inheritance rules and post-65 flexibility, plus the timing tradeoff for Social Security survivor benefits. 0:46 — Friday Q&A and the find-the-robot challenge 4:03 — Where should a $70,000 car fund live? 7:21 — Is an $11,000 Roth-conversion plan worth it? 9:39 — Roth IRAs for children—and newborns 11:13 — Bonds that move into a Roth conversion 13:54 — The $500,000 HSA problem 16:43 — When a surviving spouse should claim Social Security Questions? Comments? Click!

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  Talking Real Money - Investing Talk

  The Casino Next Door

  Aug 27, 202637 min

  Robinhood says it wants to be everything to investors—but its fastest-growing attractions look a lot like a casino. Don and Tom examine prediction markets, options, crypto, payment for order flow, and the uneasy fit between fiduciary advice and a brightly lit door to speculation. They explain why gamification and enormous transfer bonuses can be especially dangerous for inexperienced investors. If the goal is long-term wealth rather than entertainment, a boring, diversified custodian still beats a platform built to monetize trading excitement. Then they answer questions about using bonds during a retirement downturn, combining CD ladders with target-date funds, the trap behind eye-popping mortgage REIT dividends, and better ways to give money to grandchildren. 1:03 — Robinhood and its merry band of revenue streams 3:00 — Vlad Tenev explains the financial supermarket 5:36 — A fiduciary office beside a casino door 8:28 — Monetizing speculation instead of investing 13:14 — Using bonds when retirement begins in a downturn 21:06 — CD ladders and target-date funds 23:36 — The truth behind 17% REIT dividends 27:28 — UTMA, UGMA, 529s, and gifts for grandchildren Questions? Comments? Click!

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  Talking Real Money - Investing Talk

  The Market Hasn’t Sung Yet

  Aug 26, 202640 min

  The market’s long winning streak has investors wondering whether a crash is waiting in the wings. Don and Tom look at the S&P 500’s run, the lost decade that followed the 1990s boom, and why international diversification changed that outcome dramatically. They also explain why market timing asks the impossible: missing the worst days sounds wonderful, but missing the best days can be devastating. The less theatrical answer is still the useful one—make a plan, understand your tolerance for risk, diversify broadly, and sit still. Then it’s on to a near-retiree offered a portfolio stuffed with individual stocks, whether international bonds belong in a simple portfolio, why a professionally managed 20-fund portfolio is different from a DIY one, and how to rebalance when Roth and traditional accounts complicate the job. 3:33 — A historic market streak—and what might follow 4:31 — The lost decade diversification softened 7:08 — Why timing the best and worst days fails 9:22 — The boring answer: plan, diversify, be patient 14:04 — Individual stocks on the eve of retirement? 23:02 — A quick Celebration restaurant detour 24:28 — Do international bonds belong in your portfolio? 27:38 — When 20 funds are too many—or not 32:24 — Rebalancing across Roth and traditional accounts Questions? Comments? Click!

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  Talking Real Money - Investing Talk

  The Year of the Stock Picker. Again.

  Aug 25, 202642 min

  Wall Street has declared yet another “year of the stock picker.” Don and Tom examine Morningstar and SPIVA data showing how few active large-cap funds beat their benchmarks—and why high fees, trading costs, taxes, short horizons, and fierce competition keep the odds tilted toward low-cost diversification. Then Greg asks where stocks and bonds belong while he begins Roth conversions. The discussion covers asset location, small-cap value exposure, international diversification, tax brackets, IRMAA, and keeping the portfolio’s overall risk level intact. Finally, they tackle an all-U.S. Roth for a 20-year-old, a couple’s pre-retirement glide path, and a pricey Fidelity target-date fund that can be replaced inside a Roth without creating a tax bill. Stay through the end for a money-music bonus. 0:37 — The “year of the stock picker” returns 2:41 — Active funds trail their benchmarks again 8:30 — Why passive keeps winning 13:29 — Asset location for Roth conversions 22:09 — Should a 20-year-old invest only in the U.S.? 23:59 — Reducing risk before retirement 28:24 — Escaping an expensive target-date fund 31:53 — Reviews, inflation, and a money-music bonus Questions? Comments? Click!

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  Talking Real Money - Investing Talk

  Yesterday’s News, Today’s Price

  Aug 24, 202631 min

  Rule Seven of Financial Physics says there is no new news: by the time public information reaches you, the market has already reacted. Don and Tom explain why neither headlines nor illegal insider tips offer ordinary investors a durable edge, why fast trading and miracle systems disappoint, and why accepting market returns is the saner path. Then they compare JAAA with BND, help a student balance FAFSA concerns with emergency savings and a Roth IRA, warn against reaching for yield, and untangle a Roth 401(k) rollover. 0:44 The shortest investing book 1:54 Rule Seven: No New News 3:27 Public information versus insider information 6:48 Why trading the headlines is futile 9:37 Efficient markets and accepting market returns 11:27 The trouble with miracle trading systems 14:13 Talking Real Money music online 17:17 JAAA versus BND for bonds 20:21 FAFSA, emergency savings, and a Roth IRA 22:28 Reaching for yield with riskier bonds 24:49 Rolling over a Roth 401(k) Questions? Comments? Click!

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