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).
- Update frequency
- every day
- Average duration
- 30 minutes
- Episodes
- 1726
- Years Active
- 2018 - 2025
Asking Tom and Roxy
Tom and Roxy dive into listener questions with sharp advice and sharper metaphors—like why a 1,000-point drop in the Dow is more like a slight temperature dip than a financial catastrophe. They cover…
00:25:37 |
Fri 13 Jun 2025
Retirement Disorder
This episode explores the psychological and financial side of retirement planning through the lens of entropy. Don and Tom dive into an article from Kiplinger that cleverly compares retirement to the…
00:31:48 |
Thu 12 Jun 2025
Misplaced Money
Don and Tom dig into America’s $1.7 trillion in forgotten retirement accounts—29 million of them! They walk listeners through how to search for their own missing funds and share their own finds (or l…
00:45:51 |
Wed 11 Jun 2025
Financial IQ Test
Don and Tom salute high-schoolers who tackled the National Personal Finance Challenge, then test listeners (and each other) with the same nine-question quiz—covering basics like principal vs. balance…
00:45:40 |
Wed 11 Jun 2025
Too Many ETFs?
Don and Tom explore the evolution, promise, and pitfalls of Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs). While ETFs have become the dominant investment vehicle, boasting $8 trillion in assets and more than 4,000 ch…
00:29:38 |
Mon 09 Jun 2025
Q&A: Debt and Condos
In this Friday Q&A episode, Don answers a wide range of listener questions, covering everything from market timing behavior and condo pitfalls to portfolio simplification and strategic debt repayment…
00:32:32 |
Fri 06 Jun 2025
Rube Goldberg Investing
A chaotic day leads Don into a deep (and entertaining) dive into the futility of market timing, spurred by a recent Morningstar article on Pacer’s Trendpilot ETF. Don and Tom break down the mechanics…
00:29:03 |
Thu 05 Jun 2025
The Best Not Best?
Don and Tom unpack Morningstar’s latest “5 of the Best” investing methods, praising the simplicity of balanced and target-date funds but warning against high-fee versions. They emphasize that no port…
00:44:45 |
Wed 04 Jun 2025
Crypto Markets Efficient?
In this episode of Talking Real Money, Don and Tom reluctantly return to the topic of Bitcoin, using its recent price spike to explore deeper questions about market efficiency, irrational investor be…
00:45:02 |
Tue 03 Jun 2025
Only Six Minutes?
Don and Tom dive into a new study showing the average investor spends just six minutes researching a stock—most of it just watching the price move. From gut feelings to hometown bias, they unpack why…
00:27:11 |
Mon 02 Jun 2025
Bonds, Bluffers, and Buckets
Don fields a fresh batch of listener questions in this all-audio edition. A longtime fan asks whether a municipal bond ETF (VTEB) is a smarter place than a money market fund for short-term cash—Don e…
00:28:04 |
Fri 30 May 2025
Bad Advice the Norm?
Don and Tom roll through Memorial Day weekend with a little heat from the audience, a breakdown of where Americans get their financial advice (hint: it’s not great), and some solid, real-world invest…
00:45:36 |
Thu 29 May 2025
9%? Not a Chance
This episode brings the heat on so-called “financial educators” masquerading as fiduciaries while hawking high-commission indexed annuities. Don and Tom dissect the misleading promises of 9% guarante…
00:45:07 |
Wed 28 May 2025
Target Date Truth
Tom takes a break from vacationing to join Don in a deep dive on target date funds—the good, the mediocre, and the fee-loaded ugly. They break down performance data, highlight major fund differences,…
00:27:49 |
Tue 27 May 2025
Queries and Clarity
In this lighter (but still info-packed) Friday Q&A episode, Don tackles a mixed bag of real-world money questions—from Roth conversions and selling the family home to foreign tax credits and the emot…
00:25:29 |
Fri 23 May 2025
Alternative Adversities
Don shares a deeply personal tale from 2007 when, as an HOA treasurer, he dodged a financial landmine involving auction-rate securities—just before the 2008 crisis froze their liquidity. That real-li…
00:29:42 |
Thu 22 May 2025
Downgrade Impact
Tom and Don open the show with tech woes and quips before diving into a serious discussion about the U.S. credit rating downgrade and its implications for borrowing costs and long-term debt. They off…
00:45:34 |
Wed 21 May 2025
$8 Trillion Turnaround
Don returns from a exhausting, comedy-of-errors flight to discuss how the markets pulled an equally wild round trip—plunging, then rebounding to the tune of $8 trillion. He and Tom break down the Apr…
00:45:38 |
Tue 20 May 2025
A Dimensional Mind
Don and Tom welcome Weston Wellington of Dimensional Funds for a rare and richly insightful conversation covering market volatility, media noise, diversification, and the enduring wisdom of index inv…
00:31:04 |
Mon 19 May 2025
You Ask. Don Rants.
Don’s back from NYC with pride (and maybe jet lag), tackling a full slate of thoughtful listener questions. From Roth conversions and the TSP G Fund to cash balance plan gimmicks, RMD timing, overpri…
00:24:44 |
Fri 16 May 2025
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