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 portfolio fits everyone and push for low-cost index solutions. Listeners call in with 401k rollover questions and political discomfort around financial firms—sparking a candid, occasionally funny chat about ethics, emotions, and retirement realities. The episode wraps with a challenge to fix Social Security and a request for more five-star Apple Podcast reviews before Don dies on the mic.

1:07 Morningstar’s ‘5 of the Best’ investing methods reviewed

1:48 Balanced funds and target-date funds: pros and cautions

2:48 Three-fund and custom-fit portfolios discussed

4:08 Critique of Morningstar’s recommended balanced funds

6:19 Expense ratios of target-date funds and better alternatives

7:17 Morningstar’s risky allocation advice near retirement

9:17 Why one-size-fits-all portfolios don’t work

10:14 Caller Sally: Should we move from T. Rowe Price 401k?

12:56 T. Rowe Price vs. Vanguard fee comparison

14:03 How to roll over a 401k into an IRA

17:39 Custom portfolios vs. simplicity and human behavior

21:42 Caller Lynn: Political discomfort with Schwab as custodian

26:26 Keeping an advisor despite ideological concerns

28:38 Raising the retirement age: Denmark vs. U.S.

32:48 Fixing Social Security: remove the wage cap

35:29 Listener reviews, crypto hate, and ETF conspiracy theories
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