Talking Real Money - Investing Talk
Episodes
Over Active?
17 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Don and Tom dissect a Morningstar article naming the “best core stock funds” for 2026, noting the sharp decline in recommended actively managed fu...
Over Active?
17 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?Don and Tom dissect a Morningstar article naming the “best core stock funds” for 2026, noting the sharp decline in recommended...
Nicer Qs
13 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this Friday Q&A episode, Don introduces a new AI audio enhancement tool that dramatically improves the sound quality of listener questions, then di...
Nicer Qs
13 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?In this Friday Q&A episode, Don introduces a new AI audio enhancement tool that dramatically improves the sound quality of lis...
Know You Can't Know
12 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Markets may feel calm despite geopolitical noise, but uncertainty is the permanent condition of investing—and the price of admission for higher retu...
Know You Can't Know
12 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?Markets may feel calm despite geopolitical noise, but uncertainty is the permanent condition of investing—and the price of admis...
When Dull is Desirable
11 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Talking Real Money opens with a stark illustration of why Bitcoin fails as a usable currency, showing how volatility can destroy real-life budgets ove...
When Dull is Desirable
11 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?Talking Real Money opens with a stark illustration of why Bitcoin fails as a usable currency, showing how volatility can destroy r...
A Better Way
10 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
0:04 Dow hits 50,000 while most stocks lag—why it’s a meaningless headline 0:59 Robinhood and Palantir slide—speculators start getting nervou...
A Better Way
10 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?0:04 Dow hits 50,000 while most stocks lag—why it’s a meaningless headline0:59 Robinhood and Palantir slide—speculators st...
Alternative Employment
09 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Don and Tom step away from pure investing talk to explore how AI, layoffs, and stagnant wages are reshaping career paths—especially for young people...
Alternative Employment
09 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?Don and Tom step away from pure investing talk to explore how AI, layoffs, and stagnant wages are reshaping career paths—especia...
Nice, Warm Questions
06 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this Friday Q&A episode of Talking Real Money, Don tackles five thoughtful listener questions ranging from confusing 401(k) collective investment t...
Nice, Warm Questions
06 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?In this Friday Q&A episode of Talking Real Money, Don tackles five thoughtful listener questions ranging from confusing 401(k)...
Don't Stop Saving
05 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Don and Tom take on Elon Musk’s claim that AI will make retirement saving obsolete, pushing back hard on the idea that technology or billionaires wi...
Don't Stop Saving
05 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?Don and Tom take on Elon Musk’s claim that AI will make retirement saving obsolete, pushing back hard on the idea that technolog...
Investments Can Grow
04 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Tom and Don break down why gold, silver, and individual stocks remain speculative distractions rather than reliable investments, using recent volatili...
Investments Can Grow
04 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?Tom and Don break down why gold, silver, and individual stocks remain speculative distractions rather than reliable investments, u...
Hot to Not
03 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Talking Real Money, Don and Tom dig into the Washington State pension system’s heavy exposure to private equity, sparked by Jason...
Hot to Not
03 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?In this episode of Talking Real Money, Don and Tom dig into the Washington State pension system’s heavy exposure to private equi...
High Yield Risks
02 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Talking Real Money, Don and Tom take aim at “magical” high-yield investments, focusing on why junk bond funds often behave more...
High Yield Risks
02 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?In this episode of Talking Real Money, Don and Tom take aim at “magical” high-yield investments, focusing on why junk bond fun...
Cold Days Qs and As
30 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this Friday Q&A episode, Don answers listener questions on handling backdoor Roth conversions with investment gains, whether Avantis or Vanguard ma...
Cold Days Qs and As
30 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?In this Friday Q&A episode, Don answers listener questions on handling backdoor Roth conversions with investment gains, whethe...
Hard to Stop
29 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Don and Tom examine the long disciplinary history of former broker James Tuberosa and his attempt to reinvent himself as a registered investment advis...
Hard to Stop
29 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?Don and Tom examine the long disciplinary history of former broker James Tuberosa and his attempt to reinvent himself as a registe...
Hedge Funds Pitch
28 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Don and Tom break down why hedge funds’ so-called “comeback” doesn’t justify their massive fees, showing how simple index portfolios continue ...
Hedge Funds Pitch
28 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?Don and Tom break down why hedge funds’ so-called “comeback” doesn’t justify their massive fees, showing how simple index ...
Selling Game
27 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Don and Tom kick off the show with weekend banter and nostalgia about checkbooks before diving into why buying and selling a home remains one of life’...
Selling Game
27 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?Don and Tom kick off the show with weekend banter and nostalgia about checkbooks before diving into why buying and selling a home ...
Who Do We Owe?
26 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Don and Tom tackle fears about U.S. national debt by breaking down who actually owns it (mostly Americans), why “China owns us” is wildly overstat...
Who Do We Owe?
26 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?Don and Tom tackle fears about U.S. national debt by breaking down who actually owns it (mostly Americans), why “China owns us”...
ETF + Q&A
23 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this listener-driven episode, Don, Tom, and advisor Roxy Butner tackle a wide range of investing questions, starting with the explosive growth of E...
ETF + Q&A
23 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?In this listener-driven episode, Don, Tom, and advisor Roxy Butner tackle a wide range of investing questions, starting with the e...
Auto Save
22 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Don and Tom open with sports banter and TV talk before diving into state-run retirement savings programs, explaining how auto-enrollment boosts partic...
Auto Save
22 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?Don and Tom open with sports banter and TV talk before diving into state-run retirement savings programs, explaining how auto-enro...
Money Game?
21 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
A chaotic but revealing game-show-style opening leads into a sharp lesson on why market trivia doesn’t matter nearly as much as discipline. Tom and ...
Money Game?
21 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?A chaotic but revealing game-show-style opening leads into a sharp lesson on why market trivia doesn’t matter nearly as much as ...
Now Spend It
20 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Most retirees aren’t spending anywhere near what they safely could — often barely 2% of their savings — and that hesitation may be costing them ...
Now Spend It
20 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?Most retirees aren’t spending anywhere near what they safely could — often barely 2% of their savings — and that hesitation ...
Taking Your Qs
16 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This Friday Q&A covers real-world money decisions with real consequences, including how to invest life-insurance proceeds after a spouse’s death, wh...
Taking Your Qs
16 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?This Friday Q&A covers real-world money decisions with real consequences, including how to invest life-insurance proceeds afte...
House Rich?
15 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Retirement income doesn’t have to mean hoarding assets or obsessing over leaving an inheritance. In this episode of Talking Real Money, Don and Tom ...
House Rich?
15 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?Retirement income doesn’t have to mean hoarding assets or obsessing over leaving an inheritance. In this episode of Talking Real...
Bespoke Future
14 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This episode dismantles the myth of “one-size-fits-all retirement,” arguing that retirement isn’t a date, an age, or a lifestyle—it’s a pers...
Bespoke Future
14 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?This episode dismantles the myth of “one-size-fits-all retirement,” arguing that retirement isn’t a date, an age, or a lifes...
Easier Usually Better
13 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Tom Cock and Don McDonald kick off 2026 with a sharp, skeptical look at portfolio simplicity—what it really means, what it doesn’t, and why promis...
Easier Usually Better
13 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?Tom Cock and Don McDonald kick off 2026 with a sharp, skeptical look at portfolio simplicity—what it really means, what it doesn...
Nobody Knows
12 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Predictions feel comforting—but they’re usually nonsense. In this episode, Don and Tom dismantle the illusion of foresight by revisiting last year...
Nobody Knows
12 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?Predictions feel comforting—but they’re usually nonsense. In this episode, Don and Tom dismantle the illusion of foresight by ...
Try Before You Buy?
09 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Investing isn’t a game, and treating it like one can quietly sabotage your future. This episode dismantles the idea of “trying out” investments ...
Try Before You Buy?
09 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?Investing isn’t a game, and treating it like one can quietly sabotage your future. This episode dismantles the idea of “trying...
Can It Be Free?
08 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
0:04 Remembering the “good old days” of fat commissions 0:33 From $200 trades to zero commissions—what really changed 1:18 Free trading eve...
Can It Be Free?
08 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?0:04 Remembering the “good old days” of fat commissions0:33 From $200 trades to zero commissions—what really changed1:18 ...
Very Different
07 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This episode opens with a reality check on streaming delays before diving into the growing divide between investing and gambling, highlighted by Charl...
Very Different
07 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?This episode opens with a reality check on streaming delays before diving into the growing divide between investing and gambling, ...
Picking a Good One
06 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
With Tom on vacation and an eerily convincing AI stand-in holding down the mic, Don kicks off 2026 by tackling one of the most persistent listener que...
Picking a Good One
06 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?With Tom on vacation and an eerily convincing AI stand-in holding down the mic, Don kicks off 2026 by tackling one of the most per...
Why Complicate It?
05 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Wall Street is pitching “fixed-maturity ETFs” as the perfect solution for retirees who want certainty, income, and peace of mind—but are they ac...
Why Complicate It?
05 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?Wall Street is pitching “fixed-maturity ETFs” as the perfect solution for retirees who want certainty, income, and peace of mi...
Q&A 2026
02 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The calendar flipped, but the rules didn’t. In this New Year Friday Q&A, Don tackles listener questions on longevity annuities (QLACs), legacy insur...
Q&A 2026
02 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?The calendar flipped, but the rules didn’t. In this New Year Friday Q&A, Don tackles listener questions on longevity annuiti...
Hot? Don't Touch.
31 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode dismantles the idea that successful investing comes from finding the next hot thing. Instead, Don and Tom argue that good portfolios are ...
Hot? Don't Touch.
31 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?This episode dismantles the idea that successful investing comes from finding the next hot thing. Instead, Don and Tom argue that ...
What's Actually New?
30 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 thin...
What's Actually New?
30 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?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 endles...
Tricky "Investments"
29 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Tricky "Investments"
29 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?In this post-Christmas edition of Talking Real Money, Don McDonald and Tom Cock dismantle one of the most seductive myths in perso...
Extra Qs
26 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A year-end Boxing Day Q&A covering realistic downside expectations for global portfolios, the marginal value of adding international small-cap value, ...
Extra Qs
26 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?A year-end Boxing Day Q&A covering realistic downside expectations for global portfolios, the marginal value of adding interna...
Market Value?
24 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 priva...
Market Value?
24 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?It’s surprisingly hard to know what something is really worth until someone actually tries to buy it—and that problem is front...
Sucker's Rebellion
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A Wall Street Journal column argues that younger investors are turning to options, crypto, and betting as a rational response to a “rigged” econom...
Sucker's Rebellion
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?A Wall Street Journal column argues that younger investors are turning to options, crypto, and betting as a rational response to a...
Money Suckers
22 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Streaming was supposed to save us money. Instead, it quietly rebuilt cable… with better branding and worse self-control. Don and Tom trace the journ...
Money Suckers
22 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?Streaming was supposed to save us money. Instead, it quietly rebuilt cable… with better branding and worse self-control. Don and...
More Holiday Q&A
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this holiday Friday Q&A, Don opens with a festive announcement about Season’s Readings—now Apple-featured and temporarily commercial-free—bef...
More Holiday Q&A
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?In this holiday Friday Q&A, Don opens with a festive announcement about Season’s Readings—now Apple-featured and temporari...
The Upside of Down
18 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 wh...
The Upside of Down
18 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?Market drops are a gift when you’re young and a potential gut-punch when you’re retired, and this episode walks through why th...
Easy Money Isn't...
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode of Talking Real Money takes aim at the latest “easy money” illusion—house flipping—explaining why rising costs, higher interest...
Easy Money Isn't...
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?This episode of Talking Real Money takes aim at the latest “easy money” illusion—house flipping—explaining why rising co...
Investing Reality Check
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
Investing Reality Check
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?A classic TRM episode that starts with Tom’s ill-fated attempt to cross a flooded Snoqualmie River (spoiler: no walking on water...
Retirement Reality Check
15 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 hav...
Retirement Reality Check
15 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?If you’re nearing retirement and uneasy about the math, you’re not alone. Don and Tom tackle the uncomfortable reality that mo...
Santa's Little As
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Santa's Little As
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?A holiday-flavored Friday Q&A that covers a lot of ground without selling a single candy cane. Don answers listener questions ...
Four Money Moods
11 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 int...
Four Money Moods
11 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?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...
Rolling In His Grave?
10 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 throug...
Rolling In His Grave?
10 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?Don and Tom take a sharp look at Vanguard’s surprising new direction, especially the decision to fold annuities into 401(k) targ...
Huh? or Duh!
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this special seasonal episode, you and Tom resurrect Ha or Duh, tearing through Investopedia readers’ “rules to live by” and dismantling the...
Huh? or Duh!
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?In this special seasonal episode, you and Tom resurrect Ha or Duh, tearing through Investopedia readers’ “rules to live by”...
Nobody’s Perfect
08 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 gr...
Nobody’s Perfect
08 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?In this episode, Don and Tom saddle up for a tour through Schwab’s “Good, Bad, and Ugly.” They applaud CEO Rick Wurster’s ...
Always Question Season
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Always Question Season
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?This Friday Q&A episode tackles a wide range of listener questions: whether someone with full pension income still needs bonds...
Year-End Tax Shock
04 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode digs into the unwelcome December surprise of capital-gains distributions, especially from actively managed mutual funds. Don and Tom brea...
Year-End Tax Shock
04 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Questions? Comments?This episode digs into the unwelcome December surprise of capital-gains distributions, especially from actively managed mutual fun...