We consider the incongruency of a U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, the latest crypto exchange hack, and how most participants lost money on the Trump meme coin. Given all that, we review some areas where cryptocurrency is helping individuals and businesses. Topics covered include: What is the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve Why it makes little sense for the U.S. and individual states to create and participate in a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve What led to the latest and largest … [Read more...]
512: Unlocking Hidden Returns—How Mortality Credits Boost Retirement Income
How using a deferred income annuity can increase retirement income compared to an immediate annuity or a bond ladder. Topics covered include: How immediate annuities and deferred income annuities work What are mortality credits, and why they are a key diversifier Examples of how mortality credits lead to a 1% to 1.5% higher annualized return over several decades How to decide whether an annuity is right for you Show Notes Post: No, really. Deferred income annuities … [Read more...]
511: What Are Sovereign Wealth Funds and Does the U.S. Need One?
The U.S. and the UK each announced they were establishing sovereign wealth funds. We explore the purposes and types of sovereign wealth funds, how they invest, and some concerns with the U.S. establishing one. Topics covered include: What are the four types of sovereign wealth funds, and why the U.S. doesn't fit the typical use case How sovereign wealth funds navigate between politics and generating high returns Why a U.S. sovereign wealth fund, depending on its size, could … [Read more...]
510: Contrarian Investing with GMO’s Ben Inker – FEG Insight Bridge
This week on episode 510, we share a conversation between Ben Inker of GMO and Greg Dowling of FEG Investment Advisors on contrarian investing, deep value stocks, and the rise of passive investing. David introduces the episode by sharing his key takeaways from the discussion. FEG Investment Advisor is David's former institutional advisory firm, where he worked for 17 years before founding Money for the Rest of Us. Greg Dowling is Chief Investment Officer of FEG, and David's former business … [Read more...]
509: How to Invest in Private Credit / Direct Lending?
We explore what private credit, or direct lending, is and how to invest in it. We also show how it is similar to and different from investing in leverage loans and CLOs. Topics covered include: Why more companies are staying private How private credit differs from the leverage loan market Why private credit is growing so rapidly What are the benefits to private credit investing What are liquid and less liquid ways to invest in private credit Show Notes The … [Read more...]
508: Who Should Bear the Cost? Socialized vs. Market-Based Risk Management
Natural disasters are becoming more severe and costly—who should bear the financial burden? We explore the tension between socialized risk and market-based insurance. Topics covered include: The surprisingly large percentage of natural disaster losses that are uninsured Why natural disaster severity is increasing A deep dive into the complexity of the home insurance market, including state-run home insurance plans How California has tried to update its home insurance … [Read more...]
507: Where You Live Matters – How Geography Contributes to Wealth
How geography contributes to economic growth and can increase or lower the cost of living. Topics covered include:Why living in a developing country like Costa Rica is still relatively expensiveHow Amazon and e-commerce platforms lower the cost of livingWhy we should consider slowing down our rate of consumptionHow geography is impacting the rollout of AI Show Notes Market Research in Costa Rica: Costa Rica is a strong market in Central America providing many benefits.—SIS … [Read more...]
505: Optimization, AI, and Opting Out with Coco Krumme
In our final episode of the year, I converse with author and data scientist Coco Krumme about the benefits and costs of optimization in finance, industry, and our daily lives. We explore AI and its overlap with optimization. We also consider the pros and cons of life optimization and finally discuss the extreme challenge of opting out. Show Notes Optimal Illusions: The False Promise of Optimization by Coco Krumme—Penguin Random House cocofolio.com Coco … [Read more...]
504: Indexing Bubble and Asset Class Returns Still Revert to the Mean
How asset class returns move in cycles with periods of above-average returns followed by periods of lower returns. How has the rise of passive indexing led to higher stock valuations, and what does that mean for markets? Show Notes The Equity Risk Premium: Nine Myths (JPM Series) by Rob Arnott—Research Affiliates The Greatest Scourge in Factorland: Revaluation Alpha = Fake Alpha (JPM Series) by Rob Arnott—Research Affiliates PASSIVE INVESTING AND THE RISE OF MEGA-FIRMS by Hao … [Read more...]
503: U.S. Stocks Have Never Been This Overhyped or Expensive
What are the tangible and intangible factors that have contributed to long-term U.S. stock market outperformance compared to the rest of the world? Despite these advantages, why might we still want to continue to be globally diversified? Show Notes American productivity still leads the world—The Economist The Outlook for Long-Term Economic Growth by Charles I. Jones—Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City How Much Will Global Warming Cool Global Growth? by Ishan B. Nath, Valerie … [Read more...]
