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You are here: Home / Archives for retirement investing

497: How to Fix the Retirement Savings Crisis

October 16, 2024 by Camden Stein · Updated November 26, 2024

Why 401k and other defined contribution schemes are flawed, leading to a generation of workers unprepared for retirement. What are the solutions to fix the mess. Topics covered include: Why 401k and other defined contributions haven't worked, despite their popularity Why defined benefit pension plans declined Why 401k plans are treated like emergency funds How to combine the best of 401k and defined benefit pension plans Show Notes The Shift that Redefined … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: 401k, defined benefit plans, defined contribution plans, pensions, retirement, retirement investing, retirement planning, retirement savings

483 Plus: Private Credit, BDCs, CLOs, Cash Balances and Is This Portfolio Too Aggressive

June 22, 2024 by David Stein · Updated July 2, 2024

In Plus episode 483, we analyze the Virtus Private Credit ETF (VPC), which invests in business development companies (BDCs), leveraged loans, and collateralized loan obligations (CLOs). We review the characteristics of all those asset categories. We also discuss the appropriate cash balance for retirees and consider whether a retired member's portfolio has too much in stocks. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Money Plus Tagged With: bank loan funds, bank loans, BDCs, business development companies, cash, cash balances, CLOs, collateralized loan obligation, leveraged loans, private credit, retirement investing

460: Should You Be Invested 100% in Stocks Before and During Retirement? A Recent Study Says Yes. 

January 3, 2024 by David Stein · Updated July 9, 2024

The pros and cons of investing your retirement assets 100% in equity, including half in international stocks. Why the 4% spending rule is too aggressive. Topics covered include: Why historical asset class return studies that use only U.S. data are biased How researchers build a broader database to study retirement outcomes and spending rates How a 100% stock portfolio performed compared to balanced portfolios and target date funds Why investors should have half their assets … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: positive skewness, retirement investing, retirement savings, retirement spending, skewness, spending rates in retirement, Spitznagel (Mark), stocks, volatility drag

383 Plus: Analyzing ETFs, the Debt Cycle, and Investing When Retiring Outside Your Home Country

April 23, 2022 by David Stein · Updated May 7, 2022

In Plus Episode 383, we review the criteria for selecting and comparing ETFs. We discuss how to invest near-term living expenses when retired outside one's home country, particularly given U.S. tax laws on Passive Foreign Investment Companies. Finally, we analyze the current debt cycle and whether that should change how we invest. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: debt cycle, ETF analysis, ETFs, PFICs, retirement investing

371: Find Your Retirement Investing and Living Style

January 19, 2022 by David Stein · Updated June 21, 2023

What are the pros and cons of the four approaches to managing retirement savings. How to implement a bucketing or time segmentation retirement investing approach. Topics covered include: Why it takes time to find a retirement pattern that fits How retirement investing is a balance between safety-first and probability-based as well as maintaining optionality and committing. How total return investing differs from a safety-first approach What are products allow for a risk floor … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: bucket approach, retirement, retirement investing, retirement spending, time segmentation

326: The New Math of Retirement Spending and Investing

January 6, 2021 by David Stein · Updated October 26, 2022

How should individuals invest and spend in retirement with interest rates so low, stock valuations high, and inflation uncertain. Why retirement managed payout funds and income replacement funds failed. Topics covered include: How managed payout and income replacement funds compare to immediate annuitiesWhy Vanguard and Fidelity changed the objective of their retiree focused income replacement and managed payout fundsHow fixed annuities workHow retirees should combine annuities with … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: annuities, Bengan (William P.), fixed annuities, immediate annuities, income replacement funds, inflation, managed payout funds, mortgage REITs, retirement, retirement investing, retirement spending, retirement withdrawal rates, safety first retirement, Shadow Stats, spending rates in retirement

279: Why All Retirees Should Consider an Income Annuity

December 4, 2019 by David Stein · Updated October 26, 2022

Retirees face two big challenges. The first is how to invest their retirement assets. The second is determining how much they can withdraw each year from their retirement portfolios. What many retirees don’t realize is these challenges can be greatly reduced by paying for essential retirement expenses from guaranteed income sources. Guaranteed income sources include Social Security, pension plans, and annuities. Surprisingly, only about 10% of retirees partially fund their retirement … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: annuities, asset liability matching, immediate annuities, income annuity, Pfau (Wade), retirement, retirement investing, retirement planning, retirement spending, safety first retirement, unpredictable events

242 Plus: Alternative Inflation Measures, Stock Buybacks and Retirement Spending

March 2, 2019 by David Stein · Updated April 29, 2021

In Plus episode 242 for the week of March 2, 2019 we look at how U.S. inflation rates are calculated differently now than in 1990 and 1980, resulting in lower reported inflation. We review the impact of stock buybacks on earnings per share growth and how that can impact stock returns. We explore how corporate debt balances can serve as a constraint to elevated stock buyback levels. Finally, we explore why we need flexibility in terms of our retirement spending given changing investment … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: inflation, retirement investing, Shadow Stats, stock buybacks

169 Plus: Inflation and Trust, Self Directed IRAs and Reducing Stock Exposure as Retirement Approaches

August 19, 2017 by David Stein · Updated May 24, 2021

This week August 18, 2017 on Money For the Rest of Us Plus, we see why the most important thing about any currency is whether it is trusted. We evaluate using a self-directed IRA to invest in the real estate crowdfunding platform Peer Street and how a member could go about investing $120,000 on the platform. Finally, we discuss how a member could approach the challenge of reducing stock exposure as he approaches retirement given his concerns about incurring capital gains tax. 169 … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: currencies, retirement investing, self-directed IRA, trust

161: What You Need To Know About Retirement Calculators

June 14, 2017 by David Stein · Updated March 12, 2024

How retirement planning and retirement spending calculators work and what are some of their flaws. Why figuring out how much money you will have when you retire and how long it will last is a lot like the work hydrologists do to figure out whether Phoenix or Los Angeles will run out of water. Photo by Andrew Branch In this episode you’ll learn: How aquifers, aqueducts, rivers and springs are like retirement assets. What is water banking. What is the difference between … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: retirement investing, retirement planning, retirement planning calculator, retirement spending, water banking, water rights

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