

Sound Investing
Paul Merriman
Weekly podcasts with Paul Merriman. Strategic planning for investing at every stage of life.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 26, 2018 • 58min
How far will the market fall? and 6 more Q&A
Paul answers some recent questions from readers and listeners. How far is the market likely to fall? How has your market timing system worked in this market decline? Which is the better Vanguard large cap ETF: VTV or VONV? Jeffrey Gundlach says investors shouldn’t invest in index funds because they are hurting investing behavior. His …

Dec 19, 2018 • 1h 13min
The Best Podcast of 2018: Mark Hulbert on “Lessons learned from 40 years of independently tracking investment advisers’ performance”
At the 2018 AAII National Conference, Paul presented key concepts from the Ultimate Buy and Hold strategy and premiered the Two Funds for Life strategy, and had the great pleasure of hearing a talk by Mark Hulbert, founder of the Hulbert Financial Digest and senior columnist for MarketWatch. Considering it was the best talk of 2018, Paul asked and was granted …

Dec 12, 2018 • 57min
Investment lies many investors believe… especially during market declines
Paul discusses 9 different lies, or myths, that keep millions of investors from investing in stocks. Some of these lies are created by the “fake news and advertising” from Wall Street, and some by the natural fear of loss. In one example of an investment myth — “Investing is risky” — he compares the worst …

Dec 5, 2018 • 45min
Always something more to learn, and teach
In this lively conversation, Paul talks with Tim Ranzetta of NextGen Personal Finance about index funds, dispelling common myths young people have about money, how to build a portfolio for life, target date funds, the importance of diversification, the commitment to helping people help themselves, and more. NGPF.org provides an abundance …

Nov 28, 2018 • 46min
How much should I have in equities? And other questions
Since the market started making noises like a baby bear, more investors are asking,”What is the appropriate percentage of equities in my portfolio?” Paul addresses this question from the points of view of a young investor, a pre-retiree and a retiree, and also considers the dangerous probabilities of bad advice from commission-based advisors. In a …

Nov 21, 2018 • 43min
The Only 12 Things You Need to Know to be a Successful Investor for Life
In wishing listeners a Happy Thanksgiving, Paul shares some of the reasons for his gratitude, and 12 important decisions/choices that every first-time investor will make. He provides a few reasons why one path is likely to lead to a better financial outcome. Attached is a list of the choices he recently used to teach high …

Nov 14, 2018 • 31min
Updates on ETFs and other projects with Chris Pedersen and Paul Merriman
When Chris Pedersen came to Bainbridge Island to tape the video/podcast on the 2 Funds for Life Strategy, he joined Paul in an interview to address some questions regarding his work on several important projects. Here is a partial list of questions: What are the pros and cons of Best-in-Class and commission-free portfolios? What variables …

Nov 7, 2018 • 1h 6min
How to respond to election results plus 8 investment Q&A’s
This podcast, recorded before the market opened on Election Day in the U.S., begins with Paul’s advice on how to respond to the election results. He then answers the following questions from his readers and listeners: Why are bond funds losing money? Are individual bonds better than bond funds? How has mid-cap value performed compared …

Oct 31, 2018 • 56min
2 Funds for Life: The Bottom Line (10 lessons from the 2 Funds for Life study)
These 10 important lessons should be considered when putting to work the “2 Funds for Life” portfolio in your portfolio. Paul focuses on the likely long-term gains and the likely short-term losses, answers questions, and discusses the other sources of information on the strategies. For the video, articles, tables and Q&A about the “Two Funds …

Oct 24, 2018 • 1h 6min
2 Funds For Life
A simple strategy to maximize your retirement investments In this podcast, Paul Merriman and Chris Pedersen – who spent most of the last two years developing the “2 Funds for Life” strategy – discuss the rationale, research, details and benefits to easily implement this simple strategy. The discussion includes a quick review of the “Three greatest investment products” (podcast and article including …


