Category: Investing

Do you know what it takes to be a successful investor?

Can you name the three drivers of asset class performance?

Are you aware of the upsides and downsides of each investment that you hold?

Not having the answers to these questions could leave your portfolio exposed to major risk.

That’s why David Stein, today’s guest, wrote an appropriately titled book: Money For the Rest of Us. His book outlines 10 thought-provoking questions to ask before making any investment decision.

David, a two-time guest on the show, was the Chief Investment Strategist and Chief Portfolio Strategist at Fund Evaluation Group, a $70 billion investment firm. While there, he co-founded the firm’s $2.2 billion asset management division and developed its investment philosophy and process as the lead portfolio manager.

In this interview, David discusses the 10 questions outlined in his book:

What is it?
Is it investing, speculating, or gambling?
What’s the upside?
What’s the downside?
Who’s on the other side of the trade?
What’s the investment vehicle?
What does it take to be successful?
Who’s getting a cut?
How does this investment impact your portfolio?
Should you invest?

Whether you’re new to investing or consider yourself an advanced investor, David has an asset allocation approach that can save you from the expensive mistakes investors often make.

Here’s how to think through each of these 10 questions and improve your investment decision-making process.

Keep reading...

It’s September!! If you’ve been listening to the show for the past few months, then you know that I’m on what I’ve dubbed my September Sabbatical, in which I’m taking a break from podcast production and traveling the globe.

In light of that, we’re digging through the archives and airing some of my favorite interviews on the show, in between airing interviews I’ve done on other podcasts.

The first episode we’re bringing back is part one of a two-part interview with Andrew Hallam, a teacher who became a millionaire in his 30s and reached FI in his 40s.

How? Beyond investing small sums (we’re talking less than $100 per month) throughout college, he also saved half of his starting salary of $28,000.

Yes, you read that correctly. This episode is awesome for anyone who thinks it’s impossible to reach FIRE on a low salary.

I originally interviewed Andrew in January 2017, and we could not stop talking. Which is why our three-hour interview was divided into two parts.

In this first part, Andrew shares his story – how he became a millionaire, and why he wanted to achieve FIRE in the first place.

Keep reading...

Morgan Housel has spent thousands of hours reading about investing.

As a former columnist for the Wall Street Journal and The Motley Fool, he’s spent more than a decade reading, interviewing, thinking and writing about how to manage money.

And he’s come to a simple conclusion: less is more.

Doing nothing is often the best […]

Keep reading...

J. David Stein used to manage billions of dollars.

As the Chief Investment Strategist at Fund Evaluation Group, LLC, a $33 billon investment advisory firm, Stein developed the group’s investment philosophy and process.

He guided investments for major universities and nonprofits, including the Texas A&M University System and the Sierra Club.

He retired at age […]

Keep reading...