Episodes
Oct. 21, 2020
Bad Ideas (EP.173)
On this week's show we discuss why baby boomers are selling out of stocks, the 4% rule, the newest star fund manager, why FICO scores are rising this year, companies piling on debt, how social media is making people miserable, some optimism on the...
Oct. 16, 2020
Talk Your Book: What's In an Index?
On this edition of Talk Your Book we spoke with Laurence Black, founder of The Index Standard about how to pick the right products, ETFs and indices for your portfolio. Find complete shownotes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s Michael...
Oct. 14, 2020
Bearish the Whole Way Up (EP.172)
On this week's show we discuss why it's impossible to invest based on the outcome of the election, how the market's reaction evolves over time, the coming travel spending boom, how healthcare costs have hurt incomes, baby bonds and more. Find complete...
Oct. 9, 2020
Talk Your Book: Protecting the Tails
On this edition of Talk Your Book we sat down with Simplify Asset Management's Paul Kim to discuss how investors can protect their portfolios from both upside and downside volatility in the stock market. Find complete shownotes on our...
Oct. 7, 2020
Living Through History (EP.171)
On this week's show we discuss how crazy it is to live through a period of time that will go down in the history books, why this recession has been devastating to working women, the next Robinhood, the IPO boom, dividend stocks as a bond substitute...
Oct. 2, 2020
A Random Talk with Burton Malkiel
On today's show we sat down with Burton Malkiel, author of the classic book A Random Walk Down Wall Street. Find complete shownotes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s Michael Batnick’s Like us on And feel free to shoot us an email at with...
Sept. 30, 2020
Worst Recession Ever (EP.170)
On this week's show we discuss some bright spots from the pandemic, the massive real estate boom, the housing shortage, more diversity in the stock market, when asset allocation doesn't matter, the SPAC boom and more. Find complete shownotes on our...
Sept. 25, 2020
Talk Your Book: Investing in Gold
On today's show we spoke with George Milling-Stanley, Chief Gold Strategist at SSGA about all things related to investing in Gold. Find complete shownotes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s Michael Batnick’s Like us on And feel free to shoot us an...
Sept. 23, 2020
It's Hard Being Rich (EP.169)
On this week's show we discuss a minor correction in the stock market, why the upper middle class has so much debt, why fame and wealth don't always lead to more happiness, how baby boomers are messing up fund flow data, keeping politics out of your...
Sept. 18, 2020
Everything You Need to Know About Retirement (EP.168)
On this show we do a deep dive on everything retirement-related including how much you need to save, how much is enough, what happens when you get a late jump on retirement planning and much more. Find complete shownotes on our blogs... Ben...
Sept. 16, 2020
Upside Down Markets (EP.167)
On this week's show we discuss some work from home backlash, parents vs. single people in the office, where inflation comes from, the new fiscal policy regime, why markets are so hard, experts on an earlier version of the world, the two beers and a...
Sept. 9, 2020
Democracy Has Failed (EP.166)
On this week's show we discuss why tech stocks are finally selling off, why the best companies have to crash, stopping a depression in its tracks, the TINA market in bonds, benchmarking endowment funds, investing in timeshares, Airbnb and more. Find...
Sept. 4, 2020
The Economics of Parenting (EP.165)
On this episode we discuss the finances of parenting from what you need to buy, how to prepare yourself financially and emotionally, the cost of daycare, saving for college, teaching your kids about money and more. Find complete shownotes on our...
Sept. 2, 2020
Asset Price Hyperinflation (EP.164)
On this week's show we discuss modern market cap theory, the continued move higher in Tesla shares, the Fed's new inflation mandate, millennials are finally buying houses, Michael is never going into a car dealership again and more. Find complete...
Aug. 28, 2020
Talk Your Book: Sectors & The Business Cycle
On today's Talk Your Book we sat down with State Street's Matt Bartolini to discuss investing in different sectors of the stock market and what these sectors can tell us about where we are in the business cycle. Find complete shownotes on our...
Aug. 26, 2020
Trickle Up Economics (EP.163)
On this week's show we discuss the potential for a spending boom when the pandemic is over, what happens to all of the government debt we're racking up, what happened to the middle class in America, the red hot housing market, a tough fall ahead for...
Aug. 21, 2020
How to Spend Your Money (EP.162)
On this episode, we do a deep dive on budgeting, conscious spending, classflation, the two types of budgets, how to plan for infrequent expenses, how to make your budget obsolete and much more as it pertains to one of the most important topics in all...
Aug. 19, 2020
The Four Most Dangerous Words (EP.161)
On this week's show we discuss the speed of bear market recoveries, signs of inflation, the hardest problem in finance right now, which stocks day traders favor, what makes investing so difficult, being right for the wrong reasons, how the real estate...
Aug. 12, 2020
The Smart Money (EP.160)
On this week's show we discuss what low bond yields may be telling us, why the stock market is smarter than people give it credit for, the rise of investment newsletters, the bull market in gold, when the world will go back to normal, TikTok and...
Aug. 7, 2020
The Economics of Homeownership (EP.159)
On today's show we talk about one of the most important topics in personal finance, home ownership. Michael and Ben discuss renting versus buying, how to think about starter homes, where your house fits into your retirement plan, and much more. Find...
Aug. 5, 2020
S&P 5 (EP.158)
On this week's show we discuss tech stock monopolies, Microsoft potentially buying TikTok, why more people are buying houses, what to do if your friends are speculating in stocks, Vanguard vs. Robinhood, the counterintuitive nature of this recession...
July 31, 2020
Fixed Income Investing in a Low Rate World
On this edition of Talk Your Book we discuss the challenges of investing in a bond market will generationally low interest rates with Marvin Loh from State Street. Find complete shownotes on our blogs... Ben Carlson’s Michael Batnick’s ...
July 29, 2020
The Golden Age of Fraud (EP.157)
On this week's show we discuss why market cycles are happening in record time, parallels to the 1990s, speculative frenzy, anecdotal stock market signals, the red hot real estate market, commercial real estate, how work from home will change in the...
July 22, 2020
10,000 Day Traders (EP.156)
On this week's show we discuss new all-time lows in mortgage rates, why this is no normal recession, hopes and questions for a vaccine, Betterment vs. Robinhood, saving money when you earn a bonus and more. Find complete shownotes on our...