Risk Parity Radio

In this episode we answer an email from Cameron. First, we consider the long history of consumer marketing and how the retail financial services industry fits into it, including reviewing developments in financial services business models over the past century. In that context, we then break down why the current most popular business models are fear-based, which leads to retirement planning firms pushing “paycheck replacement,” annuities and other inefficient solutions involving buckets, ladders and flower pots. We also discuss how AUM combined with fear-based business models leads to the biggest current problem in retirement planning -- chronic underspending, and why that is unlikely to change in the near future. And THEN we our go through our weekly portfolio reviews of the eight sample portfolios you can find at Portfolios | Risk Parity Radio . Links: Empire of Things: Empire of Things: How We Became a World of Consumers, from the Fifteenth Century to the Twenty-First – An Epic History of Goods and the Modern Material Life: Trentmann, Frank: 9780062456328: Amazon.com: Books Propaganda: Bernays, Edward L. Propaganda [1928] [1936] : E. Bernays : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive Influence: Amazon.com: Influence, New and Expanded: The Psychology of Persuasion (Audible Audio Edition): Robert B. Cialdini, Robert B. Cialdini, Harper Business: Audible Books & Originals Psychology of Human Misjudgment: Charlie Munger - 24 Cognitive Biases - Human Misjudgment full speech (Improved Audio & Captioned) Thinking, Fast and Slow Summary: Microsoft Word - Thinking Fast and Slow Book Summary.doc Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds: The Project Gutenberg eBook of Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, by Charles Mackay Fifty Years in Wall Street: Fifty years in Wall Street by Henry Clews | Project Gutenberg Where Are The Customers' Yachts?: Where Are the Customers' Yachts?: or A Good Hard Look at Wall Street (Wiley Investment Classics): Schwed Jr., Fred, Arno, Peter, Zweig, Jason: 9780471770893: Amazon.com: Books Classifying Financial Advisors By Their Business Models: Interacting with the Financial Services Industry with SC Gutierrez White Coat Investor Podcast Episode -- (start at 57:30 -- "6 out of 7 retirees are underspending"): Advanced Financial Planning Q&A for Physicians - WCI Podcast #489 Source For The 6 Out of 7 Are Underspending Statistics: How Do Retirees Actually Spend Their Money? Breathless Unedited AI-Bot Summary: A retirement plan that “feels like a paycheck” can be a comforting story, but comfort is not a strategy. We respond to a listener who sat through a pitch from an Atlanta-area retirement planning firm and walked away hearing the same two levers again and again: income and annuities, followed by taxes and crash fears when challenged. That’s the hook for a much bigger conversation about why so much retirement advice is designed to manage anxiety instead of maximizing outcomes. We trace the roots of modern financial marketing through consumer culture and the persuasion playbook, from early propaganda techniques to the behavioral finance insights that explain how fear and incentives shape decisions. Then we map that history onto the financial services industry itself: the commission era, the loaded mutual fund era, the rise of assets under management (AUM), and today’s shift toward selling “sleep well at night” reassurance. Along the way, we talk about why “income-first” retirement planning can be tax-inefficient, why liquidity and total return matter, and why bucket, ladder, and flower pot strategies often solve for feelings before they solve for math. After the big-picture rant, we bring it back to practical portfolio work. We run through the weekly market snapshot and performance across the show’s diversified sample portfolios, spanning stocks, Treasury bonds, gold, commodities, managed futures, and more. We also detail an OPTRA portfolio rebalance after a long stretch without rebalancing, including exactly what we sold and bought and what the rule-based experiment is meant to reveal. Support the show

In this episode we answer emails from Jon, David, and Trevor. We discuss teaching teens personal finance without boring them and learning by doing, an early retirement checkup for a high-saving household confirming a $3.6M portfolio can support retirement plans, getting granular on expenses and planning for health care costs, asset location basics, and a useful managed futures white paper. Links: If You Can Book: Microsoft Word - If You Can.doc Set For Life: Set for Life: An All-Out Approach to Early Financial Freedom: Trench, Scott: 9781947200807: Amazon.com: Books FIRE For Dummies: Amazon.com : fire for dummies So Good They Can't Ignore You: So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love: Newport, Cal: 9781455509126: Amazon.com: Books Meketa Managed Futures Paper: MEKETA Trend-Following Managed Futures Paper.pdf - Google Drive Breathless Unedited AI-Bot Summary: Most money advice for teenagers boils down to three lines, yet somehow it still doesn’t stick. We dig into why that happens and how to fix it with a simple shift: stop treating personal finance like a reading assignment and start treating it like a hands-on skill. With no-fee trading, fractional shares, and AI tools that can summarize any classic finance book on demand, the real edge is helping young investors build confidence by actually using accounts, placing trades, and watching what happens. We share book recommendations that still earn a spot on the list, including a short starter PDF that delivers the core principles fast, plus a more modern early-career path-to-financial-independence perspective. Then we make the case that the most important “money book” for many teens isn’t about investing at all. It’s about building skills and career capital so earning, saving, and investing become possible in the first place. Next, we answer a detailed listener question from a burned-out attorney with $3.6M saved who wants to know if he’s basically at the finish line. We walk through how to sanity-check retirement readiness, why expense tracking and health care planning matter, and how to think about asset location for tax efficiency. We also tackle the mortgage decision as the personal part of personal finance, and discuss liquidity options like HELOCs and low-rate brokerage margin as tools to keep flexibility. We close with a listener-shared managed futures and trend following white paper and why managed futures can diversify both stocks and bonds in a resilient portfolio. If you find this helpful, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a rating and review so more DIY investors can find the show. Support the show

In this episode we answer two emails from Stephen and one from Melanie. We walk through the eight sample portfolios and talk about what each one represents, discuss how different portfolios are appropriate for different goals and the relevant comparison between two withdrawal rates is the relative difference (e.g., 6.0% versus 4.3% is a 40% difference in annual spending, not a 1.7% difference), and talk about what the performance numbers on the website represent. We also remind the listeners that additional resources in blog form can be found at Risk Parity Chronicles. And THEN we our go through our weekly portfolio reviews of the eight sample portfolios you can find at Portfolios | Risk Parity Radio . Links: HedgeFundie Portfolio: HEDGEFUNDIE's Excellent Adventure (UPRO/TMF) - A Summary Testfolio Backtest of Aggressive 50/50 Portfolio (also on website): Portfolio Backtester for ETFs and Asset Allocation | testfolio Risk Parity Chronicles Blog Signup (Free): Risk Parity Chronicles | Justin | Substack Risk Parity Chronicles YouTube Channel: Risk Parity Chronicles - YouTube Breathless Unedited AI-Bot Summary: A portfolio can look “safe” right up until the moment it isn’t, and nowhere is that clearer than with leveraged stock and bond strategies. We start with a deceptively simple listener question about the Aggressive 50-50 sample portfolio: did we backtest it, and what did the results say? That opens the door to a bigger point about risk parity, diversification, and why “sample portfolio” never means “recommendation” on our site. Some models are references, some are practical retirement portfolios, and some are intentionally risky experiments designed to teach us what can break. Next, we tackle a classic retirement investing debate: should you accept a lower long-run return if it buys you a higher safe withdrawal rate? The answer depends on your goal. If you want to spend more in the early years of retirement, drawdowns and sequence-of-returns risk matter more than spreadsheet projections that assume steady annual returns. We talk through why a 4% versus 6% withdrawal rate is a lifestyle-changing gap, and why a 100% stock portfolio can still fail in worst-case starts even when long-run returns look attractive. We also clear up a common confusion about performance reporting: when a portfolio is “up X% since inception,” those numbers reflect withdrawals as tracked in Fidelity, and you can reconcile comparisons by adding withdrawals back for a rough no-withdrawal view. We point you to Testfolio for running your own backtests with tickers, start dates, and withdrawal rates, then finish with a quick weekly snapshot across stocks, Treasuries, gold, commodities, managed futures, and our experimental portfolios. If this helps you think more clearly about portfolio allocation and retirement withdrawal planning, subscribe, share the episode, and leave a rating or review. Support the show

In this episode we answer emails from David, Olavo, and Nick. We discuss evaluating a sample portfolio and transitioning, helping parents and other relatives with their situations and milk-shake drinkers, being careful with leverage, large cap growth and small cap value funds for U.K. listeners and adding a 5% allocation of managed futures to a mix. Links: Afford Anything Risk Parity Portfolio Blueprint: Afford Anything frank-vasquez-risk-parity-portfolio-BluePrint.pdf - Google Drive Steve Eisman Podcast: P&C Stocks Worth Owning: The AI Hedge with Ryan Tunis | The Real Eisman Playbook Episode 74 David's Leverage Analysis: Portfolio Backtester for ETFs and Asset Allocation | testfolio Breathless Unedited AI-Bot Summary: A portfolio can look brilliant on a chart and still fail the moment real life shows up. We tackle that gap with three listener emails that force the question most investors avoid: what does “good investing” look like when the goal is sustainable spending, family responsibility, and staying out of trouble? First, we unpack a detailed risk parity style decumulation portfolio that blends U.S. growth, small cap value, international small cap value, property and casualty insurers, gold, managed futures (DBMF), and long-duration Treasury STRIPS (GOVZ), plus a small Bitcoin slice. We translate “implied leverage” so you can see the true macro allocation to stocks, bonds, and alternatives and judge whether the mix fits the safe withdrawal rate guidelines many retirees aim for. Then we zoom out: for aging parents stuck with a high-fee AUM advisor and a sister-in-law facing a life insurance payout, we explain why planning comes before portfolio construction, touching health and longevity, taxes, RMDs, spending needs, legacy goals, and the very practical issue of who will manage the money over time. We also go deep on leverage. If you are considering 1.5x exposure using margin at Interactive Brokers, we discuss how to model margin interest, why drawdowns matter more than averages, how margin calls happen, and why a small test allocation beats going “whole hog.” Finally, we answer a UK-specific question with UCITS ETF ideas for large cap growth and small cap value, and we give a quick framework for whether 5% DBMF can move the needle alongside 10% to 15% gold. Subscribe, share this with a friend who is redesigning their retirement portfolio, and leave a review with your biggest investing question so we can address it next. Support the show

In this episode we answer emails from Optimus Bill, Sin Nombre, Darren, and George. We discuss sizing small bitcoin ETF allocations, identify resources to learn more about managed futures, and talk about how underspending or hoarding strategies are often dressed up in various ways that often have surface appeal, but are ultimately unnecessarily restrictive and lack meaningful or useful purpose. Basic financial tools like selling shares are meant to be used, not avoided. And THEN we our go through our weekly portfolio reviews of the eight sample portfolios you can find at Portfolios | Risk Parity Radio . Links: Father McKenna Center Donation Page: Donate - Father McKenna Center Catching Up To FI -- Donor Advised Funds: A Donor-Advised Fund For You (Daffy): Democratizing Philanthropy for Everyone | Adam Nash | 200 Understanding Managed Futures Paper: Understanding Managed Futures Demystifying Managed Futures Paper: Demystifying Managed Futures A Century of Evidence on Trend-Following Investing Paper: A Century of Evidence on Trend-Following Investing List of Books from Top Traders Unplugged: Top Traders Unplugged Ultimate Guide to Investing Books.pdf - Google Drive "Follow The Trend" Book: Amazon.com: Following the Trend: Diversified Managed Futures Trading (Wiley Trading): 9781119908982: Clenow, Andreas F.: Books Excess Returns Managed Futures Presentation: Why Most Investors Won't Buy the Best Diversifier | Andrew Beer on Managed Futures IM Global Partners YouTube Channel (DBMF): iMGP DBi Managed Futures Strategy ETF Update with Andrew Beer | June 2026 Overcoming Underspending Habits To Improve Well-Being in Retirement: RPR Episode 436 Illustrated: The Two Halves of Your Financial Life Breathless Unedited AI-Bot Summary: Bitcoin in a risk parity portfolio sounds like a harmless side bet, until you ask the only question that matters: will a tiny allocation actually move the needle, or is it just a story you tell yourself? We dig into the practical reality of a 1% Bitcoin ETF position, why volatility can make small weights matter, and why correlation to tech stocks can feel stable one month and chaotic the next. If you’re considering crypto as a “moonshot” inside a diversified portfolio, we talk about what makes it behave like a levered risk asset and how to keep it from dominating your results. Next, we respond to a listener who wants to learn managed futures and trend following the right way. We lay out a no-fluff roadmap: key papers, episodes to revisit, book recommendations, and ongoing video resources from fund providers. If you’ve been looking at managed futures ETFs like DBMF or KMLM and wondering what they really add to a portfolio, this section helps you separate trading curiosity from allocation decisions, and makes the case for managed futures as a serious diversifier alongside stocks, bonds, gold, commodities, and REITs. Then we tackle a retirement hot button: living off dividend ETF income and never selling shares. We argue that “dividend-only” is often just window dressing for an ultra-low spending plan, and we make the case that selling shares is a normal tool, not a moral failure. We close with our September portfolio review and monthly distributions across the sample portfolios, including leveraged and return-stacked designs, so you can see real-world asset allocation decisions play out. Support the show

In this episode we answer emails from Geraldo, Mark, and Zack. We revel again in their generosity, talk through reinvesting a big cash balance, setting up liquidity backstops with brokerage collateral, and using variable retirement withdrawal rules and a Portfolio Charts calculator to model the Bob Clyatt 95% rule with a Golden Ratio style portfolio. Links: Father McKenna Center Donation Page (please mention Risk Parity Radio in the comment section with your donation): Donate - Father McKenna Center Portfolio Charts Retirement Spending Calculator: Retirement Spending – Portfolio Charts Morningstar Report with Variable Withdrawal Strategies Analysis: Morningstar State_of_Retirement_Income_2025.pdf - Google Drive Breathless Unedited AI-Bot Summary: Cash feels comforting until it turns into quicksand. We start with a listener who sold a home, parked the proceeds, and now feels stuck watching markets and wondering if buying Treasuries “right now” is a mistake. We share the simplest antidote we know: stop waiting for perfect and start using a calendar. When your goal is a durable long-term asset allocation, a schedule-based reinvestment plan can beat fear-based timing, even when the news is trying its hardest to make you panic. Next we get tactical about liquidity. We unpack the real-world tradeoffs between a securities-backed line of credit (SBLOC) and a margin loan inside a brokerage account, including the little frictions people only learn after they call their custodian. The bigger idea is creating a backstop so you don’t have to keep oversized emergency cash or “just in case” bond piles. We also compare these tools to a HELOC and why credit secured by a sizable brokerage account may be less likely to disappear when markets get ugly. Then we pivot to two themes that make the whole plan worth doing. First, Dolly Parton as an example of emulable generosity, not just talent or fame, and why what you do with your resources matters as much as how you grow them. Second, retirement withdrawal strategies: we answer a question on the Bob Clyatt 95% rule, variable spending, and how to model a golden ratio style portfolio using the Portfolio Charts retirement spending calculator. If you want clearer next steps for risk parity style diversification, retirement planning, and spending rules that flex without falling apart, hit play, then subscribe, share the episode, and leave a review. Support the show

In this episode we answer emails from Pete, Mark, and Jack. We thank our generous donors and share the preliminary results of the Top of the T-Shirt campaign for the Father McKenna Center, discuss recent machinations of the US Treasury Department and why its more of the same old story, and discuss some basics of accumulation portfolios and the preeminence of the Macro-Allocation Principle, and using risk-parity style portfolios for intermediate accumulation. And THEN we our go through our weekly portfolio reviews of the eight sample portfolios you can find at Portfolios | Risk Parity Radio . Links: Father McKenna Center Donation Page (please mention Risk Parity Radio in the comment section with your donation): Donate - Father McKenna Center Mark's Claude Discussion Link: Claude Testfolio Comparison of Sample Accumulation Portfolios: Portfolio Backtester for ETFs and Asset Allocation | testfolio Shannon's Demon Article: Unexpected Returns: Shannon's Demon & the Rebalancing Bonus – Portfolio Charts Breathless Unedited AI-Bot Summary: A tiny Treasury headline can spark a full-blown “the system is ending” spiral, and we get why. So we slow it down and look at what actually matters for investors: how policy actions, inflation expectations, and interest-rate narratives ripple through stocks, long-term Treasury bonds, gold, commodities, and managed futures and why trying to predict the next move usually makes portfolios worse, not better. We also share a meaningful community update as our listener donations push the Father McKenna Center’s Top of the T-Shirt campaign back into a leading spot. The money helps keep real services running for people who need it, and it also reinforces a theme we come back to often: investing is a tool, not the point. Time is limited, behavior matters, and a steady plan beats a dramatic one. From there we tackle an accumulation-phase question that a lot of DIY investors wrestle with: how to split large-cap growth (VUG) with small-cap value (VIOV or AVUV), where to place each fund across taxable, Roth, and pre-tax accounts, and why we don’t assume one style will “win” forever. We dig into the logic of rebalancing and “Shannon’s demon,” plus when it makes sense to upgrade fund choices and when switching creates avoidable tax pain. Then we close with our weekly market snapshot and performance across the eight sample portfolios, including the more volatile leveraged experiments. If you found this helpful, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s doom-scrolling financial news, and leave us a rating and review so more investors can find the show. Support the show

In this episode we answer emails from Kelly and Jose (Joe). We discuss simple spreadsheet applications for organizing portfolios, review a planned risk-parity style portfolio, discuss issues with transitioning and international fund choices and proportions, and why you should not fear "high market valuations" because risk-parity portfolios already solve for that exact problem, unlike simplistic large-cap weighted portfolios. In fact, that is one of the main reasons risk-parity style portfolios make for better retirement portfolios with higher safe withdrawal rates. Links: Father McKenna Center Donation Page (please mention Risk Parity Radio in the comment section with your donation): Donate - Father McKenna Center Risk Parity Chronicles Free Portfolio Tracker and Explanatory Video: How to use the RPC Capital Efficient Portfolio Tracker Afford Anything Risk Parity Portfolio Blueprint: Afford Anything frank-vasquez-risk-parity-portfolio-BluePrint.pdf - Google Drive Jeremy Grantham on the Long-View Podcast: Jeremy Grantham ‘Almost Everything Looks More Attractive Than the US Equity Market’ - YouTube F. Vasquez EconoMe 2025 Slide Presentation: F. Vasquez EconoMe 2025 Presentation.pdf - Google Drive Breathless Unedited AI-Bot Summary: Retiring soon and staring at market charts that look “too high” can mess with your head, even if your plan is solid. We hear that anxiety loud and clear in today’s mailbag, and we respond with what actually helps: better visibility across accounts, clear asset allocation targets, and a process you can follow when emotions spike. First, we tackle the nuts-and-bolts problem almost every DIY investor hits: holdings scattered across IRAs, 401(k)s, and a taxable brokerage account. We share a simple way to track everything on one page using a Google Sheet that updates prices automatically, and we talk about how AI tools like Gemini NotebookLM can organize raw account statements into a clean spreadsheet, even adding details like unrealized capital gains. The point is not fancy software, it’s seeing your true portfolio mix so you can rebalance with confidence and avoid constant tinkering. Then we get into portfolio construction: equity levels that feel conservative vs aggressive in a risk parity style setup, when Treasury bond exposure may be on the high side, and how to think about diversifiers like gold (GLDM) and managed futures (DBMF). We also answer practical questions about VTI and VXUS, whether adding a dedicated growth fund matters, and how to split small cap value between AVUV and AVDV without over-optimizing. Finally, we address the big fear: what happens if you invest or rebalance near all-time highs right before retirement? We walk through why a diversified risk parity style portfolio can reduce peak-valuation risk, how safe withdrawal rates look when you test retirement start dates near major market peaks, and why a written execution plan often beats trying to time the perfect day. If this helped, subscribe, share the show with a friend who’s nearing retirement, and leave us a review on your podcast app. Support the show

In this episode we answer emails from Optimus Bill, Mark, and Drew. We discuss a paper about value factor investing from Wes Gray, Section 351 exchanges, how to stick with the horse your rode in on, a long-run correlation analysis of various assets, and a listener's new financial practice. And THEN we our go through our weekly portfolio reviews of the eight sample portfolios you can find at Portfolios | Risk Parity Radio . Links: Father McKenna Center Donation Page (please mention Risk Parity Radio in the comment section with your donation): Donate - Father McKenna Center Alpha Architect Value Factor Investing Paper: AA-JBISFactorInvesting22LongOnlyValueInvesting.pdf Interview of Wes Gray on Section 351 Exchanges and Other Topics: Episode 70: Dr. Wes Gray discusses the unique tax benefits of ETFs and other topics of interest, host Rick Ferri | Bogleheads On Investing Podcast Mark's Long-Term Correlation Matrix: correlation_matrix (Mark Figley Episode 533).xlsx - Google Sheets "Minimize Your Miss" Article: Minimize Your Miss – Portfolio Charts Drew's Money for Makers Book (Not An Endorsement -- Just A Favor For A Long-Time Listener): Book | Money for Makers by Drew Feldman, APMA® | WideFrame Wealth Breathless Unedited AI-Bot Summary: If your portfolio plan only works when stocks are soaring, it’s not a plan, it’s a mood. We take on a set of sharp listener questions that hit the heart of risk parity investing and modern portfolio construction: when does small cap value truly earn its keep, how should you think about equal-weighted value strategies, and why “liquidity” often matters more to institutions than to everyday ETF investors who rebalance a few times a year. Along the way, we share our core view that the growth versus value split can be more important than the large versus small split for long-term asset allocation. We also dig into an advanced but practical topic for the right person: Section 351 exchanges. If you’re sitting on highly appreciated legacy stocks or a concentrated inherited position, the promise of moving toward a diversified ETF structure without an immediate taxable event is compelling, but the real-world constraints are cost, complexity, and scale. We lay out what we know, who it tends to fit, and why most do-it-yourself investors are better served by simpler diversification steps earlier. Then we tackle the uncomfortable truth: diversification can feel like failure during long stretches when the SP 500 leads. We talk behavior, drawdowns, and why educated DIY investors still need a realistic expectation for underperformance in strong stock years. A listener-built 100-year correlation matrix reinforces the point, highlighting how Treasury bonds, gold, and especially managed futures can bring low or even negative correlation when stocks drop. We close with our weekly portfolio review, including performance snapshots and upcoming rebalancing trades in leveraged allocations. Subscribe for more clear, evidence-based investing talk, share this with a friend building a retirement portfolio, and leave a review so more DIY investors can find the show. Support the show

In this episode we answer emails from Optimus Bill, Pete, and Andy. We discuss SBLOCs vs margin accounts for liquidity in retirement, what "jumping the shark" looks like in blog form and why its a bad idea for all involved, and a listener's endowment-inspired variable withdrawal strategy (that should work just find). Links: Father McKenna Center Donation Page (please mention Risk Parity Radio in the comment section with your donation): Donate - Father McKenna Center Interactive Brokers Margin Rates: Margin Rates and Financing | Interactive Brokers LLC Pete's "Firefly" Link: #firefly #serenity #malcolmreynolds #nathanfillion #captain #captainma... | TikTok Fonzie Jumps The Shark: Fonzie Jumps Shark Simpsons Jump The Shark: The Simpsons Jump the Shark Referenced SEC Disclosure: SPY2026/06/05 - ADV Form 2A - Google Docs Bonus Video On The Patterns of Deception of Shark Jumpers: Episode 532 Bonus: Biased Skepticism and Patterns of Deception In the FI Blogosphere Breathless Unedited AI-Bot Summary: Borrowing against your portfolio can feel like a magic trick: you keep your investments, skip selling, and still get cash when you need it. The trick only works, though, if you understand the rules. We break down a listener question on S-block loans (securities-backed lines of credit) versus margin loans, including how these products are structured, how SOFR-based rates show up in real pricing, and why brokers like Interactive Brokers can look dramatically cheaper than the big-name platforms. Then we dig into the detail that can flip the whole decision: taxes. Margin interest is often treated as investment interest and shows up on Form 4952, potentially landing as a Schedule A deduction. That can change your effective borrowing cost in a big way, especially in higher tax brackets. But does the same deduction apply to an S-block that is set up as a separate loan product? We talk through what we know, what we do not, and the exact question to take to your tax professional so you are not optimizing the wrong thing. From there, the conversation pivots to retirement planning, sequence of returns risk, and why a small allocation to gold keeps popping up in safe withdrawal rate research. We also share a candid take on what happens when personal finance commentary drifts from useful analysis into sensational accusations, and why that shift can be harmful to audiences trying to make calm, long-term decisions. We close by critiquing an endowment-style withdrawal rule designed to smooth spending while still responding to market performance, plus the real-life challenge every retiree faces: spending is not a straight line. If you want more episodes like this, subscribe, share the show with a friend who is nearing retirement, and leave a review with what question you want answered next. Support the show

In this episode we respond to emails from Thirsty Horse, Joanne, Matt and Alan. We share our gratitude for our listeners and reflect on how a listener community can become one of the most meaningful outcomes of a long-term investing project. We also provide an update on the Top of the T-Shirt fundraising campaign for the Father McKenna Center. Next we answer two portfolio design questions about retirement drawdown constraints and how to fit them into the framework for portfolios with higher safe withdrawal rates. And THEN we our go through our weekly portfolio reviews of the eight sample portfolios you can find at Portfolios | Risk Parity Radio . Links: Father McKenna Center Donation Page (please mention Risk Parity Radio in the comment section with your donation): Donate - Father McKenna Center Charity Navigator Rating for The Father McKenna Center: Charity Navigator - Rating for Father McKenna Center Inc. Bengen "Richer Retirement" Sample Portfolio at Portfolio Charts: Richer Retirement Portfolio – Portfolio Charts Bill Bengen's "Richer Retirement" Content: Bill Bengen’s New Book | Charts & Tools for You Golden Ratio Compared with Version w/o Alternative Investments: Portfolio Backtester for ETFs and Asset Allocation | testfolio Afford Anything Risk Parity Portfolio Blueprint: Afford Anything frank-vasquez-risk-parity-portfolio-BluePrint.pdf - Google Drive Breathless Unedited AI-Bot Summary: A week where stocks jump 3% to 5% and gold pops more than 7% can feel like the market is daring you to change your plan. We don’t take the bait. We walk through what actually happened across major asset classes, why we still refuse to time markets, and how a diversified risk parity approach is designed to keep you steady when headlines and price moves get loud. We also start with something more important than portfolio math: the notes we received after my mom passed away, and what it means to build an audience that shows up for each other. From there, we share a progress update on our Father McKenna Center “top of the t-shirt” campaign, including matching funds, a Charity Navigator 100% rating, and a practical tip for tax-smart giving: donating appreciated shares can reduce capital gains while supporting a mission you care about. Then we get into two listener questions that hit the real world. First: if you’re in the retirement drawdown phase and you can only use stock and bond ETFs or index funds, what would we actually hold and why? We talk safe withdrawal rate research, the role alternatives play, and what you might use as imperfect substitutes (value tilt, REITs, utilities, even gold miners) when gold and managed futures aren’t on the table. Second: what if you’re investing from New Zealand with limited fund access and a tax drag on US ETFs? We lay out a decision process for finding value-tilted funds locally, evaluating managed futures costs, and avoiding expensive “solutions” that quietly erase the benefit you’re chasing. Support the show

In this episode we answer emails from Eli, Optimus Bill, and James. We discuss variations in fund approaches for adding leverage, when fees are more likely to matter, what kinds of people and goals can benefit from risk parity style approaches, the trade-offs in lower and higher equity approaches (with a recent insight from Bill Bengen), and a ChatGPT analysis from a listener. Links: Father McKenna Center Donation Page (please mention Risk Parity Radio in the comment section with your donation): Donate - Father McKenna Center Catching Up To FI with Yours Truly: Are Bonds Dead?: Fixed Income Fundamentals (Part 1) | Frank Vasquez | Episode 229 Afford Anything Podcast #618: They Ran Out of Money. I Didn’t. Here’s Why. Afford Anything Risk Parity Portfolio Blueprint: Afford Anything frank-vasquez-risk-parity-portfolio-BluePrint.pdf - Google Drive FI Physician Article: How Withdrawal Rate Influences Diversifiers in a Risk Parity Portfolio Breathless AI-Bot Summary: You can build a portfolio that looks elegant on paper and still miss the only question that matters: what is this portfolio supposed to do for your life? We dig into listener mail that forces the issue, starting with a smart (and very specific) proposal to add leverage using return-stacked ETFs instead of daily-reset leveraged funds. We talk through what these products are trying to achieve, why “macroallocation” often drives the long-run behavior, and where the real uncertainty lives: rebalancing mechanics, limited history, and the practical cost of complexity. From there, we zoom out to risk parity in retirement. We answer whether there’s a minimum nest egg size to use a risk parity portfolio (spoiler: it’s not about size, it’s about goals), and why many people with very low withdrawal rates simply don’t need a portfolio engineered to maximize safe withdrawal rate. If you’re in the 0% to 3% withdrawal camp, you may have far more freedom than you think, and your asset allocation can optimize for something else entirely, like long-term growth, simplicity, or personal comfort. We also get tactical: Treasury STRIPS funds as a form of bond “pseudo-leverage,” how that can free up space for growth assets while keeping recession insurance, and how to think about minimum position sizes based on volatility instead of arbitrary percentage floors. Finally, we respond to a question about Golden Butterfly versus Golden Ratio style portfolios, sequence of returns risk, and whether a reverse glide path or bucket-style framing can help without turning your retirement plan into an overengineered project. If you like practical portfolio design, risk parity investing, safe withdrawal rate thinking, and clear tradeoffs around leverage, fees, and retirement asset allocation, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves tinkering, and leave us a review with your biggest takeaway. Support the show

In this episode we answer emails from Luc, (from Quebec!), Nick, and Isaiah. We discuss surviving ugly drawdowns and bad decades, building a risk parity portfolio that still grows, momentum funds, avoiding fund hopping, and treating health like a real priority. And THEN we our go through our weekly portfolio reviews of the eight sample portfolios you can find at Portfolios | Risk Parity Radio . Links: Father McKenna Center Donation Page (please mention Risk Parity Radio in the comment section with your donation): Donate - Father McKenna Center Catching Up To FI With Ben Carlson: Risk & Reward: Stress Testing the Long Term Buy and Hold Strategy | Ben Carlson | 225 Portfolio Comparison Starting In 2000: Portfolio Backtester for ETFs and Asset Allocation | testfolio Portfolio Charts Heat Map Chart: Heat Map – Portfolio Charts Portfolio Charts Article: Minimize Your Miss – Portfolio Charts Afford Anything Podcast #618: They Ran Out of Money. I Didn’t. Here’s Why. Afford Anything Risk Parity Portfolio Blueprint: Afford Anything frank-vasquez-risk-parity-portfolio-BluePrint.pdf - Google Drive Breathless Unedited AI-Bot Summary: Imagine retiring into a market that refuses to cooperate. A listener asks the question most withdrawal rate debates dodge: could you keep taking inflation-adjusted withdrawals while your balance shrinks through a 2000-style lost decade, and what would make you cut spending in real time? We walk through how we think about drawdowns, sequence of returns risk, and why “toughing it out” is easier when the portfolio is built for multiple economic outcomes. That leads to practical stress testing: using historical analysis, TestFol.io, and Portfolio Charts heat maps to compare risk parity portfolios, a 60/40, and classic three-fund approaches under the worst start dates. We also share why Monte Carlo alone can be misleading if it relies on simplified assumptions instead of real historical regimes. Next, we tackle a portfolio construction email that hits a modern dilemma: can you be too diversified in a risk parity setup? We unpack a Golden Ratio-style allocation with US and international equity sleeves, small cap value, momentum funds, long-term Treasuries, gold, managed futures, and cash. We discuss when that mix makes sense for decumulation versus accumulation, how momentum can function as a growth proxy, and the one behavior that reliably breaks good plans: fund hopping. We end with a thoughtful note on the “life portfolio” many investors ignore: health. Exercise, consistency, convenience, and even medical support come up as we talk about aligning money decisions with longevity and day-to-day vitality. If this helped you think more clearly about retirement withdrawals, risk parity investing, and building a plan you can stick with, subscribe, share the show, and leave a review. Support the show

We close season six by walking through our annual July rebalancings of the first four sample risk parity style portfolios and talking about their raison d'être. We also share a practical reverse glide path strategy that we plan to apply to the sample Golden Butterfly portfolio over the course of the next ten years, starting with this one. And we also thank our listeners for their kind words and generosity. Links: Father McKenna Center Donation Page (please mention Risk Parity Radio in the comment section with your donation): Donate - Father McKenna Center Michael Kitces Reverse Glidepath Article (listen to Episode 469 for more info on that): The Benefits Of A Rising Equity Glidepath In Retirement Breathless Unedited AI-Bot Summary: Rebalancing sounds boring until you realize it’s the moment your plan either stays real or turns into wishful thinking. We’re ending season six with our annual July rebalance across four sample portfolios, using actual target percentages, real fund lineups, and the same rules we follow every year to keep withdrawals and asset allocation from drifting. We start with the All Seasons Portfolio as a reference case for a very conservative risk parity style mix, then move into the Golden Butterfly where we add a twist: a reverse glide path. Instead of locking in a static stock percentage, we gradually step stock exposure higher over a decade by trimming the lowest-volatility sleeve, aiming to improve retirement resilience without turning the process into constant tinkering. Along the way we hit the practical why behind rebalancing: it quietly forces buy low and sell high when your emotions would rather do the opposite. From there, we lay out the Golden Ratio Portfolio and the simplest “cash bucket” management we know, designed to minimize trades and mental overhead while still keeping a diversified retirement portfolio. We finish with the Risk Parity Ultimate Portfolio, our educational kitchen-sink mix that includes Treasury STRIPS, preferred shares, managed futures, a long-short fund, gold, and a small bitcoin slice so you can see how volatile sleeves behave during a rebalance. If you want a clear, repeatable portfolio rebalancing process for retirement, safe withdrawal rate minded allocations, and a realistic look at diversified assets, hit play. Subscribe, share the episode with a DIY investor friend, and leave a review with the portfolio rule you want us to stress-test next. Support the show

In this episode we answer emails from The Nameless One, Jebenizer, and C.M. We discuss practice drawdown portfolios, an unusual deferred pension cash build-up situation and how to handle it, assets that benefit from inflation, and simple rules for contributions and rebalancing that reduce taxes and stress. And we share an update about Frank's Mom. Links: Father McKenna Center Donation Page (please mention Risk Parity Radio in the comment section with your donation): Donate - Father McKenna Center Rose Vasquez Memorial: Rose Vasquez Memorial Service July 15, 2026 Bigger Pockets Money Podcast #1: The Secret to a 5% Safe Withdrawal Rate | Frank Vasquez Bigger Pockets Money Test Risk Parity Style Portfolio: We Built a 5% SWR Retirement Portfolio Using Fidelity in 48 Minutes (Golden Ratio Portfolio) Afford Anything Podcast #618: They Ran Out of Money. I Didn’t. Here’s Why. Afford Anything Risk Parity Portfolio Blueprint: Afford Anything frank-vasquez-risk-parity-portfolio-BluePrint.pdf - Google Drive Slide Deck: Afford Anything Episode 618 RPR Basics Slide Deck.pdf - Google Drive Video Summary: Afford Anything Episode 618 Video Summary.mp4 - Google Drive Breathless Unedited AI-Bot Summary: A retirement portfolio is one thing on paper and something else entirely when you have to live with it. We start with a quick personal update, then jump into listener emails that turn risk parity investing into hands-on decision-making you can actually copy and test. Along the way, we talk about the “Top of the T-shirt” charity campaign and why we keep the show sponsor-free, then pivot into the kind of practical portfolio questions that show up right before retirement. One listener builds a $10,000 drawdown portfolio as a practice run while still in the accumulation phase. The rules are clear: rebalance annually, withdraw 5% of the original amount every year, increase that withdrawal by CPI, and do not save it. We dig into why this simple experiment is so effective for building confidence with withdrawals, rebalancing discipline, and the real emotions that come with spending from an investment account. We also connect it to the Golden Ratio portfolio concept and how diversified asset allocation can support higher safe withdrawal rates. Another listener has a rare situation: a deferred pension option that forces pension payments into a tax-deferred account earning a flat 4%, creating a growing cash-like allocation with limited liquidity. We explain how to treat that cash as part of the total portfolio right now, how it can change your stock and bond mix, and what to do when the funds become available. We also tackle inflation hedging for retirement planning, including why Treasury bonds suffer in inflation, how value stocks like property and casualty insurers can help, and why managed futures can be a powerful inflation hedge. If you like clear rules, real portfolios, and honest trade-offs, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review so more do-it-yourself investors can find us. Start with this Description Support the show

In this episode we answer emails from I Have No Name, Shellie, Midwest Nice, and Mr. Ed (a motley crew indeed!). We discuss some massively funny generosity to our Top of the T-Shirt Campaign for the Father McKenna Center, an odd small cap value fund in a 401(k) and the issues surrounding holding too much cash, how stocks and long-term treasury bonds can both rise while still showing negative correlation and how that relates to the Four Quadrant Model, and redeploying proceeds from the sale of real estate. And lutefisk. And THEN we our go through our weekly portfolio reviews of the eight sample portfolios you can find at Portfolios | Risk Parity Radio . Links: Father McKenna Center Donation Page (please mention Risk Parity Radio in the comment section with your donation): Donate - Father McKenna Center PMJAX at Morningstar: PMJAX – Portfolio – PIMCO RAE US Small A | Morningstar PMJAX Comparison: Asset Analyzer for ETFs, Stocks, and Funds | testfolio Portfolios With More and Less Cash Comparison: Portfolio Backtester for ETFs and Asset Allocation | testfolio S&P500 and LT Treasury Bond Comparison: Asset Analyzer for ETFs, Stocks, and Funds | testfolio The Four Quadrant Model Exquisitely Explained With Illustrations Inspired By Vermeer: The Four Quadrant Wealth Atlas.pdf - Google Drive Four Quadrant Model Video: Understanding Correlations and Diversification Using the Four Quadrant Model Breathless Unedited AI-Bot Summary: A listener spots a new “small cap value” option in a 401(k) and asks the question most DIY investors eventually face: how do you tell what a fund really is when the plan uses a custom name and no ticker? We walk through a practical, repeatable research process using an AI chatbot (Gemini or ChatGPT) to find the closest public equivalent, then confirming style exposure and performance on Morningstar and Testfol.io. Along the way we discuss what “micro” exposure can mean, why “perfect” isn’t required inside a restrictive plan, and how you can still build a solid risk parity-style asset allocation with the tools you have. Then we tackle the comfort blanket that can quietly cost you money: cash. We explain cash drag, why holding 25% in cash can act like you’re not investing a quarter of your portfolio, and why bucket strategies don’t magically solve sequence of returns risk just by relabeling accounts. We also dig into tax-efficient investing and asset location, including why taxable cash interest can be brutal in retirement and when it may make sense to reposition assets between taxable and retirement accounts. A father writes in with his son’s surprisingly sharp question about bond stock correlation: if stocks go up over time and long-term Treasury bonds are negatively correlated, do bonds usually go down? We answer with long-run data, show why both can rise while still diversifying each other, and point to specific regimes like 2000 to 2010 versus 2022. We also field a real-world planning scenario on investing property sale proceeds while keeping ACA premium tax credits in mind by managing MAGI, before wrapping with our weekly portfolio review across the eight sample portfolios (VOO, QQQ, VIOV, GLDM, VGLT, PDBC, PFFB/PFFV, DBMF and more). Subscribe for more practical risk parity investing guidance, share this with a friend who’s stuck in a confusing 401(k), and leave a rating and review so more DIY investors can find us. Support the show

In this episode we answer emails from Ethan, Joe, and Jim. We discuss a plan for young teachers to reach early financial independence with the right accounts and a little encouragement, the peculiar benefits of 457s and Roth contributions, a critical read of an academic article about an impractical TIPS ladder strategy, and the real-world problems with 30-year TIPS ladders, including complexity, tax issues, and longevity risk. We also discuss catastrophe bonds as an asset class and and why the new ILS ETF looks expensive and underwhelming at the moment And we touch on our fund raising campaign for the Father McKenna Center. Links: Father McKenna Center Donation Page (please mention Risk Parity Radio in the comment section with your donation): Donate - Father McKenna Center ChooseFI Teacher Podcast: The Unfair Financial Advantage of Teachers | Ep 13 ARVA TIPS Ladder Article: Full article: The Only Other Spending Rule Article You Will Ever Need Breathless Unedited AI-Bot Summary: A 457(b) can be the difference between “retire early” and “wait it out,” and we dig into why. We start by answering a detailed email from a young pair of teachers building wealth with a golden ratio portfolio while trying to bridge the years before age 59.5. We talk through tax buckets, account access, and what actually matters when you have Roth IRAs, taxable brokerage money, HSAs, employer plans, and the unique early-withdrawal rules of a 457(b) after you separate from service. Then we switch gears to retirement drawdown strategies and put a popular “spending rule” article under cross-examination. We walk through the assumptions behind ARVA and a 30-year TIPS ladder approach, why ultra-variable withdrawals may be unrealistic, and why complexity does not automatically equal safety. If you care about safe withdrawal rate research, inflation protection, and building a portfolio that can handle real life, you will hear exactly where the paper breaks down and what we would focus on instead. We wrap with a listener question on catastrophe bonds and the Brookmont Catastrophic Bond ETF (ILS). Cat bonds can look like the perfect uncorrelated alternative asset on paper, but fees and implementation details matter. If you’re building a diversified risk parity style asset allocation, we explain where cat bonds might fit, why this ETF doesn’t yet, and what we’d watch going forward. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s planning early retirement, and leave a review so more DIY investors can find the show. Support the show

In this episode we answer emails from Joe, Ashley, and Chris. First, we celebrate the early retirements and generosity of our listeners, spotlighting what retirement feels like when it is driven by joy and choice instead of fear. Then we answer a near-retirement question about bubble warnings, international investing, the proper way to use expert opinions, and how to build a risk parity style portfolio that can survive drawdowns and fund withdrawals. With the help of Claude. And we discuss our Top of the T-shirt Campaign (Part Deux!) for the Father McKenna Center. And THEN we our go through our weekly portfolio reviews of the eight sample portfolios you can find at Portfolios | Risk Parity Radio . Additional Links: Father McKenna Center Donation Page (please mention Risk Parity Radio in the comment section with your donation): Donate - Father McKenna Center Yours Truly on Jesse Cramer's Podcast: Are You Hoarding, Hustling, or Harvesting in Retirement? - E144 Video Summary Version: The Harvesting Imperative: Structuring Retirement Around Well Being, Not Money Slide Show Summary Version: Jesse Cramer Presents The Three H's.pdf - Google Drive Video Summary of RPR Episode 508: RPR Episode 508 Illustrated: The Three H’s of Retirement Jeremy Grantham on the Long-View (forward to minute 42 for his diversification recommendations): Jeremy Grantham ‘Almost Everything Looks More Attractive Than the US Equity Market’ - YouTube Michael Batnick (not Josh Brown!) Critique of CAPE Ratio-Based "Predictions": Stocks Are More Expensive Than They Used to Be Breathless Unedited AI-Bot Summary: You can do everything “right” for decades and still blow up retirement by making one mistake at the wrong time: heading into the drawdown years with a stock-heavy portfolio and no ballast. We kick off with a listener note that hits the best part of financial independence, retiring at 45 with true optionality and a plan built around joy instead of restriction. That story opens a bigger question: what is money for once you’ve already proven you can save it? We dig into the psychology of harvesting wealth and the practical realities of sequence of returns risk, especially in the five years before and after you stop working. We talk about spending that actually improves well being, including relationships, experiences, buying back your time, and giving, plus why so many high savers get stuck in hoarding or hustling modes. Along the way, we share updates on the Father McKenna Center and how listener generosity turns portfolio talk into real-world impact. Then we tackle a timely investing worry: bubble warnings and Jeremy Grantham’s cautions around US equities and AI hype. We break down why opinion shopping is a dead end, why growth vs value diversification matters more than US vs international for drawdown safety, and how funds like long-term Treasuries, gold, and managed futures show up in resilient risk parity style portfolios such as the Golden Butterfly and Golden Ratio. We also cover TSP international limitations, plus our weekly portfolio reviews and July withdrawal amounts. If you found this useful, subscribe, share it with a friend who is near retirement, and leave a review so more DIY investors can find us. Support the show

In this episode we answer emails from Sarah, Tyler and Luc. We Sarah's detailed plan to take a one to two year family gap year, travel, and unpack tax-smart ways to fund short-term spending, why we keep long-term money invested simply, more cowbell, and why complicated advisor math can be more noise than help how it can mask conflicts of interest. We also touch on the Cederberg paper (yes, with a C and not an S despite my mis-statement) and why it is of little or no practical use for investors even though it may be of academic interest. Links: Father McKenna Center Donation Page (please mention Risk Parity Radio in the comment section with your donation): Donate - Father McKenna Center Jillian Johnsrud's "Retire Often" Book: Book | Retire Often Referenced PWL Link: Canadian Portfolio Manager: Introducing the “Plaid” ETF Portfolios | PWL Capital: Bender Bender & Bortolotti Breathless Unedited AI-Bot Summary: A one to two year career break with three kids sounds like the kind of plan personal finance forums love to dunk on. We take it seriously, run it through a real-world investing lens, and show how a “mini-retirement” can be both joyful and financially survivable when the time horizon and the portfolio match. We walk through Sarah’s numbers, the stress points, and the decision that matters most: separating short-term spending from long-term compounding. For a gap year (or two), we prefer building a large, boring cash pile fast and funding it primarily from the taxable brokerage account, so a sudden market drop doesn’t force you to sell stocks at the worst possible moment. We also talk through keeping a HELOC as a backup plan rather than the main plan, and why retirement accounts often belong in simple equity index funds when you truly don’t need the money for a decade or more. Then we get tactical on taxes. Lower-income years can open the door to tax loss harvesting and tax gain harvesting, including the often-missed 0% long-term capital gains bracket if your total income stays low enough. We also explain why we treat taxes as an expense that changes based on what you sell and when, instead of playing confusing games that “discount” the value of entire accounts. To round it out, we respond to listener skepticism about after-tax portfolio valuation frameworks, advisor incentives, and the Cedarberg paper’s practical limits. If you like smart investing, plain language, and a dash of “more cowbell” diversification talk, hit subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave us a review so more DIY investors can find the show. Support the show

In this episode we answer emails from Tim, Avid Listener, and Aaron. We discuss bond allocation in an intermediate accumulation Golden Butterfly style portfolios, the follies of fixating on fund or ticker symbol returns instead of the purpose of an asset in a portfolio, and the follies of holding too much in cash. And we discuss our Top of the T-shirt Campaign (Part Deux!) for the Father McKenna Center. And THEN we our go through our weekly portfolio reviews of the eight sample portfolios you can find at Portfolios | Risk Parity Radio . Additional Links: Father McKenna Center Donation Page (please mention Risk Parity Radio in the comment section with your donation): Donate - Father McKenna Center Analysis of TLT, MBB and SPY: Asset Analyzer for ETFs, Stocks, and Funds | testfolio Analysis of gold royalty companies: Asset Analyzer for ETFs, Stocks, and Funds | testfolio Liz Ann Sonders interview of Keith McCullough: What Happens After Peak Inflation? (With Keith McCullough) | Charles Schwab Breathless Unedited AI-Bot Summary: Chasing a higher yield can feel like progress, but what if it is quietly breaking your portfolio? We take on three listener questions that all circle the same core problem: fund shopping without a framework. From a Golden Butterfly style intermediate-term risk parity portfolio stuck with a limited 401k bond menu, to the temptation to use stable value funds, Roth space, and asset swaps to “fix” taxes, we talk through what matters most when your goal is steady accumulation for a real-world timeline like three to seven years. Next we get blunt about substitutes. Mortgage-backed securities ETFs may look like a better bond deal on paper, and gold royalty companies may look like “gold with higher returns,” but risk parity investing is not built by grabbing the flashiest ticker. We explain the four quadrant model and why each sleeve has a job: stocks for long-run growth, Treasury bonds as recession insurance that can be rebalanced when equities drop, and alternatives like gold or managed futures for low correlation during inflationary or stagflationary shocks. The right question is not “what returned more,” but “what will behave the way I need when the economic weather turns.” We also address a popular habit that masquerades as investing: moving cash between HYSAs, money markets, and short-term funds to optimize yield. If tiny rate differences feel meaningful, it may be a sign you are holding too much cash and taking on cash drag over the long run. We close with our weekly portfolio reviews across the eight sample portfolios and a reminder that nobody knows what markets will do next, so a sturdy process matters more than predictions. If this helps, subscribe, share the episode with a fellow DIY investor, and leave a review so more people can find Risk Parity Radio. Support the show