Curiosity and education are important in the financial process, but there are some questions that are not good for investors to be asking. After Paul worked with someone this week who got troubling financial advice from a family member, he wants to remind investors that questions about the short term past-performance of an investment are generally not helpful. Listen along as Paul and Ira explain why this kind of thinking leads people to market timing and risky investing decisions.

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No one is immune to loss and hardship. But just like money and finances can feel difficult or taboo, conversations around grief and mental health can also be difficult to navigate. Today, Paul invites a friend and fellow counselor, Lindsey Casabella, onto the show to talk about the grieving process, how to walk through it towards mental and physical health, and some important information for helping loved ones who are dealing with grief and loss.

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Do you remember just a few years ago when the media was nervous to see China become the world’s leading economy? So many people used this supposed inevitability to take bets on what they market would do as a result. Paul is here to talk about China’s most recent economic stumble and how disinflation is causing China to struggle to compete on the world stage. Things can change quickly. Paul reflects on a similar situation with Japan in the 80s and how the United States shifted to stay competitive. Later in the episode, Paul answers a couple of questions from a financial stewardship class he taught at Trevecca.

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Paul shares an all-too-common investing horror story as a warning to investors who think they can trust their advisors without any education. A 50-year-old woman has an advisor who takes her out to lunch, buys presents for her kids, sends her holiday cards, and then puts $500,000 of her money into annuity products. After a decade trying to get out, another advisor ties up her money in stock-picking and active management against her wishes. Paul urges investors to look past if their advisor might be “nice” and educate themselves about the investing process. Unfortunately, this story is more common than you might think. Later in the episode, Paul hits a question from his financial stewardship class at Trevecca about how to finally start saving.

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Paul gets some great feedback on a video he made late last month about whether or not investors should invest in gold in 2024. Paul takes some time to answer these questions from listeners: 1) If banks and companies are borrowing and going into large amounts of debt, are they really a safe place to keep money compared to owning gold? 2) Does your investing advice about gold apply to all commodities? 3) Isn’t gold a better option than cash because it protects your wealth against inflation? Listen along to hear more about why there is so much misinformation around gold and how it gets marketed to investors.

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The investment industry is always harping on topics, like taxes or fees, that they claim will have the biggest difference on your success as an investor. Today, Paul and Jim set the record straight by letting you know that it is the behavior of you and your investment manager that makes the biggest difference on the outcome. Listen along as these two advisors talk about the often ignored topic of behavioral finance. Later in the episode, Paul and Jim talk about why trying to make investing easy can actually lower your confidence as an investor.

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It seems like every few months you hear that lack of personal savings combined with a failing Social Security program is leading to a Retirement Crisis. Today, Anne brings an article that points to the fact that there is no real evidence yet to prove these kinds of claims and plenty of evidence to the contrary. Listen along as these advisors unpack a more level-headed take on what the future of retirement will look like for people in the United States. Later in the episode, Anne talks about the billions of unseen dollars lost or spent by family members who are trying to forgo long-term care costs for the aging loved ones.

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Evan encourages you to spend a few minutes in reflection about what money means to you and how those beliefs could be affecting your relationship to your finances. Is money good or bad? Is it a struggle for you or out of your control? Are people using money to have power or control over you? After some discussion, Evan and Anne encourage you to challenge some of your money scripts and be open to seeing money as a tool that can help you live in your purpose and make the world around you a better place. Later in the episode, Evan shares his frustration about a popular internet influencer giving troubling advice about investing to people who trust her.

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