Paul Merriman

Are you aware of the many ways that mutual funds can legally and cleverly mislead investors?  An investor should be able to expect the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth but, in reality, mutual funds are marketed putting the best foot forward, like almost every other highly-profitable product. In this podcast, produced for the PBS Special, “Financial …

In a recent article and podcast on diversification, Paul noted that dollar cost averaging can be a form of timing diversification. It ensures that an investor will not put all his/her money in at the top of a market. It also ensures "picking up more shares when prices are lower and fewer shares when prices are higher.” Paul suggested that many …

Paul addresses each of these questions which reflect some aspect of investor’s concerns related to risks and returns. How can people invest in a system that is destined to collapse under our massive national debt? What average yearly return do you expect for your different stock/bond Best-In-Class portfolios over the next 5 to 10 years? What do you expect …

Before discussing diversification, which is always about risk management, Paul Merriman presents the returns of the Best-In Class ETF portfolio  The goal of that portfolio was to recreate the DFA portfolio Paul holds in his own account. For the first half of 2019, the advantage goes to the B-I-C ETFs. Way to go Chris Pedersen!  Regarding diversification, …

Paul Merriman answers questions about a wide variety of investor concerns: profitable focus funds, using a pension as a substitute for bonds, moving DFA funds to Vanguard, the impact of higher taxes on the market, performance of major asset classes besides the S&P 500, defensive investment strategies for a bear market, popular sector funds, the impact of …

In this lively interview with Ken Roberts, of Ken’s Bulls and Bears, Paul and Ken discuss a range of important investor topics for every stage of life, including Millennials on “FIRE”,  Best-in-Class ETFs, maximizing returns while minimizing risk, and retirement distributions. Comparing the use of fixed and variable distributions in retirement The FIRE movement (Financial Independence, Retire Early) How to …

Why is it that what seems like a great year so far would have been fairly normal in past decades? 6:03 Paul discusses why it’s different now.  He also looks at how poorly the experts have misjudged the bond market this year, and answers the following questions from his readers and listeners: Why should I invest …

These timely questions were posed by investors following Paul's recent presentation to the AAII Los Angeles Chapter. The first question is the most often asked over the past year.  See this table to compare the returns of some of the asset classes Paul discusses. 1.  Is the value premium dead? 2:15 2.  Should investors fear …

Do you want to minimize your risk of running out of money in retirement, while maximizing your distributions? In this podcast, Paul compares the risks and returns of fixed and flexible distribution strategies using the S&P 500.  He discusses why the flexible may be the greatest financial luxury one can have in retirement. To better understand …

This recent interview with Jonathan and Brad of ChooseFi.com is both an excellent starting point for new investors and a refresher for seasoned investors as Paul discusses how to know who to trust, the role emotions play in making sound decisions and staying the course, the importance of diversification and choosing asset classes, and the pros and cons …

For more than 15 years Paul has updated his discussion of fixed and variable distribution strategies. In this podcast he discusses the pros and cons of fixed distributions so investors understand: The importance of the data used to represent returns The huge differences between 3, 4, 5 and 6 percent distributions The importance of inflation Why 3% is …

Paul addresses questions raised during his recent presentations to more than 200 AAII members in Madison and Milwaukee. Also, he recounts an exciting meeting with 2 young women (ages 13 and 15) and their parents who announced the start of their daughters' lifetime investment journey modeled after How To Turn $3000 …

Whether you are saving for retirement or already retired, establishing a reasonable expectation for future returns is one of the most difficult planning decisions.  What can investors learn from the past?  Are the next 10 years likely to be similar to the last 10, 20, 50 or 80 years?  Can we count on the value and …

Do you know that only 31% of Americans believe they will have enough money to enjoy a comfortable life in retirement?  Or how about this: 60% of Millennials report having made an emotional decision they later regretted to sell in a 401k plan?  This sort of emotional decision can be the very thing keeping people from having the money they …

Investing has never been easier or more likely to help investors achieve their long-term returns.  When I started investing, most of an investor's gains were lost to high loads to buy funds, high expenses to manage funds, high expenses to trade stocks, and the belief that smart people could beat the market. Of course, …