Another Day of Q and A

Can 21 funds deliver useful global diversification—or mostly camouflage overlap, cost, and complexity? Don opens the Friday Q&A by giving one listener a sharper set of questions to take back to an advisor, including what each fund actually contributes and what would be lost by owning fewer.

The questions then move from portfolio architecture to retirement reality. A listener learns why RMDs and Roth conversions should not wag the retirement dog, and another faces a sudden $15,000-a-month skilled-nursing bill that changes the investment plan for good reasons—not because of market timing.

There’s also a timely Roth-conversion opportunity for a young worker headed back to school, a warning about state charges on multi-year guaranteed annuities, and a sober return estimate for a balanced portfolio. Add one lovingly brutal critique of Competitive Don, and the listener mailbag is officially doing its job.

00:39 Welcome to Friday Q&A
02:50 Are 21 funds too many?
05:40 Don’t let RMDs wag the retirement dog
09:13 Investing for a $15,000-a-month care bill
12:44 A low-income-year Roth conversion
15:30 Competitive Don gets reviewed
18:04 State charges on multi-year guaranteed annuities
19:05 What return should a 60/40 portfolio expect?

Questions? Comments? Click!