In our last podcast, I told you that contrary to what many pundits believe, the market is not at all-time highs based on valuations. Sure, overall market valuations matter, but what matters more is individual company valuations.

What this means for you, the investor, is that you need to discriminate based on valuation via tilting your portfolio towards value stocks—not only because they have higher expected returns, but also because they provide a measure of downside protection when broader market valuations become stretched.

But what, exactly, are value stocks?

Where and how do you find the right value stocks?

What are the best value-stock vehicles out there?

These are just a few of the questions we answer in this episode of the Doug Fabian podcast… and it's a topic that's a must for every investor.

If you want a broad, yet detailed, overview of value stock essentials—including their relative outperformance vs. growth stocks—this podcast is for you.

In this week's podcast, we look at the market action in October, and we provide details on how the Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq Composite and other key indices performed for the month, and year to date. We also take a look at key bond market segments to see what the performance looked like there.

I know many people have asked me where I think this market is headed, particularly give the continuous march to new, all-time highs.

To further answer that question, I went straight to the best source I know, Mercer Advisors Chief Investment Officer Don Calcagni. Don recently shared his thoughts on the market with me and my Mercer colleagues, and those thoughts were so insightful I thought I would share them with you.

If you want to find out where the market stands, and more importantly, where the market likely goes from here, then this week's show is for you.

Finally, one great way to plan for 2018 is to contact me for a free, one-hour wealth coaching consultation. If you want me to work with you to help identify your biggest challenges to achieving and maintaining economic freedom, then wealth coaching is for you. 

We haven't even hit the holiday season yet, but before you know it, 2018 will be here.

And while it may seem a bit early to start planning for 2018, it's definitely not.

In this week's podcast, it's all about tips, tricks and techniques to help you get your 2018 journey toward greater economic freedom started off right.

Do you want to save more money in 2018?

Do you want to spend less money in 2018?

Do you want to increase your rate of return in 2018?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then this podcast is a must listen.

Finally, one great way to plan for 2018 is to contact me for a free, one-hour wealth coaching consultation. If you want me to work with you to help identify your biggest challenges to achieving and maintaining economic freedom, then wealth coaching is for you.  

One of the best things about having a podcast is I get to connect with, and help, all sorts of listeners, from all over the world. In fact, many of my recent podcasts have generated a lot of listener questions—and that's a sign that we are doing something right!

In this week's show, it's all about your questions, as the entire podcast is devoted to answering listener inquiries. 

Topics addressed here are diverse, and include how to handle investing in educational funds such as 529 accounts; what constitutes cash alternatives, the best tools for generating income from existing cash assets, why higher-yield bonds equal higher risks, the importance of diversification… and much more.

If you want to hear what's on the mind of your fellow listeners, or if you have questions on any of these topics, this week's podcast is for you.

Also, remember I continue to offer podcast listeners a free, one-hour wealth coaching consultation to help identify your biggest challenges to achieving and maintaining economic freedom.

What's out of sight is often out of mind, as the adage goes. Yet there is one "silent thief" that's starting to creep back into the market picture, and he's got the potential to start taking what's yours.

This "silent thief" is inflation, and the notorious culprit is really beginning to rear his ugly head after years in virtual hiding.

In this episode of the Doug Fabian podcast, I give you an update on inflation, including statistics over the past decade. Here you'll find out what why even the subtle inflation we've seen since 2007 is robbing you of your total returns.

Hey, let's face it: Our minds are pre-programed to not notice what's invisible, but that doesn't mean the invisible isn't there. This is particularly true of inflation.

Fortunately, we can correct our programming on this topic, and that correction begins with seeing inflation clearly… and that is the subject of this episode.

The fact is that inflation is very likely to be higher in the years to come than it's been in the past, and that means you need to prepare right now. This week's episode shows you how.

Markets just closed the books on the third quarter, and to say that the performance numbers have been stellar would be the height of understatement.

So, how did the major domestic market equity averages perform during Q3? How about international stocks? What about bonds and commodities, how did they fare in Q3?

In this special bonus episode of the podcast, it's "just markets."

The reason why I like to do a just markets episode each quarter is that I'm a firm believer that your investment portfolios deserve a close look each quarter. This includes a comparison of how the markets are performing, and how your accounts are responding to the current environment.

Do you need to make any adjustments to ensure you're on the path to achieving economic freedom?

You won't know until you know what has actually happened in markets over the past several months… and that's what this special bonus episode is all about.

And after listening, if you find yourself out of step with the markets and in need of to make some adjustments, or if you just want a second set of eyes on your portfolio to make sure you are doing things right, I'm here to help.

Do you want to achieve economic freedom?

Many people say they do, but very few know the actual formulas to employ that can put them on the right path to making their goals a reality.

In this week's episode, I give you a special sneak preview of our soon-to-debut podcast, "The Science of Economic Freedom."

This show lays out what we call the five formulas to achieving economic freedom, and how you can use these simple formulas to help you gain and keep financial independence.

So, what are the five formulas to achieving economic freedom?

Well, you'll have to listen to this week's episode to find out; however, I will tell you that anyone can use these scientific principles, as they're not difficult to understand.

The difficulty comes in knowing how to apply them, and more importantly, knowing how to cultivate the motivation and discipline needed to make these formulas work for you—and that is what The Science of Economic Freedom podcast is all about.

If you want a taste of what's ahead in the new show, then this episode is for you.

Everyone has heard about the Equifax data breach, but what does it really mean for you… and what should you do about it right now?

In this week's show, I give you the lowdown on what you MUST know, and do, to make sure you aren't a victim of this breach, or any other cyber breaches.

And because I am not an expert on cyber security issues, I brought in someone who is to tell you all about what to do—and what not to do—when it comes to safeguarding your credit. 

Joining me this week is William Nelson, Deputy Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at Mercer Advisors. William is our go-to source on how to handle these issues, and his knowledge and experience provide a wealth of information on how to protect yourself, your credit and your identity from cyber threats.

If you want to find out how you can take the necessary steps to protecting yourself and your credit from hackers, cyber thieves and other nefarious sorts, then this episode is a must!

I recently listened to an episode of the Tim Ferriss podcast in which he interviewed the great investor Ray Dalio, who is sometimes known as the Steve Jobs of hedge fund managers. Dalio talked a lot about his mistakes (interestingly, not much about his big successes) and the importance of reflection on those mistakes.

In my recent wealth coaching sessions, I've noticed that many people have failed to reflect on their mistakes. The result is they've failed to learn valuable lessons, and that can be very dangerous.

This is the kind of situation that will eventually cause financial pain, and the simple reason why is that if you are not willing to grow and evolve, you may find your wealth and/or your economic freedom taken from you at a time when you need it the most.

In this week's episode, I tell you about what I think are the three keys to achieving economic freedom. 

These keys, or what I call factors, represent the three most important components to achieving and maintaining economic freedom.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about these three factors is that none of them have to do with the stock market, or with investing.

If you had two hours to get the most important stuff out of your home before a natural disaster hit, what would you (or should you) take with you?

On this special bonus episode, I talk about what financial records are the most important, and which documents you need to make sure you get in the car and keep safe in the event you had to evacuate your home.

Hey, we are all aware of the two back-to-back natural disasters that have unfolded over the past few weeks (Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma). Now, because I live in earthquake prone Southern California, I have always had an emergency plan in place to help me ride out periods without power, water or access to fresh food.

But what if one day I had to "bug out" and flee my residence? If that day ever comes, I would need to not only think about my personal safety, but I'd also have to think about the safety of my most-important financial documents.

This special bonus episode is all about what to put in your financial bugout bag, and what you need to do to from a financial perspective to prepare for a natural disaster.