Don and Tom tackle the “big three” global equity ETFs—Vanguard VT, Dimensional DFAW, and Avantis AVGE—breaking down their diversification, costs, risk/return assumptions, style tilts (small/value vs large/growth), and geographic/sector weights. They highlight how DFA and Avantis add microcaps and factor tilts that Vanguard’s index omits, why fees are “pennies” but differences in construction matter, and why “rules-based” is more accurate than “active.” Listener questions cover lottery winnings (lump sum vs annuity), the collapse of Publishers Clearinghouse payouts, and Ameriprise’s pricey SMA accounts. The theme: investing lives in the middle ground—balancing risk, cost, and logic.

0:04 Middle-dweller banter and show open

0:54 Why ETFs replaced mutual funds as the easy route

1:23 The “big three” global ETFs: VT, AVGE, DFAW

2:34 Which is “better”? Spoiler: none—or all

2:56 Diversification: DFAW 13,700 stocks vs VT’s 10,000

4:00 Expense ratios: Vanguard’s cost advantage

4:32 Risk/return projections and why they’re guesses

6:22 Microcaps explain much of the differences

7:55 Why small/value stocks historically outperform

8:55 Style box breakdown: small vs large allocations

9:45 U.S. vs international exposure: “pandering portfolios”

10:57 Tech vs financials: sector allocations diverge

12:09 Recent performance snapshots, short vs long term

13:34 Index (VT), Factor (DFAW), Rules-based tilt (AVGE)

15:25 Long-term results: Avantis beats Vanguard despite higher fee

16:15 Risk/return symmetry: you could make a lot, lose a lot

16:45 Listener Q&A: $2B Powerball jackpot—lump sum or annuity?

18:01 Publishers Clearinghouse collapse leaves winners unpaid

21:07 Listener Q&A: Ameriprise SMA fees and pitfalls

23:48 Why Ameriprise’s “nice” advisors are still costly

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices