Don and Tom tackle the timeless question: why do you invest? They challenge the “TINA” mindset (“There Is No Alternative”) and dissect new research claiming retirement savers should own no bonds at all. They argue that while stocks outperform over long stretches, bonds remain essential for emotional stability and survival during market crashes. Listeners join in with sharp questions about CD ladder withdrawal strategies, crypto-based dividend schemes, securities lending, and international ETF allocation. The show wraps with a skeptical look at Vanguard’s growing tilt toward active management and new global funds from Avantis.

0:04 Why do you invest? Defining purpose versus chasing returns

1:29 The rise of “TINA investing” — there is no alternative to stocks?

2:30 Bonds as shock absorbers when markets collapse

3:57 Questioning global overweights in new stock research

5:01 The emotional toll of chasing maximum returns

6:12 Bonds’ true role: keeping investors calm and consistent

7:50 Zweig’s conclusion — even he still owns bonds

9:06 Retirement timing risk and the case for diversification

10:29 Caller Jay from Georgia — testing a five-year CD ladder withdrawal plan

12:34 Turning the CD ladder into part of a bond portfolio

13:46 What to do with the ladder during a market downturn

14:47 Caller Jason from Washington — Elon Musk, Bitcoin, and the “Strike/Strive” gimmick

15:49 The math behind high-yield crypto preferreds doesn’t add up

17:18 When hype meets hazard: Ponzi parallels in risky yields

18:57 Why “everyone’s doing it” isn’t a defense for bad strategy

20:04 Why MicroStrategy’s dividend promises defy logic

21:15 Listener question — securities lending in IRAs

23:09 How stock lending actually works (and why it barely pays)

24:18 Why most small investors shouldn’t bother

27:15 Vanguard’s new identity crisis: the push into active management

27:47 The profitability problem of index funds

28:53 Can Vanguard’s active funds really beat their benchmarks?

31:48 Why past performance still fails as a predictor

33:14 Vanguard’s crypto flirtation and industry pandering

35:43 Caller Craig from Seattle — expanding global exposure with AVNV

36:32 The case for adding Avantis International Value ETF

37:46 Early results and long-term expectations

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