For this episode, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Matthew Crouse, CFA, MBA, Ph.D. (a man of many titles), to discuss his latest article in the AAII Journal, “Fixed-Income Risks and Opportunities in a Rising-Rate Environment.”

He discusses the principles of duration (interest rate risk), credit risk and the yield curve. He also touches on closed-end fund preferreds and bonds funds to help the individual investor navigate the rising-rate environment with ease.

Listen to this episode and learn:

• What duration (interest rate risk) is and how to combat it successfully

• Opportunities and risks of closed-end fund preferreds and bond funds

• The objective of maximizing returns while taking the least amount of risk

Matthew Crouse, CFA, MBA, Ph.D., is an adjunct professor at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah, who specializes in researching closed-end funds (CEFs), exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and other fixed-income products targeted to retail investors. Jenna Brashear is the host of the Individual Investor Show as well as the producer for live AAII webinar events.

Additional Resources

Fixed-Income Risks and Opportunities in a Rising-Rate Environment

More articles by Matthew Crouse

Fidelity: Fixed Income, Bonds & CDs

FactSet: Fixed Income

What Is the Yield Curve?

Preferred Stocks Explained

Understanding Bond Credit Ratings

Register for upcoming webinars: https://www.aaii.com/webinars

Want more financial education? Learn more about AAII at https://www.aaii.com

ABOUT AAII

The American Association of Individual Investors is an independent, nonprofit corporation formed for the purpose of assisting individuals in becoming effective managers of their own assets through programs of education, information and research.

Individual Investor Show: Risks & Opportunities in Fixed Income When Rates Are Going Up | AAII

Are you an investment sleuth? Do you like to delve deep into financial metrics to better understand the market? If you’re someone who is looking for a long-term valuation of the market adjusted for inflation, we know a financial metric for you.

For this episode, we spoke with AAII Journal editor Charles Rotblut, CFA, about his latest article on the cyclically adjusted price-earnings (CAPE) ratio and why using the CAPE ratio during high inflation can give individual investors insights into expected market returns over the next five to 10 years by looking back 10 years into the past.

Listen to this episode and learn:

• What the CAPE ratio is and what it entails

• How to effectively use the CAPE ratio to invest with confidence

• When to use the CAPE ratio in order to analyze the long-term value of the market

Charles Rotblut, CFA, is the creator of the PRISM Wealth-Building Process and Academy. He is also a financial analyst, vice president and AAII Journal editor. Jenna Brashear is a finance writer, podcast host and community manager at AAII.

Additional Resources

CAPE Ratio Is High, but Down From Peak

Online Exclusive: Delving Into the Definition of the CAPE Ratio

Valuations, Inflation and Real Returns, an interview with Robert Shiller

A Cautionary Note About Robert Shiller's CAPE

AAII Stock Screening Community

AAII Journal July 2022 Issue

Register for Upcoming Webinars

Follow us on Spotify

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Learn how to use the powerful, robust suite of screening tools in AAII's A+ Investor suite or bundle all of our premium subscriptions into one, convenient plan with AAII Platinum.

Individual Investor Show: Utilizing the CAPE Ratio During Inflationary Periods | AAII

Calling all income investors and those worried about high interest rates impacting their portfolios! If you’re on the hunt for an investment that has low interest rate risk, look no further than short-term bond funds.

For this episode, we chat with AAII finance writer Matt Bajkowski about his latest article in the July 2022 issue of the AAII Journal, “The Benefits and Risks of Short-Term Bond Funds,” where he explains how income-seeking investors might capture high yields through bonds, especially short-term bonds, this year.

Watch or listen to this episode and learn:

• The pros and cons of investing in short-term bond funds

• Why short-term bonds carry less interest rate risk than longer-term bonds

• How to effectively evaluate a short-term bond fund before investing

Additional Resources

July 2022 AAII Journal Issue

The Benefits and Risks of Short-Term Bond Funds

AAII Allocation Models

Bond Investing Ideas

The Benefits and Risks of Intermediate Bond Funds

Beginner’s Guide to Bond Investing

Types of Bonds

Income Investing Community

Register for upcoming webinars: https://www.aaii.com/webinars

Want more financial education? Learn more about AAII at https://www.aaii.com

ABOUT AAII

The American Association of Individual Investors is an independent, nonprofit corporation formed for the purpose of assisting individuals in becoming effective managers of their own assets through programs of education, information and research.

Individual Investor Show: Combating High Interest Rates With Short-Term Bond Funds | AAII

We’re in the midst of the summer and things are about to start sizzling! For investors who want to take a dip into the market, but are worried about suffering profit losses, we’ve got a few tips and tricks up our sleeve to help you navigate uncertain waters.

For this episode, Dividend Investing editor Derek Hageman chats with us about his latest First Cut Stocks articles in the June 2022 issue of the AAII Journal that present the current high-yielding dividend payers and the current largest rising dividend stocks. He explains the difference between the two and how to judge whether a high yield or rising dividend payment can be sustained.

In the second part of the episode, we sit down with assistant financial analyst Matt Markowski to discuss his latest article, “How to Best Use Stock Screens to Build a Portfolio.” In it, he shows how to choose a predefined stock screen or build your own to effectively find the opportunities that fit your individual stock investing needs.

Watch or listen to this episode and learn:

• How to make sure a high-yielding dividend stock is a quality company and not one with weak growth prospects

• How to effectively evaluate a company’s ability to increase its dividend payment

• How to best use stock screens and techniques to build a strong portfolio

Dividend Stocks Segment

High-Yielding Dividend Payers

Up, Up and Away: Biggest Rising Dividend Payers

AAII Dividend Investing

Dividend Investing Stock Ideas

Stock Screens Segment

How to Best Use Stock Screens to Build a Portfolio

AAII Stock Screens

Factor Stock Screens

Guru Stock Screens

Stock Ideas Section

A+ Investor Custom Stock Screener

AAII Community

AAII Stock Screening Community

Register for upcoming webinars: https://www.aaii.com/webinars

Want more financial education? Learn more about AAII at https://www.aaii.com

ABOUT AAII

The American Association of Individual Investors is an independent, nonprofit corporation formed for the purpose of assisting individuals in becoming effective managers of their own assets through programs of education, information and research.

For those retiring, or approaching retirement, inflation can often be a creeping fear that paralyzes even the most prepared investor. Thankfully, there are a few easy strategies you can adopt to ensure your retirement portfolio will be secure. In this episode, we spend some time chatting with Craig Israelsen, Ph.D., about his latest article in the June 2022 issue of the AAII Journal, “Dealing With Inflation in a Retirement Portfolio.”

Israelsen discusses how required minimum distributions (RMDs) are built-in inflation adjusters that allow retirees to be more cautious in their asset allocation if need be.

Listen to this episode and learn:

• How RMDs can help prevent retirement portfolios from failing

• Why having exposure to equities is important

• How to protect your portfolio from inflation with the right strategy

Watch this episode on YouTube:

Additional Resources

June 2022 AAII Journal (https://www.aaii.com/journal)

Dealing With Inflation in a Retirement Portfolio by Craig Israelsen (https://www.aaii.com/journal/article/17412-dealing-with-inflation-in-a-retirement-portfolio)

Online Exclusive: Defining Inflation for Your Portfolio (https://www.aaii.com/journal/article/13872-defining-inflation-for-your-portfolio)

Inflation: The Dormant Dragon (https://www.aaii.com/journal/article/13010-inflation-the-dormant-dragon)

Online Exclusive: Understanding the Breakeven Inflation Rate (https://www.aaii.com/journal/article/17458-online-exclusive-understanding-the-breakeven-inflation-rate)

For this episode of the Individual Investor Show, we sit down with Charles Rotblut, CFA, and interns from our research team, Dylan Dease and Sean Murphy, to discuss their latest article in the May 2022 issue of the AAII Journal, “Important Differences Exist Among Retirement Calculators.”

This article showcases how to use retirement calculators to configure future withdrawals and takes a look at the top 10 tools to see which work best for individual investors in all life stages.

Watch or listen to this episode and learn:

• How investors can use retirement calculators to make accurate withdrawal estimates

• Which retirement calculators fit each type of investor: early career, mid-career and near retirement

• The differences between retirement calculators

May 2022 Issue of the AAII Journal

Important Differences Exist Among Retirement Calculators

Social Security Administration

A Plan for Achieving the Financial Goal of Building Retirement Savings

11 Key Retirement Dates You Should Pay Attention To

How to Catch Up on Retirement Savings at 50

PRISM Wealth-Building Process

Retirement Withdrawal Community

Register for upcoming webinars: https://www.aaii.com/webinars

Want more financial education? Learn more about AAII at https://www.aaii.com

About AAII

The American Association of Individual Investors is an independent, nonprofit corporation formed for the purpose of assisting individuals in becoming effective managers of their own assets through programs of education, information and research.

Individual Investor Show: Comparing Retirement Calculators | AAII

According to a 2021 study by the Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing, 79% of individual investors and 99% of millennials in the U.S. are interested in sustainable investing. However, it’s important to understand what sustainable investing entails and how companies are graded, especially when it comes to corporate greenwashing.

For this episode, AAII Journal editor Charles Rotblut, CFA, and assistant editor Anine Sus chat with Larry Swedroe about his new book, “Your Essential Guide to Sustainable Investing,” which highlights how environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings are impacting individual investors and corporations.

In the second part of the broadcast, we ask Matt Bajkowski about his latest article in the May 2022 issue of the AAII Journal, “The Difference Between Sustainable Investing and Impact Investing,” which looks at investing with a focus on financial returns versus investing with a focus on social- and ethical-based outcomes.

Listen to this episode and learn:

• How investors can weave through the web of confusing acronyms and conflicting agency ratings to be confident in recognizing and avoiding corporate greenwashing

• How investors can choose an actively managed ESG exchange-traded fund (ETF)

• The key differences between sustainable investing and impact investing

Additional Resources

• May 2022 AAII Journal (https://www.aaii.com/journal)

• Addressing the Challenges ESG Investors Face, an interview with Larry Swedroe

• “Your Essential Guide to Sustainable Investing,” by Larry Swedroe and Samuel C. Adams

• AAII Sustainable Investing (ESG) Community

• The Difference Between Sustainable Investing and Impact Investing, by Matt Bajkowski

• ETF+ Screener

• Funds+ Screener

• Socially Responsible Stock ETFs

• Socially Responsible Equity Stock Funds

Want more financial education? Learn more about AAII at https://www.aaii.com

ABOUT AAII

The American Association of Individual Investors is an independent, nonprofit corporation formed for the purpose of assisting individuals in becoming effective managers of their own assets through programs of education, information and research.

Have you heard the term FOMO? It refers to the fear of missing out on something such as hanging out with your friends, going to a winning sports event, seeing your favorite singer in concert and even exciting, new investment opportunities.

For this week’s Individual Investor Show, Charles Rotblut, CFA, sits down with Spencer Jakab, author of “The Revolution That Wasn’t: GameStop, Reddit and the Fleecing of Small Investors,” to discuss the phenomenon of “meme stocks,” how social media platforms like Reddit have fueled a new world of stock investing and the pitfalls that come along with these new developments.

In the second part of tonight’s episode, Jenna Brashear chats with Charles Rotblut on his latest article in the AAII Journal, “What Traits Do Individual Investors Consider When Buying Stocks?” where he surveys AAII members to gain insight into the various stock approaches and thought processes they use such as how they find ideas, the characteristics they focus on and their preferred data sources.

Watch this episode and learn:

• The ins and outs of meme stocks and what role they play in the investment universe

• How certain social media and investing platforms use psychology to influence stock strategies

• How your investing peers choose which stock approach to pursue

Meme Stocks Segment

Reddit, Robinhood and Lessons From the Meme Stock Craze

“The Revolution That Wasn’t: GameStop, Reddit, and the Fleecing of Small Investors,” by Spencer Jakab

Stock-Picking Segment

What Traits Do Individual Investors Consider When Buying Stocks?

AAII Model Portfolio

AAII Stock Screens

A+ Stock Grades

Want more financial education? Learn more about AAII at https://www.aaii.com

ABOUT AAII

The American Association of Individual Investors is an independent, nonprofit corporation formed for the purpose of assisting individuals in becoming effective managers of their own assets through programs of education, information and research.

Individual Investor Show: The Emotional Psychology and Behavior Behind Investing | AAII

April is Financial Capability Month, so it’s a good time to brush up on your investing basics.

In this episode of the Individual Investor Show, Jenna Brashear sits down with Craig Israelsen to chat about his newest article on retirement allocation in the April issue of the AAII Journal. Israelsen argues that even though there is no one perfect asset allocation for everyone during the retirement years, with at least some commitment to equities, there are several viable strategies you can consider.

In the second part of the show, Charles Rotblut talks with Paul Merriman to discuss his recent article, “The Pains and Gains of Investing,” which uses hypothetical performance of five simple equity portfolios to explain different risk measures so that you can choose the ones that matter most to you.

Listen to this episode and learn:

• Various portfolio strategies that you can consider in retirement

• Common portfolio measures of risk and what they tell you

• How to find a winning retirement withdrawal strategy that works with your individual needs

Links and Resources

AAII Journal April 2022 Issue

Retirement Allocation Comparison With Vanguard Funds, by Craig Israelsen

“Start Investing Now: Build Your Investment Portfolio for $5 per month” by Craig Israelsen

The Pains and Gains of Investing, by Paul Merriman

“We’re Talking Millions! 12 Simple Ways to Supercharge Your Retirement,” by Paul Merriman

AAII Asset Allocation

AAII Investor Guides

Want more financial education? Learn more about AAII at https://www.aaii.com

ABOUT AAII

The American Association of Individual Investors is an independent, nonprofit corporation formed for the purpose of assisting individuals in becoming effective managers of their own assets through programs of education, information and research.

Individual Investor Show: Find Your Own Winning Portfolio Strategy | AAII

Investing your hard-earned money in the stock market has never been easier. Every year, technology advances translate into more tools and services for investors. In addition, the cost of investing is lower than ever, and the variety of assets offered by brokers continues to widen. This makes investing more accessible to a larger number of people.

In this episode of the Individual Investor Show, we sit down with AAII’s research team to chat about their findings in our annual discount broker guide. Each year, AAII takes an in-depth look at the current crop of online discount brokers and compares them on their customer service, fee structure, data analysis, educational resources, order interface and more.

Watch this episode and learn:

• How to find the right online discount broker that fits your individual investing needs

• About the overall advantages and disadvantages of choosing certain online brokers over others

• Why you should do your due diligence and research before deciding which broker to use

Online Discount Broker Guide 2022

Online Discount Brokers: Comparing and Contrasting the Older and the New

Other Resources About Online Discount Brokers

Types of Brokerage Accounts

How to Choose a Brokerage Firm

Brokerage Account Management

Minimum Disclosure by Brokers and Advisers

Are You Protected If Your Broker Goes Bankrupt?

Resources for Checking Out an Adviser or Broker

How Schwab Invests, and His Views on the Broker Industry

Want more financial education? Learn more about AAII at https://www.aaii.com

ABOUT AAII

The American Association of Individual Investors is an independent, nonprofit corporation formed for the purpose of assisting individuals in becoming effective managers of their own assets through programs of education, information and research.

Individual Investor Show: The Discount Broker Face-Off | AAII