Our guest on the podcast today is Mike Piper. He is the author of several personal finance books, the latest of which is called More Than Enough: A Brief Guide to the Questions That Arise After Realizing You Have More Than You Need. Other books include, After the Death of Your Spouse; Can I Retire?; Social Security Made Simple; Taxes Made Simple; and Investing Made Simple. Mike also writes a wonderful blog called Oblivious Investor, and he has developed a free tool for exploring Social Security-claiming decisions. It’s called Open Social Security. Mike is a certified public accountant.

Background & Books

Bio

Oblivious Investor

Open Social Security

“Mike Piper: Delaying Social Security Not Always a Good Deal,” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, April 27, 2021.

More Than Enough: A Brief Guide to Questions That Arise After Realizing You Have More Than You Need

After the Death of Your Spouse: Next Financial Steps for Surviving Spouses

Can I Retire?

Social Security Made Simple

Taxes Made Simple

Investing Made Simple

Tax Strategies

“How Much Can I Give Per Year Without Having to Pay Tax?” by Mike Piper, obliviousinvestor.com.

“401(k) Rollover: Where, Why, and How,” by Mike Piper, obliviousinvestor.com.

“Tax Planning Begins When Building Your Portfolio. Here’s What to Know,” by Kate Dore, cnbc.com, June 7, 2022.

“Roth Conversion Planning: A Step-by-Step Approach,” by Mike Piper, obliviousinvestor.com, July 5, 2021.

Social Security

“Social Security Strategies for Married Couples,” by Mike Piper, obliviousinvestor.com, Jan. 1, 2020.

“The Three Biggest Social Security Misconceptions,” by Mike Piper, obliviousinvestor.com, April 11, 2022.

Charitable Giving

“Deduction Bunching: Tax Planning Strategy for Charitable Giving,” by Mike Piper, obliviousinvestor.com, Jan. 1, 2022.

“What’s the Point of a Donor-Advised Funds?” by Mike Piper, obliviousinvestor.com, Feb. 28, 2022.

“Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs): How Do They Work, and Are They the Best Option for Charitable Giving?” by Mike Piper, obliviousinvestor.com, Nov. 22, 2021.

Asset Allocation

“Calculator for Backtesting a Portfolio or Asset Allocation (Also Monte Carlo Simulations),” by Mike Piper, obliviousinvestor.com, Sept. 12, 2022.

“How Much Cash Should a Retirement Savings Portfolio Include?” by Mike Piper, obliviousinvestor.com, Aug. 16, 2021.

“Simplifying a Retirement Bucket Portfolio,” by Mike Piper, obliviousinvestor.com, July 8, 2019.

Other

“Personal Representative vs. Trustee: What’s the Difference?” by Mike Piper, obliviousinvestor.com, May 22, 2023.

Hi, and welcome to The Long View. I’m Christine Benz, director of personal finance and retirement planning for Morningstar. Our guest on the podcast today is Aswath Damodaran. Damodaran is a professor of finance at the Stern School of Business at New York University, and he has been called the dean of valuation. He has written several books on equity valuation, investment management, and corporate finance. This interview was recorded at the Morningstar Investment Conference in April 2023.

Background

Bio

Books by Aswath Damodaran

Interest Rates and Inflation

“Inflation and Investing: Is the Genie Out of the Bottle?” by Aswath Damodaran, NYU Stern School of Business.

“In Search of a Steady State: Inflation, Interest Rates, and Value,” by Aswath Damodaran, Musings on Markets blog, May 6, 2022.

“A Follow Up on Inflation: The Disparate Effects on Company Values!” by Aswath Damodaran, Musings on Markets blog, May 20, 2022.

“Malaise in Market Will Last Longer if Investors Behave Like It’s the ‘70s: Aswath Damodaran,” by Nikhil Agarwal, The Economic Times, Sept. 27, 2022.

Equity Risk Premium

“Country Default Spreads and Risk Premiums,” by Aswath Damodaran, NYU Stern School of Business, Jan. 5, 2023.

“Equity Risk Premiums (ERP): Determinants, Estimation, and Implications—The 2022 Edition,” by Aswath Damodaran, NYU Stern School of Business, March 23, 2022.

“Equity Risk Premiums,” by Aswath Damodaran, NYU Stern School of Business.

Buybacks

“Data Update 7 for 2023: Dividends, Buybacks, and Cash Flows,” by Aswath Damodaran, Musings on Markets blog, March 8, 2023.

“Aswath Damodaran: The History of Buybacks,” GuruFocus.com, Aug. 29, 2019.

ESG

“The ESG Movement: The ‘Goodness’ Gravy Train Rolls On,” by Aswath Damodaran, Musings on Markets blog, Sept. 14, 2021.

“Valuing ESG: Doing Good or Sounding Good?” by Bradford Cornell and Aswath Damodaran, Portfolio Management Research, Fall 2020.

“Professor Damodaran’s Latest ESG Takedown Overlooks One Important Group of Investors,” by Adam Fleck, Morningstar.com, April 1, 2022.

Valuation and Capital Allocation

“Closure in Valuation: Estimating Terminal Value,” by Aswath Damodaran, NYU Stern School of Business.

“My Valuation Journey: Have Faith, You Must!” by Aswath Damodaran, NYU Stern School of Business, June 2020.

“3 Fund Portfolio: How to Save for Retirement With Just Three Investments,” by Carla Fried, Forbes, July 15, 2022.

Other

“Michael Mauboussin: Finding Easy Games,” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, Jan. 25, 2022.

Expectations Investing: Reading Stock Prices for Better Returns, by Michael Mauboussin and Alfred Rappaport.

Today on the podcast, we welcome back financial planning guru and Michael Kitces. I recently had the chance to catch up with Michael to get his take on asset allocation, specifically whether higher yields should have an impact on where investors hold their money. Today’s podcast is a recording of that conversation. Michael is the head of planning strategy for Buckingham Strategic Wealth, co-founder of XY Planning Network and AdvicePay and is the chief financial planning nerd—and yes, that’s his real title—for the advisor education platform Kitces.com and the Nerd’s Eye View blog. You can follow him via Twitter @MichaelKitces or on LinkedIn.

Background

Bio

XY Planning Network

AdvicePay

Buckingham Strategic Wealth

Kitces.com

@MichaelKitces

Investing Safe Assets

“Where Should Investors Stash Their Safe Money Today?” Video interview with Michael Kitces and Christine Benz, Morningstar.com, April 19, 2023.

“Kitces: Where to Park 3 Types of Client Cash,” by Dinah Wisenberg Brin, thinkadvisor.com, April 20, 2023.

“Client Cash Management: Why It’s Important, and the Next Generation of Technology to Make It Better,” by Ben Henry-Moreland, kitces.com, Aug. 22, 2022.

MaxMyInterest

Rising Yields, Asset Allocation, Retirement Withdrawals

“How Rising Yields Should Affect Asset Allocation for Retirees, Preretirees,” Video interview with Michael Kitces and Christine Benz, Morningstar.com, May 3, 2023.

“The ‘Yield-Split’ Method of Asset Allocation to Improve Tax Efficiency of Index Funds,” by Chris Murray, kitces.com, March 30, 2022.

“Increasing Retirement Withdrawal Rates Through Asset Allocation,” by Michael Kitces and Wade Pfau, aaii.com.

“8 Inflation Conversations for Financial Advisors to Have With Clients,” by Ben Henry-Moreland, kitces.com, April 27, 2022.

“Is Private Debt Worth Considering as an (Alternative) Asset Class in Client Portfolios?” by Larry Swedroe, kitces.com, Jan. 18, 2023.

“The Extraordinary Upside Potential of Sequence of Return Risk in Retirement,” by Michael Kitces, kitces.com, Feb. 20, 2019.

Other

“Kitces: ‘The Model Has to Change Again,’” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, June 5, 2019.

“Michael Kitces: Does Portfolio Customization Pay Off?” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, Aug. 23, 2022.

Our guest this week is Liz Ann Sonders. Liz Ann is managing director and chief investment strategist at Charles Schwab. In her role, Liz Ann is responsible for conducting market and economic analysis, which she and her team publish in a variety of forms. She also regularly appears in the financial media and was recently named to Barron’s Magazine’s “100 Most Influential Women in Finance” list. Liz Ann joined Schwab in 2000 when the firm acquired her prior employer, U.S. Trust. Before that, she was a managing director and senior portfolio manager at Avatar Associates. Liz Ann received her bachelor’s from the University of Delaware and her MBA from Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business.

We recorded this interview live from the main stage of the annual Morningstar Investment Conference, which was recently held in Chicago, Illinois.

Background

Bio

“Liz Ann Sonders: ‘We Could See Some Inflation Scares,’” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, Jan. 6, 2021.

Secular and Cyclical Looks

“What the End of the ‘Great Moderation Era’ Means for Investors: Morning Brief,” by Jared Blikre, news.yahoo.com, March 2, 2023.

“Market Snapshot With Liz Ann Sonders,” video commentary, schwab.com, April 2023.

“Helpless? Recession Risks Abound,” by Liz Ann Sonders and Kevin Gordon, schwab.com, Jan. 23, 2023.

“Expect Volatility, Rolling Recession, but Watch for Contagion, Schwab’s Sonders Says,” by Tracey Longo, fa-mag.com, March 15, 2023.

“Hurts So Good: Jobs Picture Stays Mixed,” by Liz Ann Sonders and Kevin Gordon, schwab.com, Jan. 9, 2023.

“Schwab’s Sonders Says Bear Market Hasn’t Yet Hit Bottom,” by Tracey Longo, fa-mag.com, Feb. 7, 2023.

Inflation and the Fed

“U.S. Stock Market ‘Pretty Expensive’ as Investors Parse Inflation Report in Choppy Trade,” by Christine Idzelis, marketwatch.com, April 12, 2023.

“Mixed (Inflation) Signals,” by Liz Ann Sonders and Kevin Gordon, schwab.com, April 17, 2023.

“Market Perspective: Searching for Spring,” by Liz Ann Sonders, Kathy Jones, and Jeffrey Kleintop, advisorperspectives.com, Feb. 19, 2023.

“Schwab Market Perspective: Top of the Rate Cycle,” by Liz Ann Sonder, Kathy Jones, and Jeffrey Kleintop, schwab.com, April 14, 2023.

“Under Pressure: Fed Hikes in Face of Bank Turmoil,” by Liz Ann Sonders, schwab.com, March 22, 2023.

Credit Risk and Real Estate

Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey on Bank Lending Practices

“A Recession Seems ‘Somewhat Unavoidable’ as Tighter Credit Conditions Reveal More Zombies of the Easy-Money Era, Schwab Strategist Liz Ann Sonders Says,” by Phil Rosen, businessinsider.in, April 7, 2023.

“The US Housing Market Is in Recession—and the Pandemic Has Created a Unique Economic Headache, Elite Strategist Liz Ann Sonders Says,” by Theron Mohamed, markets.businessinsider.com, March 8, 2023.

Stocks and Earnings

“The Price You Pay: A Look at Equity Valuations,” by Liz Ann Sonders and Kevin Gordon, schwab.com, Feb. 21, 2023.

“This Indicator Clearly Shows Where Wall Street’s Top Money Managers Expect Stocks to Head Next,” by Sean Williams, Nasdaq.com, April 14, 2023.

Growth vs. Value and Asset Allocation

“Mysterious Ways: Growth vs. Value Debate,” by Liz Ann Sonders, schwab.com, May 1, 2023.

“Elevation: Largest Stocks to Market’s Rescue?” by Liz Ann Sonders and Kevin Gordon, schwab.com, April 3, 2023.

On the podcast today, we welcome back Jonathan Clements, who was among our first guests when we launched this podcast back in 2019. Jonathan is the founder and editor of HumbleDollar, and he is also the editor of a new book called My Money Journey, which is a compilation of essays from 30 individuals about how they found financial freedom. Jonathan also sits on the advisory board of Creative Planning, one of the country’s largest independent financial advisors and is the author of nine personal finance books. Earlier in his career, Jonathan spent almost 20 years at The Wall Street Journal, where he was the newspaper’s personal finance columnist and six years at Citigroup, where he was director of financial education for the bank’s U.S. Wealth Management arm.

Background

Bio

HumbleDollar

My Money Journey, edited by Jonathan Clements

Current Conditions

“What I Don’t Own,” by Jonathan Clements, humbledollar.com, March 4, 2023.

“Happy Talk,” by Jonathan Clements, humbledollar.com, Nov. 19, 2022.

“Behaving Badly,” by Jonathan Clements, humbledollar.com, Sept. 18, 2021.

“Nine Roads to Ruin,” by Jonathan Clements, humbledollar.com, March 6, 2021.

“New Rules for Success,” by Jonathan Clements, humbledollar.com, Nov. 26, 2022.

“Pay It Down,” by Jonathan Clements, humbledollar.com, Aug. 17, 2019.

Indexing, Retirement, and Real Estate

“Four Questions,” by Jonathan Clements, humbledollar.com, Feb. 22, 2020.

“Jonathan’s Portfolio,” by Jonathan Clements, humbledollar.com.

“Mix and Match,” by Jonathan Clements, humbledollar.com, Dec. 4, 2021.

“Risking My Life,” by Jonathan Clements, humbledollar.com, Aug. 8, 2020.

“Jonathan’s Retirement,” by Jonathan Clements, humbledollar.com.

“How to Overhaul Your Retirement Portfolio in Just 7 Days,” by Jonathan Clements, money.com, Jan. 3, 2019.

“The Long Game,” by Jonathan Clements, humbledollar.com, Feb. 4, 2023.

“Jonathan’s Homes,” by Jonathan Clements, humbledollar.com.

Theory and Thrift

“Helpful in Theory,” by Jonathan Clements, humbledollar.com, Feb. 11, 2023.

“Don’t Overdo It,” by Jonathan Clements, humbledollar.com, Jan. 23, 2021.

Other

“Jonathan Clements: ‘It’s in Wall Street’s Interest to Make Everyday Investors Think That They Are Stupid,’” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, July 31, 2019.

“Credit Scores and Committed Relationships,” by Jane Dokko, Geng Li, and Jessica Hayes, federalreserve.gov, August 2015.

Morningstar Investment Conference 2023

If you’re looking for even more investing insights, data, and analysis, join us at this year’s Morningstar Investment Conference, April 25 through 27 in Chicago. We have a great agenda this year, featuring top financial minds from market gurus like Liz Ann Sonders to great investors like Steve Romick to retirement planning experts like Mary Beth Franklin and Dr. Laura Carstensen. There’s something for everyone looking to tackle the challenges and opportunities for investors in the current market. We’re in-person only this year. So, check out the link in our show notes to register. We’re looking forward to seeing you in Chicago.

Our guest on the podcast today is Jill Schlesinger. She is the author of a new book called The Great Money Reset: Change Your Work, Change Your Wealth, Change Your Life. Jill is also a business analyst for CBS News and comments on the economy, investing, and personal finance for CBS television and radio programs. She also hosts the popular Jill on Money podcast and writes the nationally syndicated “Jill on Money” column for Tribune Media Services. Jill’s first book, The Dumb Things Smart People Do With Their Money, was published in 2019. She has received numerous awards over her career, including an Emmy Award for her work on CBS Sunday Morning. Jill is a certified financial planner and spent 14 years as the co-owner of and chief investment officer for an independent investment advisory firm. She began her career as a self-employed options trader on the Commodities Exchange of New York following her graduation from Brown University.

Background

Bio

The Great Money Reset: Change Your Work, Change Your Wealth, Change Your Life, by Jill Schlesinger

The Dumb Things Smart People Do With Their Money: Thirteen Ways to Right Your Financial Wrongs, by Jill Schlesinger

Jill on Money podcast

Making Changes and Mindful Spending

“How the Pandemic Changed the Rules of Personal Finance,” by Paddy Hirsch, npr.org, Jan. 31, 2023.

“Year-End Money Moves 2022,” by Jill Schlesinger, jillonmoney.com, Dec. 2, 2022.

“Use This Expert-Approved 5-Step Strategy to Assess Your Financial Health Today,” by Katie Couric Media, katiecouric.com, Feb. 15, 2023.

Negotiating in the Workplace

“How to Negotiate With Your Boss,” Jill on Money podcast, jillonmoney.com, Feb. 11, 2022.

“The Great Resignation,” by Jill Schlesinger, linkedin.com, Aug. 9, 2021.

Current Environment

“Investor Panic Prevention Plan 2022,” by Jill Schlesinger, jillonmoney.com, May 13, 2022.

“Scary Financial News: Actions to Take Now,” by Jill Schlesinger, jillonmoney.com.

“Bank Failures Put Fed in Hot Seat,” by Jill Schlesinger, jillonmoney.com.

“Silicon Valley Bank Fails: What Happened, What’s Next?” by Jill Schlesinger, jillonmoney.com.

Other

“Jill Schlesinger: ‘What Are You Going to Do With Your Life?’” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, Feb. 15, 2022.

Morningstar Investment Conference 2023

Our guest on the podcast today is Micah Hauptman. Micah is the director of investor protection at the Consumer Federation of America, a nonprofit association of nearly 300 national, state, and local pro-consumer organizations. He leads CFA’s investor protection work through conducting research and engaging in advocacy on investor protection issues, focusing primarily on the regulation of investment advisors, investment companies, and broker/dealers, particularly as they relate to the provision of retail investment products and services. Prior to rejoining CFA in early 2022 Micah served as counsel to Securities and Exchange Commission commissioner Caroline Crenshaw, and before that he served as CFA’s financial services counsel for nearly seven years. He also worked at Public Citizen on a broad range of banking and tax issues and started his career as a prosecutor for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office. Micah received his bachelor’s degree in political science from UCLA and his JD degree from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law.

Background

Bio

Key Challenges for Investors

“New Offerings of Crypto in Retirement Plans Underscore Need for DOL Fiduciary,” by Micah Hauptman and Dylan Bruce, consumerfed.org, April 4, 2023.

Department of Labor’s 2016 Fiduciary Rule: Background and Issues

“Improving Investment Advice for Workers & Retirees,” U.S. Department of Labor, dol.gov, June 29, 2020.

Regulation Best Interest

Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI) Overview

“What Regulation Best Interest Means for Brokers and Asset Managers,” by Aron Szapiro, Morningstar.com, Nov. 18, 2019.

“Beyond the FINRA Suitability Comfort Zone,” by Matthew Radgowski and Jill Axline, Morningstar.com, March 9, 2020.

Cryptocurrency

“Crypto: Risks Abound,” by Micah Hauptman, consumerfed.org, Nov. 17, 2022.

“With Crypto, Advisors Need to Tread Carefully,” by Jasmin Sethi, Morningstar.com, Aug. 15, 2022.

“Bitcoin in Your 401(k)? Not so Fast,” by Madeline Hume, Morningstar.com, April 27, 2022.

Social Media

“Investors in the United States: The Changing Landscape,” A Report of the FINRA Foundation National Financial Capability Study, finrafoundation.org, December 2022.

“Why You Should Stop Taking Investment Advice From Social Media,” by Sunniva Kolostyak, Morningstar.com, June 16, 2021.

Environmental, Social, and Governance

“CFA Strongly Supports SEC Proposals to Enhance ESG-Related Disclosures and Update Names Rule,” by Micah Hauptman and Dylan Bruce, consumerfed.org, Aug. 16, 2022.

“Amid Charges of Greenwashing, Sustainable-Investment Industry Attempts to Reassure Investors,” by Leslie Norton, Morningstar.com, June 8, 2022.

Other

“Robert Powell: ‘How Do I Generate the Income?’” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, March 14, 2023.

Morningstar Investment Conference 2023

Our guest this week is James Choi. Dr. Choi is a professor of finance at the Yale School of Management, where he teaches and conducts research on behavioral finance and economics, household finance, and sociology, among other topics. He is a two-time recipient of the TIAA Paul A. Samuelson Award for outstanding scholarly writing on lifelong financial security, and his work on automatic enrollment into retirement plans has had a major influence on retirement plan policy and design. Dr. Choi is a co-director of the Retirement and Disability Research Center at the National Bureau of Economic Research and an associate editor of the Journal of Finance, among other professional and scholarly affiliations. He received both his bachelor’s degree and doctorate from Harvard University.

Background

Bio

Retirement and Disability Research Center

Academics vs. Bestsellers

“Popular Personal Financial Advice Versus the Professors,” by James Choi, nber.com, October 2022.

Choice Architecture and Retirement Plan Design

“Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness,” by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein, researchgate.net, June 2009.

“Contributions to Defined Contribution Pension Plans,” by James Choi, nber.org, August 2015.

“Small Cues Change Savings Choices,” by James Choi, Emily Haisley, Jennifer Kurkoski, Cade Massey, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, August 2017.

“Plan Design and 401(k) Savings Outcomes,” by James Choi, David Laibson, and Brigitte Madrian, National Tax Journal, June 2004.

“Saving for Retirement on the Path of Least Resistance,” by James Choi, David Laibson, Brigitte Madrian, and Andrew Metrick, scholar.harvard.edu., Dec. 1, 2005.

“Which Early Withdrawal Penalty Attracts the Most Deposits to a Commitment Savings Account?” by James Choi, John Beshears, Christopher Harris, David Laibson, Brigitte Madrian, and Jung Sakong, Journal of Public Economics, Feb. 8, 2020.

“Present Bias Causes and Then Dissipates Auto-Enrollment Savings Effects,” by John Beshears, James Choi, David Laibson, and Peter Maxted, hbs.edu, 2022.

Retirement Readiness and Policy Response

“Borrowing to Save? The Impact of Automatic Enrollment on Debt,” by John Beshears, James Choi, David Laibson, Brigitte Madrian, and William Skimmyhorn, nber.org, July 2019.

“The Effect of Providing Peer Information on Retirement Savings Decisions,” by James Choi, John Beshears, David Laibson, Brigitte Madrian, and Katherine Milkman, The Journal of Finance, June 2015.

Emergency Savings

“Building Emergency Savings Through Employer-Sponsored Rainy-Day Savings Accounts,” by John Beshears, James Choi, J. Mark Iwry, David John, David Laibson, and Brigitte Madrian, journals.uchicago.edu, 2020.

Saving, Spending, Investor Behavior

“Economists Confirm It’s Actually OK to not Save Money in Your 20s,” by Sarah Hansen, money.com, Sept. 2, 2022.

“Why Does the Law of One Price Fail? An Experiment on Index Mutual Funds,” by James Choi, Xavier Gabaix, David Laibson, and Brigitte Madrian, nber.org, December 2005.

“Does Aggregated Returns Disclosure Increase Portfolio Risk Taking?” by James Choi, James Beshears, David Laibson, and Brigitte Madrian, National Library of Medicine, Oct. 19, 2016.

Other

“Brigitte Madrian: ‘Inertia Can Actually Be a Helpful Thing,’” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, April 22, 2020.

Morningstar Investment Conference 2023

Our guest on the podcast today is Mark Berg. He is the founder of and lead advisor at Timothy Financial Counsel, which is an hourly financial planning firm that he started in 2000. Prior to launching Timothy Financial, Berg served as a client manager at a fee-only financial planning firm and has provided fee-only financial guidance since 1995. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Wheaton College and is a certified financial planner practitioner and is registered with the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors. He served on the national board of directors for NAPFA from 2008 through 2011. Timothy Financial is the firm that Christine Benz and her husband use for financial planning, and a member of Jeff Ptak’s family is a Timothy Financial client as well.

Background

Bio

Timothy Financial Counsel

“Scaling Up to $1.4M of Revenue With (Only) Hourly Financial Planning Fees With Mark Berg,” by Michael Kitces, Financial Advisor Success podcast, March 20, 2018.

Influences

Garrett Planning Network

“Voices: Sheryl Garrett, on the Evolution of a Planning Firm,” Thomas Coyle, The Wall Street Journal, Dec. 31, 2009.

“Sheryl Garrett: ‘The Industry Thought I Was Nuts,’” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, July 17, 2019.

Tax Planning/Direct Indexing

“An Inside Look at Direct Indexing,” by Danny Noonan, Morningstar.com, March 23, 2023.

“Could Direct Indexing Lower Your Taxes?” by John Rekenthaler, Morningstar.com, March 27, 2023.

“4 Questions About Direct Indexing,” by Sheryl Rowling, Morningstar.com, Oct. 24, 2022.

Retirement

“What Is the ‘Retirement Spending Smile’?” by Wade Pfau, Retirement Researcher.

Resources

Michael Kitces

Financial Planning Association

The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA)

Other

Morningstar Investment Conference 2023

Our guest on the podcast today is Brad Barrett. Brad is the co-founder of ChooseFI, which is a website focused on achieving financial independence. With Jonathan Mendonsa, Brad is co-host of a popular podcast also called ChooseFI. Brad received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Richmond and became a CPA. He practiced public accounting for years and eventually achieved financial independence by age 35. Brad is passionate about all aspects of personal finance, but especially the topic of scoring good deals on travel, which is a topic we discussed in depth on the podcast.

Background

Bio

ChooseFI

Resources and Inspiration

Smart Couples Finish Rich, by David Bach

“The Shockingly Simple Math Behind Early Retirement,” Mr. Money Mustache blog, mrmoneymustache.com, Jan. 13, 2012.

Jlcollinsnh.com

The Simple Path to Wealth: Your Road Map to Financial Independence and a Rich, Free Life, by JL Collins

Financial Independence and Real Estate

Karsten Jeske: Early Retirement Now

“Karsten Jeske: Cracking the Code on Retirement Spending Rates,” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, Oct. 14, 2020.

Paula Pant: Afford Anything

“Paula Pant: A Different Path to Financial Independence,” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, Jan. 18, 2022.

Coach Carson

BiggerPockets

Nick Maggiulli: Of Dollars and Data

“Nick Maggiulli: ‘The Biggest Lie in Personal Finance,’” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, April 12, 2022.

“What to Do With $2.5 Million & Real Estate Update | Scott Trench | Ep 426,” ChooseFI podcast, choosefi.com, Feb. 26, 2023.

Travel Hacks

ChooseFi.com/travel

“The Ultimate Guide to Credit Card Travel Rewards | Part 1,” by Jonathan Mendonsa, choosefi.com, April 3, 2022.

The Points Guy

View From the Wing

Million Mile Secrets

Travel Miles 101