The Rational Reminder Podcast

The Rational Reminder Podcast

By Benjamin Felix, Cameron Passmore, and Dan Bortolotti

A weekly reality check on sensible investing and financial decision-making, from three Canadians. Hosted by Benjamin Felix, Cameron Passmore, and Dan Bortolotti, Portfolio Managers at PWL Capital.... more
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  1. Number 1: 50 Years of Evidence-Based Investing (w/ David Booth) | #424

    In this episode, we welcome back David Booth, Co-Founder of Dimensional Fund Advisors and author of Stay Calm: Learn to Embrace Uncertainty in Investing and Life. David reflects on his remarkable career at the center of the evidence-based investing revolution, from studying under Eugene Fama at the University of Chicago to helping build investment strategies around decades of financial research. We explore what the data revealed about markets and professional money management, why implementation matters as much as great ideas, and how investors can make better decisions without trying to predict the unpredictable. David also shares his views on trust, financial advice, public versus private markets, human ingenuity, and the meaning of true wealth. Along the way, he explains why staying calm, having a process, and staying invested can matter far more than finding the next winning forecast. Key Points From This Episode: (0:00:04) Introducing David Booth and his new book, Stay Calm: Learn to Embrace Uncertainty in Investing and Life. (0:01:15) What David learned as a commission-based shoe salesman: Do the right thing and be upfront with people. (0:03:35) The gift of being an outsider and how financial science changed the investing experience for ordinary investors. (0:05:38) Why outsiders are often willing to challenge assumptions—and how data changed the debate. (0:06:53) David's experience arriving at the University of Chicago and studying under Eugene Fama. (0:07:49) Inside Chicago's rigorous research culture and the lessons David learned from presenting his work. (0:10:03) The empirical challenge behind efficient markets and why data mattered more than beliefs. (0:11:41) How Fama and French approach research by trying to prove their own conclusions wrong. (0:12:05) The two-fish joke and the challenge of understanding the environment we are immersed in. (0:12:45) How Jim Lorie and Lawrence Fisher helped provide the historical market data that transformed financial research. (0:14:18) From early mutual fund research to the question that shaped David's career: What should investors do if managers cannot consistently outguess the market? (0:20:59) Why Dimensional distinguishes between passive investing and indexing. (0:23:21) The origins of Dimensional's approach to small-cap investing and the importance of execution. (0:24:45) Why David would rather be an investor today than in 1971. (0:26:21) Jensen's alpha, risk-adjusted returns, and what Michael Jensen's research revealed about professional money managers. (0:28:30) Why implementation is everything—and why models are tools for making decisions under uncertainty. (0:33:47) Why the most important thing about an investment philosophy is having one you can stick with. (0:35:46) Why David sees education as an antidote to fear and wants investors to feel more optimistic about investing. (0:36:18) Human ingenuity as the foundation of David's optimism about markets. (0:37:53) Why trust is the ultimate product in the investment business. (0:39:40) Why understanding the science alone is not enough—and how advisors can help investors stay invested. (0:40:23) What David's art collection has taught him about non-monetary returns and true worth. (0:43:07) Why a good financial plan is a process built around trade-offs, flexibility, and adaptation. (0:45:22) The problem with fixed goals and why David thinks many goals are inherently fuzzy. (0:46:34) How David distinguishes between forecasts, wishes, and worries. (0:49:44) How investors can identify and tune out noise by focusing on how markets work over the long term. (0:51:30) David's unfiltered perspective on private markets, transparency, price discovery, and liquidity. (0:52:38) Why true wealth begins with values, family, and the things that matter beyond money. (0:54:57) What winning means when wealth includes both monetary and non-monetary rewards. (0:55:39) Why David describes optimism as science-based hope. (0:57:33) What Stay Calm means to David: Make decisions aligned with your values, build a process, and trust that you can deal with whatever comes your way. Links From Today's Episode: Meet with PWL Capital: https://calendly.com/d/3vm-t2j-h3p Rational Reminder on iTunes — https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-rational-reminder-podcast/id1426530582. Rational Reminder on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/rationalreminder/ Rational Reminder on YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/channel/ Benjamin Felix — https://pwlcapital.com/our-team/ Benjamin on X — https://x.com/benjaminwfelix Benjamin on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminwfelix/ Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

    1h 6min
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  2. Number 2: The Finances of Marriage | #426

    In this episode, Ben Felix, Dan Bortolotti, and Ben Wilson take a research-driven look at the finances of marriage, from spending personalities and prenuptial agreements to wedding costs, joint accounts, financial infidelity, and household decision-making. The conversation explores how the way couples think about and manage money can affect both financial outcomes and relationship satisfaction. We unpack the difference between being frugal and being a "tightwad," why tightwads and spendthrifts may be drawn to each other despite having more conflict later, and how simply understanding your partner's spending tendencies can improve financial conversations. We also examine the case for prenups, the role of optimism bias in avoiding them, and how couples can use legal agreements to deliberately design their financial arrangements. The discussion then turns to wedding spending, including the marketing forces behind engagement-ring conventions and research linking higher spending on rings and weddings with greater divorce risk in some samples. Finally, we look at the evidence for managing money jointly, the risks of financial infidelity, and why both partners should be involved in household financial decisions. The central theme throughout is simple: couples tend to be better served when they approach their finances as a team and communicate openly. The Tightwad-Spendthrift Scale Quiz — https://umich.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_55xxAQrYK0WRlY2 Sources — https://zbib.org/e8fec478786b4176b5011418f27a3fa4 Key Points From This Episode: (0:01:00) Why who you marry can be one of the most consequential financial decisions of your life. (0:04:24) Why marriage changes both the emotional and legal nature of a couple's financial relationship. (0:07:53) Tightwads vs. spendthrifts: the psychology of the "anticipatory pain of paying." (0:09:52) Why spending personality has little to do with how much money someone actually spends. (0:11:34) How understanding your spending tendencies can be useful alongside traditional financial risk questionnaires. (0:15:42) Why some people struggle to spend money even when they clearly have the financial capacity to do so. (0:17:09) How upbringing, identity, and social comparison can influence attitudes toward spending. (0:18:20) Why tightwads and spendthrifts are more likely to marry each other—and why those differences can create conflict later. (0:21:14) How recognizing different spending tendencies can create healthier conversations and compromises. (0:23:14) Prenups and marriage contracts: understanding the legal "default" before deciding whether to create your own arrangement. (0:24:04) Why optimism bias and the negative signaling associated with prenups can make them difficult for couples to discuss. (0:26:51) Why a prenup may be particularly relevant when partners enter a marriage with substantially different levels of wealth. (0:29:54) How couples can use a prenuptial agreement to deliberately design financial arrangements around their circumstances and future needs. (0:31:08) The origins of the "two months' salary" engagement-ring convention and the marketing of diamonds. (0:32:54) Research on wedding spending, engagement rings, and divorce risk. (0:35:55) Why wedding planning can become an early test of how couples handle financial differences. (0:37:49) Why more wedding guests and having a honeymoon were associated with longer marriages in the study discussed. (0:38:44) The evidence for managing finances together—and why joint accounts may not be the only way to do it. (0:42:04) How different spending personalities might influence whether couples prefer joint or separate accounts. (0:45:10) Why couples should establish clear expectations around significant purchases. (0:45:31) Financial infidelity: what it means to hide financial behavior you expect your partner would disapprove of. (0:47:46) Why financial decision-making should involve both partners rather than defaulting to one "financial spouse." (0:52:19) Gender norms, financial confidence, and differences in how spouses participate in investment and planning decisions. (0:54:57) Why involving the less financially engaged spouse can bring different—and valuable—perspectives to household planning. (0:56:09) The importance of financial continuity if the spouse who manages the finances dies or experiences cognitive decline. (0:58:21) The common thread across the research: approach household finances as a team and keep communication open. (0:59:52) The return of the after show, including listener reviews and a discussion of feedback on a recent special episode. Links From Today's Episode: Meet with PWL Capital: https://calendly.com/d/3vm-t2j-h3p Rational Reminder on iTunes — https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-rational-reminder-podcast/id1426530582. Rational Reminder on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/rationalreminder/ Rational Reminder on YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/channel/ Benjamin Felix — https://pwlcapital.com/our-team/ Benjamin on X — https://x.com/benjaminwfelix Benjamin on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminwfelix/ Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

    1h 9min
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  3. Number 3: The Future of AI in the Workplace | Special Episode (Mike Sullivan and Vinay Gidwaney)

    In this special episode, we are joined by Mike Sullivan, Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer at OneDigital, and Vinay Gidwaney, OneDigital's Chief Product Officer, to discuss their new book, Workforce Intelligence: The People-First Playbook for Leading Your Company Through AI Transformation. Together, they offer a practical, pro-human framework for navigating a future where artificial intelligence becomes deeply embedded in how organizations operate. We explore why leaders should focus on tasks rather than headcount, how AI can amplify uniquely human capabilities, and why companies may need to rethink how they manage their workforce. Mike and Vinay explain their concepts of reducible and irreducible skills, AI coworkers, workforce intelligence, collaborative AI use, and the importance of building an organizational intelligence layer. They also share practical lessons from OneDigital's own AI transformation—including why leadership activation, trust, reskilling, and a partnership between technical and non-technical leaders are essential. This conversation offers an alternative to the prevailing narrative of AI-driven job elimination. Instead, it asks a bigger question: if AI can take on more of the work we currently do, what might humans become capable of doing next? Key Points From This Episode: (0:00:00) Highlights. (0:00:25) Introduction. (0:01:23) Why AI adoption affects employers, employees, and financial markets—and why the conversation is relevant far beyond technology. (0:02:27) Two possible paths for companies: replacing people with AI or using AI to amplify human capabilities. (0:03:53) How PWL is already using AI to help financial planners and portfolio managers work more strategically and serve clients better. (0:06:22) Mike and Vinay's five-year partnership around deploying AI inside OneDigital. (0:09:07) The "radiating red dot": Why Mike's analysis suggested that up to 25% of OneDigital's workforce could be disrupted by AI. (0:11:09) "See faces, not headcount": The decision to pursue transformation by amplifying people rather than simply reducing jobs. (0:12:19) Why Mike and Vinay felt a responsibility to offer a more practical, human-first narrative about AI and work. (0:13:40) Vinay's realization that widespread access to AI makes human differentiation even more important. (0:17:22) Mike's first experience with an AI coworker—and the endless possibilities it unlocked for curiosity and exploration. (0:18:22) Human intelligence versus artificial intelligence: Why AI's greatest value may be its ability to help people think differently. (0:22:19) Why the future of work should be analyzed at the task level rather than through predictions about jobs disappearing. (0:23:58) The coming reskilling challenge—and why the allocation of work between AI and humans needs to be more deliberate. (0:25:12) Why Vinay believes companies that discard their human talent could lose their most important competitive differentiation. (0:26:30) Why AI transformation should be viewed as a "movie, not a snapshot," with work continually being reshaped. (0:28:10) What "workforce intelligence" means: Managing the combined intelligence of human talent and AI talent. (0:30:07) Why Mike and Vinay believe HR—not just IT—must play a central role in leading the transition to a blended workforce. (0:31:54) Reducible versus irreducible skills: Letting AI handle work that can be broken into processes while humans spend more time on judgment, experience, and other "squishy" capabilities. (0:34:10) Applying the framework to financial planning: AI for modeling and information processing, humans for judgment, relationships, and helping clients navigate life decisions. (0:37:00) How AI can reduce meeting preparation from hours to minutes while generating insights that would otherwise be missed. (0:37:48) The importance of trust and communication as employees try to understand what AI means for their future. (0:39:53) The Workforce Intelligence score: Treating AI as talent and measuring the evolving mix of human and AI work. (0:42:09) Transactional versus collaborative AI use—and why collaboration can be more amplifying for both people and organizations. (0:45:40) Why companies need agency over their AI systems and should think carefully about intelligence lock-in. (0:48:47) Codifying organizational intelligence: Building systems where human expertise improves AI, which in turn helps humans become more capable. (0:50:24) What it means to become "activated" by AI—and how using AI as a coach and teacher can expand human potential. (0:52:44) Ambient AI: Systems that continuously observe information and surface patterns when human judgment is needed. (0:54:11) The Charlotte-Denver redundancy and the challenge of making the best organizational intelligence available to everyone. (0:57:26) OneDigital's five-tier fluency model for developing AI capabilities across employees, advanced users, managers, and builders. (1:00:13) Why democratized software development creates a new governance challenge—and how AI may help manage it. (1:00:54) Why OneDigital gives AI coworkers names, faces, profiles, skill sets, and human managers. (1:04:01) Mike's belief in the dignity of work—and why employers need to approach the AI transition with humanity and care. (1:06:53) Vinay's belief in human potential and why the goal should be to expand what people are capable of doing. (1:08:56) Why organizations should avoid measuring AI success solely through cost cutting and instead consider human amplification. (1:12:41) The four questions for Monday morning: Turning big ideas about AI transformation into practical actions leaders can take immediately. (1:13:55) Why AI transformation needs leadership from the top and a partnership between someone who understands technology and someone who deeply understands the business. (1:15:40) Leadership activation: Why organizations are unlikely to change until their leaders personally experience how AI can transform their own work. (1:17:44) What we still don't know about AI—and why the guests believe we are still in the very early innings of this transformation. (1:18:55) The three-minute-mile analogy: AI may optimize human minds in ways we cannot yet imagine. (1:20:00) A final call for a pro-humanity, blended workforce—and the need to move faster in adapting to what AI makes possible. Links From Today's Episode: Meet with PWL Capital: https://calendly.com/d/3vm-t2j-h3p Rational Reminder on iTunes — https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-rational-reminder-podcast/id1426530582. Rational Reminder on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/rationalreminder/ Rational Reminder on YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/channel/ Benjamin Felix — https://pwlcapital.com/our-team/ Benjamin on X — https://x.com/benjaminwfelix Benjamin on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminwfelix/ Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

    1h 24min
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  4. Number 4: The State of Retirement Research | #419 (Jean-Pierre Aubry)

    In this episode, we are joined by Jean-Pierre Aubry, Associate Director of Retirement Plans and Finance at the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, for a research-driven conversation about retirement investing, financial advice, pension fund management, and inflation. Drawing from years of empirical research, Jean-Pierre shares insights into how households actually invest, how financial advisors shape portfolio decisions, and why investors often hold asset allocations that differ from their own stated preferences. We also examine the investment strategies of public pension plans, why their increasing reliance on alternative assets has largely failed to deliver superior performance, and the institutional forces driving those decisions. Finally, Jean-Pierre explains how inflation disproportionately affects retirees, why many households overreact during inflationary periods, and why understanding retirement risks—from market volatility to sequence of returns—is critical for long-term financial security. Key Points From This Episode: (0:06) Introduction to Jean-Pierre Aubry and the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. (6:29) The Center's mission: producing objective, accessible retirement policy research. (7:03) Why investors' actual stock allocations are higher than their stated ideal allocations. (9:31) Defaults and target-date funds may explain the gap between desired and actual portfolios. (10:46) Investors tend to underestimate long-term stock returns and overestimate market risk. (11:22) Financial advisors generally encourage higher equity allocations by reducing investor pessimism. (12:06) How advisor compensation can create incentives to recommend higher stock exposure. (13:42) Research showing advisor recommendations vary more across advisors than across client profiles. (16:56) The "advisor fixed effect": advisors largely recommend portfolios consistent with their own philosophy. (18:57) Why working with an advisor often leads investors to hold more equities. (20:26) How target-date funds work and why auto-enrollment is reshaping retirement investing. (22:57) Why advisors and target-date funds are generally improving retirement security. (23:57) The evolution of public pension investing from bonds to equities and then alternative assets. (30:12) The growing influence of consultants and peer effects on public pension investment decisions. (31:14) Why pension plans with greater allocations to alternatives have generally underperformed peers. (32:23) Comparing public pension performance against a simple 60/40 index benchmark. (36:43) Whether indexing may be a better long-term solution for public pension investing. (39:35) Concerns about adding private assets to default retirement plan options. (40:15) Maintaining objectivity while researching politically sensitive retirement issues. (42:58) Why investment policy remains the "final frontier" for improving public pension systems. (46:45) Why retirees are especially vulnerable to inflation. (50:06) How inflation affects retirees differently across age and wealth levels. (51:52) Why households tend to overspend during inflationary periods. (53:38) How financial advisors adjust recommendations when inflation and interest rates rise. (54:11) Why inflation ultimately reduces retirement security for many households. (54:42) Which retirees face the greatest market risk. (55:35) Why most retirees have little understanding of sequence of returns risk. (55:56) Advisors understand sequence risk, but that knowledge doesn't appear to transfer to clients. (57:23) Why declining equity exposure over time remains the canonical life-cycle investing approach. (58:25) Jean-Pierre's definition of success: purpose, meaningful relationships, and financial security. Links From Today's Episode: Meet with PWL Capital: https://calendly.com/d/3vm-t2j-h3p Rational Reminder on iTunes — https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-rational-reminder-podcast/id1426530582. Rational Reminder on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/rationalreminder/ Rational Reminder on YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/channel/ Benjamin Felix — https://pwlcapital.com/our-team/ Benjamin on X — https://x.com/benjaminwfelix Benjamin on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminwfelix/ Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

    1h 2min
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  5. Number 5: The Ethics Problem in Financial Services (Dr. Moira Somers & Philippa Hann) | #425

    In this episode, we're joined by Philippa Hann and Dr. Moira Somers, co-authors of The Fault Lines of Finance: Understanding and Preventing Financial Misconduct, for a deep dive into why good people can do bad things with other people's money. Philippa brings two decades of experience suing financial advisors, wealth managers, and banks, while Moira brings her expertise as a clinical neuropsychologist working with financial professionals, families, and the human side of money. We explore the psychology and systems that can allow financial misconduct to happen, from financial stress, incentives, and information asymmetry to workplace culture, poor training, exhaustion, and the pressure to please. Philippa and Moira explain why ethical behavior is not simply about knowing right from wrong, and why developing "ethical health" requires understanding your own vulnerabilities, building a moral operating system, and having people you can turn to when doing the right thing becomes difficult. We also discuss how investors can evaluate financial professionals, why complexity and exciting financial products deserve extra scrutiny, the role of regulators and insurers, and why financial sophistication doesn't necessarily protect people from being exploited. Along the way, Philippa and Moira share case studies illustrating ethical drift, confirmation bias, and the ways seemingly small decisions can compound into serious misconduct. The conversation ultimately makes the case for moral humility, strong relationships, healthy organizational cultures, and the willingness to tolerate discomfort when something doesn't feel right. Key Points From This Episode: (0:00:00) Introduction. (0:02:02) What financial misconduct means and why "other people's money" matters. (0:02:35) Philippa's 20 years in litigation and the core question: why do good people do bad things? (0:05:02) Moving beyond harm prevention toward promoting positive change in financial services. (0:07:36) Why financial services are especially vulnerable: access, incentives, and opportunity. (0:09:40) Information inequality and extraordinary client trust in advisors. (0:11:15) Even sophisticated investors can fail to ask critical questions. (0:11:57) Misconduct isn't simply "good vs. bad people." (0:12:45) How systems, incentives, and culture can draw well-intentioned people into misconduct. (0:17:40) Ethical drift: how innocent mistakes can escalate into lying and misconduct. (0:19:05) Building a personal "moral operating system" to prepare for dilemmas. (0:20:00) Identifying vulnerabilities: people-pleasing, exhaustion, dependence, conflict avoidance. (0:21:00) Journaling, defining non-negotiables, and developing ethical self-awareness. (0:25:22) Importance of trusted people who can challenge your thinking. (0:27:13) Personal strengths (confidence, ambition) can become vulnerabilities. (0:28:38) Systems and culture can enable misconduct or make ethics easier (0:30:10) Organizations must make it safe to surface mistakes. (0:34:43) Developing "ethical health" alongside physical and mental health. (0:40:15) Ethics requires more than knowing the right answer—it requires character and motivation. (0:44:29) Why traditional ethics training often fails in real-world dilemmas. (1:14:11) The moral operating system as an actionable framework for behavioral ethics. Links From Today's Episode: Meet with PWL Capital: https://calendly.com/d/3vm-t2j-h3p Rational Reminder on iTunes — https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-rational-reminder-podcast/id1426530582. Rational Reminder on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/rationalreminder/ Rational Reminder on YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/channel/ Benjamin Felix — https://pwlcapital.com/our-team/ Benjamin on X — https://x.com/benjaminwfelix Benjamin on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminwfelix/ Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

    1h 24min
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