Crypto Qs Return

Talking Real Money - Investing Talk

Don McDonald

Education, Business, Investing, How To

4.5 • 811 Ratings

🗓️ 20 February 2026

⏱️ 23 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

After a bump in crypto-fueled listener calls, Don tackles a mix of practical and philosophical money questions: why Fidelity’s new “stablecoin” isn’t an investment at all, whether a heavily conditioned city 401k match is worth the risk versus a flexible Roth 457, how to safely reposition an 85-year-old’s idle savings without sacrificing liquidity, and why actively managed mutual funds can generate painful surprise tax bills. The episode closes with the return of Bitcoin Bob, sparking a spirited debate over whether Bitcoin is a currency, a commodity, or a “store of wealth” — and whether something that swings 50% qualifies for that title. 0:04 Crypto episode follow-up, listener call surge, and AI voice processing update 1:52 Fidelity’s new stablecoin FIDD — why it’s pointless for investors 3:41 City retirement plan dilemma: conditional 401k match vs. Roth 457 flexibility 8:24 When complicated employer matches aren’t worth the hoops 9:31 Helping an 85-year-old move idle savings — high-yield savings vs. brokerage 11:40 Janus mid-cap fund capital gains surprise and ETF tax efficiency 13:11 Why mid-cap alone isn’t diversification — broader ETF alternatives 15:19 Bitcoin Bob returns: currency vs. commodity vs. “store of wealth” 19:53 Volatility reality check — why Bitcoin fails the store-of-wealth test Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Could AI help you do more of what you love?
0:03.0	Workday is the next-gen ERP powered by AI that actually knows your business.
0:08.0	We help you handle the have-to-dos so you can focus on the can't-wait-to-dos.
0:13.0	It's a new workday.
0:20.0	Reality Radio for a really great future.
0:23.0	We're talking real money.
0:25.2	Thank you.
0:26.2	Thank you for being my guinea pigs.
0:28.3	I really appreciate you.
0:29.8	And I will treat you well, I promise.
0:32.1	We got a lot.
0:33.1	We got a nice pickup in calls, although because we did a couple of episodes on cryptocurrencies,
0:41.0	we did get a couple of calls from Bitcoin Bob. So we'll hold that in abeyance until later in the
0:48.6	program. But thanks for all the calls, the questions that you have sent to us at talking realmoney.com.
0:57.3	Tom has seen a bit of a decrease in the typed questions, and I've seen a slight increase in the spoken questions.
1:04.2	So I am very appreciative.
1:07.5	So keep them coming.
1:08.9	Go to talking realmoney.com.
1:10.5	Kick the contact form or kick the contact form,
1:13.2	or click the contact form or just pat it lightly on the head and send your questions about money
1:20.6	and investing in retirement and saving and spending and, you know, the financial part of life.
1:27.1	Send those in if you have them.
	...

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