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Talking Real Money - Investing Talk

Questions Abound

Talking Real Money - Investing Talk

Don McDonald

Education, Business, Investing, How To

4.5811 Ratings

🗓️ 24 October 2025

⏱️ 30 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Don and Tom tackle another full “Q Day,” answering listener questions on Roth fund selection, bond fund gimmicks, real estate returns, California’s odd HSA tax treatment, switching from Vanguard to Avantis, copying politician trades, and whether Vanguard’s Cash Plus account beats its money market fund. The episode mixes practical investing logic with humor, skepticism, and a bit of Don’s plug for his new storytelling podcast, New Tales Told. 0:04 Q Day begins — Don riffs on “Q” words and high-quality listener audio 1:42 Betsy from Minnesota asks: best funds for a Roth IRA (AVUV, VOO, AVGE) 2:39 Don suggests simplifying to AVGE, but warns of risk and emotional resilience 4:12 Jesse from Seattle on CPAG “tax-efficient” bond ETF — Don calls it a gimmick 5:55 Don’s math: CPAG only helps slightly at 35% tax bracket, not worth complexity 9:06 Listener compares 403(b) vs. home value growth — Don confirms results typical 12:45 Real estate’s weak real return over time and lifestyle vs. investment value 12:45 California HSA confusion — Don explains CA taxes HSAs like normal accounts 15:22 Nathan from Georgia: Vanguard vs. Avantis funds, and “copy politician trades” 17:20 Don: Avantis adds small/value tilt, AVGE can simplify portfolio management 19:14 Don: “copy-trade” apps are expensive, delayed, and silly gimmicks 20:58 James from Virginia: Vanguard Cash Plus vs. money market funds 22:34 Don explains FDIC difference and risk-reward tradeoff, prefers money market 24:11 Closing reflections, legacy talk, and plug for New Tales Told Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

300 sensors.

0:03.0

Over a million data points per second.

0:06.0

How does F1 update their fans with every stat in real time?

0:10.0

AWS is how.

0:13.0

From fastest laps to strategy calls,

0:15.0

AWS puts fans in the pit.

0:19.0

It's not just racing, it's data-driven innovation at 200 miles per hour.

0:25.4

AWS is how leading businesses power next-level innovation.

0:34.8

Reality Radio for a really great future.

0:38.0

We're talking real money.

0:40.2

Boy, it's the day Tom's grandsons look forward to all week.

0:46.0

Yes, it's Q Day.

0:48.4

We've changed the name.

0:49.6

It's not Friday anymore.

0:51.0

It's Q Day.

0:52.3

Q needs a day.

0:53.4

There are no, there's really not much that starts with the letter Q anyway,

0:57.5

except questions and queries and quilts and queens and quotes and cubits. Wait a minute.

1:06.9

No, that's CU, isn't it? Never mind. Anyway, it's Q-Day, which means it's question

1:10.8

and answer day. Here for Tom and his grandkids and all of you. And thank you all so much for all

1:17.0

the questions you have sent in. At talking realmoney.com on the contact form, and you spoke them

1:22.1

into your mic on your computer. Do you know your mic on your computer could conceivably sound

...

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