Questions and Critiques

Talking Real Money - Investing Talk

Don McDonald

Education, Business, Investing, How To

4.5 • 811 Ratings

🗓️ 26 September 2025

⏱️ 22 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this Friday Q&A edition of Talking Real Money, Don tackles listener questions ranging from the dangers of options trading and critiques of Dave Ramsey, to building a simple 60/40 portfolio, comparing flat-fee versus AUM advisors, and whether international bonds deserve a spot in a portfolio. Along the way, he mixes in humor, candid pushback, and practical advice while emphasizing clarity, simplicity, and the importance of asking good questions. 0:04 Intro, gratitude for enough listener questions to fill a show 1:20 Why Don won’t recommend any book on options trading 3:29 Caller defends Dave Ramsey and critiques Don & Tom’s take 5:55 Don responds, clarifies criticisms, and acknowledges Ramsey’s positive impact 8:00 Portfolio question from Andy: building a 60/40 with a value tilt 11:14 Flat fee vs. AUM advisors—when each makes sense 13:41 Bond question: Fidelity vs. Vanguard total bond funds, and role of international bonds 17:27 Don on thick skin as a talk show host and why critique is welcome Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Where do you find a clear signal in a world of static?
0:03.2	In a time of rapid change cut through the noise.
0:06.2	The Economist goes beyond the headlines to decode the forces shaping today and defining tomorrow.
0:12.7	Get the full story.
0:14.1	It's more than news.
0:15.4	It's a trusted global perspective.
0:17.7	The Economist know which way is up.
0:25.6	Thank you. perspective. The economist know which way is up. Reality Radio for a really great future. We're talking real money.
0:30.8	Look at you. You came through. I'm so proud of all of you. Thank you. I'm grateful.
0:41.0	Now we have enough questions that I can do a five Q&A show. Yay. Thank you very much. You did a great job. Hey, everybody. Welcome to Talking Real
0:47.1	Money, the Friday edition, which is the Q and A. It's almost like talking on the phone, which means you have to actually use your voice
0:58.2	to ask the questions at talking realmoney.com on the contact form.
1:01.9	But, you know, it's similar.
1:03.6	It gives us that same sort of interactive human feel as opposed to the typed questions
1:08.8	that somebody then has to read.
1:10.6	So I appreciate that so many of you, after my last plea, came out and put in some questions,
1:18.5	Tom also helped me in that regard.
1:20.5	So thank you all very much for the questions.
1:22.7	We got a whole bunch of them.
1:24.0	And we should just get started because we've got so many.
1:28.2	Here's the first one. Hey, Don and this is katee from albuquerque i know you guys are against it but hypothetically
1:35.9	if i wanted to or someone wanted to start options training can you recommend a book that would be good to read to help them in that
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Don McDonald, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Don McDonald and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.