In this episode we answer emails from Camille and Jeff. We discuss how 72(t) and asset swaps enable early IRA access, where to place managed futures and treasuries for taxes, practical cash options at IBKR and ultra-short term ETFs, designing a mix for higher safe withdrawal rates, when to ratchet spending and when to hold flat, and tracking mandatory versus discretionary spending, among other things.

And THEN we our go through our weekly portfolio reviews of the eight sample portfolios you can find at Portfolios | Risk Parity Radio.

Additional Links:

Father McKenna Center Donation Page: Donate - Father McKenna Center

How To Do An Asset Swap Video from Risk Parity Chronicles: How to Do an Asset Swap

FI Tax Guy Post on 72(t): Retire on 72(t) Payments – The FI Tax Guy

White Coat Investor Podcast with Sean Mullaney: Managing Taxes in Retirement with Sean Mullaney | White Coat Investor

Tax Planning Book: Amazon.com: Tax Planning To and Through Early Retirement: 9798999841599: Garrett, Cody, Mullaney, Sean: Books

Ultra-short ETFs for Parking Excess Cash: Ultra Short-Term ETF List

Portfolio Charts Descriptions of Variable Withdrawal Strategies: Retirement Spending – Portfolio Charts

Breathless Unedited AI-Bot Summary:

What if your IRA isn’t a locked box until 59½? We dig into the real-world playbook for early access and smarter withdrawals, showing how 72(t) and asset swaps let you fund life now without wrecking your allocation or triggering penalties. Along the way, we answer donor questions on where to park managed futures when tax-advantaged space is tight, how to rebalance when bonds live behind the IRA wall, and the cleanest ways to earn yield on cash at Interactive Brokers with short-term ETFs like SGOV, BIL, and JPST. We also touch on BOXX for high earners and ask our Canadian friends to weigh in on legacy RRSP headaches.

From there, we map a durable withdrawal framework: blend growth and value equities, hold intermediate and long treasuries for ballast, and add diversifiers like gold and trend to raise your safe withdrawal rate. If pensions and Social Security cover the essentials, a 5% withdrawal from a risk-balanced mix can still thrive over 30 years, especially when you limit spending increases to 1% instead of full CPI. For raises, we compare floor-and-ceiling rules to ratchets so you can lock in gains after meaningful portfolio advances, yet stay flexible when markets wobble.

To ground it all, we run through market movers—growth stocks buzzing, gold shining, bonds steadying—and share performance across our sample portfolios, from classic Golden Butterfly to leveraged variants. Takeaways are simple and usable: your access is wider than you think, tax location is a spectrum not a slogan, and the best spending rule is the one that fits your life. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us: which withdrawal rule would you follow this year, floor and ceiling or a ratchet?

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In this episode we answer emails from Phil and Chris. We discuss moving from target date funds to low-cost index funds, why equity diversification needs a value tilt, how managed futures replication mimics an index fund in that asset class, options collars versus simply holding less equity, momentum models trade-offs and regime risk, long Treasuries compared with STRIPS for rate sensitivity, why TIPS don’t hedge portfolio-level inflation and practical ways to fight portfolio-level inflation with value-tilted stocks and alternatives.

Links:

Father McKenna Center Donation Page: Donate - Father McKenna Center

Many Happy Returns Podcast Featuring Tyler: How to Pick Your Perfect Portfolio, with Tyler from Portfolio Charts

Portfolio Charts Drawdowns Chart: Drawdowns – Portfolio Charts

DMBF Video Re Dispersion of Recent Returns: iMGP DBi Managed Futures Strategy ETF Update with Andrew Beer | October 2025

Bernstein TIPS Article: Riskless at Age 104 - Articles - Advisor Perspectives ("A bond fund manager recently related to me his difficulty in figuring out the role of TIPS in his portfolios. After fumbling for a reply, I realized that he was right: like Social Security, they don’t occupy a formal slot in most folks’ asset allocation. . . . TIPS should be kept mentally separate from the policy asset allocation as well.")

Breathless Unedited AI-Bot Summary:

Ever feel like your “set it and forget it” fund is quietly holding you back? We open the hood on target date funds and show how shifting to clear, low-cost index building blocks can recover real performance over the long haul. From there, we get practical about designing portfolios that don’t just look diversified—they behave differently when markets sour. Think value tilts to counter mega-cap concentration, long-duration Treasuries for recession defense, and managed futures for trend-driven shock absorption.

We also tackle the allure of complexity. Options collars can cap losses, but they cap gains too—and often mimic what you’d get by simply holding less equity and more diversifiers. Momentum strategies like GEM carry academic support, yet every rule set faces regime risk and behavioral hurdles. Rather than chasing perfect timing, we focus on roles: which assets hedge recessions, which fight inflation, and which compound steadily in normal times. That clarity helps you skip the noise and build sturdy allocations.

On inflation, we cut through the myths. TIPS protect relative to nominal bonds, but they rarely shield an entire portfolio when inflation surges. If you want a real inflation response, look to assets with pricing power and trend sensitivity—managed futures, energy producers, and certain insurers—while reserving long Treasuries for growth shocks. We share why DBMF’s replication approach acts like an “index” for trend following, how STRIPS such as ZROZ can replace some long bonds for targeted rate exposure, and why a global perspective makes U.S.-centric limiting beliefs easier to spot and drop.

If you’re ready to swap wrappers for transparency and replace clever tactics with durable structure, this one’s for you. Follow the show, share it with a friend who’s reconsidering their default fund, and leave a quick review so more investors can find these ideas.

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In this episode we answer emails from Arun, Neil, and Stephen. We discuss intermediate accumulation portfolios, when you start needing bonds and being a good family man; favorite listener episodes #436 and #441, and an analysis of Thurman portfolios and what they are missing.

Links:

Episode 436 Video Summary: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WQ1hvoLaX3hJL3DoLnaWsAxNBdOYFLB0/view?usp=sharing

Episode 441 Video Summary: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fHpBZCykn-UOXMarWKIMVX0tLG9-OEDa/view?usp=sharing

Retirement Investment Advisors SEC Disclosure: Microsoft Word - DRAFT 2 ADV 03.2025 PART 2-03.25.2025

Thurman 10 Steps To Build Retirement Portfolio: E-Book 10 Portfolio Steps v1.2024

PortfolioLab Thurman Portfolio: Randy Thurman All-Weather Retirement Portfolio | PortfoliosLab

Portfolio Visualizer Analysis of Thurman Portfolios: Backtest Portfolio Asset Class Allocation

Breathless Unedited AI-Bot Summary:

Tired of vague investing advice that wilts when real life hits? We open the mailbag and get practical about three decisions most DIY investors face: rebalancing a mid-term portfolio, adding bonds before retirement, and whether a 100 percent stock allocation can actually work when you’re withdrawing. Along the way, we put a highly marketed “all-weather” retirement framework under the microscope and show why corporate bonds often fail when you need ballast most.

We start with an intermediate-term goal: saving for a house in three to five years. Rather than forcing taxable rebalancing, we explain how to direct new contributions and dividends toward lagging sleeves to maintain balance while sidestepping taxes. Then we tackle bond placement for accumulators in their late 30s and early 40s: why Treasuries belong in traditional 401(k)s, why cost basis doesn’t matter inside retirement accounts, and when adding bonds is a sleep-aid rather than a must-have. Next, we confront the 100 percent stock question. If you intend to underspend and maximize terminal wealth, it can work. If you want higher sustainable withdrawals, diversification wins.

The centerpiece: a head-to-head backtest of an “all-weather retirement” recipe built around corporate bonds and global equities versus a more balanced, risk-parity-inspired mix that includes Treasuries and a modest allocation to gold. The results highlight a core truth of sequence risk: smaller, shorter drawdowns can raise safe withdrawal rates and preserve flexibility. We also talk mindset—stop treating assets like sports teams. They’re tools: stocks for growth, Treasuries for defense, gold for inflation shocks. Set your stock percentage first, split growth and value, prefer Treasuries over corporates for hedging, consider 10–15 percent gold, and test your plan with Portfolio Visualizer, Portfolio Charts, Testfolio, and the Early Retirement Now toolkit.

Life design matters too. For parents in the exhausting middle—toddler chaos, peak earnings, zero time—we share a simple playbook: cut low-yield work commitments, focus on small, memorable family moments, and accept this as a temporary storm. Build a portfolio that buys time, not stress, and let your money serve the life you want. Enjoy the conversation, and if it helps, subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with a friend who’s balancing markets and midnight wake-ups.

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