In this episode we answer emails from Dustin, Optimus Bill, Vaibhav, and Morrie. We discuss how to vet a new "shiny object" ETF, why trying to "fix" target date funds is likely to be a fools' errand as their proper use is extremely limited, and transitioning into a retirement drawdown portfolio without obsessing over recent market highs.

In our Queen Mary segment, we also provide a Fairfax CASA fundraiser update and explain how your donations support foster care advocacy.

Links:

Fairfax CASA Donation Page: Donate - Fairfax CASA

Morningstar Analysis of LCOW: LCOW – Portfolio – Pacer S&P 500 Qul FCF Aristocrats ETF | Morningstar

Breathless AI-Bot Summary:

A slick email promises “Quality” and “Aristocrats,” a backtest says it beat the market, and suddenly you are wondering if your portfolio is missing a magic ingredient. We slow that moment down and show you how to think like a process-driven investor instead of a headline-driven one. Starting with a listener question about a brand-new ETF, we walk through a simple evaluation method using Morningstar: check the expense ratio, identify the fund category, inspect the holdings, and compare it to cheaper index funds. The punchline is not about one ticker symbol, it is about learning to spot shiny-object marketing before it steals your time and returns.

From there we tackle a bigger theme: why so much financial media is engineered to keep “Level 2” investors chasing opinions and hopping from strategy to strategy. We talk about data mining, why a 10 to 15 year backtest can be deeply misleading, and what you should demand before believing any performance story. If you care about long-term portfolio design, the right order is asset allocation first, fund selection second, with low costs as a default unless something is truly different.

We also answer questions on target date funds, accumulation versus decumulation, and how real retirement planning gets messy across pre-tax, Roth, HSA, and taxable accounts. Finally, we address a common retirement fear: investing when “the market is high.” We explain why diversification changes that question, how different assets can carry the load at different times, and how to schedule a transition plan if moving all at once feels hard.

Subscribe for more no-nonsense portfolio talk, share this with a friend who keeps getting pitched “new” ETFs, and leave a review if the framework helps. If you can, donate to Fairfax CASA and help provide a steady advocate for children in foster care.

Support the show

In this episode we answer emails from Ronald, George, Jeff. We celebrate episode 500 by sharing a few “Easter egg” resources, then jump into listener questions that cut through common investing myths. We discuss a portfolio for a non-profit, rant about TIPS with a Wall Street Journal article to back us up, and talk about various choices in withdrawal methods.

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

Links:

Fairfax CASA Donation Page: Donate - Fairfax CASA

Rant Anthology Slides: Risk Parity Radio Rants Anthology.pdf - Google Drive

Four Quadrant Video: The Four Quadrant Model and the True Meaning of Diversification.mp4 - Google Drive

WSJ Article on TIPS: TIPS_ Inflation-Protected Bonds Dont Help You When Inflation Is High - WSJ Copy.pdf - Google Drive

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.")

Morningstar Article: Morningstar State_of_Retirement_Income_2025.pdf - Google Drive

EconoMe 2026 Presentation: F. Vasquez EconoMe 2026 Final Slides.pdf - Google Drive

Breathless AI-Bot Summary:

Episode 500 lands with a simple promise: fewer stories, more data, and portfolio choices that hold up when markets stop cooperating. We share a couple of nostalgic “Easter egg” extras from our back catalog, then dive into listener mail that hits the heart of modern portfolio construction for both individuals and institutions.

First, we tackle a nonprofit investing question about moving from capital preservation to growth using a heavily value tilted stock mix. We break down what that allocation is really buying (small cap value, mid cap value, and a value lean in large caps), why it can shine over very long horizons, and why the same strategy can still test patience for a decade or more. If you’ve ever wondered how to balance expected return against real world tracking error, this section is for you.

Then we hit the big rant: Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS) are not the inflation shield they’re marketed to be. We walk through the Wall Street Journal’s findings, the 2022 case study, and the bigger point that TIPS are still bonds with rate risk. We also talk about what has tended to help more in inflationary regimes, including commodities, value oriented equities, and managed futures, plus when a TIPS ladder might be a reasonable side tool.

We wrap with a practical retirement planning question on withdrawal mechanics, why CPI based “inflation adjusted” spending is often misunderstood, and the other levers that matter as much as asset allocation.

Support the show

In this episode we answer emails from Jose, Luc and Sara. We discuss using specific tax lots to reduce capital gains when reallocating, how the 0% long-term capital gains bracket works and why many land in the 15% bracket, where to hold gold like GLDM across IRAs and taxable accounts, turning off dividend reinvestment to simplify moves and build retirement cash, replacing total bond and international bond funds with Treasury funds like VGIT and VGLT,, why diversification and value exposure can improve safe withdrawal rate odds, supporting and encouraging college-age kids with clear expectations, and tools to model short retirements and scenarios.

We also celebrate a major fundraising milestone for Fairfax CASA and share a real story of how advocacy changes outcomes for teens in our Queen Mary segment.

Links:

Fairfax CASA Donation Page: Donate - Fairfax CASA

Jose's Portfolio Link: Portfolio Backtester for ETFs and Asset Allocation | testfolio

Investopedia Capital Gains Taxes Article: Capital Gains Tax: What It Is, How It Works, and Current Rates

Sara's Portfolio Analyses (from prior episode): testfol.io/?s=htNZVoZOZn4

Portfolio Charts Withdrawal Rates Calculator: Withdrawal Rates – Portfolio Charts

Portfolio Visualizer Financial Goals Tool: Financial Goals

Breathless Unedited AI-Bot Summary:

$24,000 raised by listeners, plus a pledged $20,000 match, is the kind of number that stops you in your tracks and then makes you proud to be part of a community. We kick off with a Fairfax CASA update for Child Abuse Prevention Month and a powerful success story about three teen sisters, a young uncle who stepped up, and the CASA volunteer who became the one trusted voice the girls could confide in when everything felt chaotic.

Then we shift into what Risk Parity Radio does best: answering detailed listener emails with practical, step-by-step personal finance guidance. We dig into how to transition a Vanguard-style portfolio toward a risk parity retirement portfolio without detonating a capital gains tax bill, including how to sell specific tax lots, what the 0% long-term capital gains bracket really requires, and when “good enough” beats waiting for perfect. We also cover gold allocation in decumulation (including where GLDM can sit across IRAs and taxable accounts), why turning off dividend reinvestment can make withdrawals and rebalancing cleaner, and why Treasury bond funds like VGIT and VGLT can diversify equity risk better than credit-heavy bond mixes.

We also take a thoughtful detour into family finance: how much to help your kids with college while still protecting their drive and independence, how to have “the talk” about expectations, and ways to cut education costs without cutting opportunity. Finally, we revisit a short-term retirement runway plan and talk scenario testing, safe withdrawal rates, and modeling tools like Portfolio Charts, TestFol.io, and Portfolio Visualizer so you can stress-test risk, time horizon, and side income realistically.

If you found this helpful, subscribe, share the episode with a DIY investor friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

Support the show