PODCAST

Sound Investing

Paul Merriman

Weekly podcasts with Paul Merriman. Strategic planning for investing at every stage of life.

business investing

All Episodes

01:49:58

Larry Swedroe: The Evidence-Based Rules Every...

Sound Investing ·

2026/04/15

Paul Merriman sits down with Larry Swedroe — author of 22 books and one of the most respected voices in evidence-based investing — for a conversation that covers everything from the five factors that actually matter to why Bitcoin might go to zero.Larry explains why judging your investment decisions by their outcomes is one of the most dangerous mistakes you can make, lays out the academic criteria he uses to separate real factor premiums from data mining, and reveals that he's made only three

01:09:32

PlanVision: Low Cost Flat-Fee Financial Planning for...

Sound Investing ·

2026/04/08

Paul Merriman sits down with Mark Zoril, founder of PlanVision, in the first episode of a new series spotlighting affordable financial planning options for do-it-yourself investors.Mark built PlanVision in 2012 around a simple premise: investing isn't as complicated as the financial services industry makes it seem, and technology makes it possible to deliver thoughtful, unbiased financial advice at a price almost anyone can afford.In this episode you'll learn:What you get for $489 in the

00:53:29

Paul Merriman on Managing $1.6 Billion But Never His...

Sound Investing ·

2026/04/01

At 82 years old, I still work. Not because I have to, but because I want to.I joined Brian Herriot and Kirby Denison on “The Time Freedom Podcast” to talk about exactly that. But we ended up covering a lot more than I expected.Here's something that might surprise you: I managed money for thousands of people over 30 years and built a firm to $1.6 billion under management. And I have never once managed my own money.Why? Because I know myself too well. When the market drops, I would second-guess

00:36:48

Q & A Deep Dive

Sound Investing ·

2026/03/25

Q&A HighlightsHow does a 4-fund portfolio compare to a 10-fund portfolio?What is the best way to invest for a child’s future?Is it too late to use a diversified strategy like the 10-fund portfolio at age 50?Can I create and test my own custom portfolio using your tools?How should I invest during periods of inflation or uncertainty?What are some recommended fund options available at Schwab?Is a portfolio combining large-cap value and small-cap blend a good approach?Are there good alternatives to

00:53:43

DFA & Avantis ETFs: Building the Ultimate Lifetime...

Sound Investing ·

2026/03/25

Paul Merriman is dedicated to helping do-it-yourself investors build portfolios they can stick with for life. In this episode, he shares what he believes is the closest thing to a perfect long-term equity strategy he's ever seen.Paul traces the evolution of index investing — from John Bogle's cap-weighted S&P 500 funds to the academic research of Fama and French, whose factor-based work showed that small cap value, large cap value, and other equity asset classes have historically

00:38:10

Flexible Retirement Withdrawals: Why Taking Less Can...

Sound Investing ·

2026/03/18

In this episode, we explore how flexible (variable) withdrawal strategies can strengthen your retirement plan—and why fixed, inflation-adjusted withdrawals may increase risk over time.Using detailed distribution tables—including Table F1.3 (flexible withdrawals) and comparisons to Table D1.3 (fixed withdrawals)—Paul walks through real historical outcomes across decades to show how adjusting withdrawals based on market performance can improve long-term results.You’ll learn:Fixed vs. flexible

00:40:25

Boot Camp #6 Fixed Distributions

Sound Investing ·

2026/03/11

In Boot Camp #6, Paul Merriman walks through real historical data starting in 1970 to test what happens when retirees withdraw 3%, 4%, or 5% from a $1 million portfolio — adjusted for inflation — across some of the toughest market conditions in history.This episode covers:The difference between retiring with “enough” and “more than enough”How inflation quietly turns $30,000 into $130,000+ over 30 yearsWhat happens if you retire into a bear marketWhy 1% more in withdrawals can cost millionsS&P

01:05:03

2026 Boot Camp #5 Fixed Contributions

Sound Investing ·

2026/03/04

In Boot Camp #5 of 10, Paul delivers what he believes is the most important session in the series—especially for new and early investors (teens, 20s, 30s, and anyone just getting started).Instead of treating investing like speculation, Paul reframes it as building—or buying—a business over decades.Using clear, data-driven tables and “fine-tuning” comparisons, he walks through a simple, repeatable plan: start with $1,000 per year (about $83.33/month), increase contributions by 3% annually, and stay

00:43:33

Bootcamp #4 |Fine-Tuning Your Asset Allocation for...

Sound Investing ·

2026/02/25

How much should you really have in stocks vs. bonds — and what happens when the market turns south with a vengence?In Boot Camp #4, we break down the fine-tuning asset allocation tables that show exactly how different combinations of equities and bonds have performed from 1970 through 2025. This episode goes beyond average returns and dives into what investing actually feels like during the worst 3-month, 12-month, and 60-month market declines.You’ll learn:Why equities have historically dominated

00:46:31

Sound Investing Bootcamp #3 | How to Choose the Right...

Sound Investing ·

2026/02/18

Welcome to Bootcamp #3 of the Sound Investing Series with Paul Merriman — where real investing data meets practical long-term strategy. 📈 In this session, Paul breaks down the performance of diversified portfolios vs. the S&P 500 using decades of historical data going back to 1970. You’ll learn how different combinations of equity asset classes have performed in good markets, bad markets, and everything in between.📊 What You’ll Learn in This Video:• A deep dive into the Sound Investing

00:34:06

Boot Camp #2: The Ultimate Buy & Hold Portfolio

Sound Investing ·

2026/02/11

In this second session of our 10-part Boot Camp series, we dive into the piece that’s helped shape decades of investing decisions: The Ultimate Buy & Hold Portfolio.For nearly 30 years, this research—co-created with the late Rich Buck—has explored a simple but powerful question: What happens when you go beyond the S&P 500 and build a lifetime portfolio across 10 equity asset classes?Starting with data back to 1970, we walk through the math of compounding, diversification, and disciplined

00:38:27

Stocks vs Bonds: The $10 Million Decision | Stocks...

Sound Investing ·

2026/02/04

What if small decisions — just a half-percent here or an extra year there — could change your financial future by millions?In this episode, we continue our annual Boot Camp series by tackling one of the biggest forks in the road investors face: stocks and bonds. Drawing on nearly a century of academic research and data, we break down what the math actually tells us about compounding, risk, diversification, and long-term returns.You’ll hear why:Tiny differences in returns can mean millions over a

00:25:12

A Surprise, a Big Thank You, and What’s Coming Next

Sound Investing ·

2026/01/28

Sometimes the best moments are the unexpected ones. This week brought one of those moments when Daryl Bahls delivered an extraordinary surprise: access to every table used across our entire investing Boot Camp Series — months of work, ready ahead of schedule.That gift makes it possible to move forward faster, including setting up pages for the upcoming Series and potentially releasing the tables before all the podcasts and articles are complete.The White Coat Investor: 150+ Portfolios That WorkWe

00:34:43

Better Than VTSAX, Choosing Asset Allocation, Target...

Sound Investing ·

2026/01/21

Upcoming Event + What’s NewBefore jumping into today’s questions—there are some good ones—I want to share a quick note.I’ll be at the Annual RetireMeet on March 7 in Bellevue at the Maidenbauer Building. I’ll be there all day at the booth and will be discussing the inside story on diversification, including new thinking on rebalancing that I believe you’ll find useful.Christine Benz — Director of Personal Finance and Retirement Planning at Morningstar How to retire successfully, with practical,

00:49:57

Sound Investing Q&A: ETFs, Portfolios, Risk, and...

Sound Investing ·

2026/01/14

In this week’s Sound Investing episode, Paul Merriman answers a wide-ranging set of listener questions — from choosing ETFs and building portfolios to managing risk in retirement and investing wisely at every age.One of the biggest takeaways? There is no universally “best” ETF or portfolio. The right answer depends on your goals, risk tolerance, time horizon, and — just as importantly — your ability to stick with a strategy during difficult markets.Here are some of the highlights from the

00:39:02

What 2025 Taught Us About Investing (And Why “Normal”...

Sound Investing ·

2026/01/07

For first-time listeners, welcome! In this opening episode of the year, Paul Merriman—founder of the Merriman Financial Education Foundation—looks back at 2025 to uncover what the markets taught us and how those lessons can help do-it-yourself investors make better decisions going forward.Despite endless predictions about what markets should do, Paul reminds us that his role isn’t to forecast the future—but to help investors understand risk, return, and how to build portfolios they can truly stick

00:43:09

Pediheart Podcast #366: A Focus On Financial Health...

Sound Investing ·

2025/12/31

The following are Dr. Pass’ note to his podcast: This week we end 2025 with a Pediheart tradition - an episode on personal finance for medical professionals with noted authority on index investing and personal finance, Mr. Paul Merriman. Paul is a retired investment advisor who now has a popular podcast "Sound Investing" and website in which he offers advice on investing for 'do it yourself' investors. In this week's episode, the 5th of his visits to Pediheart, Mr. Merriman

00:19:36

The Importance of Keeping Investing Simple!

Sound Investing ·

2025/12/24

In this episode, Paul shares the thinking behind what he believes may be one of the most important projects of his career—a project guided by a single goal:That every investor who follows our work will know how to invest for the rest of their life.To explain why that goal matters, Paul walks through the forks in the road every investor eventually faces—from betting on individual companies to owning entire markets, from chasing excitement to embracing simplicity.Drawing on real experiences, including

01:20:17

Paul Merriman on Long-Term Investing, Compounding,...

Sound Investing ·

2025/12/17

Compounding Project Podcast – Episode 36In Episode 36 of The Compounding Project Podcast, legendary investing educator Paul Merriman shares timeless insights on long-term investing, the power of compounding, and how everyday investors can build lasting wealth.Paul explains why starting early is one of the most important financial decisions you can make, how compound growth works quietly over decades, and why low-cost index funds remain the foundation of successful investing strategies.This episode

01:17:55

AAII Q&A Series (Part 3 of 3)

Sound Investing ·

2025/12/10

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been recording a series of Q&As that came out of a presentation I gave in November for the American Association of Individual Investors — AAII.At the end of that nearly two-hour talk, I promised that I’d do a podcast answering every single question that came in. Well… there were 36 questions. That’s a little too much for one episode, so we broke them into three parts.This is Part 3 — the final 12 questions. If you haven’t heard Parts 1 and 2 yet, we’ll link

543 results

Sound Investing

All Episodes

Similar Podcasts

TaxTalent.com The Golden Rule Podcast

Adam Golden

TaxTalent.com Podcast

Tony Santiago

Handelsblatt Crime - spannende Streitfälle der deutschen Wirtschaft

Ina Karabasz, Solveig Gode, Sönke Iwersen

Deffner und Zschäpitz – Der Wirtschafts-Talk von WELT

WELT

Black Box - La scatola nera della finanza

Guido Brera e Gian Luca Comandini -...