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PODCAST

The Rational Reminder Podcast

Benjamin Felix, Cameron Passmore, and Dan Bortolotti

A weekly reality check on sensible investing and financial decision-making, from three Canadians. Hosted by Benjamin Felix, Cameron Passmore, and Dan Bortolotti, Portfolio Managers at PWL Capital.

business investing

All Episodes

01:10:20

Episode 390: The "AI Bubble" and Stock Market...

The Rational Reminder Podcast ·

2026/01/01

In this first episode of 2026, we sit down for a deep dive into one of the hottest concerns coming from clients and listeners lately: Is the U.S. stock market dangerously concentrated—and are we in an AI bubble? Ben, Dan, and Ben unpack the data, the history, and the psychology behind today's valuations, drawing lessons from past episodes of market euphoria such as Nortel in Canada, the dot-com boom, and Japan's 1989 peak. They explain why high market valuations—not concentration—pose the bigger

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01:17:06

Episode 389: How the Rational Reminder Podcast is Made

The Rational Reminder Podcast ·

2025/12/25

In this special year-end episode, Ben and Cameron turn the spotlight inward for a behind-the-scenes look at the Rational Reminder podcast. They're joined by the extended team that keeps the show running—from compliance to editing to marketing—to reflect on a landmark year in the podcast's evolution. We hear from Multimedia Specialist Matt Gambino, Compliance Reviewer Ross Brayton, long-time Marketing Lead Angelica Montagano, and others who share their roles, personal stories, and what the show means

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01:21:01

Episode 388: AMA #11 - Your Parents' Advisor, 100%...

The Rational Reminder Podcast ·

2025/12/18

In this special year-end AMA, the full PWL crew — Ben Felix, Cameron Passmore, Ben Wilson, and Dan Bortolotti — sit down together for the first time on the podcast to reflect on the roller-coaster that was 2024 and to tackle a wide range of thoughtful listener questions. The episode begins with reflections on a year that included wild market swings, an extraordinary rally few predicted, major changes within PWL, and personal milestones. From there, the team dives deep into the psychology of staying

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01:25:52

Episode 387: Lessons from The Wealthy Barber (2025)

The Rational Reminder Podcast ·

2025/12/11

In this episode, the team digs into the newly updated 2025 edition of The Wealthy Barber — Dave Chilton's iconic Canadian personal finance book that helped shape millions of financial journeys. Ben, Dan, and Ben walk through the biggest lessons Dave has reworked for a world of high housing costs, social-media-fueled spending pressure, new tax-sheltered accounts, and the ever-present noise of investing advice. This discussion explores why the book remains so effective: it blends timeless principles

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01:16:07

Episode 386: Is anyone doing dd? with Aravind...

The Rational Reminder Podcast ·

2025/12/04

What happens when alternative investments shift from niche products to the industry's go-to value proposition? In this episode, we're joined by financial planner and self-described "pathological nerd" Aravind Sithamparapillai for a rigorous exploration of private markets, product due diligence, advisor incentives, and the narratives driving the surging popularity of alts. Aravind has become known in advisor circles for asking the uncomfortable questions at conferences—the ones that expose gaps in

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55:20

Episode 385: A Case Study on Pension Benefits vs....

The Rational Reminder Podcast ·

2025/11/27

In this episode, we feature two conversations that highlight PWL's culture, values, and intentional approach to advice. We first sit down with Trevor Daigle and Brett Watt, founders of EB Wealth in Halifax, to talk about why they chose to merge their thriving independent practice with PWL — PWL's first acquisition in Atlantic Canada. Trevor and Brett open up about what they saw in PWL's infrastructure, culture, and client-first philosophy, the internal hurdles they had to clear (including their own

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01:20:52

Episode 384: Mamdouh Medhat - A Profitability...

The Rational Reminder Podcast ·

2025/11/20

In this episode, we're joined by Mamdouh Medhat, VP and Senior Researcher at Dimensional Fund Advisors, for an exceptionally deep, exceptionally nerdy exploration of factor investing—focusing on profitability, value, defensive equity, and the persistent misunderstandings that surround them. Mamdouh walks us through his retrospective paper (co-authored with Robert Novy-Marx) on the profitability premium, why profitability subsumes a wide range of quality metrics, and why it dramatically clarifies how

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01:06:55

Episode 383: AMA #10 - Dollar cost averaging & mutual...

The Rational Reminder Podcast ·

2025/11/13

In this episode of Rational Reminder, Ben Felix, Cameron Passmore, and Ben Wilson return with a classic AMA format—answering listener questions that dig deep into the behavioral and evidence-based foundations of sensible investing. From lump-sum investing to the psychology of advice, the trio blend data, humor, and clear thinking to demystify complex financial ideas. They discuss the behavioral logic behind dollar-cost averaging, why mutual funds might actually be more tax-efficient than ETFs in

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01:18:43

Episode 382: Ted Cadsby - The Power of Index Funds,...

The Rational Reminder Podcast ·

2025/11/06

In this episode, Ben, Cameron, and Dan are joined by Ted Cadsby, former executive at CIBC, author of The Power of Index Funds, Closing the Mind Gap, and Hard to Be Human. Ted brings a rare combination of experience in both finance and cognitive psychology, having helped introduce index investing to Canada before turning his attention to how human thinking itself often misleads us. Ted shares inside stories from his time at CIBC—how he tried to make the bank an indexing leader in the late 1990s, the

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01:25:15

Episode 381: Investing 101

The Rational Reminder Podcast ·

2025/10/30

In this special Investing 101 episode, the Rational Reminder hosts—Ben Felix, Dan Bortolotti, and Ben Wilson—team up to revisit the fundamental concepts that every investor should understand before diving deep into portfolio construction or market theory. Drawing from Ben's original "Investing 101" presentation and years of client experience, the trio lay out why investing matters, how inflation shapes your future, what stocks and bonds really represent, and why a disciplined, evidence-based

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01:23:29

Episode 380: John Y. Campbell - Fixing Personal Finance

The Rational Reminder Podcast ·

2025/10/23

What if capitalism itself is confusing your personal finance decisions? In this week’s episode, Harvard economist John Y. Campbell joins us to unpack his new book, Fixed: Why Personal Finance Is Broken and How to Make It Work for Everyone, co-authored with Tarun Ramadorai. John argues that the financial system—while essential—is failing ordinary people through complexity, hidden costs, and misplaced incentives. Drawing on decades of research in household finance, he explains why products are too

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01:23:10

Episode 379: AMA #9: Covered Call ETFs, Currency...

The Rational Reminder Podcast ·

2025/10/16

In this AMA episode of the Rational Reminder Podcast, Ben Felix and Dan Bortolotti return to answer listener questions across a wide range of topics—from covered call ETFs and dividend tax credits to currency hedging, bond mechanics, leverage, and career reflections. They open with a striking quote from Harvard economist John Campbell on how markets cater to perceived benefits rather than real ones—a perfect setup for their recent discussions on the rise of covered call ETFs. Key Points From This

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52:17

Episode 378: Learning from Market History

The Rational Reminder Podcast ·

2025/10/09

In this episode, we are joined by Mark Higgins, an award-winning author and institutional investment advisor, to discuss the power and importance of studying US financial history. Mark brings his wealth of knowledge as a financial historian to the show as he shares the value of studying financial history, the role the financial system plays in the overall success of the US, and the impact Alexander Hamilton made on the country. We unpack government debt, the concerning levels of it in America, and

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01:15:48

Episode 377: Investing in Your Health

The Rational Reminder Podcast ·

2025/10/02

Your health may well be the most important investment you ever make, and the earlier you start, the better your outcomes are likely to be. In this episode, Ben Felix is joined by Ben Wilson, Portfolio Manager and Head of M&A at PWL Capital, who steps in as today’s co-host to unpack why decisions about exercise, nutrition, sleep, and mental well-being matter just as much as financial ones. They draw clear parallels between compounding wealth and compounding health, showing how small, consistent

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57:03

Episode 376: Climbing The Wealth Ladder

The Rational Reminder Podcast ·

2025/09/25

Are your financial decisions evolving as your wealth grows? In this episode of the Rational Reminder Podcast, we welcome back Nick Maggiulli to unpack his approach to climbing the wealth ladder and creating the life you want. Nick is the Chief Operating Officer at Ritholtz Wealth Management, the author of The Wealth Ladder and Just Keep Buying, and creator of the blog Of Dollars and Data. He is renowned for his ability to take the complexity out of finance and for his deep knowledge of investing. In

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01:14:22

Episode 375: Covered Calls: A Devil's Bargain

The Rational Reminder Podcast ·

2025/09/18

In this episode, Ben and Dan take a deep dive into covered call strategies—popular ETFs often marketed on their eye-catching distribution yields. While these products promise steady “income,” the reality is more complicated. Drawing on recent research from the Journal of Alternative Investments (“A Devil’s Bargain: When Generating Income Undermines Investment Returns”), Ben and Dan unpack why covered calls often reduce expected returns, cap the upside of equities, and leave investors fully exposed

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55:51

Episode 374: The Underperformance of Target Date Funds

The Rational Reminder Podcast ·

2025/09/11

In this episode, we’re joined by David C. Brown, Associate Professor of Finance at the University of Arizona, for a deep dive into the mechanics, performance, and pitfalls of target date funds (TDFs)—the most common investment vehicle in U.S. retirement accounts. David has spent years researching glide paths, benchmarking methods, and industry practices to uncover whether these “set it and forget it” funds actually serve investors well. We unpack why benchmarking TDFs is so difficult, what really

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01:21:38

Episode 373: Asset Allocation in Practice

The Rational Reminder Podcast ·

2025/09/04

What if choosing your asset allocation was as personal as your life story—and as consequential as your retirement? In this episode, we are joined by PWL Capital’s Louai Bibi and Ben Wilson for a deep dive into how advisors guide clients through the most important portfolio decision they’ll ever make. Louai walks us through the research, psychology, and planning frameworks behind determining the right stock/bond mix, while Ben shares real-world insights from client cases where risk tolerance,

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01:06:56

Episode 372: Elie Hassenfeld - (Approximately)...

The Rational Reminder Podcast ·

2025/08/28

In this episode, we are joined by Elie Hassenfeld, Co-Founder and CEO of GiveWell to discuss how data, transparency, and moral trade-offs can guide charitable giving with maximum impact. Elie brings his background in finance and philosophy to the world of global philanthropy—explaining how GiveWell rigorously evaluates programs to determine which ones save or improve lives most effectively. We explore how GiveWell assesses cost-effectiveness, why transparency is a core organizational value, and how

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56:18

Episode 371: Banks Sell Products, Not Advice

The Rational Reminder Podcast ·

2025/08/21

In this episode, Ben Felix and Cameron Passmore take a critical look at the Canadian banking system’s mutual fund advice model. A newly released study by the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) and the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) confirms what many already suspected: Canadian bank branches aren't in the business of giving impartial advice—they're selling financial products. Ben breaks down the implications of this study, which surveyed nearly 3,000 bank-affiliated mutual fund

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412 results

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