#263
October 6 · 22 min
TR
The Rob Berger Show
Rob Berger
Personal finance for smart people by the host of the Dough Roller Money Podcast. Rather than forcing you into a one-size-fits-all financial plan, we discuss the tools, resources, and strategies that will empower you to make the best money decisions for you and your family.
- 27 episodes
- a few times a week
- Avg 25 min
- English
Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.
- TR#262October 2 · 22 min
RBS 262: The Best Finance Tools for Retirees (FQF)
In today's Five Question Friday (FQF) video, we look at these five questions: 1. What are the best financial tools for retirees? 2. What happens if my HSA balance exceeds my medical receipts? 3. Do dividends count toward my annual withdrawal rate? 4. Should the way we invest change when we retire? 5. Why does Warren Buffett think cash and bonds are bad investments? Resources Budget Apps: https://robberger.com/best-budgeting-... Retirement Planners: https://robberger.com/best-retirement... Boldin: https://go.robberger.com/boldin/yt-fqf ProjectionLab: https://go.robberger.com/projectionla... Empower: https://go.robberger.com/empower/yt-fqf Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...
- TR#261September 29 · 24 min
RBS 261: Why VTI Will Own SpaceX Long Before the S&P 500 Does
After recording this video, the S&P Dow Jones decided not to change its rules related to Megacap companies. As a result, SpaceX must wait at least a year to join the S&P 500 index, and maybe longer thanks to profitability requirement: https://www.youtube.com/live/PUhK1c0MSVQ Resources: CRSP Total US Market: https://www.crsp.org/crsp-market-inde... Nasdaq-100: https://indexes.nasdaqomx.com/docs/20... S&P 500: https://www.spglobal.com/spdji/en/doc... SpaceX Form S/1: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/da... Morningstar Article: https://www.morningstar.com/stocks/ho... Investment News Article: https://www.investmentnews.com/practi... **Elon Musk is preparing to take SpaceX public around June 12th**, and many investors are worried about how this massive IPO will impact their index funds. In this video, we break down exactly when SpaceX will enter major indexes, how index rules have recently changed, and whether you need to adjust your investment strategy. Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...
- TR#260September 4 · 1 hr 2 min
RBS 260: How to Overcome the Fear of Retirement (FQF)
Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...
- TR#259September 1 · 26 min
RBS 259: We Saved Three Million. Our Advisor Said We Should Be Worried
In today's episode, we learn about one viewer's experience with an advisor and cover 9 topics to find out if the advice was good or bad. Resources From Video https://www.annuity.org/annuities/ann... https://opensocialsecurity.com/ Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...
- TR#258August 28 · 18 min
RBS 258: Has AI Changed the Stock Market for Good? (FQF)
This week on Five Question Friday (FQF): Question 1: Has AI fundamentally changed the stock market, and does market history still matter? Question 2: If you retire a few years before claiming Social Security, how does the 4% rule apply during that gap? Question 3: If you roll a long-held Roth 401(k) into a brand-new Roth IRA, do you still have to wait five years to withdraw earnings? Question 4: Can you use traditional IRA funds to pay for long-term care and deduct the cost? Question 5: Can you build a fixed 50/50 portfolio by splitting money between Vanguard's 40/60 and 60/40 LifeStrategy funds? Resources mentioned in the episode: Schwab on the Roth 5-year rules: https://www.schwab.com/learn/story/wh... IRS Publication 502 (Medical and Dental Expenses): https://www.irs.gov/publications/p502 Vanguard LifeStrategy Funds: https://investor.vanguard.com/investm... Boldin (retirement planner): https://go.robberger.com/boldin/yt-fq... ProjectionLab: https://go.robberger.com/projectionla... Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...
- TR#257August 25 · 23 min
RBS 257: Are Bonds Dead in 2026?
Cash has outperformed bonds for more than a decade. This outperformance has caused many to wonder if they should give up on bonds and put all of their fixed income into cash. In this episode, we'll look back over the past 100 years to see when cash has outperformed bonds, and when bonds have outperformed cash. Then will apply this to a 60/40 portfolio to see what we should be doing today in 2026. Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...
- TR#256August 18 · 23 min
RBS 256: 5 Ways to Optimize Your Retirement Plan (and Pay Less in Taxes)
Can a few straightforward tax moves actually improve your retirement plan? In this episode, I take one retirement plan and optimize it, then put the optimized plan next to the base plan so you can see exactly what changed and by how much. ProjectionLab: https://go.robberger.com/projectionla... Newsletter subscribes can get a promo code for 10% off. Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...
- TR#255August 11 · 7 min
RBS 255: Warning: Don't Fall For This 'Rob Berger' Scam
Scammers are sending emails pretending to be me. In this episode, I explain several fake Rob Berger email addresses listeners have reported, along with examples of the messages being sent. Some of them start with a friendly note about a YouTube comment. Some pitch questionable investment opportunities. Some try to move the conversation to WhatsApp or Telegram. One even claims a 10% weekly return. My only real email address is: rob@robberger.com If you receive an unexpected email from another address claiming to be me, it is not me. I will not track down your email from a YouTube comment. I will not send you an unsolicited investment opportunity. I will not ask you to move a conversation to WhatsApp, Telegram, the phone, or any other messaging app. The purpose of this video is simple: be careful, check the sender, and do not reply to these messages. If you receive one from a Gmail account, you can report it to Google. I included the reporting link below. Resources mentioned in the video: Gmail abuse report form: https://support.google.com/mail/conta... Gmail phishing help: https://support.google.com/mail/answe... Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...
- TR#254August 7 · 18 min
RBS 254: Is The Market Too Expensive To Invest?
Sam and his wife are two years from early retirement, sitting almost entirely in cash because they think the market is too overvalued to buy. Here's why waiting for the obvious crash is harder than it looks, and a no-forecasting plan to get from all-cash to a portfolio you can actually hold. Resources in Video Boldin: https://go.robberger.com/boldin/yt-ma... ProjectionLab: https://go.robberger.com/projectionla... Note: if you subscribe to my free newsletter (link below), be sure to use the 10% discount code for ProjectionLab Shiller CAPE ratio: https://www.multpl.com/shiller-pe SGOV (iShares 0-3 Month Treasury ETF): https://www.ishares.com/us/products/3... Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...
- TR#253August 4 · 20 min
RBS 253: Bonds vs. Bond Funds: Does Holding to Maturity Actually Protect You?
Are individual bonds safer than bond funds? After my last video on cash versus bonds, a lot of you pushed back with the same argument: with an individual bond or a bond ladder you can hold to maturity and get your money back, and a bond fund can't do that. In this video I put that idea to the test with real numbers. I start with the one thing we have to understand first, the difference between a bond's maturity and its duration. Duration is what tells us how much a bond or a bond fund moves when interest rates change. Then I look at how the funds actually did. Vanguard's Total Bond Market (BND) and an iShares 7-10 year Treasury ETF both got hit hard in 2022. Next we look at a single 10-year Treasury from the start of 2022, the kind you can hold to maturity, and track what really happened to it once you factor in inflation. Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...
- TR#252July 31 · 27 min
RBS 252: Fidelity vs. Vanguard: Which Is Better for Your Cash? (FQF)
This week on Five Question Friday (FQF): Question 1: Is Fidelity or Vanguard the better place to keep your cash? Question 2: Is a 1.25% AUM fee reasonable? Question 3: What's the best way to preserve capital once you're in your 70s? Question 4: Should your cash bucket be a fixed dollar amount or a percentage of your portfolio? Question 5: Is it safe to share your personal finances with AI? Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...
- TR#251June 26 · 53 min
RBS 251: Will AI Replace Me and My YouTube Channel? (FQF)
Resources in Episode Morningstar: https://go.robberger.com/morningstar/... Fidelity Article: https://www.fidelity.com/viewpoints/r... Kitces Article: https://www.kitces.com/blog/retiremen... Spend Safely in Retirement Article: https://robberger.com/spend-safely-in... Fidelity HSA App: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fidelit... Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...
- TR#250June 19 · 34 min
RBS 250: Will the SpaceX IPO Crash the Stock Market? (FQF)
This week in Five Question Friday (FQF): mega IPOs, sequence of returns risk, RMDs from a bonds-only IRA, Roth conversions after 59 1/2, and VT versus VTI plus VXUS. Question 1: Will the giant IPOs coming in 2026 drain money from the market and depress stock prices? Question 2: Is 20% to 30% in bonds enough protection against sequence of returns risk? Question 3: If you move your IRA entirely into bonds, will RMDs force you to sell bonds when they're down? Question 4: If you're over 59 1/2, why not make every IRA withdrawal a Roth conversion? Question 5: Is "VT and chill" costing you 0.7% a year compared to holding VTI and VXUS separately? Resources mentioned in the video: SpaceX IPO pricing: https://www.npr.org/2026/06/11/nx-s1-... S&P 500 buyback data: https://www.spglobal.com/spdji/en/cor... Money market fund assets: https://www.ici.org/research/stats/mmf Bengen's original 1994 paper: https://www.financialplanningassociat... Kitces/Pfau rising equity glidepath: https://www.kitces.com/blog/should-eq... IRS RMD FAQs: https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/... IRS Publication 590-B (Roth and IRA distribution rules): https://www.irs.gov/publications/p590b RMDs come out before conversions: https://irahelp.com/new-rule-all-ira-... The two Roth 5-year rules: https://www.kitces.com/blog/understan... The VT vs VTI/VXUS articles in question: https://princetonasset.com/2026/05/25... Elm Wealth on VT vs VTI/VXUS: https://elmwealth.com/vt-vs-vti-vxus/ Bernstein on the rebalancing bonus: https://www.efficientfrontier.com/ef/... Foreign tax credit basics: https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Forei... Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...
- TR#249June 17 · 17 min
RBS 249: Is Dave Ramsey Right About Beating the S&P 500?
In today's video we discuss if we should try to find investments that consistently beat the S&P 500. Resources From Video • You Can’t Win With Money While Your Life I... https://www.spglobal.com/spdji/en/res... https://www.morningstar.com/funds/xna... https://www.morningstar.com/funds/xna... https://www.morningstar.com/etfs/arcx... Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...
- TR#248June 12 · 27 min
RBS 248: Is a Stock Market Crash Inevitable and How Should We Prepare? (FQF)
In today's Five Question Friday (FQF) video, we cover these questions: 1. Is the market inevitably going to crash, and how to mitigate 2. When to take SS and investing the early payments 3. Should we even bother tracking portfolio performance? 4. How to calculate how much money you need to retire comfortably 5. Why retirees still need an emergency fund Resources From Video Open Social Security: https://opensocialsecurity.com/ FI Calc: https://ficalc.app/ Boldin: https://go.robberger.com/boldin/yt-fqf Empower: https://go.robberger.com/empower/yt-fqf Snowball Analytics: https://go.robberger.com/snowball-ana... Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...
- TR#247May 29 · 15 min
RBS 247: 4 Golden Rules for Avoiding Financial Scams (FQF)
In today's Five Question Friday (FQF) episode, we cover these questions: 1. Four golden rules for avoiding financial scams 2. Finding and canceling forgotten subscriptions 3. Sharing passwords and 2FA with your spouse 4. Finding trustworthy help managing finances in old age 5. Are debt consolidation services legitimate? Resources From Video FTC Avoiding and Reporting Scams: https://consumer.ftc.gov/scams ReportFraud.ftc.gov — If you encounter a scam, report it here to help law enforcement stop scammers. IdentityTheft.gov — If you think a scammer has your personal information, this site walks you through recovery steps. Rocket Money: https://go.robberger.com/rocket-money... Monarch Money: https://go.robberger.com/monarch-rob5... (Use code ROB50 for 50% off the first year's subscription) 1Password Families: https://go.robberger.com/1password/yt- AADMM Find a DMM Directory: https://secure.aadmm.com/ Nolo's Guide to Daily Money Managers: https://www.nolo.com/legal-encycloped... NFCC Agency Finder: https://www.nfcc.org/agency-finder Consumer Financial Protection Bureau - Credit Counseling Guide: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-c... Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...
- TR#246May 27 · 14 min
RBS 246: I Tested ChatGPT for Finance Against My Budgeting App — Here's What I Found
In today's episode, we discuss the following: 1. ChatGPT for Finances 2. A free version 3. Whether this is the end of budgeting apps Resources From Video ChatGPT Prompt: Create a beautiful dashboard that shows me my spending by category, a pie chart that I can click on to show which transactions make up that category, and identify any suspicious transactions and also any recurring expenses. Really make the dashboard really pretty. Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...
- TR#245May 22 · 26 min
RBS 245: How many years of "safe funds" should you hold beyond guaranteed income? (FQF)
In today's Five Question Friday (FQF) video, we cover these questions: 1. How many years of "safe funds" should you hold beyond guaranteed income? 2. Reducing portfolio risk in retirement when returns aren't needed 3. Budgeting app that syncs the Sam's Club Mastercard 4. Does the 4% rule account for pre-tax vs. after-tax assets? 5. Should you only sell stocks when the market is at record highs? Resources From Video Budgeting Apps: https://robberger.com/best-budgeting-... Monarch Money: https://go.robberger.com/monarch-rob5... (Promo code: ROB50) https://www.wallstreetcourier.com/spo... https://www.morningstar.com/economy/w... https://www.monarch.com/connection-st... https://robberger.com/research/asset-... https://www.kitces.com/blog/the-impac... Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...
- TR#244May 18 · 22 min
RBS 244: How One Retiree Used the Bucket Strategy to Generate $241,098 in Extra Wealth
In today's video, we answer the following question: Can the bucket strategy help you generate income and grow your wealth in retirement, even as you're spending money to live on? Retirement Manifesto Articles First Article: https://www.theretirementmanifesto.co... Second Article: https://www.theretirementmanifesto.co... Join the Newsletter. It's Free: https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...