Tom and Don are Talking Real Money
Money and funny? Yes, the two can go together. Toss in honesty and transparency, mix with true financial science, and you have the most unique investing podcast in America. Listen as two of the country's top financial broadcasters and educators show you how to stop playing with your hard-earned money and start investing it for YOUR future. Tom Cock was the host of the PBS-TV show “Serious Money” for many years, and Don McDonald hosted a nationally syndicated financial talk show since 1988. Today, Tom and Don are still dishing out simple, straightforward financial advice on one of the most popular investing podcasts in the world.
Recent Episodes
1978
Sept. 15, 2026
Ep. 1978: Garbage In, Money Out
Financial advice is everywhere, but useful investing guidance is strangely hard to find. Don and Tom sort through the stock-picking headlines, social-media hype, and finfluencers who turn excitement and fear into clicks.
Then Randy sends an annuity sales presentation that makes some very large claims. The guys examine the unsupported numbers, the misleading comparisons, and why a prospectus matters more than a polished pitch.
Plus, is a rising equity glide path really a cornerstone of retireme
Then Randy sends an annuity sales presentation that makes some very large claims. The guys examine the unsupported numbers, the misleading comparisons, and why a prospectus matters more than a polished pitch.
Plus, is a rising equity glide path really a cornerstone of retireme
1977
Sept. 14, 2026
Ep. 1977: The Confusion-to-Risk Ratio
If an investment takes longer than a minute to explain, the confusion may be doing the selling. Don and Tom examine the confusion-to-risk ratio through structured notes, CDOs, variable annuities, equity-index annuities, leverage, hidden tradeoffs, and the costly products that prosper when buyers stop asking simple questions. Then they tackle tax-gain harvesting for a child, Massachusetts municipal bonds, and RMD timing. Want more Money Music? Hear extended versions from Don’s fictional AI band,
1976
Sept. 11, 2026
Ep. 1976: Questions Behind the Numbers
Retirement questions rarely have one-number answers. Don works through a couple’s ambitious retirement goal after a late start, a new retiree’s urge to attack a 7% mortgage with Roth money, and the tax-smart sale of expensive mutual funds. He also explains why target-date funds can improve real-world results, clarifies the rules for new Trump accounts, and shows how spending from a brokerage account can create room for a Roth conversion. The common thread: run the right numbers before making an
1975
Sept. 10, 2026
Ep. 1975: Put the Brakes on Buy Now
The best portfolio cannot help much if every spare dollar disappears at checkout. Don and Tom debate practical ways to slow impulse purchases, automate saving, and build better money habits—without banning the things that make life enjoyable. A live listener call turns to TIAA and 403(b) costs, diversification, and where stocks and bonds belong across Roth and traditional accounts. Then they discuss why a pension promise depends on who stands behind it, and what investors trade when they move fr
1974
Sept. 9, 2026
Ep. 1974: Who Watches the Insurers?
Who is looking out for insurance customers—and who is paying the people who set the standards? Don and Tom examine insurance-industry incentives, questions about the NAIC’s funding and transparency, and why consumers should ask about commissions and costs. Then a listener challenges their take on rising equity glide paths and sequence-of-returns risk. They revisit the competing research and the role of personal risk tolerance, explain AVGE’s fund-of-funds expenses, and compare a broad-market por
1973
Sept. 8, 2026
Ep. 1973: One Size Fits Nobody
Target-date funds promise a simple glide path from growth to safety—but people with the same retirement date can have completely different needs. Don and Tom compare Vanguard, Fidelity, and BlackRock funds, examine costs and stock-bond mixes, and explain why simple does not mean specific. Then they revisit decades of failed crash predictions from Rich Dad, Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki. Want more Money Music? Hear extended versions from Don’s fictional AI band, The Financial Fysicist, on Appl
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