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
2009
Oct. 28, 2026
Ep. 2009: Finding Your Fiduciary
Finding an advisor means looking beyond the word “fiduciary.” Don and Tom explore what it takes to find someone who puts your interests first all the time, why experience and a team matter, and what an ongoing fee should buy beyond portfolio management. They also discuss the challenge of handing over the financial reins—and making sure your spouse has someone to call.
Listener questions tackle adding bonds before a career change, the tax tradeoffs of bonds in a brokerage account, why retirement
Listener questions tackle adding bonds before a career change, the tax tradeoffs of bonds in a brokerage account, why retirement
2008
Oct. 27, 2026
Ep. 2008: The Bond Tango
Rising interest rates can make bond prices fall—and still be good news for savers. Don and Tom explain the bond-price mechanics, why higher yields matter, and why bonds belong in a portfolio for stability rather than excitement. They compare BND, money markets, and bond ladders, then explain how rebalancing and holding high-quality bonds to maturity can quiet the noise. Listener questions cover why money markets alone aren't enough and a blunt review of the costly, illiquid Ares Core Infrastruc
2007
Oct. 26, 2026
Ep. 2007: Follow the Money
Financial Physics Rule 15 says to follow the money. Don and Tom explain why an advisor's compensation still matters, how commissions and fee-based arrangements can muddy the picture, and why transparent fee-only advice and peer-reviewed evidence remain the better starting points. Listener questions cover choosing broad, low-cost bond ETFs without panicking over tiny short-term moves, a correction to the S&P 500's streak of double-digit gains, and why Roth conversions should be evaluated ...
2006
Oct. 23, 2026
Ep. 2006: Five Questions, No Magic Answers
Don takes five listener questions with no magic tricks required: how simple a young investor’s Roth IRA can be, whether socialist economies have stock markets, and what rising U.S. debt really means for Treasury investors and the dollar. He explains why a globally diversified fund can do most of the heavy lifting, why modern economies are hybrids rather than neat ideological labels, and how stocks, TIPS, and global diversification can help with inflation risk—without pretending there is a perfe
2005
Oct. 22, 2026
Ep. 2005: The Habanero Portfolio
0:43 Don and Tom turn up the heat on factor investing: why small, value, and profitable companies have historically earned higher returns, why tracking error can be brutal, and why a modest tilt may be easier to live with than a portfolio built entirely around factors. 12:20 A listener’s 457(b) includes a non-U.S. value fund holding roughly 45% cash. The hosts explain why that unusually high cash position, active management, and higher expenses make the simpler international index option more a
2004
Oct. 21, 2026
Ep. 2004: The Annuity Rules Keep Changing
Indexed annuities promise market-like gains without market losses—but Don and Tom explain how commissions, surrender charges, spreads, participation rates, and even changing contract terms can leave investors with disappointing returns and very little transparency. They also discuss how much cash belongs in a retirement “reservoir,” why falling bond prices do not make high-quality bonds riskier than stocks, and how MYGA tax deferral works through a 1035 exchange. 01:31 Musical royalties and an
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