Motley Fool Answers

We have a new address, and I'm not talking post cards! Going forward you can catch Bro and Alison every Tuesday as part of the new Motley Fool Money podcast. Here's a sneak peek of what you can expect from the daily show, starting on January 5, 2022. See you there!

It’s the last episode of Answers (but don’t worry, we’re just moving to Motley Fool Money every Tuesday). We’ll reminisce on our biggest lessons learned over the last seven years and answer your questions, some financial, some festive.

Motley Fool Analyst Bill Mann joins us to talk about why the market is up but your portfolio may be down. We’ll share some big news and battle our online shopping demons.

Pretty please take our survey on what you want to hear on the show!

Tens of millions of workers contribute to 401(k)s, thanks to a benefits consultant who got creative with a 1978 law. That consultant, Ted Benna, joins us to talk about how he came up with the idea, how he got Uncle Sam’s seal of approval, and the ways that Wall Street have abused the 401(k). He also discusses his new book, “401(k)s and IRAs for Dummies,” including why he thinks Roths are over-sold and his recommendations for retirement plans for small business and the self-employed.

The financial planner’s financial planner talks Roths, asset location, and managing sequence of returns risk. He also tells the story of how he got into the financial advice biz, and offers some career-development and time-management advice.

Alison asks Bro 10 burning questions about inflation, including why it's so high, is it worse in the U.S., and what can be done about it — both nationally and in your portfolio. And Fool analyst Aaron Bush answers a listener question about choosing the new Bitcoin futures ETF over actual Bitcoin.

Alison and friends share some investing lessons from listeners, Bro interviews Sheryl Garrett, founder of the Garrett Planning Network, about finding the right fee-only planner for your circumstances, and we answer a listener question about I bonds and their current 7.12% yield.

Motley Fool Analyst Eric Bleeker joins us with his advice to avoid getting burned when investing in crypto. Bro interviews Bill Schultheis, author of The Coffeehouse Investor's Ground Rules: Save, Invest, and Plan for a Life of Wealth and Happiness. And we answer your question on picking which stocks to sell when you need the cash to buy a home (or whatever, it’s none of our business).

Morningstar’s Director of Personal Finance, who has twice been named to Barron’s list of "100 Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance," explains how she builds her model portfolios, how people should approach the long-term care conundrum, how to close the gender gap in finance, and what she learned from her “faux-tirement.”

We’ll argue the bear and bull case for investing in Facebook with the help of Jason Moser and his alter ego. Robert explores a more holistic approach to evaluating your expenses with the help of financial planner Matt Trogdon. We’ll answer your question about capital gains taxes and include one too many U2 references.

Foolish analysts share the stock that taught them their biggest investing lesson. Bro interviews saving for college expert Mark Kantrowitz about… well, saving for college. And we answer your questions about options for rolling over your old 401k.

Americans are quitting their jobs at record rates and we discuss how to thrive amidst this existential labor crisis. Bro explains the work to retirement ratio for saving enough and we’ll answer your question about building up cash in a frothy market.

Wade Pfau is one of America’s top financial-planning experts and the author the recently published Retirement Planning Guidebook: Navigating the Important Decisions for Retirement Success. Bro talks with Wade about how to coordinate your portfolio, Social Security, home equity, insurance, and different types of accounts to create dependable income that lasts as long as you do.

Chinese stocks are down 14% so far this year, Motley Fool analyst Ben Ra joins us to explain why. The Ascent’s Brian Frey shares the buttery soft red flags of a pyramid scheme. And we answer Adam’s question on which types of stocks belong in which types of accounts.

The Motley Fool’s Chief Investing Officer shares his latest thinking on the market, get more out of your spending with Values Based Budgeting, and we answer Ken’s question on when to take Social Security.

We’ll unpack how banking and managing your money can be much more expensive to do when you’re poor. Bro interviews Roger Young of T. Rowe Price about determining whether you’re saving enough for retirement. And we answer a question from a generous sister.

The National Retirement Risk Index measures how many Americans will be able to maintain their standard of living after retirement. Are you at risk? We'll find out today as Bro goes right to the source, with special guest Geoffrey Sanzenbacher from The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College.

Alison explains hipster antitrust and wonders how we should feel as investors and consumers, Bro shares the five rules for the Roth five-year rules, listener David asks how to choose what to sell under the 4% Rule.

Back to vault! In this episode, then-CFO of The Motley Fool (now Managing Director of Motley Fool Ventures), Ollen Douglass, joined us to share his advice for how to negotiate your bills (and more!). Alison was mean to a vegan for no good reason while Dayana Yochim shared etiquette for splitting the dinner tab.

In this episode from the vault, Morgan Housel joined us to talk about how to keep your emotions from sinking your wealth. We also discussed recent (lol, 2015!) allegations about Amazon’s toxic workplace culture.

We’re visiting the Answers vault and dusting off this fan favorite episode featuring Steve Broido. The original man behind the glass joined us to talk about the basics of bonds, including bond funds and his particular fondness for municipal bonds.

Motley Fool Senior Analyst Jason Moser joins us to answer your burning questions about STOCKS! Including dividend stocks, spicy stocks, stocks about to be acquired, and the completely-not-scientific-but-still-handy Gardner-Kretzmann Continuum (and more!)

...And then send us a postcard! Dan Miller, founder of the Points With a Crew blog, joins us to talk about travel hacking and how you can cut vacation costs by maximizing your credit card points.

Ron Lieber with the New York Times is back to talk about some of the most common scams in current circulation and why younger people are more susceptible to falling for them.

Okay, we’re kidding about the fun part. But Joe Perna with Motley Fool Wealth Management joins us to talk about everything you’d want to know about life insurance including who needs it, how much, what kind, possible tax benefits, and more.

Jenn Thomas with Motley Fool Wealth Management joins us to answer your questions on how much you need to live that sweet FIRE life, building up (and where to stash) your emergency fund, whether tis nobler to invest or pay off student debt or your mortgage, and much more.

How can you find a professional who works on your terms, and at a reasonable price? Sean Gates of Motley Fool Wealth Management joins us to discus the choices.

What differentiates one firm from another? Matt Frankel, who reviews discount brokers and robo-advisors for The Ascent (a Motley Fool company), breaks down the important criteria. And Alison digs into the research about how working from home affects productivity.

Are we living in the End Times? Again? Are we falling for a financial bubble? Again? Author William Bernstein is here to expose the roots of human irrationality and the cost of mass mania. Plus, Alison teaches us the poetry of yogababble.

Diania Merriam, founder of the EconoMe Conference and host of the Optimal Finance Daily podcast, debunks common misconceptions about the Financial Independence/Retire Early movement. And Alison blames everyone and their mortgage broker for skyrocketing home prices.

We just can’t get enough of Motley Fool contributor Dan Caplinger as he helps us answer your questions about SPACs, Variable Universal Life Insurance, maximizing accounts, hopes for Gen X, and more.

It’s not too late! Brian Feroldi joins us to lay out the steps you can take to supercharge your savings. Also, Alison explains why the environmental impact of Bitcoin isn't just a bunch of hot air.

The Motley Fool Co-Founder and Chief Rule Breaker, David Gardner, is back to share his 6 Habits of a Rule Breaker Investor and Bro reconsiders retiring after age 67 (wait, what?!).

Motley Fool Co-Founder and Chief Rule Breaker, David Gardner, joins us to share his investing philosophy and the traits he looks for in a Rule Breaking company.

Longtime Motley Fool analyst Tim Beyers joins us to discuss how much to invest in one stock, whether to invest a lump sum all at once, accounts for kids, and which types of options strategies are most Foolish.

Matt Argersinger, senior advisor for Motley Fool Millionacres, joins us to talk about how Covid-19 has impacted residential and commercial real estate and offers his advice for homeowners and investors going forward.

The authors of The New Long Life: A Framework for Flourishing in a Changing World discuss how individuals, corporations, and governments should be preparing for increasing longevities, accelerating technological innovations, and the end of retirement as we know it. And Alison takes on the debate over whether index funds are good for the economy.

Bill Mann joins the show to explain the nuts and bolts of SPACs as we take Euphonium Industries public.

With the help of Motley Fool Wealth Financial Planner and tax expert, Megan Brinsfield, we’re answering your questions about finding or becoming a professional financial planner, using your stimulus check to jumpstart your kid’s retirement savings, and lots of tax stuff. (No actual mayhem ensued.)

The founder of Budgetsaresexy.com tells the tale of how he became a successful financial blogger (and millionaire), and also discusses his latest project, AllStarMoney.com. And Alison provides the ABCs of NFTs.

Whether you’re learning to budget, looking to geek out on your investment returns, or wondering if you’re on track to retire early, there’s an app, tool, or website for that. We’re joined by a couple money nerds at The Motley Fool with their personal reviews of tools like Mint, Personal Capital, various retirement calculators, and more.

Bro interviews tax expert Ed Slott about his latest book, “The New Retirement Savings Time Bomb.” Also, can using an app influence your financial behavior for the better?

If BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and The Motley Fool CIO Andy Cross agree that climate change is the most important trend to watch in investing, then it must be worth talking about. Motley Fool Analysts Alyce Lomax and John Rotonti share their advice for investors.

Motley Fool Analyst Emily Flippen joins us to tackle your questions including investing with your emergency fund, calculating your savings rate, when to rebalance outsized positions, and more.

Morgan is back to discuss the most important lessons from his book, “The Psychology of Money” – and how they’ve informed the way he manages his family’s finances.

Morgan Housel, author of The Psychology of Money, joins us to share his takeaways amidst the GameStop fracas, Bezos stepping down as Amazon CEO, and this seemingly never-ending party in the stock market.

New York Times columnist Ron Lieber joins us to discuss his latest book, The Price You Pay for College. And Alison answers an old question with new research: Does money buy happiness?

Motley Fool analyst Ron Gross joins us to answer your questions about how many stocks you should own, what makes a 401(k) stink, what to do when your spouse wants you to sell all your stocks, and much more.

Motley Fool Chief Investment Officer Andy Cross joins us to look back at 2020, offer suggestions for newer investors, and provide his thoughts on comparisons of today’s market to the dot-com bubble.

Bro pulled some strings and got both Megan Brinsfield and Sean Gates to join us and talk about what they're doing, what they're not doing, and what you should consider doing to improve your finances in the new year. Plus, Alison tries her two hands at telling it like an economist.

Bro reminds you of how living a healthy life increases your chances of a living a wealthy life. And with the help of Jason Moser, we’ll explore how you can also grow your wealth by investing in companies that are trying to make us all healthier with a few fitness-related stocks to watch.

2020 is almost over, but not before our final mailbag of the year. Buck Hartzell joins us to answer your questions about owning company stock, investing for kids, emergency accounts, and so much more. Grab a nog, put your feet by the fire, and get yourself some Answers, Fool!

It’s the final episode in our series on sectors with help from fellow Fools over on the Industry Focus podcast. Today we’re joined by John Maxfield to talk about banks, big and small. Plus, Bro looks around your house while Alison sings about America.

It’s the second part of our series with the help of the folks over at Industry Focus. This week, Dylan Lewis joins us to talk about how the tech sector did in 2020 and what to watch in 2021.

With the help of Motley Fool Wealth Management financial planner Ross Anderson, we’ll answer your questions about tax loss harvesting, life insurance, bond funds, and so much more.

What's so good about consumer goods? Emily Flippen joins us from the Motley Fool Industry Focus podcast to talk about the companies that sell us the stuff.

Bro explains why many people who choose a traditional retirement account would be better off with a Roth.

Dr. Megan McCoy joins us to discuss the feelings behind our finances. And the father of the “4% rule” suggests the number could be higher.

Motley Fool Analyst Jim Mueller joins us to answer your questions about calculating portfolio returns, why bother with cash or bonds, whether you should take defensive action because of the election, and much more. And if your kid is obsessed with retirement, find out how they could be on TV!

The S&P 500 has trounced smaller, cheaper, and non-U.S. stocks over the past several years. Is this just a typical cycle, or will the trend continue? Senior Advisor Bill Mann joins us to explain what’s happening and what to do.

How to maximize the returns from your 401k as well as evaluate your options and lobby for a better plan at your workplace.

Abi Malin, analyst with The Motley Fool’s Discovery: IPO Trailblazers service, joins us to explain the IPO process and talk about recent and upcoming IPOs to watch.

Megan Brinsfield from Motley Fool Wealth Management joins us to talk about Incentive Stock Options, HSAs versus FSAs, tax benefits for working from home, and more.

We’re joined by Dr. Rakesh Kochhar from the Pew Research Center to help us understand how the unemployment rate is calculated, how to dig into the numbers of the monthly Jobs Report, and the impact of COVID-19 on workers in the US.

Richard Johnson of the Urban Institute discusses the likelihood that workers over the age of 50 will experience a career disruption, and how to increase the chances that you can work well into your 60s.

Bankrate’s Jeff Ostrowski joins us to discuss how residential real estate has fared during the pandemic, the challenges of refinancing, housing affordability, and more.

Bola Sokunbi, CEO and Founder of Clever Girl Finance, talks about growing up in Nigeria, saving more than $100,000 in three years on a mid-level salary in NYC, and starting her own business after being spurned by investors and banks.

We'll answer your questions about the backdoor Roth, "investing" in insurance, Risk Parity ETFs, selling stocks to pay off your mortgage, and much more.

Financial Planning Fool Amanda Kish is back to discuss what you should do to be a successful investor.

Financial Planning Fool Amanda Kish joins us to discuss the things you should not do if you want to be a successful investor.

Tiffany Aliche explains how she went from being unemployed and in debt, to founding a multimillion-dollar business – all while providing life-changing financial education.

Jason Moser joins us to answer your questions about trimming your winners, muni bond taxes, a War on Amazon basket of stocks, modern portfolio theory, and more.

Dan Kline joins us to talk about the recent Twitter hack, TikTok privacy concerns, and scams amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

Fool.com contributor, Brian Feroldi, joins us on how to teach kids of all ages about money and investing including conversation starters, key concepts, and more.

Bro explains why retirement planning will become even more challenging. And Alison reveals three lessons related the unveiling of the Fool’s new logo, including one from the best-performing stock of the past 25 years.

Ross Anderson of Motley Fool Wealth Management joins us to answer your questions of rollovers, RMDs, Roths, REITs, and things that don’t begin with R (such as the value of hiring a financial advisor).

Millions of people are opening their first brokerage account and giving day trading a try on sites like Robinhood. Motley Fool Contributing Analyst Matt Frankel joins us to talk about why now, how this will likely end, and whether it’s actually a good thing.

We’re joined by Motley Fool analyst Alyce Lomax to discuss how to evaluate companies based on their dedication to environmental, social, and corporate governance best practices.

Dr. Trevon Logan, from the Department of Economics at The Ohio State University, joins us to talk about reasons behind the wealth gap between black and white families in America.

The real estate market is bigger than the stock market, yet most people don't invest in it. Fool real estate expert Matt Argersinger of Millionacres.com (a Motley Fool company) joins us to explain how the typical, non-tycoon person can begin to build their property empire... or at least earn attractive returns with tax benefits. Also, Alison discusses the future of where we'll work.

Motley Fool Contributor Dan Caplinger joins us to answer your questions about the backdoor Roth IRA, navigating the new RMD rules, tax gain harvesting and more.

How has the college experience changed and what could it look like going forward? Bro explains how, for the near term, it will be more solo and less solo cups. However, In the long run, we might see much-needed disruption in higher education (for the better).

With the help of Motley Fool Contributor Dan Kline, we’ll talk about which companies are least likely to survive the financial fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. 

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This week we're joined by Chelsea Brennan, founder of the Smart Money Mamas blog, on how handling your money can be the ultimate form of self care and bro delivers the highlights from the Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting.

This month we’re answering your questions about the wash sale rule, preferred stock, retirement accounts for the self-employed, and more with the help of Motley Fool Contributor Asit Sharma.

Dann Albright from The Ascent joins us to share the many places you can receive or give financial relief during the coronavirus crisis.  Learn more at mot.ly/covidhelp

Motley Fool contributor Brian Feroldi joins us to talk about the most common questions he’s hearing from individual investors amidst the financial fallout of COVID-19. Have we hit the bottom of the market? Should I buy airline stocks?... and more.

Bro outlines eight provisions of the Coronavirus Aid, Recovery, and Economic Security Act that may fortify your finances for the coming year.

We’re all reeling from the financial fallout of the covid-19 outbreak and facing the likely threat of a recession. Bro explains what that means and offers his best advice on how to get your financial life in order and tap into emergency sources of money.

It took over 10 years, but we are officially in bear market territory and likely at the start of a very bumpy ride in the stock market. Motley Fool’s Chief Investing Officer, Andy Cross, joins us to share what it was like during the last two bear markets as well as five Foolish rules he learned for coming out on top.

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With the help of HerMoney’s Dayana Yochim, we’re going to talk about financial infidelity: What is it, how to prevent it, and what to do if you or your significant other is guilty of it.

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It was a stressful week in the world and in the markets as countries work to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Motley Fool analyst Bill Mann joins us to share his insight into the top headlines as well as how he’s managing his money amidst the volatility.

Last week we looked at how you might compare to the average American. This week we’re looking at how America compares to the rest of the world around issues of debt, college spending, retirement savings, and more.

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It’s our annual clean-up-your-financial-stuff-and-get-organized episode. This year we have the help of Dayana Yochim from HerMoney with tips and tricks for tidying up your accounts, portfolio, documents, and life in general.

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