"It is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change." — Queen Elizabeth II

In This Edition

Boot Camp 3- Sound Investing Porftolios
Bigger Pockets Money
Latest Podcast- Sound Investing Boot Camp 2026: Choosing the Right Portfolio
Testimonial

This is a very busy week for our team. We are releasing the 3rd of our 10 Boot Camp presentations. This week’s podcast, video and article (LINKS) are dedicated to a discussion of our Sound Investing portfolios. If you have questions you can email me at paul@paulmerriman.com or leave them in the comment section of the YouTube session.

Bigger Pockets Money

One of the most important ways for us to expand our list of “students" is to be interviewed by other podcasters. This week’s Bigger Pockets Money Podcast and video is a wonderful example. They not only produce the interview as a podcast and video but they also break up the interview into 15 chapters for those who have a particular interest.

Many of the podcasts I have been asked to join have contacted me after their followers have suggested me as a guest. So, if you have a favorite podcaster it would be a big favor if you would contact them and suggest Chris or me as a guest.

I hope you enjoy the Bigger Pockets Money interview. It was great fun for me as they are fans of the work Chris, Daryl and I do.

Latest Podcast- Sound Investing Bootcamp #3 | How to Choose the Right Portfolio (Returns, Risk & Diversification)

In this third Boot Camp session, Paul walks you through one of the most important questions a DIY investor will ever face: how to choose the right equity portfolio for your goals, risk tolerance, and stage of life.

This episode pulls back the curtain on decades of market data—going back to 1970—to compare real portfolios across good times, bad times, and everything in between. You’ll hear how different combinations of U.S. and international stocks, large and small companies, growth and value strategies, and diversified portfolios actually performed during market booms, crashes, and long recovery periods.

Paul explains:

Why diversification matters more than chasing the “best” asset class
How eight different portfolios stack up against the S&P 500 over time
What really happened in brutal periods like 1973–74, 2000–2002, and 2008
Why returns alone are meaningless without understanding risk
How small-cap value and global diversification changed long-term outcomes
What decades-long performance teaches us about staying invested

This session also introduces the Sound Investing Tables, showing how $10,000 invested in 1970 would have grown under different strategies—and what investors had to endure to earn those results.

If you want to move beyond headlines, fear, and guesswork—and make smarter, evidence-based investing decisions—this episode gives you the framework to do exactly that.

📊 Best experienced alongside the ⁠charts and tables ⁠

📩 Questions? Paul invites listeners to submit them for future educational follow-ups -paul@paulmerriman.com

⁠Watch the video.

Boot Camp 3 page

Testimonial- Bigger Pockets Money Youtube Comment

Paul is one of the GOATs ... his channel and website are a gift to the F.I. community ... the quilt charts are great for numbers people.

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Sound Investing Bootcamp #3 | How to Choose the Right Portfolio

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Sound Investing Bootcamp #3 | How to Choose the Right Portfolio

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In This Edition Boot Camp 3- Sound Investing PorftoliosBigger Pockets MoneyLatest Podcast- Sound Investing Boot Camp 2026: Choosing the Right Portfolio Testimonial

In This Edition

Boot Camp 3- Sound Investing Porftolios
Bigger Pockets Money
Latest Podcast- Sound Investing Boot Camp 2026: Choosing the Right Portfolio
Testimonial

Boot Camp 3- Sound Investing Portfolios is out!