Out of clutter, find simplicity. From disorder, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.
- Albert Einstein

In This Edition
Paul's Move to Portland
Upcoming Event
Latest Podcast and Video
Truth Teller Corner
Testimonial

Many consider moving one of the most stressful life events.

I’m not sure I agree but it’s what we are doing as you open up this newsletter. We are moving from Bainbridge Island to Portland, Oregon. When I make my presentation to the Orange County AAII on Saturday June 22, I will be among the boxes in our new condo. I will have blurred the background so you won’t have to face our reality.

Juice up your S&P 500 fund for higher returns

Why the move? Single level living, closer to healthcare and closer to our youngest daughter. Plus, at our ages we don’t need 2 acres of land and over 4000 square feet of living and storage space.

We also had to make the decision between Seattle and Portland. Seattle is just a little too big and too fast for us. The location of our new home in Portland is great for walking and when we make the move to Rancho Mirage each winter we can make the move without the worry of mother nature doing something “bad” while we are away.

Upcoming Event-

AAII- Seven Investment Decisions Guaranteed to change Your Financial Future

When: Jun 22, 2024 from 09:00 to 11:00 (PT)
Associated with AAII Orange County Chapter

On Saturday, June 22 from 9 am to 11 am Pacific time the AAII Chapters in NYC and Orange County are very pleased to present a webinar: “Seven Investment Decisions Guaranteed to change Your Financial Future,” discussed by Paul Merriman, Founder of the Merriman Financial Education Foundation, http://paulmerriman.com/. Paul is the 2021 recipient of the American Association of Individual Investors James Cloonan Award for Excellence in Investment Education.

Attend Mr. Merriman's discussion and you will learn:

The simple math of successful investing
An objective approach to choosing the best combination of asset class funds
How to maximize your retirement distributions while maximizing what you leave to others
How one offensive step and 25 defensive steps should make you a successful investor

Online Instructions:
Url: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_t4skfLUUQ1mZifNQJNKTfw

Latest Podcast- Choose Fi Q&A and Latest Video- 21 Investment Questions Every Do-It-Yourself Investor Must Answer

On June 8, 2024 Paul gave a 2 hour presentation to the Seattle Chapter of Choose FI. The topics covered the 8 biggest investment decisions, plus a new piece on putting aside money for a newborn to 21 year old.

⁠Here is the video link.⁠

This podcast covers 10 unanswered questions from the presentation, plus 5 additional topics that guests listed as most important topics of the meeting.

Q&A:

1. How to find the best 3 year fixed annuity. ⁠https://www.stantheannuityman.com/⁠

2. How to select the best target date fund.

3. Why small cap value stocks make higher returns.

4. When do Roth conversions make sense? Link: ⁠https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/backdoor-roth-ira-tutorial/⁠

5. What is your bottom line best portfolio without having to go through all the tables?

6. Will Western Washington University offer financial literacy classes on their satellite campuses?

7. What additional advice would you give to a 45 year old who wants to live on a 4% distribution for the rest of their life?

8. What distribution advice would you have for a single person who is planning to retire before age 45?

9. In creating your tables, how often do you rebalance the portfolios?

10. Please explain the most important differences between an ETF and a regular mutual fund. ⁠https://www.thebalancemoney.com/differences-between-mutual-funds-and-etfs-2466791⁠⁠https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/09/mutual-fund-etf.asp#:~:text=Both%20mutual%20funds%20and%20ETFs%20offer%20investors%20pooled,offer%20a%20wide%20selection%20of%20actively%20managed%20funds⁠.

More topics from the June 8 presentation:

11. What changes should I make in my portfolio when I retire?

12. Are low expenses the biggest decision when investing in index funds?

13. What are the most important steps I can take to get better returns?

14. What are the biggest (most costly) mistakes investors make?

15. Is investing in the Total Market Index or S&P 500 all you need to reach FI?

Truth Teller Corner

As part of our educational outreach we create tables of returns for very long periods of time. Some starting in 1928 and other 1970. In either case we use these long periods to explore the implications of either accumulating wealth or using wealth to give the cash flow to live on in retirement.

The tables come with lots of assumptions that may make the outcome far from the reality we will face in the future. From time to time we get comments that the assumptions are simply not realistic and not as meaningful as we suggest.

We may use the assumption that you will save and invest $6,000 year (with annual 3% increases). This ignores the reality of financial hurdles that make the saving rate either much higher or lower than our assumption. And we also make distribution assumptions that are likely not applicable to your situation.

We are well aware that our assumptions are far from what your financial life might offer.

When I read Ben Carlson’s recent article on retirement distributions I realized that our work offers a very narrow range of the ways our readers may be accessing their portfolio in retirement.

Here are two articles on retirement distributions worth exploring:

The Two Types of Money People

You Probably Need Less Money Than You Think For Retirement

YouTube Testimonial

"I found you when I was 19. I'm 30 now and married and we have $203,000 in invested assets and contribute around $42k annually now and only have our mortgage to pay off. I manage it myself following your guidance. Thank you!"

Choose Fi Q&A

21 Investment Questions Every Do-It-Yourself Investor Must Answer

Call To Action!

Here are a few simple ways to support the financial education work of The Merriman Financial Education Foundation, a registered 501(c)3. In so doing you help better the lives of individuals, families and communities, creating more opportunities for all.

Subscribe to our weekly “Sound Investing” podcast, available on your favorite listening platforms and leave a review. Tell us what you think!
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel, and hit the thumbs up, subscribe, leave a comment and share the link with your social media and friends.
Use our M1 Finance affiliate link to set up a brokerage account and use our portfolio suggestions. If you fund your account with a minimum of $1,000, our foundation will receive a one-time affiliate fee —at no cost to you—which helps support our financial education projects.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Buy our latest books, We’re Talking Millions! 12 Simple Ways To Supercharge Your Retirement and 2 Funds for Life: A quest for simple & effective investing strategies; all the profits help support our work.
Support our mission by making a tax-deductible donation to the Foundation.

In This EditionPaul's Move to PortlandUpcoming EventLatest Podcast and VideoTruth Teller CornerTestimonial

In This Edition
Paul's Move to Portland
Upcoming Event
Latest Podcast and Video
Truth Teller Corner
Testimonial