The Rob Berger Show

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RBS 172: Vanguard's $40M Class Action Settlement: Here's Your Potential Payout Nov 21, 2024

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Vanguard has reached a proposed settlement in the class action lawsuit related to the 2021 distribution of capital gains in its target date retirement funds. Here's how much each claimant may be entitled to receive.
Proposed Vanguard Settlement: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gBIQ...
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RBS 171: The Optimal Order to Fund Retirement Accounts Nov 18, 2024

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We can save for retirement through at least four different account types: (1) 401(k) and other workplace retirement accounts, (2) IRAs, (3) HSAs, and (4) taxable accounts. Some can also use a mega backdoor Roth 401(k).
In this video, I walk through one optimal approach to prioritizing which accounts to contribute to first.
Here's a related article that I wrote on the topic: https://robberger.com/the-optimal-ord...
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RBS 170: The Pros and Cons of Building a TIPS Ladder for Retirement Income Nov 15, 2024

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A TIPS ladder is just one way to generate income during retirement. We'll look at two scenarios where a TIPS ladder may make sense, and then discuss the pros and cons.
TIPS Ladder: https://www.tipsladder.com/
Four Easy Steps to Build a TIPS Ladder: https://www.advisorperspectives.com/a...
Schwab Annuity Pricing Tool: https://www.schwab.com/annuities/fixe...
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RBS 169: What Is The True Cost of a 1% AUM Investment Fee? Nov 04, 2024

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When evaluating fees charged by investment advisors, should we look only at the actual dollars spent, or should we evaluate the long-term effect these fees have on our wealth? That's the question I address in this video.
Kitces Article: https://www.kitces.com/blog/financial...
My Response: https://robberger.com/how-should-we-e...
Hourly and Flat Rate Advisors: https://robberger.com/low-cost-financ...
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RBS 168: Vanguard Is Selling Your Retirement Plan (@#$@!!) Oct 28, 2024

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Vanguard has announced that it is selling 280,000 small business retirement plans to Ascensus. The transaction covers individual 401(k) plans, sometimes called Solo 401(k)s, Multi-SEP IRAs, and Simple IRAs, but not individual SEP IRAs.
Here's my take on what's going on, your options, and what this means for Vanguard.
Press Release: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-relea...
Ascensus Fees: https://www.ascensus.com/solutions/re...
Fidelity Solo 401(k): https://www.fidelity.com/retirement-i...
Schwab Solo 401(k): https://www.schwab.com/small-business...
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RBS 167: Fed Chair Powell Just Taught A Masterclass On Investing Oct 25, 2024

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In brief remarks, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell all but took an interest rate cut in the near term off the table. In doing so, he taught us a very important lesson about investing.
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RBS 166: Fidelity Hacked--Here's How to Protect Your Accounts Oct 21, 2024

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Fidelity recently disclosed that its computer systems were breached and that the personal data of more than 77,000 customers were accessed. here's what happened and some ways we can protect ourselves.
News of hack: https://www.investmentnews.com/indust...
Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/doc/data-breach-...
Maine: https://www.maine.gov/agviewer/conten...
New Hampshire: https://mm.nh.gov/files/uploads/doj/r...
Sample Fidelity letter: file:///Users/robberger/Downloads/Sample_Letter.pdf
Class Action Lawsuit: https://www.investmentnews.com/indust...
Fidelity's Lockdown Feature: https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/view...
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RBS 165: Taxes and the 4% Rule: Tax-deferred vs. Roth vs. Taxable Oct 11, 2024

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Does the 4% Rule apply in the same way to tax-deferred, tax-free, and taxable accounts? And how should one consider the different tax treatments of these accounts when coming up with a safe spending plan in retirement? I'll cover these questions in today's video.
Bengen's 1996 Paper: https://www.financialplanningassociat...
Bengen's 1997 Paper: https://www.financialplanningassociat...
New Retirement: https://go.robberger.com/new-retireme...
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RBS 164: S&P 500 Index Concentration at 50-Year High | What Should Investors Do? Oct 09, 2024

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Today, the top 10 companies in the S&P 500 Index account for more than 33% of the index. That's the largest concentration we've seen in 50 years. In this video we'll cover three things:
1. Just how significant is the concentration?
2. Does it tell us anything about future returns?
3. What, if anything, should we do about the concentration.
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RBS 163: How to Estimate Future Returns in Retirement Oct 07, 2024

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Our retirement plan's chance of success depends a lot on assumptions we make about future investment returns. In this video, I walk through my approach to this issue.
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