The Rob Berger Show

Latest Episodes:

RBS 242: The One-Page Financial Plan Every Spouse Needs (FQF) Mar 06, 2026

Show notes

In this Five Question Friday (FQF) video, we cover these questions:
1. How to teach your significant other to manage the investments? (The Spouse Financial Survival Kit)
1. Start with a One-Pager
a. Accounts
b. Key Professionals
c. Withdrawal Order
d. Financial Overview Doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1W...
2. Financial Love Letter
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1q...
3. Review the documents once a year
2. When to Take RMDs?
1. Timing doesn’t change amount (the amount is based on balance at end of last year)
2. RMDs must come before Roth conversions
a. https://obliviousinvestor.com/rmd-tim...
3. Take QCDs first if you plan to have them count toward RMDs
4. If needed for spending, take as needed (monthly or quarterly)
5. If not, wait until later in the year
3. How can I see the stocks owned by a target date retirement fund?
Morningstar Investor: https://go.robberger.com/morningstar/
4. How do you keep track of HSA expenses?
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
5. Why haven’t I done a Roth conversion yet?
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RBS 241: A Look Inside My Simplified Investment Portfolio Feb 17, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, I'll answer the following question from a viewer:
"I would like to ask if you can do a video on the current specific funds you are invested in? You did a video a while back about your 6 funds, but now you mentioned in a recent video that you simplified and are down to 3 or 4 funds. I was thinking of mirroring your 6 fund plan but now I see you have simplified, which is why I am asking if you can do a new video going over your new 4 fund plan."

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RBS 240: Where Is the Best Place to Park cash Today? (FQF) Feb 06, 2026

Show notes

In today's Five Question Friday (FQF) video, we cover these questions:
1. Where is the best place to park cash today?
2. Should you invest or pay off student loans?
3. Are Schwab’s Target Date Retirement Funds a solid option?
4. When should you start spending your IRA money?
5. Should a TIPS ladder be part of a retirement portfolio?
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RBS 239: The Ultimate Retirement Checklist Feb 03, 2026

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In this episode, we cover my Ultimate Retirement Checklist:
1. Healthcare
2. Start learning about Medicare
3. Understand IRMMA brackets
4. Track Expenses
5. Calculate Your Burn Rate
6. Calculate Your Guaranteed Income Ratio
7. Plan for large expenses
8. Plan when to take Social Security
9. Cash
10. Create a Tax-Efficient Withdrawal Strategy
11. Understand how investment withdrawals are taxed
12. Consider Roth conversions
13. Plan how to spend down your HSA
14. Simplify Accounts
15. Simplify Investments
16. Consider your asset allocation
17. End of Life Documents
18. Consider how to use your home equity
19. Consider using retirement planning tools
20. Protect your online accounts (financial, email, social)
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RBS 238: How Do You Protect Your Portfolio as You Near Retirement? (FQF) Jan 30, 2026

Show notes

In today's Five Question Friday (FQF) video, we cover these questions:
1. How do you protect your portfolio as you near retirement?
2. How does asset location work if you must draw from taxable accounts?
3. Should you automatically reinvest dividends?
4. How can I diversify away from the S&P 500?
5. What is the safe withdrawal rate for a 20 year retirement?

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RBS 237: What Happens to Bond Funds When the Fed Cuts Rates? (FQF) Jan 02, 2026

Show notes

In today's Five Question Friday (FQF) video, we cover these questions:
1. What Happens To Bond Funds When the Fed Cuts Rates?
2. Where to Invest If Stocks Are a No-go
3. How are Mutual Fund Sales Taxed?
4. Should Annuities Replace Bonds?
5. Brokerage Account vs Roth IRA
Resources

Snowball-Analytics: https://go.robberger.com/snowball-ana...
10 Year Treasury & Fed Fund Rate: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/T1...
VTINX: https://investor.vanguard.com/investm...
FTBFX: https://fundresearch.fidelity.com/mut...
Vanguard LifeStrategy Funds: https://investor.vanguard.com/investm...

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RBS 236: 2025 Year-End Investment Portfolio Review Dec 31, 2025

Show notes

In this 2025 Year-End Investment Portfolio Review we cover the following topics:
1. Asset Allocation
a. Diversification / changes
b. Rebalancing
2. Simplification
3. Beneficiaries
4. Performance
5. Tax Loss or Gain Harvesting
6. Fees
a. Fund fees
b. Advisor fees
7. Evaluate Your Performance
a. Did you buy/sell anything
b. What worried you during the year

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RBS 235: 10% Yield on Bonds - Good Deal or Not? (FQF) Nov 28, 2025

Show notes

In today's Five Question Friday (FQF) video, we look at these five topics:
1. 10% yield on bonds
2. Where to hold bonds
3. Co-signing a mortgage
4. Paying taxes on a Roth conversion
5. Asset allocation of real estate investments
Bonus: Cost of long-term care calculator
Resources:
https://www.carescout.com/cost-of-care
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RBS 234: Have We Been Lied To About Social Security’s Break-Even Age? (FQF) Nov 07, 2025

Show notes

In today's Five Question Friday (FQF) video, we look at these five questions:
1. Have we been lied to about our Social Security break-even age?
2. Is it ok to restart the 4% rule if the market goes up in early retirement?
3. I am nervous about the run up in AI stocks . . . Could it be a good idea to consider diversifying from VTI to an “equal-weighted index fund like Invesco S&P Equal Weight ETF or others like it?
4. I’m 64 and I would like to begin annual Roth conversions from my traditional IRA’s. Can you review the rules surrounding these conversions in one’s retirement years? I would like to know how soon I can withdraw converted funds and their associated earnings penalty free and tax free.
5. You’ve mentioned in the past that you transitioned from a six-fund portfolio to a simpler three-fund setup. I’m curious — was that change mainly about reducing complexity and streamlining your investments, or did it reflect a stage of investment maturity and confidence in a more minimalist approach?
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RBS 233: How to Invest $15 Million Oct 21, 2025

Show notes

In today's Five Question Friday (FQF) video, we cover these questions:
1. How to invest $15 million?
2. For the 4% withdrawal rate devised by Bill Bengen, what measure of inflation did he use? Are there other measures that you think might be more appropriate?
3. If you have a retirement portfolio with a 6% yield does the 4% rule apply?
4. Is a 7-year MYGA a better deal than a 7-year Treasury?
5. If the yield from a High Yield Savings account is paying out 3.8 to 4.0%, why would it ever be a good investment to buy bonds or bond ETFs with their recent volatility?
Bonus Question: Can you explain more about your choice to practice Bikram Yoga over other types of Yoga?
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