Why Bond Investing Is Easier Than Ever

How can we apply the same emergency measures that Harvard and other universities are using to navigate a financial crisis? Also, how universities invest their endowments and what their performance has been.Topics covered include:What has led to the financial crisis at HarvardWhat actions has the university takenHow do endowments invest and spend their fundsHow endowments maintain intergenerational equityHow we can apply the principles universities use in our own investingSponsorsNetSuite LinkedIn Jobs – Use this link to post your job for free on LinkedIn JobsInsiders Guide Email NewsletterGet our free Investors' Checklist when you sign up for the free Money for the Rest of Us email newsletterOur Premium ProductsAsset CampMoney for the Rest of Us PlusShow NotesLetter Sent to Harvard 2025-04-11—HarvardHarvard Response 2025-04-14—HarvardTrump Administration Will Freeze $2 Billion After Harvard Refuses Demands by Vimal Patel—The New York TimesShould Harvard Be Tax Exempt? by The Editorial Board—The Wall Street JournalFact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Reforms Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education—The White HouseAt Grim Town Hall, Harvard Medical School Leaders Tell Staff to Expect Layoffs and Far-Reaching Cuts by Avani B. Rai and Saketh Sundar—The Harvard CrimsonCan Harvard Use Its Endowment To Make Up For Federal Cuts? It’s Possible, but Not That Simple. by Avani B. Rai and Saketh Sundar—The Harvard CrimsonYale Weighs $850 Million Bond Sale Amid Trump’s Higher Education Attack by Elizabeth Rembert and Amanda Albright—BloombergYale seeks to sell billions in private equity investments as political pressures from Trump mount by Liese Klein—CT Insider2024 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments—NACUBOEndowments Face Liquidity Crunch Amid Market Pullback, Funding Cuts by Matt Toledo—Chief Investment OfficerBig investors borrow against private equity holdings amid cash crunch by Amelia Pollard and Antoine Gara—The Financial TimesRelated Episodes402: Why Student Debt Is So High and Forgiving It Doesn’t Fix the Problem245: Is College Worth It?180: Can You Outperform Harvard’s Endowment?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Discover how bond market ETFs have transformed investing — making bonds easier, cheaper, and more accessible than ever. We also explore how the bond market’s very composition has evolved.Episode SponsorsDelete Me – Use code David20 to get 20% offInsiders Guide Email NewsletterGet our free Investors' Checklist when you sign up for the free Money for the Rest of Us email newsletterOur Premium ProductsAsset CampMoney for the Rest of Us PlusShow NotesThe total return strategy in bonds is far from dead by James Bianco—The Financial TimesWhat I Learned in My First Year Managing Fixed-Income by Jim Bianco—Bianco Research AdvisorsETFs are eating the bond market by Robin Wigglesworth and Will Schmitt—The Financial TimesRelated Episodes463: How to Lock in Higher Yields in Case Interest Rates Fall455: Easier Investing, Richer Life: TIPS Ladders to Annuities418: Bond Investing MasterclassSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ali Akay, CIO of Carrhae Capital, answers why invest in emerging markets. He also shares with Greg Dowling of FEG insights on China, Mexico, South Korea, Argentina, Greece, Turkey, South Korea, and South Africa.Insiders Guide Email NewsletterGet our free Investors' Checklist when you sign up for the free Money for the Rest of Us email newsletterOur Premium ProductsAsset CampMoney for the Rest of Us PlusShow NotesEmerging Unscathed: Featuring Ali Akay—FEG Insight BridgeRelated Episodes474: Are Emerging Markets Bonds a Once-in-a-Generation Opportunity?411: Is Emerging and Frontier Markets Investing Still Worth It? – With Asha MehtaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The U.S has traditionally been a safe haven for investing, but that hasn't been the case in 2025. We explore three economic and narrative regimes and consider why we may be witnessing a shift after 12 years of U.S. outperformance.Topics covered include:What was the narrative and economic and financial performance from 1995-2001, 2002-2012, and 2012 -2024.How the performance of the U.S. dollar impacted returnsWhy did economic forecasters predict the U.S. national debt would be paid off in 2011, and why were they wrong?Signs that the current economic and financial narrative is shifting.Insiders Guide Email NewsletterGet our free Investors' Checklist when you sign up for the free Money for the Rest of Us email newsletterOur Premium ProductsAsset CampMoney for the Rest of Us PlusShow NotesTestimony of Chairman Alan Greenspan Outlook for the federal budget and implications for fiscal policy Before the Committee on the Budget, U.S. Senate January 25, 2001—The Federal Reserve BoardFederal Surplus or Deficit [-] as Percent of Gross Domestic Product—FRED Economic DataNonfarm Business Sector: Labor Productivity (Output per Hour) for All Workers—FRED Economic DataNarrative Economics: How Stories Go Viral and Drive Major Economic Events by Robert J. Shiller—Princeton University PressDonald Trump vs Mr Market by Tim Harford—The Financial TimesTourism boycott? Europe travel to US drops in wake of Trump presidency by Talyta França & Alessio Dell'Anna, Mert Can Yilmaz—euronewsTrump’s Trade Offensive Threatens America’s Financial Primacy by Nick Timiraos, Jack Pitcher, and Chelsey Dulaney—The Wall Street JournalRelated Episodes519: Is This the End of Globalization and Free Trade?380: How Stories Drive Our Happiness and Financial SuccessSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, we explore what it means to invest in a non-ergodic world—where time, not averages, determines outcomes. We unpack concepts like volatility drag, ensemble vs. time averages, and the implications for portfolio strategy, while also reflecting on how AI and zero-click search are reshaping business and investor behavior.Topics covered include:What is ergodicity and why it mattersHow path dependency and emerging phenomena disrupt the long-termHow podcasting and blogging has changedWhat is the future of Money for the Rest of UsEpisode SponsorsNetSuite LinkedIn Jobs – Use this link to post your job for free on LinkedIn JobsInsiders Guide Email NewsletterGet our free Investors' Checklist when you sign up for the free Money for the Rest of Us email newsletterOur Premium ProductsAsset CampMoney for the Rest of Us PlusShow NotesWayback Machine: jdstein.comProbabilities and Payoffs: The Practicalities and Psychology of Expected Value by Michael J. Mauboussin and Dan Callahan, CFA—Morgan StanleyThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb—Penguin Random HouseThe 60% Problem — How AI Search Is Draining Your Traffic by Tor Constantino, MBA—ForbesHollywood Is Cranking Out Original Movies. Audiences Aren’t Showing Up. by Ben Fritz—The Wall Street JournalHow Late Night TV Is Downsizing by Alex Weprin and Rick Porter—The Hollywood Reporter‘Severance’ Surpasses ‘Ted Lasso’ To Become Apple TV+’s Most Watched Series With Season 2 Launch by Nellie Andreeva—DeadlineList of most watched television broadcasts in the United States—WikipediaTao te Ching by Lao Tzu (Author), Marc Mullinax (Translator)—fortress pressWhy AI Might Not Take All Our Jobs—If We Act Quickly by Justin Lahart—The Wall Street JournalElon Musk and the Dangerous Myth of Omnigenius by Gautam Mukunda—BloombergRelated Episodes492: The Power of Optionality: Small Bets, Big Payoffs484: 7 Steps to Living a Longer Life482: Unlocking the Power of Positive Skewness: Strategies for Investing, Business, and CreativitySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What will the impact be now that the U.S. has one of the highest tariff rates in the world?Topics covered include:Why the Trump administration raised tariffsHow the last round of U.S. tariffs led to higher prices and lower economic growthFour ways the world remains close to record connectivityWho have been the winners and losers from global tradeWhat will be the impact of this trade warEpisode SponsorsDelete Me – Use code David20 to get 20% offInsiders Guide Email NewsletterGet our free Investors' Checklist when you sign up for the free Money for the Rest of Us email newsletterOur Premium ProductsAsset CampMoney for the Rest of Us PlusShow NotesThe economic consequences of Mr Trump – looking for clarity in the tariffs chaos by Neil Shearing—Capital EconomicsTariff rate, most favored nation, simple mean, all products (%)—World Bank GroupDonald Trump’s tariffs will fix a broken system by Peter Navarro—The Financial TimesDHL Global Connectedness Tracker—DHLObjective Knowledge: An Evolutionary Approach by Karl R. Popper—Oxford University PressGDP per capita (constant 2015 US$)—World Bank GroupJOSEPH E. STIGLITZ, GLOBALIZATION AND ITS DISCONTENTS REVISITED: ANTI-GLOBALIZATION IN THE ERA OF TRUMP, NEW YORK: W.W. NORTON & COMPANY, 2018 by Lino Sau—Annals of the Fondazione Luigi EinaudiFIFTY YEARS OF GROWTH IN AMERICAN CONSUMPTION, INCOME, ANDWAGES by Bruce Sacerdote—National Bureau of Economic ResearchReal Median Household Income in the United States—FREDEmployed full time: Median usual weekly real earnings: Wage and salary workers: 16 years and over—FREDConsumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Food in U.S. City Average/Median Household Income in the United States—FREDTrump’s Love for Tariffs Began in Japan’s ’80s Boom By Jim Tankersley and Mark Landler—The New York TimesRelated Episodes515: Tariffs and the Mar-a-Lago Accord: What Trump Really Wants516: What Trump Wants Part 2 – How Trade Deficits and Capital Flows Can Harm or Help Countries427: Did the Tariffs Work? The Trade War Five Years Later212: Trade Wars Increase Prices and PovertySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Greg Dowling of FEG interviews Max Belmont, a gold specialist and portfolio manager at First Eagle Investments. Greg and Max discuss the historical, philosophical, and practical reasons for owning gold.Topics covered include:Where does gold’s reputation as a safe haven come from, and why it trades differently than other commodities.How gold differs from other asset classes including Bitcoin, which is sometimes referred to as digital gold.How we should think about gold when including it in our investment portfolios.Insiders Guide Email NewsletterGet our free Investors' Checklist when you sign up for the free Money for the Rest of Us email newsletterOur Premium ProductsAsset CampMoney for the Rest of Us PlusShow NotesThe Golden Age with Max Belmont - FEG Insight Bridge episode pageRelated Episodes431: The Long-term Bullish Case for Gold316: Paper, Rocks, or Digits—What Makes the Best Money263: Should You Invest In Gold?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We compare three approaches to closed-end fund investing: Opportunistic trading, the buy and hold income factory, and a systematic approach of selling closed-end funds after 5% gains.We also explore the pros and cons of closed-end funds relative to open-end mutual funds and ETFs.Episode SponsorsStawberry.meNetSuite Insiders Guide Email NewsletterGet our free Investors' Checklist when you sign up for the free Money for the Rest of Us email newsletterOur Premium ProductsAsset CampMoney for the Rest of Us PlusShow NotesThe Closed-End Fund Market, 2023—Investment Company InstituteThe Income Factory: An Investor’s Guide to Consistent Lifetime Returns by Steven Bavaria—McGraw-Hill CompaniesRetirement Money Secrets: A Financial Insider's Guide to Income Independence by Steve Selengut—RIC LLCHow to Invest in Closed-End Funds—Money for the Rest of UsInvesting in Closed-End Funds Course—Money for the Rest of UsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How trade deficits are making the U.S. poorer, while in the past they have made the U.S. wealthier.Topics covered include:Two ways countries can increase their competitivenessHow savings always equals investmentWhy excess savings flows to the U.S. leading to a drop in U.S. domestic savingsWhy the U.S. current trade situation could lead to a debt crisisEpisode SponsorsNetSuite LinkedIn Jobs – Use this link to post your job for free on LinkedIn JobsInsiders Guide Email NewsletterGet our free Investors' Checklist when you sign up for the free Money for the Rest of Us email newsletterOur Premium ProductsAsset CampMoney for the Rest of Us PlusShow NotesWhy U.S. Debt Must Continue to Rise by Michael Pettis—Carnegie EndowmentCould Trump devalue the dollar with a "Mar-a-Lago Accord"? by Paul Diggle and Luke Bartholomew—Aberdeen InvestmentsA User’s Guide to Restructuring the Global Trading System by Stephen Miran—Hudson Bay CapitalIs Peter Navarro Wrong on Trade? by Michael Pettis—Carnegie EndowmentRelated Episodes515: Tariffs and the Mar-a-Lago Accord: What Trump Really Wants470: How the Economy Really Works: Savings, Investing, Consuming and Market Distortions144: Trade Deficits Aren’t Always Bad. Trade Wars Are.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How the Trump administration is using tariffs as a negotiating tool to weaken the U.S. dollar and increase the global competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers.Topics covered include:Why U.S. stocks are falling, and recession risk is increasingHow the U.S. dollar as the reserve currency is becoming a burden on the U.S.How the Trump administration aims to reduce its trade deficit and make it less attractive for foreign governments to own U.S. assetsWhat are the risks of trying to weaken the U.S. dollarEpisode SponsorsDelete Me – Use code David20 to get 20% offStawberry.meInsiders Guide Email NewsletterGet our free Investors' Checklist when you sign up for the free Money for the Rest of Us email newsletterOur Premium ProductsAsset CampMoney for the Rest of Us PlusShow NotesStock Market News, March 10, 2025: Nasdaq Falls 4% After Trump Doesn't Rule Out Recession by Caitlin McCabe and Krystal Hur—The Wall Street JournalTrump Says US Economy Faces ‘Transition,’ Avoids Recession Call by María Paula Mijares Torres—BloombergIs the U.S. Heading for a Recession? Here’s What the Experts Say by Caitlin McCabe—The Wall Street JournalMark Carney Wins Canada Liberal Contest, Will Succeed Trudeau in Days by Brian Platt and Laura Dhillon Kane—BloombergEntering the Fall 2024 | Alarming Signs? - Fireside Chat with Scott Bessent by Simplify Asset Management—YouTubeA User’s Guide to Restructuring the Global Trading System by Stephen Miran—Hudson Bay CapitalCould Trump devalue the dollar with a "Mar-a-Lago Accord"? by Paul Diggle and Luke Bartholomew—Aberdeen InvestmentsWonking Out: The Mysteries of the Almighty Dollar by Paul Krugman—The New York TimesOn the Persistence of the China Shock by David Autor, David Dorn, and Gordon H. Hanson—NBERManufacturing, value added (% of GDP)—World Bank Data Group | Prosperity Data360Council of Economic Advisors Chair Nominee Stephen Miran’s Critique of the Global Monetary System—Part I by Steven B. Kamin—AEIUsing Stock Returns to Assess the Aggregate Effect of the U.S.‑China Trade War by Mary Amiti, Matthieu Gomez, Sang Hoon Kong, and David E. Weinstein—Federal Reserve Bank of New YorkTwo cheers for Germany’s fiscal reform by Neil Shearing—Capital EconomicsRelated Episodes404: Why Is the U.S. Dollar So Strong? Will It Continue?322: Why Currency Exchange Rates MatterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.