A Chat With Morningstar’s Christine Benz

We have a new address, and I'm not talking post cards! Going forward you can catch Bro and Alison every Tuesday as part of the new Motley Fool Money podcast. Here's a sneak peek of what you can expect from the daily show, starting on January 5, 2022. See you there! Subscribe on Spotify Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Or find us on your favorite podcast app!

It’s the last episode of Answers (but don’t worry, we’re just moving to Motley Fool Money every Tuesday). We’ll reminisce on our biggest lessons learned over the last seven years and answer your questions, some financial, some festive.

Motley Fool Analyst Bill Mann joins us to talk about why the market is up but your portfolio may be down. We’ll share some big news and battle our online shopping demons. Pretty please take our survey on what you want to hear on the show! https://www.foolinsights.com/se/04BD76CC18830996

Tens of millions of workers contribute to 401(k)s, thanks to a benefits consultant who got creative with a 1978 law. That consultant, Ted Benna, joins us to talk about how he came up with the idea, how he got Uncle Sam’s seal of approval, and the ways that Wall Street have abused the 401(k). He also discusses his new book, “401(k)s and IRAs for Dummies,” including why he thinks Roths are over-sold and his recommendations for retirement plans for small business and the self-employed.

The financial planner’s financial planner talks Roths, asset location, and managing sequence of returns risk. He also tells the story of how he got into the financial advice biz, and offers some career-development and time-management advice.

Alison asks Bro 10 burning questions about inflation, including why it's so high, is it worse in the U.S., and what can be done about it — both nationally and in your portfolio. And Fool analyst Aaron Bush answers a listener question about choosing the new Bitcoin futures ETF over actual Bitcoin.

Alison and friends share some investing lessons from listeners, Bro interviews Sheryl Garrett, founder of the Garrett Planning Network, about finding the right fee-only planner for your circumstances, and we answer a listener question about I bonds and their current 7.12% yield.

Motley Fool Analyst Eric Bleeker joins us with his advice to avoid getting burned when investing in crypto. Bro interviews Bill Schultheis, author of The Coffeehouse Investor's Ground Rules: Save, Invest, and Plan for a Life of Wealth and Happiness. And we answer your question on picking which stocks to sell when you need the cash to buy a home (or whatever, it’s none of our business).

Morningstar’s Director of Personal Finance, who has twice been named to Barron’s list of "100 Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance," explains how she builds her model portfolios, how people should approach the long-term care conundrum, how to close the gender gap in finance, and what she learned from her “faux-tirement.”

We’ll argue the bear and bull case for investing in Facebook with the help of Jason Moser and his alter ego. Robert explores a more holistic approach to evaluating your expenses with the help of financial planner Matt Trogdon. We’ll answer your question about capital gains taxes and include one too many U2 references.