The Individual Investor Show: Recent Episodes
Jenna Brashear
The Individual Investor Show produced by the American Association of Individual Investors is a bi-monthly financial and investment podcast focused on promoting educational topics in a non-bias, digestible manner.
For this episode, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Matthew Crouse, CFA, MBA, Ph.D. (a man of many titles), to discuss his latest article in the AAII Journal, “Fixed-Income Risks and Opportunities in a Rising-Rate Environment.”
He discusses the principles of duration (interest rate risk), credit risk and the yield curve. He also touches on closed-end fund preferreds and bonds funds to help the individual investor navigate the rising-rate environment with ease.
Listen to this episode and learn:
- What duration (interest rate risk) is and how to combat it successfully
- Opportunities and risks of closed-end fund preferreds and bond funds
- The objective of maximizing returns while taking the least amount of risk
Matthew Crouse, CFA, MBA, Ph.D., is an adjunct professor at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah, who specializes in researching closed-end funds (CEFs), exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and other fixed-income products targeted to retail investors. Jenna Brashear is the host of the Individual Investor Show as well as the producer for live AAII webinar events.
Additional Resources
Fixed-Income Risks and Opportunities in a Rising-Rate Environment
More articles by Matthew Crouse
Fidelity: Fixed Income, Bonds & CDs
FactSet: Fixed Income
What Is the Yield Curve?
Preferred Stocks Explained
Understanding Bond Credit Ratings
Register for upcoming webinars: https://www.aaii.com/webinars
Want more financial education? Learn more about AAII at https://www.aaii.com
ABOUT AAII
The American Association of Individual Investors is an independent, nonprofit corporation formed for the purpose of assisting individuals in becoming effective managers of their own assets through programs of education, information and research.
Individual Investor Show: Risks & Opportunities in Fixed Income When Rates Are Going Up | AAII
Are you an investment sleuth? Do you like to delve deep into financial metrics to better understand the market? If you’re someone who is looking for a long-term valuation of the market adjusted for inflation, we know a financial metric for you.
For this episode, we spoke with AAII Journal editor Charles Rotblut, CFA, about his latest article on the cyclically adjusted price-earnings (CAPE) ratio and why using the CAPE ratio during high inflation can give individual investors insights into expected market returns over the next five to 10 years by looking back 10 years into the past.
Listen to this episode and learn:
- What the CAPE ratio is and what it entails
- How to effectively use the CAPE ratio to invest with confidence
- When to use the CAPE ratio in order to analyze the long-term value of the market
Charles Rotblut, CFA, is the creator of the PRISM Wealth-Building Process and Academy. He is also a financial analyst, vice president and AAII Journal editor. Jenna Brashear is a finance writer, podcast host and community manager at AAII.
Additional Resources
CAPE Ratio Is High, but Down From Peak
Online Exclusive: Delving Into the Definition of the CAPE Ratio
Valuations, Inflation and Real Returns, an interview with Robert Shiller
A Cautionary Note About Robert Shiller's CAPE
AAII Stock Screening Community
AAII Journal July 2022 Issue
Register for Upcoming Webinars
Follow us on Spotify
Follow us on Apple Podcasts
Learn how to use the powerful, robust suite of screening tools in AAII's A+ Investor suite or bundle all of our premium subscriptions into one, convenient plan with AAII Platinum.
Individual Investor Show: Utilizing the CAPE Ratio During Inflationary Periods | AAII
Calling all income investors and those worried about high interest rates impacting their portfolios! If you’re on the hunt for an investment that has low interest rate risk, look no further than short-term bond funds.
For this episode, we chat with AAII finance writer Matt Bajkowski about his latest article in the July 2022 issue of the AAII Journal, “The Benefits and Risks of Short-Term Bond Funds,” where he explains how income-seeking investors might capture high yields through bonds, especially short-term bonds, this year.
Watch or listen to this episode and learn:
- The pros and cons of investing in short-term bond funds
- Why short-term bonds carry less interest rate risk than longer-term bonds
- How to effectively evaluate a short-term bond fund before investing
Additional Resources
July 2022 AAII Journal Issue
The Benefits and Risks of Short-Term Bond Funds
AAII Allocation Models
Bond Investing Ideas
The Benefits and Risks of Intermediate Bond Funds
Beginner’s Guide to Bond Investing
Types of Bonds
Income Investing Community
Register for upcoming webinars: https://www.aaii.com/webinars
Want more financial education? Learn more about AAII at https://www.aaii.com
ABOUT AAII
The American Association of Individual Investors is an independent, nonprofit corporation formed for the purpose of assisting individuals in becoming effective managers of their own assets through programs of education, information and research.
Individual Investor Show: Combating High Interest Rates With Short-Term Bond Funds | AAII
We’re in the midst of the summer and things are about to start sizzling! For investors who want to take a dip into the market, but are worried about suffering profit losses, we’ve got a few tips and tricks up our sleeve to help you navigate uncertain waters.
For this episode, Dividend Investing editor Derek Hageman chats with us about his latest First Cut Stocks articles in the June 2022 issue of the AAII Journal that present the current high-yielding dividend payers and the current largest rising dividend stocks. He explains the difference between the two and how to judge whether a high yield or rising dividend payment can be sustained.
In the second part of the episode, we sit down with assistant financial analyst Matt Markowski to discuss his latest article, “How to Best Use Stock Screens to Build a Portfolio.” In it, he shows how to choose a predefined stock screen or build your own to effectively find the opportunities that fit your individual stock investing needs.
Watch or listen to this episode and learn:
- How to make sure a high-yielding dividend stock is a quality company and not one with weak growth prospects
- How to effectively evaluate a company’s ability to increase its dividend payment
- How to best use stock screens and techniques to build a strong portfolio
Dividend Stocks Segment
High-Yielding Dividend Payers
Up, Up and Away: Biggest Rising Dividend Payers
AAII Dividend Investing
Dividend Investing Stock Ideas
Stock Screens Segment
How to Best Use Stock Screens to Build a Portfolio
AAII Stock Screens
Factor Stock Screens
Guru Stock Screens
Stock Ideas Section
A+ Investor Custom Stock Screener
AAII Community
AAII Stock Screening Community
Register for upcoming webinars: https://www.aaii.com/webinars
Want more financial education? Learn more about AAII at https://www.aaii.com
ABOUT AAII
The American Association of Individual Investors is an independent, nonprofit corporation formed for the purpose of assisting individuals in becoming effective managers of their own assets through programs of education, information and research.
For those retiring, or approaching retirement, inflation can often be a creeping fear that paralyzes even the most prepared investor. Thankfully, there are a few easy strategies you can adopt to ensure your retirement portfolio will be secure. In this episode, we spend some time chatting with Craig Israelsen, Ph.D., about his latest article in the June 2022 issue of the AAII Journal, “Dealing With Inflation in a Retirement Portfolio.”
Israelsen discusses how required minimum distributions (RMDs) are built-in inflation adjusters that allow retirees to be more cautious in their asset allocation if need be.
Listen to this episode and learn:
- How RMDs can help prevent retirement portfolios from failing
- Why having exposure to equities is important
- How to protect your portfolio from inflation with the right strategy
Watch this episode on YouTube:
Additional Resources
June 2022 AAII Journal (https://www.aaii.com/journal)
Dealing With Inflation in a Retirement Portfolio by Craig Israelsen (https://www.aaii.com/journal/article/17412-dealing-with-inflation-in-a-retirement-portfolio)
Online Exclusive: Defining Inflation for Your Portfolio (https://www.aaii.com/journal/article/13872-defining-inflation-for-your-portfolio)
Inflation: The Dormant Dragon (https://www.aaii.com/journal/article/13010-inflation-the-dormant-dragon)
Online Exclusive: Understanding the Breakeven Inflation Rate (https://www.aaii.com/journal/article/17458-online-exclusive-understanding-the-breakeven-inflation-rate)
For this episode of the Individual Investor Show, we sit down with Charles Rotblut, CFA, and interns from our research team, Dylan Dease and Sean Murphy, to discuss their latest article in the May 2022 issue of the AAII Journal, “Important Differences Exist Among Retirement Calculators.”
This article showcases how to use retirement calculators to configure future withdrawals and takes a look at the top 10 tools to see which work best for individual investors in all life stages.
Watch or listen to this episode and learn:
- How investors can use retirement calculators to make accurate withdrawal estimates
- Which retirement calculators fit each type of investor: early career, mid-career and near retirement
- The differences between retirement calculators
May 2022 Issue of the AAII Journal
Important Differences Exist Among Retirement Calculators
Social Security Administration
A Plan for Achieving the Financial Goal of Building Retirement Savings
11 Key Retirement Dates You Should Pay Attention To
How to Catch Up on Retirement Savings at 50
PRISM Wealth-Building Process
Retirement Withdrawal Community
Register for upcoming webinars: https://www.aaii.com/webinars
Want more financial education? Learn more about AAII at https://www.aaii.com
About AAII
The American Association of Individual Investors is an independent, nonprofit corporation formed for the purpose of assisting individuals in becoming effective managers of their own assets through programs of education, information and research.
Individual Investor Show: Comparing Retirement Calculators | AAII
According to a 2021 study by the Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing, 79% of individual investors and 99% of millennials in the U.S. are interested in sustainable investing. However, it’s important to understand what sustainable investing entails and how companies are graded, especially when it comes to corporate greenwashing.
For this episode, AAII Journal editor Charles Rotblut, CFA, and assistant editor Anine Sus chat with Larry Swedroe about his new book, “Your Essential Guide to Sustainable Investing,” which highlights how environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings are impacting individual investors and corporations.
In the second part of the broadcast, we ask Matt Bajkowski about his latest article in the May 2022 issue of the AAII Journal, “The Difference Between Sustainable Investing and Impact Investing,” which looks at investing with a focus on financial returns versus investing with a focus on social- and ethical-based outcomes.
Listen to this episode and learn:
- How investors can weave through the web of confusing acronyms and conflicting agency ratings to be confident in recognizing and avoiding corporate greenwashing
- How investors can choose an actively managed ESG exchange-traded fund (ETF)
- The key differences between sustainable investing and impact investing
Additional Resources
- May 2022 AAII Journal (https://www.aaii.com/journal)
- Addressing the Challenges ESG Investors Face, an interview with Larry Swedroe
- “Your Essential Guide to Sustainable Investing,” by Larry Swedroe and Samuel C. Adams
- AAII Sustainable Investing (ESG) Community
- The Difference Between Sustainable Investing and Impact Investing, by Matt Bajkowski
- ETF+ Screener
- Funds+ Screener
- Socially Responsible Stock ETFs
- Socially Responsible Equity Stock Funds
Want more financial education? Learn more about AAII at https://www.aaii.com
ABOUT AAII
The American Association of Individual Investors is an independent, nonprofit corporation formed for the purpose of assisting individuals in becoming effective managers of their own assets through programs of education, information and research.
Have you heard the term FOMO? It refers to the fear of missing out on something such as hanging out with your friends, going to a winning sports event, seeing your favorite singer in concert and even exciting, new investment opportunities.
For this week’s Individual Investor Show, Charles Rotblut, CFA, sits down with Spencer Jakab, author of “The Revolution That Wasn’t: GameStop, Reddit and the Fleecing of Small Investors,” to discuss the phenomenon of “meme stocks,” how social media platforms like Reddit have fueled a new world of stock investing and the pitfalls that come along with these new developments.
In the second part of tonight’s episode, Jenna Brashear chats with Charles Rotblut on his latest article in the AAII Journal, “What Traits Do Individual Investors Consider When Buying Stocks?” where he surveys AAII members to gain insight into the various stock approaches and thought processes they use such as how they find ideas, the characteristics they focus on and their preferred data sources.
Watch this episode and learn:
- The ins and outs of meme stocks and what role they play in the investment universe
- How certain social media and investing platforms use psychology to influence stock strategies
- How your investing peers choose which stock approach to pursue
Meme Stocks Segment
Reddit, Robinhood and Lessons From the Meme Stock Craze
“The Revolution That Wasn’t: GameStop, Reddit, and the Fleecing of Small Investors,” by Spencer Jakab
Stock-Picking Segment
What Traits Do Individual Investors Consider When Buying Stocks?
AAII Model Portfolio
AAII Stock Screens
A+ Stock Grades
Want more financial education? Learn more about AAII at https://www.aaii.com
ABOUT AAII
The American Association of Individual Investors is an independent, nonprofit corporation formed for the purpose of assisting individuals in becoming effective managers of their own assets through programs of education, information and research.
Individual Investor Show: The Emotional Psychology and Behavior Behind Investing| AAII
April is Financial Capability Month, so it’s a good time to brush up on your investing basics.
In this episode of the Individual Investor Show, Jenna Brashear sits down with Craig Israelsen to chat about his newest article on retirement allocation in the April issue of the AAII Journal. Israelsen argues that even though there is no one perfect asset allocation for everyone during the retirement years, with at least some commitment to equities, there are several viable strategies you can consider.
In the second part of the show, Charles Rotblut talks with Paul Merriman to discuss his recent article, “The Pains and Gains of Investing,” which uses hypothetical performance of five simple equity portfolios to explain different risk measures so that you can choose the ones that matter most to you.
Listen to this episode and learn:
- Various portfolio strategies that you can consider in retirement
- Common portfolio measures of risk and what they tell you
- How to find a winning retirement withdrawal strategy that works with your individual needs
Links and Resources
AAII Journal April 2022 Issue
Retirement Allocation Comparison With Vanguard Funds, by Craig Israelsen
“Start Investing Now: Build Your Investment Portfolio for $5 per month” by Craig Israelsen
The Pains and Gains of Investing, by Paul Merriman
“We’re Talking Millions! 12 Simple Ways to Supercharge Your Retirement,” by Paul Merriman
AAII Asset Allocation
AAII Investor Guides
Want more financial education? Learn more about AAII at https://www.aaii.com
ABOUT AAII
The American Association of Individual Investors is an independent, nonprofit corporation formed for the purpose of assisting individuals in becoming effective managers of their own assets through programs of education, information and research.
Individual Investor Show: Find Your Own Winning Portfolio Strategy | AAII
Investing your hard-earned money in the stock market has never been easier. Every year, technology advances translate into more tools and services for investors. In addition, the cost of investing is lower than ever, and the variety of assets offered by brokers continues to widen. This makes investing more accessible to a larger number of people.
In this episode of the Individual Investor Show, we sit down with AAII’s research team to chat about their findings in our annual discount broker guide. Each year, AAII takes an in-depth look at the current crop of online discount brokers and compares them on their customer service, fee structure, data analysis, educational resources, order interface and more.
Watch this episode and learn:
- How to find the right online discount broker that fits your individual investing needs
- About the overall advantages and disadvantages of choosing certain online brokers over others
- Why you should do your due diligence and research before deciding which broker to use
Online Discount Broker Guide 2022
Online Discount Brokers: Comparing and Contrasting the Older and the New
Other Resources About Online Discount Brokers
Types of Brokerage Accounts
How to Choose a Brokerage Firm
Brokerage Account Management
Minimum Disclosure by Brokers and Advisers
Are You Protected If Your Broker Goes Bankrupt?
Resources for Checking Out an Adviser or Broker
How Schwab Invests, and His Views on the Broker Industry
Want more financial education? Learn more about AAII at https://www.aaii.com
ABOUT AAII
The American Association of Individual Investors is an independent, nonprofit corporation formed for the purpose of assisting individuals in becoming effective managers of their own assets through programs of education, information and research.
Individual Investor Show: The Discount Broker Face-Off | AAII
For this week’s Individual Investor Show, Charles Rotblut chats with retirement researcher Wade Pfau on the various experiences and decisions retirees commonly face when approaching this new life stage. Their discussion highlights the pros and cons of different withdrawal and allocation strategies, as well as how to factor in worst-case scenarios for your early years of retirement to ensure your portfolio lasts.
In the second portion of the broadcast, we talk with Matt Bajkowski about his recent article on intermediate-term bond mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). His discoveries about the benefits and risks of this fixed-income category can help you decide if they might work for the income portion of your retirement portfolio.
Watch this episode and learn:
- About different withdrawal and allocation strategies
- How to protect your retirement portfolio from a worst-case scenario
- Which intermediate-term bond funds are topping the list for five-year return
Retirement Segment
March 2022 AAII Journal
A New Perspective on Withdrawal and Allocation Strategies for Retirees, by Wade Pfau
“Retirement Planning Guidebook: Navigating the Important Decisions” (2021), by Wade Pfau
Bond Funds Segment
The Benefits and Risks of Intermediate Bond Funds, by Matthew Bajkowski
Understanding Bond Yields, by Matthew Bajkowski
AAII Funds+ Screener
AAII Asset Allocation Models
AAII Bond Investing Ideas
Top/Bottom Performing Funds
Consistent Fund Performers
Want more financial education? Learn more about AAII at: https://www.aaii.com
ABOUT AAII
The American Association of Individual Investors is an independent, nonprofit corporation formed for the purpose of assisting individuals in becoming effective managers of their own assets through programs of education, information and research.
Individual Investor Show: What to Do After the Retirement Party Ends | AAII
For this week’s Individual Investor Show, Charles Rotblut and Jenna Brashear take a look at AAII’s asset class heat map, which ranks the annual returns for each of the asset class groups used in the AAII Asset Allocation Models over the past 10 years. They discuss how this heat map demonstrates the benefits of diversification and how analyzing these results can help you become a more diversified individual investor.
In the second part of the broadcast, we sit down with Matt Bajkowski to discuss his article, “Understanding Risk-Adjusted Returns via the Sharpe Ratio,” which focuses on the key relationship between risk and return and how vital it is to be compensated for taking on extra risk. Bajkowski delves specifically into how the Sharpe ratio can help you assess whether the risk of a security is justified by its return.
Watch this episode and learn:
- How to effectively use the Sharpe ratio to become risk averse
- Why investors should expect compensation for a riskier investment
- How to read the AAII asset class heat map and apply it to your 2022 allocation strategy
Asset Class Segment
Asset Class Group Performance: Large Caps Lead in 2021 by Charles Rotblut, CFA
Asset Allocation Models
AAII PRISM Academy
AAII Website: Learn & Plan
Asset Allocation Survey
Risk-Adjusted Returns Segment
Online Exclusive: Understanding Risk-Adjusted Returns via the Sharpe Ratio by Matthew Bajkowski
Mutual Funds Ideas
Compare Mutual Funds
ETF Ideas
Compare ETFs
Other Links
AAII Journal: February 2022 Issue
Register for Upcoming AAII Webinars
Want more financial education? Learn more about AAII at https://www.aaii.com
ABOUT AAII
The American Association of Individual Investors is an independent, nonprofit corporation formed for the purpose of assisting individuals in becoming effective managers of their own assets through programs of education, information and research.
Individual Investor Show: Improve Your Allocation by Gauging Risk and Ranking Asset Returns | AAII
The American Association of Individual Investors held a webinar event on Wednesday, February 2, 2022.
For this week’s Individual Investor Show, we sit down with Charles Rotblut to delve into our annual mutual fund and exchange-traded fund (ETF) guides and reveal on which funds made the 2022 cut. We analyze the top- as well as the worst-performing mutual funds and ETFs, specific trends we’ve noticed and anything new or noteworthy. Hear about the criteria Rotblut uses to weed out the “fads” from the “fabs.”
In the second part of the broadcast, we chat with Matt Bajkowski on his article, “The Benefits and Risks of Small-Cap Funds,” which highlights the good, bad and ugly of diversifying your portfolio with small-cap funds. You won’t want to miss out on these two thought-provoking discussions covering everything you need to know about investing in mutual funds and ETFs in 2022.
Listen to this episode and learn:
- Which mutual funds and ETFs made the cut for the 2022 guides
- Current trends, as well as noteworthy players in the fund universe
- The overall benefits and risks associated with small-cap funds
Small-Cap Funds Segment
The Benefits and Risks of Small-Cap Funds by Matthew Bajkowski in the January 2022 AAII Journal (https://www.aaii.com/journal/article/15529-the-benefits-and-risks-of-small-cap-funds)
Annual Funds & ETF Guides Segment
Guide to the Top Mutual Funds (https://www.aaii.com/journal/article/15934-the-individual-investors-guide-to-the-top-mutual-funds-2022)
Guide to the Top ETFs (https://www.aaii.com/journal/article/15935-the-individual-investors-guide-to-the-top-etfs-2022)
Guidelines for Selecting Mutual Funds and ETFs (https://www.aaii.com/journal/article/13930-guidelines-for-selecting-mutual-funds-and-etfs)
A+ Investor suite of tools (https://www.aaii.com/plus)
Want more financial education? Learn more about AAII at https://www.aaii.com
ABOUT AAII
The American Association of Individual Investors is an independent, nonprofit corporation formed for the purpose of assisting individuals in becoming effective managers of their own assets through programs of education, information and research.
The American Association of Individual Investors held an event on Wednesday, January 19, 2022.
With AAII providing unbiased educational resources to investors since 1978, AAII members have seen it all. Whether you’re a veteran member or just joined, we know you’re excited to see our end-of-year stock screen wrap-up.
We sit down with AAII financial analysts Charles Rotblut, Derek Hageman and Wayne Thorp as we review our numerous stock screens to see which ones outperformed the market in 2021, which ones surprised us and which ones fell short, if any.
You won’t want to miss this enlightening panel discussion with the men behind the numbers.
Listen to this episode and learn:
- New additions and enhancements to the AAII stock screen arsenal
- How our stock screens performed over the last year, the best and the worst
- How to utilize our numerous stock screens and tools to invest with confidence in 2022
Check out the full stock screen end-of-year review at https://www.aaii.com/journal.
ABOUT AAII
The American Association of Individual Investors is an independent, nonprofit corporation formed for the purpose of assisting individuals in becoming effective managers of their own assets through programs of education, information and research.
Want more financial education? Learn more about AAII at https://www.aaii.com
The American Association of Individual Investors held a video event on Wednesday, January 5, 2021.
Many stock investors fail to vote on corporate board nominees and other company issues when they receive their proxy statement.
For this week’s Individual Investor Show, we are excited to chat with Charles Rotblut about why it’s important to vote your proxy and how to approach the various sections of the form.
In the second part of tonight’s broadcast, we sit down with John Bajkowski for an update on AAII’s Model Shadow Stock Portfolio. He’ll discuss its performance over 2021 and explain any changes that were made to the portfolio during its fourth-quarter review.
Listen to this episode and learn:
-The impact you can have as a stock owner by voting your proxy
-How to address the issues contained in a proxy statement
-What’s new with AAII’s popular Shadow Stocks
AAII Journal January 2022
https://www.aaii.com/journal
ABOUT AAII
The American Association of Individual Investors is an independent, nonprofit corporation formed for the purpose of assisting individuals in becoming effective managers of their own assets through programs of education, information and research. Individual Investor Show: Two Easy Ways to Take Control of Your Stock Investing | AAII