Risk Parity Radio
Risk Parity Radio is a podcast about investing located at www.riskparityradio.com. RPR explores risk-parity style portfolios comprised of uncorrelated or negatively correlated asset classes -- stocks, selected bonds, gold, managed futures, and other easily accessible fund options for the DIY investor. The goal is to construct portfolios that are robust and can be drawn down on in perpetuity, and to maximize projected Safe Withdrawal Rates regardless of projected overall returns.
Episodes
536 episodes
Episode 534: An RPC Free Portfolio Organizer, Assorted Asset Questions, And How Risk-Parity Style Portfolios Alleviate Concerns About "High Market Valuations" By Design
In this episode we answer emails from Kelly and Jose (Joe). We discuss simple spreadsheet applications for organizing portfolios, review a planned risk-parity style portfolio, discuss issues with transitioning and international fund choic...
Episode 533: Learning Some Things From Wes Gray, A Long-Term Correlation Matrix, A Listener's New Financial Practice, And Portfolio Reviews As Of August 14, 2026
In this episode we answer emails from Optimus Bill, Mark, and Drew. We discuss a paper about value factor investing from Wes Gray, Section 351 exchanges, how to stick with the horse your rode in on, a long-run correlation analysis of vari...
Episode 532: SBLOCs Vs. Margin Accounts, Jumping The Shark, And A Variable Withdrawal Strategy
In this episode we answer emails from Optimus Bill, Pete, and Andy. We discuss SBLOCs vs margin accounts for liquidity in retirement, what "jumping the shark" looks like in blog form and why its a bad idea for all involved, and a listener...
Episode 531: Expressing Our Heartfelt Gratitude, Working With Asset Choice Constraints, And Portfolio Reviews As Of August 7, 2026
In this episode we respond to emails from Thirsty Horse, Joanne, Matt and Alan. We share our gratitude for our listeners and reflect on how a listener community can become one of the most meaningful outcomes of a long-term investing proje...
Episode 530: Choosing Levered Funds (Gambling Problems!), Balancing Portfolio Goals And Trade-offs, And Fun With A ChatGPT Analysis
In this episode we answer emails from Eli, Optimus Bill, and James. We discuss variations in fund approaches for adding leverage, when fees are more likely to matter, what kinds of people and goals can benefit from risk parity style appro...
Episode 529: Handling Retirement Drawdowns, An RPR Portfolio With Large Cap Momentum, Investing In Your Health, And Portfolio Reviews As Of July 31, 2026
In this episode we answer emails from Luc, (from Quebec!), Nick, and Isaiah. We discuss surviving ugly drawdowns and bad decades, building a risk parity portfolio that still grows, momentum funds, avoiding fund hopping, and treating healt...
Episode 528: Our Annual Portfolio Rebalancings, Implementing A Sample Reverse Glide Path, And Thanking Our Listeners For Their Kindness And Generosity
We close season six by walking through our annual July rebalancings of the first four sample risk parity style portfolios and talking about their raison d'être. We also share a practical reverse glide path strategy that we plan to apply to the ...
Episode 527: Test Portfolios, Incorporating A Forced Cash Build-Up, Assets For Inflation, And An Update On Mom
In this episode we answer emails from The Nameless One, Jebenizer, and C.M. We discuss practice drawdown portfolios, an unusual deferred pension cash build-up situation and how to handle it, assets that benefit from inflation, and simple rules ...
Episode 526: Celebrating Your Generosity, Some Unusual Cowbell, Young Listener Correlation Questions, Investing A Windfall, And Portfolio Reviews As Of July 10, 2026
In this episode we answer emails from I Have No Name, Shellie, Midwest Nice, and Mr. Ed (a motley crew indeed!). We discuss some massively funny generosity to our Top of the T-Shirt Campaign for the Father McKenna Center, an odd small cap...
Episode 525: Guiding Young America's Teachers, Assessing Academic TIPS Ladder Nonsense, And Checking Out A Cat Bond ETF
In this episode we answer emails from Ethan, Joe, and Jim. We discuss a plan for young teachers to reach early financial independence with the right accounts and a little encouragement, the peculiar benefits of 457s and Roth contributions...
Episode 524: Celebrating Listener Retirements And Generosity, Fun With Claude, Jeremy Grantham Says Buy Gold And Long Bonds, And Portfolio Reviews As Of July 3, 2026
In this episode we answer emails from Joe, Ashley, and Chris. First, we celebrate the early retirements and generosity of our listeners, spotlighting what retirement feels like when it is driven by joy and choice instead of fear. Then we ...
Episode 523: Funding A Family Gap Year Without Derailing FI, A Cowbell History, And Assorted AUM Advisor Follies And Conflicts
In this episode we answer emails from Sarah, Tyler and Luc. We Sarah's detailed plan to take a one to two year family gap year, travel, and unpack tax-smart ways to fund short-term spending, why we keep long-term money invested simply, mo...
Episode 522: Intermediate Accumulation Decisions, The Follies Of Errant Fund Substitutions And Holding Too Much Cash, And Portfolio Reviews As Of June 26, 2026
In this episode we answer emails from Tim, Avid Listener, and Aaron. We discuss bond allocation in an intermediate accumulation Golden Butterfly style portfolios, the follies of fixating on fund or ticker symbol returns instead of the pur...
Episode 521: To Bridge Or Not To Bridge, The Follies Of Fund Picking, And Adjusting Risk Parity Styles Along The Efficient Frontier
In this episode we answer emails from Michael, Raphy, and Roman. We discuss using a short-term SPIA as a bridge before Social Security and why it probably doesn't matter one way or the other if you are even a little over-saved, and how mu...
Episode 520: Lies, D%&* Lies, And Insurance Marketing Of Perpetual Motion Machines, Tim And Gwen's Musical Tastes, And Portfolio Reviews As Of June 19, 2026
In this episode we answer emails from Wilson, Tim, and John. We discuss why life insurance products are not magical perpetual motion machines that make your portfolios go faster, why insurance contracts cannot outperform the same underlyi...
Episode 519: Quitting The Job Without Quitting The Plan, Portfolio And Tax Consideration, And Gambling With Uncle Rico (ChatGPT)
In this episode we answer emails from Peter, Alejandro, and Anderson. We discuss retiring early and related family, work and community considerations, various portfolio and tax considerations and gambling problems, AI-driven portfolio twe...
Episode 518: Top Of The T-Shirt Campaign (Part Deux!) Kick-Off, Fun With Assorted Listener Allocations And Crystal Balls, And Portfolio Reviews As Of June 12, 2026
In this episode we first kick off the Top of the T-Shirt Campaign Part Deux (!) for the Father McKenna Center and explain why matching funds, donated resources, and volunteers make every dollar go further. Then we answer emails from Aaron, Host...
Episode 517: A FIRE Portfolio Reality Check, Diversification Perceptions And Misperceptions, And STRIPS
In episode we answer emails from Nick, Patrick and Aaron. We discuss matching goals with portfolios for an early FI person, review an Early Retirement Now blog post about diversification misperceptions, and discuss using STRIPS funds inst...
Episode 516: Using RPR To Build Friendships, Worldwide Gold Market Realities, And Portfolio Reviews As Of June 5, 2026
In this episode we answer emails from Optimus Bill, Arun, and Aaron. We discuss why we do this show, how to build real friendships as an adult, and how to think clearly about investing without chasing fame or noise. Then we challenge the ...
Episode 515: Practical Continuity Considerations For Your Family And Why Popular Fear-Based Hoarding Plans Are Highly Undesirable
In this episode we answer emails from Mark and Eric. We discuss managing finances through aging, dementia, and what happens when the family’s primary money manager can’t manage anymore. Then we challenge popular fear-based retirement thin...
Episode 514: FI-lanthropy Friendly Portfolios, Solving A Transition Quandary, Golden Bow Ties, And Portfolio Reviews As Of May 29, 2026
In this jam-packed crushed-fresh stone-solid hour-busting episode we do a trifecta response to one most excellent email from Rebecca. We discuss portfolios for FI-lanthropy, options and resources for making a transition from a 100% stock ...
Episode 513: The Perils Of All-Bond Portfolios And Over-Simplification, Choose FI, Muddled Thinking About Index Funds, And Why You Don't Need To Overplan Decades In Advance
In this episode we answer question from Rob, Matthew, and Luke. We discuss the pitfalls of trying to rely on an all-bond portfolio in retirement and better options, the problems with over-valuing financial simplicity over good living, the...
Episode 512: Avoiding Level Two-Thinking Foibles And CAPE'd Crystal Balls, Basic Accumulation, Talking To Optimus Bill, And Portfolio Reviews As Of May 22, 2026
In this episode we answer emails from TJ, Jose and Optimus Bill. We discuss the foibles of trying to catch up via investment picking if you are behind on retirement, debunk CAPE-style and other crystal ball forecasts from "experts" that L...
Episode 511: Missives From Canada, Superman, Parsing Small Cap Funds, And More Fun With AI Creations
In this episode we answer emails from Luc, Deep, and Paul. We discuss the French Canadian "Sak kosh" portfolio, try to help out the elder Sonia sleep well at night, distinguishing small cap blend funds from small cap value funds, and shar...
Episode 510: Charitable Giving, Transitioning From A Single Stock Collection, Using Margin At Interactive Brokers, An Inflation Study, And Portfolio Reviews As Of May 15, 2026
In this episode we answer emails from Geraldo, Rock, Ute. We discuss how to give well, shifting from big-name school donations to smaller charities with immediate impact, moving from individual stocks to a Golden Butterfly style portfolio...