Sound Investing

Get Out While You Can or Stay the Course

Paul opens with news of a new opportunity to reach young investors: a five-part series for Next Generation Personal Finance (NGPF.org), available to some 150,000 teachers

The Investing Myths That Cost a Fortune

WATCH THE VIDEO It was a pleasure to be invited back on System Trader with Jack Lempart. Here is a list of the main topics we covered: CHAPTERS 0:53 • My own biggest mis

Paul and Chris Follow-Up: The Rick Ferri Small-Cap Value Debate

Paul and Chris reflect on Paul’s recent discussion with Rick Ferri. Paul adds information he wished he’d included, and Chris reacts to Paul and Rick’s positions. Together

Paul Merriman and Rick Ferri: A Conversation Decades in the Making

Watch the video here. Paul sits down with Rick Ferri — not for a debate, but for the kind of honest conversation two people can only have after spending their careers ch

Preparing for an upcoming debate with Rick Ferri: Total Market portfolios

This Friday I'm sitting down with my friend Rick Ferri for a debate that I think matters a great deal, even though — or maybe because — Rick and I agree on almost everyth

Finding the Perfect Advisor, a Battle Over Words and VT vs. AVGE

Paul returns from three days at the Garrett Planning Network retreat with a lesson that has almost nothing to do with investments — and everything to do with getting your

AVGV, Truth Tellers, AI and Finding Your Why

Paul discusses his upcoming trip to Minneapolis to address almost 100 hourly financial planners at the Garrett Planning Network annual retreat — then shows, in real time,

Stuff Happens: Perspective From Ben Carlson's Risk and Reward

The hardest part of investing isn't choosing funds — it's building a set of beliefs strong enough to keep you disciplined when the market, the news, and your own emotions

Is it possible that factor investing won't work?

A longtime listener wrote in after watching a Ben Felix video making the point that factor investing may not beat the S&P 500 by the end of an investor’s lifetime — and c

Back from the Baltic and 12 of your questions

Paul returns from a two-week Baltic cruise refreshed and ready to dig into the numbers. He opens with a 12-month performance review of the recommended portfolios at Avant

They're Back... Talking Real Money - Investing Talk

I joined my longtime friend Tom Cock for a special edition of Talking Real Money — a wide-ranging conversation about the evolution of indexing, the proposed changes to th

Ben Carlson and Paul Merriman on Full Disclosure

Paul Merriman joins host Roben Farzad on Full Disclosure for a rare conversation alongside Ben Carlson, director of institutional asset management at Ritholtz Wealth and

Evidence-Based Investing, Index Funds & Staying the Course

I recently sat down with Steve Chen on his Boldin Your Money podcast for a wide-ranging conversation about evidence-based investing — and why it matters more than ever in

Paul & Chris Tackle 10 of your Investing Questions

Paul and Chris answer 10 listener questions in one hour — covering asset allocation, investor behavior, funds, indexes, and fund management. They also dig into Daryl Bahl

Mike Piper- Bainbridge Financial Literacy Series 2026

In Session 3 of the 2026 Bainbridge Community Foundation Spring Financial Education Series, Paul sits down with Mike Piper — CPA, Personal Financial Specialist, and the v

Automating Your Portfolio: M1 Finance vs. Fidelity Basket Portfolios

In the final episode of the 2026 Boot Camp series, Paul Merriman sits down with Chris Pedersen and Daryl Bahls to tackle the last fork in the road every investor faces: h

Bill Bernstein: 50 Years of Investing Wisdom

In this interview from the 2026 Bainbridge Community Foundation Annual Financial Education Series, Paul sits down with Bill Bernstein — neurologist, financial historian,

Boot Camp #9 - 2 Funds for Life and Target-Date Funds

Chris and Paul explain what target-date funds are and do, and how to augment them with some small-cap value to get the broad diversification benefits of the other Sound I

Q&A With Chris Pedersen and Daryl Bahls: Thinking Through Your Portfolio Choices

Paul sits down with Chris Pedersen and Daryl Bahls for the first Q&A session in months — and this one is built around the questions readers and listeners ask most often.

2026 Best in Class ETF Portfolios

Paul and Chris introduce the new Avantis and DFA Best-in-Class fund family recommendations and talk about the shift away from evaluating and recommending à la carte choic