The Bond Funds I Use To Protect My Retirement Portfolio (FQF)

Rob Berger February 14, 2025
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Rob Berger

@rob_berger

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This channel is dedicated to helping you achieve financial freedom. Videos cover everything from getting out of debt to investing for the very first time. TOPICS: --Getting out of debt --Creating a budget that works --Investing for retirement in a 401(k) or IRA --Buying a home --Improving your credit --Understanding insurance --Managing student loans --Finding the best banks and credit cards --Saving money ABOUT ME: I've been writing about personal finance and investing since 2007. After spending 25 years as a securities lawyer in Washington DC, I retired in 2016 to run my personal finance blog full time. Since then I've sold the blog, and now serve as the Deputy Editor of Forbes Money Advisor. I'm also the author of Retire Before Mom and Dad--The Simple Numbers Behind a Lifetime of Financial Freedom.

Video Description

Welcome back to another edition of Five Question Friday (FQF). Here are today's questions: 1. what bond funds do I use in my portfolio? 2. Do you really need an emergency fund? 3. How does living off interest work with Bengen's 4% rule? 4. How to track money market funds in my investment tracking spreadsheet? 5. Are money market funds better than intermediate-term bond funds? Resources: Big ERN article: - https://earlyretirementnow.com/2016/05/05/emergency-fund/ Bengen article: https://www.financialplanningassociation.org/sites/default/files/2021-10/DEC97%20JFP%20Bengen%20PDF.pdf NOTE: The Bengen article is the third in his series, not the second as I stated in the video. My Investment Tracking Spreadsheet: https://robberger.com/investment-tracking-spreadsheet/ FIPDX: https://fundresearch.fidelity.com/mutual-funds/summary/31635T104 SGOV: https://www.morningstar.com/etfs/arcx/sgov/quote VBIL: https://www.morningstar.com/etfs/xnas/vbil/quote VMFXX: https://investor.vanguard.com/investment-products/mutual-funds/profile/vmfxx#performance-fees 0:00 - Intro 1:13 - What bond funds do I use in my portfolio? 7:07 - Do you really need an emergency fund? 11:42 - How does living off interest work with Bengen's 4% rule? 17:18 - How to track money market funds in my investment tracking spreadsheet? 20:35 - Are money market funds better than intermediate-term bond funds? *Join the Newsletter. It's Free:* https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm_source=Rob+Berger&utm_medium=ATF+Link&utm_campaign=Newsletter&utm_id=YouTube *Financial tools I use:* *I track all of my investments, performance, fees, and asset allocation with Empower. It's Free:* https://robberger.com/empower *My retirement plan comes from New Retirement, the most robust retirement planner available at a reasonable cost:* https://robberger.com/new-retirement *I used Capitalize for my last 401(k) rollover. They did all of the work, and it's Free:* https://robberger.com/capitalize *My budgeting tool of choice is Tiller. It downloads all your banking data to Excel or Google Sheets:* https://robberger.com/tiller *We save and invest our credit card rewards. Here are some of my favorite credit cards:* https://www.allcards.com/best-credit-card-offers/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video+Links&utm_campaign=tools *My Book (Retire Before Mom and Dad):* https://amzn.to/4d9qbhA #retirement #investing #robberger ABOUT ME While still working as a trial attorney in the securities field, I started writing about personal finance and investing In 2007. In 2013 I started the Doughroller Money Podcast, which has been downloaded millions of times. I've since sold my websites, bought them back, and started a new website and this YouTube channel. I'm also the author of Retire Before Mom and Dad--The Simple Numbers Behind a Lifetime of Financial Freedom (https://amzn.to/3by10EE) LET'S CONNECT Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9C17-OMxa-7oRSaCtztObw?sub_confirmation=1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/financialfreedomguy/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Robert_A_Berger DISCLAIMER: I am not a financial adviser. These videos are for educational purposes only. Investing of any kind involves risk. Your investment and other financial decisions are solely your responsibility. It is imperative that you conduct your own research and seek professional advice as necessary. I am merely sharing my opinions. AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: Some of the links on this channel are affiliate links, meaning at no cost to you I earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase and/or subscribe. However, I only recommend products or services that (1) I believe in and (2) would recommend to my own mom.

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