Sound Investing

In this special office-hours session, Albert and I answer the questions teachers have been sending in across our four NGPF classroom sessions — more than 500 educators strong.We move fast and cover a lot of ground:1. How a young person can open a first investment account (and why $1 is all it takes to start at Fidelity) 02:362. My favorite books on saving, investing and index funds 10:583. The best free websites and videos for teachers and students 12:514. How to make inflation real in the classroom — yes, the bubble-gum story 19:195. Why asset classes like small-cap value and large-cap growth behave so differently 25:156. A live walk-through of Morningstar’s style boxes and the chart function 34:457. Advice for reaching first-generation and lower-income students 47:248. What would be the job to suggest to a middle schooler to get them more interested in math and economics?Whether you teach this material or you’re just getting started yourself, I think you’ll find something here you can put to use.Watch video

Harry Markowitz called diversification "the only free lunch in finance." In this session, part of Paul's series for Next Gen Personal Finance educators, Paul Merriman explains what that means in practice, and why a well-diversified portfolio can help investors stay the course through good markets and bad.Paul covers the history and math behind diversification, from Don Quixote's "don't put all your eggs in one basket" to Warren Buffett, Charlie Munger, and Sir John Templeton. He explains the three kinds of risk investors face (company, market, and asset class), and shows how the "lost decade" of 2000–2009 hit S&P 500 investors hard while more diversified portfolios kept growing.You'll also hear:How adding small "baby steps" of large cap value, small cap, and REITs added about 1% a year to returns since 1970Why the two-fund strategy (half S&P 500, half small cap value) may be less risky than it looksWhat a young investor putting away as little as $1,000 a year could build over a lifetimeA simple "ultimate buy and hold" for hands-off investors: a target date fund plus a slice of small cap valuePlus, Paul shares a free book from market historian Bill Bernstein.Watch on YouTube: youtu.be/MDqaIojI8TEFree book: If You Can: How Millennials Can Get Rich SlowlyTables and research: paulmerriman.com/data-tablesSend your questions to Paul at [email protected] (include "NGPF" in the subject line)

WATCH THE VIDEOWant to build a multi-million-dollar retirement portfolio without gambling on single stocks? This is the first session of the four-part series I recorded for the teachers of Next Gen Personal Finance — and I’m sharing it here with you. In it, I break down the timeless principles, the math and the market history every long-term investor needs to know.WHAT YOU’LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE• The Math of Compounding [01:43] — how finding an extra 0.5% to 1% in returns — or starting just five years earlier — can add millions to your lifetime wealth.• The Power of Starting Early [09:48] — why your initial investment years build your foundation, and how both bull and bear markets work in favor of young, disciplined savers.• Budgeting Strategy [19:43] — applying the “Pay Yourself First” rule and the 50/30/20 framework to establish sustainable saving habits.• Stocks vs. Bonds [22:44] — understanding why stocks are low-risk for long-term growth, while bonds carry inflation risk over decades.• Market Diversification [30:08] — why 4% of companies generate nearly all stock-market gains, and how owning total-market index funds ensures you don’t miss out on them.• Equity Asset Classes [37:59] — comparing large-cap blend, large-cap value, small-cap blend and small-cap value to reduce volatility and boost returns.• Target-Date Funds [49:38] — why automated, age-tailored allocation helps investors stay the course and avoid emotional mistakes.Tune in to discover how staying the course, keeping expenses low, and letting history guide your strategy can transform your financial future.Join us next week for The #1 Reason to Invest in Index Funds.