The Rational Reminder Podcast

• Episode 354 - Jason Pereira: Expert Financial Planning

  Beyond the sales pitches, acronyms, and product talk, what does it mean to be a financial planner? In this episode of the Rational Reminder Podcast, we sit down with long-time industry leader and advocate Jason Pereira. Jason is a Canadian financial planner with over 20 years of experience, dual CFP certification (Canada and US), and a passion for professionalizing the field. In our conversation, Jason shares details about his client-centred investment philosophy, explains why fiduciary duty is foundational, and unpacks the complexities of index fund adoption in Canada. We also delve into the barriers to transparent, evidence-based advice, the true role of a financial planner, the impact of the Fintech revolution, and the pros and cons of mortality pooling. He also challenges common myths surrounding financial planning, shares best practices for vetting financial advisors, and explains why the industry is long overdue for a transformation. Join us for career insights, cautionary tales, and forward-looking ideas that challenge the conventional thinking of what financial planning is, with Jason Pereira! Key Points From This Episode:   (0:05:13) Jason’s core investment philosophy and perspective on factor-based indexing. (0:07:15) Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) trends and client conversations. (0:12:36) What fiduciary duty means, why it matters, and why some institutions fight against it.  (0:18:09) Unpack the complexities of why Canada is behind the US in index fund adoption. (0:20:52) Learn about the true role and common misconceptions of a financial planner. (0:24:30) Explore how technology and the rise of generative AI are changing financial planning. (0:31:55) How advisors can maintain strong personal relationships with clients in a digital world. (0:37:00) Find out what a high-quality financial plan looks like and what it covers. (0:39:44) His favourite financial planning-related argument to get into on the internet. (0:41:20) Uncover how mortality and annuities should influence financial planning. (0:48:06) Permanent life insurance explained: best use cases and when to avoid. (0:50:48) Jason shares his nerdiest and most broadly applicable financial planning advice. (0:53:29) He explains the best practices for estimating a client’s life expectancy.  (0:56:48) A breakdown of financial planner designations and how to vet a financial planner. (1:03:59) Hear about his expert witness work and the costs of bad advice. (1:08:55) Discover why Jason chooses to fight against financial misinformation online. (1:11:18) The origins and vision of FPAC and Jason’s definition of success.    Links From Today’s Episode: Meet with PWL Capital: https://calendly.com/d/3vm-t2j-h3p Rational Reminder on iTunes — https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-rational-reminder-podcast/id1426530582. Rational Reminder Website — https://rationalreminder.ca/  Rational Reminder on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/rationalreminder/ Rational Reminder on X — https://x.com/RationalRemind Rational Reminder on TikTok — www.tiktok.com/@rationalreminder Rational Reminder on YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/channel/ Rational Reminder Email — [email protected] Benjamin Felix — https://pwlcapital.com/our-team/ Benjamin on X — https://x.com/benjaminwfelix Benjamin on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminwfelix/ Cameron Passmore — https://pwlcapital.com/our-team/ Cameron on X — https://x.com/CameronPassmore Cameron on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameronpassmore/` Jason Pereira — https://jasonpereira.ca/ Jason Pereira on Facebook — https://facebook.com/jasonpereirafinancialplanner/ Jason Pereira on X — https://x.com/jasonpereira Jason Pereira on LinkedIn — https://linkedin.com/in/pereirajm Jason Pereira on YouTube — https://youtube.com/@jasonperieraFP The Fintech Impact Podcast — https://jasonpereira.ca/the-fintech-impact-podcast-jason-pereira Conquest Planning — https://conquestplanning.com/en-ca/home Replit — https://replit.com/ FP Canada — https://fpcanada.ca/ Financial Planning Association of Canada (FPAC) — https://fpassociation.ca/ Episode 188: Prof. Ayelet Fishbach — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/188 Episode 236: Harold Geller — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/236   Papers From Today’s Episode:    ‘Current Practices for Risk Profiling in Canada and Review of Global Best Practices’ — https://osc.ca/sites/default/files/2021-02/iap_20151112_risk-profiling-report.pdf ‘Financial Risk Tolerance: A Psychometric Review’ — https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3088292

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• Episode 353 – AMA #5

  The fifth installment of our Ask Me Anything sessions begins with the inevitable volatility of the stock market as we urge investors to remain calm amidst recent US stock declines. Similarly, we unpack the historical resilience of stock markets and offer advice for dealing with market crashes before discussing why bonds are not the best strategy for boosting returns. We examine the proposed Alberta Pension Plan, the Rational Reminder Podcast guests whose impact still ripples across PWL, how to be a PWL-style advisor, and we revisit the DFA versus Vanguard debate. We also explain why spending rules aren’t for us at PWL, the relationship between the amount to withdraw and the stock/bond allocation, and alternatives for short-term horizon investing, saving, and equities. To end, we hear feedback from Atti Ilmanen as well as reviews from listeners, but before all that, Mark McGrath shares bittersweet news! Stay tuned for an episode full of reflection, strategy, and insight.   Key Points From This Episode:   (0:01:13) The inevitability of market volatility and the historical resilience of stock markets. (0:13:04) How to approach a volatile market and advice for dealing with a market crash.  (0:18:06) Why bonds are not a return-enhancing strategy. (0:21:04) A brief examination of the proposed Alberta Pension Plan. (0:25:02) Impactful guests who have influenced how we work at PWL Capital. (0:33:25) How to be a PWL-style advisor. (0:35:37) Weighing Dimensional funds (DFA) against Vanguard and others.  (0:41:57) Why spending rules aren’t really our thing.  (0:44:56) The relationship between the amount to withdraw and the stock/bond allocation. (0:49:50) Exploring alternatives for short-term horizon investing, saving, and equities. (0:57:00) An important announcement from Mark! (1:02:51) The Aftershow: feedback from Antti Ilmanen, listener reviews, and final thoughts.    Links From Today’s Episode: Meet with PWL Capital — https://calendly.com/d/3vm-t2j-h3p Rational Reminder on iTunes — https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-rational-reminder-podcast/id1426530582. Rational Reminder Website — https://rationalreminder.ca/  Rational Reminder on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/rationalreminder/ Rational Reminder on X — https://x.com/RationalRemindRational Reminder on TikTok — www.tiktok.com/@rationalreminder Rational Reminder on YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/channel/ Rational Reminder Email — [email protected] Felix — https://pwlcapital.com/our-team/ Benjamin on X — https://x.com/benjaminwfelix Benjamin on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminwfelix/ Dan Bortolotti on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-bortolotti-8a482310/ Mark McGrath on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmcgrathcfp/ Mark McGrath on X — https://x.com/MarkMcGrathCFP Episode 248: Prof. William Goetzmann: Learning from Financial Market History — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/248   Episode 100: Prof. Kenneth French: Expect the Unexpected — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/100  Episode 352: Jessica Moorhouse: Everything But Money — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/352   Episode 316: Andrew Chen: "Is everything I was taught about cross-sectional asset pricing wrong?!" — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/316  Episode 224: Prof. Scott Cederburg: Long-Horizon Losses in Stocks, Bonds, and Bills — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/224  Episode 284: Prof. Scott Cederburg: Challenging the Status Quo on Lifecycle Asset Allocation — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/284  Episode 350: Scott Cederburg: A Critical Assessment of Lifecycle Investment Advice — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/350  Episode 89: Wade Pfau: Safety-First: A Sensible Approach to Retirement Income Planning — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/89  Episode 289: Retiring Retirement Income Myths with the Retirement Income Dream Team — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/289  Episode 122: Prof. Moshe Milevsky: Solving the Retirement Equation — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/122  Episode 59: Alexandra Macqueen: Financial Economics and Annuities: Rational Planning for Retirement — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/59  Episode 283: When Volatility is Risk, and Introducing The Money Scope Podcast — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/283  Episode 351: DFA vs. Vanguard — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/351  Episode 254: David Blanchett: Regret Optimized Portfolios, and Optimal Retirement Income — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/254  Episode 152: Evaluating Systematic Equity Strategies — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/152  Episode 347: The Case for Index Funds — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/347  Episode 281: Lifecycle Asset Allocation, and Retiring Successfully with Justin King — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/281  Episode 315: An Update from Avantis with Eduardo Repetto — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/315  Alberta Pension Plan — https://www.albertapensionplan.ca/  Financial Planning Association of Canada — https://www.fpassociation.ca/  Hook — https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102057/  Antti Ilmanen | AQR — https://www.aqr.com/About-Us/OurFirm/Antti-Ilmanen    Books From Today’s Episode:    The Great Depression: A Diary — https://www.amazon.com/dp/1586489011  Narrative Economics: How Stories Go Viral and Drive — https://www.amazon.com/dp/0691182299    Papers From Today’s Episode:    ‘Negative Bubbles: What Happens after a Crash’ — https://ssrn.com/abstract=3038658  ‘Beyond the Status Quo: A Critical Assessment of Lifecycle Investment Advice’ — https://ssrn.com/abstract=4590406   ‘Financially Sound Households Use Financial Planners, Not Transactional Advisers’ — https://www.financialplanningassociation.org/sites/default/files/2023-01/APR19%20Blanchett.pdf  ‘Finding and Funding a Good Life’ — https://pwlcapital.com/finding-and-funding-a-good-life/ 

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• Episode 352 – Jessica Moorhouse: Everything But Money

  What if the key to financial success isn’t just a better budget, but a better understanding of your relationship with money? In this episode of the Rational Reminder Podcast, Ben and Dan sit down with Jessica Moorhouse to delve into the ins and outs of personal finance. Jessica is a money expert, Accredited Financial Counsellor Canada®, speaker, and bestselling author of Everything but Money. She is also the host of the More Money Podcast, one of Canada’s leading personal finance shows. During today’s conversation, Jessica unpacks the difference between a financial planner and a counsellor and why empathy is the missing piece in personal finance. Find out how different emotions and early memories of money can influence our perspective on personal finance, hear why understanding your relationship with money is so important, and learn about common financial behaviours to avoid. Jessica also delves into the value of understanding past traumas, the power of intergenerational money experiences, and whether mental health or a financial foundation is more important. Tune in now!   Key Points From This Episode:   (0:02:50) Uncover the difference between a financial counsellor and a financial planner. (0:05:55) Her approach to working with clients and meeting their non-financial needs. (0:09:15) Find out what is missing in personal finance and why it is essential. (0:11:39) How shame impacts financial decision-making and common sources of shame. (0:14:50) Ways relative financial well-being and privilege shape our perspective of money. (0:19:46) Hear how to overcome financial shame and how it differs from feelings of guilt. (0:22:35) Rational versus irrational guilt and how fear affects financial decisions. (0:25:46) Learn about jealousy and envy as well as their impact on personal finance. (0:27:31) Early money memories and pragmatic money exercises to help frame your mindset. (0:36:54) Explore the power of understanding your money story for better financial decisions. (0:39:04) Unpack the common money habits to break and examples of toxic behaviours. (0:43:34) The interconnection between trauma and money and why it is important. (0:48:01) Jessica shares how learning about trauma informed her counselling approach. (0:53:05) Navigating mental health challenges and intergenerational money experiences. (0:58:11) Discover why spending money will not lead to long-term happiness. (1:02:33) Tips to begin rewriting your money story and Jessica's definition of success.   Links From Today’s Episode: Meet with PWL Capital: https://calendly.com/d/3vm-t2j-h3p Rational Reminder on iTunes — https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-rational-reminder-podcast/id1426530582. Rational Reminder Website — https://rationalreminder.ca/  Rational Reminder on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/rationalreminder/ Rational Reminder on X — https://x.com/RationalRemindRational Reminder on TikTok — www.tiktok.com/@rationalreminder Rational Reminder on YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/channel/ Rational Reminder Email — [email protected] Felix — https://pwlcapital.com/our-team/ Benjamin on X — https://x.com/benjaminwfelix Benjamin on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminwfelix/ Dan Bortolotti on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-bortolotti-8a482310/ Canadian Couch Potato — https://canadiancouchpotato.com/ Jessica Moorhouse — https://jessicamoorhouse.com/ Jessica Moorhouse on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicaimoorhouse/ Jessica Moorhouse on YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/c/jessicamoorhouse1 Jessica Moorhouse on TikTok — https://www.tiktok.com/@jessicaimoorhouse Jessica Moorhouse on Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/jessicaimoorhouse Jessica Moorhouse on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/jessicaimoorhouse/ More Money Podcast — https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/more-money-podcast/id996219697 Everything but Money — https://www.amazon.com/Everything-but-Money-Barriers-Financial/dp/1443472174

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• Episode 351 – DFA vs Vanguard

  Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA) and Vanguard have intersecting histories rooted in the development of the first-ever index fund. Vanguard's market-cap weighted index funds have been nothing short of revolutionary and they became synonymous with sensible investing for many good reasons, but Dimensional took implementing the ideas from academic finance a few steps further, leading to their own deserved acclaim. In today’s episode, Ben and Dan analyze over 30 years of history between DFA and Vanguard, from their founding and relationship to their rise as global leaders in asset management. We discover how their approaches to foundational finance theory differ, whether diversification is mostly semantics, and how DFA and Vanguard compare to one another over 25 years of matched US-domiciled mutual funds. We also discuss which approach is easier to implement, essential insights for fund advisors, DFA’s downsides despite its long-term outperformance of the Vanguard 500, and an uplifting cancer update from Ben in today’s After Show. For practical investment takeaways, tune in today!   Key Points From This Episode:   (0:01:14) Unpacking DFA and Vanguard’s history and relationship. (0:03:10) Mac McQuown and the birth of index funds at Wells Fargo in 1964.  (0:07:48) How DFA and Vanguard became global leaders in asset management. (0:10:43) Understanding DFA and Vanguard’s approach to foundational finance theory. (0:19:34) The semantics of diversification.  (0:22:22) Comparing 25 years of matched Dimensional and Vanguard US mutual funds. (0:33:36) Which fund advisor’s approach is easier for others to implement and why.   (0:39:30) How DFA has outperformed Vanguard in the long run (with downsides to consider).  (0:43:09) Recapping today’s conversation: what every fund advisor needs to know. (0:46:41) The After Show: Ben’s cancer update, Dan as co-host, and listener reviews.   Links From Today’s Episode: Meet with PWL Capital — https://calendly.com/d/3vm-t2j-h3p Rational Reminder on iTunes — https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-rational-reminder-podcast/id1426530582 Rational Reminder Website — https://rationalreminder.ca/  Rational Reminder on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/rationalreminder/ Rational Reminder on X — https://x.com/RationalRemindRational Reminder on TikTok — www.tiktok.com/@rationalreminder Rational Reminder on YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/channel/ Rational Reminder Email — [email protected] Felix — https://pwlcapital.com/our-team/ Benjamin on X — https://x.com/benjaminwfelix Benjamin on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminwfelix/ Dan Bortolotti on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-bortolotti-8a482310/  Canadian Couch Potato — https://canadiancouchpotato.com/  Dimensional — https://www.dimensional.com/  Vanguard — https://investor.vanguard.com/   ‘Remembering John “Mac” McQuown, Whose Curiosity Drove a Life of Innovation’ — https://www.dimensional.com/dk-en/insights/remembering-john-mac-mcquown-whose-curiosity-drove-a-life-of-innovation   ‘Episode 182: John “Mac” McQuown: The Data Will Sort That Out’ — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/182  Wells Fargo — https://www.wellsfargo.com/  ‘Episode 131: David Booth: The First Index Fund, Competing Fiercely, and Keeping it Simple’ — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/131  William F. Sharpe | Stanford University — http://web.stanford.edu/~wfsharpe/bio/bio.htm  ‘Episode 316 - Andrew Chen: "Is everything I was taught about cross-sectional asset pricing wrong?!"’ — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/316   Marco Salmon on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/marco-a-salmon-a63512284     Books From Today’s Episode:  The Incredible Shrinking Alpha — https://www.amazon.com/dp/0857198246    Papers From Today’s Episode:  ‘The relationship between return and market value of common stocks’ — https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-405X(81)90018-0   ‘Market Efficiency’ — https://www.jstor.org/stable/246460  ‘The Cross-Section of Expected Stock Returns’ — https://doi.org/10.2307/2329112  ‘A Five-Factor Asset Pricing Model’ — https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2287202  ‘The Performance of Mutual Funds in the Period 1945-1964’ — https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.244153   ‘The Death of Diversification Has Been Greatly Exaggerated’ — https://ssrn.com/abstract=2998754 

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  54:43
• Episode 350: Scott Cederburg: A Critical Assessment of Lifecycle Investment Advice

  Our conversations with Professor Scott Cederburg from Eller College of Management have led to the most heated debates among our listeners! Today, Prof. Cederburg returns to discuss the changes he’s made to his paper that was the foundation of previous conversations - ‘Beyond the Status Quo: A Critical Assessment of Lifecycle Investment Advice’. We begin with the data setup and headline findings of the paper before Prof. Cederburg defines “domestic” and “international” as they appear in his paper, why the block bootstrap approach is vital to his work, how and why the results of his paper differ from the status quo, and the evaluation metrics he uses to compare different investment strategies. Then, we explore his optimal base portfolio, the strategy he uses to derive it, how it performs in simulated worst-case scenarios, and how it changes when ditching the bootstrap approach or changing strategies from constant spending to proportional spending. To end, we learn of the importance of including the US in international stock portfolios, how it changes when the US is viewed as special above others, the correlation between labor income and domestic stock returns, and how the reviews of academics and practitioners have changed since the first iteration of the paper until this latest edition.     Key Points From This Episode:   (0:00:00) What to look forward to in today’s conversation with Prof. Scott Cederburg (0:04:49) The data setup and headline findings from his paper, ‘Beyond the Status Quo.’ (0:07:01) Defining “domestic” and “international” as they appear in Prof. Cederburg’s paper. (0:08:34) Why the bootstrap approach is necessary for his work.  (0:12:17) How and why the results of his paper differ from the status quo.  (0:15:11) Unpacking the evaluation metrics he uses to compare different investment strategies. (0:16:05) Exploring his optimal base case portfolio and strategy, and how it performs in worst-case simulations. (0:23:05) How the optimal allocation changes when households vary their portfolio weights. (0:27:13) What to consider when ditching the block bootstrap in time-varying optimal portfolios.  (0:29:46) Constant spending versus proportional spending: How the optimal portfolio changes. (0:30:49) Examining the sequence of returns risk.  (0:42:14) The importance of including the US market in international stock portfolios.  (0:43:40) Why the US is treated the same as any other domestic country in the paper, and how the data changes if it’s viewed as special.  (0:51:40) The extent of the relationship between labor income and domestic stock returns.  (0:53:01) How leverage affects optimal portfolio results.  (1:05:20) Assessing how sensitive the paper’s results are to risk aversion.  (1:06:35) How academics and practitioners have responded to this paper across all iterations.   Links From Today’s Episode: Meet with PWL Capital — https://calendly.com/d/3vm-t2j-h3p Rational Reminder on iTunes — https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-rational-reminder-podcast/id1426530582. Rational Reminder Website — https://rationalreminder.ca/  Rational Reminder on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/rationalreminder/ Rational Reminder on X — https://x.com/RationalRemindRational Reminder on TikTok — www.tiktok.com/@rationalreminder Rational Reminder on YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/channel/ Rational Reminder Email — [email protected] Felix — https://pwlcapital.com/our-team/ Benjamin on X — https://x.com/benjaminwfelix Benjamin on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminwfelix/ Cameron Passmore — https://pwlcapital.com/our-team/ Cameron on X — https://x.com/CameronPassmore Cameron on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameronpassmore/ Mark McGrath on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmcgrathcfp/ Mark McGrath on X — https://x.com/MarkMcGrathCFP  Professor Scott Cederburg — https://eller.arizona.edu/people/scott-cederburg  Professor Scott Cederburg on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-cederburg-0917b0121/  Professor Scott Cederburg on Google Scholar — https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=CZKf3WEAAAAJ  Eller College of Management — https://eller.arizona.edu/   Episode 224: Prof. Scott Cederburg: Long-Horizon Losses in Stocks, Bonds, and Bills — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/224  Episode 284: Prof. Scott Cederburg: Challenging the Status Quo on Lifecycle Asset Allocation — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/284   Vanguard — https://investor.vanguard.com/   ‘The Portfolio Size Effect and Using a Bond Tent to Navigate the Retirement Danger Zone’ — https://www.kitces.com/blog/managing-portfolio-size-effect-with-bond-tent-in-retirement-red-zone/    Papers From Today’s Episode:    ‘Beyond the Status Quo: A Critical Assessment of Lifecycle Investment Advice’ — https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4590406     ‘Is The United States a Lucky Survivor: A Hierarchical Bayesian Approach’ — https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3689958    ‘Risk-Free Interest Rates’ — https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3242836

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  1:11:45

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