Episodes
103
Latest episode
Jun 2026
Language
EN
A podcast about saving, investing, and living your best life. If you are new to investing then this is the place for you. We try to use silly analogies and simple ideas to make investing and personal finance more accessible and approachable for everyone.
E103 - The tyranny of stuffToo much stuff in your life is not good for your mental health. It won't help you live your best life.J.J. talks about his own challenges with stuff and encourages you with his usual poorly thought out humor to purge the things from your home and your life that don't support the things you love to do.As usual, what could possibly go wrong?
E102 - Is golf like investing?In golf, you have a club for every situation. In investing, you have an investment for every job in your portfolio.But what if you could only have 1 golf club? Which one would you choose? I decided to try the same thing with investing. If I could have only 1 ETF, which one would I choose? Not that I think this is a good idea. I have a golf bag full of clubs and a portfolio full of investments. I just think it’s a thought experiment that is fun and might be educational. Hopefully you think so too!Investments discussed in this episode:VOO - Vanguard S&P 500 ETFVTI - Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETFVT - Vanguard Total World Stock Index Fund ETFAOA - iShares Core 80/20 Aggressive Allocation ETFAOR - iShares Core 60/40 Balanced Allocation ETF
E101 - Let the blind squirrel driveIt’s hard to drive without a speedometer. It’s hard to get rich without an expense tracker.We don’t drive cars without dashboard displays. We would speed and run out of gas all the time. We don’t fly planes without dashboard displays. We would crash far too often to be good for our health. Why is it we think we can manage our personal affairs without an expense and net worth tracker? It’s the financial equivalent of driving without a dashboard and seat belt.As usual, JJ strives to make a point that even a blind squirrel should see. If you know any blind squirrels as it relates to personal finance, please share this episode with them!
E100 - MilestonesThe Piggy Bank Chronicles reaches a major milestone with 100 episodes! J.J. sits down for an interview with his AI assistant to discuss the past, present, and future of the podcast.This episode is a love letter to all those who have listened these past 4 years. It is offered with sincere thanks.
E99 - Indexing, againHas your humble host lost faith in index investing?JJ spends way too much time thinking about the strategy of indexing and what kinds of events would lead to under performance compared to other approaches. In yet another rambling chat he discusses his foray into direct indexing (on paper), what smarter people than him think about indexing as a strategy, and how he manages to insert it all into his ever evolving mental model of investing.If you like buy and hold investing this discussion is for you. If you don’t, then we will win you over eventually!Investments discussed in this episode:Dimensional International Core Equity Market ETF (DFAI)Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF Shares (VXUS)Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Index Fund ETF Shares (VEU)
Episode 98 - ConsequencesIf I do this, what happens next? So many people are really bad at thinking about consequences. Are you one of those people?We can be taught to be critical thinkers. We can also teach ourselves. Sometimes we can get there through a good boss or mentor. Other times it’s up to us.In this episode JJ explores why this matters and some tools to help you get better at being a critical thinker.
Episode 97 - I can see for milesIf you have been around for a minute, you are familiar with the VISION acronym that JJ uses to make sure you chart a solid course for life. But is it any good? In this episode JJ digs through the Vision acronym to see what it covers, but more importantly what it might be missing.Key investing takeaways include:Insurance is for risk mitigation, investment is for wealth, never mix the twoOptions are optional, just say noMargin is dumb, don’t be dumbFees should be low, or they should be avoidedWhat we hope to find at the end of the road is that the VISION acronym is pretty good. Fingers crossed!
Episode 96 - ConcentrationInvestors in the S&P 500 are experiencing the highest levels of concentration in the top 10 stock holdings of the index in this century and beyond. What does this mean for the health and diversification of our portfolios?In this episode JJ shares his thoughts on why we are seeing these levels of concentration in the US market index and what if any actions you might want to consider in response to this historic moment in investing history.
E95 - Don't call it a dividendETFs are just wrappers. It's what's inside of them that counts for investors. Do you know what's inside of your ETFs?JJ, if you haven't picked up on it yet, is a natural born worrier. Lately he's been worrying about what people are saying regarding ETFs, but he has struggled to give voice to what was bothering him. That is until one perfectly pitched video brought his concerns into sharp focus.High yield ETFs may make you feel good in the short term, but like all drugs they have risks. Join in as JJ shares his concerns about your portfolio when it contains these "sugar rush" investments.
Episode 94 - Indexing for lifeIndexing is a great way to be the market rather than beat the market. It is also a great why to beat ourselves as stock pickers.In this episode JJ waxes nostalgic over stock hits and misses of the past to confirm why he's a die hard index investor and to support the notion that a small amount of direct stock picking, as long as you keep it in check, is a good way to scratch that investing itch.
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