Episode 120: A Small RANT And A Cauldron Of Emails Featuring Cockroaches

<p>In this episode we address the seemingly intentional friction imposed by the financial services industry preventing us from moving our own retirement accounts around.  Then we tackle emails from Jay, Andrew, Dave (x2) and Justin about Vanguard funds, Mel Brooks and quadruple-witching days, cockroach portfolios and the bias-variance dilemma, and modelling low-volatility funds.<br/><br/>Partial list of useful Vanguard ETFs:<br/><br/>Total Market:  VTI<br/>Large Cap Growth Stocks:  VUG<br/>Small Cap Value Stocks:  VIOV or VBR<br/>REITs:  VNQ and VNQI (International)<br/>Utilities:  VPU<br/>Long-Term Treasury Bonds:  VGLT and EDV (extended duration)<br/>Intermediate-Term Treasury Bonds:  VGIT<br/>Short-Term Treasury Bonds:  VGSH<br/><br/>There do not appear to be any good Vanguard fund options for investing in gold, commodities, preferred shares, volatility, crypto-currency-related assets or leveraged stock and bond funds.<br/><br/>Morningstar Long View Podcast with Rick Bookstaber:  <a href='https://www.morningstar.com/podcasts/the-long-view/123'>Rick Bookstaber: Avoiding Complexity Is &apos;Risk 101&apos; | Morningstar</a><br/><br/>Analysis of commodities fund COM:  <a href='https://www.riskparityradio.com/podcast/episode/4c80205e/episode-99-an-analysis-of-the-commodities-etf-com'>Podcast 99| Risk Parity Radio</a><br/><br/>Risk vs. Uncertainty Discussions:  <a href='https://www.riskparityradio.com/podcast/episode/4c8749e3/episode-64-mailbag-with-chuck-and-tim-about-bonds-and-an-intro-to-risk-versus-uncertainty'>Podcast 64| Risk Parity Radio</a> and <a href='https://www.riskparityradio.com/podcast/episode/4c9f71f3/episode-66-how-can-the-road-warrior-help-us-understand-risk-vs-uncertainty-and-rules-of-thumb'>Podcast 66| Risk Parity Radio</a><br/><br/>The Bias-Variance Dilemma:  <a href='https://www.riskparityradio.com/podcast/episode/4d1bfa4a/episode-49-listener-mailbag-with-chris-and-tommy-and-the-bias-variance-tradeoff'>Podcast 49| Risk Parity Radio</a></p>