Rick Ferri: Core-4 Portfolios for Simplistic Success (From the Vault)
“Fun With Annuities” The Annuity Man Podcast
Release Date: 11/18/2025
Rick Ferri: Core-4 Portfolios for Simplistic Success (From the Vault)
“Fun With Annuities” The Annuity Man Podcast
In this episode, The Annuity Man and Rick Ferri discuss: Outperforming 90% of investors Developing a simple portfolio Five ways to improve your portfolio Facing the risks Key Takeaways: Investing is not as difficult as others would have you believe. The best way to invest is to keep things simple; the fewer moving parts, the better. Develop a simple portfolio that will hold four funds, two stock funds and two bond funds. The bond funds have to be some fixed income type of allocation, while on the stock side, you do a stock market index fund...
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Political Chaos Equals Contractual Opportunities: Shootin' It Straight With Stan
“Fun With Annuities” The Annuity Man Podcast
In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed: How chaos leads to both risks and opportunities What contributes to financial uncertainty? Maximizing lifestyle and financial security Locking in guarantees Key Takeaways: Political chaos leads to both risks and opportunities in investments, especially regarding annuities. Market volatility and potential government actions (like new cryptocurrency regulation) create financial uncertainty. Evaluate your age, health, and risk to maximize lifestyle and financial security. Locking in contractual guarantees such...
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Crypto Dice Throw or Annuity Guarantees: Shootin' It Straight With Stan
“Fun With Annuities” The Annuity Man Podcast
In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed: Choosing guarantees over speculation Knowing your “PILL” for protection Building your income floor Balancing risk with security Key Takeaways: Crypto investments are like rolling dice, while annuities provide contractual guarantees and predictable results. Building financial security means focusing on what you can count on, not what you can guess. The four reasons for owning an annuity are Principal Protection, Income for Life, Legacy, and Long-Term Care. These act as anchors for stability when market uncertainty...
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Wade Pfau: Retirement Income Style Awareness (From the Vault)
“Fun With Annuities” The Annuity Man Podcast
In this episode, The Annuity Man and Wade Pfau discuss: Retirement Income Style Awareness (RISA) framework Wade’s different viewpoint on retirement 4% rule of thumb and its limitations The truth about retirement planning strategies Key Takeaways: Understanding one's preferred retirement income strategy via the Retirement Income Style Awareness (RISA) framework. It assesses different retirement strategies that align with the retiree’s needs and goals, such as total return investing, time segmentation or bucketing, and essential versus discretionary expenses. Go...
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Market Freestyle or Annuity Lifestyle: Shootin' It Straight With Stan
“Fun With Annuities” The Annuity Man Podcast
In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed: Building stability through guaranteed income Balancing growth with protection Turning profits into long-term security Planning now for future calm Key Takeaways: Relying solely on volatile markets can be risky, especially with age. Creating an “income floor” through Social Security, pensions, and annuities ensures predictable income and peace of mind. The “market freestyle” approach offers growth but carries volatility. Shifting gradually toward an “annuity lifestyle” locks in income, protecting gains and...
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Do Not Throw Annuity Darts at Your Death: Shootin' It Straight With Stan
“Fun With Annuities” The Annuity Man Podcast
In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed: Planning spousal income with precision Avoiding risky annuity strategies Building protection through legal planning Resisting sales pressure and complexity Key Takeaways: Secure your spouse’s future by designing an intentional plan, not by guessing or rushing into annuities. Reverse engineer the exact income amount they will need, and let legal mechanisms trigger it at the right time. Precision brings peace of mind. Never buy annuities based on fear of death or timing. Emotional decisions lead to...
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Fixed Index Annuities Tailored to Your Goals: Shootin' It Straight With Stan
“Fun With Annuities” The Annuity Man Podcast
In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed: The purpose of Fixed Index Annuities Buying only for contractual guarantees Why do some agents oversell Index Annuities Understanding contractual guarantees Key Takeaways: Fixed Index Annuities are designed for principal protection and lifetime income, not market growth. Buy annuities only for contractual guarantees, not for upfront bonuses or agent projections. Index Annuities are complex products often oversold by agents for high commissions. Buyers should thoroughly understand...
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Annuity Guarantees That Can Change Your Life: Shootin' It Straight With Stan
“Fun With Annuities” The Annuity Man Podcast
In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed: Annuity solutions to retirement problems The four things that annuities solve for How annuities can give peace of mind, flexibility, and freedom Key Takeaways: Retirement can be a daunting prospect, with the uncertainty of how long your savings will last and the fear of running out of money. However, annuities offer a solution to these concerns by providing contractual guarantees. Annuities can provide principal protection, ensuring that your initial investment is safe. They also provide income...
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You Already Own 2 Annuities (Here’s Why): Shootin' It Straight With Stan
“Fun With Annuities” The Annuity Man Podcast
In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed: The best inflation annuity on the planet The second annuity you already own RMDs are an annuity payment Key Takeaways: Annuities that adjust for inflation offered by the private sector have their initial payments drastically lowered to make up for the index increase. You don’t need to get that because you already own the best inflation annuity on the planet: Social Security. The second annuity you might already own is attached to your Individual Retirement Account. A 401k, 403b, or 457 is a...
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Will More Money Actually Make You Happier in Retirement?: Shootin' It Straight With Stan
“Fun With Annuities” The Annuity Man Podcast
In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed: Think again, would more money change your life? Peeling off the interest Are you really affected by inflation? Live your life now Key Takeaways: Why do you still keep money in the markets when you’ve won the game? Think about it, would more money really change your life? If the answer is no, then why are you putting your money at risk? Treasuries, CDs, Fixed-Rate Annuities, and MYGAs are at a level where you can just peel off the interest, never touch the principal, and never pay any...
info_outlineIn this episode, The Annuity Man and Rick Ferri discuss:
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Outperforming 90% of investors
-
Developing a simple portfolio
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Five ways to improve your portfolio
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Facing the risks
Key Takeaways:
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Investing is not as difficult as others would have you believe. The best way to invest is to keep things simple; the fewer moving parts, the better.
-
Develop a simple portfolio that will hold four funds, two stock funds and two bond funds. The bond funds have to be some fixed income type of allocation, while on the stock side, you do a stock market index fund and a total international fund.
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Are you going to be active or passive? Select a portfolio strategy. Determine whether you’re going to be aggressive or conservative and assess if you need a higher rate of return and if you can handle high volatility.
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In bad times, remember that “this too shall pass.” Investing doesn’t come without risk. Everything in life has risks. Even burying your money has a risk; inflation will eat away at its value. It’s better to face the risk.
"The idea is simplicity. Be simple, be low-cost, be consistent, stay the course, be tax-efficient." — Rick Ferri
Connect with Rick Ferri:
Website: https://rickferri.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheIndexer/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-ferri-cfa-b6994010/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Rick_Ferri
Books: https://www.amazon.com/Richard-A.-Ferri/e/B001IGJTE8%3F
Connect with The Annuity Man:
Website: http://theannuityman.com/
Email: Stan@TheAnnuityMan.com
Book: Owner’s Manuals: https://www.stantheannuityman.com/how-do-annuities-work
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCXKKxvVslbeGAlEc5sra2g
Get a Quote Today: https://www.stantheannuityman.com/annuity-calculator!