In this special seasonal episode, you and Tom resurrect Ha or Duh, tearing through Investopedia readers’ “rules to live by” and dismantling the silliest ones with mock gravitas. Between the dad-joke arms race, a spirited defense of compounding, strong opinions on due diligence, and a surprising detour into crypto-mad zip codes, the show blends real financial guidance with holiday-season chaos. The episode also hits deeper listener questions on rebalancing, Roth vs. pre-tax strategy in high brackets, and the danger of thinking blue chips alone equal diversification. 0:04 Seasonal return of Ha or Duh and setup of Investopedia’s “investing rules” 1:32 Rule 1: Never sell because of emotions — duh 2:44 Rule 2: “Only invest in what you know” — emphatic huh 3:35 Rule 3: Good investment in a bad market — phrasing unclear, lean duh 4:26 Rule 4: Never underestimate compounding — mega-duh 5:35 Rule 5: Cash and patience as “positions” — hard huh 6:25 Segment break into calls 7:49 Back to Ha or Duh lightning round 8:33 Buy low, sell high — duh (with caveats) 9:58 “Losses are tuition you won’t get at uni” — pass 10:21 Hold for the long term — duh 11:09 Marathon, not sprint — duh 11:39 Is education the best investment? Nuanced disagreement 12:45 “Always do your own due diligence” — modified duh (about advisors, not stocks) 15:22 FOMO avoidance — duh 16:27 Final rule: Start now — biggest duh of all 17:41 Wrap-up and transition back to regular Q&A 18:06 Listener question: Finding the “sociopath son” episode 19:28 Setup for Friday’s Q&A episode 20:18 Don’s town turns into “free Disney World” during holidays 21:51 Disney hotel pricing shock and personal stories 23:42 Don’s new original Christmas story: Santaverse 24:01 Story podcasts spike; Short Storyverses mention 25:28 Listener from Bothell: 90% blue chips, 10% cash — how to rebalance? 26:39 Why blue chips aren’t diversified and the S&P concentration problem 28:52 Listener in high bracket asks when Roth beats pre-tax 30:26 SECURE Act 2.0 catch-up rules; Roth vs. pre-tax philosophy 32:10 Monte Carlo vs. unknowable future tax rates 33:26 Why all-Roth 401(k)s would simplify life 34:28 Advice: Likely stay pre-tax in 24% bracket 35:50 Shocking stats: Seattle among highest crypto-owning zip codes 37:24 Air Force bases dominate crypto ownership — why it’s dangerous Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
