Episode Details

Gold is back in the headlines, but should it be in your portfolio? Don and Tom take a fresh (and frequently hilarious) look at the shiny metal that never seems to deliver. From Fort Knox to Costco’s gold bar rush, they trace gold’s lackluster long-term returns and its overhyped reputation as a hedge. They break down why physical gold fails as an investment, why GLD is better (but still meh), and why long-term investors might already have enough exposure through diversified funds. Plus: a Medicare premium surprise fix, the case of the copper penny, and a brief but loud murder of crows.

• 0:04 Gilded White House jokes lead into a serious look at gold
• 1:00 Don and Tom reunite—same page, same side, same skepticism on gold
• 1:57 Yahoo Finance: gold’s biggest quarter since 1986
• 2:34 Gold’s ancient history and the Second Boer War detour
• 3:48 What’s a hedge, really? Gold vs. inflation
• 4:21 15-year performance: gold vs. S&P 500
• 5:40 1980 to 2024: gold’s long climb back to break even
• 7:10 110 years of gold prices—brief spikes, long plateaus
• 8:54 The emotional allure of physical gold (and why it’s irrational)
• 9:44 Physical gold: storage, insurance, and Armageddon prep
• 11:10 GLD: a better, but still limited, gold investment
• 12:49 Gold’s chart pattern: flat, spike, crash, repeat
• 13:26 Why gold isn’t a real investment—it doesn’t grow
• 14:16 Gold mining stocks as an indirect investment
• 15:02 Surprise! Taiwan Semi uses gold in chip production
• 15:34 Crypto vs. gold: at least gold is pretty
• 16:07 Atomic number nerdiness and family science failures
• 16:39 Q&A: Will one-year income spike raise Part B premiums?
• 18:06 IRMAA form and exceptions for life-changing events
• 20:02 Medicare Part B premium ranges and adjustments
• 21:10 Listener Perry wonders: if pennies go away, can we melt them?
• 22:34 Today's pennies: mostly zinc, not a copper mine in your jar
• 23:56 Will the penny ever die? Bureaucratic inertia says no
• 24:14 DIY penny production? Just don’t.
• 25:16 Podcast etymology: Apple vs. The Guardian debate
• 26:51 Outro chaos: crows, jokes, and how to ask your questions

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices