Money Talk Quiz, August 2025

Each week in the Money Talk Podcast, Landaas & Company advisors offer insights for long-term investors. Try to answer the following questions, based on some of the recent Money Talk conversations.

1.

Amid uncertainty from fluctuating U.S. trade policies, during the July 11 Money Talk Podcast, Kendall Bauer advised investors to take what approach toward their portfolios?

(Choose one.)

1. Lean more toward stocks.
2. Increase non-U.S. investments.
3. Keep balanced.
4. Lean more toward bonds.

(See answer below.)

2.

In a July 11 Money Talk Podcast conversation about passively managed index funds, Adam Baley explained which of the following?

(Choose one.)

1. Actively managed funds tend to have lower fees.
2. Portfolios can benefit from both passive and active funds.
3. Index funds offer more flexibility.
4. Active funds are more popular.

(See answer below.)

3.

On the July 18 Money Talk Podcast, Art Rothschild praised the work of a beleaguered government entity that he said deserved more credit. Which entity was it?

(Choose one.)

1. Securities and Exchange Commission
2. Internal Revenue Service
3. U.S. Treasury
4. Federal Reserve Board

(See answer below.)

4.

Based on market rates at the time of the July 18 Money Talk Podcast, Steve Giles called it a “coin flip” between fixed-income and stock investments. He compared the yield on a 10-year U.S. Treasury bond with what measure of equities?

(Choose one.)

1. The earnings yield on the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
2. The price-to-earnings ratio on the S&P 500.
3. The earnings yield on the S&P 500.
4. The VIX volatility index.

(See answer below.)

5.

In the July 25 Money Talk Podcast, Adam Baley discussed a relatively recent trend that he called a tail wind for the overseas holdings of U.S. investors. What was he talking about?

(Choose one.)

1. Increased tariffs.
2. Weaker dollar value.
3. Increased trade deficits.
4. Weaker gold value.

(See answer below.)

6.

During the July 25 Money Talk Podcast, Dave Sandstrom explained that although Fed Chair Jerome Powell is the lightning rod, he alone does not decide Fed interest rate moves. How many votes did Dave say are there on the Fed’s rate-setting panel?

(Choose one.)

1. 5
2. 7
3. 12
4. 17

(See answer below.)

7.

In the Aug. 1 Money Talk Podcast, Tom Pappenfus explained that recent signs of a weakening economy could be delayed effects from what?

(Choose one.)

1. Increasing U.S. tariffs.
2. The April stock market sell-off.
3. The Fed’s reluctance to lower interest rates.
4. The federal spending bill passed in July.

(See answer below.)

Answers

1.

c. Keep balanced.

Learn more

• Investment balance: Find and keep, a Money Talk Video with Art Rothschild
• Seeking balance amid volatility, by Kyle Tetting
• Rebalancing: Too important to ignore, by Steve Giles
• When Should I …rebalance my portfolio?
  Seeing how your equities are balanced, a Money Talk Video with Kyle Tetting

2.

b. Portfolios can benefit from both passive and active funds.

Learn more

• Staying active as conditions change, by Joel Dresang
• When Should I …consider actively managed funds?
• Active management, a Money Talk Video with Kyle Tetting
• “Active vs. Passive Management” in Mutual funds, from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority

3.

d. Federal Reserve Board

Learn more

• The Fed: What investors should know, a Money Talk Video with Dave Sandstrom
• The Federal Reserve Explained, from the Federal Reserve Board
• Bonds’ place in portfolios gets clearer, by Kyle Tetting
• Time has come, Fed pivots focus, by Kyle Tetting

4.

c. The earnings yield on the S&P 500.

Learn more

• Earnings yield: Valuing Stocks vs. Bonds, a Money Talk Video with Kyle Tetting
• Stock valuations: Time to buy or sell? a Money Talk Video with Dave Sandstrom
• Valuing Investments: Price-Earnings Ratio, a Money Talk Video with Dave Sandstrom

5.

b. Weaker dollar value.

Learn more 

• Investing fundamentals: A shift in winds, by Kyle Tetting
• 5 reasons to watch the dollar, by Steve Giles
• Over there: Investing in a global economy, a Money Talk Video with Kyle Tetting
• International Investing, from the Securities and Exchange Commission
• How to Use International Stocks in Your Portfolio, by Morningstar

6.

c. 12

Learn more

• The Fed Chair Doesn’t Set Rates by Himself. Here Are the Other Voting Members, from The Wall Street Journal
• About the FOMC, from the Federal Reserve
• The Fed: What investors should know, a Money Talk Video with Dave Sandstrom The Federal Reserve Explained, from the Federal Reserve Board

7.

a. Increasing U.S. tariffs.

Learn more 

• Tariff volatility: Investor questions, by Kyle Tetting
• Mid-2025: Foggy outlook, balance rules, by Adam Baley
• Summer forecast: Frenetic, volatile, by Kyle Tetting
  Rebalancing: Too important to ignore, by Steve Giles