Good morning! Today's email includes...

An apostle of FIRE makes a fundamental Social Security mistake that leads his flock astray.

and

A big change in opinion about target-date funds.

"Shockingly Simple"...Or Shockingly Wrong?!

​Mr. Money Mustache (MMM) might be the “Paul the Apostle” of the financial independence / FIRE movement, a relentless missionary spreading the Lord’s word far and wide. If MMM hasn’t converted more people to FIRE than anyone else, he’s got to be near the top of the list.

Perhaps his most famous sermon is The Shockingly Simple Math Behind Early Retirement. I can attest – it steered me down a path that led me to where I am today. Hallelujah.

MMM is great. Thank you, MMM.

But with an audience of…millions?…there is a big responsibility to share accurate advice.

Lest I blaspheme, I think his recent work about Social Security claiming is dead wrong.

Target Date Funds: More Flawed Than Advertised

I've changed my mind about target date funds - and maybe you should, too?

I learned a lot about target date funds 10 years ago. I filed them away as a perfectly fine solution in many situations.

But I’ve changed my mind.

Given that $5 TRILLION of American investors’ dollars are in target date funds, it’s worth revisiting this topic. How big is $5 trillion? It's as if one-third of the entire American workforce had $100,000 each in target date funds. A lot of money for a lot of people. TDFs affect so many investors.

If you’re curious to re-learn what I’ve re-learned, check out Episode 137 of “Personal Finance for Long-Term Investors,” available on all podcast players.

What Are *Your* Questions?

My most popular episodes are the "ask me anything" episodes. Check them out here:

I'm collecting questions for AMAs 17 and 18.
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Reply to this email or send questions to jesse@bestinterest.blog​

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Until Next Week

Thank you for reading, listening, and writing back.

People like you send me questions every day.

Go ahead! I'd love to hear from you. ​​

Until next week,

Jesse