This Friday Q&A tackles a familiar voice: Bitcoin Bob tries again to make the case for crypto as protection against currency debasement. Don breaks down what “debasement” actually means, why inflation gradually reduces purchasing power, and why Bitcoin’s extreme volatility makes it a poor replacement for the U.S. dollar. Productive assets remain the historically reliable hedge. Then: a comparison of target-date funds vs. a DIY three-fund portfolio, guidance for a couple aiming for early retirement with multi-account withdrawal planning, a discussion of equity/bond allocation in personal portfolios, and what might happen to the small China exposure inside global funds if geopolitical tensions escalated into war.

0:04 Friday Q&A intro and request for more listener questions

1:33 Bitcoin Bob returns: what “currency debasement” means

4:34 Bitcoin vs. the dollar: volatility and why stability matters

6:59 The real hedge: productive global assets over speculative tokens

8:29 Target-date funds vs. a three-fund portfolio in retirement

10:32 Asset allocation control vs. glide path defaults

11:20 Early retirement scenario: withdrawal sequencing, 72(t), and risk tolerance

14:55 When to add bonds and why emotional behavior matters

16:00 Don’s and Tom’s current equity/bond allocations

17:07 If the U.S. and China went to war: what happens to VT’s China exposure?

20:26 Why global diversification limits catastrophic loss

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