Quick question: If you looked at your portfolio’s holdings side by side, how many of them do you think would actually move together in a downturn?
This question is harder than it seems, and it’s the exact starting point for the three-part live video workshop we’re hosting this month with Craig Israelsen, Ph.D. Many of you will recognize his name from past conversations we’ve had with him on retirement planning and portfolio analysis. He led our first AAII Retirement Workshop back in July, so if you missed the opportunity to join us earlier this summer, now is your chance to enroll.
Israelsen has spent decades researching how portfolios actually behave across real market cycles, real withdrawal periods and real retiree outcomes. That’s why we enjoy partnering with him: When it comes to breaking down complex retirement subjects, Israelsen gives investors a clear-eyed look at what the data actually says.
Session 1: Finding the redundancy hiding in your portfolio
A lot of investors make the same mistake at some point: holding several funds that look different on paper (different names, different ticker symbols) but are so highly correlated that they’re really just one bet wearing different outfits.
In this first session, Israelsen will go through:
How to avoid picking funds based on name recognition alone
A simple, practical introduction to correlation and why it matters more than people think
How to spot ETFs and mutual funds in your own portfolio that might be redundant
The risks of relying too heavily on market-cap-weighted U.S. large-cap funds
What’s ahead in Sessions 2 and 3
Israelsen has plenty of content to cover in each session.
Session 2 will explore what diversification is actually meant to do: not just beat the market, but ultimately help you reach your goals with more consistency across a full investing life cycle.
Session 3 will introduce Israelsen’s proprietary Retirement Portfolio Analyzer (RPA), showing how different withdrawal strategies hold up over time, including the often-overlooked risk of when market downturns happen during retirement.
Includes: Lifetime access to all recordings and materials
Price:$99 — limited to a select group of investors
As a seasoned investor, you know that retirement planning isn’t a single decision — it’s hundreds of them, made over decades, often without a clear way to know if you’re getting it right until it’s too late to adjust course.
The cost of overlooking something like redundancy or misjudging withdrawal risk isn’t abstract; it’s the difference between a portfolio that holds up through a downturn and one that doesn’t, at precisely the point in life when you have the least room to recover.
Why This Workshop Is Different
That’s exactly why we built this workshop the way we did. You don’t need more shoddy predictions or baseless opinions. What you really need is a clear, research-backed way to see your own portfolio for what it is and understand the hidden risks before they ruin what you’ve built.
Just $99 gets you full access to this live learning group — which, in our opinion, is a small price for education that could protect your retirement for years to come.
This is the final live session we’ll be hosting this year, so if you wanted to join our first group back in July but missed out, this is your last chance to participate.
That’s what AAII has stood for since 1978, and it’s what Israelsen brings every time he teaches: real research, real passion and the kind of clarity that can turn overwhelm into a plan you can actually trust.
Spots for our final three-session Retirement Workshop of the year are limited, so if this sounds like the education you’ve been looking for, we’d encourage you to sign up for only $99 before it fills up. Enrollment closes on September 8.
This is only the beginning of the conversation. In our next email, we will pull back the curtain on one of the most misunderstood ideas in investing: what diversification is actually supposed to do and why so many portfolios that look diversified on paper fail investors when it matters most.
From there, we’ll show you exactly how to turn that insight into a portfolio built to withstand real market ups and downs, not just perform well on a spreadsheet.
Keep an eye on your inbox over the next few days, as this next email might change how you invest for and think about retirement altogether.
Disclaimer: This workshop is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment, financial or tax advice. AAII does not recommend any specific securities, funds or investment strategies. Craig Israelsen, Ph.D., is presenting as an educator and researcher, and his comments do not constitute personalized investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.
