Redeem Financial Group

“The stock market is a giant distraction from the business of investing.” — John Bogle

The market is literally engineered to hijack your attention:

Prices update millisecond by millisecond.

Headlines panic-react to every single tick.

Pundit opinions scream at you 24/7.

It creates a toxic psychological trap: “Don’t just sit there, DO something!”

But here is the hard truth about wealth creation: Successful investing has never been about reacting to the market.

It’s about:

Buying fractional ownership in productive businesses that solve real problems.

Leaving them alone so they have the time to actually grow.

The market’s entire job is to make patience feel uncomfortable—and sometimes, downright foolish.

But if history has taught us anything, it’s that the loudest voices rarely make the most money. Patience pays dividends. Eventually.

“If Social Security dries up, I don’t want to miss the boat—should I file now?” That was the question from a 68-year-old client who still loves his job and is very effective working it. After mapping cash flow, tax brackets, and survivor benefits, we saw something powerful: waiting until 70 effectively locks in an 8% guaranteed raise for the next two years and delivers the full higher check to his wife if he passes first. Because their earnings cover today’s needs, taking benefits now would just push 85% of their social security to be taxable and effectively push them into a higher tax bracket. By deferring, we also create a two-year window to convert part of their 401(k) to a Roth—shrinking future RMDs and taxes. Sometimes the best “investment” is patience. Before you claim, ask: does the extra income help you today, or can it work harder for tomorrow?

Indexing is super common these days... AND IT'S GREAT!!!!

BUT.... What if you could have flexibility in a way that the index doesn't, that gives you an investing advantage? Here is a great example of VTI (the total US market) vs. DFUS (another fund that benchmarks the total US market).

🌟 DFUS vs. VTI: Same market. Smarter approach.

Both funds give you broad U.S. stock exposure. The difference is how they get it.

Why DFUS can have an edge
• Smarter trading: Traditional index funds have to rebalance on set dates, often buying and selling at the same time as everyone else. That “crowded” trading can push prices the wrong way. Dimensional trades flexibly to seek better ex*****on and avoid unnecessary turnover.
• More than “just the market”: DFUS tilts toward smaller, more profitable, and value-oriented companies—areas research shows can boost expected returns over time.

By the numbers (annualized, as of 9/19/2025):
• 1-Year: DFUS 18.42% vs. VTI 17.95% 
• 3-Year: DFUS 21.22% vs. VTI 20.54% 
• 5-Year: DFUS 16.58% vs. VTI 15.87% 
• 10-Year: DFUS 14.70% vs. VTI 14.33% 

During the 2008 subprime crisis scenario, DFUS fell -40.25% vs. VTI -41.81% .

Bottom line: VTI gives you the market. DFUS gives you the market, plus Dimensional’s flexible trading and research-driven design.

Opinion: The Hidden Costs of Indexing Are Hurting Institutions’ Returns For many institutional investors, indexing has become a default way to access the broad market, but the time has come to apply real scrutiny to this approach.For much of the past 50 years, index funds have been a net positive for investors, who moved from expensive and concentrated conventional acti...