Lessons From 2013: Part IV
Over the last few years we've seen a dramatic increase in interest in dividend paying stocks. The heightened interest has been fueled by both the media hype and the current regime of interest rates that are well below historical averages. The low yields available on safe bonds led even many once conservative investors to shift their allocations from safe bonds to dividend paying stocks. This is especially true for those who take an income, or cash flow, approach to investing - as opposed to a total return approach, which I believe is the right approach.
Video Blog on Interpreting Hedge Fund Returns Data
In this video blog, I walk through an example of how I responded to a prospective client who was interested in investing in hedge funds that looked particularly enticing based on their marketing collateral.
Media anoints investment gurus, should you pay attention?
Some high profile investors are good at what they do, while others might just be lucky. Often it is hard to differentiate between the two groups, as both can boast of high returns. The media, meanwhile, quick to jump in and snap up a headline, sings the praises of these winning investors, without identifying who among them made strategic moves and who was just lucky -- giving the impression that they are all people to watch.
The Trap of Too Many Choices
I recently got a new smartphone. In the setup process, I was presented with all sorts of options. Selecting a language was pretty easy, but I had to think harder about some of the other ones. Did I want the...
The Sad Truth About Hedge Funds
There are many well-documented problems with investing in hedge funds, and it's hard to know where to start in pointing them out.
Among them are: lack of liquidity; lack of transparency; loss of control over the asset allocation and thus risk of the portfolio; non-normal distribution of returns (they exhibit excess kurtosis and negative skewness); and they have a high risk of dying (12.3 percent per year from 1994 through 2008).
Five Ways to Navigate the Index Fund
As a proponent of passive or evidence-based investing, I am heartened by the growing number of people investing in index funds. According to a Morningstar article, “A Bull Market in Passive Investing,” only 12 percent of U.S. open-end mutual fund and exchange-traded fund assets were invested in passively managed funds as of Nov. 1, 2003. That percentage has risen to 27 percent, and it continues to grow.
Lessons From 2013: Part I
Every year the markets provide us with lessons on the prudent investment strategy. Many times markets provide remedial courses covering lessons it had provided in prior years. That's why one of my favorite statements is that there's nothing new in investing, only the investment history you don't know.
Lessons From 2013: Part II
What should I do about the inevitable rampant inflation problem we are going to face because of the huge fiscal and monetary stimulus that's been injected into the economy? This has been one of the most persistently asked questions I've received since 2009.
Poking Holes in the Inflation Conspiracy Theory
The academic research makes clear that the best hedge against unexpected inflation is Treasury Inflation Protection Securities (TIPS). Despite the evidence, many investors won’t invest in TIPS because they believe that the U.S. government is (or will) cheat by underreporting...
How to React to Diminishing Returns
The first piece of pumpkin pie is a real treat. The second piece might be good. But we may almost have to force ourselves to eat the third. Instead of enjoying it, we’re miserable. Why doesn’t the last piece taste as good as the first
