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Fund Construction Matters

Date27 Jul 2015

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“When I hear ‘smart beta,’ it makes me sick.” So said economist and Nobel Prize-winner William Sharpe after he was asked at a conference last year for his thoughts on strategies of this type. And while much, if not the vast majority, of what Wall Street terms “smart beta” makes me sick as well, one...

The Investing Signals to Listen To? They’re Personal, Not in the Markets

Date27 Jul 2015

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What happens when we’re driving and we reach a red light? We stop, right? When the light turns green, we hit the gas. If we don’t, it usually doesn’t take long for the driver behind us to start honking the horn. Anyone who has survived driver’s education (or sitting in the back of a taxi)...

Congress Unites to Harm Investors

Date20 Jul 2015

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Who said Congress is dysfunctional? When necessary, its members can come together quite seamlessly. Recently, a group of elected officials, one that crossed party lines, launched an effort with apparently one goal in mind. If you think I am referring to an issue like national security, you would be wrong. So what was this pressing...

Does Greece Matter? The Bigger Picture For You And Your Portfolio

Date20 Jul 2015

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“Greece is a tiny player in global capital markets. Its default is 100% certain,” says Larry Swedroe, Director of Research for The BAM ALLIANCE and the author of 14 books on investing, including his most recent, The Incredible Shrinking Alpha, co-authored with Andrew Berkin. “The only question is how much and what they default on,”...

What Mountain Climbing Can Teach You About Business

Date20 Jul 2015

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When we think of mountain climbing, we tend to think of Mount Everest and big groups of people climbing in long lines. Armies of Sherpas create base camps and ferry supplies and gear up and down the mountain. Miles of rope anchored to the mountainside helps climbers reach the top. For a very long time,...

Fiduciary Rule: The Real Agenda

Date20 Jul 2015

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There’s a powerful agenda behind the opposition to the rule proposed by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) requiring that advisors to retirement plans be fiduciaries: The securities industry wants to preserve its ability to give conflicted advice. There’s a lot at stake. Background Information Fiduciaries are required to put the interests of their clients...

The Short Stories We Tell Ourselves About Everyday Spending

Date20 Jul 2015

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I love a good story. In fact, I used to tell myself at least one new story every time I opened my credit card statement. “Oh,” I’d say to myself, “I was so busy last month, it makes perfect sense that I ate out a dozen times. I’ll just eat out less next month.” Other...

Venture Capital ‘Hits’ Driven By Skill

Date20 Jul 2015

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There’s a large body of sound, academic evidence (which is presented in my books, “The Only Guide to Alternative Investments You’ll Ever Need” and “The Quest for Alpha”) demonstrating that, in aggregate, private equity investments have represented the triumph of hype and hope over wisdom and experience. The following is a summary of findings from...

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