Most of what we end up doing in our lives is determined not by what we decide to do, but by what we decide NOT to do. In the course [ … ]
Category: Investing Basics
Why I Prefer to Think of Stocks as Bonds
Bonds have always struck me as fairly simple instruments. In general, you know what a (high quality) bond’s return will be and you know what its time horizon is. That [ … ]
The Alpha Paradox
Here are a few things we know about the financial markets: Beating the market or obtaining “alpha” (excess return) is extremely difficult as evidenced by the annual SPIVA Scorecards. Alpha [ … ]
Investing is not the Same as Gambling
It’s the Monday following the second leg of the Triple Crown and a whole bunch of people lost money betting on the Preakness. Like the stock market, the allure of [ … ]
The Appropriate Portfolio vs the Optimal Portfolio
Should we pursue appropriate portfolios or optimal portfolios?
How to Avoid the Problem of Short-Termism
If I had to pinpoint the biggest problem for most asset allocators I would probably say short-termism. Short-termism is the tendency to judge financial markets in periods that are so short [ … ]
Why Equity Outperforms Credit
In my new paper on asset allocation I go into quite a bit of detail about why certain asset classes generate the returns they do. Understanding this is useful when [ … ]
The Perils of the Safe Income Illusion
Here’s Josh Brown with a good piece on dividends. He asks, “are we too obsessed with dividend income?” Tricky question, but I would tend to answer by saying that, when we [ … ]
Understanding Modern Portfolio Construction
My newest research paper, Understanding Modern Portfolio Construction, is available on SSRN. This paper is the culmination of years of work and I consider it to be the most important [ … ]