First up this week, thanks to Robin Powell for alerting me to this cartoon which explores how difficult it can be to change our opinion about something we believe to be true [4 min read – WARNING some strong language] On the same theme of how people can sometimes refuse...
“I don’t want to see him alone. He says things that annoy me. He gives me good advice.” Oscar Wilde, ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ The other day, I was listening to a podcast interview with someone who works with financial planning firms in the US and...
The Fee Paradox – manager fee rates are down, but investors are paying more [links to 32-page pdf] What’s a reasonable amount of time to wait for a response to an email? I agree with a lot in this article, but I don’t think I could ever wait...
I don’t know what I was thinking when I compiled my reading list for April – let’s just say there weren’t many laughs in my selection. Nevertheless, there were some excellent reads. THE TIPPING POINT: MALCOM GLADWELL After reading and enjoying Outliers a couple of months ago, I was...
The results of DFA’s Investor Survey which many of our clients took part in told us that – overwhelmingly – their greatest fear about their personal finances is not having enough to live comfortably in retirement. It turns out they’re not alone [4 min read] This article perfectly articulates...
If, like me, you love lists, then you’ll enjoy this one. An article about why we like lists – in list form, obviously [3 min read] You know the active management industry is well and truly on the back foot when they start peddling nonsense like this. [2 min read] Putting...
“All the people like us are We, and everyone else is They.” Rudyard Kipling A number of our clients recently took part in Dimensional Fund Advisors’ Global Investor Survey. One of the questions in the survey read: ‘From the following, choose the attribute you consider most important in your adviser...
“Anything that just costs money is cheap.” ― John Steinbeck A few weeks ago, Dimensional Fund Advisors carried out a global survey of the clients of the financial planning firms with which it works. We asked our clients to take part in the (anonymous) survey and we are very grateful...
When it comes to investing, being a snob can be very costly [3 min read] Everyone in our office uses multiple monitors – except for me and Rob. The argument for doing so is that it is more efficient. I tend to side more with this argument that doing...
I think some of my reading choices this past month have reflected how I am processing and trying to understand what is going on in the wider world. Here’s a selection of some of the best. All that I am – Anna Funder (Fiction) What happens when someone...