If you have ever ordered a new car you will know how difficult it can be to reach the point where you find out how much you actually need to pay. An endless list of choices: upholstery, in-car entertainment, sat nav, not to mention paint…....
This week’s blog covers a subject close to our hearts: Costs [2 min read] Chairman and co-founder of Dimensional Fund Advisors, David Booth, reminds us that successful investing involves not just following the evidence, but having the discipline to stay the course when times get tough in his letter...
Investors have a lot of control over what kind of lifetime investment experience they have. Nevertheless, the charts in this article make for interesting reading. [4 min read] In a similar vein, it takes a lot of self-control to earn market returns [3 min read] Professor Eugene Fama explains how...
“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” George Bernard Shaw When I first started working with Manager Tools, I noticed that there was a phrase which they would often use and which I had never heard before: “Communication is what the...
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...