“Gold gets dug out of the ground in Africa, or someplace. Then we melt it down, dig another hole, bury it again and pay people to stand around guarding it. It has no utility. Anyone watching from Mars would be scratching their head.” Warren Buffet Gold has...
This week’s blog [4 min read] Next, a podcast from Freakonomics Radio. Yes, it’s 48 minutes long, but with contributions from Eugene Fama, Ken French and Jack Bogle (amongst others), it’s an entertaining and informative 48 minutes. John Maynard Keynes on investing as a beauty contest. [3 min read] The world’s...
July was the month for autobiographies. I’m fascinated by other peoples’ lives and how they got to where they are and even after this month’s binge I still have a stack of autobiographies and biographies waiting to be read. Here’s a selection of my best reads...
My July book review is up on the blog [4 min read] We try to look at mental models in history through the lens of people who got it right, but once in a while, it’s beneficial to examine a model through the lens of those who got it...
Up on the blog this week: Keep it simple, build and maintain a legible investment portfolio and avoid ‘coupon clipping’ Is Amazon Prime Day the new Christmas Day? Here’s what sold best around the world. [2 min read] Every great investment decision looks easy when you’re not the one doing it. ...
“If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it yourself.” ― Albert Einstein My career in financial services began as a life & pensions administrator with Hargreaves Lansdown (HL), back in June 1987 (gulp – 30 years ago!), when the firm was tiny, compared...
In this week’s blog we discuss how one-third of investors indicate their biggest financial fear is significant loss in a market downturn and why working with a planner can help alleviate these fears. Kicking off this week with the perennial dilemma that first generation wealth can cause when discussing that...
“There’s no harm in hoping for the best as long as you’re prepared for the worst.” ― Stephen King Things have been pretty good for investors in world equity markets over the last couple of years – especially for UK investors where the dramatic drop in the value...
My new blog post is up, discussing divorce and how working with a financial planner can help you to avoid any unwanted surprises. As it was Bastille Day last Friday, I have to start with this one. It’s official – now that Obama is no longer in office, France has...
I read this report recently, stating that there is a shortage of financial planners available to help lawyers dealing with determining divorce settlements for their clients. I have to say I find it hard to understand why this should be the case, as we’re easy enough...