When Risk and Returns Really Start to Matter

Forbes wrote a nice profile on financial planner and blogger Michael Kitces last week. In the piece, I thought Kitces made a very important point about how the need for financial planning can vary based on where you’re at in your life-cycle:

What’s Your Philosophy?

There was a story before last year’s Super Bowl about Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and his off-season speaking gigs. In his talks with CEOs, coaches and investors he usually begins with a question for the audience: “Raise your hand if you have a philosophy for your team or organization.” Of course, everyone in the…

10 Things I Learned Writing a Book

My first book comes out tomorrow (June 22). It’s been a fun process to write it and quite a learning experience. Here are a few lessons learned: 1. Writing is a skill that can be improved. No one is ever going to be able to learn how to become the next Bill Shakespeare, but I’ve found…

The CFA vs MBA Decision

An aspiring portfolio manager asks: I’m just starting out in the investment business and would like to work my way up. Should I start the CFA program or get my MBA first? When I started in this business, I asked this same exact question to every portfolio manager, analyst or investment consultant I came into…

When Ordinary Beats Extraordinary

In an interview earlier this week I was asked a great question about the counter-intuitive nature of investing. The question was basically, “How can investors learn to swallow their pride to earn satisfactory, but above average returns while giving up on the chance to earn extraordinary returns?” This is especially difficult for those who work…

The Four Signs of a Pending Bear Market

Anthony Scaramucci and team have done a really nice job resurrecting the old Louis Rukeyser show, Wall Street Week. The guests have all been top notch. On a recent episode, legendary hedge fund manager Leon Cooperman shared some of his career background along with his thoughts about the markets:

Will Retiring Baby Boomers Ruin Future Market Returns?

This morning the Wall Street Journal ran a story which showed that 2013 was the first year in decades that there was a net outflow from 401(k) plans. The immediate reaction by many was that this is just the start of a mass exodus from the markets by retiring baby boomers, which could have huge…

CAPE Fear of Lower Returns

There are some compelling cases being made right now in both academic and investor circles that future U.S. stock market returns will be muted from current levels. Some are going a step further and claiming that real returns over the next decade or so will be zero or even negative. One of the most heavily…

The Worst Part About Big Financial Decisions

Richard Thaler’s new book, Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics, is about as good as it gets when it comes to understanding how human nature and various cognitive biases affect our decisions. It’s basically a historical account of the beginnings of the field of behavior economics told through Thaler’s personal and professional experiences. The entire book…