Investment strategies have a tendency to look beautiful on paper and in marketing pitch books. You get to see return numbers, risk-adjusted results and pretty looking graphs that show how great things were in the past. I’ve yet to come across a strategy that couldn’t be dressed up and made to look appealing by a…

This post is probably a little self-serving, but I’ve received a number of questions about my book from readers and wanted to address the most asked questions here. What’s the difference between the book and your blog? The general theme is very similar. The blog has been a great place for me to learn and develop…

In the past week I’ve read three different takes on the future of interest rates that really made me think about their direction over the very long-term. 1. The first comment was a tweet from venture capitalist Marc Andreessen in reference to a discussion about the current low level of short-term interest rates being set…

Watching the drama unfold over the past couple of weeks in the Greece should make a few things clear to investors. First of all, no one really knows what’s going on in the markets. I remember listening to a very well-respected European hedge fund manager give a talk in 2011 about the potential for a…

“The market is not a very accommodating machine; it won’t provide high returns just because you need them.” – Peter Bernstein

One of my favorite aspects of being involved in the financial markets is that you’re forced to continuous learn to be successful. The process never ends. My learning progression on the markets and finance goes something like this: I started out with theories from finance textbooks in school; then moved onto learning about how the…

GMO’s Jeremy Grantham thinks we’re on track for yet another stock market bubble, but not until mom and pop get in on the action. Here’s what he had to say yesterday while giving the keynote speech for the annual Morningstar conference, courtesy of CNBC: “No bubble has ever broken until individuals pour money into the…

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:

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…

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…