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…

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…

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…

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:

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…

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…