“Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.” – George Carlin

“Spend extravagantly on the things you love, but cut costs mercilessly on the things you don’t.” – Ramit Sethi This past week I was watching the news and they showed the obligatory story on the $400+ million Powerball lottery.  There were the standard interviews with people buying tickets at gas stations and 7-11. What would…

“Diversify across securities, across asset classes, across markets – and across time.” – Charley Ellis Reader emailbag: I have been saving for a number of years and have a large cash balance that I would like to invest in the market.  Should I spread my purchases out or wait for the market to fall and…

“To achieve satisfactory investment results is easier than most people realize; to achieve superior results is harder than it looks.” – Benjamin Graham William Bernstein is one of the foremost advocates for individual investors.  When he talks about the dynamics of investing, I pay attention to what he says and most of the time I…

“For as long as I can remember, compound interest has been at the center of my own investment thinking.” – John Bogle

“You cannot manage outcomes, you can only manage risks.” – Peter Bernstein Last week Josh Brown laid out a really unique theory at The Reformed Broker with The Relentless Bid, Explained. The main takeaway from that piece is that there always seem to be a bid under the market when stocks drop because the investment advice…

“When a mood of excitement pervades a market or surrounds an investment prospect, when there is a claim of unique opportunity based on special foresight, all sensible people should circle the wagons; it is time for caution.” – Galbraith

A few weeks ago I read an article that made the bold claim that passive investing would be free within 5 years.

“This is just another of an endless series of experiences over time that have demonstrated that the future of security prices is never predictable.” – Benjamin Graham Some high profile talking heads in the investment industry have been making the case that past averages of profit margins, earnings, P/E ratios and other valuation tools suggest…

“We have no control over outcomes, but we can control the process. Of course, outcomes matter, but by focusing our attention on process we maximize our chances of good outcomes.” – Michael Mauboussin Barry Ritholtz wrote a great column for the Washington Post recently on an important topic that investors must understand to be successful…