Blog.
Anxiety, Lazy Brains, and Investing
Why invest? Why get an education? Why not just live for today? Why plan, be forward-looking or think about the future? Of course these are loaded questions, but the answer is simple: We must be forward-looking because we live in the future and have no choice but to assume that the world will be here tomorrow, that the economy will not crumble and my home will still be standing.
Zero or Hero
During a recent investment committee meeting, I recalled a conversation I had back in the early ’80s with a fellow money manager who was much more experienced than me. I asked him what he thought the ideal “paranoid-conservative, set-it-and-forget-it portfolio” would look like. His response: 10% gold for economic uncertainties like hyperinflation and geopolitical stress, and 90% U.S. Treasury bills for stability.
It's Complicated
“The market will not go up unless it goes up, nor will it go down unless it goes down, and it will stay the same unless it does either.” – Adam Smith
Principles + Optimism + Commitment
The young monk carefully pulled each young sprout out of the earth, just a bit, to try to help them grow just a bit faster...or so the story goes that has been used for years by Buddhist monks to teach their students the importance of patience and having faith in nature.
Margin of Safety
Comparative analysis, realistic analysis and accurate thinking are attributes of investing that are not often discussed. We are wired to oversimplify and be “lazy-brained,” and nowhere is the concept of the lazy way to riches more prevalent than on Wall Street.
Making it Through the Territory - Why FIM
“I just want to make it through the territory,” a FIM Group client told me back in March 2009. “It’s that simple.” The client had been with us for over 12 years, having hired us while he was still employed, and he is now several years into his retirement.
Life Goes On
After this last year’s dismal returns on nearly all asset classes, jobs lost and business failures, going forward the investing world will be affected. Every investor needs to realize some basics. First, life goes on. Economic activity is always happening.
Is Gold the Right Investment?
I was asked by a journalist this week about investing in Gold it is often considered a “safe haven” and insurance against financial woes like inflation, deflation, currency collapse and other calamities. But just today “Gold Fell to a Two Month Low.”
Responsible Investing
Often I am asked about our socially responsible investing and our core beliefs that guide our investment strategies. As investors that want to be responsible, thoughtful, and ethical in their investment themes, it becomes difficult with the landscape of ever-moving corporate management, investor’s fickleness and short-termism.