Author Archives:

Jeremy Grantham’s “Notes to Myself”

Posted on December 7, 2011

Quarterly letters are usually cuter than they need to be (ours included). GMO’s Jeremy Grantham writes a great letter usually filled with analogies and backstories. But December’s turns out to just be his “Notes to Myself” and is insightful and … Continue reading →

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Yesterday’s News…

Posted on December 1, 2011

Two great explanations… from Heidi Moore’s tumblr (Marketplace/NPR): http://moorehn.tumblr.com/post/13587522872/why-now-why-did-we-bail-out-european-banks-this-week (and when she says in the first paragraph “you should go read that first…” obey her). from Charles Rotblut, CFA (from AAII): http://www.aaii.com/investor-update    

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“If not for Veteran I have no place to come”

Posted on November 11, 2011

Two years ago, Jonathan went on the Triad Flight of Honor. I’m pretty sure it still ranks in the top 10 days of his life. He wrote his thoughts here and how being a guardian on that day reminded him … Continue reading →

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Why Three Top Bond Managers Like Equities

Posted on November 23, 2010

Why Three Top Bond Managers Like Equities.

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“Investors Think Insurance Agents, Brokers are Fiduciaries”

Posted on September 16, 2010

I read an interesting article from rep.com this morning (full article here).  In case you wondered, other people who are not fiduciaries include, but are not limited to: my dentist, my plumber, and the drive-thru worker who asks if I want … Continue reading →

Posted in broker, Fiduciary, insurance, investment management, SEC, standard operating procedure, unitended consequences, What's the Worst That Could Happen? | Leave a comment

Looking at Investing Through the Eyes of a Landlord

Posted on July 23, 2010

It seemed like a really great idea at first. And it actually was, but somewhere along the way, it turned bad, really bad. I’m not quite sure when, but it was either before or after a tenant started breeding Pit … Continue reading →

Posted in Arabic numbers, breeding Pit Bulls in the back bedroom, inflation, recession, What's the Worst That Could Happen? | 2 Comments

What we learned from the Doctor

Posted on July 20, 2010

Justin here. I read a great article in the WSJ this morning (here) about a movement to get more doctors to give their notes to their patients. We have a client couple where the wife has battled through a fight … Continue reading →

Posted in avoiding irrational decisions, clients, meetings, standard operating procedure, uncertainty | Leave a comment

Unintended Consequences in Aid to Haitian Woman

Posted on July 2, 2010

In February, NPR played a story about woman in Haiti, Yvrose Jean Baptiste, who basically loses her business in the earthquake. She desn’t know how she’ll go on, owes the bank $100 while selling chicken necks at the market for … Continue reading →

Posted in bailout, haiti, npr, Predictably Irrational, selling chicken necks, unitended consequences | Leave a comment

You Think You’re Paying Too Much In Taxes?

Posted on June 9, 2010

Justin here. For all its quirks, it’s hard to find a better (and cheaper) place to easily track what you spend that at www.mint.com. On top of that, the Mint blog does an equally great job at relaying financial concepts … Continue reading →

Posted in mint.com, taxes, y-axis | 1 Comment

Behavioral Finance: Reframing

Posted on June 2, 2010

Justin here. I, like most people, would prefer to pay less taxes. But like anything that hurts, a little “reframing” goes along way. Even though going to the dentist to get a filling hurts (both wallet and tooth,) one can … Continue reading →

Posted in avoiding irrational decisions, behavioral economics, behavioral finance, reframing, taxes | Leave a comment