June, 2018

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The Ghost of Tech Stocks Past

The Irrelevant Investor

In the beginning of 1995 Intel, Cisco, Microsoft, and Oracle, were worth a combined $83 billion. One giant bubble and five years later, they had grown to $1.85 trillion. As a group, these four stocks gained 2150% over this time, or 80% a year. The table below breaks down the combined percentage gain and market cap gain by year. From 1995 until the peak in March 2000, these four added $1.768 trillion in market cap.

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Vertical Leap: What’s Driving Vertical Software Companies

Brown Advisory

Vertical Leap: What’s Driving Vertical Software Companies achen Thu, 06/28/2018 - 10:28 In the software industry, the big, horizontal “platform” companies tend to attract the lion’s share of attention from investors and the financial media. Firms like Microsoft and Salesforce are household names at this point; other companies like Workday and ServiceNow are less familiar to the average person but quite well known to the investment community.

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Vertical Leap: What’s Driving Vertical Software Companies

Brown Advisory

Vertical Leap: What’s Driving Vertical Software Companies. achen. Thu, 06/28/2018 - 10:28. In the software industry, the big, horizontal “platform” companies tend to attract the lion’s share of attention from investors and the financial media. Firms like Microsoft and Salesforce are household names at this point; other companies like Workday and ServiceNow are less familiar to the average person but quite well known to the investment community.

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Animal Spirits: Individual Alpha

The Irrelevant Investor

On this week's Animal Spirits, we discuss: Households are long of stocks Robinhood is going for it How many buyers and sellers are needed to create a decent market? Superforecasters A $3 trillion marketplace I've never heard of What to do with inconsistent income Survey says A steady 7% annual return It ain't what you don't know Trust the process TTM versus CAPE Mean reversion in disguise Investors are worried Will you ever be rich?

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Less Stress, More Success: Accounting Best Practices & Processes for 2025

Speaker: Amanda Adams, Fractional CFO, CPA

Are you ready to elevate your accounting processes for 2025? 🚀 Join us for an exclusive webinar led by Amanda Adams, a seasoned fractional CFO and CPA passionate about transforming back-office operations for finance teams. This session will cover critical best practices and process improvements tailored specifically for accounting professionals.

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The Arc of the (Bond) Covenants

Brown Advisory

The Arc of the (Bond) Covenants achen Tue, 06/26/2018 - 16:11 The warning caveat emptor , or “buyer beware,” is particularly important to heed when investing in bonds late in the credit cycle. At those moments, issuers are pursuing more aggressive refinancing or acquisitions, underwriters are letting weaker credits slip through the cracks, and investors starved for yield are increasingly willing to hold their noses to outperform.

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These Are the Goods

The Irrelevant Investor

Articles Compounding is the most powerful force in the universe, to be sure, and nothing compounds like shame. By Rusty Guinn Your perception of risk is constantly changing, whether you know it’s happening or not By Ben Carlson Just because you have a belief or preference, however strongly held, it doesn’t negate those who differ with you. By Jim O'Shaughnessy The notion that the equity prices of smaller capitalisation companies are somehow less efficiently priced than their larger brethren may

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Pop

The Irrelevant Investor

"There’s a little child inside all of our brains that can’t stand to watch other people riding a money train that we’re not on." I wrote this in June 2017 when Bitcoin was all anyone was talking about. It was hard not to get swept up in the mania. That's what bubbles do. They suck us in. The other thing bubbles do is they pop, which is where we are today.

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Animal Spirits: The Mother of All Credit Bubbles

The Irrelevant Investor

On this week's Animal Spirits, we discuss: Howard Marks on investing without people The mother of all credit bubbles Time to not freak out about debt A future without Buffett Will Berkshire eventually get broken up by activists? The two most indebted companies in the world Tech loses its appetite for bonds WeWork is worth quite a bit of money Hindsight bias in dollar-weighted returns Millennials and money (survey) Predicting the World Cup Is Like Trying to Beat the Market Silicon prairie The ri

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Low Correlation in Stocks: A Good Opportunity for Active Managers

Brown Advisory

Low Correlation in Stocks: A Good Opportunity for Active Managers achen Tue, 06/19/2018 - 09:13 In equity markets, even the best active managers tend to struggle when stocks are all moving in lock step with each other. But when there’s more differentiation in returns across stocks and sectors, there’s more opportunity for managers to generate alpha.

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Avoiding Lease Accounting Pitfalls in 2025: Lessons Learned from Spreadsheet Errors

Speaker: Abdi Ali, Sr. Lease Accounting Consultant

Join this insightful webinar with industry expert Abdi Ali, who will discuss the challenges that can arise from managing lease accounting with spreadsheets! He will share real-world examples of errors, compliance issues, and risks that may be present within your spreadsheets. Learn how these tools, while useful, can sometimes lead to inefficiencies that affect your time, resources, and peace of mind.

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Low Correlation in Stocks: A Good Opportunity for Active Managers

Brown Advisory

Low Correlation in Stocks: A Good Opportunity for Active Managers. achen. Tue, 06/19/2018 - 09:13. In equity markets, even the best active managers tend to struggle when stocks are all moving in lock step with each other. But when there’s more differentiation in returns across stocks and sectors, there’s more opportunity for managers to generate alpha.

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These Are the Goods

The Irrelevant Investor

Articles What I thought was a major career failure turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to my career By Blair duQuesnay Learn to love the micro-stakes arena By Tommy Tranfo If things like research department headcount or manager tenure had any predictive value, then you could throw away your Bloomberg terminal and just use LinkedIn By Josh Brown Capital gains is a hell of a drug.

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NOW 2018 Conference: Our Investment Team’s Roundtable Recap

Brown Advisory

NOW 2018 Conference: Our Investment Team’s Roundtable Recap achen Thu, 06/14/2018 - 10:27 The NOW conference is always memorable, but this year’s conference included some particularly compelling and provocative ideas. I wanted to make sure we considered those ideas and their implications for the portfolios we manage for our clients, with truly open minds.

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The Fed Meeting: It’s All about Expectations

Brown Advisory

The Fed Meeting: It’s All about Expectations achen Thu, 06/14/2018 - 11:45 On Wednesday, the Federal Open Market Committee concluded its June meeting. There was a lot to digest: Another 25bp rate hike, clearer signals about two more hikes in 2018, a new set of economic projections, and Fed Chairman Powell’s press conference. Here are some of our team’s initial thoughts.

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Back to Basics with Reconciliations

Join us in this webinar, where we share best practices on how to think about the reconciliation work each month, when best to do reconciliations, how they should be prepared, and some common pitfalls to avoid. Learning Objectives: This course objective is to understand how to properly prepare and review balance sheet reconciliations and its impact on the financial statements.

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NOW 2018 Conference: Our Investment Team’s Roundtable Recap

Brown Advisory

NOW 2018 Conference: Our Investment Team’s Roundtable Recap. achen. Thu, 06/14/2018 - 10:27. The NOW conference is always memorable, but this year’s conference included some particularly compelling and provocative ideas. I wanted to make sure we considered those ideas and their implications for the portfolios we manage for our clients, with truly open minds.

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The Fed Meeting: It’s All about Expectations

Brown Advisory

The Fed Meeting: It’s All about Expectations. achen. Thu, 06/14/2018 - 11:45. On Wednesday, the Federal Open Market Committee concluded its June meeting. There was a lot to digest: Another 25bp rate hike, clearer signals about two more hikes in 2018, a new set of economic projections, and Fed Chairman Powell’s press conference. Here are some of our team’s initial thoughts.

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Animal Spirits: The Oracle of Brookyln

The Irrelevant Investor

Stories Discussed New entrants to the S&P 500 outperformed the index by a median of 17% in the year leading up to their inclusion in the index LGBTQ and Straight millennials My friend, Warren makes mistakes too. Short-termism Breaking news, I'm no longer GODLing. More than half of 401(k) participants invest in a single target-date fund. What college really costs How much money do we need to retire?

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The Geometry of Wealth

The Irrelevant Investor

The Geometry of wealth by my friend Brian Portnoy is “A stoic playbook for navigating money life.” This is the type of book you give to someone you truly care about. Brian is a deep thinker and a beautiful writer. I wanted to share some of my favorite lines and passages in the hope that this inspires you to pick up a copy. “We don’t like to harvest new information but then do nothing with it.

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2024 Lending Outlook: Innovations and Evolutions in the Financial Sector

As we step into 2024, the lending landscape evolves rapidly with technology, regulations, and market dynamics driving change. For banks and financial institutions to stay competitive and meet the evolving needs of their customers, these drivers must be understood and engaged with. Lenders can anticipate significant transformation fueled by technological advancements, regulatory shifts, and changing consumer behaviors.

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What Do Clients Want?

The Irrelevant Investor

Today Josh and I spoke about the outflows at the Magellan fund, which is now 84% smaller than it was at its peak in 1997. This reminds me of a Yogi Berra Quote, "If the people don’t want to come out to the ballpark, nobody’s going to stop them." Magellan has beaten the S&P 500 by a decent margin over the last five years, but it hasn't been enough to stem the tide of money rushing for the exits.

Clients 52
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Earnings Guidance: Really Helpful, or a Red Herring?

Brown Advisory

Earnings Guidance: Really Helpful, or a Red Herring? achen Tue, 06/12/2018 - 10:00 Last week, Jamie Dimon and Warren Buffett dropped an interesting nugget in a joint interview on CNBC, calling for an end to quarterly earnings guidance that, in their view, brings an “unhealthy focus” on short-term profits vs. long-term business success. Dimon and Buffett are both legends in the investment business with well-earned reputations, and they raise an important philosophical discussion.

Clients 52
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Earnings Guidance: Really Helpful, or a Red Herring?

Brown Advisory

Earnings Guidance: Really Helpful, or a Red Herring? achen. Tue, 06/12/2018 - 10:00. Last week, Jamie Dimon and Warren Buffett dropped an interesting nugget in a joint interview on CNBC, calling for an end to quarterly earnings guidance that, in their view, brings an “unhealthy focus” on short-term profits vs. long-term business success. Dimon and Buffett are both legends in the investment business with well-earned reputations, and they raise an important philosophical discussion.

Clients 52
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Subprime Auto Loans: Should We Be Worried?

Brown Advisory

Subprime Auto Loans: Should We Be Worried? achen. Mon, 06/11/2018 - 11:42. In recent years, signs of weakness have crept into the leading indicators for the three key consumer finance sectors—mortgages, auto loans and student loans. It’s true that indicators, such as delinquency rates for average consumers, have come off their post-crisis lows. But context is essential for understanding the real story, and whether these data points are a cause for panic, blips on the radar, or something in betwe

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Banking on Loyalty: Holistic Financial Advice for Unparalleled Business Growth

Speaker: Joe Buhrmann, MBA, CFP®, CLU®, ChFC® Senior Financial Planning Practice Management Consultant eMoney Advisor

During an era of evolving consumer preferences, the banking sector is undergoing a profound shift. As customers continue to broaden their perspectives, banking professionals must support their customers' financial wellness by providing holistic financial advice that aligns with individual goals and circumstances. Without adapting, financial institutions will find that loyalty may crumble amid uncertainty.

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These Are the Goods

The Irrelevant Investor

Articles If I had to write one sentence that is true always and everywhere, it would be this: Smart investors did stupid things again today. By Jason Zweig Not seeing the irony that history is the study of surprises and changes while using it as a guide to the future. By Morgan Housel How did she manage to convince an enormous amount of cool, successful people that she was something she clearly was not?

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Market Volatility—Italy Edition

Brown Advisory

Market Volatility—Italy Edition achen Thu, 06/07/2018 - 08:18 For the past few weeks, Italy’s political situation has rattled investment markets. Investors fear that the nation’s political direction may lead to credit problems in Italy, and/or lead the country to exit the EU. We avoid reacting to “as it happens” news stories, but we need to look at the facts behind any emerging economic scenario and determine the scale and scope of the risk.

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Market Volatility—Italy Edition

Brown Advisory

Market Volatility—Italy Edition. achen. Thu, 06/07/2018 - 08:18. For the past few weeks, Italy’s political situation has rattled investment markets. Investors fear that the nation’s political direction may lead to credit problems in Italy, and/or lead the country to exit the EU. We avoid reacting to “as it happens” news stories, but we need to look at the facts behind any emerging economic scenario and determine the scale and scope of the risk.

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Animal Spirits: Big Mistakes

The Irrelevant Investor

On this week's Animal Spirits, we discuss: My book, Big Mistakes Why and how value and momentum investing work. Mary Meeker's internet trends Amazon dot toast A hedge fund blow up A Bill Gross hiccup Listen below Charts mentioned Recommendations Big Mistakes: the Best Investors and Their Worst Investments The Space Barons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos I said I think Andy Samberg is funny.

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Navigating Financial Storms: Strategies for Building Resilient Balance Sheets

Speaker: Carolina Aponte - Owner and CEO, Caja Holdings LLC

In today's rapidly changing business environment, building a resilient balance sheet is crucial to the survival of any business. A resilient balance sheet allows a company to withstand financial shocks and adapt to changing market conditions. To achieve this, companies need to focus on key strategies such as maintaining adequate liquidity, managing debt levels, diversifying revenue streams, and prioritizing profitability over growth.

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Animal Spirits Live

The Irrelevant Investor

Ben and I will be doing our first live Animal Spirits at EBI West in a few weeks. One of the things we'll be discussing is what Finance Twitter might have been like during moments in financial history. The Great Depression, 1987, and the tech bubble. For example. It's going to be a lot of fun, Ben and I are really excited about this. This year there will be a lot more focus on advisors, specifically practice management.

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The Next Fifty Years

The Irrelevant Investor

Fifty years ago today, the S&P 500 closed above 100 for the first time ever. The New York Times ran the following headline on the cover of the business section. The funny thing about going through old news papers is how some things never change. This sentence could be in tomorrow's paper: "Yesterday's upswing, they said, seemed to represent an attempt by the large and small investors to acquire positions in the market 'before it ran away from them.

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These Are the Goods

The Irrelevant Investor

Articles Experience is not the same thing as expertise. By Ben Carlson The difference between Value and Momentum lies in where the mistake happens By Jesse Livermore, Chris Meredith, CFA, and Patrick O’Shaughnessy, CFA So, once more I raise my lance, spur on my faithful destrier, and charge, dreaming the impossible dream that this time I’ll be more convincing.

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