November, 2018

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A Second Challenge to Judgment

The Irrelevant Investor

The first edition of the Journal of Portfolio Management opened with an article from its founder and editor, the great Peter Bernstein. In What this Journal is About , he wrote: The maiden issue of this Journal appears at a critical time for our profession. The dismal of record of portfolio management over the past five years needs no elaboration.Our profession probably receives a wider variety of information from more sources than any other group in the world.

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2018 Year-End Planning Letter

Brown Advisory

2018 Year-End Planning Letter. ajackson. Wed, 11/28/2018 - 08:38. Each year, we send a letter to clients to help guide our year-end planning discussions with them and to offer ideas for them to consider with their other advisors. Our goal in year-end discussions is to ensure that client plans are updated as needed, based on changing external conditions as well as the client’s circumstances, so that we stay on track to deliver the long-term outcomes that each client seeks.

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Animal Spirits: Passive Income

The Irrelevant Investor

On this week's Animal Spirits, we discuss: The truth about the content business How much should you charge? Option selling When cash outperforms everything Nothing is making money this year The private equity pillage This is a weird story Is a recession coming? Recommendations Factfulness Banana The Next Millionaire Next Door Joe Rogan and Jake the Snake Marc Maron and Michael Douglas Listen here: Charts mentioned: Tweets mentioned: [link] [link] The post Animal Spirits: Passive Income appeared

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Ridiculous Outcomes

The Irrelevant Investor

ETFs are having a bad year. Wait a minute, "ETFs are having a bad year?" That doesn't make any sense. There are ETFs that track a stock index There are ETFs that invest in commodities. There are ETFs that invest in emerging market stocks with low volatility. These investment vehicles come in all different shapes and all different sizes. General statements like "ETFs are having a bad year" lack any meaning.

Food 52
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Are Robots Replacing You? Keeping Humans in the Loop in Automated Environments

Speaker: Erroll Amacker

As businesses increasingly adopt automation, finance leaders must navigate the delicate balance between technology and human expertise. This webinar explores the critical role of human oversight in accounts payable (AP) automation and how a people-centric approach can drive better financial performance. Join us for an insightful discussion on how integrating human expertise into automated workflows enhances decision-making, reduces fraud risks, strengthens vendor relationships, and accelerates R

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The Nifty Fifty

The Irrelevant Investor

The bear market of 1969 absolutely wrecked small stocks. In just 17 months, they lost 56% of their value, leaving investors once bitten, twice shy. People saw how quickly smaller companies could lose their value, so they turned to a new group of "one decision" stocks. These were blue-chips that had such high growth prospects that no price was too high to pay.

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2018 Impact Report: Sustainable Core Fixed Income Strategy

Brown Advisory

2018 Impact Report: Sustainable Core Fixed Income Strategy ajackson Mon, 11/26/2018 - 08:01 A Letter of Introduction From The Portfolio Managers Brown Advisory is deeply committed to sustainable investing. As of Sept. 30, 2018, our firm managed approximately $4.1 billion* in client assets under various sustainable investment mandates for individuals, families and institutions.

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These Are the Goods

The Irrelevant Investor

Articles If your investments are encumbered by loans and debt, you’re not going to be able to withstand many tackles. By Josh Brown The only way to distinguish between theory and practice is to test yourself and understand your biases By Nick Maggiulli Most of the engine noise we hear today is just for show. By Brendan Mullooly More choice means less standardization By Ben Carlson Good writing flashes between the concrete and the abstract By Jason Zweig Podcasts The easiest thing in the world to

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A New Look at the Shrinking Public Market

The Irrelevant Investor

There has been a lot written this year about the shrinking public stock market. Two of the more common reasons provided are the rise and depth of private markets as well as regulations making it more costly to come public. There is a new paper out, Technological Disruptiveness and the Evolution of IPOs and Sell-Outs , that takes a different approach to answer this question.

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Timing the Market

The Irrelevant Investor

In August 2017 I wrote "This will be my last post on the CAPE ratio." I made it 16 months, which means I pretty much kept my word. I was listening to Invest Like the Best when Cliff Asness said, "You do not want to make a career trying to beat the stock market based on whether it is cheap or expensive." This sent me back to the drawing board. There are no universal agreements as to what makes something cheap or expensive, but if you'll indulge me for a minute, I'll try to quantify this very b

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Animal Spirits: How to Ask the Right Questions

The Irrelevant Investor

This week's Animal Spirits is presented by J.P. Morgan Asset Management On today's show, we discuss: The 401(k) turns 40 years old The automatic 401(k) transfer Asking the right questions Ben's morning routine Retirees have regrets Why the American dream is dying People don't finish books Druck says Listen here Charts mentioned Tweets mentioned [link] Recommendations Holy Ghost Who is Michael Ovitz?

Assets 52
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Book of Secrets on the Month-End Close

Based off SkyStem's popular e-Book, the book of secrets to the month-end close will be revealed in this one-hour webinar. Learn leading practices when it comes to building a strong and sustainable month-end close that has room to grow and evolve. Learn about the power of precise estimates, why reconciliations are critical to closing the books, how and when to automate, and how the chart of accounts play into your close process.

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Investment Perspectives | Diversification

Brown Advisory

Investment Perspectives | Diversification ajackson Tue, 11/20/2018 - 08:45 Last month’s sudden stock market “correction” serves as a vivid reminder that prices can move down at least as easily as they move up. While some investors were mystified by the severity of the pullback in the absence of meaningful incremental news, others argued that the pullback was long overdue, given the extended rally in what now has become the longest-running bull market in modern history.

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Investment Perspectives | Diversification

Brown Advisory

Investment Perspectives | Diversification. ajackson. Tue, 11/20/2018 - 08:45. Last month’s sudden stock market “correction” serves as a vivid reminder that prices can move down at least as easily as they move up. While some investors were mystified by the severity of the pullback in the absence of meaningful incremental news, others argued that the pullback was long overdue, given the extended rally in what now has become the longest-running bull market in modern history.

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These Are the Goods

The Irrelevant Investor

Articles Real income for the bottom 20% of wage-earners grew by a nearly identical amount as the top 5% from 1950 to 1980. By Morgan Housel People need to believe in something By Nick Maggiulli Sam’s entire family has terrible luck when it comes to the timing of their retirement. By Ben Carlson You are what you consume By David Perell Misleading stock tips By Jamie Catherwood The merry-go-round of psychological torture By Corey Hoffstein We need to find other ways to get people to give us a try

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How to Read Performance

The Irrelevant Investor

Things were going well for crude oil in 2018. After a few rough years, it was looking to deliver a double digit return, with a 27% gain through early October. The black gold hit nearly $77 a barrel, reaching its highest level in four years. But then, with no warning and without an apology, it swiftly fell 16% from its highs and finished the month with a -11.8% return.

Numbers 52
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Stop Falling Short When It Matters Most—The Elite Advisor’s Playbook to Success

Like being inches from the end zone, many advisors are frustratingly close to their next level of success. You work hard. You put in the hours. But if your closing rate is stuck or your pipeline feels like a revolving door… something has to change. Most advisors are just one small shift away from dramatically increasing their revenue. The difference?

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Animal Spirits: How to Create the Perfect Fund

The Irrelevant Investor

On this week's Animal Spirits, we discuss $1,000 a month, no strings attached Universal basic income is ahead of its time Are quants facing a crisis of confidence? Hedge fund bloodbath Survey of the week Robinhood has to make money somehow Million dollar neighborhoods The decline in youth sports Banks have a lot of data Listen here Recommendations Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy Gridiron Genius Charts mentioned The post Animal Spirits: How to Create the Perfect Fund appeared firs

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Bubbles and Crises: Twenty Years of Lessons Learned

Brown Advisory

Bubbles and Crises: Twenty Years of Lessons Learned ajackson Wed, 11/14/2018 - 10:25 Chief Investment Officer Paul Chew reflects on his experiences during past market disruptions, and how those lessons inform his thinking today. Last month, I was co-hosting one of our firm’s daily Morning Meetings with Jacob Hodes, our firm’s head of private equity.

Clients 52
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Bubbles and Crises: Twenty Years of Lessons Learned

Brown Advisory

Bubbles and Crises: Twenty Years of Lessons Learned. ajackson. Wed, 11/14/2018 - 10:25. Chief Investment Officer Paul Chew reflects on his experiences during past market disruptions, and how those lessons inform his thinking today. Last month, I was co-hosting one of our firm’s daily Morning Meetings with Jacob Hodes, our firm’s head of private equity.

Clients 52
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These Are the Goods

The Irrelevant Investor

Articles In hindsight, we can see that the value in 2014 $AAPL was real while the value in 2014 $IBM was fake. By Jesse Livermore, Chris Meredith, and Patrick O'Shaughnessy The problem we will face throughout life is how to differentiate between causation and correlation—between signal and noise. By Nick Maggiulli The fact that high beta firms tend to have lower quality and higher financial leverage is perhaps one good reason why the outperformance in bull markets is more than erased during bear

Math 52
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The Future Of Finance: How To Manage Spend The Right Way

Speaker: Aaron Berson

Managing spend is more than a cost cutting exercise – it's a pathway to smarter decisions that unlock efficiency and drive growth. By understanding and refining the spending process, financial leaders can empower their organizations to achieve more with less. Explore the art of balancing financial control with operational growth. From uncovering hidden inefficiencies to designing workflows that scale your business, we’ll share strategies to align your organization’s spending with its strategic g

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Learning The Wrong Lessons

The Irrelevant Investor

Every time there is an article about buy and hold investing, somebody inevitably is in the comment section with "now show Japan." This is often used as the knee-jerk response to people like myself, who believe that buying and holding should be the default setting for most people with most of their money. Japan experienced one of the most spectacular stock market bubbles of all time.

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Private Credit: A Surprisingly All-Weather Asset Class

Brown Advisory

Private Credit: A Surprisingly All-Weather Asset Class. ajackson. Thu, 11/08/2018 - 09:35. Private credit has experienced a post-recession boom, but with rates rising steadily and default risk possibly increasing as well, some view the asset class with caution. We think differently about private credit. We believe that the “big tent” of private credit has something to offer investors at nearly all phases of the credit cycle.

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Animal Spirits: Spirit Animal

The Irrelevant Investor

On this week's Animal Spirits, we discuss: How close are we to the next bear market? Midterm election years Tech CEOs lost money Bonds for the long run 3 in 10 Americans consider themselves financially healthy (survey) Headline mismatch How much money should you charge? Berkshire's getting into FinTech More student loan talk.This guy literally moved to a jungle to avoid his student-loan debt Social media sucks for a lot of teenagers Listen here Charts mentioned Recommendations Our spirit animal

Media 52
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I Remember When

The Irrelevant Investor

I was eating a bagel this weekend when my wife said to me, "I can't believe you like their tuna, it's really fishy." I hadn't noticed, but she was right, it was fishy. I hate fish. I'll have tuna on a bagel, but would never order tuna in a restaurant. The reason why I suffer from taste bud dissonance is pretty simple, I've had tuna fish on a bagel since I was a child.

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

Speaker: Duke Heninger, Partner and Fractional CFO at Ampleo & Creator of CFO System

Are you ready to elevate your accounting processes for 2025? 🚀 Join us for an exclusive webinar led by Duke Heninger, 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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Gratitude

The Irrelevant Investor

Larry Page and Sergey Brin are are largely responsible for the fact that most noobwhale investors stumble across value investing early on in their journey. If you Google " best investing books ," The Intelligent Investor is right at the top of the list. What jumps right off the cover is a quote from Warren Buffett- "By far the best book on investing ever written.

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These Are the Goods

The Irrelevant Investor

Articles How can we determine what is skill and what is luck when there are so many close calls? By Corey Hoffstein When you consistently hold a large majority of your entire portfolio in cash all it does is add pressure to the timing of your buy and sell decisions By Ben Carlson A lot of decisions are statistically wrong but intuitively right for the person making them.