Why I track my spending
This post is all about me. I always thought writing a blog required a double-whammy of intellectual arrogance – firstly in assuming that anyone would
The best investing books for beginners
Updated 9th June 2021 Since my list of the best investing books for beginners was first published last year, I’ve moved another dozen or so
New ‘Resources’ page
The eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed a slight change to the site over the last few days. There’s now a new heading in the
Return expectations: 2021 edition
The bad news is it’s six months late. The good news is it’s only six months to wait for the next one. Just like last
Concentrating on active share
Earlier in my career I used to be involved in the management of a concentrated equity fund. Part of which entailed selling it to potential
The predictive power of fees
When Julius Caesar was 25 years old, he was kidnapped by pirates as he was sailing on his way to Rhodes. The pirates, having realised
Beware graphs bearing outperformance
“Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes” – Beware the Greeks bearing gifts – Virgil, Aeneid (II, 49) The more articles I begin with a Latin aphorism,
Why do we buy expensive investments?
Having just opened a Native American jewellery store in Arizona, the owner was having trouble selling some of her turquoise pieces. Despite the jewellery being
Is investing a zero-sum game?
If you win at blackjack in a casino, you take someone else’s money. If you lose, someone else takes your money. There’s no wealth being
How much money is in the world?
Figuring out how much money is in the world is an interesting question. Not one which has any real practical value, but it’s an interesting
Why do stocks go up?
It sounds like a pretty basic question, doesn’t it? We all know that, in the long run, markets rise over time. But answering why stocks
Is investing gambling?
About a dozen or so friends from school and I have a WhatsApp groupchat which has now been running for over 10 years. It started
My 5 favourite books of 2020
Although I managed to avoid catching coronavirus in 2020, I did catch another virus, of sorts. Its symptoms included: Increasing levels of claustrophobia as my
The best Vanguard bond funds for UK investors
Who would’ve thought people were so interested in bonds? Certainly not me. After this post: ‘The best Vanguard index tracker funds for UK investors’, which
What’s the best crash protection for your portfolio?
“What goes up when stocks go down?” is one of the most important questions an investor will have to find the answer to. But the