About a year ago, I wrote a blog post wishing that all long-term investors get at least one bear market in their investing journeys. In that post, I made the case that a bear market is a blessing in disguise, rather than a curse, for all patient investors. Here we are one year … [Read more...] about A bear market in rear view
MediaAdvice
Gratuitous advice with no accountability
At the Markel’s shareholder meeting in Omaha in June, someone from the audience posed this question to the company management: “I met a very large international money manager last night for dinner and he warned me that now is not the time to invest in US stocks. What do you think … [Read more...] about Gratuitous advice with no accountability
Weekend worrying about the economy
A couple of weeks ago I was at our local library checking out the Barron’s weekly. They had their annual roundtable issue out. Every year in January, Barron’s invites a few successful well-known money managers to gather around a table and discuss their thoughts for the new year. … [Read more...] about Weekend worrying about the economy
Don’t take investing advice from people you don’t know!
It was some time in 2011 if I remember correctly. I had tuned to my local NPR station at lunch time. A financial advisor couple was getting interviewed. They had just released a new book on financial planning. It was a pleasant discussion. They seemed genuine. They also appeared … [Read more...] about Don’t take investing advice from people you don’t know!
Revisiting the lost decade of U.S. stocks
If you were following business news in 2010, you must have come across one or two headlines bemoaning America’s “lost decade”. Between 2009 and 2012, there were many discussions in the business media and many columns were written in the press on this subject. How investors have … [Read more...] about Revisiting the lost decade of U.S. stocks
How media get things wrong
Be wary of news briefs from the financial media – they are designed to catch reader’s attention but in reality often mean nothing – or worse could even be misleading. I follow mainstream news but with care. On one hand we investors need to stay abreast with news related to the … [Read more...] about How media get things wrong
Why I stay invested in stocks?
Last week, I heard two of my friends talk about an impending market crash. One of them told me he has been doing well in the stock market since he invested in the beginning of this year. But he does not think that the market will stay at these lofty levels for too long. The other … [Read more...] about Why I stay invested in stocks?
Beware, the markets go down often!
Because we are long-term investors, we will frequently face market downturns. To better prepare ourselves for these unpleasant but inevitable declines, it is good to study the history of the stock market declines. Looking at the US stock market, on average this is what we … [Read more...] about Beware, the markets go down often!