Why Advice?

The financial industry has long been attempting to get to the bottom of what alpha is within financial advice. Someone pays a financial adviser X amount, does that person derive more in value from that advice than they pay out?Fund manager Vanguard has tried to quantify this value for years with an ongoing report called ‘Adviser Alpha’. Their most recent report had defined three areas of value. They say these three areas can combine to add 3% to someone’s bottom line.

As one of Hollywood’s most successful screenwriters, William Goldman won two Academy Awards and had over twenty of his screenplays made into movies. However, arguably his most famous line isn’t from one of his movies. It was from a book he wrote on the movie business called Adventures in the Screen Trade, and it’s an assessment of the business itself.

James Lipton was 93 when he passed away in 2020. Two years earlier he'd finished working on the thing he was best known for: Inside the Actors Studio. Remarkably, it didn't begin until he was 67.

When thinking about nostalgia, you’d be hard pressed to find a company that evokes nostalgia more than Disney. For almost 100 years Disney has been entertaining people around the world with family friendly entertainment that’s linked generations. Maybe you’ve enjoyed their movies, had a favourite Disney character, owned any of their memorabilia, had the fortune to visit one of their theme parks as a child (or even as an adult), or just have an interest in their storied history. Many people feel a connection with Disney as it evokes warm memories for them.But lately Disney hasn't been a great investment.

For Baker Mayfield’s advisers, the most important thing should have been protecting the money, accounting for the risks of his vocation, and it not being a distraction. They've failed him.

Your Investment Philosophy: A Guide to Managing Wealth & Protecting it from Fraudsters, Marketers & Doom MerchantsWhat are your investment beliefs?It’s a simple question, but one many investors can’t answer.Are you one of those investors?Your Investment Philosophy will change that. Five simple principles help you cut through the media hype, folk tales, and industry marketing that have dominated the minds of investors for too long.You can approach investing with confidence, understand what’s possible, be able to refute nonsense, and know the risks worth taking. There are no secrets, every investor just needs a rational set of beliefs that can guide them in the good times and the bad.Your Investment Philosophy offers this to every investor.Deliberately short, and easy to read, in as little as two hours this book will lift the fog and offer much needed clarity so you can enjoy a successful investment experience.

Andre and Serena didn’t just get to be the best, they had to recognise shortcomings and weaknesses, and address them so they could reach their true potential. For investors it's no different, there's no perfection when investing so it's important to understand the difference between success and perfection.

Over the years the cynic has somewhat been romanticised as those who are realistic and clear-headed, instead of being seen as dark and pessimistic, but it's not really true.