At gym, the other day a local minister mentioned that he regularly read my article. He questioned me on the difficulty of selecting a new topic each week. His passing words were, “at least you know how we ministers feel
Emotional investors need good advice
Allan Gray asset management recently came under fire in an article, in which the author opined their recent poor relative performance. The author, who will remain nameless as I think he may have been looking for publicity, blamed the disappointing
Do nothing is the hardest rule of all to get right
Guru investor Terry Smith, founder of the phenomenally successful Fundsmith in the UK, has a remarkably simple investment philosophy based on three investment rules: Invest in a good business Pay a fair price for the business Do nothing! I will
Pessimist trumps optimist
Why is it as investors we are most susceptible to a pessimistic viewpoint over the optimistic outcome. Quite simply because we experience the pain of loss twice as much as the pleasure of gains and therefore fear is a stronger
Value of Good Financial Advice
Warren Buffett reckons to be a good investor “All you need is emotional control and the temperament to avoid self-destructive behaviour”. If that is so, why is it so difficult for the average investor? The problem is we are intuitively
Zookeeper in charge of feeding the tigers
What does your financial adviser do for you? According to Daniel Kahneman Nobel prize winner and author of “Thinking, Fast and Slow”, financial advisers are responsible for: “The anticipation, diagnosis, and the management of client discomfort and regret.” Kahneman &
Financial advice as clear as mud!
The following is an extract from client feedback written for an offshore client invested in a portfolio of multi-asset global mutual funds, which I feel touches on some important investment points for the current investment environment and investment principles in
Pending change in financial advice law is good
I like to use the analogy of a pilot and co-pilot to describe the role / relationship between a financial adviser and the client. I have always considered the client to be the captain and the financial adviser the co-pilot
There is no “holy grail” secret to making good investments
I was invited to spend a full day with arguably South Africa’s top asset manager; you go there with very high expectations hoping to get all the answers. These are the guys with the enviable track- record of consistently beating
Why finding the right financial adviser is essential
What does your financial adviser do for you? According to Daniel Kahneman Nobel prize winner and author of “Thinking, Fast and Slow”, financial advisers are responsible for: “The anticipation, diagnosis, and the management of client discomfort and regret.” Kahneman &