I have been absent from my blogging while we took some time away for a conference and some R&R. Today I will play catch-up with links to a couple of articles I ran across recently.
Apparently, while many of us were watching basketball last Saturday, an event called Earth Hour passed us by. Here is a link to a discussion on that topic: Saturday’s choice: Earth Hour celebrating ignorance and poverty or Human Achievement Hour celebrating human progress.
Next is another treatise on the outperformance of index funds over actively managed funds: More evidence that it’s very hard to ‘beat the market’ over time, 95% of finance professionals can’t do it. This helps explain why we use index funds layered with a sell discipline to hopefully avoid the bulk of bear markets. Exchange traded funds (ETFs) and mutual funds are sold only by prospectus. Investing in ETFs and mutual funds is subject to risk and potential loss of principal. ETFs incur trading and commission costs similar to stocks and frequent trading can negate the lower cost structure of an ETF. There is no assurance or certainty that any investment or strategy will be successful in meeting its objectives. Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks and charges, and expenses of the fund carefully before investing. The prospectus contains this and other important information about the fund. Contact your registered representative or the issuing company to obtain a prospectus, which should be read carefully before investing or sending money.
I end with another quote from one of the most influential economists of our time – Thomas Sowell: Quotation of the day on how the success of others is now a grievance, rather than an example…
Whew, he says more with fewer words than any other, in my opinion.
Until next time, cheers!
Jim