Charlie Munger: the man who counterbalances Warren Buffett
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. has been called the world’s most remarkable compound interest machine. The company’s fundamental formula – buying quality companies at a discount – has been widely praised and frequently copied. Warren Buffett gets most of the credit and enjoys most of the limelight generated by Berkshire’s astonishing success. Much less is known about […]
When economics met psychology
Traditionally, economic theory expects “humans” to behave in remarkable ways: overflowing in judgment and self-control, with exceeding expertise in math and never too generous. Not quite how Richard Thaler believes real people behave. A professor of economics and behavioural science at the University of Chicago, Thaler spent 40 years studying human bias and temptation before […]
How financially prepared are Canadians for retirement?
Most Canadians – 80% – would rather have an improved pension, or any pension, than a higher salary. At least this was the main conclusion of a recent survey ran by Ottawa based research company Abacus Data1 on behalf of the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP). The survey, which gathered the views of 2500 […]
Are you feeling bullish?
At almost 4,000 days, we’re riding along on what has been called one of the longest bull market in history. And, since current market conditions appear to be changing, everyone is wondering: has the bull ended its run? Are we entering a bear market? The terms “bull” and “bear” are typically used to describe market […]
The Pareto Principle and uneven distribution
Born in 1848, Vilfredo Pareto was an Italian philosopher and economist. Legend has it he noticed that 20% of the pea plants in his garden generated 80% of the healthy pea pods. This observation led him to think about uneven distribution. He discovered that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by just 20% […]
The Dallas Cowboys and “Big Data”
[social_share] A man by the name of Gil Brandt, who revolutionized player evaluation for the Dallas Cowboys, has just been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. While his reputation is legendary and his track record astonishing – Dallas had a winning season every year from 1966 to 1985 – there was a crucial […]
Pharmacogenetics:
Advances in science and technology are bringing an unprecedented level of personalization to healthcare. Personally-tailored medicine is giving doctors new information so they can prescribe treatments that are the best fit for your individual physiology. One element of personalized medicine is pharmacogenetics, the process of looking at a person’s genetic code so doctors can understand […]
Portfolio performance vs. building wealth
Portfolio performance is not the same as building wealth. The former helps facilitate the latter, true. But if you engage in the first and neglect the second you will likely fail to adequately preserve and enlarge what you’ve taken pains to accumulate. Today’s investment environment (the portfolio performance element) is one where exceptional returns are […]
Employee reward and recognition programs
Keeping our clients’ wealth plans on track means, among other things, ensuring clients are well invested. Our investment in our team members ensures our clients are also very well served. To that end, we wanted to share some research we’ve done about employee reward and recognition programs.
Estate planning for pets
Pets are, it is widely accepted, a crucial component in family life. According to Matthew Metos1, vice president of Advanced Planning for Fidelity Investments and an estate planning for pets specialist: “A lot of people love their pets as much as they love their children.” Mr. Metos adds: “So it makes sense to consider taking […]
