Investment strategies and portfolios are tailored plans designed to meet financial goals through the careful selection and management of assets. The cornerstone of a successful investment portfolio is diversification, spreading investments across various asset classes like stocks, bonds, and real estate to mitigate risk. Asset allocation is another key strategy, determining the mix of assets based on an investor’s risk tolerance, goals, and investment horizon. Investors often choose between active investing, which seeks to outperform the market through strategic buying and selling, and passive investing, which aims for long-term growth by tracking market indices with lower transaction costs. Regular portfolio rebalancing ensures the investment mix remains aligned with the investor’s objectives, adjusting for market fluctuations and life changes. Tax-efficient investing strategies can also enhance returns by minimizing tax liabilities. Ultimately, a well-considered investment strategy and portfolio management approach can help individuals navigate market complexities and achieve financial growth over time.
Dividend stocks have long been a favored choice for investors seeking steady income and potential stability, particularly within the S&P 500, a benchmark index of 500 leading U.S. companies. With approximately 80% of S&P 500 companies paying dividends as of…
Can a single trading rule really beat the market? It sounds too simple to be true, but our backtests suggest otherwise. In this article, we explore whether one straightforward rule can outperform buy-and-hold investing, both in stocks and in crypto….
The S&P 500 tracks 500 leading U.S. companies, making it a reliable gauge of market health. Whether you’re a day trader, long-term investor, or just curious about market behavior, understanding the likelihood of a positive day can shape your strategy….
Want to outsmart the stock market? An insider portfolio, built on the trades of company executives and directors, might give you an edge. Can an insider portfolio beat the market? Research says it’s possible, with potential returns of 11% to…
The S&P 500, a benchmark index tracking about 500 large U.S. companies, serves as a proxy for the broader stock market’s performance. Yet, data from 1928 to today shows it underperforms cash—represented by 3-month Treasury bills—roughly 19.59% of the time…
Hendrik Bessembinder, an academic, published a study in 2017 that went on to become widely spread and known. His hypothesis was pretty straightforward: do stocks outperform Treasury Bills? No, most stocks fail to beat one-month Treasury Bills during their lifetime…
The term “10x stock” is often thrown around in investing circles. It refers to a stock that multiplies your initial investment by ten over a set period, usually 10 years. But how common are these elusive investments? Is there a…
Can boring stocks really outperform? Low-volatility investing is often seen as a “safe but slow” strategy. It focuses on stable, less risky stocks that don’t swing wildly in price. But what if these “boring” stocks could beat the market, especially…
As U.S. presidential elections approach, investors often wonder how the stock market, particularly the S&P 500, will perform. Election years bring political uncertainty, campaign promises, and economic shifts, all of which can influence market trends. So, what are the odds…
Market timing is often described as a futile exercise. Yet, seasoned investors know that certain seasonal patterns can influence returns. This article concludes that October is the best month to buy stocks. One of the most persistent patterns in the…
This note provides an analysis of the probability of losing money in the stock market over a long-term horizon, specifically focusing on 10-year rolling returns for the S&P 500. The analysis is grounded in historical data and aims to address…
Timing the stock market is a dream for many investors, but is it possible? By analyzing historical data, we looked at quarterly performance patterns in the SPY (SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust) that suggest some quarters may offer better opportunities…
The S&P 500 is a cornerstone of the U.S. stock market, tracking 500 of the nation’s largest companies. For investors, it’s a key indicator of economic health—but it’s not without its wild swings. A common question arises: how often does…
Imagine a trading strategy so simple it takes just five minutes a year to manage, yet it has outperformed the Nasdaq for over a decade. That’s exactly what @thechartist showed on X. This strategy, pairing two ETFs with a once-a-year…
Midterm elections, occurring every four years halfway through a U.S. president’s term, are events that can reshape Congress and influence legislative agendas. Given their potential impact on economic policy, it’s natural for investors to wonder how these elections affect the…
The S&P 500, or Standard & Poor’s 500, is a market-capitalization-weighted index comprising 500 leading publicly traded companies in the United States. Launched in 1957, it covers approximately 80% of the total market capitalization of U.S. equities and is widely…
The question of whether a monkey picking stocks could outperform a hedge fund manager is a fascinating thought experiment often used to highlight the challenges of beating the market. It seems likely that, on average, random stock selection could indeed…
When the stock market crashes, it feels like the world is ending. Your portfolio’s in tatters, the news is a wall of gloom, and all you can think is: How long will it take to get back to normal? How…
This article note provides a comprehensive examination of whether a coin toss can beat Wall Street’s top investors, drawing on a range of studies, experiments, and financial theories. Background and Context The question of whether random strategies, such as a…
Mondays often feel like a drag. After a relaxing weekend, traders might dread the market open, blaming bad trades on the “Monday blues.” But is this just a feeling, or do the markets actually underperform on Mondays? To find out,…
Could the S&P 500 be in a bear market without you noticing? It’s a question that might make any investor pause. In this article, we’ll explore the probability of a stealth bear market using the 200-day moving average as our…
When the stock market closes on Friday, many traders and investors assume their portfolios are on hold until Monday. But are weekends secretly impacting your returns? New data reveals how the S&P 500, long-term Treasury bonds, and Bitcoin perform over…
The S&P 500 is often hailed as the gold standard for gauging stock market success, but how well does it protect your wealth against the relentless creep of inflation? Spoiler alert: It’s a strong contender, beating inflation about 75% of…
The S&P 500 can feel like a wild ride, especially during a “bad year” with negative returns. Whether it’s a steep 38% drop like in 2008 or a milder 6% dip in 2018, these downturns raise a big question: how…
Have you ever wondered if your money could double in a decade just by investing in the stock market? It’s a question that sparks curiosity for anyone looking to grow their savings – whether it’s for a dream home, retirement,…
Determining the right mix of assets to help you reach your short-term and long-term financial goals is the key to building a winning investment portfolio. For many years, financial advisors and experts recommend the 60/40 portfolio because of its simplicity…
Imagine a year where the stock market, often a rollercoaster of gut-wrenching volatility, decides to take a breather—finishing almost exactly where it started. No dramatic gains, no catastrophic losses, just a quiet, steady hum. How often does the S&P 500,…
When the stock market takes a nosedive, panic sets in fast. Portfolios bleed red, headlines scream doom, and every investor wants to know: How long will this last? How long does it take for stocks to hit bottom—that critical point…
What happens to stocks when bonds go up? Any stock investor or trader should have a basic understanding of the relationship between stocks and interest rates. Why? Because the interest rates influence investors’ risk appetite. When interest rates are high,…
Ray Dalio’s All Weather Portfolio is a pretty well-known portfolio, and for good reasons, in our opinion. Ray Dalio and his team at Bridgewater Associates constructed the All Weather Portfolio to withstand every economic environment (and shocks) possible. What exactly…
David Swensen was the President and Chief Investment Officer of Yale University endowment from the mid-1980s until his death in May 2021. Swensen, along with Dean Takahashi, invented The Yale Model. Let’s take a look at the David Swensen Portfolio…
When stock markets are overbought, we can expect weaker returns than average over the next few days. But in the long term, returns gravitate toward the average returns. Thus, overbought stock markets only predict short-term results – not long-term. This…
Inflation is one of the most popular and important economic indicators. It is monitored by everyone — businesses, financial regulators, and investors. Not only does it guide regulators in their policies, but also, it affects businesses, which in turn, influences…
Do you sometimes wonder what are the historical returns for stocks, bonds, gold, real estate, and cash? Which asset class has performed the best over the last century? We are wondering, and we thus decided to compile all the data…
Tyler’s Pinwheel Portfolio is a passive index portfolio that aims to diversify investments across stocks, REITs, bonds, gold and cash. The Pinwheel Portfolio strategy can be implemented with 8 ETFs. You do not need to pick individual stocks, bonds, REITs,…
Which is more profitable – trading or investing? Who makes more money – traders or investors? The short answer is that you can get rich quickly by short-term trading, but you are more likely to make money by long-term investing. A…
William Bernstein is a former neurologist turned financial expert and writer. He believes, like many other successful investors, that index investing is better than selecting individual stocks and that how you allocate your assets is more crucial than choosing specific…
What Are the Best Asset Classes to Get Rich? To become rich, you will need to choose a portfolio that will generate the highest possible return with the lowest potential risk. Imagine that you are a poor person who wants…
For many, owning a business or buying expensive real estate is out of the question. An alternative to growing your net worth over time is to invest in financial instruments such as stocks and bonds. In this article, we look…
What is the relationship between the unemployment rate and stock market returns? This is a somewhat confusing and not-so-straightforward relationship. Thus, in this article, we try to investigate the unemployment rate and subsequent stock market returns. Is the unemployment rate…
Today we will introduce you to two main approaches to investing – passive vs. active investing strategy. An investor with a passive strategy will devote less time to the market and can increase capital at a pace in line with…
Some weeks ago I published an article looking at the worst month in the stock market: September. Today, 29th of September, as September is coming to an end, and we’re about to enter the best season being invested in stocks:…
In recent times, most investors prefer to invest using passive investment strategies with lazy portfolio management. Passive investing has “exploded” since the financial crisis in 2008/09, and part of this is due to the enormous growth of ETFs. Passive investing…
Let’s say you are a wealthy person who has already achieved FIRE (financial independence – retire early) and wants to preserve your wealth. It doesn’t matter what strategy or portfolio you used to achieve wealth because it requires completely different…
What happens to stocks when interest rates go up? Our backtest reveals that when rates go up, stocks don’t perform well, just as the financial theory says they would. The cornerstone of the financial theory says that the higher the…
An investment checklist is handy, no matter your time horizon or investment style. The bare minimum is a mental checklist, but preferably it should be written. Like the aviation industry developed checklists to avoid disasters, investing is about error removals….
The Bernstein Coward’s Portfolio by Bill Bernstein aims to diversify investments as widely as possible across asset classes (bonds & stocks), countries, company size, and valuation. Bill Bernstein Coward’s Portfolio strategy can be implemented with only 9 ETFs, of which…
The relationship between interest rates and stocks is crucial to understand if you are investing in the stock or bond market. How does the S&P 500 perform when interest rates are rising? Interest rates and the stock market have an…
Would you like to know what the worst-performing group of stocks is? One certain type of stock has not made any money since JFK was president. That is 60 years. Yes, you read it right. 60 years! Any long-term mindset…
You are going to learn about the 22 best investment strategies for 2024 in this detailed article. Learning different investment strategies is important for achieving financial success. Investors, who vary in their risk tolerance from conservative to aggressive, are on…
The majority of investors think long-term. For instance, most US households, excluding the wealthiest 1%, predominantly keep their stocks, bonds, and bills in retirement portfolios. In fact, those not in the top 1% or even 10% of wealth distribution have…
Yesterday, the 3rd of September 2020, witnessed a pretty big drop in the stock market with Nasdaq leading the decline with a drop of 5.07%. Out of interest, I looked at the performance of September going back to 1970, using…
What is the Holy Grail of investing? The Holy Grail is often used to describe a method to achieve eternal success or happiness, depending on your goal. The Holy Grail is the lure of high and consistent returns in investing….
Bitcoin has appreciated a lot over the last years, and polarized discussions on social media continue endlessly about which asset will perform the best in the future. Many swear to Bitcoin and cryptos, while others swear to the more traditional…
The Gibson Talmud Portfolio by Roger Gibson aims to diversify investments across US stocks, REITs and bonds. The Gibson Talmud Portfolio strategy can be implemented with only 3 ETFs, of which 33.34% are US stocks, 33.33% are US REITs and…
Albert Einstein is famous for saying that compounding is the eighth wonder. But is he correct? Yes, to a certain extent, he is correct. Look at the example below: Disclaimer Quantified Strategies (SIA Lofjord) is not an investment advisor. The…
It’s important to avoid trading mistakes to increase profits. “The good is mostly in the absence of the bad”, as it is nicely summarized in Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s Antifragile. Put short, if you avoid the gravest mistakes, winning tends to…
The Clyatt Sandwich Portfolio made by Bob Clyatt aims to diversify investments across stocks, REITs, bonds, and cash. The Clyatt Sandwich Portfolio strategy can be implemented with 9 ETFs. You do not need to pick individual stocks and bonds. According…
What is the optimal asset diversification historically? This is debated, but we came across an interesting study that looks at the best historical asset class diversification models over the last 100 years, all based on statistics and backtests. The main…
SPY is the ETF for S&P 500 and GLD is the ETF for the gold price. Michael A. Gayed, CFA, presented a SPY/GLD rotation strategy on ritholtz.com in July 2011. SPY is the ETF for S&P 500 and GLD is…
The lower the interest rates, the more attractive it is to own risky assets like stocks, gold, and Bitcoin. This relationship is at the cornerstone of the financial theory. In this article, we do a backtest to look at the…
Mebane T. Faber, along with Eric W. Richardson, is a co-founder of Cambria Investment Management and serves as the company’s Chief Investment Officer. In 2009, they released a book called “Ivy Portfolio,” which outlines their investment strategy. Let’s take a…
Is it possible to get rich by investing in stocks? If so, how do you get rich investing in stocks? It’s possible, of course, to get rich from stocks, given certain assumptions. However, being patient is mainly how to get…
Factor investing targets securities with specific characteristics, called factors, that have historically been associated with higher expected returns. Common factors include value, quality, momentum, size, and minimum volatility. Factor investing is a strategy that uses various attributes of securities, such…
After a positive year for stocks, S&P 500 tend to rise 6.75% the next year, not including dividends. If the S&P 500 drops one year, the next year return is on average 12.1%. After a good year in the stock…
Today we will look at Meb Faber’s Global Asset Allocation portfolio from his book of the same name. The Global Asset Allocation portfolio is a passive investment strategy that aims to provide investors with a diversified exposure to global asset…
Imagine what it would be like to have invested $100 in the stock market in 1928 and held on to it until today. What’s the growth of $100 invested in 1928? $100 invested in the stock market in 1928 would be…
There are many ways investors try to determine if the stock market is overvalued or not. Some people rely on technical indicators to gauge whether the market is overextended or overbought, while others employ valuation measures like the P/E ratio,…
Many investors are obsessed with identifying future multibaggers. How can you find multibagger stocks? Unfortunately, it’s not easy. In this article, we look at a specific research report that addresses how to find multibaggers. The main takeaways from the report…
Buy and hold has worked very well for long-term investors. History has also taught us that active money managers have underperformed S&P 500 or their benchmarks. We dream of becoming Warren Buffett, but most of us are below-average investors. Thus,…
Stock picking is difficult because only a small minority of the stocks contribute to the majority of the gains. It’s skewed to only a few outliers. It’s as simple as that. Let’s look at some facts: Most stocks don’t beat…
The Simple Path to Wealth Portfolio by JL Collins is a “lazy” index diversified portfolio that allocates assets across two asset classes: stocks and bonds. These two asset classes are divided into two categories: U.S. stocks and U.S. bonds. Thus,…
The Coffeehouse Portfolio from Bill Schultheis aims to diversify investments across stocks, REITs, and bonds. The Schultheis Coffeehouse Portfolio strategy can be implemented with 9 ETFs. You do not need to pick individual stocks and bonds. Accordingly to our backtests…
The Merriman Ultimate Buy And Hold Portfolio by Paul Merriman aims to diversify investments as widely as possible across asset classes (bonds & stocks), countries, company size, and valuation. The goal is to have aa portfolio that achieves good risk-adjusted…
The relationship between stocks and interest rates is at the center of financial theory. Why? Because the interest rates determine the value of stocks. High rates equal less appetite for owning risky assets, and investors will only own risky assets…
Harry Browne was an American investment advisor and financial writer. He was best known for his investment philosophy and strategies, which he outlined in several books. In his book “Fail-Safe Investing,” Harry Browne introduced the Permanent Portfolio as a way…
How does war affect the stock market? Can we expect poor returns and increased volatility? Or is it a good time to buy when you hear the sound of cannons? Perhaps counterintuitive, history suggests that stock markets show less volatility…
The Second Grader’s Starter Portfolio by Paul Farrell is a passive index portfolio that aims to diversify investments across stocks and bonds. The Second Grader’s Starter Portfolio strategy can be implemented with only 3 ETFs. You do not need to…
Commodities are difficult to trade profitably, with few strategies offering any statistical edge. Despite this, finding effective commodities strategies might be worth the effort, as they allow for profits that are uncorrelated with those of other strategies and tend to…
Throughout history, gold has consistently held its position as the preferred global currency. Now, investors primarily acquire gold as a safeguard against economic instability and, of course, inflation. How does gold perform when inflation is high? Gold has famously been considered…
I signed my first client and proceeded to short my first stock. It almost proved to be my last. Over the next few weeks, I watched the stock trade up to 20, then 30, then 40, finally breaking through 50…..But…
Jack Bogle’s famous advice was to avoid searching for individual stocks, sectors, or markets that may perform better and simply invest in the entire market. This means using index funds to build a diversified portfolio. The Bogleheads 3 Fund Portfolio…
Many investors prefer to invest using passive investment strategies and “lazy” (but smart?) portfolio management. Increased knowledge, lower costs, and a rise in fund offerings (both ETFs and mutual funds) have contributed to this. Passive strategies include a popular asset…
Peter Lynch is a famous but retired money manager. Lynch managed the Magellan Fund of Fidelity from 1977 to 1990 with outstanding returns: more than double the S&P 500’s return. Lynch made 29.2% annual returns for his investors and retired…
A recent study about Norwegian traders and investors sheds some light on the returns (or lack of) based on diversification, age, wealth, and risk appetite. The study is called What Do the Portfolios of Individual Investors Reveal About the Cross-Section…
Meb Faber, a famous money manager and writer, has several times stated he is a trend follower at heart. Back in 2015, he published an article about momentum and trend-following strategy called Meb Faber’s Three-Way Model in gold, stocks, and…
Are you tired of constantly monitoring the stock market and making emotional decisions that can hurt your portfolio’s performance? If so, then a quantitative investment strategy may be the solution for you. With the help of investment experts, this investment…
Some IPOs go on to be multibaggers, like for example Facebook, Amazon, and Netflix, to name the most successful, but this article provides you with 9 reasons not to buy an IPO. For every IPO success, many more failures tend…
Asset allocation is the allocation of investments across different classes of assets. In a broad sense, this means a combination of stocks, bonds, various securities and money market instruments. Within these classes, subclasses are also distinguished: Risk and return The…
In the book, “Reducing the Risk of Black Swans”, an educational treatise on how to avoid unexpected catastrophic losses, Larry Swedroe presents the Larry Swedroe Portfolio. If you want a way to maximize returns while minimizing risk, the investment approach…
Nassim Nicholas Taleb invented the word antifragile in his book with the same name when he was looking for the opposite of fragile. Antifragile is relevant for investors. What is antifragile investing? In this article, we look at how you…
Known as the Oracle of Omaha for his investment prowess, Warren Buffett is one of the most popular investors in the world. According to Bloomberg, Buffett has amassed a personal fortune in excess of $100 billion. Want to know about…
The Gone Fishin’ Portfolio by Alexander Green is a “lazy” index diversified portfolio that allocates assets across 4 asset classes: stocks, bonds, REITs and precious metals. These 4 asset classes are divided into 10 categories: U.S. Stocks, U.S. Small Cap…
Have you ever wondered what are the best performing stock markets in the world? Almost every country has a functional stock market, but not all countries’ stock markets have been performing the same. If your great-great-grandfather had invested $1 in…
The period from October to May (next year) has been the best period for US stocks since at least 1960. Practically all the gains have come during these seven months. But if we look at the different sectors of the…
Harry Markowitz won the Nobel Prize in 1990 for his work in showing mathematically how to reduce risk and create better returns by diversifying across regions and assets. Risk is measured in volatility, i.e. how your assets fluctuate in price….
Frank Armstrong is a financial advisor, author, and the founder of Investor Solutions, a registered investment advisory firm based in Miami, Florida. With over 30 years in the financial industry, Armstrong has written several books on personal finance and investing,…
The Core 4 Portfolio by Rick Ferri is a “lazy” index diversified investment portfolio that allocates assets across 3 asset classes: stocks, bonds, and REITs. These 3 asset classes are divided into 4 categories: U.S. stocks, international stocks, intermediate bonds,…
In a 2013 letter to Berkshire Hathaway investors, Buffett noted that, upon his passing, the trustee of his wife’s inheritance was instructed to put 90% of her money into a very low-fee stock index fund and 10% into short-term government…
