Last month I wrote a blog post entitled “The best plan you can stick with.” The purpose was to highlight the fact that, an investment strategy that makes all the sense in the world on paper may not be a good strategy if you can’t stick to it when faced with the emotion that comes with the experience of real... Read More
The market downturn this past month reminded me of this podcast that I recently listened to while driving home and the question that followed. During the podcast, Cliff Asness, a well-known hedge fund manager and founder of AQR Capital Management, discussed investment strategies that are based on the historical data and in theory, are very appealing. He joked however, that... Read More
In Portland, the seasons have changed. Local breweries boasting seasonal beers are now offering dark porters in place of pumpkin ales. Ugly Halloween costumes have been replaced by ugly sweaters. And while the season typically associated with Harvest is behind us, there is another type of harvesting season that should be in full swing - Tax Loss Harvesting (TLH). What... Read More
Golf is a stupid game. Yet I love it. The late Robin Williams sums it up here in this expletive ridden comedy sketch. My scorecard typically consists of the occasional birdie, a handful of pars, mostly bogeys and a hole or two that never make the scorecard. Needless to say, I'm pretty average. Never one to lose sight of my day... Read More
A couple weeks ago, I vacationed with my wife and two kids in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was truly a great vacation, and one where upon returning I felt like I had been gone much longer than a week. But one experience in particular stuck with me as it so poignantly differentiated preparation for an experience from the actual... Read More
“The drama's done. Why then here does any one step forth? — Because one did survive the wreck.” –The narrator, Ishmael, in Herman Mellville’s Moby Dick. If you weren’t concerned about cyber security at the beginning of 2017, my guess is that changed in the time before the New Year. Tracking events like the Equifax hack, understanding their effect, and... Read More
One of our firm's core values is continuous improvement—i.e., getting better every day. This post highlights the massive change that can result from a daily focus on improving and celebrates two members of the Cordant team living out this value and who have accomplished significant things this year. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In 2010, David Brailsford was hired to do something never before... Read More
One of the great advantages of being a long-term investor is the luxury of checking out of the daily financial news cycle. Diversification and a long time horizon silences much of the noise. But, whether or not an individual can actually ignore the news cycle and short-term market changes and not react to them is another story. When the news... Read More
“Change is the only constant in life.” There can be many different applications of the Greek philosopher Heraclitus’ words of wisdom, but one that is especially relevant to this blog post is planning for retirement. For soon-to-be retirees, understanding how to adjust to life after work can be stressful and overwhelming. And as the Baby Boomer generation continues their mass... Read More
Though I’m not qualified to give life advice, one thing I’ve learned through the years is that life is all about tradeoffs. For many decisions, the tradeoffs are obvious. Do I join friends for a beer or go for a run along the river? Admittedly, I don’t always make the most prudent decision on this one, but I do understand... Read More
