We have an operating theory here at DataPoints that goes like this: portfolio returns are being commoditized for the vast majority of retail investors–either by robo-style services or index strategies, or both–and that this large swath of the population will be willing to pay less for the (likely illusory) promise of market-beating portfolio returns from their would-be financial advisors. This development will in turn put pressure on the financial services industry in general and …
We define volatility composure as a combination of past experiences and behavioral patterns that describe how an investor typically reacts to changes in the market value of his or her investments as well as overall changes in the value of the stock market. How will the individual actually behave–as opposed to how they think they will behave–when the stock market goes haywire (as it is doing now for the first time in quite some time)? …
According to Vanguard’s Advisor Alpha study, working with an advisor can add incrementally to an investor’s portfolio. Half of the contribution of an advisor’s value is through behavioral guidance. This guidance includes helping clients to make better investing decisions, ignore the herds, and stick to a strategy. These findings beg the question: Would these benefits increase if we added a framework to the guidance that advisors provide? To create a better mousetrap of understanding …
One of the treasures I own is a set of my grandmother’s cookbooks from the 1960s and 1970s. They are full of newspaper clippings with recipes and notations regarding whether she tried the recipe or not. They are very retro: the kind of books you would find in a thrift store that only sold vintage bell bottoms and butterfly-collared shirts. One of them– the Better Homes & Gardens Meat Cookbook (1967) (yes, there are …
We look to financial advisors to help with the technical mechanics of financial planning, but increasingly we look for advisors to help in managing our financial lives; to serve as expert advisors; and to shape our behaviors to ensure that we can meet goals that are critical to us. DataPoints works with advisers that are focused on their clients well-being–many of whom operate under a fiduciary standard that demands that they never fail to …