Articles
If you feel like doing some light reading about investment strategy, we’ve included below a selection of articles that we have written for the Globe & Mail.
The compounding of Roger Federer
At first blush, sports may not appear to have much in common with investing. But beyond being something to watch…
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Learning to think probabilistically is the key to finding success in investing
In discussions about artificial intelligence, we often hear the question: Why do neural networks, designed to think like us, generate…
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In investing, look at the jockey as well as the horse
This spring marked the 50th anniversary of a great sporting event – Secretariat’s Triple Crown win. Photos taken near the…
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How to shift from investor to forecaster
Are you a good investor? Or, to ask exactly the same question differently, how good are you at predicting the…
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Just starting to invest? Follow these steps for long-term success in building your wealth
The beginning of the new year is an ideal time to update your financial plans and, if you are in…
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Why putting the investment odds in your favour is so hard
Norman Rothery’s ranking this past weekend of the 250 largest stocks on the TSX pointed out the advantages of tilting…
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Untangling luck and skill in investing
What is the ratio of luck to skill in the following pursuits: picking lottery tickets, running a race and investing?…
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When it comes to investing, time trumps rate of return
In 2005, the novelist David Foster Wallace gave a commencement speech at Ohio’s Kenyon College. He began: “There are these…
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As stocks nosedive, don’t lose sight of the difference between price and value
A cynic is one “who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.” This comment, by a character…
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Why ‘stay the course’ is good advice for investors
In a thought-provoking article last month, Globe and Mail contributor John De Goey questioned the common investing advice to “stay the course”…
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How to go about pursuing the perfect portfolio
The recently published In Pursuit of the Perfect Portfolio, by Andrew Lo and Stephen Foerster, reviews the work of 10 of the…
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Three errors every investor, big or small, needs to avoid
At Longview, we recently recorded a decade of annualized investment returns of more than 17 per cent in our global…
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Addressing cognitive biases will help investors net better results
Many studies have shown that, after fees, the long-term results achieved by the majority of professional investment firms are below…
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Value vs growth investing – a distinction without a difference
The person most responsible for China’s extraordinary economic growth over the past 50 years is Deng Xiaoping, who led that…
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Steel resolve: A hands-off approach to investment gains
In Ian McEwan’s recent novel, Machines Like Me, the main character buys an advanced robot that winds up competing with him…
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Why is the U.S. stock market up when the economy is shrinking?
In economics, interest rates act as gravity behaves in the physical world. At all times, in all markets, in all…
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Compound interest may not be Einstein’s eighth wonder, but it is a powerful tool for investors
If you invest a sum of money at 10 per cent for five years, you will multiply your wealth by…
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The argument against holding bonds: Your portfolio is better off without them over the long haul
Studies have shown that, when it comes to investing, most people make decisions based on intuition rather than reasoning. They…
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Blending fundamental, quantitative approaches can boost outperformance odds
Studies of investment returns reveal a startling paradox. Over time, the vast majority of professional investors will produce an after-fee…
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In investing, you need to understand the importance of time
When people talk about investing in stocks, a comment often heard begins with: “The most important thing is …” How…
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Why a do-nothing approach to investing is often the right way to go
Have you ever come across an article in the financial press recommending a do-nothing or “couch potato” stock portfolio? Typically,…
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The struggle to invest rationally
Richard Thaler won this year’s Nobel Prize in Economics. This is the third time in the past 15 years that…
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The folly of trying to time the market
Is now a good time to invest in the stock market? When asked this question, most market commentators respond with…
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Putting the odds in your favour when investing
At a Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting, Warren Buffett was asked how he managed to be such a successful investor. He…
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Why 1-per-centers should not live on dividends alone
What will 2016 bring for Canadian investors? Two obvious trends will be a higher percentage of our aging population living…
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Take your time when choosing an advisor
The Globe and Mail has published several insightful articles on how to invest successfully in stocks. However, most people would…
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Warning: Investment fees can be higher than they appear
In the investment world, it is essential to distinguish between what is knowable and what is not. The returns that…
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Refining the search for growth, value
What are we looking for? Growing companies with a history of high returns on invested capital (ROIC) that are also…
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Predictable companies are long-term hits
Twitter Inc.’s recent IPO has many people talking about how its business will evolve in coming years. The one thing…
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In search of a competitive advantage
What are we looking for? Growing Canadian companies with a history of high returns on invested capital (ROIC) that are…
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Maximize investment returns while minimizing taxes
Today’s media are full of advice for the retail investor. At least 99 per cent of that advice relates to…
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Overconfidence: the Achilles heel for investors
Several years ago I was discussing with a colleague the well-known strategy of buying companies with low price-to-earnings ratios. He…
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If you want to beat the average, try what works on Wall Street: discipline
The Globe and Mail’s Strategy Lab, which pits growth, value and other stock-picking styles against one another, raises the essential…
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Lessons from the few who beat the market
Having trouble deciding whether you should worry more about the European banking crisis, the U.S. debt cliff or the slowdown…
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