In my view, these were my best posts written between February and April 2013:
I have a saying, ?Don?t buy what someone wants to sell you. Buy what you have researched.?
And so I would tell everyone: don?t give brokers discretion over you accounts, and don?t let them convince you to buy unusual bonds, or obscure securities of any sort.? By unusual bonds, I mean structured notes, and eminent men like Joshua Brown and Larry Swedroe encourage the same thing: Don?t buy them.
The Education of a Mortgage Bond Manager, Part III
Why being careful with credit ratings is smart.
The Education of a Mortgage Bond Manager, Part IV
Be wary of odd asset classes; they are odd for a reason.
The Education of a Mortgage Bond Manager, Part V
Where I do odd things in order to serve my client.
The Education of a Mortgage Bond Manager, Part VI
The Education of a Mortgage Bond Manager, Part VII
The Education of a Mortgage Bond Manager, Part IX
Odd stuff, but particularly insightful into some of the perverse dynamics inside investment departments.
The Education of a Mortgage Bond Manager, Part VIII
How I led the successful effort to modify the Maryland Life Insurance Investment Law, and acted for the good of the public.
The Education of a Mortgage Bond Manager, Part X (The End)
Where I explain the odd bits of being portfolio manager, while succeeding with structured bonds amid difficult markets.
Berkshire Hathaway & Variable Annuities
I explain the good, bad, and ugly off of Berkshire Hathaway’s reinsurance deal with CIGNA.
Where I opine on some Sears bonds, and also on flu pandemic risk at RGA.
What I Would & Would Not Teach College Students About Finance
Mostly, I would teach them to think broadly, and realize the most of the complex investment math is easy to get wrong.
My replacement for MPT using contingent claims theory.
On Insurance Investing, Part 4
On finding companies with conservative insurance reserving
On Insurance Investing, Part 5
On the squishy stuff, where there are no hard guidelines.
People shorten and lengthen their time horizons at the wrong time.
The Education of an Investment Risk Manager, Part IV
On two odd situations inside a life insurance company.
The Education of an Investment Risk Manager, Part V
On how we replaced a manager of managers.
Explains how there are many ways to do value investing.
Classic: Using Investment Advice, Part 1
Classic: Using Investment Advice, Part 2
Classic: Using Investment Advice, Part 3
Classic: Using Investment Advice, Part 4 [Tread Warily on Media Stock Tips]
Understand yourself, understand the advisor, understand the counsel that is offered, and finally, we wary of what you here through the media, including me.
Classic: Avoid the Dangers of Data-Mining, Part 1
Classic: Avoid the Dangers of Data-Mining, Part 2
There are many ways to torture the data to make it confess what you want to hear. ?Avoid that.
Classic: The Fundamentals of Market Tops
Where I explain what conditions are like when market tops are near.
At the Towson University Investment Group?s International Market Summit, Part 5
Where I answer the question:?Where does academic theory fail in finance and in economics?
Classic: Separating Weak Holders From the Strong
Classic: Get to Know the Holders? Hands, Part 1
Classic: Get to Know the Holders? Hands, Part 2
Articles that explain the fundamental??basis that underlies technical analysis.
Classic: The Long and Short of Trend Investing
How to play trends without getting skinned.
Full Disclosure: long RGA and BRK/B