Coca-Cola Freestyle and the Nightmare of Too Much Choice
Source: Forbes.com
July 10th, 2014
The countless little choices add up -- and it's exhausting.
The Investor's Paradox delivers a road map to investors overwhelmed by the complexity of markets and the innumerable choices before them. Fund companies, advisors, and pundits offer countless recommendations for investors. But how to sort through it all? Written by a seasoned investment expert in language accessible to all, The Investor's Paradox fills a wide void in the literature for those seeking the right path forward, one that is neither overly technical nor oversimplified. Finding simplicity in a complex world isn't necessarily easy, but the payoff is enormous.
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About thebookInvestors are in a jam. A troubled global economy, unpredictable markets, and a bewildering number of investment choices create a dangerous landscape for individual and institutional investors alike. To meet this challenge, most of us rely on a portfolio of fund managers to take risk on our behalves. Here, investment expert Brian Portnoy delivers a powerful framework for choosing the right ones – and avoiding the losers. Portnoy reveals that the right answers are found by confronting our own subconscious biases and behavioral quirks. A paradox we all face is the natural desire for more choice in our lives, yet the more we have, the less satisfied we become – whether we’re at the grocery store, choosing doctors, or flipping through hundreds of TV channels. So, too, with investing, where there are literally tens of thousands of funds from which to choose. Hence “the investor’s paradox”: We crave abundant investment choices to conquer volatile markets, yet with greater flexibility, the more overwhelmed and less empowered we become. |
Leveraging the fresh insights of behavioral economics, Portnoy demystifies the opaque world of elite hedge funds, addresses the limits of mass market mutual funds, and discards the false dichotomy between “traditional” and “alternative” investments. He also explores why hedge funds have recently become such a controversial and disruptive force. Turns out it’s not the splashy headlines – spectacular trades, newly minted billionaires, aggressive tactics – but something much more fundamental. The stratospheric rise to prominence and availability of alternative strategies represents a further explosion in the size and complexity of the choice set in a market already saturated with products. It constitutes something we all both crave and detest.
The Investor’s Paradox lights a path toward simplicity in a world of dangerous markets and overwhelming choice. Written in accessible, jargon-free language, with a healthy skepticism of today's money management industry, it offers not only practical tools for investment success but also a message of empowerment for investors drowning in possibility.
Source: Forbes.com
July 10th, 2014
The countless little choices add up -- and it's exhausting.
Source: Wall Street Journal / WSJ.com
June 6th, 2014
Questions to be raised by financial advisors regarding buying alternatives.
Source: Forbes.com
June 5th, 2014
Let's keep the debate on hedge funds sober and fact-based.
Source: Forbes.com
May 27th, 2014
Taking issue with a litany of well-worn claims.
Source: Forbes
April 28th, 2014
Going "passive" doesn't mean you haven't made a choice.
March 24th, 2014
The vocation of picking the right fund managers has changed, for better or worse.
Source: StockIdeas.org
March 22nd, 2014
It's less complicated than many make it out to be.
Source: Amazon Money & Markets
March 11th, 2014
Get past stale checklists and focus on what really counts.
Source: Morningstar Magazine
March 4th, 2014
An extensive interview by Morningstar Investment Services CEO Jeffrey Ptak
Source: MarketWatch
January 15th, 2014
Be proactive, skeptical, and patient.
Source: Forbes.com
April 1st, 2013
Cutting through unfortunately popular nonsense on hedge funds
Source: Musings of a Tape Reader
April 29th, 2014
Nice discussion of Expectations Management and The Investor's Paradox.
Source: MarketWatch
February 23rd, 2014
Why “better” investments may not be safer
Source: littlefishFX
February 18th, 2014
A giveaway contest (!) for The Investor's Paradox
Source: PJ Media
February 17th, 2014
What's the right amount of freedom?
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer
February 13th, 2014
Distinguish between the risks in your fund and the packaging it comes in.
Source: Forbes.com
March 17th, 2014
Regret and envy are unavoidable elements of investing.
Source: The Michael Dresser Show
March 4th, 2014
Michael and Brian discuss the challenges to sound investing.
Source: Business Book Talk
March 3rd, 2014
Bob Garlick and Brian have a "coffee shop" chat about behavioral finance
Source: TheStreet.com
February 28th, 2014
An interview about mutual funds, liquid alternatives, and smart approaches to portfolio building.
February 14th, 2014
Senior MarketWatch columnist Chuck Jaffe and Brian have a wide ranging conversation about fund investing.
November 20th, 2014
"The New Age of Financial Advice"
October 23rd, 2014
"Investor Behavior in an Era of Turbulent Markets and Too Much Choice"
September 25th, 2014
"Solving the Investor's Paradox"
September 15th, 2014
"Solving the Investor's Paradox"
August 21st, 2014
"Be Careful What You Wish For: Managing Expectations In Life and Investing"
August 5th, 2014
"Foxes, Hedgehogs, and Hedge Funds: Connecting Buyers and Sellers of Complex Products"
June 17th, 2014
"Solving the Investor's Paradox"
June 10th, 2014
"Foxes, Hedgehogs, and Hedge Funds: How to Attract and Retain Capital in Ultra-Competitive Markets"
June 2nd, 2014
"Be Careful What You Wish For: Managing Expectations in Life and Investing"
May 15th, 2014
"Miles Davis Was a Hedge Fund Manager: The Science of Making Things Up"
May 13th, 2014
"Finding Simplicity in a World of Dangerous Markets"
March 18th, 2014
Monthly Book Club Series: Discussion of The Investor's Paradox
March 10th, 2014
"Bad Wine, Bronze Medals, & Velvet Ropes"
February 21st, 2014
"Jazz, Firefighters, & Hedge Funds"
January 23rd, 2014
Panel discussion on "Trader Tendencies, Group Think, & Investor Behavior"
January 10th, 2014
"Hedge Funds, History, & Hysteria"
November 14th, 2013
"Conventional and Unconventional Notions of Alpha in Manager Due Diligence"
October 24th, 2013
Round table on the current state of hedge fund investing
May 7th, 2013
"Foxes, Hedgehogs, and Hedge Funds"
April 9th, 2013
Panel discussion "Key Decisions in Operational Due Diligence"