11 months down, 1 to go in 2014. Here are the tactical asset allocation portfolio updates for this month. Starting with the most basic portfolios, below are the December updates for the GTAA5 and the Permanent Portfolio. I keep a spreadsheet online that is update automatically. There were no changes from Read more…
One of the more overlooked areas of quantitative investing is how to integrate quant strategies into a diversified portfolio. Let’s look at a few of the issues involved and some possible solutions. I’ve discussed the big allocation decision already, i.e. how much to put into quant strategies vs bonds already. I Read more…
Unfortunately, portfolios are not like a certain type of ring, forged with magical powers to rule over the world, man/hobbit/elf kind, and all other types of investment portfolios. There is no one portfolio to rule them all. There are many different styles and types of portfolios with very different characteristics, asset Read more…
Early in 2013 I presented a quantitative strategy based on dividend paying stocks from OShaughnessy’s What Works On Wall Street. The Enhanced Dividend Yield strategy. The strategy provides market beating returns, higher sharpe ratios, and a healthy dividend stream. One of the best things about this strategy is it’s high Read more…
The starting year of retirement makes a huge difference in the success or failure of a retirement plan. This is the key difference between the accumulation phase of investing and the withdrawal phase of investing. Yet the majority of investing writing does not take this key difference into account when Read more…
Maybe the best thing about quant or automatic investing is the peace of mind it provides during times of market turmoil. While I would by no means characterize the recent market action as ‘turmoil’, many investors seem to think it is. It always amazes me how short term the investor Read more…
Value investing holds the promise of great returns over the long run and appeals to many investor’s innate sense of value derived from their personal experiences. But value investing has a couple of key downsides that make it very hard for many investors to stick with the approach long enough Read more…
Contrary to the overwhelming consensus at the beginning of the year, bonds have done remarkably well year to date. With that in mind I wanted to update the SWRs for the 100% US TIPs retirement portfolio I presented last year. With rates down, SWRs will be down as well but Read more…
“True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.” Socrates When I read the Socrates quote above I can’t imagine what he would have said about today’s world. We live in a highly complex non-linear world with Read more…
There’s been couple of recent announcements in the portfolio management industry which show the extent of technology’s penetration into the industry. The announcements further continue the rise of such automatic investing companies like Betterment and Wealthfront which are using modern technology to automate and drive down investment costs for individuals. First, Read more…
It’s kind of hard to believe but almost a year ago I introduced the trending value quant portfolio. Since I’m coming up on a rebalancing and I’ll start work on the new portfolio this weekend I wanted to take a look back and see how last year’s portfolio performed. Also, Read more…