Options are considered one of the riskiest investment instruments. Googling “options” can result in some pretty terrifying descriptions like “The price of options can change quickly, and those who trade them can win or lose huge sums of money in very short periods of time. This type of trading is best left to professionals,” or “The […] Read more
How I doubled my money in less than four years, Part 3
Using options to enhance portfolio performance
How I doubled my money in less than four years, Part 2
Five things I did to build my portfolio
The last article discussed a number of things I didn’t do to build my newsletter portfolio. This column will turn to the things I did. Some of these may appear like a broken record from past articles but warrant repeating. None of this is rocket science and I’m sure not a rocket scientist. Perhaps that’s […] Read more
How I doubled my money in less than four years
Not quite as good as my son’s spec foray, but it was the whole portfolio — not one stock
How many investment avenues provide the opportunity to double your money in four years? Using the rule of 72, an 18 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) can quickly be calculated. Lots of fun, with lots of exciting twists and turns including the 2018 mini-bear market and the COVID plunge of 2020. The Titanium […] Read more
Environmental, social and governance investing
Is it another new fad?
Business and investing fads come and go, much like other aspects of life. Those with merit last longer than others, while many fall into the trash bin of overhyped and bad ideas. Two decades ago, Six Sigma became a highly touted business concept, designed to reduce defect rates to less than 0.0003 per cent. I […] Read more
Specs and SPACs, Part 2
...and how my idiot son quintupled his money in two months
No children were insulted in the writing of this article. In fact, our youngest gave me the subtitle, and is the lead character in the story. (Read Part 1, here) As they were growing up, our kids were learning how to allocate scarce resources from their allowance and sports refereeing earnings between immediate gratification (a […] Read more
Specs and SPACs…
...and “how my idiot son quintupled his money in two months” (his words)
“But the most absurd and preposterous of all, and which showed more completely than any other, the utter madness of the people, was one, started by an unknown adventurer entitled ‘Company for carrying on an undertaking of great advantage, but nobody to know what it is.'” The above quote is by Charles Mackay from a […] Read more
Free money … what’s not to love?
Investing for Fun and Profit: Leading to my 2021 market predictions
The essence of market economies is that millions of individuals making profit-oriented decisions, for the benefit of themselves, their families and communities, will allocate resources significantly more efficiently than government bureaucrats making the same decisions on behalf of millions of individuals. One of the key reasons is everyone’s circumstances are different and can therefore make […] Read more
Titanium-Strength Portfolio continues to live up to its name
It could also be called the do-nothing portfolio
It has been a little over a month since the turn of the calendar, but I am writing this the day after the Washington siege as my first column of the new year. What other zaniness might occur between day of writing and day of reading remains to be seen, but a constant has been […] Read more
“He who lives by the crystal ball will eat shattered glass”
Neither seer skill nor mathematical acuity are very important for market success
The quip in my column title was authored by Ray Dalio, a highly successful hedge fund manager, founder of Bridgewater Associates and successful author. I am writing near the end of a tumultuous year for a publication date early in what will hopefully become a year when life and the markets return to some level […] Read more
Why is simple so difficult?
Following a consistent approach helps to simplify
In my former corporate life, I frequently lamented needless complexity with the refrain, “They have a never-ending ability to turn simple stuff into rocket science.” At one point, a CEO made the infamous statement that “complexity is our friend,” releasing a torrent of complexity from minions aiming to please. It is my belief that complexity […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
