ITA Wealth Management is all about learning to manage your own portfolio instead of hiring a professional money manager. Here is added evidence that consultants and advisors are not adding alpha to some of the most recognized portfolios in the land. Check out this PDF file, “The Futility of the Endowment Model.” There several salient […]
Great Operatic Choruses
If you enjoy majestic choral work conducted by Robert Shaw, this CD is for you. Grand and Glorious: Great Operatic Choruses is one fine collection. I am partial to the Pilgrim’s Chorus, Chorus of Hebrew Slaves, Prisoner’s Chorus, and the selection from Carmen. Here is one positive review from an Amazon listener. “I’m not a […]
Top Twenty-Five Classical Composers
Top Classical Music Composers When I first started to make a list of of my favorite classical composers, the idea was to limit it to the Top Ten. I found that to be impossible so I expanded it to 25. Even then, several of my favorites did not make the list. Here is my selection […]
Correlation Matrix of Critical ETFs
As requested in a comment, here is the correlation matrix of critical ETFs used in nearly all the ITA portfolios. I cut the time frame to 23 months of data so VSS and VNQI did not show up with “short-term” data errors. Identical percentages were assigned to each ETF with exception of SDS. The percentages […]
Keep It Simple
Don’t be surprised if you don’t know the difference between a benchmark ETF and a strategic ETF. Strategic is sometimes called “Fundamental” or “Active” and they differ from the ETFs we recommend for our ITA portfolios. To read more about the differences, check out the URL referenced below. Richard Ferri writes about the increasing complexity […]
Buffett vs. Steadman
For every Warren Buffet there are a hundred Charlie Steadman’s in the investing world. While nearly every investor has heard of Buffett, few remember Charlie Steadman. Is there a reason for this short memory? “Until he died at age 83 in 1997, Charlie Steadman burned through investors’ assets at a rate unseen in the fund […]
Serious Investors Benchmark Their Portfolio
Establishing an appropriate benchmark for a portfolio is essential if one is serious about investing. Avoiding portfolio bench-marking is an act of self-deception. Exactly what is the purpose of a benchmark and what are the requirements for a fair and reasonable benchmark. Here is one definition of bench-marking. In the investing world, the S&P 500 […]
Reviewing The Fundamentals of Investing
Search this blog site for “The Golden Rule of Investing” and you will pick up the basic ideas of Rule #1 of Investing. The Golden Rule of Investing is – “Save as much as you can as early as you can.” Burton Malkiel puts it this way. “The amount of capital you start with […]
Nine Critical Investment Decisions
Nine Critical Investment Decisions 1. The Decision to Save or Not to Save 2. The Go-It-Alone or Professional Manager Decision 3. The Decision to be a Passive, Active or Mosaic Investor 4. The Decision to Use Index Funds or Stocks to Populate the Portfolio 5. The Asset Class or Sector Class Decision 6. The Asset […]
Weekly Music Recommendation
Photograph: Arches National Park – Image captured just as the sun was rising. My music selection this week is Yo-Yo Ma playing Ennio Morricone. This CD includes some of the most beautiful and haunting compositions ever collected on one platter. As you listen to this music you will be drawn back to films as Ennio Morricone […]
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