“The stock market is a highly efficient mechanism for the transfer of wealth from the impatient to the patient.”
– Warren Buffett
“In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is.”
– Yogi Berra
“The important thing about a philosophy is that you have one you can stick with.”
– David Booth, founder DFA Funds
We invest using index funds from Dimensional (DFA) and others. For more information on evidence-based investing see the DFA videos below.
Investments based on Evidence, not Hunches:
Investors want above average returns and many fund managers try to outguess the market. Unfortunately, roughly 80% of funds underperform their benchmark for periods longer than 5 years. Worse yet, the small number of funds that do manage to outperform in a 5-year period are just as likely to underperform the next 5-year period as any other fund.
Low-cost, broadly diversified, index funds match the benchmark and keep costs low. If 80% of funds underperform benchmarks; funds that match benchmarks are above average returns.
We build your portfolio with funds based on evidence from Nobel Prize-winning research and use disciplined rebalancing strategies to manage your risk over time. Rebalancing sounds simple, but it isn’t always easy. After stocks declined in 2008-2009 few investors wanted to sell bonds to buy stocks, but that was the wise move, and it’s what we did. Rebalancing was tested during the financial crisis and it passed!
The best portfolio is one you can stick with. Over 15+ years, a portfolio of 100% stocks is likely to outperform a 50-50 portfolio of stocks and bonds. But it can be more difficult to stay invested with 100% stocks. Technology enables you to check your investments anytime, but research shows checking more often makes it harder to weather volatility.
We monitor your investments daily, so you don’t have to. You can learn more about evidence-based investing watching the videos below:
References to large percentages of mutual funds consistently underperforming their index benchmarks for periods 5 years or longer is based on data compiled by SPIVA® and Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA). More information can be found at https://us.spindices.com/spiva/#/reports and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VKRzrb4vVg.
References to strategies based on Nobel Prize-winning research refers to contributions to Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA) investment strategies from research from several prominent economists whose research was awarded The Nobel Prize in Economics. This list includes Eugene Fama (2013), Robert Merton (1997), Myron Scholes (1997), and Merton Miller (1990). More information can be found at https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/2013/fama/facts/ and https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/1997/merton/biographical/ and https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/1997/scholes/biographical/ and https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/1990/miller/biographical/