Sunday 1 September 2019

Process Unicorns

"Poker theorist David Sklansky suggests that you should consider yourself the winner of a poker hand, not based on the eventual outcome, but by whether or not you had the highest probability of winning when all the money went in the pot.

The same goes for investing. Learning to score your investment wins and losses based on the quality of your decisions and not on the quality of the outcome is key to managing your emotions, appropriately measuring your own performance and living to fight another day"

- Daniel Crosby (The Behavioral Investor)

Unfortunately, the investment community does not even come close to using the above logic. Advisers, investors and fund managers are too busy consulting the latest Morningstar 1 year performance numbers. Asset managers will tell you that they don't care about short-term performance but they are lying. That Morningstar report (or similar reports) is what pays the bills. In my experience, it is typically the funds near the top of the list that collect most of the assets under management. If your funds languish at the bottom of the pile, you can prepare yourself for some hefty outflows. There is an old saying that "performance sells".

What I believe Daniel Crosby is saying is the "process should sell". Investing success is not just a game of skill. It involves quite a bit of luck. Research (which Crosby discusses in book) shows that games that incur a high degree of luck as opposed to skill are best served by a rule-based or process driven approach. He points out "Winning a skill-based game like chess or basketball requires ... practice. Tasks with a significant degree of luck require a different discipline altogether ... what matters in a game of chance is not the outcome of any particular event, but the quality of your decisions."

So what does this all mean for you, the investor?

Stop worrying about your annual investment performance and start worrying about the process you follow. Do you have the right long-term asset allocation? Do you have a plan in place that you follow through all the ups and downs of the market?

My suggested plan is the same as always...
  • Invest your money in real assets (property, shares etc - if South Africa goes south, ZAR cash isn't going to worth very much. I feel real assets have a better chance of maintaining purchasing power.)
  • Build an offshore store of wealth or investment portfolio (heck, if you want to leave, it can be the start of you saving towards one of those Visa's you can buy in some European countries)
  • Have access to offshore cash in hard currency (USD, EUR or GBP). If you need to get on a plane then you have some rent and food money.
  • Start meditating (I am serious). Learn to deal with stress/anger that uncertainty in South Africa is causing you.
  • Lastly, on a sunny African day go for a walk on the promenade at your nearest beach and wonder is it all really that bad...

And if that doesn't help, I have upgraded our pony to a unicorn...


Image result for unicorn

Tuesday 30 July 2019

Monthly Update and a Cute Pony

End of the month means that it's time for you to hear from me. Yay for you (I hope :) )

It seems a lot has happened since we last spoke. Off the top of my head:

  • We have a buffoon of a public protector that can't seem to get anything quite right
  • Julius continues to shout at rich old people
  • Lots of court cases, interdicts and fighting
  • Reserve bank murmurings
  • We had a small rate cut (happy days if you have a mortgage)
  • Inquiries into capturing and government investment companies continued
  • and many more sad stories

I would be lying if I said that none of them make me nervous. I often think we are in big trouble. The problem is that I am worrying about the future. The future that I cannot predict and have zero control over.

So, I have planned to the best of my ability. Part of this plan is to write these monthly updates to anyone who will read them. It reminds me to continue with my plan and not make emotional short term decisions. Behaviour can be changed over time with small nudges. This is my nudge - to me and to you.

To recap, here is the plan:
  • Invest your money in real assets (property, shares etc - if South Africa goes south, ZAR cash isn't going to worth very much. I feel real assets have a better chance of maintaining purchasing power.)
  • Build an offshore store of wealth or investment portfolio (heck, if you want to leave, it can be the start of you saving towards one of those Visa's you can buy in some European countries)
  • Have access to offshore cash in hard currency (USD, EUR or GBP). If you need to get on a plane then you have some rent and food money.
  • Start meditating (I am serious). Learn to deal with stress/anger that uncertainty in South Africa is causing you.
  • Lastly, on a sunny African day go for a walk on the promenade at your nearest beach and wonder is it all really that bad...
And if that doesn't help, here is a picture of a cute pony to make you feel better.


Monday 24 June 2019

Bookworm

I have an unhealthy love for books. Be it books on Kindle (I shelled out for the top of the range Oasis). Or hardcopy. I have this romantic idea of building a library at home. Sometimes, I dream about having a coffee and book store in one. Ah, my ultimate.

I remember thinking that end was nigh for Exclusive Books. Here we are, many years later... they are still standing. How well they are doing I have no idea (I'd love someone to shed some light on that for me). All I know is every time I go to the shopping mall, I look forward to popping into Exclusive Books. I literally walk down every aisle. My current favourite is seeing what is new in the history and science sections (such a nerd).

Your thing may not be books. It may be cycling, trail running or scrap booking. Who knows. If you spend too much time worrying about politicians, you may stop enjoying them.

So this may seem like it has nothing to do with investing and you are right. This is the point. We forget the noise. We realise that is pointless obsessing over what we can't control. Julius who? EFF what? Stick to the plan.

To recap, here is our plan:
  • Invest your money in real assets (property, shares etc - if South Africa goes south, ZAR cash isn't going to worth very much. I feel real assets have a better chance of maintaining purchasing power.)
  • Build an offshore store of wealth or investment portfolio (heck, if you want to leave, it can be the start of you saving towards one of those Visa's you can buy in some European countries)
  • Have access to offshore cash in hard currency (USD, EUR or GBP). If you need to get on a plane then you have some rent and food money.
  • Start meditating (I am serious). Learn to deal with stress/anger that uncertainty in South Africa is causing you.
  • Lastly, on a sunny African day go for a walk on the promenade at your nearest beach and wonder is it all really that bad...