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The Intelligent Investor (January 2024)

The Folly of Forecasting

As we enter a new year, plenty of media outlets will publish stock market forecasts from various market analysts. These forecasts will make bold predictions about where stocks, bonds, and the economy are headed in 2024. However, before you put any stock in these forecasts, let’s explore why we find them so tempting in the first place.

The Tragedy of Asset Misallocation

Investors have been bombarded by internet gurus telling them about the danger of high fees, with the adviser’s cost coming under the spotlight. It has led to many investors believing that a DIY approach is the optimal strategy. While we acknowledge that some investors have the ability and discipline to follow a DIY approach, we have seen too many examples of investors working in isolation, leading to suboptimal results.

The Stock Markets

(Updated December 2023)

The key benchmark you should care about is achieving all of your financial and life goals and not running out of money.

The Unimportant Numbers – 1 Month

Monthly figures are a distraction from your long-term goals, we’ll help you avoid the noise.

The Important Numbers – 30 Years

Investing in the Great Companies of the World has produced life-changing returns for the disciplined and patient investor.

Inflation – The Real Enemy (Updated December 2024)

The number one enemy of the long-term investor is the financial dragon called inflation (the silent but steady increase of prices over time).

The only sane definition of money is purchasing power, and over the last 30 years, inflation in the UK has almost halved the value of your money.

But an investment in the global share market has consistently provided protection from this enemy.

IN THE MEDIA

The media is not a friend of the disciplined and patient investor. Whether it’s on TV, Print or Online, the media prefers to focus on short-term returns, market predictions, and negative news. Which is not suitable for a long-term investor.

Below are the stories, podcasts, and images which we wanted to share with you this month, which are uplifting, interesting and informative.

These links below will take you to articles on other websites.

Further Reading

Here are some articles you may find interesting this month.

  • Long-Term News
    A thought-provoking exercise imagining what a positive news article would look like.

Listen & Watch

  • Notice The Financial Feelings
    What feelings come up when you think of money?
  • What is Bitcoin? Explained in 3 Minutes 
    Tuttle Twins is the worlds first cartoon for kids that teaches about bitcoin and the concept of hard money. This episode answers questions like What is Bitcoin? Who created Bitcoin? What is hard money vs. easy money?
  • Life lessons from an ad man.
    Insights from an advertising expert on the power of intangible value, perception, and clever marketing techniques that shape our behaviours and society.

A Picture is worth 1000 Words