Alpha. In an investment sense it means how much better your returns were against a specific benchmark. For example, if you were holding an NZX 50 fund and it returned 12% while the S&P/NZX 50 portfolio index returned 10%, your alpha is 2%. This can also work in reverse. Your fund returns 8% while the index returned 10%, well you’ve got negative alpha of 2%.
The IPO Saga
The hype in new IPOs continues to be huge. The recent announcement by Hawke’s Bay Regional Council approving to float a 45% stake in the Napier Port on July 15th has stirred up a lot of interest among many investors in New Zealand.
Make sure you have a 'fire drill' for your investment plan
An adviser once said he did not so much have people with investment problems as he had investments with people problems. Your assumed rationality can vanish in a crisis. So why not build your human imperfections into your game plan?
Three Wise Birds
As a topic of conversation, investment is like sports. Everyone has an opinion. And the strongest opinions often come from those who spend more time in front of the TV than out on the field. Practitioners, meanwhile, are wary of anything labelled a sure thing.
Déjà vu all over again
Investment fads are nothing new. When selecting strategies for their portfolios, investors are often tempted to seek out the latest and greatest investment opportunities.
Take the rough with the smooth
A key to a successful investment experience is understanding how markets behave and developing the discipline to avoid rash decisions based on short time periods.
Better investment decision making
Making sensible investment decisions is difficult. We are subject to a range of behavioural biases. We have to cope with incessant noise around financial markets. We behave in ways that are inconsistent with our long-term investment objectives. So, what can we do about it?
Why do we make stupid investment decisions?
Although financial markets are awash with randomness and uncertainty, there are obvious, vital and, often simple, cues that as investors we seemingly choose to ignore or disregard. This results in poor choices and often disappointing outcomes.
More money lost to scammers In 2018
If someone cold called offering the opportunity to double your money with a great opportunity in the burgeoning North Korean share market, most people would hang up the phone without question. Temper those claims a little and the cold caller might hook a fish.
Top Drawer Investments
One old adage about investment is that you buy a bunch of reliable stocks, stick them in your bottom drawer and forget about them. That ignores one pesky fact: nothing stays the same.
Top 10 Investment guidelines
Depending on luck is simply not a sustainable investment strategy. Evidence-based, goal-based investment may not sound as exciting but is also a lot less work.
Is property still the golden egg?
New Zealand's house prices have been ranked the most overvalued in the developed world behind only Hong Kong. The Kiwi housing market was also deemed to be the fifth most at-risk among OECD nations, according to an Oxford Economics report.
Q3 2018 Review
World economic data remained encouraging throughout Q3. Global equities, particularly developed markets performed strongly. Emerging markets were punished, while Australia made small gains. And another reason to be wary of what you share online.
What is asset allocation for KiwiSaver funds?
Most KiwiSaver providers let their customers choose how their balance is invested, by choosing the fund type to invest their contributions and employer contributions in. The KiwiSaver fund types have different ways of investing money, for example different combinations of cash allocations or shares.
Investment lessons from betting on the nags
The Tarzino Trophy Daffodil Raceday on September 1 launches Group 1 racing for the season, bringing the big guns of New Zealand racing to Hastings, to battle at one of the country's stellar racing events.
The top 10 excuses we make about bad money decisions
Human beings have an astounding facility for self-deception when it comes to their own money. People who make bad money decisions can often rationalise them. Here are 10 common excuses.
The vacationer's guide to investing
Two colleagues went on holiday separately. One had a great time. The other had a miserable experience. Their respective stories provide valuable lessons, not just about taking a vacation, but about investment.
Thousands of bank accounts closed due to foreign information sharing law
Thousands of bank accounts are frozen. It is now a legal requirement for banks, some investment managers, managed trusts and certain brokers to identify their customers who are foreign tax residents and send their financial information to Inland Revenue.
The Value of Portfolio Modelling Simulations in Financial Planning
As part of our financial planning process, when clients have to make important decisions, we like to “stress test” their plan. One of the tools that we may use is a Monte Carlo simulation.
Let World Cup teach you investment lessons
Belgium, France, England, or Croatia? Which football team are you betting on this World Cup? If you are a stock investor and an avid football fan, the soccer field can be a good place for a few investment lessons.
