The Gurus Are Back
An updated chart from @JBoorman
Detoxing is Bullshit
Scientifically speaking, “detoxing” isn’t a thing. Your body doesn’t retain so-called toxins ingested via food or drugs or plastic dishes, or breathed in through air. You don’t sweat them out at yoga, get rid of them via special massage, or purge them through colonics. As writer Dara Mohammadi put it in a scorching takedown of the dominant wellness watchword…
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You Think They Would Have Thought Of That
A few weeks ago LB and I had to trot into town for the day for a meeting and since I dont do public transport for reasons that should be obvious to anyone who has caught public transport I decided to drive and park. Since I am little bit compulsive in my planning I looked…
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Bragging Rights: Does Corporate Boasting Imply Value Creation?
Abstract We examine all S&P 500 firms over 1999-2014 that publicly characterize their annual performance with extreme positive language. We find that only 18% of such firms increase shareholder value, while nearly 75% have insignificant performance, and the remaining 7% actually destroy shareholder value. Our evidence suggests that firms often base their positive claims on…
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Why Are Journalists So Stupid?
I suppose such a question should really just be phrased as a rhetorical since it is a given that the majority seem to be dribbling idiots with the IQ of a turnip. The reason for this tirade is a series of news reports I heard this morning whilst heading to my regular Wednesday morning yoga…
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The Misguided Beliefs of Financial Advisors
Apparently financial advisers give shit advice because that’s the advice they give themselves….. Abstract A common view of retail finance is that conflicts of interest contribute to the high cost of advice. Using detailed data on financial advisors and their clients, however, we show that most advisors invest personally just as they advise their clients.…
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Ten Things I Learnt From Last Weeks Correction
Apropos all the post- dictive self congratulatory tug fest that seems to be going on within the finance industry particularly within the financial media I offer the top things I learnt last week. Market go up and market go down. If you cannot understand that as a basic premise then being involved in markets is…
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A Work In Progress
At the end of each year I have a ritual. LB and I write down what we consider finds of the year. These finds can be anything from a new place for lunch, to a new person who has entered your lives to anything in between. The only requirement is that it made life better…
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