My best tip for improving your investment commentary

Improving your investment commentary is typically the goal when you hire me to edit or rewrite your quarterly client letters or other commentary. Some of what I do is hard for me to teach you. But one of my most powerful tips is easy for you to implement. My best tip for improving your investment commentary is to add headings to it.

Headings 101: Add visual cues

I’ve worked with several clients whose commentary consisted simply of one paragraph after another. That’s manageable if we’re talking about a two-page client letter that follows the same format quarter after quarter. However, if it’s a seven-page document, that leaves your readers clueless about where to look for which content.

Today’s busy readers often skim documents looking for specific content. Headings as simple as “The Economy,” “Stocks,” “Bonds,” and “Portfolio Positioning” can ease their search. That makes them more likely to engage with what you’ve written.

Headings 201: Convey a message

You can get more mileage out of your headings by making them convey a message. For example, instead of simply writing “Bonds,” write “Bonds: Fed rate hike likely to depress Treasuries.”

With the addition of just seven words, you’ve boosted your readers’ understanding of your views. That’s true even if they never read another word of your commentary. That’s the kind of ROI an investment professional should love.

More tips for improving your investment commentary

To learn more about improving your investment commentary, check out my on-demand webinar, “How to Write Investment Commentary People Will Read.”