How do you define outperformance by stock funds?
Portfolio managers want to outperform their benchmarks. There’s no question in my mind about this. But how much of an advantage do you need before you can claim outperformance? Outperformance for stocks To keep things simple, let’s focus on portfolios investing in stocks. Is it okay to claim outperformance if your return exceeds the benchmark’s […]
Forget your spell checker!
You can’t rely on automated spell checkers. They won’t catch all of your typos. I remember a beautiful institutional investment pitch book shared by a senior portfolio manager. I’ll call him George Miller. The front cover billed him as “George Miller, Portfolio Manger.” Yes, that’s “manger” not “manager.” You can use the proofreading methods in […]
Financial advisor prospecting: Not all non-clients are the same
Getting new clients for your investment or wealth management business is always on your mind. But there are so many prospects and so little time. One way to narrow your scope is to focus on a target market, as I described in “First pick your target market and niche.” A next step is to distinguish […]
The letter reader who’s your biggest nightmare
If you’re a sloppy letter writer, then my friend’s old employer is your biggest nightmare. But clean up your writing, and you can win over even this tough customer. The impatient reader “How do you go through your mail so quickly?” she asked after watching him flip through letters one after another without pausing. His […]
Should you go bold?
Bold type, which is thicker than regular type, can make it easier for readers to grasp your meaning. This happens only if you bold wisely. Go overboard with bold, and you may lose readers. When to bold Here are three ways I’d use bold in a blog post: 1. Bold your headings or the first […]