One investment manager’s approach to writing commentary
Writers tailor their processes to their needs. Leslie J. Lammers, CFA, of Riverstone Advisors, shared her process with me after reading my post, “A case against writing outlines.” Lammers has used this process to write almost 100 quarterly letters. My approach to writing investment commentary By Leslie J. Lammers, CFA Here is my process: […]
Writers, prepare for National Stress Awareness Month!
Do you enjoy stress? I don’t think so. That’s why National Stress Awareness Month exists. During April, health professionals strive “to inform people about the dangers of stress, successful coping strategies, and harmful misconceptions about stress that are prevalent in our society,” according to the promoters’ official website. Thinking about sources of stress for writers, […]
Can you “impact” results? A case against using “impact” as a verb
Want to send a longtime, classically trained writer into a screaming fit? Write about how your financial strategies “impact” results. Using “impact” as a verb is as irritating to many writers as my husband’s early-morning cellphone alarms that go off before my alarm clock are to me. When you use the word this way, you […]
Writing an email help request that gets results
“I NEED HELP!” This line will get your email recipient’s attention. But email help requests that sound this desperate won’t get the results you seek. Nor will requests that are too subtle. Strike a balance to achieve the best results. Let me illustrate what works—and what doesn’t—with a before-and-after example of a financial professional’s email […]
Marketing lesson from clashing clocks
I’m a regular at my gym. I go there to use the elliptical machine, work out with free weights, and take spinning classes. But sometimes I learn lessons that have nothing to do with exercise—like the lesson of the clashing clocks. For years, my gym has had two wall clocks facing each other. One was […]