- Susan Weiner Investment Writing

OCT. NEWSLETTER: Are your firm’s bios incorrect?

October 1, 2024/in blog, marketing, punctuation/by Susan Weiner, CFA

Copyediting your firm’s bios seems like it should be easy. After all, bios simply report dry facts, right?

No! One problem is that employees may report the names of their employers and schools incorrectly. There’s probably no intention to deceive. Perhaps they knew the company by a short version of its name that wasn’t its legal name that should appear in a bio. Maybe their former employer or school has undergone a name change or been acquired. I’m familiar with the pain of acquisitions. I started working for Fleet Investment Advisors, which later became Columbia Management and is now Columbia Threadneedle Investments. It’s hard to keep up with all of the changes.

This kind of confusion is why, when copyediting bios recently for a client, I created a master list of school and company names, along with website addresses to document the organizations’ correct names.

You have options for how to refer to a past employer in a bio. For example, “ABC Investment Management (now XYZ Company)” or “XYZ Company (originally ABC Investment Management).” Whichever approach you choose, be consistent.

Paying attention to these details enhances people’s view of your organization as one that also pays attention to the details of how it manages client accounts.

Comma before “as well as”?

Early in my career, I learned to put a comma before “as well as” when using it to mean “and.” However, apparently the recommended practice has changed, according to my recent research.

“As a general rule, you don’t need a comma before as well as.” That’s because “Using a comma turns the thing you’re talking about with as well as into an aside–information that’s less important than the rest of the sentence,” says Grammarly in “As Well As Comma.”

ProWritingAid agrees in “Comma Before ‘As Well As’: How to Punctuate Correctly,” saying, “The only time you might want to include a comma before as well as is if you want to de-emphasize the part of the sentence beginning with this phrase.”

In this case, I relied on Grammarly as well as ProWritingAid as resources to help me refine my punctuation.

By the way, “as well as” and “and” are not always interchangeable. This is explained in “’As Well As’ in a Sentence: How to Use It (with Examples)” on the ProWritingAid website. I mostly use “and” but sometimes use “as well as” for better rhythm or to de-emphasize the information that follows “as well as.”

To avoid other common punctuation mistakes, read my post on “Bloggers’ top two punctuation mistakes.”

“Is It Safe to Use GenAI for This Task?”

This is the title of a Nielsen Norman Group decision tree infographic to help you decide whether it’s OK to use a form of generative artificial intelligence (AI) such as ChatGPT for a task.

The decision tree starts with the question: “Does it matter if the output is TRUE?” If it matters, the next question is “Do you have the expertise and/or time to verify the accuracy of the output?” Then, you must take responsibility for any inaccuracies that sneak through. Even if the truth doesn’t matter, you still should do some checking. I hope this decision tree and the related article help people to use generative AI responsibly.

This useful infographic appears about halfway through “When Should We Trust AI? Magic-8-Ball Thinking” by Caleb Sponheim of Nielsen Norman Group.

Financial Blogging still available at sale price

book cover: Financial Blogging: How to Write Powerful Posts That Attract Clients

Financial Blogging’s paperback version is on sale direct from the author for shipment within the U.S. as long as supplies last.

You can still buy a paperback copy of Financial Blogging: How to Write Powerful Posts That Attract Clients for only $27 including shipping. Email me your shipping address so I can send you a PayPal invoice and confirm that you’re eligible for this offer.

The offer expires when I run out of copies. I have a limited supply of personal copies that I’m selling.

Michael Kitces says, “A great read for advisors who want to blog better—or learn how to start!” Learn more about the book.

Act now! The sale price is available only if you contact me directly.

Mixed feelings in my garden

I felt joy watching two chickadees take turns feeding on the sunflowers I grew from seeds.

However, I was not happy to see that some critter took a big bite out of a homegrown tomato. I also found a mostly intact tomato on the ground about 10 feet away, hiding under my rosebushes.

Still, I love my garden!

What my clients say about me

“Fast, effective, insightful. I can think of no better resource for superior financial writing.”

“Susan has an exceptional ability to tailor investment communications to the sophistication level of any audience. She has an uncanny ability to make very complex investment and/or economic topics accessible and understandable to anyone.”

“Susan’s particularly good at working through highly technical material very quickly. That’s very important in this business. A lot of people are good writers, but they have an extensive learning curve for something they’re unfamiliar with. Susan was able to jump very quickly into technical material.”

Improve your investment commentary

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Tips include how to organize your thoughts, edit for the “big picture,” edit line by line, and get more mileage out of your commentary.

Available in PDF format for only $9.99. Buy it now!

Boost your blogging now!

Financial Blogging: How to Write Powerful Posts That Attract Clients is available for purchase as a PDF ($39) or a paperback ($49, affiliate link).

Hire Susan to speak

Could members of your organization benefit from learning to write better? Hire Susan to present on “How to Write Investment Commentary People Will Read,” “Writing Effective Emails,” or a topic customized for your company.

20 topics for your financial blog

July 6, 2023/2 Comments/in blog/by Susan Weiner, CFA

If you feel frustrated by coming up with topics for your financial blog, the journalist’s five Ws and one H can help. Below I share a list of 20 topics inspired by the five Ws and one H.

As you brainstorm topics, think about how you can solve problems for members of your target audience. This will make your posts relevant to them. For help with this, read “WHAT PROBLEM does this blog post solve for them?”

5 W's and 1 H infographic

WHY

Why I blog—remember to focus on your readers as you write about yourself. I aimed for that in “Why I write for you.”
Why I manage money the way I do
Why I became a financial planner or an investment manager
Why I changed my mind about a topic important to how I help clients
Why investors should pay less attention to financial news

WHO

Who can you trust with your money?
Who should inherit your wealth?

WHAT

What do you want?—ask your readers what they’d like to learn about on your blog
What is most important for the success of your investments or financial plan?
What is the biggest risk to your financial success?

WHEN

When should you retire or start collecting Social Security?
When are you ready to buy a house?

WHERE

Where in the world should you invest?
Where should you custody your assets?

HOW

How to go broke—sometimes writing about what not to do can be powerful
How to pick a financial advisor or investment manager
How to pick a mutual fund or ETF
How to create a portfolio for the long run
How to deal with the stock market’s ups and downs
How to protect yourself against inflation

For more ideas about generating blog post topics, check out “Photo + Mind Map = Blog Inspiration.”

Note: I corrected some typos on Dec. 21, 2014, made edits on May 28 and October 24, 2021; October 12, 2022; and July 6, 2023.

Get angry to blog

May 17, 2022/in blog/by Susan Weiner, CFA

“Get angry” when you want to be creative, says John Hegarty in Hegarty on Creativity: There Are No Rules. Hegarty is a founder of an ad agency.

Hegarty points to Picasso’s Guernica as an example of how anger can fuel creativity and big accomplishments. He says

When Picasso painted Guernica, one of his most famous works, I don’t think he was whistling happily to himself. No, he was angry. Outraged at the Nazis and Italian Fascists who had bombed this defenseless Spanish town, killing thousands of people.

Anger can fuel compelling blog posts.

For example, do you see individual investors buying things they don’t understand or taking an approach of “buy high, sell low” instead of the more logical opposite approach? Channel your anger into a blog posts that educate readers! Use stories to show them why some strategies don’t work. Explain the steps that make more sense.

You can move readers toward achieving their financial goals as you relieve the tension that you feel from watching them take moves that undercut their achieving their goals. That’s a win-win situation.

Legal danger for financial bloggers: Two misconceptions, three resources, one suggestion

March 1, 2022/9 Comments/in blog/by Susan Weiner, CFA

No financial blogger wants to get in trouble with the law, become liable for financial damages, or tarnish his or her reputation. You’ve probably thought about compliance with laws governing advisors registered with the SEC, FINRA, or other regulators. But what about copyright laws?

I believe a significant number of advisor-bloggers are guilty of copyright violations when they share information written by others. I have come across several well-meaning advisors who mistakenly believed they acted within the law when they copied all or part of other people’s blog posts. In fact, they had broken the law and could have been on the hook for financial penalties.

To help you cope, I’ve written this article sharing two common misconceptions, three resources, and one suggestion to keep you on the right side of the law and make everybody happy.

Misconception #1: If you credit and link, that’s enough

Most advisors and other financial bloggers know you shouldn’t copy someone else’s work and pass it off as your own. However, I’ve seen advisors who think it’s okay to copy an entire newspaper article on their blogs as long as they name the author and publication details in addition to linking online to the original article.

This is not correct, as you’ll realize when you check out my resource section below.

Misconception #2: If you only copy XXX words, it’s okay

There is no word-count rule that protects you from charges of copyright infringement. If you use the “heart” of the work, you’re in trouble, as explained under “Factor 3” in the “The four factors of fair use” section of the University of Minnesota University Libraries’ excellent web pages on copyright.

In fact, even short phrases may be protected by copyright, according to “Copyright Protection for Short Phrases” in the Copyright and Fair Use section of the Stanford University Libraries website.

How can you share content without violating copyright? Check out the resources in the next section.

Resources for “fair use” of copyrighted material

Lawyers use the term “fair use” to describe the legal use of copyrighted materials. Here are two websites and a printable checklist that will help you assess whether the amount of another author’s text that you reproduce in your blog post is acceptable. There are no short, easy guidelines that fit all situations.

“Understanding Fair Use” is a good overview of the issues, presented by the University of Minnesota’s University Libraries.
“Fair Use,” a book chapter on this topic, is available on the Stanford University Libraries website.
The “Fair Use Checklist” from Columbia University Libraries will help you think through the issues for specific materials.

Suggestion to ensure “fair use”

When in doubt, ask the author for permission to reproduce the content on your blog. Don’t assume they’ll say “yes.” However, you may score points with writers who are anxious to spread their message. If the writer says, “No,” at least you know to tread carefully in how you use the author’s content.

By the way, I don’t oppose bloggers summarizing or adding their own spin to other people’s content. But please don’t violate copyright by exceeding what is considered “fair use.” Speaking of authors, I’d like to thank the writers on Freelance Success, including Tania Casselle and Erik Sherman, who helped me find resources for this blog post.

NOTE: I updated and deleted some links on July 25, 2013, after finding the original links no longer worked. I updated links again on August 23, 2016; Dec. 31, 2018; and Oct. 1, 2022.

Image courtesy of digitalart/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Secret of regular blogging

January 11, 2022/2 Comments/in blog, marketing, writing/by Susan Weiner, CFA

In 2010, a portfolio manager told me his most powerful tip for blogging on a regular schedule:

I speak my thoughts into Dragon NaturallySpeaking.

This speech recognition software transcribes his words, so he need not type his first draft. This is a great time saver.

Back then, Dragon software was your main option for automated transcription of whatever you said. Since then, your options have multiplied. Your smartphone probably offers a voice assistant that can transcribe your speech. There are also options from third parties, such as Otter.ai or the automated transcription service from Rev.

If automated transcription services’ errors, such as typing “NASA allocation” for “an asset allocation,” are too annoying, you can hire a human transcriptionist.

The bottom line: If dictation helps you to write more regularly or quickly, use it.

Note: This was updated in February and November 2021.

9 ways blogging is like sourdough baking

June 8, 2021/in blog/by Susan Weiner, CFA

Like many other Americans, I started baking sourdough bread during the pandemic. I love the process and the taste. As I’ve baked, I’ve also realized that cooking with a sourdough starter has similarities to blogging.

1. It’s scary to start

I wouldn’t have started baking sourdough if I’d had to create a sourdough starter on my own or shell out money to buy a starter. That’s because I figured there was little likelihood that my bread would turn out well. However, I received my sourdough starter—a fermented mix of flour and water—at no cost through my local Buy Nothing group, so I didn’t have anything to lose by trying it.

Similarly, starting to blog involved uncertainty about whether I’d succeed. When I started blogging, I had no idea that I’d eventually write and share well over 1,000 blog posts.

2. Little investment is required to start

Aside from my free sourdough starter, I had everything else I needed to start baking sourdough bread in my kitchen. I had all of the ingredients—flour, water, and salt. I also had two small Dutch ovens.

You can start blogging on a free platform like WordPress.org. As long as you also have a computer, you can start blogging for free.

3. Great instructions help

The woman who gave me my sourdough starter included two pages of feeding instructions with the starter. I read them religiously when I started. I trusted Google to find me a good bread recipe. I feel grateful that it took me to The Clever Carrot’s “Sourdough Bread: A Beginner’s Guide.” The step-by-step instructions turned out to be foolproof.

I wrote Financial Blogging: How to Write Powerful Posts That Attract Clients to provide step-by-step instructions for generating blog post ideas, organizing your ideas before you write, writing your first draft, and doing big-picture edits and line edits. My readers’ reviews say that I’ve achieved this goal.

4. Starting simply helps

Sourdough baking can get complicated. People buy special baskets called bannetons for shaping the sourdough, they use different techniques for giving structure to the dough, they coat the sourdough surface in rice flour so elaborate patterns that they cut in the bread’s surface will stand out, they create parchment paper slings to drop their dough into preheated Dutch ovens that’ll burn you if you accidentally brush against them, and they aim to create an “ear” that makes a slice of the bread look like a side view of a bunny rabbit with a long floppy ear. I haven’t done any of that fancy stuff yet. I might never have started sourdough if I’d thought all of that fuss was necessary.

Blogging can get complicated, too. You can go for elaborate graphics as illustrations, delve deeply into the best SEO keywords and how to implement them, and much more. Those techniques can pay off eventually, but they’re not necessary to get started.

5. Good tools help

Measuring your sourdough using a scale instead of measuring cups helps because the 500 grams of flour add up to a different number of cups depending on various factors. I quickly upgraded to a digital kitchen scale from my manual scale. I also benefited from buying an instant-read food thermometer to check the inner temperature of my loaves so I can confirm they’re not under- or over-baked.

For blogging—or any kind of writing—I find mind mapping incredibly helpful at the idea generation, organization, and analysis stages of writing and editing. I’m also a fan of automated tools, such as PerfectIt (subscription required) and Grammarly (free version available). Folks who care a lot about search engine optimization may benefit from tools like Yoast or Wordstream’s free keyword tool.

6. There’s a role for discard

The process of nurturing a sourdough starter means that most bakers generate more starter than they can maintain or bake, so it becomes “discard.” That’s why there’s a whole category of recipes for this flour-water mix, including this great collection of sourdough discard recipes from King Arthur Flour. I’ve regularly been making a double batch of the sourdough pizza crust recipe since I discovered it early this spring. My second favorite recipe is for sourdough popovers.

Discards from your blog posts can also turn into something useful, as I discussed in “Save your trash to feed your blog.”

7. There are many variations on the basic recipe

I’ve experimented with many variations on the basic sourdough recipe. I’ve used different kinds of flour, seeds, dried fruit, herbs, spices, and even vegetables and cheese.

Similarly, there are many different formats for blog posts and different ways to approach a topic.

8. Even failures can be tasty

I have yet to bake an outright failure. However, my friend June tells me that it’s easy to turn a failed bread into croutons or bread crumbs. Bread pudding is another option.

Similarly, an idea that doesn’t turn into a full-blown blog post may still help you somewhere. For example, it might turn into an example that you include in a client email or an item in a FAQ on your website.

9. There’s always more to learn

With less than a year of sourdough baking behind me, I still have a lot to learn. I’ve started keeping a sourdough journal where I record the variations that I try and the problems that I encounter. I hope these notes will help me to improve.

I’m still learning about the craft of writing and blogging. Part of the reason I blog is to help me think through the lessons I’ve learned.

Disclosure: If you click on an Amazon link in this post and then buy something, I will receive a small commission. I provide links to books only when I believe they have value for my readers.

Blog like a mangrove

September 1, 2020/in blog/by Susan Weiner, CFA

A mangrove thrives because its roots filter out salt from the water it takes in. I learned this at the San Miguelito archeological site that’s part of the Mayan museum in Cancun, Mexico. I suggest that you act as the “mangrove roots” of your blog.

Filter out the “salt”

Think about the misinformation and distractions that confront your clients and your blog readers every day. Your blog can filter out the destructive “salt” of bad information.

When you present only information that’s accurate and relevant, you’re helping your audience to thrive. Blogging like a mangrove’s roots filter salt is a worthy goal.

I recommend the Mayan museum

If you’re ever in Cancun, I highly recommend its Mayan museum at a cost of only about $5 per person.

Here are two photos I took there.

My posts that attracted the most views during 2020’s first quarter

Financial communications during the coronavirus crisis
How to achieve continuity in your writing
MISTAKE MONDAY for January 27: Can YOU spot what’s wrong?
Tips for managing author approvals—Managing author approvals can challenge the patience of financial writers and marketers. The process can be equally distressing for authors, if it’s not done well.
Everything old is new again in advisor communications