Reader challenge: Rewrite this sentence to make it more powerful
Are you up for a challenge? Try rewriting the following sentence to make it more powerful.
Our firm has managed money for wealthy investors for 33 years.
Reader challenge: Propose a new title for this commentary
Titles count. Especially in these days of search engine optimization, better known as SEO. But even without SEO, the quality of your blog post or article title can make a difference in your readership.
Today’s Reader Challenge is coming up with a better title for a piece of published investment commentary: “The ‘Great Recalibration.’ ”
First reactions to “The ‘Great Recalibration’ ” as a title
When I skimmed the title “The ‘Great Recalibration,’ ” I couldn’t tell what it was about. Then I read “Volatility in third-party credit ratings heightens the value of proprietary credit research.” Aha. This told me I was reading about bonds and that there might be some useful information in the article. This prompted the Facebook poll you see below.
However, reader comments (see below) on the poll made me think this title provides good fodder for conversation.
Please give your title suggestions below. You’ll probably want to visit the article–at least briefly. I look forward to hearing from you.
POLL: Which mind mapping solution works best for you?
Mind mapping is a powerful tool for brainstorming, analysis, and presentations. I know a handful of advisors and investment professionals who feel passionately about the value of mind mapping. I do, too.
You can create mind maps with paper and pencil or on the computer. I prefer the old-fashioned way, so I asked some of my social media friends what they use and why.
MindJet
“I chose Mindjet because it has the most extensive array of templated maps as compared to other systems. For example Mindjet has ready made templeted maps for business plans, story outlines, SWOT analysis, etc. I have found Mindjet to be very useful in this regard and as I have used them for our company strategy sessions and general brainstorming,” says Alex Murguia of McLean Asset Management.
Mindmeister
Jude Boudreaux of Upperline Financial likes Mindmeister.
I’ve used it, too, because the basic version is free and pretty easy to pick up.
Mindomo
Russ Thornton of Wealthcare Capital Management is one of my favorite resources for new technology. Here’s what Russ says:
Xmind
Dave Grant of Vantage Financial Partners says, “I use xmind as a project management tool. We have monthly meetings and each meeting is its own “spoke” from the main subject, then each discussion in that meeting is its own “sub-spoke.” You can see see a year’s worth of project in a quick glance – great tool.”
Paper and pencil
Like Nathan Gehring of MyFirstFinancialPlanner.com, I like paper and pencil.
I imagine that when children learn mapping in school, as I discussed in “What your kids can teach you about writing,” they use paper and pencil.
If you’re not familiar with mind mapping…
There’s a decent introduction to mind mapping on Wikipedia.
Please answer my poll on mind mapping solutions, which you’ll find in the right-hand column of this blog. If you don’t see your software listed there, you can add it. I also included paper and pencil as an option.
Here are links to the software options listed above:
If none of these options work for you, you’ll find more listed in my 2008 post on “More options for mind mapping.” To learn more about using mind mapping in your blogging, check out my class on “How to Write Blog Posts People Will Read.”
Usage tips for portfolio performance commentary writers
It’s almost time for quarter-end investment performance reporting. I have some tips for you.
1. Use the past tense.
Why? Because portfolio performance commentary discusses historical performance.
2. Describe benchmarks’ key characteristics, when appropriate.
The general public doesn’t know the difference between the S&P 500 and the S&P 400. They may think one is a subset of the other, like the Fortune 50 and the Fortune 1000. So specify “the mid-cap S&P 400.”
3. Be consistent in how you spell and punctuate terms.
For example, choose between “indexes” and “indices.” Decide whether you’ll use “small cap” exclusively without a hyphen or hyphenate it as “small-cap” when you use it as an adjective.
4. Limit your references to the time period.
Once you establish that you’re writing about the second quarter, don’t repeat that information frequently. However, if you shift between discussing the second quarter and the month of June, name the periods often enough that your reader follows your transitions.
5. Don’t go crazy replacing “returned,” as in “the fund returned 3%.”
There are plenty of other ways to convey the information in the sentence. However, I believe too much variety is counterproductive in a paragraph that consists mainly of returns. Instead, the variety distracts from the reader’s ability to compare returns. If you’re citing many index returns, perhaps you should insert a table.
Do you have grammar, punctuation, or other usage tips for people writing about investment performance? Please leave them as comments below.
EARLY BIRD rate expires JUNE 22 for highly rated blogging class
Time is running out to register at the Early Bird rate for “How to Write Blog Posts People Will Read: A Self-Paced 5-Lesson Writing Class for Financial Advisors.” This rate, exclusively for my e-newsletter subscribers and clients, expires at 12 midnight on Wednesday, JUNE 22.You will find details about the class on the registration page.
You will learn how to
- Generate and refine ideas for blog posts that will engage your readers
- Organize your thoughts before you write, so you can write more quickly and effectively
- Edit your writing, so it’s reader-friendly and appealing
Here’s what advisors say:
- “The class is great! I’m really getting a huge amount of value — there really is a process to writing.”
- “Loving the blog writing class I am taking with @susanweiner #FF”
- “Susan’s coaching is a classic case of ‘under-promise, over-deliver.’ I highly recommend her as a writing coach or teacher. Her coaching has improved the quality of writing in my blog posts. My writing skills were very rusty when we started. Susan’s practical, insightful suggestions–along with her Blog Post Preparation Worksheet–have been an incredibly valuable resource.”
The class format has been tweaked to accommodate your summer vacation and busy periods. So don’t delay. Sign up TODAY for “How to Write Blog Posts People Will Read”!
Questions? Call me at 617-969-4509, email me at info@investmentwriting.com, or read the class FAQ.
Bullets can streamline your writing
Investment RFP writers–the folks who fill out those tiresome questionnaires called requests for proposals–sometimes get sloppy.
Photo by Paul Watson
Tight deadlines allow little time for copyediting. This before-and-after example shows how adding bullet points can streamline an RFP answer. The “after” example is also easier to skim.
BEFORE editing
Each month, you can expect a summary report via email that includes your portfolio’s performance results, attribution analysis, and portfolio characteristics. We send the summary reports no later than six business days following month end.
AFTER editing
Within six business days of month end, you will receive by email a summary of your portfolio’s
- Performance
- Attribution analysis
- Key characteristics
How you can crack this editing challenge
Could you achieve the “after” version on your own?
It’s a result that mind mapping, which I discuss in “How to Write Blog Posts People Will Read,” could help you to achieve.
“The pebble in the shoe”: The power of metaphor
Metaphors are powerful tools for communication. I couldn’t get the phrase “the pebble in the shoe” out of my mind after an advisor mentioned it to me at an annual conference of the Financial Planning Association of Massachusetts back in 2011.
Photo by Kaptain Kobold
Apparently, speaker Todd Fithian of the Legacy Companies suggested that advisors tackle whatever represents “the pebble in the shoe” for their clients.
I felt anxious just thinking about that pebble. This metaphor also sparked my curiosity about the presentation in which the term popped up.
Pebble vs. pressing problem
Which phrase is more memorable? “The pebble in the shoe” or “The pressing problem your client wants to address”?
For me, it’s clearly the first phrase. I’ll probably remember this phrase and perhaps even Todd Fithian long after I’ve forgotten the rest of the day’s sessions. This is true even though I didn’t attend Fithian’s presentation.
Your metaphors
Some of you are already using metaphors to your advantage, as I learned in your comments on “Reader challenge: New, non-liquid metaphors for money.”
Reader challenge: Improve this white paper introduction
When your investment white papers’ readers snooze, your company will lose.
Photo by normalityrelief
Here’s the first paragraph of a white paper that would benefit from a makeover.
WHAT IS ACTIVE SHARE?
Active share is a new measure of active portfolio management. This idea was first introduced by Martijn Cremers and Anti Petajusto, two Yale School of Management Finance professors, in a 2006 academic study titled “how Active is Your Fund Manager? A New Measure That Predicts Performance.” In this analysis, active share is defined as the percentage of the portfolio that differs from its established passive benchmark.
What’s missing from this introduction? What changes do you suggest?I realize you’re operating at a handicap because you can’t see the rest of the piece. Please do your best.
I’ll hold my comments so I don’t squash the conversation. Go to it!
White paper questions and resources
Thinking of commissioning a white paper?
To ensure an effective white paper, make sure you answer the following questions:
- Who is my audience?
- What do I want them to do after they read my white paper?
- What problem can I solve for them?
- Why will my readers care about this problem?
- What are the three main points I want to make?
Here are some resources that can help you learn more about white papers.
Online resources
- Gordon Graham website
- Susan Weiner, “White paper marketing: Walk a fine line“
Books
- Robert Bly, The White Paper Marketing Handbook—Bly says, “A white paper is a promotional piece in the guise of an informational article or report.”
- Michael Stelzner, Writing White Papers–a step-by-step guide to writing white papers
Looking for a seasoned white paper writer?
If you’re seeking a white paper writer who has written for leading investment and wealth management firms, I can help. You can learn more in “My process for writing your white paper.”
This post was updated on September 27, 2011, and May 18, 2015, to remove outdated links.
“Atrocious apostrophe’s”
Writers abuse apostrophes.
If you find this amusing, you can see many examples in the Atrocious Apostrophe’s Flickr stream.
Do you understand what’s wrong in the photo to the right? I’ve explained it in “Bloggers’ top two punctuation mistakes.”
If you have questions about apostrophes, please post them as comments on this blog post.
JUNE 6 UPDATE: I apologize if you clicked on the broken link to “Atrocious Apostrophe’s.” I’ve corrected it to http://www.flickr.com/groups/apostrophes/