24 Feb 2025

The Hedge Fund Alternative, Part 2

Last week, I said that I would broadly explain hedge funds, but I was distracted by their high costs. I promise to stay on point today. Hedge funds are pooled investment funds that are less regulated than other types of pooled vehicles like mutual funds and ETFs. They are less regulated because their clients are wealthier, which presumes them to be more sophisticated (I’m not sure that’s true, but that’s… Read More

By David Ott Tags: , , , , ,
17 Feb 2025

The Hedge Fund Alternative, Part 1

Last September, I wrote that I would write about the four big categories of alternative investments, as defined by the CFA Institute: Hedge funds Commodities and Natural Resources Real Estate and Infrastructure Private Equity and Private Credit Well, five months have passed, and I forgot all about it, but two articles I read recently reminded me. In January, the Wall Street Journal reported on a new study that showed that… Read More

By David Ott Tags: , , , ,
3 Feb 2025

The Roaring 20s

A few weeks ago, someone told me we’re halfway through the 2020s. I was caught off guard, but they were right. They went on to say that this 1920s is looking even better than the last round 100 years ago, so naturally, I went to the data. The chart below shows the growth of $1 invested in large-cap stocks 100 years ago (in green) and this century (in yellow). Somewhat… Read More

By David Ott Tags: , , ,