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Discretionary Active Fund Managers or Crystal Ball Psychics?
Opinion Kieran Cook Opinion Kieran Cook

Discretionary Active Fund Managers or Crystal Ball Psychics?

The idea that discretionary active fund managers can consistently beat the market is fanciful. A stock’s price already reflects all known information—if profits were easy to find, they’d be gone in an instant. Prices only move on unexpected news, and no-one can reliably predict the future. Not active fund managers. Not economists. Not even the weatherman.

Relying on a discretionary active fund manager to forecast the economic fortunes of thousands of companies is like trusting a fortune-teller with your life savings. Instead, use financial science—robust, data-driven, and grounded in decades of research.

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Understanding Derivatives: Risks and Rewards
Investment Theory Kieran Cook Investment Theory Kieran Cook

Understanding Derivatives: Risks and Rewards

Derivatives are financial contracts whose value is linked to the performance of an underlying asset, index, or rate. Used for hedging, speculation, or market access, they include instruments like futures, forwards, options, and swaps. Futures and forwards lock in prices for future transactions, whilst options grant rights to buy or sell without obligation—offering strategic flexibility. These instruments are traded either on regulated exchanges or over-the-counter, with pricing influenced by factors such as interest rates, income flows, and storage costs. Though derivatives can be powerful tools, they come with complex risk–reward profiles that demand careful understanding.

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The Foundations of Modern Investing: Why Markowitz and the CAPM Still Matter
Investment Theory Kieran Cook Investment Theory Kieran Cook

The Foundations of Modern Investing: Why Markowitz and the CAPM Still Matter

Ever wondered how investors decide what a fair return is for taking on risk? Two foundational ideas—Modern Portfolio Theory and the Capital Asset Pricing Model—help explain it. Markowitz shows that smart investing is about how assets work together, not just about how they perform alone. Sharpe built on this by arguing that only market-wide risk (not company-specific risk) should earn investors a return. These theories still shape how portfolios are built today.

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Smarter Indexing, Better Results: 10 Reasons to Consider Dimensional and Avantis
Practical Investing Kieran Cook Practical Investing Kieran Cook

Smarter Indexing, Better Results: 10 Reasons to Consider Dimensional and Avantis

At first glance, portfolios from Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA) and Avantis Investors may look similar to traditional index funds. They are broadly diversified, low-cost, and systematic in their approach. But beneath the surface lies a crucial difference: these firms are not content with simply tracking the market. Instead, they intentionally tilt their portfolios towards sources of higher expected returns, aiming to deliver performance beyond that of a typical market-cap-weighted index like those offered by Vanguard.

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