Here we go again. All the market analysts and prognosticators have been forced by convention to rub the old crystal ball and suggest they can predict the future for the next year.  They even make fun of themselves with clever art that illustrates the lunacy of the exercise – such as below. Given the fact that predictions are merely educated guesses, why does this ritual occur every year? Attention? Arrogance? Or is it a component of the human emotional bias that drives the markets overall?

The active vs. passive debate reached a fever pitch on Monday when Jeff Gundlach referred to passive investing as a ‘mania.’  As expected, Vanguard quickly defended passive index funds by saying that “the data simply does not support his claims.” There is certainly nothing new about this debate.  It’s been escalating since the first index funds were launched in the mid-70’s.  However, moments like this remind the Blueprint team why we utilize passive index funds in the first place –they are the tools we use to build portfolios on behalf of our clients.

Now that I have your attention - who really thinks they get enough sleep? Many CEOs now indicate adequate rest is critical to their success! Who prioritizes rest over work or even exercise?  For years, I have been obsessed by my sleep, or lack thereof.  Recently my wife and I had the privilege and the pleasure of hanging out over cocktails in Laguna Beach with our new friend Dr. Michael Breus, Ph.D., known internationally as The Sleep Doctor.  According to Dr. Breus, how you manage your sleep is as important as how long you sleep!  This is called sleep hygiene.  Read on to learn what else I discovered.

The movie “Moneyball” has an interesting scene in which General Manager Billy Beane is debating his scouts on how to best replace two key players lost in free agency given the team’s limited budget. The scene contains a back and forth between Beane and several scouts discussing and clearly disagreeing about “the problem.”

“You’re not even looking at the problem”, Beane declares. 

We at Blueprint are excited to share with our readers and friends a fantastic interview with Jon Robinson and Tommy Mayes by Forbes contributor Peter Hans.  In it, Jon, Tommy, and Peter discuss systematic investing, emotional intelligence, liquid alternatives, and more.  Blueprint's story and background is also explored, providing valuable insight into how and why we do what we do.  We are immensely grateful for the opportunity to have this discussion with Peter, and hope that you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed telling it.