As the head of Blueprint Investment Partners, I had a unique opportunity to moderate a virtual panel discussion with three of the biggest names in the liquid alternatives space last month: Bob Elliott, Corey Hoffstein, and Jerry Parker.

I was energized by what I saw and heard, as well as inspired to share some video clips from the discussion with you.

My mother has always been a big fan of Victor Fleming’s "The Wizard of Oz." When I was a kid, it would be on TV at least once a year, and mom always made a point to watch it. I usually joined her...up until the part where the witch and her creepy troop of flying monkeys showed up. From there I would typically escape somewhere to avoid them, until they returned later that night to rule in my nightmares...

The characters are all memorable due to some of the basic themes they represent, but my favorite is The Scarecrow. He values a brain over anything else and, in an ironic twist, he turns out to be the wisest of the group.

A recent running of the classic, combined with our collective enjoyment in slaying investment industry sacred cows, has me thinking about another famous strawman: the best 10 days rule.

I recently read Howard Marks’ latest memo, “Fewer Losers or More Winners?” and it reinforced in me that this guy is a true trend follower in his own way (even if he doesn’t realize it yet). Marks is widely regarded as one of the most insightful and influential investors in the world, and his memos are read by thousands of professionals and enthusiasts alike. For those who think reading a long-form memo is like hopelessly digging in a sandbox looking for treasure, fear not, I found the treasure for you.

“Good Ideas Can’t Be Scheduled” is the title of a 2019 blog post by Morgan Housel of Collaborative Fund. His point was that deadlines shouldn’t be placed on good ideas, regardless of field, but the execution of good ideas is the opposite.

One of Blueprint Investment Partners’ best “good ideas” presented itself just like that – unscheduled – at a daunting time, during the height of pandemic-fueled market uncertainty of 2020. But we felt it would create clear advantages for financial advisors and their clients, so we got to work executing our plan.

As a kid who played whatever sport was in season, when the weather didn’t cooperate, I brought that passion inside to the latest sports video game. It was routine for me to battle my friends in games such as Madden NFL, NBA 2K, MLB The Show, and FIFA. Even the NHL made an appearance from time to time, which was peculiar for a southern kid in the 1980s.

One of the most popular aspects of these games is the ability to create a player. The create-a-player function, as it is commonly called, allows for nearly limitless customization. Your player can be tall, short, big, or small. They can be your doppelganger or look wildly different. Once created, they can be drafted and controlled like any other player, allowing the average Joe to live vicariously through their creation.

The idea of creating an ideal player got me thinking about the equivalent from an investment perspective.