Tag: advisor-practice-management

Execution is everything

Do your job. This simple three-word phrase has served as the mantra for the New England Patriots and their long-time coach Bill Belichick during their incredible run since 2000. Being from North Carolina, I’m proudly a Panthers fan, but I have always respected and appreciated the ‘Patriot way.’ Six Super Bowl wins in nine appearances is a spectacular achievement, particularly in a sport theoretically geared to ensure parity and discourage dynasties.

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.

At Blueprint, we utilize tactics based on the fundamentals of Trend Following, attempting to smooth the investment ride and to keep compounding high for our advisor clients.  We generally do this using passive instruments such as index-based ETFs and Mutual Funds for two reasons:

I returned from a nice long visit to Paris last week, relaxed and without a care in the world.  Then I read the news. Yesterday, an investment banker told me he was worried about the Four T’s - Trump, Tariffs, Trade and Turkey.  Blueprint is not a macro firm and makes no economic pronouncements, but if your investment portfolio has been riding the wave of up-vol and peak beta (yes, volatility goes in both directions), it is time to make sure that your portfolio includes strategies that will buffer the down-vol, because it is inevitable.  A former colleague likes to call these “shock absorbers”.  Have you ever ridden in a car without good shocks?  It is not comfortable.

The announcement by Fidelity Investments on August 1^st provided the culmination of a trend long in the making.  Coincidentally, it is also an idea we have discussed privately for many years, and publicly in this blog since last year – FREE BETA.  In what is being hailed as a shocking move, Fidelity has announced the unveiling of two new index funds with a ZERO expense ratio. Vanguard and Blackrock have been offering practically free beta through their ETFs and index funds for years now - but practically free is not free!