I’m working on the new website which will hopefully go live at www.solomonsifa.co.uk tomorrow. I was working on trying to describe our investment process and what we believe about investing,  then came up with this (which is not our investment process) but thought it may be of interest. I’d welcome feedback, I’m very tempted to put it as a page within our new look site.

What We Believe About Investing

  • Long-term investment in equities and equity-like investments should provide a better chance of beating inflation over the long-term than cash, for which there is considerable historical evidence.
  • Cash is an important asset class and one that provides necessary reserves for living and unforeseen events. Everyone should therefore have some cash.
  • Inflation is a vital element in determining real returns.
  • It is not possible to consistently beat the market.
  • New investments are made with a time-frame of a minimum of 5 years.
  • Existing portfolios need to be carefully reviewed in light of target dates.
  • The future is unknown and that markets and investors behave erratically.
  • It is very unwise to borrow money in order to invest it and we do not advise it.
  • Nothing is guaranteed in real life, investment is risky.
  • It is possible to lose all your money.
  • Markets will go down, they will also go up.
  • Investing should not be entertainment.
  • If something sounds too good to be true it probably is.
  • If you don’t understand the investment, don’t invest.
  • There is little point in paying investment managers to outperform the market if they fail to do so consistently.
  • Part of our role is to minimize the cost of investing, not the entire role.
  • Tax should not the primary reason for investing.
  • It is very difficult, if not impossible to “time the market”.
  • Money is something to serve us, not the other way around.
  • There are very few successful DIY investors, but far more “how to” finance authors.
  • Investing is often emotional, successful investing is not, it is a disciplined process.
  • Compound interest is a lovely theory, but returns are not fixed, it remains theoretical.
  • You can only control the things you can control; you cannot control the market (legally).
  • Be prepared for disappointment, but remember that good things happen too.
  • Diversification reduces risk and returns, which is appropriate for most investors.
  • Sadly, you cannot have a high return without risk.
  • There is no such thing as the best investment, just a suitable one.
  • Insider trading is illegal, but being observant is not.
  • For any business to continue it must make a profit.
  • Historic performance data tells you what might have happened, not what did happen; actual performance is what you get because of what you did.
  • However harsh, tough or burdensome the regulation, there will always be crooks.
  • You cannot spend a %, you can only spend money.
  • The market is a place where people agree a price for disagreeing about the value of something in the future. Remember that it is a place for buyers and sellers.
  • If everyone else is doing something, that is not a good enough reason for you to do it too.
  • When your friends, colleagues or family offer financial advice, make sure that they are willing to be sued if it transpires that it isn’t legal, compliant or simply wrong.
  • You will not be the next Warren Buffett; even he struggles to be Warren Buffett each year.
  • You are wasting your time if you are looking for the next Apple or Microsoft.
  • A great investment strategy is worthless unless you implement it.
  • There is an awful lot more to life than “keeping up with the markets”, the media reports what has happened and speculates what might happen. If you think about it, this is remarkably like a trip to a fortune teller. If you throw enough out there some of it sticks.
  • Capitalism, by its very nature will morph into something that the market wants.
  • Insurance is something you need when you don’t have capital, it is a “replacement cost” if you do.
  • A bad investment experience should be used as a learning opportunity.
  • Don’t forget the investing lessons you have already learned.
  • As others have said, constantly repeating the same behaviour whilst expecting different results is a form of insanity.
  • Experts disagree.