Dan Mikulskis

What if everything you were taught about economics & finance was wrong?

August 30, 2021

Reading Time: 5 minutesDo we stop to question received wisdoms as often as we should? The stories, words, metaphors and concepts we use to describe things do matter. They define the cast of characters on (or off) the economic stage, perhaps implicitly relegating important areas to marginal or non-existent roles, without even thinking about it . Adjectives and … More What if everything you were taught about economics & finance was wrong?

Asking the wrong question on inflation

June 4, 2021

Reading Time: 7 minutesIs inflation coming? How will my portfolio do, what assets help against inflation? … More Asking the wrong question on inflation

The Good, the Bad and the false. Addressing 9 arguments against ESG

May 31, 2021

Reading Time: 8 minutesanswering some common arguments ESG or responsible investing … More The Good, the Bad and the false. Addressing 9 arguments against ESG

Finding what others can’t vs seeing what others don’t

May 23, 2021

Reading Time: 3 minutesThere are a great many ways to succeed in investing , some involve doing very little (eg owning a passive index) others involve a lot more. I reckon you have at least 4 broad categories: 1. Seeing what others don’t (eg Growth investing: buying Amazon or Apple ) 2. Finding what others can’t (eg private … More Finding what others can’t vs seeing what others don’t

The million dollar question

May 10, 2021

Reading Time: 5 minutesWhat returns should I expect from my investments? Easy question, difficult answer. A lot of books and many, many column inches have been taken up debating that one. Of course, the most defensible answer is “no-one knows for sure”, but this isn’t helpful. For financial planning we need a forecast to start from and we … More The million dollar question

Is now a good time for some feedback?

May 9, 2021

Reading Time: 5 minutesAs passive aggressive conversation openers go, that’s right up there, to which the only sane answer is: “hell no”. My wife has a slightly friendlier version: “the only thing I would say here is … “. In reply I’ve got fond of saying “Thanks for the feedback” , with just a hint of passive-aggression, which … More Is now a good time for some feedback?

Oops they, did it again …

May 1, 2021

Reading Time: 9 minutesHell of a week for mega-cap stock earnings in the US. You’ve got 5, trillion+ dollar companies growing at startup type rates. It’s remarkable stuff. Usually, as a passive investor one of the great things is not needing to have a view on individual stocks, you have the luxury of just shrugging while knowing you … More Oops they, did it again …

Your New Investment Target: Zero (Net Zero)

April 22, 2021

Reading Time: 8 minutesWhy Net Zero is the new investment target of choice as asset owners think more about climate, externalities and sustainability … More Your New Investment Target: Zero (Net Zero)

Five surprising stocks in a 20-year bear market

April 15, 2021

Reading Time: 3 minutesLooking at individual stocks gets wild … It might surprise you that the following stocks have all yet to surpass their March-2000 dot-com era highs (at the time of writing. Admittedly 2 are getting close): Intel Cisco Pfizer AT&T General Electric It gets even weirder when you focus in on Cisco – despite being in … More Five surprising stocks in a 20-year bear market

How Much Would You Need to Retire In Your 40’s?

April 5, 2021

Reading Time: 6 minutesSo look I get that no-one needs another piece debating the 4% rule. (I did write a piece doing exactly this last summer though, showing that the last decade of low rates had “broken” the 4% rule – in the UK, similar conclusions would hold in the US). The follow-up to that piece was surprising- … More How Much Would You Need to Retire In Your 40’s?