Your Survival Guy

Preparing your investments and family for when disaster strikes.

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The Prudent Man: The Wisest Action is Sometimes No Action

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justice-samuel-putnamWhat is the key to achieving the financial success you and your family deserve? Well, for one it’s about keeping it simple—Simple is Sophisticated. Another key is to stop spinning your wheels. In portfolio management terms, spinning wheels or, how long a position is held over the course of a year is called the turnover rate. In other words, if your holdings at the beginning of the year were sold and replaced by new positions, then the turnover rate would be 100%. Here’s a wonderful example, one of my favorite, that Dick Young explains to his readers:

Mr. 3.5% Turnover

In 1992, Forbes profiled David L. Stone of the tiny Beacon Hill mutual fund. “The curmudgeonly manager of the little Beacon Hill mutual fund has some old-fashioned advice for nervous investors: The wisest action is sometimes no action.” Forbes told readers that Stone “…arrives early at his Federal Street office in Boston every day. He reads the newspapers, opens his mail, and waits for a call from State Street Bank, the fund’s custodian, with the previous day’s closing price and cash position. He scribbles those down. Then he reads some more. Then he packs his briefcase and leaves.” And he noted, “People ask me what I do all day. Well, a decision to do nothing is still a decision. It takes effort.” The perfect response for a “standpatter” fund with a 10-year turnover rate of just 3.5%. Like I’ve said, keep it real simple. Practice the ultimate in patience.

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E.J. Smith - Your Survival Guy

E.J. Smith is Founder of YourSurvivalGuy.com, Managing Director at Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd., a Managing Editor of Richardcyoung.com, and Editor-in-Chief of Youngresearch.com. His focus at all times is on preparing clients and readers for “Times Like These.” E.J. graduated from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with a B.S. in finance and investments. In 1995, E.J. began his investment career at Fidelity Investments in Boston before joining Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. in 1998. E.J. has trained at Sig Sauer Academy in Epping, NH. His first drum set was a 5-piece Slingerland with Zildjians. He grew-up worshiping Neil Peart (RIP) of the band Rush, and loves the song Tom Sawyer—the name of his family’s boat, a Grady-White Canyon 306. He grew up in Mattapoisett, MA, an idyllic small town on the water near Cape Cod. He spends time in Newport, RI and Bartlett, NH—both as far away from Wall Street as one could mentally get. The Newport office is on a quiet, tree lined street not far from the harbor and the log cabin in Bartlett, NH, the “Live Free or Die” state, sits on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest. He enjoys spending time in Key West and Paris. Please get in touch with E.J. at ejsmith@yoursurvivalguy.com To sign up for my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter, click here.