Free investment data and a new podcast
I have got two exciting announcements for you today.
One of the things that every investor needs is data. Unfortunately, most data come at a cost, especially if it is data that helps us make better decisions. As one hedge fund manager once told me:
The reason why macro data is free is because you cannot make money with it.
Well, I’d argue with that, but it is indeed true that some of the best data is usually behind a paywall.
Thus, it gives me great pleasure to tell you that the CFA Institute Research Foundation (of which I am a proud board member) has partnered with Morningstar to make the Ibbotson Stocks, Bonds, Bills, and Inflation (SBBI) data available for free for CFA Institute members.
The Ibbotson data provides monthly, quarterly, and annual returns for US stocks, bonds, bills, and inflation as well as a wide array of other asset classes back to 1926. It is quite literally THE standard for historic market data in the United States and has helped numerous investment professionals in the past.
Please be aware that the data is only available as a member benefit to CFA Institute members because it is sponsored by the CFA Institute. I know many of my readers are CFA charter holders or are working towards becoming one. For them, this is a freebie you shouldn’t miss.
And if you aren’t a member of the CFA Institute and work in the financial industry, you should definitely consider becoming a member and get the charter. It is definitely worthwhile.
And if you aren’t working in the financial industry and don’t want to become a CFA Institute member? The publications of the CFA Institute Research Foundation are free for everyone.
Go and check it out.
You can find the SBBI data and all the publications here (you should really bookmark this page and follow @CFAResearchFndn on Twitter):
https://www.cfainstitute.org/en/research/foundation
But even if you have the data, you still need to know what to do with it to be a successful investor. And I am glad to say that two of the smartest and most experienced people I know have teamed up to launch a new podcast. I know they are both white males so it was inevitable that during lockdown they would come up with the idea of a podcast, but hear me out.
Jason Voss is a former portfolio manager with an enviable track record as an active manager. He has written some really good books, most recently The Return of the Active Manager. And he is not afraid to touch on exciting subjects that nobody else has thought of in terms of their use for investing such as lie detection, meditation, and intuition. And he has his own blog which I can highly recommend for every active investor.
And then there is Michael Falk who has helped professionals improve their investment process for way longer than he dares to remember and has written two of the most thought-provoking books I can remember. In Let’s All Learn How to Fish, he tackled the retirement crisis and suggested solutions on how to reform it in order to generate sustainable economic growth. In his latest book, which I have reviewed here he is not afraid to think even bigger and look at all the inequalities we face today and the long-term challenges they bring. And he comes up with some great solutions that I think need to be discussed more broadly.
These two will launch their twice-monthly podcast called From the Research Chair on Thursday, 25 June 2020. If you want to register for the show just use this link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMpc-ChqzwvHdLjnNCga7AK8FdMol5gA64S