Featured entries from our Journal

Details Are Part of Our Difference

Embracing the Evidence at Anheuser-Busch – Mid 1980s

529 Best Practices

David Booth on How to Choose an Advisor

The One Minute Audio Clip You Need to Hear

Author: PJ McDaniel

From Worst to First: Blues Prove the Power of Taking the Long View

On January 2nd, 2019 the St. Louis Blues hit rock bottom. After 37 games, they had the worst record and the fewest points in the NHL. The team that was predicted to be a playoff contender couldn’t even manage to tally three wins in a row. To outsiders looking in, the team looked like a bunch of underachievers who cost their head coach his job and let their city down—again.

But the Blues saw things differently.

For them, this was the beginning of a long, steady climb to fulfill their potential. By midseason, the Blues finally began to gel with their interim coach, Craig Berube, while rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington instilled new life into the locker room. When the regular season came to a close, the Blues had achieved the improbable, winning 30 of their final 45 games to earn a playoff berth.

As the world witnessed, the Blues carried this momentum through the playoffs on their way to being crowned Stanley Cup champions for the first time ever. Throughout the history of professional sports (NHL, NBA, MLB, and NFL), this was one of the most dramatic turnarounds, with the Blues being the farthest into a season with the worst record, yet managing to win a title.

Cinderella stories like this don’t happen by accident—especially in sports. To the naked eye, they’re miracles. But if we peek behind the curtain, we see that these radical transformations are simply the byproduct of discipline and patience. At Hill Investment Group, we call this Taking the Long View. The Blues may not have used this specific mantra, but they embodied it.

Sports—especially hockey—are complex. No player nor coach has the mental capacity to micromanage every variable during an entire season, let alone a single game. There are too many unpredictable elements. Over the course of eight months, the randomness adds up into an impossibly large cognitive load. The only sustainable strategy is for the team to elevate their gaze and see the bigger picture, to trust the process.

Financial markets, just like the St. Louis Blues 2018-19 NHL season, have their ups and downs. Many investors live in a seesaw world (just think back to December of 2018) of short-term thrills and panics. But as prudent investors—and NHL players—will tell you, the fruits of Taking the Long View are sweet.

Baby Billy Ackerman in Blues Gear

Hillfolio Says: Financial Lessons From Steve Jobs’ Wardrobe

 

Steve Jobs’ work wardrobe consisted entirely of black turtlenecks and jeans. Mark Zuckerberg rarely deviates from a grayish-blue t-shirt. What’s the deal with these tech tycoons never opting for a new outfit?

As it turns out, this quirk is actually a strategy to combat decision fatigue: the tendency to make poor decisions when confronted with too many of them. Accordingly, talented leaders often eliminate as many frivolous choices out of their lives as possible. (What should I wear today?) It helps them preserve energy for important matters.

Psychologist Barry Schwartz explains why … click here to keep reading.

A Podcast With International Journalist Robin Powell

Robin Powell is an award-winning journalist dedicating himself to spreading the message of evidence-based investing. He’s made films, is prolific on social media, and regularly interviews influential thought leaders.

Most recently, his blog, The Evidence-Based Investor (where our interview, linked below, appears), was included in the shortlist for the Headlinemoney Awards 2019 Financial Blog of the Year. Robin reports the site is receiving more than 1,000 visitors daily – half from here in the U.S – so it’s no wonder it’s earning well-deserved accolades.

We are fans of Robin’s work as well, and he has admitted to periodically liking some of what we put out in the universe. Enjoy this 30-minute conversation we had with Robin, or see the notes below if you’d like to skip around to topics you’re most interested in.

Show notes:

  • Is Saint Louis the Evidence-Based Investing capital of the world? [1:18]
  • What’s in Odds On, why did Matt write it, and why is it different from other investment books?  [2:50]
  • Hill Investment Group: Its history & today. [5:53]
  • Hillfolio: Is it a Robo Advisor and what does it cost? [7:18]
  • We’re rooting for our competition, because the previously ignored investor wins.  [10:54]
  • How does Hillfolio invest [12:50], and are sustainable funds an option? [14:40]
  • The importance of investor behavior: HIG & Hillfolio going beyond the spreadsheet [15:57]
  • Who do we like to work with and who can we best serve? [19:40]
  • “Big rocks” and the biggest benefit to considering them first. [20:50]
  • Why are we doing Hillfolio? It’s what is in our heart. [23:33]
  • Matt and PJ reflect on Jack Bogle’s Legacy. [25:36]
Featured entries from our Journal

Details Are Part of Our Difference

Embracing the Evidence at Anheuser-Busch – Mid 1980s

529 Best Practices

David Booth on How to Choose an Advisor

The One Minute Audio Clip You Need to Hear

Hill Investment Group