Sometimes we are indifferent to the brands we interact with. You might buy whatever Amazon’s algorithm recommends, or and listen to songs on Spotify playlists that go in one ear and out the other. 

But sometimes there are brands we can’t stop talking about: the amazing coffee you can’t survive without, the jeans you have six pairs of, the wine you serve for every guest. In these cases, you’re not just a customer, you’re a raving fan.

Converting clients into raving fans isn’t a scientific formula by any means, but it starts with a specific mindset: that’s why everyone at our office is (re)reading Raving Fans by the renowned management expert Dr. Ken Blanchard. Rather than burying his advice in jargon, Dr. Blanchard uses a parable that explains how to DEFINE a vision centered around your client, DISCOVER what your client wants, and DELIVER on your vision, plus some. Best of all, it’s all packed into just 137 pages (no excuses, busy people!)

Make no mistake: You don’t have to be the CEO of a business to apply the principles in Raving Fans. Maybe there’s a cause you’re passionate about, maybe you want to inspire a friend to make a change in his or her life, or maybe you want to foster better relationships at home. 

Bottom line: this is essential reading if you have a vision and want to bring it to life. In the case of Hill Investment Group, that means inspiring people to Take the Long View. We’re fortunate to have raving fans like yourself who read and share our newsletter. It’s been a 15+ year journey, and it’s worth every second. 

It’s that time of year—investors are eager for advice and herds of “thought leaders” are competing for your attention to tell you what to do during the new year. Instead of adding to the cacophony of 2020 to-do lists, we’re switching it up by telling you what to ignore.

We’re big fans of the author and celebrated podcast host Tim Ferriss’ Not-To-Do-List, so we decided to put our own twist on his concept.

“Not-to-do lists are often more effective than to-do lists for upgrading performance,” says Ferriss. “The reason is simple: what you don’t do determines what you can do.”

Below are four types of financial information that, at best, waste time and, at worst, create stress and anxiety. It’s our hope that you’ll ignore them so you can stay focused and productive, and live richly.

Any Variation of the Headline: “X Stocks to Buy”

The 4+ billion Google results for “stocks to buy in 2020” aren’t just risky—they’re almost certainly doomed to flop.

“The track record of expert forecasters is as dismal as ever,” says David Epstein, author of Range. “In business, esteemed forecasters routinely are wildly wrong in their predictions of everything from the next stock-market correction to the next housing boom.”

As our co-founder Rick Hill says, “Stop trying to find the needle in the haystack—just buy the haystack,” which is what our clients do.

Stock Market News and Notifications

Just like watching what you eat keeps you fit and healthy, a low information diet can keep you calm and focused, especially when it comes to your personal finances. As important as the latest headlines might seem, it’s important to remember: The media’s job isn’t to keep you informed, it’s to keep you tuned in 24/7/365 so they can sell advertising. We stay tuned in to what matters over the long term, so that you can focus on what matters today. That’s the kind of tradeoff we like.

Your Short-Term Portfolio Performance

It’s nice to have our sleek app that puts your entire investment portfolio in your pocket, but that doesn’t mean you should monitor it incessantly. Redefine how you measure success – we suggest measuring your performance against your goals in terms of decades and generations rather than 24-hour news cycles.

Financial Advice from Anybody Without a Fiduciary Standard

As Matt Hall covered in his book, Odds On, most big-name brokerage firms prize sales quotas and their compensation over client care and education. In any industry, a convergence of greed and incompetence is dangerous. In wealth management, the consequences can be life-shattering for you and your family. 

Before considering any financial advice, always ask: Is our relationship a fiduciary? If the answer is anything besides, “Yes, always” or if the written version is accompanied by an asterisk and a bunch of legalese, ignore it.

It’s great to pick up new productive habits, but sometimes the best way to improve your life is by subtracting, not adding. You might surprise yourself with how much you accomplish with the extra breathing room.

We have a lot of planning-obsessed people on staff at HIG and hope it gives you comfort knowing that we are thinking about things on your behalf – even when you aren’t. It’s a huge part of what makes Hill Investment Group different. Don’t be surprised if you hear us talking a lot more in the coming year about the value our planning process adds to our investment management approach. We normally don’t share our client quarterly letters with everyone, but enjoy an exclusive peak this time!

Enjoy our client quarterly report letter.