by Tom Bradley

I was away on vacation for a couple of weeks at the beginning of the month. When I got back, there was a stack of reading to go through – research reports, manager commentaries, industry rags, regulatory briefs and a bunch of other stuff.

As I worked through the pile, I found myself getting more and more frustrated. Or maybe it was confused. In any case, my head was spinning from:

• Brexit
  
• Trump vs. Hillary
  
• Low-vol funds – all the rage
  
• More negative interest rates – really?
  
• Value versus growth – value managers still out of favour
  
• Hedge funds under pressure – are they worth the fees?
  
• Employment numbers
  
• Robo everything
  
• Best interest standard for advisors
  
• CRM2 – The wait for understandable client statements continues

Phew!

My binge catch-up may have been ill advised, but it reminded me of a nugget that one of my mentors passed on to me (I’m embarrassed to say, I can’t remember who it was) - “The older I get, the more I realize that simpler is better.” As I’ve accumulated experience, I’ve turned these words into a reliable rule of thumb – “The more complex an investment strategy (or product), the lower the return.”

Needless to say, as I rose from the couch, put my tea cup in the dishwasher and recycled the paper, I felt better about my day job. At Steadyhand, we offer a simple, transparent client platform. Our fees are low. We answer our phones and provide simple, understandable advice. Our fund managers are focused on buying good companies at attractive prices, not trying to outguess the Fed or time the market. And our clients are awesome at sticking to their long-term plan.

Well, maybe my binging wasn’t such a bad idea.