Hill Investment Group clients know our mantra Take the long view. It’s short hand for having a well-thought-out plan that’s executed consistently over time, a globally-diversified low-cost portfolio, and a long-term outlook on investment performance.

Jim Parker, Vice President at Dimensional Funds—one of our strategic partners—recently wrote a short and sweet (pun intended) article titled “The Golden Ticket Trap.” What’s that? Many investors behave a bit like the young boy Charlie in a popular children’s story about a chocolate factory, misguidedly pinning the hope for riches on finding one of a handful of golden tickets hidden among millions of candy bars. It’s the same premise behind the ever-present magazine headlines of “The 5 Hottest Stocks” and “What to buy NOW!”

This is where the Hill haystack analogy comes in. Wall Street pontificators and investment magazines try to sell the idea that they know where and how to find the needle in the haystack. Hill clients and followers know that the best path for long term success is to simply buy the entire haystack in a low-cost, tax-efficient manner, rebalance regularly, and get on with your life.

A quick glance at the article will likely reaffirm your belief in Taking the long view and illustrate that you already own the real Golden Ticket. You can view a PDF of the article here.

On a cold winter’s night in St. Louis (February 5), Larry Swedroe and Matt Hall had an enlightening and entertaining conversation about Larry’s latest book (his 14th): Think, Act, and Invest Like Warren Buffett. Nearly 70 guests had the opportunity to learn about why Larry wrote the book, hear some key lessons of investing, and ask questions.

Don’t despair if you weren’t there!  For all of our clients and friends from coast-to-coast and to those who simply couldn’t make it, be on the lookout for a recording of this enlightening dialogue that will provide additional insight into why we believe what we believe about investing and how markets work. We hope you feel like you were there with us! If you don’t have the book already, would like another copy, or would like to send it to a friend, please call or email us, and we’ll get it right out to you.

The event also marked our first foray into the world of social media. You can see a recap with some photos and tweets here.

Many people have told me that it is more difficult to give money away than to earn it. The general instinct to support charitable organizations and causes may come naturally, but the question remains: which ones?

When I started at Wake Forest University I took ROTC, knowing my plan was to enlist in the Army upon graduation. I had one thing standing in my way: poor eyesight as a result of a detached retina. My sophomore year I qualified for Advanced ROTC. Thanks partially to my place in line, I had plenty of time to memorize the smallest characters on the eye exam next to the door. However, on the first day of a required six week summer camp at Fort Bragg, NC prior to my senior year, I entered the eye testing area from the back of the room and—without the chance to study the chart—I failed the eye exam. I was classified as 4F (unfit for service) and spent less than 24 hours in the Army while all of my ROTC class shipped off to Vietnam. Some may look at this as a good break, but my one life regret is that I didn’t serve in the military. This experience is at the core of my strong feelings for those who serve our country as well as my lifelong support of military non-profits.

Our life experiences are often a good starting point when deciding where to gift money. If you had $100,000 that you had to give away to someone other than a family member, what would you support?

Here are some beginning steps to get started:

1. What specific causes move you or have had an impact on your life?
2. Identify the non-profits that best address this need.
3. Start small and increase your gifting as you get more comfortable with the organizations.