Q: Which asset class will have the best performance next year?

A: Click the slide to see randomness of asset class returns. If it’s challenging to predict which group of stocks will do well, imagine how hard it is to pick the individual winners.

The better strategy—as our clients know—is building a low-cost, globally diversified portfolio. Instead of speculating and guessing, rely on decades of academic studies that prove the owners of global capitalism are the winners when it comes to investing.

One of our founding ideologies is transparency, and we even use this image of binoculars as a reminder of its importance. Transparency is a unique concept in our industry because the bulk of investors have none. The big brokerage houses provide their clients little or no information on fees, returns, or portfolio allocations, and they’re happy doing so to keep a shroud of mystery over how much their clients are overpaying to underperform. This month’s newsletter focuses on various issues around transparency and our take on the topic.

This excellent piece from The New York Times takes a look at the hidden costs of daredevil investing. It sums up in one simple phrase that you’ve heard from us for the last decade: Take the long view. Investors often miss the fact that meddling with their investments leaves cash on the table. They’re better off focusing “relentlessly on the far horizon, sticking with a simple and cheap plan for getting there.”