Posts Tagged ‘ Dimensional Funds Advisors – DFA ’

Reality Show for Investors: “Survivor”

Sep 16th, 2011 | By | Category: Investing

Weston Wellington  September 16, 2011 Anyone studying the long-run history of American business cannot help but observe how many of the prominent firms of one era fail to make it to the next. Free-market economies are characterized not only by intense competition but also by disruptive change. Sometimes a company’s toughest competitor turns out to [...]



Living With Volatility

Aug 9th, 2011 | By | Category: Investing

by Jim Parker, Vice President Dimensional Fund Advisors The current renewed volatility in financial markets is reviving unwelcome feelings among many investors—feelings of anxiety, fear, and a sense of powerlessness. These are completely natural responses. Acting on those emotions, though, can end up doing us more harm than good. At base, the increase in market [...]



Sovereign Debt and the Equity Investor

Jul 28th, 2011 | By | Category: Investing

July 28, 2011 by  Weston Wellington, Down to the Wire Vice President – Dimensional Fund Advisors Last week we came across an “Economic and Policy Watch” update prepared by a major investment bank that reviewed recent government proposals to address the nation’s funding crisis. Titled “It Just Gets Worse,” the report chided policymakers for actions [...]



Should Investors Fear the “New Normal?”

Dec 2nd, 2010 | By | Category: Investing

In this video, Kenneth French explains why lower economic growth may not hinder future stock returns. In fact, history shows that average returns tend to be higher during periods of economic difficulty. The information about a current recession is factored into stock prices, and investors may require a higher expected return to induce them to [...]



Retirement Portfolio Endurance

Oct 20th, 2010 | By | Category: 4th Quarter (Age 60+)

The need for retirement planning doesn’t end with the onset of retirement. A new retiree’s focus shifts from building wealth to managing and preserving it. One major challenge is to make the investment portfolio supply cash flow for the duration of life—and through different economic and market conditions. Experts have studied portfolio longevity or endurance [...]



Navigating Structured Products

Aug 25th, 2010 | By | Category: Investing

Navigating Structured Products by Brian Harris, Senior Editor, Dimensional Fund Advisors In recent years, structured products have gained favor among retail investors in Europe and the US. Investment banks promote these securities as sophisticated tools to help investors manage downside risk, enhance returns, or achieve other investment objectives. Sales have grown briskly since 2006, and [...]



When Risk is Your Friend

Jan 6th, 2010 | By | Category: Investing

Why would anyone purposely buy the most risky, meaning volatile, asset class for their investment portfolio? Because, it will provide the highest expected return. How has that worked out for investors during 2009? Great, actually. The Emerging Markets asset class is the most volatile broad asset class there is. How was the performance last year [...]



Active vs Passive: Moving Beyond the Debate

Dec 14th, 2009 | By | Category: Featured Articles

The first two columns in this series by Brad Steiman offered answers to frequently asked questions about active vs. passive investing, and explored a general set of ideas around market efficiency. The main purpose has been to help build a framework for educating clients on the debate. There are other good reasons to approach the [...]



Active vs Passive: Real World Issues

Nov 24th, 2009 | By | Category: Featured Articles

In his previous column, Brad addressed questions related to the theoretical aspects of market efficiency and active manager performance. In this second of his three-column series on active vs. passive investing, he explores the challenges of implementing these strategies in the real world. The previous column in this series focused on some theoretical aspects of [...]



Active vs Passive: Man or the Market?

Oct 29th, 2009 | By | Category: Featured Articles

Bradley G. Steiman is Director, Head of Canadian Financial Advisor Services  and Vice President for Dimensional Fund Advisors Canada ULC. This is the first of a three part interview series on the age old debate of Active vs Passive investment strategies. Q: If an active manager can gather information and gain insight or knowledge through [...]