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Weekend reading: if you could take one asset class into the shower

What caught my eye this week.

Morning all. I’ve got to admit that after writing 5,788 words for this month’s member post [1] for Moguls – trust me, I counted them – I’m out of puff for the week.

(While I do aim to go into depth with these reports, I agree that 5,788 words is not sustainable! Perhaps not even for busy members. Must cut harder…)

So before the links I’ll just point you to this chart that was highlighted to me by Monevator member [2] Mark:

[3]

Source: Trustnet [4]

The chart is taken from this year’s Credit Suisse Equity Yearbook. It was flagged up in the Trustnet article I’ve linked to by Martin Currie’s chief investment officer, who describes it as the most helpful guide to investing he’s come across in his career.

What does it tell us? Nothing more – but also nothing less – than that since 1900, equities have beaten bonds for returns in all economic environments except when lower growth coincides with lower inflation.

And even then, there’s only a whisker in it.

It’s simply a reminder that for all the good reasons we have for diversifying [5] our portfolios, shares should be the engine. At least until you’re getting ready to start spending. Even then you should almost certainly keep a decent-sized wodge in them.

Not a revelation to many Monevator readers perhaps. But tell it to the millions with collectively [6] £1.5 trillion sitting in cash savings accounts.

(Yes, having some cash is great [7]. But cash won’t be a driver of wealth).

Eat up your house deposit

Oh, before I go here’s a menu entry shared by a Monevator reader holidaying in Amsterdam:

[8]

Very droll [9]. If you’d like to pay homage to these personal finance ironists on your next visit, the restaurant is called Box Sociaal [10].

Have a great weekend!

From Monevator

How to create your own financial independence plan – Monevator [11]

And now for something completely different – Monevator [1] [Mogul members [2]]

From the archive-ator: Keep it simple, stupid – Monevator [12]

News

Note: Some links are Google search results – in PC/desktop view click through to read the article. Try privacy/incognito mode to avoid cookies. Consider subscribing to sites you visit a lot.

Nationwide: UK house prices falling at fastest rate since 2009 – Guardian [13]

UK economy surpassed pre-Covid size in late 2021, new data shows – Reuters [14]

Aberdeen named the most affordable city to own a home – This Is Money [15]

Octopus Energy gains two million new customers in Shell deal – Sky [16]

Bank of Mum and Dad contributes to 47% of under-55 home purchases – This is Money [17]

A well-off retirement now requires a pension pot of £600,000 – This Is Money [18]

Court hands Grayscale Bitcoin trust victory against SEC… – The Block [19]

…The SEC failed to prove that dog wags tail, court rules [Search result]FT [20]

[21]

FWIW, the market is saying the low-rate era is over [Search result]FT [22]

Products and services

NS&I launches one-year saving bond paying 6.2% – NS&I [23]

HSBC to offer 40-year mortgage term to cut bills – This Is Money [24]

Open a SIPP with Interactive Investor and claim £100 to £3,000 in cashback. Terms apply – Interactive Investor [25]

Would an annuity work for you? [Search result]FT [26]

London’s ULEZ expansion: facts and fiction – Be Clever With Your Cash [27]

Open an account with low-cost platform InvestEngine via our link [28] and get £25 when you invest at least £100 (T&Cs apply. Capital at risk) – InvestEngine [28]

A reminder of how the “Hi mum!” WhatsApp scam works – This Is Money [29]

Cheapest destinations for a last-minute holiday this September – Which [30]

Are you a victim of ‘dogflation’? – This Is Money [31]

English homes for sale within walking distance of school, in pictures – Guardian [32]

Comment and opinion

Frugal vs cheap – White Coat Investor [33]

Should we move the 2% inflation goalposts? – David Smith [34]

Win big, lose big: range of outcomes thinking – Mr Stingy [35]

Mind the behaviour gap – The Big Picture [36]

Boomers: the luckiest generation – A Wealth of Common Sense [37]

Why we glorify overwork and refuse to rest – Harvard Business Review [38]

S&P 500 calculator, with dividends [Tool]Of Dollars and Data [39]

Don’t have a cow – Humble Dollar [40]

Scared to death of running out of money in retirement – Wall Street Journal [41] [h/t A.R. [42]]

The reality of retirement beyond the numbers [Podcast] – Best Interest via Apple [43]

Naughty corner: Active antics

15 ideas, frameworks, and lessons from 15 years – Flirting with Models [44]

Optimising position sizing for better returns – Flyover Stocks [45]

Neglected aspects of investing – Investment Talk [46]

Lessons from David Herro’s holding on to Credit Suisse – Morningstar [47]

Is illiquidity a feature or a bug? – Savant Wealth [48]

Warren Buffett’s canvas – Rational Walk [49]

Sizing up startup rocket ships – Axios [50]

Kindle book bargains

Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt – £1.99 on Kindle [51]

Creativity Inc. by Ed Catmull – £0.99 on Kindle [52]

Way of the Wolf by Jordan Belfort – £0.99 on Kindle [53]

No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention by Reed Hastings – £1.99 on Kindle [54]

Environmental factors

The behavioural shift in how we think about climate change – Vox [55]

UK must label showers and toilets to cut water usage, experts say – Guardian [56]

RSPB boss apologises after charity calls ministers ‘liars’ over sewage issue – BBC [57]

Burning Man’s climate protestors have a point – Vox [58]

Iceland to allow whaling to resume – Guardian [59]

A new bio-leaf solar power design improves efficiency – Imperial College [60]

Robot overlord roundup

Money is pouring into A.I., skeptics call it a ‘grift shift’ – Institutional Investor [61]

Generative AI and intellectual property – Benedict Evans [62]

ChatGPT versus a real financial advisor: who wins? – Fortune [63]

‘Blue zone’ mini-special

Why ‘blue zones’ may hold the key to a longer, healthier life – ABC News [64]

10 healthy home tips from the world’s longest-lived people – Mbglifestyle [65]

Live to 100 Netflix doc names Singapore world’s sixth blue zone – Green Queen [66]

Costa Rica’s longevity blue zone predicted to fade in 20 years – Next Avenue [67]

Off our beat

I, exponential – Not Boring [68]

Covid infection risk rises the longer you are exposed, study confirms – Nature [69]

Why isn’t Ukraine a superpower? – Uncharted Territories [70]

Workers are quietly quitting, and only employers can stop it – BBC [71]

Chuck Palahniuk is not who you think he is – Esquire [72]

Results – Indeedably [73]

“She’s totally lost it”: a year on from the ‘Trusterfuck’ – Guardian [74]

How Google made the world go viral – The Verge [75]

1930s slang terms – Mental Floss [76]

And finally…

“Spend extravagantly on the things you love, and cut costs mercilessly on the things you don’t.”
– Ramit Sethi, I Will Teach You To Be Rich [77]

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