A simple guide to a smarter strategy for the individual investor A Wealth of Common Sense sheds a refreshing light on investing, and shows you how a simplicity-based framework can lead to better investment decisions. The financial market is a complex system, but that doesn't mean it requires a complex strategy; in fact, this false premise is the driving force behind many investors' market "mistakes." Information is important, but understanding and perspective are the keys to better decision-making. This book describes the proper way to view the markets and your portfolio, and show you the simple strategies that make investing more profitable, less confusing, and less time-consuming. Without the burden of short-term performance benchmarks, individual investors have the advantage of focusing on the long view, and the freedom to construct the kind of portfolio that will serve their investment goals best. This book proves how complex strategies essentially waste these advantages, and provides an alternative game plan for those ready to simplify. Complexity is often used as a mechanism for talking investors into unnecessary purchases, when all most need is a deeper understanding of conventional options. This book explains which issues you actually should pay attention to, and which ones are simply used for an illusion of intelligence and control. Keep up with—or beat—professional money managers Exploit stock market volatility to your utmost advantage Learn where advisors and consultants fit into smart strategy Build a portfolio that makes sense for your particular situation You don't have to outsmart the market if you can simply outperform it. Cut through the confusion and noise and focus on what actually matters. A Wealth of Common Sense clears the air, and gives you the insight you need to become a smarter, more successful investor.

This booklet takes portfolio design beyond the familiar "black box" mean-variance framework. Most importantly, the short-term volatility of financial assets, commonly measured as standard deviation, is a highly imperfect measure of the actual long-horizon perils faced by real-world investors subject to the vagaries of financial and military history. These risks have names--inflation, deflation, confiscation, and devastation--and any useful discussion of portfolio design of necessity incorporates their probabilities, consequences, and costs of mitigation ... This booklet contains ... with luck, a framework within income and all-equity portfolios. This booklet contains ... with luck, a framework within which to think more clearly about risk. Note: the entire Investing for Adults series is not for beginners.

From the Introduction: This volume is dedicated to the remarkable career of Professor Peter Schmidt and the role he has played in mentoring us, his PhD students. Peter’s accomplishments are legendary among his students and the profession. Each of the papers in this Festschrift is a research work executed by a former PhD student of Peter’s, from his days at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to his time at Michigan State University. Most of the papers were presented at The Conference in Honor of Peter Schmidt, June 30 - July 2, 2011. The conference was largely attended by his former students and one current student, who traveled from as far as Europe and Asia to honor Peter. This was a conference to celebrate Peter’s contribution to our contributions. By “our contributions” we mean the research papers that make up this Festschrift and the countless other publications by his students represented and not represented in this volume. Peter’s students may have their families to thank for much that is positive in their lives. However, if we think about it, our professional lives would not be the same without the lessons and the approaches to decision making that we learned from Peter. We spent our days together at Peter’s conference and the months since reminded of these aspects of our personalities and life goals that were enhanced, fostered, and nurtured by the very singular experiences we have had as Peter’s students. We recognized in 2011 that it was unlikely we would all be together again to celebrate such a wonderful moment in ours and Peter’s lives and pledged then to take full advantage of it. We did then, and we are now in the form of this volume.

The must-have guide on how to protect yourself during the coming age of hyperinflation The Petersen/Pew Commission on Budget Reform recently warned that the national debt was expected to grow from 40 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2009 to 85 percent in 8 years, 100 percent in 12 years, and 200 percent by 2038. In other words, in just a few years the U.S. will owe twice as much as it produces. Since no conceivable level of taxes and borrowing will enable the country to service such an enormous debt, it is inevitable that government will turn to the same tricks its antecedents have been playing since Ancient Rome: debasing the dollar and letting inflation run rampant. Inflation-Proof Your Portfolio: Protect Your Money from the Coming Government Hyperinflation is your guide to understanding the debt crisis and rising inflation, packed with the key tools you need to protect yourself from the fallout. Neither an economic treatise nor a collection of specific investment advice, the book is intended as a resource to help empower citizens to take action to protect their money from the coming government-induced hyperinflation Essential reading for individual investors and general business readers alike who want to keep their money safe when inflation sets in A runaway self-publishing hit, this new edition is fully revised and updated Get the information you need to formulate your own plan of action to protect your investments The U.S. dollar is almost certain to have a sustained run of extremely high inflation over the next decade because of continued huge government deficits and unfunded liabilities, and this book is the resource you need to be ready.

A timely and much needed resource for those new to the topic and the market from a variety of backgrounds. The book provides you with a complete and consistent framework in which to understand and analyse inflation markets, you will gain invaluable practical knowledge of managing and hedging inflation risks.

An insightful and original look at why understanding macroeconomics is essential for all investors

Explains in detail both the connection of financial instruments with inflation risk, and what are the opportunities in the inflation-linked products today and their strategic application in the future. This multi-contributor book allows professionals to learn from the sector's foremost experts, and is written for product structurers, inflation traders, corporate and financial institution treasurers, and hedge fund managers.