There you go.
That’s the solution to most investment challenges.
Of course you’re thinking:
“Smart investors know it can’t be that easy.”
The problem is that the math says it actually can be.
Whether you’re new to investing or an old hand, there are a couple of things in the way of that simple yet elegant solution:
First:
Your brain is wired to think you’ll make a lot more money with a more complicated approach.
Second:
Much of the investment industry wants you to believe you’d get more with a complicated approach.
(That’s because they get more money when you do.)
With two strikes against you, what are you supposed to do as an investor?
Time to pull back the curtains and
take a look from inside the industry.
That “promise of better returns” might just be an illusion...
Welcome to
Transparent Investing...
where you’ll never worry about hidden motives, where you can find great insights if you have $10 thousand to invest or $100 million.
Welcome to a place where if you feel unsure of what to do or intimidated by all the hype, you won’t have to worry about a profit-driven sales pitch that takes advantage of your vulnerability.
If you’re a seasoned investor with lots of experience, welcome to a place that shows all the research on the best strategies without the bias that comes from the need to sell you something.
I'm Patrick Geddes, and unlike the worst of the investment industry, the snake oil salespeople, I’m not out for the money in your pocket.
My sole mission is to peel back the curtain on the investment industry.
I talk a lot about the economic incentives of anyone trying to give you about investment advice. To avoid that trap myself, all net revenues — including net proceeds from sales of the book, speaking fees or other income — will be donated to nonprofits focused on financial education.
AS SEEN ON:
Transparent Investing: The Book
The big secret hidden inside the book is this: there isn’t a secret formula to “beat the market.”
But that’s not exactly a popular message with investment advisors.
That’s because they make more money when you believe you can outsmart the system.
And yeah, your brain is wired to crave that thrill.
Just as your brain is wired through evolution to crave the foods that aren’t exactly great for your body.
Sexy, glamorous, market-beating investing is like chocolate cake.
It feeds your craving to make a killing.
Transparent Investing offers up a healthier investment fare, like broccoli.
It sounds a little bland, but it’s a lot healthier for a financial future than cake.
It’s not that all complicated investment strategies are bad, but rather that simple is so terrific.
This book gives you the equivalent of a nutritional guide for healthy, long-term investments: Tools on how to spot your own biases, how to spot the ones from the investment industry, and how to invest in simple steps to either do it yourself or find the right kind of advisor.
(You ain’t going to find that in just any dusty investment book.)
A Bit More About Me
There are two things you should know about me:
1. I have decades of experience in the investment industry and consumer advocacy, having co-founded Aperio Group, which became a leading asset management firm in the United States focusing on after-tax returns for investors. (Almost no one else wanted to focus on the tax angle, so we and a few others took it on, and then more investors woke up and started following that approach until it became popular.) I believe in academic research and studies on investment performance. The numbers don’t lie.
2. I have a visceral reaction to people who lie and prey on others’ confusion.
I’ve been in this industry enough to know that happens way more often than it should.
I’m trying to pull back the curtain and show you exactly how you can pivot your current investing strategy or start investing for the first time without being taken advantage of again.
Book Me to Speak
Look, I’ll never shy away from a conversation that has to deal with the truth behind the investment industry. I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly, and I’m ready to break down the barriers so you and your audience can see them, too.
Investment opportunities should be available to everyone.
Not just the absolutely brilliant. Not just the entitled. Not just the gurus who claim they know it all (but uh, aren’t actually giving you the information you need).
If you have an upcoming conference, event, or a media outlet that would like to join in on this kind of conversation, count me in.
Free Tool Kit
I’m the kind of guy who believes in numbers and research. You can’t tell me something is “fact” without being able to cite it. To put it in the dry language of statisticians, I’m not persuaded by anecdote, but rather by broad data sets.
Which is exactly why I don’t want you to take my word for it. Transparent Investing includes a summary of all the research on how badly the investment industry has performed at either “beating the market,” or “timing the market,” so you can go look up the results to verify.
To help you further, I put together a few handy free resources and tools to help you get it right and give you a taste of what’s in the book.
