Blog: Cutting Through the Noise
Globe and Mail Articles
Tom's Globe Column Moves to Friday
Posted on September 30, 2010
As part of the Globe & Mail redesign, my Buy Side column will appear in the Friday paper (as of October 1st). It's published every second week. As always, the columns will be posted on the Blog later the same the day.Read More
Rewiring Investors' Brains with Good Ideas
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on September 18, 2010
Every summer Lori and I make a pilgrimage to the famous Highland Cinema in Kinmount, Ont. This summer’s movie was Inception. While I had mixed feelings about the film (movie – 2 stars; conversation after – 4 stars), I found the...Read More
The Case for Dividend Stocks
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on September 4, 2010
One of the joys of my day job is talking with smart, turned-on people from all aspects and levels of the investment business. My good fortune comes from having a long and diverse career (as Woody Allen put it, 90 per cent of life is just showing...Read More
The Fine Art of Making the Right Investment Call
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on August 21, 2010
Portfolio management is both a science and an art. The science can be learned from finance professors and investment books. The art part, however, comes from years at the school of hard knocks. Like every grizzled money manager who’s...Read More
When Investors and Their Advisers Don’t See Eye-to-Eye
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on August 9, 2010
In my last column I talked about fear and investors who wanted to get out of the market. My advice (don’t do it) was based on valuation, investor sentiment and the difficulty of timing the market. It was aimed at helping the investor make the best decision. But...Read More
Making a Go of it, Despite the Doom and Gloom
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on July 24, 2010
In my quarterly letter to clients I used the word “discouraged” to describe investor sentiment. In the few days since we published it, however, I’m starting to think a better word is “despair.” Too regularly I’m being asked whether it’s time to get out of the...Read More
When Browsing for Bargains, Beware the Value Trap
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on July 10, 2010
I’ve had a bias to owning higher quality companies since 2007. In a challenging economy with unpredictable credit markets, it seemed reasonable to pay a premium for stable profits, excess cash flow and strong balance sheets. I knew the companies...Read More
Morningstar Research Doesn't Get Respect it Deserves
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on June 27, 2010
There has never been more investment information available to investors, so it’s frustrating to see the release of the Morningstar Stewardship Grades, the most useful piece of research to come out in decades, slide by with little or no coverage from...Read More
The Long and Short of Real Estate Investing
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on June 12, 2010
We’re starting to see stories about a softening real estate market in Canada. Listings are up, sales are down, and even the always bullish industry executives are predicting lower prices in the coming year. It reminded me of a quote I saw recently: “Real is...Read More
Avoiding Benchmark-oriented Mediocrity
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on May 29, 2010
I’m just back from a few days in Scotland. Sightseeing, golf and a meeting with one of our equity managers was the order of the day. For the golf, I stuck to convention and kept track of my pars, bogies and, unfortunately, the “others.” For my meeting with...Read More
In Times of Crisis, Approximation Beats Perfection
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on May 16, 2010
As we ride the market volatility caused by Europe’s economic turmoil, I can’t help but think back to Oct. 19, 1987, a date that will forever be imprinted in my memory. Black Monday saw the Dow drop 23 per cent, while the TSX was down 11 per cent...Read More
The Secret Behind Succession Plans and Stock Picks
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on May 2, 2010
Burgundy Asset Management sent a letter to its clients this week announcing changes to its management structure. Two years from now CEO Tony Arrell will step down and hand the reins over to the current Chief Investment Officer, Richard Rooney...Read More
