Our guest this week is Bob Seawright. Bob is chief investment and information officer at Madison Avenue Securities, a Registered Investment Advisorand broker/dealer based in San Diego, California. Bob has received a number of accolades through the years but is perhaps best known for his popular newsletter, "The Better Letter," where he writes about a wide range of topics, including human behavior, decision-making, and investing. Before coming to the finance industry, Bob was a practicing lawyer. He later joined Merrill Lynch, where he worked as a financial advisor until joining Madison in 2010. Bob earned his bachelor's degree from the State University of New York at Fredonia, his J.D. from Duke University, and is a CFA charterholder.

Background

Bio

The Better Letter

How I Invest My Money: Finance Experts Reveal How They Save, Spend, and Invest, by Joshua Brown and Brian Portnoy

Ubiquity: Why Catastrophes Happen, by Mark Buchanan

Terrance Odean: “The Average Investor Is His Own Worst Enemy,” Forbes.com, June 10, 2010.

Confirmation Bias and Addition by Subtraction

“The Better Letter: Believing Is Seeing,” by Bob Seawright, betterletter.substack.com, May 21, 2021.

The Geometry of Wealth: How to Shape a Life of Money and Meaning, by Brian Portnoy

“A Hierarchy of Advisor Value,” by Bob Seawright, RPSeawright.wordpress.com, Feb. 12, 2016.

“The Better Letter: Addition by Subtraction,” by Bob Seawright, betterletter.substack.com, July 30, 2021.

Error Avoidance

“Investors’ 10 Most Common Behavioral Biases,” by Bob Seawright, RPSeawright.wordpress.com, July 16, 2012.

“Not Stupid Wins,” by Bob Seawright, RPSeawright.wordpress.com, Dec. 20, 2019.

“The Better Letter: Crash Protection,” by Bob Seawright, betterletter.substack.com, Sept. 24, 2021.

“Forecasting Follies 2020,” by Bob Seawright, RPSeawright.wordpress.com, Jan. 2, 2020.

Skill Versus Randomness

“The Better Letter: Randomness Rules,” by Bob Seawright, betterletter.substack.com, July 16, 2021.

“The Better Letter: Process, Probability, and Power,” by Bob Seawright, betterletter.substack.com, Aug. 14, 2020.