Skip to main content

Bias For Clarity

Bias for action. Gets things done. Go-getter. Traits companies big and small look for. And for good reason, you're being hired to do things! However, action is a secondary step that often overshadows the primary step, direction.   Clear direction is the foundation that enables our actions to takeoff. Without it, we're stuck in the mud.  Striving for clarity is an underrated skill. Having the courage to ask ( seemingly ) obvious questions, and to check in, making sure we're all on the same page. "O bvious " questions are a low risk, high reward way to add value. At worst, you'll add confidence to our actions. At best, you discover a misalignment that saves us from a dead-end.  The more people, the more clear we need to be. The bigger the initiative, the bigger the risk of reaching the finish line, only to realize expectations were off.  Success is always uncertain. But we can be certain about what we want and what everyone's job is. Things that can be clea

ELI5: The Stock Market


Today we get back to basics and answer some of the most common questions about the stock market.

What is a Stock?

A stock is a piece of paper or electronic record that represents an ownership "share" in a company. Stocks are commonly referred to as shares. 

Companies need to raise money (aka capital) to run their business. Capital is used for employees, equipment, advertising, the list goes on. To raise capital, a company may issue shares to the public for a price, trading some ownership in exchange for moneyThis can be done by listing on a stock exchange.

What is a Stock Exchange?

A stock exchange is where investors buy and sell shares. Think of it as a marketplace for investors. There are a number of exchanges around the world, the largest being the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). As of 2019, the NYSE had a market capitalization of ~$30 Trillion.

Each exchange has their own speciality and listing criteria. Some are focused on bigger companies, some on smaller companies. Many are focused on the country they are based out of. Every exchange is unique.

Why Buy Stocks?

Stocks allow you to participate in the growth of companies. As the companies get larger and their outlook improves, the value of your stocks will increase. If you sell at a price higher than what you paid, you profit. Some companies also pay you a small portion of their earnings. These payments are referred to as dividends.

How Are Stocks Priced?

Stock prices are determined by the market. The market is all the investors making buy and sell decisions.

Investors analyze stocks by looking at company management, profitability, growth and much more. Their analysis determines the price they're willing to buy and sell for. The collective pricing decisions of all investors establishes stock prices.

How Do I Pick The Right Stocks?

Odd are you won't. Stock picking is incredibly hard for a number of reasons:

1) There are way more bad stocks than good ones. Only 4% are good investments. Needle in a haystack.

2) You can't see the future and there's too much uncertainty in the markets to make accurate predictions. Beware of people who guarantee returns.

3) The market is extremely competitive, filled with highly-trained professionals.

4) Despite all their qualifications and experience, even most professionals can't pick stocks reliably. Over 80% of active managers fail to beat their benchmark index.

What is an Index?

An index is a list of investments that represents a segment of the financial market. The most popular is the S&P 500 which tracks the 500 largest companies in the US.

If Stock Picking is so Hard, How do I Invest?

Instead of buying individual stocks you can buy index funds. Index funds allow you to buy a large basket of stocks in a single fund that will track an index. Instead of trying to capture the growth of individual stocks, index funds allow you to capture the growth of the entire market. This is known as passive investing.

Removing the effort needed for stock picking, passive investors can instead focus on the essentials. Such as managing risk, goal setting, and keeping your fees low.

Conclusion

The stock market can be intimidating, filled with flashing numbers and industry jargon. But the stock market is only complicated if you choose to get into the weeds. You'll do fine with a strong understanding of the basics. Successful investing is boring, it relies on rational decision-making rather than big words and complicated strategies.









Comments

  1. Thanks so much! It's nice to see a no-frills explanation of what the essentials are. :-)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Art of Giving Feedback

Constructive feedback is an awkward affair. You don't want hurt feelings, but recognize the importance of honesty. You've tried the classic "hoping things will get better on its own" and unfortunately it hasn't played out. When giving feedback, here are a few things that I try to keep it mind. Start with empathy. Step into their shoes and understand their story. If you don't know, ask. Be genuinely curious. Feedback is a dynamic affair. Shared communication with a shared goal towards progress. Take the emotion out of it. Focus on the situation, not the person. Focusing on the person adds unnecessary weight to an already emotionally-bloated event.  Be specific. Give clear examples. Vague feedback equals dismissed feedback.  Doing above won't de-awkward things fully, but it will dampen it and increase the chance of better outcomes. 

Bias For Clarity

Bias for action. Gets things done. Go-getter. Traits companies big and small look for. And for good reason, you're being hired to do things! However, action is a secondary step that often overshadows the primary step, direction.   Clear direction is the foundation that enables our actions to takeoff. Without it, we're stuck in the mud.  Striving for clarity is an underrated skill. Having the courage to ask ( seemingly ) obvious questions, and to check in, making sure we're all on the same page. "O bvious " questions are a low risk, high reward way to add value. At worst, you'll add confidence to our actions. At best, you discover a misalignment that saves us from a dead-end.  The more people, the more clear we need to be. The bigger the initiative, the bigger the risk of reaching the finish line, only to realize expectations were off.  Success is always uncertain. But we can be certain about what we want and what everyone's job is. Things that can be clea

Negative Feedback, Positive Lessons

In the battle against plastic bags, a five-cent tax was shown to be much more successful at deterring usage than a five-cent credit for bringing your own bags. Carrots satisfy but sticks sting, and they sting hard. So we default to the less painful choice of avoiding loss. Loss aversion impacts the way we process information. A 2019 study  invited participants to learn through a series of multiple choice questions. Each question only had two options to choose from. Whether guessing correctly or not, they would still learn the right answer.  Despite the identical learning opportunity, participants were much more successful at recalling the answers they guessed correctly than those they got wrong.  "You're right!" feels good. We savour the moment, analyzing every detail.  "You're wrong!" stings. We want to quickly forget, dismiss, and move on.  When we succumb to loss aversion, we miss opportunities to learn. Failure is part of the process. We'll experie