In a 43-minute, commercial-free interview with Mo Dawoud of Wall St. for Main St., I discussed my background, Japan’s economy, Japan after the Fukushima disaster, and The 3% Signal. You’ll find a detailed time/topic index below the YouTube panel.
01:12 My Background: How an English Major Became an Investor
03:35 Leaving IBM to Become a Full-Time Freelance Writer
06:25 The Folly of Expecting Everybody to Invest for Their Own Retirement
07:40 We’re Entering a Retirement Crisis Because Many Are Unprepared
10:25 Thoughts on Japan’s Economy, Abenomics, and the Nikkei 225
16:14 Japanese People Are Amazing Savers, But They’re Not Investors
17:34 Nobody Knows If/When the JGB Market Will Collapse
19:18 There is No Inflation in Japan, Everybody Was Wrong
21:20 Fukushima Reports Were Exaggerated, It Was Mostly Media Hype
22:16 Radiation Levels Were Never Dangerous
23:12 Daily Life in Japan Has Not Changed At All
24:22 I’m a Proponent of Nuclear Power
24:40 Not a Failure of Nuclear Technology; A Failure of Politics
26:16 Why I Wrote The 3% Signal (3Sig)
27:00 How People Can Get Around Their Inability to Forecast Stocks
27:15 Importance of Psychological Support Through Clear Signals
28:40 The Plan Explained
30:41 Not Only The Math Works; The Emotions Work
33:40 Why We’re Not Good At Forecasting The Stock Market
35:58 The Stock Market is a Zero-Validity Environment (Z-val)
36:42 The Two Big Problems With Dollar-Cost Averaging (DCA)
41:05 Two Parts of 3Sig That Are Frequently Misunderstood
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4 Comments
Excellent interview. I really enjoyed that. The psychological/emotional benefits of the 3Sig plan are key differences that need to be emphasized. I just wish I had this system years ago.
I agree, Phil. Too many plans ignore the emotional needs of investors, thereby nullifying all the benefits of whatever advantages they find. People are not robots! They want reassurance when markets crash, and there’s no better reassurance than receiving a clear signal to do what’s worked during similar times in the past. If nothing else, it eliminates stress from indecision.
Excellent interview. It is always interesting and refreshing to hear rational logic instead of irritating irrational conjecture.
Thank you, Steve!