Best Of

Eight Lessons From Our First Year

This week marks the one-year anniversary of my registered investment advisory firm, Ritholtz Wealth Management. As co-founder and CEO, I’ve spent the last 12 months learning the process of starting an investment management firm, laying the foundation for sustainable growth, recruiting high-quality staff members, hiring (and firing) vendors and building in-house products and services that are competitive in…

The Best of TRB 2014 – Fun Stuff

This week I’m in Disney World with the family, our first proper vacation all together in years. As such, I’m off the grid and away from computers of any kind (I’m trying to stay married, you guys). But while I’m gone, I’ve left you some stuff to catch up on… These were the biggest posts…

Financial Media Wakeup Call: The Big Disconnect

I was having a discussion with the CEO of one of the largest financial media companies in the country yesterday. A few points I made: 1. The population of DIY investors who want to actively trade their own stocks each day and need news that caters to them is small and shrinking (their estimates are…

Bernard Baruch’s 10 Rules of Investing

You want someone to emulate? Bernard Baruch (August 19, 1870 – June 20, 1965) was the son of a South Carolina physician whose family moved to New York City when he was eleven year old. By his mid-twenties, he is able to buy an $18,000 seat on the exchange with his winnings and commissions from…

T.I.N.A. (or the Seller’s Dilemma)

In 1901, steel magnate Andrew Carnegie sold his entire empire to JP Morgan for $480 million – a sum he had scribbled on a piece of paper and that Morgan did not haggle over. After years of the kind of debilitating economic and political warfare it took to remain on top, Carnegie was finally done…

Escaping the Fear Factory

Are the birds chirping? Is tranquility close at hand? There are many who believe so or at least admit that they can see it in sight. The world is awash in liquidity and opportunity abounds in every region around the world: Distressed investors in Europe are now reaping the benefits of their midnight maneuvers where…

Their Risks are Our Opportunities

The world is a risky place and the financial markets seek to reflect those risks every day. It is not until you begin to understand the nature of risk that you learn how fantastic it is as an opportunity creator. When most people consider investing risk, they focus on how much they can lose in…

The purpose of this site

The purpose of this site is to make me a smarter investor and a more knowledgeable advisor to my clients. I read research and news for hours, thousands and thousands of words each day, to make sure that I’m aware of everything that’s happening. I blog or link to much of what I read in…

In 2012 I Learned That…

It’s already the last day of 2012? How did that happen? Did we at least learn something? You’ve already heard enough from me this year, below I get a little help from my friends! Enjoy and Happy New Year – JB In 2012 I Learned That… Herb Greenberg (CNBC): we can ignore the Mayans. Lauren…

ENTER THE FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE

“Shaolin shadowboxing and the Wu-Tang sword style. If what you say is true, the Shaolin and the Wu-Tang could be dangerous. Do you think your Wu-Tang sword can defeat me?” And now, my Christmas present to all of you – your guide to the entire financial web! I took 2011 off because I was consumed…

Investment Fads and Themes by Year, 1996-2012

Another year in the books and I’ve updated my Investing Fads and Themes by Year guide accordingly.  It begins with 1996 because that was my first summer working on The Street and my earliest exposure to the market. So what was 2012 about? Well, there four major themes this year for investors. First and foremost,…

Good luck with that.

Hey Gang, It’s been quite a year so far, I can’t believe it’s already Thanksgiving! I thought I’d leave off with some timeless investment advice here before I head off to spend the next 36 hours pretending to like my relatives and cranberry anything. Here goes: Always seek out differing opinions and challenge your beliefs….

The Ten Things That Happen When You Begin CrossFit

This week marks three months since I began the most intense workout regimen of my entire life, CrossFit. What led to me beginning CrossFit was a realization that, if left to my own devices, I would never push myself hard enough to truly make the changes I needed to in order to get in shape….

out of office reply

Today, October 10th 2012, I will be out of the internet. Your favorite blogger will not be posting as today is The Big Picture Conference 2012! As we speak, I’m working the show, introducing speakers, moderating panels and consuming all manner of finger foods in between sessions. But I would like to relay the following…

Who are the Five Best Financial Bloggers?

A kid in college emailed this to me over the weekend: Hey JB, I’m a big fan of the blog, I told everyone in my finance courses to start reading it. Anyway, I’m double-majoring and barely have time to read things that aren’t part of my coursework but I want to make sure I have…

35

Tomorrow I turn 35 years old. I don’t know how that happened.

Get Your Shit Together

There you were, muddling through just like you’ve been told to do for the last four years and all of a sudden people start talking about a way out…

GREETINGS FROM DAVOS!!!

Today we have a guest post from my friend Haley Amber Feinberg, Chief Executive Intern at The Business Insider who’s been sent to Davos for the first time to cover the World Economic Forum.

"How Do You Have So Much Time to Blog?"

“How do you have so much time to blog?” This is the question I get asked more than any other and I get it constantly.  Via email, via Twitter, in real life, in the comment section below a post, on the phone, in meetings, at the bar, at dinner, at my kid’s soccer practice, in…

Occupy Wall Street! The Musical

I’ve begun writing, composing and doing some basic arrangements for Occupy Wall Street! The Musical.  Below is an overview of the show to satiate your appetite while we develop the finished product and meet with producers. – JB *** Cast: Jenny – A young woman working on Wall Street for Goldman Sachs but unsure of…

Alex P. Keaton: An Alternative History

In the final episode of Family Ties, which aired in the spring of 1989, Alex P. Keaton (played by Michael J. Fox) was en route to his dream job at a major Wall Street investment firm after graduating college.

The Ten Crash Commandments

I been in this game for years, it made me a animal There’s rules to this s**t, I wrote me a manual A step by step booklet for you to get your game on track, not your wig pushed back The Ten Crack Commandments, Notorious B.I.G. I don’t try and guess the close on days…

Contrition

The 6th Commandment of the Financial Web: Thou Shalt Not Say Anything Neutral About Barack Obama

but before I go…

“Had I known Josh’s blog was going to get so big, I never would’ve allowed him to do it.” – my old boss I’ve spent the first half of my life being underestimated.  It used to bother me, now I use it to my advantage – they never see me coming.  And god help the…

…You Might Be a Gold Bug.

Gold bugs have been around for over 100 years, lurking at the fringes of the investment community and singing the praises of the yellow metal to anyone who will listen. As a result of the plunging US dollar, apocalyptic drops in asset prices and the commodity’s eight year bull market, gold has attracted a huge…

The Good News: Bad Economy = Great Music

In times of economic stress, great new styles and movements emerge in American popular music. Below is a chart I’ve put together to illustrate my point. Interestingly, frivolous pop excess gets swept away as well when we get serious about the artists we want to listen to in tough times. Below is The Reformed Broker’s…

Good Bank, Bad Bank by Dr. Seuss

Good Bank             Bad Bank Wood Bank           Fad Bank Red Bank               Blue Bank Old Bank              New Bank