Nobody beats the market, they say. Except for those of those of us who do.

Patience is a crucial but rare investment commodity.

A realistic definition of risk recognizes the potential loss of capital through inflation and taxes, and would include at least the following two factors: The probability that the investment you chose will preserve your capital over the time you intend to invest your funds. The probability the investments you select will outperform alternative investments for this period.

Nobody beats the market, they say. Except for those of those of us who do.

I paraphrase Lord Rothschild: ‘The time to buy is when there's blood on the streets.'

Favored stocks underperform the market, while out-of-favor companies outperform the market, but the reappraisal often happens slowly, even glacially.

A good starting point [in the measurement of investment risk] is the preservation and enhancement of your purchasing power in real terms.