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What is evidence-based investing?

Nobody can establish who first used the phrase 'evidence-based investing', and no regulator defines it. Robin Powell, who was given the name by Larry Swedroe in 2015 and is sometimes wrongly credited with coining it, sets out what it actually means: four tests of what counts as evidence, borrowed from a medical parallel that hit the same crisis twelve years ago. Including where he goes further than a global tracker, and why he holds that position less firmly than he used to.

Robin Powell

Two people signing documents at a meeting table, illustrating the financial advice consolidation deals reshaping the UK advisory sector

Who really benefits when private equity buys your financial adviser?

Financial advice consolidation in the UK has put private equity in control of hundreds of firms. Here's what vertical integration and hidden conflicts mean for your money.

Robin Powell

May 57 min read

Woman reviewing utility bill statement, illustrating vigilance with household costs versus investment fees

You check your energy bill. Why not your investment fees?

You check your energy bill religiously. When your provider raised charges by £12, you noticed within days. You've compared broadband three times this year, saving £8 monthly. But when did you last calculate your all-in investment fees? That £3 broadband overcharge equals £36 yearly. A 1% overcharge on a £500,000 portfolio equals £5,000 annually—139 times more. Yet the smaller cost receives obsessive attention whilst the larger goes unexamined for decades. This article reveals

Robin Powell

Oct 27, 20259 min read