By ROBIN POWELL
It’s nearly five years since I started work on The Evidence-Based Investor, and I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved in that time.
I felt like a voice in the wilderness for at least the first couple of years. There were very few of us, at least in the UK, writing about the conflicts of interest and lack of transparency in asset management, for example, or the fact that very few active fund managers were beating the market after costs.
Now these subjects are discussed in the trade and mainstream media almost every day. I don’t claim to have played a huge part in that, but I’m sure we’ve had a positive impact. This is certainly the only UK blog that has consistently told this story, and from the consumer’s standpoint, over the last few years.
Who pays?
A question we’re often asked is, “Who pays for all your content?” Many assume that we are funded by firms with a vested interest in what we say — index providers, for example, or passive fund managers. In fact we haven’t received any money from index or product providers at all.
The Evidence-Based Investor is a labour of love. Our aim is to help our readers, not to make money out of them. We are constantly hearing from investors around the world expressing their appreciation for the information and insights we provide.
I don’t get paid for the time I spend working on the blog, and all the running costs — travel, filming, editing, freelance commissions, website maintenance, office costs and so on — have been paid for out of my own pocket.
A year ago we invited a number of evidence-based financial advice firms to come on board as strategic partners. I’m hugely grateful to Bloomsbury Wealth and Sparrows Capital in the UK, PFP Financial Services in Ireland, Index Fund Advisors in the United States and AES International in the UAE. Their generous sponsorship has enabled us to step up the volume of content we produce. We now post every weekday, and often at weekends as well.
To sustain this level of content, however, we need more support.
Ways to help
If you would like to make a donation — either a one-off or a regular payment — it would be hugely appreciated.
I would also love to hear from like-minded businesses, particularly financial advice firms, that would like to help.
We have capacity for more strategic partnerships, particularly with firms in North America, Australasia and former British territories like Hong Kong and Singapore. There are also opportunities to sponsor our sister blog for financial advisers, Adviser 2.0.
Another way that advice firms can help is by ordering content from my colleagues at Regis Media. We have a number of animated financial education videos series that can be rebranded, a range of regular subscriptions to videos and articles, and a social media management service as well.
A long way to go
Yes, I think we can finally say that we’re winning the argument. Evidence-based investing and financial advice are the future. But there’s still a long way to go — and we’re up against powerful vested interests, with large budgets, that want to slow the rate of progress.
Please support us The Evidence-Based Investor if you can — and help to change investing for the better.
Thank you.
Robin
Picture: Skitterphoto via Pexels
Robin is a journalist and campaigner for positive change in global investing. He runs Regis Media, a niche provider of content marketing for financial advice firms with an evidence-based investment philosophy. He also works as a consultant to other disruptive firms in the investing sector.
