This is the inaugural post in Commonwealth’s new blog, The Independent Market Observer. It is being written on my birthday, which makes it somehow nice that we’re kicking off this blog on the same day I came into the world.
For those who don’t know me, my name is Brad McMillan. I am Commonwealth’s chief investment officer and will be the primary author of the posts here. I will also bring in content from other members of the Commonwealth team where it makes sense—we have a wealth of talent here, and I want to share that—but I see this as my soapbox from which to highlight, on a regular basis, what I think is important in the economy and markets.
This blog is aimed at the general investor, with a special focus on Commonwealth’s financial advisors and their clients. On occasion, there may be mathematical or deeply analytical pieces, but the vast majority of content will be based on current economic, market, and political events; publicly available information; and investment strategies that are used or looked at by our advisors and their clients. I would ask you to comment as much as you please; I will respond to as many comments as I can. Your feedback and comments will provide more inspiration for pieces in the blog itself.
The current state of play focuses on Europe, the U.S. political and economic situation, and China; I expect I will be hitting each of these topics repeatedly in the next couple weeks. Other hot topics seem to be tactical investing, market valuation levels, and income. What other topics should I address? Please let me know.
I am excited about starting this blog as an active and daily channel to put out my thoughts and to share in yours. Thanks for reading, and be sure to let me know what you want to see and how I can do better.