The Bowtie Economist on fees, your hometown in 2080, my favorite adventure product, and some excellent comedy.
Howdy folks!
We're loving life after Bend's biggest-ever snowstorm. My new favorite hobbies: pushing cars out of snowdrifts and being glad my neighbor owns a snowblower. Oh, and drifting sideways through roundabouts in our Subaru, heh heh.
This week's fun and games:
Seventy words about wasting money, my favorite must-have adventure product, how hot your hometown will be in 2080, and ironic comedy by Jena Friedman about treating Nazis like we treat women.
One of my favorite quick-hit newsletters is the Bowtie Economist and his 70-word daily email. With the stock market hitting (teetering?) near all-time highs, investing is on my mind and the following words from his newsletter seemed fitting:
In 2018, a volatile year for markets, just 38% of actively managed US stock funds outperformed their passively managed (indexed) counterparts, down from 46% in 2017, a placid year.
Over the past decade, just 26% of actively managed funds beat their index benchmarks. Unsurprisingly, managed funds are cutting fees & only 17% of the most expensive managed funds beat their indices. Unsurprisingly, net outflows from active to passive funds are large.
For extra credit: Warren Buffet echoed that sentiment in Berkshire's always-awesome annual letter (read at least pages 13 & 14!), saying money invested 77 years ago when he first started would be worth HALF today even "just" paying a 1% management fee. Ditch those mutual funds and go with Vanguard.
My Favorite Must-Have Adventure Product
With Spain on the horizon and bikepacking adventures lining up for summer/fall, I'm dreaming about sunny adventures!
The item I'll take everywhere? The Katadyn BeFree water filter. I think this product is fabulous for anyone who loves the outdoors. (I'm not sponsored or associated with Katadyn, I just love this product.)
Why, you ask?
It weighs 2 ounces and packs down to the size of an apple.
It filters 1L of water in <1 min.
You don't have to pump water while squatting next to/slipping into a creek.
Easy to clean to maintain flow
No need to carry tons of water on outings
You'll gain magical unicorn powers by owning it
'Nuf said. Order one immediately for your 2019 adventures. It's coming along on all of mine!
Home Sweet Home in 2080
All this extreme weather gets me thinking about the climate crisis and I found this interactive website by University of Maryland fascinating.
Type in the name of your city (or maybe where you want to retire?) and see what weather might be like 60 years from now.
Bend weather in 2080 with current emissions? Similar to Reno! GAH.
Portand? San Jose, CA!
Denver? Some inferno town in the Texas panhandle.
Phoenix? Somewhere in Mexico that is 44% drier (!).
Treat Nazis Like We Treat Women
After finding out that your hometown might have flaming sidewalks in 60 years, how about some comedy? I suggest Jena Friedman's ironic piece on Conan about how to treat Nazis like we treat women.
