To Err Is Human

Sequence of return risk is entirely ignored in much of academic finance. But it is a meaningful risk for the vast majority of investment portfolios and there are useful tools that can mitigate its effects.

People have a strong tendency to favor the present over the future – we are poor emotional time travelers. This has obvious investment implications, especially when saving and investing for retirement. In this paper, we explain this “present bias” and why Nebo is particularly well-suited to helping advisors address it with their clients.

We know from a behavioral perspective that the framing of questions can radically alter the answers given and that it is incredibly hard to remove people’ biases. In this paper, we explore how framing, nudges and re-biasing can influence answers to questions, and how at the philosophical heart of Nebo is a focus on the importance of asking the right questions.

The investor’s chief problem – and even his worst enemy – is likely to be himself.” These sage words – written by the father of value investing Ben Graham - are as true today as they were in 1949. In this paper we examine how evolution has shaped different behavioral biases and how we can turn them to our advantage.