This is the first post of Indie Investing — a short newsletter about indexing, behaviour, and the boring math that wins. It exists for one reason: I couldn't find a personal-finance newsletter that was both evidence-led and short enough to actually finish on the train.
What you'll get here
A post every other week. Each one tries to do one of three things:
- Take a real decision — bond/stock split, factor tilt, vehicle choice — and walk through the trade-offs in plain language.
- Pre-commit you to a rule that disarms one of the cognitive failures that costs investors ~2% a year.
- Show the boring math. Compounding, expected returns, fee drag — with spreadsheets you can copy.
What you won't get
- Stock tips
- Macro forecasts
- "10 secrets the Wall Street pros don't want you to know"
The boring math has done the work for a hundred years. Most of our job is making sure we don't get in its way.
Why I'm writing it
I'm a builder. I've spent a decade reading the academic literature for my own portfolio and gradually noticing how rarely the good ideas make it into the popular press unscathed. The ones that do tend to be wrapped in 8,000 words and a paywall.
So I'm writing the version I wish I'd had when I started: short, sharp, evidence-led. If that sounds useful, the only thing you need to do is hit subscribe.
— M