Best of 2013: Know Yourself (and How You Make Decisions)

As I looked back over a year of tweets and blog posts, one theme was perennial: we cannot escape ourselves. What do I mean by that? Behavioral biases inform our investment decisions, regardless of gender, season, or geography.

With apologies to Joan Didion, 2013 also turned out, somewhat unexpectedly, to be a year of magical (mathematical) thinking.

Here, then, is a small selection of my top picks in both those subject areas:

What Drives Our Decisions?

Is Mathematics the Universal Language?

My most memorable read this year (no pun intended) was “Speak, Memory” by Oliver Sacks. In this essay, the brilliant Dr. Sacks broaches a topic that affects each and every one of us, every single day: our memories.

And for an entirely different experience, my favorite radio story was Terry Gross’s interview with Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield on NPR’s Fresh Air. With my feet firmly planted on terra firma, I briefly floated along in space, watching as our planet whizzed by on one side, while on the other side I gazed at the black, bottomless pit of outer space — all seen through Hadfield’s eyes. I was so curious to learn more that I bought his book, An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth, and wrote about it for this blog (see: “‘Square Astronaut, Round Hole’: Chris Hadfield on Risk, Competence, and Leadership”).

Thanks for reading and happy 2014.

Please note that the content of this site should not be construed as investment advice, nor do the opinions expressed necessarily reflect the views of CFA Institute.

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