Last December I ended my monthly newsletter with the poem Desiderata. 
I’ve decided this should be an annual tradition. I never tire of reading it. With a new year upon us, forget about resolutions and read Desiderata instead.

Every month I send out an investing article along with the newsletter. Because my newsletters are so entertaining you might glide right past the investing part.

Here is my holiday gift. All the Investing Articles from 2019.
 
Easy and quick reads in case you are looking for a holiday escape. Ah yes, I was just thinking about the differences in share classes and here is an article!

I re-read every article from 2019 and wow, I learned a lot!

January : Exchange Traded Funds 
Exchange Traded Funds are different from mutual funds. Although they share some common characteristics, an ETF trades all day long like shares of a stock. A mutual fund trades once a day.

February: Passive Investment Management versus Active Investment Management
Passive investment management is associated with index funds like the S & P 500. Active investment managers believe that over time making active investment decisions will provide better returns than index funds.

February: Goodbye 2008
How does the performance of your portfolio look over long periods of time? The Great Recession of 2008 does not reflect the horrible performance in current 10-year performance numbers. 

March: Bonds Part Two
The Butterfly Effect. What happens when the Fed changes interest rates? A small change, or no change in interest rates, can lead to unforeseen or unexpected consequences.

April: Diversification 
Sometimes a diversification strategy can sound perfectly reasonable when it isn’t.
Having simple “rule of thumb” guidelines will help you diversify your investments.

May: How Do I Choose a Sector of the Market to Invest In?
Choosing different sectors to invest in is a way to diversify risk. The risk is that you over allocate to one sector. Like technology in 2000. 

June: Investing Made Easy
Exchange Traded Funds ( ETFs) have become the go-to investment vehicle for brokers and advisors. No more stock picking. Buy an index fund. Go ahead – you can invest on your now with the ease of an ETF.

July: Municipal Bonds
The best movie about municipal bonds is Chinatown . The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWAP pronounced el-ey-dee-wop) is the protagonist .How does Los Angeles get its water? DWAPS are municipal bonds. In addition to murder and mayhem municipal bonds offer tax advantages

August: The Currency Exchange
What happens when a country devalues it’s currency ? Do you compare prices when you visit countries outside the U.S.? Why is the dollar “strong”? It is all relative , to another currency.

September: Emerging Markets
When I studied Economics in college emerging markets were known as “underdeveloped countries” then “developing countries” and now “emerging” and “frontier.” I wonder if any of the emerging countries I studied emerged into a developed country.

October: Watch and Wait
Investing takes patience because often nothing is happening in the markets, despite the news.

November: Find Those Fees
Transactions costs to buy and sell stocks is largely gone. Fees like expense ratios are not going away and can be the largest fee you pay

December: Share and Share Alike
Front end loads, back end loads, 12b-1 fees. What you need to know about different share classes in mutual funds. Each share class has a different fee.

Investing articles are available on themodesteconomist.com website.
 

Desiderata

By Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story. 

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. 

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism. 

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass. 

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself. 

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. 

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. 

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy. 

Desiderata by Max Ehrmann
Copyright © 1952.