Quotes from David F. Swensen

Employers dislike defined benefit plans, because of the large, variable liability associated with a promise to pay remainder-of-lifetime benefits to pensioners and because of the large, variable pool of assets required to fund the liability. Employees dislike defined benefit plans, because the future stream of pension payments lacks definition and immediacy.

Don't let what other people say disturb your mind. Be happy.

I believe that the greatest teachers create thinking students.

When you look at the results on an after-fee, after-tax basis over reasonably long periods of time, there's almost no chance that you end up beating the index fund.

That which works is authentic. It's a practical truth. What really matters is that we find benefit, regardless of whether it's an ancient traditional approach or some new version, popular or obscure.

Environmental influences almost invariably point investors down the path to investment failure. Advertisements flog stocks at equity market peaks, with nary a mention of diversifying fixed-income assets. After stocks suffer bear-market losses, the media tout the beneficial effects of owning bonds as an important part of a well-balanced portfolio. The overwhelming bulk of messages to investors suggest owning yesterday's darling and avoiding yesterday's goat.

Equally important to Yale's own success has been its extensive network of professional friendships throughout the world of investing. Among the very bright and well-connected, how they spend their time is always a matter of free choice because everyone has lots of alternatives about how they share insights and information—and with whom.

Poor asset allocation, ill-considered active management, and perverse market timing lead the list of errors made by individual investors.

Fidelity to asset-allocation targets requires regular purchase of the out-of-favor and sale of the in-favor, demanding that investors exhibit out-of-the-mainstream, contrarian behavior.

The sixth secret is that, as Charles Darwin tried to explain, survival of the fittest is not determined by competitive strength, but rather by social desirability. There's more money than certified talent in the world of investing, so outstanding investment managers have many choices because so many investors want to be their clients.

In spite of its limitations as a tax-efficient investing vehicle, on an after-tax basis over the two decades of the Arnott study, the Vanguard 500 Index Fund bests the average mutual fund by 2.8 percent per year. Only 14 percent of funds, as shown in Table 7.6, post superior after-tax results, winning by an average margin of only 1.3 percent per year. Losers, much larger in number than winners, lose by a greater margin, posting a 3.2 percent per annum after-tax deficit.

An inverse relationship exists between efficiency in asset pricing and appropriate degree of active management. Passive management strategies suit highly efficient markets, such as U.S. Treasury bonds, where market returns drive results and active management adds little or nothing. Active management strategies fit inefficient markets, such as private equity, where market returns contribute very little to ultimate results and investment selection provides the fundamental source of return.

The management of taxable mutual-fund assets without considering the tax consequences of trading activity represents a highly visible, yet little considered scandal. A serious fiduciary with responsibility for taxable assets recognizes that only extraordinary circumstances justify deviation from a simple strategy of selling losers and holding winners.

rich understanding of human psychology, a reasonable appreciation of financial theory, a deep awareness of history, and a broad exposure to current events all contribute to development of well-informed portfolio strategies.

Finance theory teaches that active management of marketable securities constitutes a negative-sum game, as the aggregate of active security-selection efforts must fall short of the passive alternative by the amount of the fees, commissions, and market impact that it costs to play the game.

investment success requires sticking with positions made uncomfortable by their variance with popular opinion. Casual commitments invite casual reversal, exposing portfolio managers to the damaging whipsaw of buying high and selling low. Only with the confidence created by a strong decision-making process can investors sell mania-induced excess and buy despair-driven value.

Emphasizing inefficiently priced asset classes with interesting active management opportunities increases the odds of investment success. Intelligent acceptance of illiquidity and a value orientation constitute a sensible, conservative approach to portfolio management.

Capital markets provide three tools for investors to employ in generating investment returns: asset allocation, market timing, and security selection.

Well-constructed academic studies confirm the theoretical premise. Robert Arnott's 2000 examination of U.S. equity mutual-fund returns shows a twenty-year pre-tax deficit of 2.1 percent per year relative to the result achieved by investors in Vanguard's 500 Index Fund. Nearly 80 percent of actively managed funds failed to reach Vanguard's market-mimicking return.

By operating in the institutional mainstream of short-horizon, uncontroversial opportunities, committee members and staff ensure unspectacular results, while missing potentially rewarding longer term contrarian plays.

Establishing a coherent investment program begins with understanding the relative importance of asset allocation, market timing, and security selection.

Sensible taxable investors reach an obvious conclusion: invest in low-turnover, passively managed index funds.

Awareness of the breadth and seriousness of agency issues constitutes the first line of defense for fund managers. By evaluating each participant involved in investment activities with a skeptical attitude, fiduciaries increase the likelihood of avoiding or mitigating the most serious principal-agent conflicts.

Market participants willing to accept illiquidity achieve a significant edge in seeking high risk-adjusted returns. Because market players routinely overpay for liquidity, serious investors benefit by avoiding overpriced liquid securities and by embracing less liquid alternatives.