Kennon-Green & Co. Global Asset Management, Wealth Management, Investment Advisory, and Value Investing

How John Maynard Keynes Beat the Stock Market by 8% Points Per Year Between 1921-1946

he Journal of Economic Perspectives: Vol. 27 No. 3 (Summer 2013) has a wonderful piece on the investment record of John Maynard Keynes, who managed to beat the market by an average of 8 percent per year from 1921 through 1946 by focusing on long-term, high quality dividend-paying stocks as well as smaller enterprises that had room to grow.  When he died in his early sixties, Keynes had achieved the rank of one of the richest economists in history, amassing a fortune equal to $30,000,000 today.

Details

Eli Lilly and the Insanity of Foreign Taxes

I’m going through the corporate bond filings of pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly just out of curiosity.  They have a huge patent cliff coming up, during which time as much as 40% of their revenue base will be exposed to generic competition.  I wondered what it would do to the risk metrics on the senior bonds so I pulled the Moody’s rating and reading over the figures as I listen to an old 1970s song called Snookeroo.

Details

Investing In Corporate Bonds and Debentures Is a Bit Tricky At the Moment

I spent a big percentage of my day reading indenture documents for corporate debt securities because I was helping someone pick up some additional fixed income investments for a retirement portfolio.  I managed to get my hands on a nice block of high-grade, non-callable debentures from a major packaged foods company with a 4.3% yield-to-maturity on the remaining decade before maturity, but still have a bit of their dry powder left to spend.

Details

HSBC, One of the World’s Largest Banks, Makes Customers Provide Proof They Need Money Before Processing Withdrawal Requests

Despite the largest position in my personal household portfolio being Wells Fargo & Company, bought when it was practically being given away for free during the stock market crash, I’m at the point where I think the major global banks should be smashed and, here in the United States, at least, restrictions on inter-state banking put back in place so there is wide geographic diversity in deposit institutions to spur competition and prevent the probability of a banking crisis in the event of another Great Depression.

Details

My Objective: To Take $2.4 Million from the Stockholders of KCPL Over the Rest of My Natural Life Expectancy

Since the energy saving program 4 months ago, the real world results are exceeding projections.  Thank you, again, to those of you who wrote me with suggestions!  I estimated that the energy efficient light bulbs alone would save an average of 288 kWh per month, or 3,456 Kwh per year.  They are actually saving 317 kWh per month, or a run rate of 3,804 kWh per year.  That means my net cash savings are around $410 per annum. Over the next 25 years, if I put it to work at average rates of return, it will add an extra $40,300+ in net worth to my family’s balance sheet.  By the end of my natural life expectancy, it will add $933,800+ in extra wealth to my family’s balance sheet.

Details