Our Unmissable TOP 10 in 2025 – Did You Catch Them All?
As we prepare our pipeline of articles and ideas for 2026 it’s time to summarise what you liked in the prior 12 months.
Here are some of our TOP 10 most-read posts of the past 12 months.
2025 Most Popular Articles
VWCE & Chill: Beyond the 3 Bps TER Drop – Cuts Matter due to Vanguard’s European Ownership Structure.
A couple of months ago, I spoke with Vanguard’s European management to convey that our community expects action, and that our rankings reflect the latest fee dynamics. The call was encouraging, but—given the group’s U.S.–centric decision making and the lack of meaningful cuts in recent years—I remained cautious on near-term reductions.As I released my analysis, Vanguard dropped its fees!In this article we look at Vanguard’s updated positioning in Europe as it relates to its flagship ETF.
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Avoiding the Value Trap – A Review of Avantis Global Small Cap Value UCITS ETF
Over the past few years, a growing community of data-driven investors has embraced factor investing. The allure is clear: a more rigorous, empirical approach underpinned by Nobel Prize–winning research —a perfect match for financial advisors, STEM graduates, and analytical minds alike.While factor strategies have long been a staple in institutional portfolios, they are now gaining traction in the individual investor space, thanks in part to better financial education and the rise of ETFs. In this article, we review one of the most interesting ETFs recently launched in UCITS format – the Avantis Global Small Cap Value UCITS ETFs.Let’s dive in.
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For a Decade the Only Game in Town: A Review of SPDR MSCI Small Cap Value Weighted UCITS ETFs
In order to get exposure to Small Cap Value, SPDR was the only game in town for most European individual investors for over a decade.Today, with the launch of new products from competitors like Avantis, Robeco and Dimensional it’s worth having a look what you can achieve by tracking an MSCI Index based on a transparent yet simple methodology.Let’s look whether you necessairly need a specialised quant research firm to gain decent multi-factor exposure at a very reasonable cost.
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Trump & Beyond: How the New Landscape May Impact Your Portfolio
Fifteen years ago, as a newly minted junior portfolio manager, I sat down with a seasoned VP—now a partner at one of the largest hedge funds. He taught me that successful multi-asset portfolio management is all about identifying a few – rare in one’s career – macro shifts, and then riding them for a number of years.We may be witnessing one of these shifts. Questions from our readers imply you, too, also intuitively sense it. For most of us, this isn’t about predicting the future—especially from a hectic newsflow that only lasted for a couple of months.But to understand how assets may behave. Let’s explore shifts that started over the past years, which Trump is only accelerating. What could it mean for your portfolio and what are the key guides to help enhance its resilience?
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Your Battle Plan For The Next Market Chaos: Crafting a Rock-Solid IPS
History shows that reacting emotionally to market turmoil is rarely the right move. Enter the IPS: not just paperwork, but your battle plan Enter the Investment Policy Statement (IPS): not just paperwork, but your battle plan. It defines your goals, pins down your risk tolerance, and hands you clear rules for stormy markets—no matter how “unprecedented” they may feel. By acknowledging that market downturns and periods of uncertainty are inevitable, an IPS helps investors prepare emotionally and financially for the rough patches. By staying focused on long-term objectives and maintaining a diversified portfolio, investors can weather the storms of uncertainty and emerge stronger on the other side.Ready to build your IPS? Here’s what to consider—and how often to revisit it. Let’s jump in.
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Bitcoin’s Endgame : Is there a Quantum of Solace?
As Bitcoin once again gains momentum, and Bitcoin ETFs break flow records given deregulation and U.S. Government’s stance on crypto it’s worth reassessing the risks worth diving into, but not the usual ones most discuss.Yes, investors have come to expect the wild price swings—volatility is a feature, not a bug—but there’s a far more ominous risk lurking: quantum computing.While a handful of ETF issuers – including BlackRock a few days ago – have begun to call out this threat, many of the industry’s largest institutional players remain surprisingly complacent.In this article, Kumiko’s questions will unpack what’s truly at stake, and Ethan will walk us through some likely scenarios. Let’s dive in.
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From Alaska to Japan: The Bear Market Survival Kit for Savers & Retirees 🐻
1 out of 3 bear markets is a “grizzly” — long and brutal. We haven’t seen one since 2008. Make sure you're prepared. The Stock Market can make you rich and financially independent. But while a bear-watching trip to Alaska is optional, market crashes for long-term investors are inevitable.Even with today’s high valuations in some sectors and countries, it’s usually wiser to stay the course and follow your strategy, than try to time the market.But what if the next crash — or a long, grinding bear market — is just around the corner? Can you dodge it?Here’s the catch: when you spot a grizzly bear, it’s already too late. They swim, climb, and sprint at 60 km/h. Preparation is key — just like in bear markets.In this article, we’ll revisit history’s worst-case scenarios and the asset classes that can make your portfolio truly resilient.
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With Leverage at All-Time Highs, Which Brokers Are Most Exposed to Failure?
It’s striking how many coaching sessions I held with investors who will spend considerable time improving factor tilts for a hypothetical 20 bps outperformance but often ignore the elephants in the room. A big one is parking their entire life savings – often millions – with a single broker. That creates unnecessary counterparty risk and a single point of failure in their setup.It’s rarely discussed online because it’s a very low likelihood (but high impact) event, and most investors have little knowledge about the dynamics.But today the stakes are higher. That’s because according to FINRA, leverage in Q3 2025 has hit an all time high.Could your broker be next? I spent part of my career managing portfolios involving bankruptcies and distressed debt and can provide you with some aspects you should consider. In this article, let’s look at how to protect your savings.
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Introducing our new Markets Hub!
To complement our guides, we just launched BoW's Markets Hub. This guide is a visual walkthrough of the key dashboards – what each chart shows, which toggles matter, and how to use them.WHAT IS IT? The BoW Markets Hub is a new collection of live tools and analytics that sits alongside our long-form guides. It updates with fresh analytics every day! WHY HAVE WE CREATED IT? The main goal is to help you monitor your portfolio, compare it to key asset classes and risk factors, rebalance with more confidence, and stay on top of major long-term market trends. ARE THERE MORE MONITORS COMING? As of Novermber 9th we have already released 6 monitors which are described below. New monitors will be released over the coming weeks – check back periodically for fresh additions.
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How To Make Difficult Life Decisions: Easy Decisions, Hard Life. Hard Decisions, Easy Life.
I sat down and made a radical decision: it was time to blow up my career. Whenever I catch up with friends in London or Paris, many confess they feel trapped on the hamster wheel, longing to live life to the fullest.While I’m not a life coach (Francesca’s probably the one for that!), during my financial coaching sessions some of my readers also express similar lifestyle dilemmas. Here’s how one simple exercise in 2018 changed everything for me.My life took a dramatic turn when I applied this framework.Here’s why this might* be exactly what you need, too.*Not Life Advice.
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Good Luck and Keep’em* Rolling!
(* Wheels & Dividends)
Weekend Reading – Vanguard 10-Year Forecasts For Equities and Bonds & IBKR Borrowing Rates Compared
Interactive Brokers Fixed vs Tiered Plan – Which Is The Best For ETFs?
Weekend Reading – Best Bond ETFs After the Largest Selloff in Modern History & BoW TOP 10 Reads in 2025
Bond ETFs in 2026: Expected Returns After the Biggest Selloff in Modern History
Our Unmissable TOP 10 in 2025 – Did You Catch Them All?
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