Eightfold Investing

Markets manufacture craving and aversion. The record shows how I handle mine.

I invest my own money in US-listed companies, picking ones that are cheap, profitable, and conservatively run. Most people find them dull, and in a bad year frightening to own, so I aim to profit by holding them when others won't.

I published the rules before any money moved, and every month I'll post the results beside them, mistakes included.

Read the rules

My record started on November 1, 2026, and its first entry goes up once that month closes.

Open the Ledger
The Core index level
100.0
VT comparative index level
100.0
Breach Count
0

The Eight

Eight principles, each with a test for when I've broken it, and every time I do, it's counted and published.

Wisdom: how you see

  1. Clear View

    Know what you actually own.

  2. Honest Intention

    Name the real reason before you change anything.

Conduct: how you act

  1. Plain Speech

    If you can't explain it in thirty seconds, leave it out.

  2. Pre-Committed Action

    Write the rule first, so the moment never decides.

  3. Sound Livelihood

    Your work funds the portfolio. The portfolio doesn't fund your life.

Discipline: how you hold

  1. Steady Effort

    Follow the same rules in every market, especially the bad ones.

  2. Mindful Attention

    Watch yourself, not the market.

  3. Unbroken Horizon

    Judge the strategy in decades, not months.

The Eightfold Letter

Every Sunday morning I send a short essay, with an entry from my temptation log and a link I found useful that week. Most issues take about four minutes to read.

What I publish

  • The portfolio as an index from 100, beside the world's stock markets as represented by VT, monthly
  • What I put in each month, as a cut of gross income (never under 30%)
  • Any withdrawal, the month it happens, with its reason and its size as a share of the portfolio
  • Every time I break one of my rules, and that count never resets
  • Quarterly factor loadings against published data
  • One month delayed: every holding with its weight, and the screen's full ranked list

What I never publish

  • Account balances, net worth, or income in dollars
  • My broker, or any account identifiers
  • Anything in real time