Mixing things up a bit

Our monthly newsletter (which has been on quite a streak lately) will address two totally non-performance/risk measurement topics. They might be fun and interesting, or maybe not. Let us know.

Fonts

Who talks fonts? Well, there are some of us who do.

Recently, we at TSG had an internal discussion on whether our Asset Owner Survey report should be serif (with wings) or sans serif (without wings). This extended to their use in online and printed text.

Ashley Reeves asked ChatGPT “What is the easiest font on a screen?,” and its response included “Sans-serif Fonts: Sans-serif fonts like Arial, Helvetica, and Calibri are often preferred for on-screen reading. They lack the decorative ‘serifs’ at the ends of characters, which can make text appear cleaner and more legible on screens.”

I saw this as a bit of a contradiction. Okay, so sans serif are “often preferred,” but since they “lack the decorative ‘serifs’ at the ends of characters, which can make text appear cleaner and more legible on screens,” they should be considered less clean and legible, right?
Yes, it does seem that most folks who send emails use sans serif.

A random selection of 10 emails I recently received used

• Arial (5 occurrences) (sans serif)
• Helvetica (sans serif)
• Times New Roman (serif)
• Roboto (sans serif)
• Lato (sans serif)
• Tahoma (sans serif)

Sans serif clearly rules, with Arial dominating.

Almost without exception, books are printed in serif font.¹

Our firm’s standard has been Times New Roman, though I recently discovered Caslon, which I love. In his last two books, Dan Silva chose this font. And, in Tony Sedon’s Essential Type,² I learned Caslon was used in America’s Declaration of Independence (it was actually Benjamin Franklin’s decision). It’s what I now use in my emails and reports.

Most folks probably don’t give font selection much thought (and who can blame them?). When it comes to GIPS® reports, we advise our clients to use a readable size; sometimes we find tiny text. We think a minimum of nine points is needed. In emails, I think 12 points is best, though know that some fonts are always a bit larger, so perhaps a smaller size will suffice.

Invest in Yourself

Last month I attended a wealth management conference in Toronto, sponsored by the CFA Society Toronto. The first speaker, Barbara Stewart, CFA, spoke on “How Smart People Invest in Themselves.”

I found the session thought provoking.

When I initially reflected on of how I invest in myself, I thought of the investment of time and money for books, as I’m an avid reader; I also am regularly listening to a book on Audible.

I also invest time and money on fitness.

Barbara revealed other ways people invest in themselves, including eating quality food and drinking good wine. The quality food is an obvious one, as we want to take in healthy foods, yes? The wine? Well, if it enhances your well-being, spirit, and general frame of mind, surely it counts.

Barbara’s website³ provides more details on this topic, including the results of many of the interviews she’s conducted.

What do you do to invest in yourself? Something perhaps to reflect upon; I intend to.

________________________

End notes

TSG’S 2023
INVESTMENT PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT
CALENDAR OF EVENTS

◼ Addressing Performance Measurement Analysis Challenges with Alternatives

  October 25, 2023 • Webinar

◼ Performance Measurement Forum 

  November 9-10, 2023 • Porto, Portugal

◼ Asset Owner Roundtable 

  November 29, 2023 • Orlando, FL

◼ Performance Measurement Forum 

  November 30 – December 1, 2023 • Orlando, FL

For additional information on any of our 2023 events, please contact Patrick Fowler at 732-873-5700.