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Vanguard & Twitter

Posted by Anu Heda on Jun 16, 2011, in Thoughts , tagged with ,

I decided to look through the 835 folks Vanguard follows (follow the link and you can too) on twitter.  Why?  Besides having a bit of evening time and a lot of curiosity, I wanted to understand how Vanguard participates in social media.

Here are five typical accounts Vanguard follows:

  1. YoungMoney – magazine targeted to financial & business matters of young Americans
  2. LipperLeaders – mutual fund industry research pioneer
  3. IRSnews – yes, that Internal Revenue Service
  4. BrandRyantInsure – a Virginia-based insurance agent
  5. RedCross – the Red Cross

This says that Vanguard is (a) engaged in social media, (b) interested in other opinions and thoughts, & (c) charitable.  Also, none of these accounts have fewer than 691 followers themselves; so there’s a good opportunity to hear from their followers via retweeting.

We’re not advocating that all firms need to use social media.  But if you do consider it, examining Vanguard’s usage and engagement is a good, early step.

Subject What You Mean

Posted by Anu Heda on Jun 14, 2011, in Thoughts , tagged with , ,

We subscribe to numerous hedge fund and asset manager e-newsletters.  The typical e-mail subject is something safe , like “Q3 Investment Opportunities.”

Atyant Capital, a hedge fund manager with a gold-focused flagship fund, sent a newsletter recently with a clear subject I thought to share: “Credit Deflation is Prime Driver of Resurrection of Gold Mining Industry”

We subscribe to numerous hedge fund and asset manager newsletters. The typical e-mail subject is something safe like “Q3 Investment Opportunities.”

Atyant Capital, a hedge fund manager with a gold-focused flagship fund, sent a newsletter with a clear subject recently.

“Credit Deflation is Prime Driver of Resurrection of Gold Mining Industry”

I liked the subject for three reasons:

  1. Reminds the recipient of the fund’s focus (gold).
  2. Makes a statement, so the reader can agree/disagree.  Either way, it’s a good hook to convince the reader to continue.
  3. Simplifies sharing the idea with colleagues.  You could imagine one colleague telling another, “Atyant believes credit deflation is driving gold right now.”

Writing compelling emails is difficult.  Subjects are usually the most difficult component.  Perhaps working from this example can help.

Best Blogs of the Week

Posted by Anu Heda on Jun 07, 2011, in Best Blogs of the Week , tagged with , ,

Last week’s best blogs include a first-timer, The Hartford.

  1. American Century – Wondering just how to further analyze TIPS beyond the recent negative news coverage?  I was and this long-format post provided a clear examination of the current situation and a reasonable evaluation method.  I could see many FAs re-purposing sections of this post.
  2. Russell – This is  a clear articulation for advisors evaluating client portfolio tools.
  3. The Hartford – Not FA related at all, but helpful common sense nonetheless.  As Memorial Day kicked off “driving season,” they remind drivers on a way to be safe and thrify: tire pressure.

Best Blogs of the Week

Posted by Anu Heda on May 31, 2011, in Best Blogs of the Week , tagged with , ,

This week’s best blogs includes one slightly older post.  It just didn’t make the cut last week but still remained interesting.

  1. Virtus – Great blog title – Six Charts that Matter – who doesn’t have time for six charts?  Further who’s not curious to see if you agree/disagree with Joe here.
  2. Franklin Templeton – This post provides a brief and digestible synopsis of Abu Dhabi; way better than wikipedia.
  3. Vanguard – While it seems strange to a 529 dayh (is April 1st, “401k day”) last week, this is a great post on how and why 529 accounts matter.