The weekend is a great time to catch up on some posts that were either too long or simply didn’t fit in during the week. Hope you enjoy!
Investing
How to build a portfolio of smart beta strategies. (Research Affiliates)
A dozen things learned from Henry Singleton about value investing and venture capital. (25iq)
How one CEO made a clever MLP gift to his alma mater. (FT Alphaville)
Robo-advisors
On the inevitability of robo-advisors. (Forbes)
Why Mr. Money Moustache invested with Betterment. (Mister Money Mustache via Monevator)
The future of robo-advisors is a virtual family office. (Forbes)
Personal finance
Despite the really long odds millions take up leveraged currency trading every year. (Bloomberg)
Two simple changes to make 401(k) plans relevant to all workers. (Rekenthaler Report)
Why does the 4% spending rule in retirement get a bad rap? (Vanguard)
Are dependent care accounts worth the hassle? (Ron Lieber)
Economics
Self-driving cars could be a huge economic boon. (Modeled Behavior)
How Uber is changing the US economy. (TheStreet)
A history of the US dollar. (Quartz)
Business
The origin story of Tesla Motors ($TSLA). (Business Insider)
Central planning lost the Cold War, however central planning still thrives in organizations. (Stumbling and Mumbling via @markthoma)
Why companies should be disrupting themselves: a review of The Innovation Paradox: Why Good Businesses Kill Breakthroughs and How They Can Change by Tony Davila and Marc J. Epstein. (CFA Institute)
Startups
Startup Jackson, “Most important software startups in 2014 are fundamentally about solving big human problems within the context of human systems with boring technology.” (Startup jackson)
Failure is a badge of honor in Silicon Valley. (NYTimes)
Tilt is crowdfunding on a more modest scale. (Fortune)
Venture capital
Fred Wilson, “Don’t waste your time trying to mess with a competitor’s financing.” (A VC)
Companies need to be careful giving out their full financials to investors. (Mark Suster)
Six lessons learned from top angel investors. (Rob Go via @mattermark)
Why Uber’s valuation isn’t as crazy as you think. (Henry Blodget)
AngelList is on the verge of disrupting venture capital. (Fortune)
Psychology
Money can’t buy happiness but there are some better ways to spend it. (WSJ)
Why anxiety declines in your 50s. (FT)
Why high schools should let kids sleep in. (Washington Post)
Health
Being fit is not the same as being athletic. (Outside via @hughesmatt)
Being fit is more important than losing weight. (Well)
Apples
There is a race underway to create the next Honeycrisp. (The Salt)
On the science of apple varieties. (Science Friday)
Food
Restaurants are losing out increasingly to packaged and prepared foods. (Wonkblog)
Salad is great but is really inconvenient. (The Atlantic)
Can technology help prevent illegal fishing? (WSJ)
Bone broth is the new green juice. (Quartz)
Beer
Can the big beer companies buy their way into the craft boom? (Charles Sizemore)
Craft beer made beer cans cool again. (Quartz)
Sports
A look at the hard, nomadic life of college basketball assistant coaches. (SB Nation)
On the parallels between rugby and American football. (SI)
Where America loves college football. (NYTimes)
Entertainment
Taylor Swift IS the music industry. (Businessweek)
John Oliver is outdoing Steven Colbert and Jon Stewart. (Vulture)
Opera companies are going rogue, and adding beer, to attract an audience. (Fortune)
Earlier on Abnormal Returns
Podcast Friday is up with a look at “textbook arbitrage.” (Abnormal Returns)
What you might have missed in our Fridaay linkfest. (Abnormal Returns)
Books
An interview with Cory Doctorow author of Information Doesn’t Want to Be Free. (Salon)
Some favorite fiction books from Tyler Cowen including Michel Faber’s The Book of Strange New Things: A Novel. (Marginal Revolution)
Why Winston Churchill was such a singular figure. An excerpt from Boris Johnson’s The Churchill Factor: How One Man Made History. (WSJ)
Mixed media
Meet David Mikkelson creator of Snopes.com, where Internet hoaxes go to die. (io9)
How Bill James’ methods became mainstream. (FT)
Toddler screen time: zero or mindful? (Slate)
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