By the time you read this, I will have been at AAII for five years. Though a personal milestone for me, in AAII terms, it’s not very long. I continue to rank in the bottom third in terms of seniority. My predecessor, Maria Crawford Scott, worked at AAII for 26 years before retiring. It’s a testament to the organization that so many of our talented staff stay. Everyone shows up with a sense of pride, a commitment to hard work and a friendly attitude. It’s evident throughout the office and we hope it shines through in our interaction with you—be it via print, online, over the phone or in person.

It’s not often that one gets a chance to step into a truly good position, but I am lucky to have had such an opportunity. Not only do I get to work with great people, but I also get to interact with many individual investors and many people throughout the industry. Merely being with AAII has opened doors in terms of reaching out to various professionals and academics. I can tell you that nothing in the job description said “sit down with some of the brightest minds in finance and have a conversation about investing with them,” but this has become a part of my responsibilities that I thoroughly enjoy and, based on feedback, members appreciate when we pass on their insightful thoughts.

As with any job, responsibility comes with the paycheck. In my particular case, it’s not just about aiming high, but also about constantly considering what content should and should not be included. Publishing a 40-page investing journal isn’t simply about making deadlines, it’s about providing content that helps you make better decisions. I’m careful about what goes in, and there are have been many articles and article proposals that I’ve declined. It’s part of being an editor.

In writing this month’s note, I took a look at my first Editor’s Note from January 2010. In it, I wrote, “A big part of my role at AAII is to continue evolving this magazine and all of the content that we produce. As a result, you will see changes.” Five years later, I’m happy to say, “Progress has been made.” Two new periodic columns have been added, Beginning Investor and Retired Investor. The latter was in response to requests by members. In addition, a new article category has been created, Behavioral Finance. The latest article on this subject is an interview with University of California—Berkeley professor Terry Odean, which you’ll find here. (As a quick aside, Terry was awarded a dissertation grant from AAII in 1997 for his work in behavioral finance.)

Behavioral science has become a big area of interest for me since joining AAII. The more I learn about the intersection of our minds and our finances, the more I’m convinced that much of our portfolio performance is dependent on our emotional tendencies and our ability to set up strategies to cope with them. So, you will see more about this subject in future issues.

I also intend to discuss aging more in the future. Biology plays a big role in our finances, and we all need to be prepared to deal with aging. Medical advances are extending life-spans, which enable more and more of us to become centenarians. This has financial implications, since we’ll need our retirement savings to last longer. At the same time, cognitive impairment affects our ability to make prudent decisions.

In covering these issues, I won’t shift away from what makes the AAII Journal, well, the AAII Journal. You’ll continue to see articles about stock selection, stock screens, portfolio strategies, funds, bonds and other investing topics. The mix of articles will just be a little more diverse.

Many articles published over the last five years have started out as suggestions from members. Though I can’t fulfill every request, feel free to keep offering ideas. I want you to continue finding the Journal useful in the years ahead.

Sincerely,

Charles Rotblut, CFA
Editor, AAII Journal
@CharlesRAAII