You Weren’t Supposed To See That

Outline

You Weren’t Supposed To See That (2024) gathers investment lessons and observations developed through years of writing about financial markets. It reveals how incentives, emotions, media narratives, professional advice, and changing market conditions can influence investors, helping readers approach financial decisions with greater patience and awareness.

• Incentives shape the advice investors receive, so it pays to ask who benefits from a recommendation.
• Emotions can push investors into decisions they would not make with a clear head.
• Media narratives about the market can influence how people behave, often more than the underlying facts.
• Market conditions keep changing, so lessons need to be applied with awareness of the moment.
• Patience is one of the most useful habits an investor can build.

Joshua Brown is an American financial adviser, author, market commentator, and chief executive of Ritholtz Wealth Management. Known for explaining investing in direct and accessible language, he has written extensively about investor behaviour, financial advice, market history, and the realities of the wealth management industry.