Preface |
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xi | |
Introduction: For Whom Is This Handbook, and Why? |
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xiii | |
Acknowledgments |
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xv | |
About the Author |
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xvii | |
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Chapter 1 The Building Blocks of Investment Writing |
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1 | (8) |
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What's Investment Writing All About? |
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1 | (1) |
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Applying Journalistic Principles to Investment Writing |
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2 | (5) |
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The Five Ws and the Pyramid Principle |
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3 | (1) |
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4 | (2) |
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Proactive Idea Generation |
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6 | (1) |
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The Strategic Purposes of Investment Writing |
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7 | (1) |
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8 | (1) |
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Chapter 2 Writing for Investor Acquisition and Retention |
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9 | (24) |
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Framing Your Investment Proposition as the Solution to a Problem |
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11 | (4) |
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Step 1 Define Your Offering |
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12 | (1) |
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Step 2 Identify Your Client's Problem |
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12 | (2) |
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Step 3 Acknowledge the Problem |
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14 | (1) |
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Step 4 Frame Your Offering to Address the Investor's Concerns |
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14 | (1) |
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Investor Retention: It's All in the Communication |
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15 | (12) |
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Opportunities for Retentive Communications |
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17 | (2) |
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Facts Are Key for Reassuring Your Investors |
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19 | (8) |
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Other Considerations for Reassuring Investors |
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27 | (4) |
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31 | (2) |
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Chapter 3 Writing for Intermediaries |
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33 | (6) |
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How Intermediaries Expect You to Communicate |
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34 | (4) |
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Communicate on a Consistent Basis |
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34 | (1) |
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Crystallize the Details of Your Firm's Offerings |
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35 | (1) |
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Provide Timely, Turnkey Investment Literature |
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35 | (2) |
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Keep Your Communications Targeted |
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37 | (1) |
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Intermediaries Don't Have It Easy, So Help Them Out |
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38 | (1) |
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Chapter 4 Stylistic Considerations for Investment Writing |
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39 | (38) |
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Setting the Appropriate Style |
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41 | (7) |
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The Desired Image and Voice an Investment Firm or Professional Wishes to Project |
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42 | (1) |
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The Type of Literature Being Written |
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43 | (4) |
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The Investor's Presumed Knowledge about the Subject Matter |
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47 | (1) |
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48 | (16) |
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Refrain from Explaining Certain Jargon to Highly Sophisticated Investors |
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49 | (1) |
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Distinguish Between the Three Broad Levels of Investment Literacy |
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50 | (2) |
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Alternatives to Explaining Jargon |
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52 | (1) |
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Cut Through Extraneous Technical Detail |
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53 | (1) |
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If You Risk Being Vague, Err on the Side of Clarity |
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54 | (2) |
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Introduce Fresh Alternatives to Trite Jargon |
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56 | (2) |
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Be Discerning about Nuance |
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58 | (4) |
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Use Plain Language---Even If It's Technical |
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62 | (2) |
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Piquing Investors' Interest |
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64 | (3) |
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Forge a Compelling Storyline for Your Piece |
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64 | (1) |
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64 | (2) |
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Incorporate Storytelling and Anecdotes |
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66 | (1) |
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Animate Your Writing with Quotations, Metaphors, and Other References |
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66 | (1) |
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The Value of a Style Guide for Investment Writing |
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67 | (1) |
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Key Areas to Cover in Your Firm's Style Rules |
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68 | (8) |
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Syntax, Wording, and Formatting |
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68 | (1) |
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First-Person Pronouns and Possessives |
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69 | (1) |
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70 | (1) |
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International Considerations |
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70 | (1) |
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71 | (1) |
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72 | (1) |
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72 | (1) |
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73 | (2) |
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Principles for Creating Scannable Copy |
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75 | (1) |
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Addressing Common Language Mistakes |
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75 | (1) |
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76 | (1) |
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76 | (1) |
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Chapter 5 Developing an Architecture of Investment Content |
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77 | (78) |
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Part 1 Foundational Literature |
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78 | (48) |
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Firm-Overview and Investment-Capabilities Brochures |
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78 | (6) |
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Strategy and Product Profiles |
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84 | (23) |
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Packaging Your Strategy or Product Profile with Other Literature |
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107 | (1) |
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107 | (7) |
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114 | (3) |
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117 | (4) |
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121 | (5) |
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Concluding Foundational Literature with a Call to Action |
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126 | (1) |
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Part 2 Intellectual Capital |
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126 | (18) |
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The Strategic Use of Intellectual Capital |
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127 | (4) |
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The Elements of Intellectual Capital |
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131 | (1) |
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The Packaging of Intellectual Capital |
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132 | (8) |
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The Process of Writing Long-Form Literature |
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140 | (4) |
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Part 3 Educational Literature |
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144 | (3) |
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Part 4 Digital and Social Media |
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147 | (2) |
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Part 5 Shareholder Communications |
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149 | (3) |
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Fund-Performance Commentary |
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150 | (2) |
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Now That You've Mapped Architecture |
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152 | (1) |
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153 | (2) |
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Chapter 6 How to Simplify Complex Investment Subjects |
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155 | (28) |
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155 | (2) |
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Visualize the Idea for Your Readers |
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157 | (1) |
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158 | (2) |
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160 | (1) |
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Use a Frame of Reference, Analogy, or Metaphor |
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160 | (2) |
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162 | (1) |
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162 | (21) |
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Chapter 7 How to Make Investment Writing Legally Compliant |
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163 | (2) |
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Avoid Absolutes, Superlatives, and Definitive Statements... |
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165 | (2) |
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You Can Be Predictive---But Not Promissory |
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167 | (3) |
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Be Specific Enough for Clarity---Yet General Enough to Accommodate Exceptions |
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170 | (1) |
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Time-Stamp Anything That's Impermanent |
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171 | (1) |
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Cherries Are Not for Picking---and Securities Come at a Price |
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171 | (1) |
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Negotiate Gray Areas with Your Legal Reviewer |
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172 | (2) |
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Use Caution When Navigating Word Subtleties |
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174 | (1) |
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Avoid Redundant Qualifications |
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174 | (1) |
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Unless You're Permitted, Do Not Dispense Investment Advice |
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175 | (1) |
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Social (Media) Butterflies Are Not Exempt from Regulatory Requirements |
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176 | (1) |
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Consult a Legal Specialist When Writing about Investment Performance |
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177 | (1) |
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Seek Ways to Streamline the Legal Review |
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177 | (1) |
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178 | (1) |
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On Legalities, Creativity, and Integrity |
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179 | (1) |
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179 | (2) |
Epilogue: Where Investment Writing Is Headed in the Twenty-First Century |
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181 | (4) |
Index |
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185 | |