

Excess Returns
Excess Returns
Excess Returns is dedicated to making you a better long-term investor and making complex investing topics understandable. Join Jack Forehand, Justin Carbonneau and Matt Zeigler as they sit down with some of the most interesting names in finance to discuss topics like macroeconomics, value investing, factor investing, and more. Subscribe to learn along with us.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 25, 2021 • 21min
The Facts About Factor Timing
Factor timing seems so sensible on the surface. The idea of adding exposure to out of favor factors appeals to investors' desires to buy low and sell high. But the reality is much more complicated than that. In this episode, we look at what the academic research shows about factor timing and some different approaches to building investment strategies that time factors.
We hope you enjoy the discussion.
ABOUT THE PODCAST
Excess Returns is an investing podcast hosted by Jack Forehand (@practicalquant) and Justin Carbonneau (@jjcarbonneau), partners at Validea. Justin and Jack discuss a wide range of investing topics including factor investing, value investing, momentum investing, multi-factor investing, trend following, market valuation and more with the goal of helping those who watch and listen become better long term investors.
SEE LATEST EPISODES
https://www.validea.com/excess-returns-podcast
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA
https://www.validea.com
FOLLOW OUR BLOG
https://blog.validea.com
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA CAPITAL
https://www.valideacapital.com
FOLLOW JACK
Twitter: https://twitter.com/practicalquant
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-forehand-8015094
FOLLOW JUSTIN
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjcarbonneau
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcarbonneau

Jul 18, 2021 • 15min
The Truth About Dividend Investing
Investors love dividends. They like them for their potential to beat the market. They like them for the income they provide. Some even like them because of their perceived safety. But the reality of all of those things is a little bit different than the common perception. When you look at each of the benefits that buying high yield stocks provides, you will typically find that there is a better way to accomplish that same thing using an alternative approach.
In this episode, we look at the realities of investing in dividend paying stocks and how that differs from what many investors believe.
We hope you enjoy the discussion.
ABOUT THE PODCAST
Excess Returns is an investing podcast hosted by Jack Forehand (@practicalquant) and Justin Carbonneau (@jjcarbonneau), partners at Validea. Justin and Jack discuss a wide range of investing topics including factor investing, value investing, momentum investing, multi-factor investing, trend following, market valuation and more with the goal of helping those who watch and listen become better long term investors.
SEE LATEST EPISODES
https://www.validea.com/excess-returns-podcast
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA
https://www.validea.com
FOLLOW OUR BLOG
https://blog.validea.com
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA CAPITAL
https://www.valideacapital.com
FOLLOW JACK
Twitter: https://twitter.com/practicalquant
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-forehand-8015094
FOLLOW JUSTIN
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjcarbonneau
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcarbonneau

Jul 15, 2021 • 49min
The Underrated Role of Behavior in Investing with Joe Wiggins
Sometimes as investors we tend to focus their efforts on the wrong things. We will spend a lot of time building complicated strategies. We will focus on trying to beat the market. We will trade when there is no need to. But in doing this we will often miss what is usually the biggest driver of our returns: our own behavior.
In this episode, we speak to Joe Wiggins, author of the Behavioural Investment blog about the detrimental effect our behavior can have on our investing returns, and some ways we can improve that.
We hope you enjoy the discussion.
ABOUT THE PODCAST
Excess Returns is an investing podcast hosted by Jack Forehand (@practicalquant) and Justin Carbonneau (@jjcarbonneau), partners at Validea. Justin and Jack discuss a wide range of investing topics including factor investing, value investing, momentum investing, multi-factor investing, trend following, market valuation and more with the goal of helping those who watch and listen become better long term investors.
SEE LATEST EPISODES
https://www.validea.com/excess-returns-podcast
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA
https://www.validea.com
FOLLOW OUR BLOG
https://blog.validea.com
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA CAPITAL
https://www.valideacapital.com
FOLLOW JACK
Twitter: https://twitter.com/practicalquant
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-forehand-8015094
FOLLOW JUSTIN
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjcarbonneau
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcarbonneau

Jul 11, 2021 • 15min
An Inside Look at the Contrarian Investment Strategy of David Dreman
David Dreman is a well known contrarian investor and the author of Contrarian Investment Strategies: The Next Generation. Dreman's Kemper-Dreman High Return Fund was one of the best-performing mutual funds ever, ranking as the best of 255 funds in its peer groups from 1988 to 1998, according to Lipper Analytical Services. In this episode, we take a detailed look at the investment strategy Dreman outlined in his book, how it has performed since we first starting tracking it in 2003, and the outlook for it going forward.
We hope you enjoy the discussion.
ABOUT THE PODCAST
Excess Returns is an investing podcast hosted by Jack Forehand (@practicalquant) and Justin Carbonneau (@jjcarbonneau), partners at Validea. Justin and Jack discuss a wide range of investing topics including factor investing, value investing, momentum investing, multi-factor investing, trend following, market valuation and more with the goal of helping those who watch and listen become better long term investors.
SEE LATEST EPISODES
https://www.validea.com/excess-returns-podcast
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA
https://www.validea.com
FOLLOW OUR BLOG
https://blog.validea.com
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA CAPITAL
https://www.valideacapital.com
FOLLOW JACK
Twitter: https://twitter.com/practicalquant
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-forehand-8015094
FOLLOW JUSTIN
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjcarbonneau
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcarbonneau

Jul 4, 2021 • 18min
The Hidden Benefits of Rebalancing - And Some Tactics to Optimize the Process
Investors will seek any type of edge they can find. Many run complicated models to try to generate an excess return. Others endure the pain that generating long-term excess returns using factors often entails.
But sometimes the easiest ways to boost returns are also the most simple.
In this episode, we look at the rebalancing premium and how properly rebalancing a portfolio can outperform the returns of the assets within it. We look at why rebalancing works and discuss some tactics that can increase its effectiveness.
We hope you enjoy the discussion.
ABOUT THE PODCAST
Excess Returns is an investing podcast hosted by Jack Forehand (@practicalquant) and Justin Carbonneau (@jjcarbonneau), partners at Validea. Justin and Jack discuss a wide range of investing topics including factor investing, value investing, momentum investing, multi-factor investing, trend following, market valuation and more with the goal of helping those who watch and listen become better long term investors.
SEE LATEST EPISODES
https://www.validea.com/excess-returns-podcast
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA
https://www.validea.com
FOLLOW OUR BLOG
https://blog.validea.com
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA CAPITAL
https://www.valideacapital.com
FOLLOW JACK
Twitter: https://twitter.com/practicalquant
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-forehand-8015094
FOLLOW JUSTIN
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjcarbonneau
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcarbonneau

Jul 1, 2021 • 39min
The Biggest Lessons From Our First 100 Episodes
When we started our podcast in 2019, we were hoping we could create something that would be educational and informative for people who follow our content. But one of the biggest surprises for us is how much we have learned ourselves.
We have been fortunate to interview some of the smartest investors we know, and each interview has taught us something new and expanded our understanding of some complex and interesting concepts. To celebrate our 100th episode, we have pulled together our favorite clips from the 28 interviews we have done so far to extract the lessons from them.
We would like to thank everyone who took the time to listen to us through our first 100 episodes. We look forward to the next 100.
ABOUT THE PODCAST
Excess Returns is an investing podcast hosted by Jack Forehand (@practicalquant) and Justin Carbonneau (@jjcarbonneau), partners at Validea. Justin and Jack discuss a wide range of investing topics including factor investing, value investing, momentum investing, multi-factor investing, trend following, market valuation and more with the goal of helping those who watch and listen become better long term investors.
SEE LATEST EPISODES
https://www.validea.com/excess-returns-podcast
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA
https://www.validea.com
FOLLOW OUR BLOG
https://blog.validea.com
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA CAPITAL
https://www.valideacapital.com
FOLLOW JACK
Twitter: https://twitter.com/practicalquant
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-forehand-8015094
FOLLOW JUSTIN
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjcarbonneau
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcarbonneau

Jun 24, 2021 • 55min
Rob Arnott on Inflation, Bubbles and the Future of Value Investing
Although the word unprecedented tends to be overused, we are seeing many things in the market currently that many of us haven't seen before. Fiscal stimulus has increased to levels that truly are unprecedented, inflation may become an issue for the first time in a long time, and many investors are arguing the fundamentals don't matter anymore
This week, we are fortunate to be joined by Research Affiliates founder Rob Arnott to help us work through all of it. We discuss the implications of government stimulus, how to identify bubbles in advance and the future of value investing, among many other topics.
We hope you enjoy the discussion.
SEE LATEST EPISODES
https://www.validea.com/excess-returns-podcast
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA
https://www.validea.com
FOLLOW OUR BLOG
https://blog.validea.com
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA CAPITAL
https://www.valideacapital.com
FOLLOW JACK
Twitter: https://twitter.com/practicalquant
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-forehand-8015094
FOLLOW JUSTIN
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjcarbonneau
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcarbonneau

Jun 20, 2021 • 22min
Some Quantitative Alternatives to the 60-40 Portfolio
In a world where inflation is not a threat, a standard 60-40 portfolio does an excellent job of providing growth, while also limiting downside when stocks get choppy. You don’t need anything more than the last 40 years, when the 60-40 portfolio had its best stretch ever, to illustrate that. The 60/40 has produced a 9.2% annualized return going back to 1988 – that is an impressive return for a portfolio that buys the overall market and aggregate bond index, rebalances once a year and calls it a day.
But with inflation potentially on the horizon, some argue that the 60-40 may not be enough anymore. In this episode, we look at some quantitative strategies that can offer alternatives to the 60-40 portfolio and discuss their pros and cons.
We hope you enjoy the discussion.
SEE LATEST EPISODES
https://www.validea.com/excess-returns-podcast
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA
https://www.validea.com
FOLLOW OUR BLOG
https://blog.validea.com
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA CAPITAL
https://www.valideacapital.com
FOLLOW JACK
Twitter: https://twitter.com/practicalquant
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-forehand-8015094
FOLLOW JUSTIN
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjcarbonneau
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcarbonneau

Jun 13, 2021 • 41min
A Deep Dive into Factor Investing and the Future Potential of China with Jason Hsu
We have had many experts in factor investing on the podcast. We have even had some who have published research in academic journals. But we haven't had anyone who has produced the volume of research that our guest this week has. Jason Hsu is the co-founder of Research Affiliates and founder of Rayliant. He is also an associate editor of the Journal of Investment Management and serves on the editorial board of the Financial Analysts Journal.
We discuss the current state of factor investing and get his take on all the major investing factors. We also discuss why he sees significant future potential in the Chinese market and the innovative approach he is taking to apply factor investing there.
We hope you enjoy the discussion.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT RAYLIANT
Rayliant Global Advisors
FOLLOW JASON ON TWITTER
Jason C Hsu (@hsu_jason) / Twitter
SEE LATEST EPISODES
https://www.validea.com/excess-returns-podcast
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA
https://www.validea.com
FOLLOW OUR BLOG
https://blog.validea.com
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA CAPITAL
https://www.valideacapital.com
FOLLOW JACK
Twitter: https://twitter.com/practicalquant
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-forehand-8015094
FOLLOW JUSTIN
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjcarbonneau
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcarbonneau

Jun 6, 2021 • 15min
Finding Quality Value Stocks With Joseph Piotroski's F Score Methodology
Research shows that value stocks can generate an excess return because the market tends to overestimate their problems, and value investors benefit when it realizes that. But despite that being true on average, many value stocks actually have even bigger problems than the market has priced in. This week, we look at one of the quantitative strategies we follow that attempts to separate the winners from the losers within the value investing space.
We discuss Joseph Piotroski's paper "Value Investing: The Use of Historical Financial Statement Information to Separate Winners from Losers". In the paper, Piotroski developed a series of nine fundamental tests (which he called the F Score) to identify value stocks that are more likely to generate an excess return going forward. He found that stocks with high F Scores showed significant improvements in performance relative to stocks with low F Scores. We examine the nine criteria used in this strategy in detail and talk about how it can be implemented in an investment strategy.
SEE LATEST EPISODES
https://www.validea.com/excess-returns-podcast
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA
https://www.validea.com
FOLLOW OUR BLOG
https://blog.validea.com
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VALIDEA CAPITAL
https://www.valideacapital.com
FOLLOW JACK
Twitter: https://twitter.com/practicalquant
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-forehand-8015094
FOLLOW JUSTIN
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjcarbonneau
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcarbonneau


