

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

Mar 29, 2020 • 20min
The Importance of Challenging Your Own Beliefs
Confirmation bias is one of the most damaging biases in investing. All of us want to be right. We all want to think that opinions that disagree with ours don’t have sensible arguments to support them. So we gravitate toward people who agree with ours. Whether it be in our personal relationships, or our virtual ones through things like social media, we all unconsciously want to seek out validation that proves that what we thought all along is correct. But during times like these that can be a major problem. In this episode, we discuss some of our current beliefs, and why they might be wrong.
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
http://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

Mar 22, 2020 • 22min
Looking at Different Ways to Manage Risk
There are many ways to manage risk in a portfolio. Traditional methods like blending stocks with bonds will work for most investors, but more creative methods can also make sense in some cases. One thing all risk management techniques have in common though, is that they come with trade offs. In this episode we look at some popular risk management approaches, and some lesser known ones, and examine the pros and cons of each. In addition to a traditional blended stock and bond approach, we also discuss the Permanent Portfolio, and more advanced quantitative approaches like Trend Following, Protective Asset Allocation and Generalized Protective Momentum.
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
http://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

Mar 19, 2020 • 20min
Q&A: Answering Investors' Questions in Uncertain and Volatile Times
With the market in the midst of a significant decline and uncertainty reaching levels we haven't seen in many years, we have received many questions about what is going on, and where we go from here. So we decided to do a Q&A episode to do our best to answer some of these questions. In this bonus episode, we talk about why the market has fallen so quickly, whether stocks are cheap after the recent decline, and whether can can rely on past fundamental data to pick stocks in a time like this. We hope you enjoy this bonus episode. If you have any questions you would like answered in future episodes, please email them to podcast@validea.com.
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
http://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

Mar 15, 2020 • 18min
Some Thoughts on Market Panics
The argument that investors should stay the course during market declines is an easy one to make. It also in most cases is the correct one, since figuring out when to get out of the market, and when to get back in, is very difficult for most investors to do. Despite the strength of the stay the course argument, those of us who make it can sometimes fail to deliver it with the proper recognition of the pain that most investors feel during market declines. In this episode, we talk about some important lessons to keep in mind during market panics and some strategies investors can use to manage them.
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
http://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

Mar 8, 2020 • 14min
Some Thoughts on the Struggles of Factor Investing in the Past Decade
The long-term evidence to support factor investing is compelling. Academic work has shown that factors like value and momentum have produced an excess return relative to the market over time. But what occurred in the most recent decade was in many ways the opposite of what has happened over the long-term. Almost anything an investor did to get away from buying large growth companies over that period was a detraction from returns. In this episode, we try to put the struggles of factor investing in context and talk about some lessons we can learn from this difficult decade.
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
http://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

Mar 1, 2020 • 17min
The Dangers of Headline Investing
The recent market sell off related to the Coronavirus has many investors worried. And with good reason. When panics like this set in, we all tend to focus on worst case scenarios and want to take action in response. But the process of analyzing headlines and figuring out how they will impact the market is challenging for even the most sophisticated investors. In this week's episode, we look at the dangers of investing based on headlines and why most investors are probably better off avoiding it.
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
http://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

Feb 23, 2020 • 18min
The Pros and Cons of Trend Following
To say that the track record of market timers in general is dismal would be an understatement. There are so many factors that impact market returns that getting them all right is next to impossible. And even if you do, figuring out what is and is not already priced in can be an equally fruitless exercise. Despite the fact that forecasters have consistently failed to predict market turns, there is an option that can help to limit losses in major downturns and can be beneficial for some investors. Trend following has a long-term track record of both limiting major losses and reducing volatility. But like anything in investing, it comes with some trade offs. In this episode, we discuss why market timing is so difficult and take a detailed look at the pros and cons of trend following.
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
http://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

Feb 16, 2020 • 17min
The Pitfalls of Back Testing
Back testing is one of the most misused tools in investment management. Almost every back test outperforms the market, but those same strategies often struggle when run with actual money. In this episode, we discuss the reasons why back tested results often don't translate into the real world and talk about some things to look out for when evaluating back test results.
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
http://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

Feb 9, 2020 • 17min
Lessons From Our Most Read Five Questions Interviews
In this week's episode, we talk about the biggest lessons from the first year of our Five Questions interview series. Our Five Questions series features in depth interviews with leaders in the investing industry. We discuss the five most important lessons we learned from our interviews with Jim O'Shaughnessy, Corey Hoffstein, Michael Mauboussin, Ben Hunt and Wes Gray.
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
http://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

Feb 2, 2020 • 16min
The Benefits of a Value Composite
Picking the right value metric can be one of the biggest challenges of quantitative value investing. Although the Price/Book is the most widely used value metric, its struggles in recent years and valid concerns that have been raised about its viability in a world dominated by intangible assets have led many to question whether it still works. But the other widely used value metrics also have their own problems. In this week's episode, we discuss the benefits of using a value composite and how it can enhance the risk/return profile of a value strategy.
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
http://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


