The indexing revolution is something that underpins all of our work here at the Rational Reminder and is a subject we reference in different ways in almost all of our episodes. Today we have a special exploration of this history, as we welcome Gus Sauter, the former long-time CIO of Vanguard, to talk about his incredible history at the firm, the role he played in the rise of the company, and its huge role in reforming the investing landscape. We also hear from our guest about his experience of working on numerous investing committees since he retired about a decade ago. One of the most notable things about this conversation is Gus' ability to weigh both sides of the arguments about active management, and he does a great job of balancing what he sees as the potential positives of this way of doing things. This is all strengthen by the way he presents these ideas as a powerful mix of stories, evidence, and the research he himself has conducted. To all our listeners, be sure to listen right to the end of the episode, as after the official conversation ends, Gus shared a few more thoughts on Jack Bogle and ETFs as a bonus.   Key Points From This Episode: (0:03:49) Looking back at the part that indexing played at Vanguard when Gus started at the company. (0:04:20) The rise of indexing in the subsequent years and the pivotal moments in this process. (0:06:28) Initial ways that indexing was denigrated by Vanguard's competition. (0:08:36) How the narrative changed around indexing when its utility became undeniable. (0:09:10) The role of the University of Chicago in the growth of indexing early on. (0:11:11) Changes in the active management space over the last few decades. (0:12:04) Considering the role of an active manager in today's climate. (0:14:43) Gus' opinion on balancing the strengths of indexing and active management. (0:20:48) Differences between traditional active management and factor investing, and Gus' preferences. (0:29:09) A look at Vanguard's recent forays into factor-based funds. (0:31:00) Recounting Jack Bogle's thoughts on active management at different points. (0:32:27) Evaluating active managers; weighing the processes and their maintenance. (0:35:09) Vanguard's relative low fees and how this impacted their success. (0:36:35) How Vanguard went about selecting investment managers. (0:38:44) Gus talks about the structure of Vanguard; what it meant to be a truly mutual company. (0:41:19) Thoughts on home country bias and global diversification in light of countries like Canada. (0:45:07) Approaches to private equity; Gus' recommendations for the average investor. (0:48:30) Access to private markets and the prohibitive effect of high fees. (0:51:25) Accounting for the recent large flows towards private equity and the current institutional philosophy around it. (0:54:10) Gus talks about the important questions he asks when joining a new investment committee. (0:56:30) Comments on hedge funds and liquid assets, and their decreased returns. (0:59:50) The psychological benefits of holding a single fund. (1:02:44) Gus comments on how direct indexing might figure into the future. (1:09:20) The education of investors; Gus talks about where he believes Vanguard's biggest success lies. (1:11:48) Reflection on the impact of introducing the implementation of ETFs at Vanguard. (1:12:56) Areas that still excite Gus about investing; the good and bad sides of increased opportunity. (1:14:48) Gus' definition of success and his gratitude for finding a home at Vanguard. (1:17:07) Bonus content: Gus talks about Jack Bogle's relationships with ETFs.

It has been an amazing year for the podcast. We have had some incredible guests during 2022 who have provided us and listeners with insights and thought-provoking ideas about the world of finance. We covered a lot of ground and to wrap up the year we decided to recap some of our favourite moments for listeners. In this episode, we highlight the many themes covered during this year, such as the basics of investing, stocks and bonds, how to make wise investment decisions, gender inequality, asset management, index funds, market trends, and portfolio management. We also highlight some of the indirectly topics indirectly related to finance such as the value of happiness, enjoying the pursuit of happiness, the importance of goal setting, and much more. Join us as we reflect on some of our best moments from the year and provide an overview of the many vital lessons we have learned in this final episode of the year for the Rational Reminder podcast.   Key Points From This Episode:   Mac McQuown explains how the data revolution changed the game of investing. (0:09:05) Robin Wigglesworth and tracking the performance of portfolios in the 60s. (0:12:56) Professor Fama shares what it is like to see the impact of his academic work on the practice of asset management. (0:16:02) Gus Sauter tells us about the role the University of Chicago played in the index fund revolution. (0:18:41) Professor Fama unpacks what it means for a market to be efficient. (0:20:52) Gerard O’Reilly and the differences in the types of market strategies available. (0:24:27) Professor Betermier shares his research from multiple papers concerning tendencies towards growth and value stocks. (0:28:50) Eduardo Repetto tells us whether having a portfolio consisting of 100% small-cap value stocks makes sense. (0:36:06) Professor Koijen explains whether index funds distort market prices and make markets less efficient. (0:40:30) Professors Berk and van Binsbergen discuss if it is possible to find skilled fund managers before they are absorbed by their fund. (0:43:44) Professor Cederburg explains how data sets can be upwardly biased and why you need to be aware of it when looking at data. (0:48:15) Bill Janeway describes the three-player game regarding investments. (0:50:51) Professor Phalippou compares the performance of private equity relative to public equities. (0:53:42) Antti Ilmanen tells us how investors can stick with an investment strategy during times of low performance. (0:59:10) Professor List tells us how often people should check their investment portfolios. (1:01:56) Leonard Mlodinow explains how the rational mind and the emotional mind are intertwined. (1:04:56) Professor Edmans’s Grow the Pie and making the world a better place. (1:07:27) Rebecca Walker outlines the effect learning about money has on people. (1:11:15) Colleen Ammerman describes the current state of women in the workplace. (1:13:21) Find out why the pursuit of a goal should be enjoyable with Professor Fishbach. (1:15:40) Andrew Hallam talks about life satisfaction after middle age and how to get there sooner. (1:20:28) Jay van Bavel details the effect of group identity on goal setting. (1:23:08) Professor Frank unpacks the relationship between the consumption of luxury goods and happiness. (1:26:55) Professor Bohns provides insight into why people are under-confident in their social lives. (1:31:01) Professor Fama reveals how many hours a day the brain can handle deep work. (1:34:24) Cassie Holmes and why happiness is a good thing from a scientific perspective. (1:35:30) Colonel Chris Hadfield shares the lesson he learned as an astronaut that he applies to his everyday life. (1:38:52)   Participate in our Community Discussion about this Episode: https://community.rationalreminder.ca/t/episode-233-a-year-in-review-discussion-thread/20856   Links From Today’s Episode: Rational Reminder on iTunes — https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-rational-reminder-podcast/id1426530582. Rational Reminder Website — https://rationalreminder.ca/  Shop Merch — https://shop.rationalreminder.ca/ Join the Community — https://community.rationalreminder.ca/ Follow us on Twitter — https://twitter.com/RationalRemind Follow us on Instagram — @rationalreminder Benjamin on Twitter — https://twitter.com/benjaminwfelix Cameron on Twitter — https://twitter.com/CameronPassmore Episode 182: John 'Mac' McQuown — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/182 Episode 184: Robin Wigglesworth — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/184 Episode 186: Andrew Hallam — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/186 Episode 188: Professor Fishbach — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/188 Episode 192: Professor Edmans — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/192 Episode 194: Bill Janeway — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/194 Episode 196: Professor Betermier — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/196 Episode 198: Gerard O’Reilly — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/198 Episode 200: Professor Eugene Fama — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/200 Episode 202: Antti Ilmanen — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/202 Episode 204: Professor List — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/204 Episode 206: Professor Bohns — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/206 Episode 208: Rebecca Walker — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/208 Episode 210: Professor Phalippou — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/210 Episode 212: Professor Koijen — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/212 Episode 214: Jay Van Bavel — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/214 Episode 216: Gus Sauter — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/216 Episode 218: Colleen Ammerman — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/218 Episode 220: Professors Berk and van Binsbergen — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/220 Episode 222: Cassie Holmes — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/222 Episode 224: Professor Cederburg — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/224 Episode 226: Colonel Chris Hadfield — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/226 Episode 228: Eduardo Repetto — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/228 Episode 230: Professor Frank — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/230