From time to time, we publish a collection of essays or interviews that are focused on a certain topic of interest to us, and we hope, to our readers. These are intentionally wide ranging, and we are always open to new ones.

What do you believe about investing, but know that you could never prove?
Inspired by a book which asked leading scientists to write about what they believed in the absence of concrete proof, we decided to do the same thing. Below are some thoughtful investors sharing their thoughts on the unknown.

Mark Armbruster, CFA: True Alpha does not Exist for Individual Investors
W. Bradford McMillan, CFA: Unknown Unknowns in Investing
Robert Hagstrom, CFA: What Buffet Believes but Cannot Prove
A Michael Lipper, CFA: Proving Investment Selection Processes

Will technology disrupt investment management?
Since the outset, internet-enabled companies have been “disrupting” companies in traditional industries. We asked a number of entrepreneurs and investors to think about the impact that phenomenal advances in technology will likely have on investment management. We are particularly interested in this as we consider what may come about in the future of finance.

• Jon Soberg, CFA: Financial Technology is Ripe for Disruption
• Eben Esterhuizen, CFA: Bigger Ideas need Big Data
• Phil Pearlman: Social Media and the Future of Finance
• Aaron Klein: Using Risk to make Better Investing Decisions
• Sam Madden, CFA: Conn’s Can’t Keep Growing: What Ordinary Investors Miss

What is the difference between Investing and Speculation?
We became interested in the broad, often conflicting definitions that many investors use to define these two critical activities, and asked a number of thoughtful investors to weigh in with what they thought. Click on to read responses from:

• Robert Hagstrom, CFA: What is the difference between investing and speculation?
• Howard Marks, CFA: Speculation and Investment. It’s all a matter of Semantics
• Martin Fridson, CFA: Speculation and Investment
• W. Bradford McMillan, CFA: Investment vs Speculation: Using the Minsky Criteria
• Malcolm M. Trevillian, CFA: Speculation and Investment: Communicating the Differences in Style