December newsletter: Hurray for em dashes! - Susan Weiner Investment Writing

Newsletter moves to quarterly

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been publishing this newsletter for 20 years. I don’t have an exact start date because the newsletter started as an informal email to keep in touch with my lovely colleagues at what was then known as Columbia Management, the successor to Fleet Investment Advisors. I used to report on talks that I attended at the Boston Security Analysts Society (now CFA Society Boston). My former colleagues surprised me by saying that they looked forward to my emails. That was the start of my creating this newsletter.

In 2026, I’ll publish this newsletter quarterly instead of monthly. The next issue will appear in March 2026.

Hurray for em dashes!

I love em dashes, but they’re feeling a lot of heat lately. Some people think that em dash use means that an article was created by generative artificial intelligence.

In “Don’t Let AI Ruin the Em Dash” in The Wall Street Journal, a writer asserts that “Most of all we should use em dashes because they are a declaration of humanity in the face of AI’s onslaught.”

Quarterly client commentary

Are you starting to think about your next client letter or commentary? Check out my post on “Ideal quarterly investment letters: Meaningful, specific, and short” for inspiration.

And then visit “5 steps for rewriting your investment commentary” to refine your draft.

Why it’s hard to declutter

I’ve done a lot of decluttering in recent years, so “Why Decluttering Gets Harder Before It Gets Easier” resonated with me.

Jennifer Burger, the author, says, “… in most cases, clutter is a placeholder. Each item represents something — a decision, a fear, an identity — that needs to be faced. And until you face it, you can’t let go.”

Burger offers these powerful examples:

I kept “going out” clothes for a social life I didn’t have because I hadn’t accepted that my lifestyle had changed.
I held onto sentimental items because I hadn’t forgiven myself for mistakes I’d made in the past.
I kept kitchen gadgets because I thought every “real” adult woman should own them, and I had yet to challenge those beliefs.
I held onto old textbooks because they made me feel smart—a way of covering up insecurities I wasn’t ready to deal with.

You or your clients might find Burger’s article helps in letting go of clutter.

Happy holidays!

I hope that you and your family, colleagues, and friends enjoy a lovely holiday season and that your 2026 gets off to a great start!

What my clients say about me

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