I forget how I stumbled upon the placeholder for Schiff’s Insurance Observer’s new website about 2 months ago, but I’m glad I did. Schiff’s has a great description:
Our Audience
Schiff’s is written for a select audience of tough guys, intellectuals, hepcats, existentialists, trumpet players, pastry chefs, and all others who have a keen interest in insurance.
HistoryDavid Schiff started Schiff’s in 1989. It was originally called Emerson, Reid’s Insurance Observer, after the wholesale insurance firm Schiff owned. Its goal was to promote Emerson, Reid’s business. That worked, and Emerson, Reid prospered.
In 1991, Schiff said to hell with promoting Emerson, Reid’s business and decided to write a great newsletter instead. (That turned out to be even better promotion for Emerson, Reid’s business.)
Schiff sold Emerson, Reid at the end of 1996 but kept the publication and changed its name to Schiff’s Insurance Observer. The famous bulldog logo was added at that time.
Publication Schedule
Schiff’s has always had a somewhat erratic schedule. In 2000, after switching from print to emailed .pdf files, Schiff’s gave up on any semblance of a schedule. Why publish just because it’s the first and fifteenth of the month? Instead, we published when we had something to say, which turned out to be about twenty times a year.
The Present
Schiff’s has been on hiatus since 2007. David Schiff hasn’t decided if he wants to continue writing the publication.
Though Schiff’s is pretty much defunct at the moment, the archive of articles is awesome. One can learn a lot about investing and financial history just by reading through the articles and essays.
I started off with Volume 14, Number 8, released on June 4, 2002. The issue starts off with an analysis of Buffett’s seemingly uncharacteristic all-stock deal with General Re. Next, Schiff’s questions why investors often fail to see deals that arise in the bond market. Last is an admonishment of insurance company directors who gave stock options to CEOs—as “incentives”—priced far below book value of their companies.
Great stuff.
