As recently as last year, and for the first time in 80 years, federal regulators lifted a ban on advertising allowing hedge funds and private equity buyout firms to now promote their products to the general public. This piece of legislation fundamentally changed the way in which private placement issuers raise money and affords them an opportunity to collect even more in management fees. For decades the private offering giants persuaded institutions and university endowments to entrust them with investing billions of their dollars while promising diversification and better returns than the general market.

To our surprise and delight we received this news late last week: Congratulations! Cardiff Park Advisors has been named to the inaugural 2014 Financial Times 300 Top Registered Investment Advisers. In a field of outstanding financial professionals, the FT 300 should be considered a list of truly exceptional advisor firms.

Click here for the full report. 

Human beings love to imagine connections between events where none really exist. For financial journalists, this is a virtual job requirement. For investors, it can be a disaster.