Financial Priorities - Pyramid - Morningstar

Ms. Benz from Morningstar proposes an investment pyramid which has as basis "having a goal" and only at the top the "investment selection".

So the ranking in terms of priorities are as follows:

1. The Basis: Setting and Prioritizing Your Financial Goals 
2. Managing Your Saving and Spending Rate
3. Your Asset Allocation
4. Your Own Behavior 
5. Managing for Tax Efficiency   
6. The Top: Making Investment Selections
   

Food for thought... although turning stones to find interesting companies and stocks is more fun😉
I would also add Risk and Money Management as important topics in this process.

Link to the article:
http://news.morningstar.com/articlenet/article.aspx?id=789005

Schroders Blog - Value Investing Strategy Works Also in Emerging Markets & Sectors

Schroders writes about value investing in China and mentions Chinese distiller Kweichow Moutai and Russian utilities like Inter RAO as examples working in the past.

Links:
Schroders articles:

http://www.schroders.com/en/uk/the-value-perspective/blog/all-blogs/a-value-strategy-works-in-emerging-markets-as-much-as-developed-ones/

http://www.schroders.com/en/uk/the-value-perspective/blog/all-blogs/why-whole-sectors-being-tarred-with-the-same-brush-is-good-news-for-value-investing/

Interesting statement from 2nd article:
"...Regular visitors to The Value Perspective will be well aware of our view that some parts of the stockmarket – particularly the supposedly stable, low-volatility, ‘safe-haven’ sectors, such as food, beverages and tobacco – are historically very expensive while others, such as financials and mining, remain historically cheap...."

Company info on FT:
Kweichow Moutai: https://markets.ft.com/data/equities/tearsheet/summary?s=600519:SHH
Inter RAO: https://markets.ft.com/data/equities/tearsheet/summary?s=IRAO:MCX