by Tom Bradley
This week we’re saying goodbye to the voice of Steadyhand. Scott Ronalds, my long-time partner and collaborator, is stepping away and taking time to explore his many other passions.
I say voice because over 18 plus years Scott has posted over 700 times on our blog, as well as overseeing all of our publications including 73 Quarterly Reports. He’s had a hand in everything that came out of Steadyhand (except this blog) starting 6 months before we opened our doors in April 2007 (Scott and Elaine were our first recruits and both were founding shareholders in Steadyhand).
Scott has had a huge impact on the firm’s development and our clients’ comfort with investing. His approachable, casual (but not too casual) and engaging communication style gave us a personality and epitomized our approach to investing and client service. He wrote informative pieces on markets and investing, and kept clients abreast of important dates and information.
Along the way, he’s been our ‘jargon cop’. Acronyms and cool insider words never got past him. They were to be used sparingly, and if at all, they had to be explained.
Scott has a special talent for explaining things, often using analogies that are familiar to people. The posts that got the most reaction were the ones where he married an interesting (or obscure) aspect of life (e.g., the Costco hotdog; salmon spawning; Ikea), or something that caught his eye in the media (gin-aissance; Keith Richards), with an investment principle, or some aspect of the Steadyhand philosophy.
“Every time I venture down to California or Vegas (not as often as I’d like), a stop at In-N-Out Burger is a must. Health food it’s not, but if you’re looking for a fresh, good old-fashioned burger, this is the place to go. Loosen the belt buckle and try the Double-Double with fries and a chocolate shake. You won’t be disappointed.
What does In-N-Out have to do with investing? Nothing really. But along with the top-notch fast-food fare, they’ve got a great burger philosophy – Keep it Simple.” — August 27, 2007
Through his educational posts, we got to know a little about Scott and his wife Angele’s life along the way, including some recipes.
“For true spot prawn enthusiasts, the direct-to-consumer route (DTC) is the way to go. Buying straight from the boat means no middlemen, no extra commissions, and no packaging fees. It’s fresher, cheaper and offers a uniquely personal experience.” — May 28, 2025
I have a friend who sends me a note occasionally to comment on something we’ve written. Most of the time, she offers kudos to me for a post she loved and passed on to friends and family. Without fail, the pieces she was raving about weren’t mine, but rather another Scott life story.
Scott came up with the idea and wrote The Steadyhand Dictionary.
sen∙ti∙ment (noun) — The mood of the market. The attitude of investors towards the near-term prospects for a particular index, asset class, or security. Some investment managers view market sentiment as a valuable contrarian indicator. That is, when the bulk of investors are sour on the prospects for the market, it is often a good time to buy, as bad news is already reflected in prices and the downside risk is limited. Conversely, when an asset class can seemingly do no wrong and investors are piling in, it’s often a good time to trim back.
He was never shy about using humour to poke fun at the Canadian banking oligopoly or calling out an industry practise he didn’t approve of. His candor started early.
“My future has never looked so bright. I’ve been watching a lot of the big banks’ commercials on T.V. lately, and I’m really excited about my financial future. Apparently, I can send my daughter to med school and buy the cozy villa in Italy. Because my bank is putting me first, it turns out I will be able to retire on my own terms. … That vineyard that I was thinking of starting? No problem. They’ve got me covered.” — March 7, 2007
In preparing to write this, I spent a few hours poking through Scott’s work. The examples above just scratch the surface. I’m sure I’ve missed some of our clients’ and team’s favourites.
As we head into our next chapter as a part of Purpose Unlimited, we’ll miss Scott’s wit and wisdom but we’re thankful for a legacy that’s given us a wonderful foundation to build on. I’m going to miss you, Buddy.
We’re not a bank.
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