Leaving aside the politics I recall that his mantras were 1) if you were a beginner invest in passives/trackers 2) total return was the optimal objective 3) if you need a regular cash injection sell shares rather than taking dividends 4) he was particularly fond of "all-weather" funds and 5) he liked graphs and 6) he was very knowledgeable and 7) there seemed to be concerns expressed by some that he was, perhaps, a paid influencer.
1) IMO he was spot on.
2) no one could argue with that.
3) This issue became conflated with "chasing high dividends" adding heat rather than light to the discussion IMO. Many investors, including me, find it convenient to receive "sustainable" dividends, rather than sell shares.
4) "All-weather" funds are a misnomer IMO. No particularly strategy will perform well in all market conditions with the exception of successfully timing the market, or investing in passives/trackers over the long term. I know which option I favour.
5) Graphs can give the impression of being "evidence-based" and being "objective" etc., but they can be anything but. Much depends on the choice of time-scale taken, the scale used in on the x and y axis and the accuracy of the information displayed. Given the level of innumeracy in this country, IMO it's a big assumption to assume that information displayed graphically, is anymore accurate that data expressed in tabular form.
6) He was obviously very knowledgeable and willing to share his knowledge; however, I have to say that I found some of his posts difficult to understand fully. Perhaps that was because he was a former journalist at the Groaniad.
7) No comment.
I miss his prolific posts and wish him well.
I can't imagine any other member leaving this Forum and being celebrated in three threads.