It’s a blog.
It’s educational.
It’s hopefully entertaining.
It’s not investment advice.
How to think about investing.
Stack the Deck
Pick a card. Any card. Does it matter which card you pick investing in AI? How to evaluate different pieces of the AI stack and one AI bundle.
The Old Ball and Chain
Does being chained to a dying industry hold back an investment? What happens when that ball and chain start to feel lighter? How to think about Garrett Motion’s link from combustion engine turbos to a zero-emission future.
Pins and Needles
Does an investment ever get under your skin? What if it stays there? How to evaluate businesses that don’t sell anything yet.
Better Than Candy
Do vending machines ever have anything worthwhile? What if there’s only one choice? How to assess the value of convenient cash when things are increasingly cashless.
Frame Store
What kind of frame should you use for a Rembrandt? Should you use that same frame for an investment? How to think around investment ideas to build what works for your portfolio.
Shorts Story
What’s the right attire for doing financial research? What’s the point of short reports anyway? How to think about “the shorts” when they take shots at your shares.
High Wire Act
Is it always best for technology companies to invest through their P&L? How do investors think about big fixed investments in tech? How to evaluate Google’s search for the highest and best returns.
On Your Mark
How fast do you have to run to run a business? What do track stars have to do with running a business? How to find opportunity in the race to boost safety and profits in warehouses and shipping.
What to Expect When You’re Expecting
What do investors expect when they make a new investment? What does share price tell us about their expectations? How to use low expectations to find attractive investment opportunities.
Good Cop, Bad Cop
Does the Good Cop/Bad Cop routine work in markets? What happens when there’s just one cop? How to evaluate companies that run both good businesses and bad ones.
Surprise Party
Do investors like going to surprise parties? How come markets don’t appreciate big surprises? How to evaluate Planet Labs’ surprise party… where barely anyone showed up.
The Checkout Line
Why do they sell candy bars at the hardware store? If you’ve hooked the customer, what else can you sell them? How to think about eBay’s push into collector and enthusiast markets.
Mopping Up
Is there a return on cleanliness? How clean does an investment need to be to make it worthwhile? How to find opportunities in the cleaning business.
Monet Stuff
How was Monet as an investor? Do his artistic innovations add anything to a financial toolkit? How to frame an investment facing the innovator’s dilemma.
Make the Case
Does the economy fit into a box? What shape of economy fits into a company’s prospects anyway? How to find opportunities where the economy isn’t the most important thing for an investment.
Paint by Numbers
Can you create a masterpiece painting by numbers? What does painting have to do with investing? How to find investment opportunities when numbers paint a bad picture.
Would You Rather
When should you invest in an ice cream machine? What if you get someone else to pay for it? How to evaluate a company’s expansion plans.
A Pound of Feathers
How many feathers does it take to get a pound? How do weights and measures mix up investors? How to evaluate the different ways a company earns money.
The Accountant 2
Was 2016’s The Accountant the best accounting/action film crossover? Was it the only one? Do blockbusters have anything helpful to say about how to look at companies? How to find useful investing tools for questions that aren’t obvious.
Mechanical Turk
What do luxury bags have to show us about financial companies? How many people does it take to run a financial service company? How to stich an investment from a business built on people.