Investing Unscripted

What is venture capital? What does it have to do with buying stocks? This week, Jason and Jeff are joined by Joe Magyer, founder of VC firm Seaplane Ventures. After nearly two decades investing in public stocks, Joe now focuses on finding and investing in early-stage companies before they IPO. In this episode, Joe helps explain how VC works, and breaks down the big trend of startups staying privat...

The Smattering is now Investing Unscripted. Take a listen to hear why we decided to change the name of the podcast. We also share some thoughts on the passing of Charlie Munger. Rough Cuts Theme by Tom McGovern: TikTok and Instagram @tommcgovern27  We would love feedback on the show. Share with us at:  Email: investingunscripted@gmail.com Twitter: @investingpod Check out our YouTube channel for mo...

There's little doubt that investors who understand what they own, and why, should have better investing success. But how much do you really have to know? In this week's show, Jeff and Jason talk about how much knowledge of the companies you own, the industries they operate in, and the companies they compete with, you should have. While there's definitely such a thing as too little knowledge, what...

Wondering of Ozempic will kill Pepsico? Does Jason keep his money in buckets? Is it a loser's game to wait for better prices on stocks? These are some of the questions we answered in our latest mailbag episode.  In the second part of the show, Jason and Jeff go through a thought exercise about making big decisions, using an actual decision that Jeff is considering making.  Companies mentioned: AAP...

Enjoy the first-ever live recording of The Smattering Podcast. Subscribe to our newsletter for a link to the next live recording. We would love feedback on the show. Share with us at:  Email: thesmatteringshow@gmail.com Twitter: @smatteringshow  Check out our YouTube channel for more content:  https://www.youtube.com/@TheSmatteringShow Find the 2023 Smattering Portfolio here:  https://tinyurl.com/...

After listening to last week's episode (part one in this two-part series) you should be well on your way to investing for your kids, grandkids, or whatever weirdo child that's important in your life. This week, Jeff and Jason continue their conversation with Robert Brokamp, CFP ®, tackling the much more complicated topic of investing with your kids. Some highlights include the important subject of...

Jason has some thoughts about one of his favorite companies after a short report comes out.  Companies mentioned: BAM, BIP, BIPC, BN Rough Cuts Theme by Tom McGovern: TikTok and Instagram @tommcgovern27  We would love feedback on the show. Share with us at:  Email: thesmatteringshow@gmail.com Twitter: @smatteringshow  Check out our YouTube channel for more content:  https://www.youtube.com/@TheSma...

Every parent wants to help their children have the opportunities for a better life than their own. And whether it's saving for their education, helping them learn to manage their own finance and invest, it can feel daunting. In this episode – the first of a two-part series – Jeff and Jason talk with Robert "Bro" Brokamp, CFP ® an expert on all things personal finance and money, longtime senior adv...

Who's ready for an episode that further overuses a Halloween trope? You? Well, you're at the right podcast. This week, Jeff and Jason talk about stocks that scare them. Before you run away in – frustration? – hang on. Fear and greed, after all, are the emotions that underpin most of our investing decisions. Winning stock become too big a part of your portfolio and you're afraid holding will cost y...

In April of 2022, Jason declared Netflix “toast”. He was…wrong Since that declaration, Netflix stock has handily beat the market. Jeff and Jason discuss just how wrong Jason was, and what we can learn from it. Companies mentioned:  Rough Cuts Theme by Tom McGovern: TikTok and Instagram @tommcgovern27  We would love feedback on the show. Share with us at:  Email: thesmatteringshow@gmail.com Twitter...

Investors have profited wildly from stocks over the past 14 years. Since March 2009, the S&P 500 has returned an average of 15.1% total returns per year. That's a mind-blowing 50% better than the long-term historical average. As a result, do investors have wildly unrealistic expectations going forward? After all, interest rates have been persistently at record lows for much of that time, giving co...

There are a lot of investment and personal finance websites, newsletters, and supposed "experts" out there. Some are great, while others are, well, not so great.  In this week's show, Jason and Jeff are joined by Alex Morris, a former equities analyst who left Wall Street to start his own stock research newsletter, TSOH Investment Research Service. In their conversation, Alex shares his thoughts o...

Jason thinks more people should read about what they’re investing in…or stick to index funds. Rough Cuts Theme by Tom McGovern: TikTok and Instagram @tommcgovern27  We would love feedback on the show. Share with us at:  Email Twitter  Check out our YouTube channel for more content Find the 2023 Smattering Portfolio here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's official! We are nine months through 2023, so it's time for another quarterly review of the 2023 The Smattering Portfolio Contest! And after a gangbuster first half of the year, every portfolio lost value this quarter and a new leader emerged from the pack. Jeff and Jason take a closer look at all 19 stocks in the portfolio, their thoughts so far, and how they feel about the companies they pi...

Thanks to our listeners for a lot of great questions. Topics include holding cash for the long term, a high-growth Latin American bank, keeping conviction during a bear market, and messing around with cyclical stocks among many more. In the second part of the show, Jason asks Jeff, "what's your market vibes, bro?" Begrudgingly, Jeff answers.  Want us to answer your questions on the next mailbag? S...

There’s a housing shortage and there’s plenty of blame to go around. In better news, Rough Cut episodes now have epic introduction music! Companies mentioned: MTH Rough Cuts Theme by Tom McGovern: TikTok and Instagram @tommcgovern27  We would love feedback on the show. Share with us at:  Email: thesmatteringshow@gmail.com Twitter: @smatteringshow  Check out our YouTube channel for more content:  h...

Fear and greed. These are the base emotions that drive so much of our decision-making as investors. But what are you really afraid of? What, if you get it wrong, could significantly affect your ability to create the wealth you'll need later in life? In this week's episode, Jeff and Jason have an honest conversation about what they're most afraid of being wrong about.  In the second part of the sho...

Jason's mad...again. Some companies' entire business model seems to be around getting rich off a good story and retail investors' hard-earned money. Jason's gonna rant and talk with Jeff about how to avoid being a bag holder. Companies mentioned: PLUG Check out our sponsor, Alex Morris at TSOH Investment Research: https://thescienceofhitting.com/ We would love feedback on the show. Share with us a...

Bill Mann has spent the past two decades helping investors find more weirdness. As an expert on small cap stocks and international investing, Bill describes his investing process as "fishing where people don't fish often," but has a track record of finding big winners, too. In this episode, we talk with Bill about his investing philosophy, his origin story, and how he thinks most people should app...

Investing is hard, and a lot of people go into it without any formal training. And as a result, lots of mistakes get made, particularly when it comes to investing in stocks. But that doesn't mean most of us don't come with some skills that cross the divide between day job and weekend investing warrior. In this week's show, Jason and Jeff share some of their own work experiences, how they've helped...

People like to talk about Warren Buffett's Coca-Cola investment. Jason isn't happy about it. Companies mentioned: AAPL, AXP, KO We would love feedback on the show. Share with us at:  Email: thesmatteringshow@gmail.com Twitter: @smatteringshow  Check out our YouTube channel for more content:  https://www.youtube.com/@TheSmatteringShow Find the 2023 Smattering Portfolio here:  https://tinyurl.com/Sm...

The "magnificent seven" stocks – the seven largest U.S. stocks by market cap – have had an incredible year. Even the worst-performing of the bunch (Microsoft) has gained 35% this year, more than double the ~15% returns of the S&P 500. Considering that these 7 companies make up more than one-quarter of the market cap of the S&P 500, it's no surprise it's been a good year for stocks. But Jeff and Ja...

Being an active investor is hard. The reality is, humans are wired to do something. It's hard to stand by while our portfolios are doing, well whatever, and not feel the need to act. Stocks going up? Sell to lock in gains. Or maybe buy more! It's going up, after all! Stocks falling? Sell to cut the losses. Or maybe buy more! It's going to go back up, after all! But none less than Warren Buffett ha...

In our second summer mailbag episode, Jason and Jeff field questions from listeners, submitted on Twitter, email, and Commonstock. Topics include stocks we own, getting the most out of cash without falling in love with it, whether the stock market is expensive, or if expensive is the new normal, and how did two idiots like Jason and Jeff manage to get the expertise and skill to be paid to pontific...

Jason has a lot of problems with you people! In this first Rough Cut, Jason and Jeff rant about all the free and paid investing resources available out there and what they think about it. We would love feedback on the show. Share with us at:  Email: thesmatteringshow@gmail.com Twitter: @smatteringshow  Check out our YouTube channel for more content:  https://www.youtube.com/@TheSmatteringShow Find...