A Book with Legs

If you’re really in favor of more abundant resources, then you really have to be in favor of people having the freedom to innovate, discover, share, and consume knowledge.”  Author Gale Pooley joins Cole to discuss his book, Superabundance: The Story of Population Growth, Innovation, and Human Flourishing on an Infinitely Bountiful Planet. Along with co-author Marian Tupy,&nbsp...

Cole and Bill kickoff season two with author Robert Hagstrom to discuss his book, Warren Buffett: Inside the Ultimate Money Mind. Hagstrom’s work explores the philosophical and mental aspects that helped shape Buffett and allowed him to become one of the world’s most successful investors. The conversation touches on Buffett’s upbringing, his investment ideology, and how he reached his many achieve...

Interested in what is on the Smead Capital Management book list? Listen in to hear Cole and Bill list the books they have recently read, what they’re currently reading, and the books they have on deck. Have a book you would like to recommend for the podcast? Email suggestions to  podcast@smeadcap.com .

“If the vice of greed is the bane of capitalism, then the vice of socialism is envy.” Catholic priest Robert Sirico sits down with Cole and Bill to discuss his book, The Economics of the Parables. Rev. Sirico’s work highlights the economic and biblical wisdom derived from the parables with a modern spin. The conversation covers helping the poor, building wealth, and the many life le...

“The commitment and the patience that you need are two of the real attributes of proper investment.” In this episode, author and value investor Richard Oldfield joins Cole to discuss his book, Simple But Not Easy: A Practitioner's Guide to the Art of Investing. Richard’s book provides investors a commonsense approach to investing and provides stock pickers, of all experience levels, with...

“I’ll never forget the day I found out my sons were degenerates.” Spencer Jakab of The Wall Street Journal joins Cole and Bill to discuss his book, The Revolution That Wasn't: GameStop, Reddit, and the Fleecing of Small Investors. Jakab’s work explores the GameStop saga and how the modern-day squeeze unraveled. The trio discusses the characters involved in the mania, the role s...

“The smarter people knew that if Gould was coming after them, it was better to negotiate a peace rather than fighting to the bitter end.” Author and journalist Greg Steinmetz joins Cole and Bill to discuss his book, American Rascal: How Jay Gould Built Wall Street's Biggest Fortune. Greg’s book details the life of Jay Gould, one of the most polarizing robber barons of the 19th&...

Political speechwriter Jeff Nussbaum joins Cole to discuss his book, Undelivered: The Never-Heard Speeches That Would Have Rewritten History. Almost every given speech in history had a raw opposite that went undelivered. Jeff’s work provides an in-depth look into the noteworthy and captivating speeches that would have altered the course of history, had they ever been spoken out loud. Jeff and Cole...

In this episode, Cole is joined by Sir Howard Davies, author of the book, The Chancellors: Steering the British Economy in Crisis Times. Howard’s book reexamines the last 25 years of British economic history and the role the Treasury has played. Cole and Howard discuss the issues that struck the Treasury, some of the notable names involved, and solutions moving forward.

“There was an overwhelming feeling of melancholy, of loss, that they could never adjust to.” Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author Helen Rappaport joins Cole to discuss her book, After the Romanovs: Russian Exiles in Paris from the Belle Époque Through Revolution and War. Helen’s work details the Russian aristocrats, artists, writers, philosophers, and intellectuals who...

“At the end of the day, money is what was most important to John D. Rockefeller.” Peter Doran joins the podcast to discuss his book, Breaking Rockefeller: The Incredible Story of the Ambitious Rivals Who Toppled an Oil Empire. Peter’s work takes a deep dive into the growth of the oil industry, how John D. Rockefeller grabbed control and built a worldwide monopoly, the underdogs who joined forces t...

Interested in what’s on the Smead Capital Management book list? In this episode, Cole, Bill, and Senior Analyst Seamus Sullivan list the books they have recently read, what they’re currently reading, and the books they have on deck. Have a book you would like to recommend for the podcast? Email suggestions to  podcast@smeadcap.com .

Matthew Bernstein joins Cole to discuss his book, George Hearst: Silver King of the Gilded Age. Matthew’s book examines Hearst’s unique path to building a mining empire, his career in politics, a quest for wealth, and the many life lessons that can be learned from it all. Cole says, “This is a book that helps investors understand how money can be made when it’s not being printed in Washington D.C....

Through the lens of Karen Southwick’s book, High Noon, Cole is joined by former Sun Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy to explore the author’s work and the company’s history. Scott was with Sun Microsystems as COO “ In the Beginning .” In this episode, the podcast takes on an alternative format known as “ In the Beginning ” where we have a discussion with a founder/early executive from the foundation...

To understand the bond market, you have to understand the Bond King. In this episode, Mary Childs joins Cole and Bill to discuss her book, The Bond King: How One Man Made a Market, Built an Empire, and Lost It All. Mary’s book explores the rise of Bill Gross, how he shaped the inner workings of the investment business and bond industry, and the culture at one of the world’s largest money managemen...

In this episode, Cole is joined by Ed Larson author of the book,  To the Edges of the Earth: 1909, the Race for the Three Poles, and the Climax of the Age of Exploration . Ed’s book takes a deep dive into the famous explorers who raced to reach some of the world’s most extreme destinations in 1909. It’s a story about the human spirit, an adventure into the unknown, and the jour...

"Fire can be destructive. It can also be useful. The same, we think, is true with bubbles.” In this episode, Cole is joined by William Quinn and John D. Turner, authors of the book Boom and Bust: A Global History of Financial Bubbles. The trio discuss the history of financial bubbles, how they’re created, why bubbles aren’t always destructive, and how to spot a bubble when you’re in the middle of...

Will Google and its technologies always have the importance they do in our lives? In this episode, Cole Smead tries to answer that question with George Gilder, author  of Life After Google: The Fall of Big Data and the Rise of the Blockchain Economy . Cole and George discuss artificial intelligence, the evolution of technology, the future of computer sciences, and the important role knowledge...

Interested in what is on the Smead Capital Management book list? In this episode, Cole and Bill list the books they have recently read, what they’re currently reading, and the books they have on deck. Have a book you would like to recommend for the podcast? Email suggestions to  podcast@smeadcap.com .

In this episode, Cole and Bill are joined by Lauren Templeton co-author of the book, Investing the Templeton Way: The Market-Beating Strategies of Value Investing's Legendary Bargain Hunter. Lauren discusses the life of her great uncle and famed investor Sir John Templeton, how he capitalized on buying at the point of maximum pessimism, and his route to becoming known as one of the greatest stock...

Are surgeons psychopaths? In this episode, Cole Smead is joined by Thomas Morris, author of the book The Matter of the Heart: A History of the Heart in Eleven Operations. Thomas’ book explains how eleven milestone procedures set the stage for ‘The Golden Age of Heart Surgery’, ultimately leading to an extraordinary period of innovation, ingenuity, and a deep understanding of the heart.

All learning is pattern recognition. In this episode, Cole and Bill are joined by Robert G. Hagstrom, author of the book  Investing: The Last Liberal Art . Robert explains how achieving worldly wisdom can allow investors the opportunity to recognize patterns in wide-ranging fields of study to gain market insight through a broader lens.

Carry trades have existed since the beginning of time. Rarely have we run into periods like today that have caused so many investors to be seemingly smart. In this episode, Cole Smead sits down with Kevin Coldiron, co-author of the book  The Rise of Carry: The Dangerous Consequences of Volatility Suppression and the New Financial Order of Decaying Growth and Recurring Crisis  to discuss...

Financial success and frontier exploration, but at what cost?  In this episode, Cole is joined by Peter Stark, author of the book Astoria, to discuss America’s first millionaire, John Jacob Astor, and his public-private partnership strategy with Thomas Jefferson to open the North American west coast to global trade.

As the world becomes more energy efficient, demand will always remain high.  In this episode, Cole and Bill Smead speak with Mark Mills, co-author of the book The Bottomless Well: The Twilight of Fuel, The Virtue of Waste and Why We Will Never Run Out Of Energy. Mark explains why demand for energy will never drop and how supply is limitless.