InvestED: The Rule #1 Investing Podcast

The world’s second largest economy has long posed a problem for investors. With the Communist Party embracing markets to spur development in recent decades, many investors have been puzzled by China, seeing many fail to take advantage of an unprecedented explosion of economic growth in the country. As the buying power of the Chinese middle class continues to grow, how do investors approach the mar...

396: Timing Your Exits There is no shortage of opinions about when to sell in the ever-changing world of investing, but those taking the Rule #1 approach know that buying a great business on sale is paramount for maximizing your returns. While analyzing the countless factors that influence markets can seem like a formidable task, it really boils down to understanding a stock’s price versus its val...

There are world-renowned institutions and individuals who have devoted themselves to understanding the ins and outs of investing. Yet despite all of the heavily-scrutinized studies and statistical analyses, we see investors who take an outside-the-box approach and yield impressive results. It’s important to keep in mind that, when looking at the methodologies of successful value investors, differe...

Wouldn’t it be nice if the market behaved in a predictable, rational way? Unfortunately for investors, that’s not the case, so having a proven strategy to time your moves is key to achieving long-term success with your portfolio. Getting in (or out) at the right time is what separates top investing minds from the rest of the pack, and whether it’s finding a sale on a great company or knowing how t...

On this abbreviated episode of InvestED, @danielletown takes the reins to catch us up on topics discussed in recent weeks and give us a glimpse into what’s ahead as we approach the holiday season. She also dips into the mailbag to hear a listener’s thoughts on our recent dialogue regarding when to hold and when to sell during market downturns. To get insight into how today’s top financial minds ap...

Given the current state of global markets, economic uncertainty can make it difficult to plan for the future. While the changing financial landscape might cause investors to fret, understanding the factors and policies that drive these changes can help you sleep better at night. This week on InvestED, Phil and Danielle talk through the long and short-term repercussions of inflation, how a generati...

While the financial world can be a daunting topic to young people whose parents aren’t properly equipped to teach them about it. And when kids don't properly learn how to manage their finances, as adults, life becomes somewhat of a minefield. Teaching kids about the value of their money doesn’t have to be as complicated as most people think, though.  There are actually a number of ways parents can...

For some people, looking at the bigger picture of investing is what draws them to invest in the first place. They see the possibility, get excited, and want to learn how they can be a part of the excitement and benefit from the earning potential. However, before diving right in, it’s essential for investors to prioritize balance between creating strategies they believe will lead to success and bei...

It’s easy to get sucked into the possibility with investing and become obsessed.  But getting so depe in the weeds, you lose track fo the forest and end up doing way too much that ends up leading to you missing the strategy that actually works: staying patient. Find other things to do to keep you centered The purpose of life isn’t to make money. It’s a pre-condition for handling what you’re here t...

While it’s important to live a life in which you can provide for yourself and your loved ones, it’s also important to do things that make you feel whole and happy.  That’s why investing is so important. One of the greatest things about investing, especially when using Rule #1 strategies, is that it gives you the ability and financial freedom to live a vital life. You’ll no longer have to commit to...

What does it really mean to be risk-averse when it comes to investing? This week, Phil and Danielle return with a new episode of InvestED to discuss risk and how to decide if a company is dangerous enough to sink a potential investment decision. When you first start out with investing, it can be overwhelming and intimidating. But it’s important to go deep and really do your homework before making...

If you think that because real estate lets you leverage your investment, then the rate of return is much higher than investing in a business, and is, therefore a better place for beginner investors to put their money, think again. This is a commonly held idea that can be completely mistaken.  Phil and other expert investors – including Warren Buffett – have owned real estate. From subdivisions to...

It hurts to lose money – especially after you’ve done all the work you were supposed to do. But you’re human, and even if you follow Rule #1 investing strategies by the book, you will still run a risk. However, it’s important, that when that risk – and possible loss – crosses your investment path, you don’t fall back to hoping the market will climb back into your favor. You must stay disciplined a...

“It is remarkable how much long-term advantage people like us have gotten by trying to be consistently not stupid, instead of trying to be very intelligent.” — Charlie Munger Munger is the Vice Chairman of the world’s greatest compound interest machine: Berkshire Hathaway, Inc.  During the time of his and Warren Buffett’s reign as the leaders of Berkshire, the company has returned roughly 2,000,00...

How do you get to the point where you like a company a lot, and want to invest, but in doing your homework, you end up coming up with convincing reasons not to buy it?  This week on InvestED, Phil and Danielle circle back to their discussion on Google, specifically, its regulatory risks that may convince believers in the company to consider not investing.  Tune in to this week’s podcast to learn m...

This week on InvestED, Phil and Danielle are taking a break from talking about Google’s finances to talk about a more prominent topic, especially as people wrap up vacations and breaks away from work: investing when you’re tired, busy, or on vacation. Truth is, when it comes to long-term investing, you don’t need to have your nose in the numbers every day, or even every week. If you feel tired, ta...

As inflation takes off and the federal reserve raises interest rates, making a recession more likely, what happens to the value of high growth and FAANG companies?  In this episode of InvestED, Phil and Danielle dig into what has and could happen to Google’s growth and price, and what that means for you as an investor. Between Google’s unique way to track and store data, ad-revenue generation, and...

After spending weeks discussing Netflix, Phil and Danielle dig into the other FAANGM Stocks: Facebook (now Meta), Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google (now Alphabet), and Microsoft. Specifically, Phil and Danielle dig into Google this week. Covering everything from YouTube and Ad Revenue to Google Cloud and Google Play, you’ll learn how the online giant sets itself apart from the others and continues to...

After Netflix’s quarterly earnings meeting, the company’s value seems to have risen. During the meeting, Netflix talked about its free cash flow, explained how they expect it to grow in the future, what the future of the platform looks like, and more.  From the creation of new popular content to switching to an ad-based subscription model, Netflix continues to tinker with how to provide the most l...

After digging into the important details you need to know about investing in a company like Netflix, there were still some listener questions left unanswered.  This week on InvestED, Danielle is getting to all of those questions to help provide more clarity for you when trying to understand Netflix’s business model and if it’s right for you to invest in or not.  To learn more about what types of q...

In their final show on the investing question mark that is Netflix, Phil and Danielle use the entertainment and streaming company as a case study to help you understand how to handle investing in a company if you can’t figure out if it has an intrinsic value. While most of the companies you invest in seem to be clear-cut, there could be some outliers. So how do you handle them? What are the red fl...

Continuing their discussion on the biggest investment question mark that is Netflix, Phil and Danielle dig deeper into helping you figure out complex, and seemingly impossible to invest in companies.  The Towns provide a refresh on investing basics, like what a Moat is, and how getting back to those basics can help you better understand the biggest investing questions you have, even around difficu...

Continuing their discussion on the biggest investment question mark that is Netflix, Phil and Danielle dig deeper into helping you figure out complex, and seemingly impossible to invest in companies.  While Netflix may be almost impossible to understand and wrap your head around investing in, there’s still value in looking at it through the lens of basic Rule #1 investment practices that will help...

After a long-awaited couple of weeks, this week on InvestED, Phil and Danielle are digging into the big investing question mark: Netflix. On the surface, the technology and entertainment company seems to be doing well, however, there’s one big elephant in the room: it doesn’t have free cash flow. This is a huge red flag in the world of Rule #1 Investing, and something that typically leads Warren B...

How do you start? Where do you start? What do you look at first? If you’ve ever asked yourself these questions when beginning your investing journey, you’re going to want to tune in to this week’s episode of InvestED. Phil and Danielle break down the questions everyone should ask themselves and dig into the laws of investing to better help you decide if you’re on the right track to creating genera...