Rule Breaker Investing

Are you concerned by the “market drop” we experienced over the last few days? If you’re a Rule Breaking Investor, chances are it hit you pretty hard, and that can be painful. But if you’re a Rule Breaking Investor, chances are you’re also going to be holding some of the best companies for a decade or more, and that is sure to cheer you up. As David has said before, and will say again, “Stocks alwa...

You may not yet be familiar with Zack Kanter, but the self-described entrepreneur, speaker, futurist, writer, amateur chef, and all-around nerd is someone you should get to know if you’re curious about the future. Today Zack is here to talk with David about why Ford and Geico should fear the autonomous car, how an entrepreneur like you could improve the news, and Amazon’s path to becoming the worl...

It is the last day of the month, which means, as always, it’s mailbag time! Today David looks at the Great Man Theory vs. the Cultural View of investing, whether to invest a little bit at a time or in big lump sums, and why the market’s P/E ratio shouldn’t guide your investing decisions. Plus, another misattributed quote and quite possibly a dirty joke! Get $25 off your first purchase at bombfell....

The sun is settling in, the pool is almost open, grills are heating up... That’s right: ‘tis the season for graduation speeches! Any day now, successful alumni will be returning to their alma maters to dole out optimism and advice to bright-eyed, graduating seniors. One such speech from back in 1995 is worth revisiting, and today David does just that with special guest, Guy Kawasaki. Join us as we...

When Warren Buffet was asked on CNBC why he still isn’t buying Amazon – a company he greatly admires – he quipped, “Stupidity.” But why should the greatest investor of our time regret sitting out on a single company that sits outside the framework of his self-ascribed circle of competence? Buffett doesn’t need to be a Rule Breaker. That’s for you and me, fellow Fools! Thanks to Slack for supportin...

Nick Epley is a social psychologist and the author of "Mindwise: Why We Misunderstand What Others Think, Believe, Feel, and Want." Today David speaks with Nick about the errors we make when we try to understand each other, why we fail at The Newlywed Game, and the dangers of anthropomorphizing stocks. Thanks to Harry’s for supporting Motley Fool. Get your Free Trial Set – go to Harrys.com/fool Lea...

This time last year, David picked “5 Winners in a Thinking World,” highlighting 5 companies for the Information Age (or is it the Internet Age?). As always, these were meant as long-term picks (3 years at least), but today we’re checking in to see how they’ve doing in year one. Did you buy shares? Are you doing a happy-dance? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our mailbag is an embarrassment of riches! So many great questions that we can’t possibly get to them all, which is indeed a great problem to have. After a quick guide on how to get your questions answered, both here and elsewhere at The Fool, David takes on how many stocks make the perfect portfolio, how much cash to save for the next down market, how to add to winners, and much more. Learn more...

Spring is here! The air is warming, cherry trees have peaked, and showers are bringing flowers. But if you Google “April” today, your first page of results will be all about April the Giraffe and her brand new, web-cam-friendly calf. David doesn’t mention any of this specifically in today’s show, but he does pick 5 stocks that he thinks will go giraffishly up. We’ll check back in 3 years to see ho...

In the early years of The Motley Fool, an unlikely opportunity came knocking. This is the tale of how David almost became the next Warrior Princess -- and a lesson in how keeping the long game in mind will help you in life, in business, and in investing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue (and a silver sixpence in her shoe)” traditionally refers to what a bride should wear on her wedding day for good luck. No wedding bells here today, but we’re borrowing the old, familiar rhyme to rein in an otherwise disparate collection of Rule Breaking investing thoughts. Spoiler alert: At the end, David will be talking about his...

Today's mailbag is overstuffed with your excellent contributions! We talk about how to keep cool in the face of big losers, relay a life-hack to make you happy, debut a new investing term, and even leave you with a tune worth whistling. All this and more in the March mailbag! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we look at Malcolm Gladwell’s 2009 New Yorker article, “How David Beats Goliath” and extract three inspiring investing lessons. Gladwell spells out the hidden advantages of being the “underdog” in a way well-suited to our Rule Breaker investing style. Thanks to Audible for supporting our podcast. Listen to Audible's new original series: Ponzi Supernova. Details at audible.com/ponzi. Audi...

Often the best way to improve our investing is to improve our thinking. And to improve our thinking, it’s often helpful to reach outside of the disciplines of investing and business. Today we delve into the teachings of education reformer, Deborah Meier, and the “5 Habits of Mind” that she believes should be taught to all 21st Century students. Perhaps these habits should be taught to 21st Century...

From the earliest days of The Motley Fool, our mission has been to "Educate, Amuse & Enrich." Today we double-down on the "Educate" with an exploration of some commonly used financial terms. Guest analysts Andrew Fredrickson, Abi Malin, Aaron Bush, and Jim Mueller join David to define and discuss net profit margin, cash flow vs. net income, dividend yield, burn rate, and spiffy-pop! Learn more abo...

Today we present a third installment of tips, tricks and lifehacks—to help you be a better you. Find a hidden superpower in your Kindle app, improve your investing while learning to draw, achieve your goals by ignoring them, and much more! Do you have a favorite mental tip or trick? Share it with us on Twitter @RBIPodcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

February may be a short month, but our mailbag is as full as ever, overflowing with great questions and comments from you, our dear listener. Today we tackle why our biggest losers are the stocks we never buy, why predicting the future is getting more difficult, and much more. Plus, David reveals some of his favorite books to inspire and improve your investing. Learn more about your ad choices. Vi...

In a world of “fake news” and “alternative facts,” the political climate seems ever more chaotic and unpredictable. But as investors, by definition, we take a long-term view. And we look to businesses and innovators, not politicians, to bring us into the future. Today, David picks 5 companies that are likely to help us through these troubled times -- and become ever more valuable for doing so. Lea...

This time last year, David picked “5 Stocks to Feed the Bear,” highlighting 5 smaller companies with low risk ratings. Though these were meant as long-term picks (3 years at least), today we’re checking in to see how they’re doing so far. Spoiler alert: we’re kind of hoping you bought a few shares! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After last year's Portrait of the Investor as a Young Man, David goes even further back, seeking insights and investing lessons from his early youth. So gather back around the campfire for a few stories and lessons from these formative years. We look back to days of school projects, theater companies, baseball characters and mishaps abroad. Through it all, we learn that as we stumble through this...

There are plenty of riches in this month's mailbag, including your thoughts on David's biggest losers, how to score your "Golden Ticket" to FoolFest, and how David switches hats when choosing stocks for Rule Breakers or Stock Advisor. Plus, a lightning round of your picks for "Don't Make Me Think" stocks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In March of 2008, David had just read a wonderful book on information architecture and website design by Steve Krug, entitled. "Don't Make Me Think." Turning lessons learned about design towards his home turf of investing, this inspired David to publish an essay titled, "Great Stocks Don't Make You Think!" Today we revisit that essay, the lessons learned at the time, and reflect on what we've lear...

Last year around this time we released a two-part podcast entitled David's Biggest Losers. Let's make that a tradition here and talk about another half-dozen stocks that have performed poorly over the past 3 years. We don't like to dwell on failure—and indeed can learn a lot more by studying our wins—but it's good to eat some humble pie once in a while and remember that we don't have to win them a...

Happy New Year! In 2017, as always, we predict that the market will go up. But these great quotes will help you face the coming market, regardless of what it does. And if our prediction is wrong, we'll just "wait for a warm day and shoot off the next one!" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this final mailbag of 2016 we answer your questions about picking stocks when the market is at all-time highs, what to do when "buy what you know" steers you wrong, how to navigate a short squeeze, and more. Plus, a little flattery from one of our favorite CEOs! This week’s podcast is brought to you by Foolanthropy: Learn more at give.fool.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone....