Today, August 28th, 2023, my company Newfound Research turns 15.  It feels kind of absurd saying that.  I know I’ve told this story before, but I never actually expected this company to turn into anything.  I started the company while I was still in undergrad and I named it Newfound Research after a lake my family used to visit in New Hampshire.  I fully expected the company to be shut down within a year and just go on to a career on Wall Street.

But here we are, 15 years later.  I’m not sure why, but this milestone feels larger than any recent birthday I can remember.  I’m so incredibly grateful for what this company has given me.  I’m grateful to my business partner, Tom.  I’m grateful to employees – both past and present – who dedicated part of their lives and careers to work here.  I’m grateful to our clients who supported this business.  I’m grateful for all the friends in the industry that I’ve made.  And I’m grateful to people like you who have given me a bit of a platform to explore the ideas I’m passionate about.

Coming up on this anniversary, I reflected quite a bit on my career.  And one of the things I thought about was all the lessons I’ve learned over the years.  And I thought that a fun way to celebrate would be to take the time and write down some of those ideas and lessons that have come to influence my thinking.

So, without further ado, here are 15 lessons, ideas, and frameworks from 15 years.