CONKERS' CORNER

Welcome to the 45th CONKERS’ CORNER recorded on 21st April 2017. In this interview, I have the pleasure of speaking with the founding Director and Chief Executive Officer of Investment Quorum, @leerobertsonIQ Lee Robertson. Investment Quorum is an award winning, independent boutique, Wealth management service and Lee is responsible for the business’ strategic direction amongst many other tasks.

Lee grew up a working class family in the town of Brechin, Angus in Scotland. He went to Brechin High School, didn’t go to University and instead went straight into the Royal Navy. More recently however Lee did complete a degree in Financial Services with Edinburgh Napier University by distance learning. Lee spent nine years in the Royal Navy and originally worked in the Communications sector, where he learned morse code. He eventually concluded his service career in the Intelligence section.

He admits that his start in the Financial sector in 1990 was actually by mistake, as he gained his first job with Allied Dunbar as a Sales Associate. In 1991 he moved to Halifax Group where he worked as Financial services manager, and this is where he first met his now Business partner Petronella West. Lee then moved to Royal Scottish Assurance (Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) Marketing Group) in 1993 as a Senior Financial Consultant. He remained with RBS until 1995 when he chose to set-up his first firm Capulet Financial Management with a former manager of his from RBS.

Then in October 2000, Lee started Investment Quorum and invited Petronella West to join him. IQ is a deliberately sized boutique wealth management firm delivering high quality financial planning and investment solutions to private clients, trusts and charities. He describes the ethos at IQ as “absolutely client first”. This is proven out by the fact that IQ have won many industry awards, many of which have been voted for by their peers. Additionally Lee* and Petronella have also won individual industry awards for their outstanding work and achievements in the Wealth Management /Financial services sector. *Just a month earlier Lee had won an International business award for leadership in UK Wealth Management

Lee describes himself as an international investor with preference for the tech sector. He also likes bluechips that pay a dividend. The first share he purchased was that of British Gas via the privatisation of British Gas Corporation by the UK Government in August 1986. Through its numerous splits, de-mergers and mergers, Lee still holds his shares in British Gas in its current guise of Centrica. With regards to private investments, Lee describes himself as fairly “middle of the road” investor: not too aggressive, not too conservative. He likes the tech, healthcare and biotech industries and likes to collect his dividends. With regards to investing, Lee is an advocate of “stay in the market, get in and stay in” and if you don’t require the money stay invested and stick to your plan as you should not be reacting to macro events.

This discussion provides a fascinating insight into the journey that Lee has taken, which so far has encompassed Scotland, Royal Navy, Communications, Sales, Mortgages, Finances Services, Public speaking, Wealth Management, Investment Quorum and much much more.

The topics we discussed include:

Having worked in Financial services and Wealth Management sectors since 1990, Lee had a wealth of knowledge and experience that has been recognised globally. Listen now to gain insights into how Lee Robertson selects, researches and filters his personal investments dependent on the macro environment and the duration that he holds his investments for. Learn from the lessons in his successful, insightful vast investing journey.

Listen now to gain insights into how Lee invests and learn from the lessons in his successful and insightful investing journey.

Welcome to the 44th CONKERS’ CORNER recorded on 1st March 2017. In this interview I have the pleasure of speaking with Colin Lloyd @colindlloyd who has been working in the City of London’s financial hub since 1987. During that time he has covered media policy, marketing, sales, derivatives, commodities, bonds, Hedge Funds and much more. He is currently working freelance with Linear Investments, where he writes articles for their magazine and also makes regular TV appearances on their Linear Talk TV channel. You can also find Colin’s brilliant macro blog articles on his own website at inthelongrun.co.uk .

Colin grew up in Wirral, where he went to a local prep school and then a boarding school in Shropshire. After that he wanted to go into Sales and Marketing and into his family’s business which was a Broker agent for producers and importers of Tropical Hardwoods from around the world. Following discussions with his Dad, he conceded to doing a business course and went to Salford College of Higher Technology where he undertook the shortest business course he could find. During that two year course he specialised in Marketing and Advertising and then went to work for the family business during which time he also completed a Wood Science course.

Colin gained his interests in stocks firstly from his Grandad on his mother’s side of the family. His Grandad worked for Rensburg one of Liverpool’s original stockbrokers in the 1930’s. He gained additional family insight with regards to investing as a young man from his Mum, as she managed her own investment accounts.

Colin stayed with the family business for around seven years before heading to London for a role with Gerrard & National (GNI) in 1987. He states that he was “very lucky” as he joined the firm after the financial crash of 1987. It was during his tenure at GNI that Colin gained experience of his first love “Global Macro Hedge”. Colin remained with GNI until 2005 during which time he had many great success and several roles which led him to travel globally on a regular basis.

Over the last decade or so Colin worked on the institutional side of the investment industry and then opted to set up own his consultancy in 2010 to help Hedge Funds and related startups. Colin began his macro-economic newsletter “In the Long Run” in 2013.

This discussion provides a fascinating insight into the journey that Colin has taken, which so far has encompassed Borneo, Europe, USA, Derivatives, Commodities, Futures, Options, Global Macro Hedge, Macro research, Marketing, Sales, Advertising, Consulting, writing, Private Investor, TV presenting and much much more.

The topics we discussed include:

Having traversed several investment niches within the City of London during the past 30 years, it is Colin’s view that “one is always governed by ones own experience”. Listen now to gain insights into how Colin Lloyd selects, researches and filters investments dependent on the macro environment and the duration that he holds his investments for.

Learn from the lessons in his successful, insightful vast investing journey.

Welcome to the 43rd CONKERS’ CORNER recorded on 25th March 2017 at the Master Investor Show in Islington. In this interview I have the pleasure of speaking to Jim Mellon @jimmhk the renowned serial entrepreneur, self-made multi-millionaire investor, best selling author and the owner of the Master Investor Show.

As one of Britain’s richest individuals with his wealth estimated to be exceeding £900 million, Jim has been described as our very own Warren Buffett. The son of a diplomat, he read Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) at Oxford University, where he attained his Master’s Degree. However unlike many of his peers, he chose not go into the world of politics as he had travelled widely whilst he was young and had always intended to travel as soon he finished his studies. He was offered six jobs and chose to begin his career as a trainee Fund Manager with GT Management (now owned by Invesco) in Hong Kong. He has readily admitted that at the time, “I only had a vague idea of the workings of shares and bonds”.

Jim made a great success of his time with GT Management, however when he was around 24 years of age his first boss and mentor at GT, Richard Thornton left the business. They sent about setting up their own Fund Management business and co-founded Thornton Management. By the time Jim was 28 years of age he was millionaire. After more than six years with Thornton, Jim set up his own business in 1991, now known as Charlemagne Capital and Regent Pacific. Alongside these businesses, he also has a private investment company, the Burnbrae Group, which makes up most of his vast investment endeavours, all of which have made him a potential future self made investor billionaire.

Jim has also co-written several best selling books with Al Chalabi which you can find here http://www.burnbrae.com/books . Their new book “Juvenescence: Investing in the Age of longevity” will be released next month, and you can pre-order a copy now at https://www.juvenescence-book.com/ . For those that are intrigued by the title of the book, Juvenescence means “the state or period of being young”. The book discusses the benefits of a healthy life; what is good and detrimental for us and the breakthrough technologies that will enable all of us to live longer, as well as potentially invest in.

In the discussion and video with Jim, he provides an insight into the journey that he has taken, which so far has encompassed Fund Management, Investing, Emerging Markets, Asia, Russia, America, Technology, Healthcare, being an Author, Private Investor and much much more.

The topics we discussed include:

He has experienced several financial crashes and also turned around Regent Pacific from the brink of collapse after the Russian financial crisis. Jim stresses, “Like everyone, I have made a tremendous amount of mistakes”. Listen now to gain insights into how Jim Mellon selects, researches and filters his investments in order to find the best cutting edge long-term potential opportunities for his investing empire. Learn from the lessons in his successful, insightful investing journey and the thought provoking knowledge from his many investing books.

Welcome to the 42nd CONKERS’ CORNER recorded on 8th December 2016. In this interview I have the pleasure of speaking with Rodney Hobson @RodneyHobson, journalist, author investor, fiction crime writer, presenter and much more.

Rodney was born in the village of Disley near Stockport in a humble background far removed from the world of finance and investing. He states “If I can get into finance and investment so can anyone else”. As a youngster Rodney always enjoyed writing and wanted to be a journalist.

After completing his degree in politics and economics he joined his local newspaper group, the Ashton-under-Lyne Reporter. After two years he joined the Sheffield Morning Telegraph as a sub-editor and four years later joined The Times in London, also as a sub-editor. He then became deputy business editor of the Far Eastern Economic Review, which was a highly respected Asian weekly magazine and this was Rodney’s first foray into Financial journalism.

Rodney also served as Business Editor of the Singapore Monitor before he returned to London and rejoined The Times as News Editor on Business News. He rejoined just before the Big Bang and the transformation of the London Stock Exchange, with modern technology suddenly opening up investing to everyone.

Rodney has since been a freelancer, mainly working for The Times and the Daily Mail City desk, as well as Editor of Shares Magazine and two financial websites. At The Times and the Daily Mail he used to get phone calls from perplexed ordinary investors who bought shares in privatisations or received them as building societies converted to banks. Many of these “new investors” did not have a clue what shares were, let alone the basics of investing, so he wrote his first investing book “Shares Made Simple, a beginner’s guide to the stock market” followed by other investment books.

Rodney enjoys helping people with regards to their investment queries. He does so via his weekly column for Morningstar, shows on Share Radio, Investment events, his investments columns and of course his numerous investing books. Please pay a visit to Rodney’s website where you will find his numerous insightful investing books and also his fiction crime books http://rodneyhobson.co.uk/

Rodney did not make his first significant investments in stocks and shares until 2009 as he had focused firstly on buying and owning his own home in London. Rodney describes his strategy as low risk, cautious and long-term. He only invests in UK listed stocks with 90% of his holdings being FTSE blue chip stocks.

This discussion provides a useful insight into the journey that Rodney has taken, which so far has encompassed Journalism, Fleet Street, Financial journalism, Newspaper Columnist, Fiction Crime Writer, Presenter on Share Radio and Private Investor.

Having experienced several financial crashes, it is Rodney’s opinion that there will be more crashes in the future. He stresses, “Time is circular….it will happen again….” Listen now to gain insights into how Rodney Hobson selects, researches and filters blue chip and large cap stocks in order to find the best potential opportunities for his long-term investment portfolio. Learn from the lessons in his successful, insightful investing journey and condensed knowledge from his many investing books.

Learn from the lessons in his successful, insightful investing journey.

Welcome to the 41st CONKERS’ CORNER recorded on 21st December 2016. In this interview I have the pleasure of speaking with Jan Skoyles @Skoylesy, a unique force in the Fintech, Blockchain sector and Gold commodity space. Jan is also a highly regarded consultant, blogger and serial entrepreneur. Jan is also the founder and a partner at Barlings Consulting in Dubai, as well as a Research Executive at Goldcore.

Jan grew up in the Midlands in what she describes as a “typical middle class upbringing”. She explained that she was very lucky and her parents encouraged her to be anything she wanted to be, “whether that was a fairy godmother or an astronaut”. After successfully completing school, Jan went onto study for an Economics Degree at Aston University in Birmingham. Jan became very disenfranchised with her studies which she was undertaking during the time of the financial crisis. She felt that things did not add up with regards to views what of President Magabe did in Zimbabwe and that of what Ben Bernanke was doing with regards quantitative easing (QE).

Whilst on her final year placement with BP, Jan became very ill and had to extend studies across a further two years. It was during this difficult time that she was introduced to Ned Naylor-Leyland, a well known figure in the world of gold and silver investing. As Jan was still undecided as to what topic to cover for her dissertation, Ned suggested she write her dissertation on “the return of gold and silver to the monetary system”.

Jan did just that and graduated from Aston University in 2011 with a Degree in International Business and Economics. She describes her dissertation “as her golden ticket” as it grabbed the attention of a few gold companies. Straight from University, Jan joined the gold investment platform start-up: The Real Asset Co (TRAC), as a co-founder. Jan covered several roles including that of CEO during her tenure at TRAC. Whilst in her role as CEO, the TRAC team did a funding round and implemented a basic blockchain. TRAC were essentially one of the first to get involved in the blockchain space.

This discussion provides a useful insight into the journey that Jan has taken, which so far has encompassed Fintech, Bitcoin, Blockchain and Gold. The topics we discussed include:

Listen now to gain insights into how Jan Skoyles, traverses the Fintech, Bitcoin, Blockchain and Gold space. Learn why Jan states that one of her wisest investments is seizing opportunities and why one of her favourite quotes is “Never turn down an invitation to a cocktail party”.

Learn from the lessons in her successful, insightful business/entreprenuerial and investing journey.

Welcome to the 40th CONKERS’ CORNER recorded on 6th December 2016. In this interview I have the pleasure of speaking with Martin Flitton @private_punter the highly regarded blogger, private investor and Small/Micro cap financial writer for the Cambridge News newspaper.

Martin describes his early years in Cambridge as “unremarkable”, however he did attain two O-Levels in English Literature and Language and his interests in writing and reading had been nurtured. He left school at seventeen and took the route of undertaking an apprenticeship, which was normal for most young men in the mid 1970s. After completing a Painting & Decorating apprenticeship, Martin quickly embarked on setting up his own business in the trade.

In the early 1990s, Martin gained a real interest in shares and wanted to learn more. However, with the exception of the Financial Times and some other magazines, he found it really difficult to find decent information and to research investing thoroughly. So he went to his local library and ordered a range of books, which he then read and studied and this piqued his interest. More importantly he began watching, studying and then doing dummy runs on stocks without making any real investments. Eventually, following more research, he took the plunge and made his first two investments. Both stocks were subsequently taken over at premiums.

From there, Martin became more involved in shares and more focused. Around the same time a group of his friends had participated in the privatisations of British Gas and British Telecom and they decided to form a Share Club. Some time later, “The Cambridge News” was doing a feature on Share Clubs and contacted them. The Share Club, which at the time consisted of around ten individuals, nominated Martin as their spokesperson. After the feature, Martin was contacted by its Editor Jenny Chapman and she asked him if he would write a one off article on a stock that he liked. This proved so successful that Martin was asked to write a monthly column for Cambridge News and this later became a weekly column. Martin has now been writing his column for Cambridge News for sixteen years and fulfilling his passion for writing.

With his background in the construction industry, Martin’s early investments tended to relate to the construction industry. He would research, filter and then select his stocks that were fundamentally strong, not too geared, cash generative and profitable. He states that he is “definitely not a trader and does not do spread-betting”. What he likes to do now is to focus on the small cap and micro cap end of the stock market as he feels that “if you actually do your homework and you get it right you can do very well”. Martin is an advocate for thorough research and prefers to speak to and actually meet with the company that he invests in, wherever possible.

Listen now to gain insights into how Martin Flitton selects, researches and filters small and micro cap stocks in order to find the best potential opportunities for optimum long-term returns on his hard earned money. Learn from the lessons in his successful, insightful investing journey. #LEARNING #SMALLCAP #RESEARCH #STOCKS #SHARES #GROWTH #VALUE #DISCIPLINE #RISKS #INVESTING #CONKERSCORNER

Welcome to the 39th CONKERS’ CORNER recorded on 14th December 2016. In this interview I have the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Daniel Crosby @danielcrosby, the New York Times awarding winning author, behavioural finance expert and sought after thought leader on market psychology. He is also the founder of Nocturne Capital. Dr. Crosby created the sentiment and valuation measures that serve as the overlay for Nocturne’s tactical strategy. His ideas have appeared in the Huffington Post, Think Advisor and Risk Management, as well as columns for WealthManagement.com and Investment News.

Daniel was named one of Investment News “40 Under 40” and a “financial blogger you should be reading” by AARP. Daniel’s second book, “Personal Benchmark”, co-authored with Charles Widger of Brinker Capital, was a New York Times bestseller that outlines a highly personalised approach to investing that aligns intention with action while fostering an investment experience that is both enjoyable and rational.

Daniel grew up the son of a Financial Adviser and he was so immersed in that world he said that he “never had a chance”. He was steeped in best financial practices and his father would always be “talking about stocks and shares at the table”. His Dad was quite a gifted investor and adviser and therefore “in their house, debt was a four letter word”. Therefore, Daniel grew up with some sound principles with regards to money. Daniel went to College and set out to become an Investment Manager, however mid-way through College he dropped out. He chose instead to become a missionary for his Church and went to work in the Philippines for a few years. Teaching English, building schools, doing a little good in the world. It was at that point he became interested in a profession that would help others.

He chose Psychology when he returned to his studies at Brigham Young University, with a renewed dedication and later became a Pre Doctoral Intern (PHD) at Emory University in Atlanta. In July 2008, he went onto become a Consultant at Sperduto and Associates, a firm of corporate psychologists and management consultants, based in Atlanta. When he started his first job, Daniel started investing straight away with Index Funds. He remained there until he moved in January 2010 to IncBlot Organizational Psychology which is a management consultancy, comprised of a team of organisational psychologists with expertise in helping business select exceptional people.

In March 2016, Daniel founded Nocturne Capital, which is a behavioural asset management firm serving the needs of individuals and institutions committed to the research-based investment principles set forth in his book :The Laws of Wealth. Daniel is also the President of Nocturne Capital and an executive at the Brinker Capital Center for Outcomes, a financial adviser education initiative that helps advisors understand the powerful impact behavioural science can have on their practices.

Daniel opens his award winning* book The Laws of Wealth: Psychology and the Secret to Investing Success, with “The investor’s chief problem, and even his worst enemy, is likely to be himself.” – Benjamin Graham. Daniel advocates that individuals should should seek Financial Advice because research confirms that individuals that do well over the long-term will attain better returns in the long-term.

Listen now to gain insights into how Dr Daniel Crosby presents a route map for navigating the complex nature of behavioural psychology, behavioural finance and the laws/strategies of achieving long-term wealth. During a time when many investors are making poor decisions and trading rather than investing. Learn from the lessons in his successful, insightful global investing journey.

Welcome to the 38th CONKERS’ CORNER recorded on 17th November 2016. In this interview I have the pleasure of speaking with qualified lawyer, solicitor, corporate financier, former JP Morgan Investment Banker, entrepreneur, co-founder of Strata Partners and millionaire private investor @RoskillEdward Edward Roskill.

Edward’s interests in stocks and shares began when he was around 16 years of age after being intrigued by the share price movements in the newspaper and he first started by trading put and call options. Primarily because as Edward puts it “.. with a very small amount, you could make your money do something amazing or lose it completely”. For his 18th birthday, Edward received £500 worth of shares in two companies and this was probably his first proper introduction into investing in shares.

Edward went to Cambridge University where he attained an MA Degree in Law. He qualified as a lawyer in 1994 with international law firm, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, practising corporate and commercial law, followed by merger and acquisition work. Edward then made the switch from the legal side to investment Banking, corporate finance, with Robert Fleming and JP Morgan. As an investment banker, he was involved in a variety of transactions including public and private company acquisitions and disposals, private placements, IPOs and follow-on equity offerings.

Edward gained a very good ground up view of how deals were put together from his time at Fleming and JP Morgan and then in 2002 he co-founded his own advisory firm Strata Partners http://www.strata-partners.com/, advising technology companies on mergers and acquisitions. Edward focuses, in particular, on IT services, business process outsourcing and software. He has, amongst other transactions, acted for The Capita Group plc on its US$160 million public offer for IBS OpenSystems plc (2008); for IBS AB on its US$100 million sale and, by way of a “Bought IPO”, admission to AIM of IBS OpenSystems plc; for Marlin Equity Partners on its US$32 million public offer for Chelford Group Plc and for SunGard Data Systems on its US$242m successful public offer for Guardian iT plc (2002).

Fourteen years on, Edward remains a partner at Strata Partners and he spends about a third of his time working with specific clients and transactions. He spends two-thirds of his time managing his family’s investments, where he focuses on small-cap and microcap AIM-listed investments. Edward’s investment strategy is one of researching smaller companies that are less well examined and less looked at by fund managers, as that is where he finds “little gems” that are sensibly valued. Even then Edward is a firm advocate of visiting the company, meeting and speaking with their management and really getting to know the business before he makes any kind of investment. This enables him to reduce his risks and increase his conviction towards his investments on the occasions that markets impact his shareholdings. Edward stresses that one of his most important tenets of investing is “don’t lose money”. The experienced and astute Edward, states “even now I find I have much to learn”.

Listen now to gain insights into how Edward’s deep research, analysis and investments in mainly AIM-listed companies, has led to him becoming an accomplished entrepreneur and Millionaire ISA investor. Learn from the lessons in his successful and insightful investing journey.

Welcome to the 37th CONKERS’ CORNER recorded on 17th November 2016. In this interview I have the pleasure of speaking Property entrepreneur, millionaire ISA investor, Founder of Mello events and Director of ShareSoc @carmensfella David Stredder.

David comes from a very humble background and was brought up in Lytham St. Annes in Lancashire. David states “my Mum and Dad were the best parents you could have” and it is clear that they provided him with the foundations for his entrepreneurial zeal and drive to achieve to attain a good education and financial independence. His Mum would give him spelling and Maths tests after school and when he was eleven years of age, she entered him into the scholarship test for the top school in Lancashire. David passed the test and “went from being on free school milk at my smaller school” to one of the big boys at a part boarding school.

David always worked during the school holidays and decided early on that he would not go to University. His mind was always on making money and although he went on to sixth form education, he opted for a computer operator job with a big Insurance company. He says however, that he was rubbish…”it was just way beyond me”. David’s next role was in London as an Information Officer. Part of it was sport journalism and also taking dignitaries around Central London. This job provided David with lots of additional time on his hands and he decided to get into property and he invested some of his growing savings into two flats. He later found that his friends that had chosen to go University, needed to come to London for work and needed accommodation. Before he knew it, he had built up the second largest property management company in South London.

He sold this property business to an industry consolidator in the late nineties and decided to spread his money into investments that provided him with a return. Shortly after this David formed a group for a monthly meet-up at a local restaurant called Mello. Thus, Mello events was born and grew and grew http://mello-events.co.uk/about-us/ Since then he has concentrated on his listed and unlisted investments and is an active small cap investor. As a proactive investor, David also became a founder and Director of ShareSoc http://www.sharesoc.org/directors.html fighting on behalf of private shareholders’ rights. ShareSoc do this by promoting shareholders’ rights to companies and by seeking to influence Government and regulatory policy.

David’s investment strategy is one of finding small-cap companies that are lowly rated and are often family owned business. He position sizes all his investments and is a very patient investor. David’s winning strategy eventually came to the attention of the author Guy Thomas and he was interviewed for his book “Free Capital, How 12 Private Investors Made Millions in the Stock Market”. A book that I read some years ago and found thoroughly insightful.

Listen now to gain insights into how David went from his very humble beginnings to become a property entrepreneur and Millionaire ISA investor. Learn from the lessons in his successful, insightful investing journey.

Welcome to the 36th CONKERS’ CORNER recorded on 23st November 2016. In this interview I have the pleasure of speaking with the former Deutsche Bank, Liberum and Credit Suisse Oil and Gas Analyst @mundyrob Robert Mundy. This year Robert co-founded Research Tree, which provides Equity research, broker reports and media content to private and non-institutional investors, thus levelling the playing field with regards to access to the latest investment research.

Robert studied Physics at Brighton University, where his first interest in investing began, “but not in a serious way”. He admits though, that he did “dabble at a little bit” from share tips, which “turned out to be terrible investments”. After University, Robert went on to work at Deutsche Bank in an Equity derivatives role. However it was not until he went to London Business School to study for his MBA and was taught by amazing professors and teachers, including Luke Johnson of Risk Capital Partners, that Robert got serious about investing. He was also inspired by reading Warren Buffett letters, Joel Greenblatt and their methodology and strategies.

After completing his MBA in 2009, Robert went to work for Liberum the broker, as a Trader, then an Oil & Gas research analyst before leading the European Exploration and Production (E&P) coverage for Credit Suisse. Seven years after working with both companies Robert co-founded Research Tree, as an online research aggregator platform for private investors. To enable them to “make better informed investment decisions by having broad access to high quality research for the first time” https://www.research-tree.com/ “Equity research, produced by the UK’s corporate broking houses and independents, has until now been the preserve of institutional investors.” Robert and his team endeavour to provide investors with invaluable research notes and analysis that could enable them to make even better informed choices with regards to to their investments.

Listen now to gain insights into how Robert researches stocks and shares and how he invests in his now diversified portfolio. Learn from the lessons in his successful, insightful investing journey.