The old rule — "selling bad, buying good" — misses a lot today. Insider behavior now includes plan-driven sales, comp mechanics, shifting blackout policies, and more. For example, one insider signal isn't a buy or a sell at all, but a pause in selling.

Key questions that emerge:

·       How do you find positive signals at companies where insiders never buy stock?

·       What does it mean when executives who sell millions regularly suddenly stop?

In this episode, Ben Silverman and Senior Analyst Max Magee examine the "cessation selling" phenomenon through 3 key examples:

·       Microsoft: First pause in insider selling since 2004 — stock up 40% since the signal.

·       Expedia: Five-year selling streak ends at $150/share — stock rebounds to $225.

·       Tableau Software: Co-founders cancel $35-50 million sale plans — company acquired months later at premium.

Edited, mixed, and scored by Calvin Marty.

Executive pay doesn’t always make headlines, yet it can offer a surprisingly clear view of a company’s next move. Host Ben Silverman sits down with Senior Analyst Amy Pessetto to show how changes in long-term incentives, performance metrics, and option grants may reveal where management is really focused. Sometimes before those priorities turn up on an earnings call.

Tickers Discussed: ADT, FSLR, SAM

In this episode, Ben and Amy discuss:

• Options on the Rise: Why some companies are swapping portions of time-based RSUs for stock options, and what that shift suggests about risk appetite in 2025.
• First Solar’s Comp Mix: A higher RSU weight and a shorter vesting schedule and what the revised package might mean for solar-sector bulls and bears.
• New CEO, New Metrics: How Boston Beer rewired its incentive plan around revenue growth after handing the reins to a new chief executive.
• Reading the Fine Print: Practical tips for spotting sandbagging, de-risking, or strategic pivots hidden inside proxy disclosures.
• From Data to Decisions: A step-by-step way to fold incentive-comp insights into your research process.

Edited, mixed, and scored by Calvin Marty.

Inflation, tariffs, recession fears, and major policy shifts. Today’s market is clouded with uncertainty. But when good information is hard to come by, insider moves can provide clarity. Join Ben Silverman and Verity Senior Analyst Max Magee as they uncover how insider buying, selling, corporate buybacks, and executive compensation can help guide investors through volatile times.

Tickers discussed: ORCL, JBHT, MPC, BAH

In this episode, Ben and Max explore:

• Oracle’s unexpected insider purchase amid speculation of a TikTok deal and historical ties to government contracts.
• JB Hunt’s logistics executive placing a substantial $10 million bet despite tariff uncertainties.
• Marathon Petroleum’s insider action signaling optimism amid energy sector turbulence.
• Defense contractors like Booz Allen strategically responding to market headlines through insider buying.

Edited, mixed, and scored by Calvin Marty.

The markets rallied after the 2024 election. CEOs made optimistic public statements. But behind the scenes, corporate insiders were selling at record rates. Why sell when stocks are soaring? What did these insiders see that others missed? And why such aggressive selling from companies poised to benefit from new policies? Join us for a close look at one of the market's most reliable signals: what insiders do with their own money.

Ben breaks down four telling examples:

• Griffin Corp's CEO started with 80,000 shares at $70. Then he unloaded 300,000 more as the stock topped $78.
• GM's Cruise president waited until shares hit $55 - a three-year high - then sold.
• CoreCivic saw eleven insiders sell. Even a longtime buyer switched to selling.
• Wolverine Worldwide's HR chief broke her trading pattern just as policy impacts loomed.

Edited, mixed, and scored by Calvin Marty.

How Investors Outsmart Corporate Buybacks 

Buybacks are bigger than ever. How can investors outsmart the pitfalls of corporate buybacks and find edge?  

In this episode of Differentiated, host Ben Silverman dives deep into the nuances of corporate share buybacks with guest Michael Seigne from Candor Partners — whose insights have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and more. Listen for essential insights into the execution of buybacks and the potential pitfalls that can arise, particularly around hidden costs, inefficiencies, and misaligned incentives. Through real-world examples, like those at General Motors, Microsoft, Apple, and more, discover the importance of smart, nuanced buyback strategies. 

Tickers Discussed: GM, F, MSFT, AAPL, ASML, RTX

Edited, mixed, and scored by Calvin Marty.

Discover insiders to watch this year. Learn the data points and analyses that flagged their activities as worthy of investor attention: wild sentiment reversal, high-IQ cluster buying, & more. Plus, Ben answers a smart question from a listener: Do insiders only buy when they think the stock is undervalued, or do they sometimes buy to try to get the stock moving?

Tickers discussed: THR, SWKS, PLAY, APPN, LEVI

Edited, mixed, and scored by Calvin Marty.

New SEC disclosures are giving investors edge. This episode, Ben shares how sweeping changes to rule 10b5-1 have played out in the last year, giving investors more data, context, and insights related to corporate insider activity. Learn material nuances of the rule change, what it means, and hear three real-world examples, including opportunistic activity from JPMorgan Chase (JPM) CEO Jaime Dimon, Rivian (RIVN) Founder RJ Scaringe, and Shockwave Medical (SWAV) CEO Doug Godshall.

Edited, mixed, and scored by Calvin Marty.

Investors who can source conflict, mixed messages, or negative data points in their research process are at an advantage. In this episode, Ben shares a few hidden signals — revealed in insider selling activity, buyback programs, and earnings call sentiment — that can fuel short ideas. Examples include Snowflake (SNOW), Palo Alto Networks (PANW), PayPal (PYPL), and Skechers (SKX). Finally, Ben opens the mailbag and shares a recent question he got from a client regarding the opportunistic timing of one executive’s resignation announcement.

Edited, mixed, and scored by Calvin Marty.

How should investors interpret insider selling? There are a lot of data points: timing, size, past behavior, company culture, 10b5-1 context, and more. What’s signal? What’s noise?

In this episode, Ben shares 6 truths about insider selling. He weaves in illustrative examples of recent insider selling from Meta Platforms (META) CEO Mark Zuckerberg, PlanetLabs (PL) CEO Ashley Johnson, Netflix (NFLX) CEO Spencer Newman, Build-a-Bear Workshop (BBW) CEO Sharon John, Former General Electric (GE) CEO Jeffrey Immelt, and more.

Plus, Ben answers a great question he got recently from a VerityData hedge fund client: “If an insider targets a specific price, is that always bad?“

Edited, mixed, and scored by Calvin Marty.

This month, Ben looks back at the year in insider buying and selling activity. From the long list of insiders active in 2023, Ben selects a shortlist of the best-performing execs and directors. These six insiders displayed well-timed and opportunistic behavior that should put them on the radar of investors wanting to generate ideas, manage risk, and have more edge in 2024.

Edited, mixed, and scored by Calvin Marty.