Who doesn't like the opportunity to put their investing strategies to the test without having the fear of losing your hard earned money in the process? Well thanks to the Australian Stock Exchange, you can do just that! Twice a year they run the ASX Sharemarket Game, where you are given $50,000 in pretend money, and you compete against all other entrants over a 3 month period. It's awesome. Everything is as if you're investing in real stocks - same prices, same brokerage, and the game mirrors the ASX in real time - but it's not real money. You can't lose. It's a fantastic way to try before you buy! This episode Bryce reveals some of the strategies he'll be using over the next three months as he competes with Alec, so see who is the top Equity Mate! Alec was a slow-starter, and yet to put any trades in, whereas Bryce $30,000 deep already. In this episode you will learn: • How using a Reporting Calendar can be helpful to identify investing opportunities • Which three stocks Bryce has chosen to kick-start his competition • What Ex-dividend date means • What the best and worst performing sectors were for FY18 and how this plays into Bryce's strategy Stocks and resources discussed: • Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN) • Wisetech Global Limited (ASX: WTC) • Afterpay Touch Group (ASX: APT) • Australian Foundation Investment Company (ASX: AFI) • Cleanaway Waste Management Limited (ASX: CWY) • The ASX Sharemarket Game • 2018 Reporting Calendar

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Ali Hamed is a name you may not be familiar with yet, but we're betting you will be. At just 26 years old, Ali is not only a co-founder of CoVenture - a firm that invests pre-seed venture capital, provides unconventional debt financing and manages a cryptocurrency index - but is also one of the clearest thinkers we've come across in our time at Equity Mates. We heard a couple of interviews Ali had done and were taken by the way he thought and his ability to express his insights clearly. From why the 2 hour movie is dead, to the practical utility of crypto, we think you'll enjoy this one. In this episode you will learn: • Why Ali thinks the 2 hour movie is the modern day Shakespearean sonnet. • Ali's personal journey; from baseball scholarship, to sleeping on a park bench, to co-founding CoVenture. • One thing all company founders should remember when pitching to investors. • Any companies that Ali regrets passing on. • Why CoVenture looks for unpriced assets rather than mispriced assets. • The story of the creation of fiat currency (government-backed currency) and how that helps us think about cryptocurrency. • Why Ali is more bullish on bitcoin than the blockchain. • Some companies that may benefit from embracing crypto. • How Ali would value a digital account - like Instagram, AirBnB etc. • Why you should only consume media you pay for. • What keeps Ali up at night Stocks and Resources discussed: • CoVenture website • Books (click the title for more information): • Lords of Finance • The Fountainhead • The Power of One • East of Eden • The Unbanking of America • Ali's Twitter

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Australia loves investors. You need to understand the tax advantages of a lot of your investments to make the most of it. But trying to understand it all can be confusing, especially if it's your first time doing a tax return, or it's been your first year investing in stocks. Have no fear though, because in this episode we go through everything you need to know when it comes to your stocks and your tax return. In this episode you will learn: • What we mean when we say Australia loves investors • The basics - dividend income, capital gains, total assessable income • Wen yu need to fill out a tax return • The tax advantages of capital gains and capital losses • About capital gains discount • About tax loss selling • About the beauty that are franking credits • How margin loans can be advantageous if done right

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Since our first interview with George Lucas a lot has changed. When we last interviewed him, he was the head of Acorns Australia. Now, less than 6 months later, he is the CEO of the publicly traded Raiz. We've been getting a lot of listener questions about the rebrand of Acorns Australia and what it means, so we thought who better to answer those questions than George Lucas himself. In this episode we get the back story and inside details of Acorns Australia's decision to rebrand as Raiz and to list on the ASX. This is also an exciting first for us, our first interview with an ASX-listed CEO. In this episode you will learn: • How Raiz, previously Acorns, helps you 'save in the background of life' • Why Acorns Australia rebranded as Raiz. • How George and his team came up with the name Raiz. • The reasons why Raiz went public. • The IPO process including the investor roadshow and how George felt on opening day. • How the company has performed since going public. • Growth in the FinTech market that is making it easier for non-professionals to invest. • Raiz's plans to get into Superannuation • The Raiz Rewards program, and how you can get companies to put money towards your investing goals Stocks and Resources Discussed: • Raiz Invest Limited (ASX: RZI) • Link to Raiz website

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"This is not mission impossible!" - Matt Leibowitz, CEO of Stake This episode is a cracker. As many of you are aware, we were invited to participate in a trading competition, hosted by Stake, to beta test their new trading app. The rules were simple. We were given $500 (USD$370) to trade through Stake, in American stocks. We had two weeks to make as much money as possible, and we had to trade at least three different companies. Mission accepted! However, for Equity Mates, this was going to be a massive challenge, because our view on investing is much, much longer-term than two weeks. We had to radically change our mindset. We sat down with Matt for what was going to be a short wrap-up of the competition, and reveal of the results. However, as we got started we couldn't help picking Matt's brain further and further with questions about his trading during the competition and his views on technical analysis. We had a very open conversation with him about the tricks and habits of being a successful trader. In this episode you will learn: • How much money we won or lost in the competition, and where we placed • What our biggest learnings were from the two weeks • The stocks we picked, and why we picked them • The stocks Matt picked, and why he picked them • About the importance of using a stop loss, and how to best manage them • The basics of volatility, and how Matt used it to his advantage • How to "be a lion in the jungle, and wait for your prey to appear" • Why money drives markets and not the news cycle • Why everyone has the ability to manage their own money • Why investing is not about being right, it's about making money • The best books for technical analysis Stocks and resources discussed: • Avalara (AVLR) • Netflix (NFLX) • ProShares UltraPro QQQ ETF 3x Leveraged (TQQQ) • VIX Short-term futures ProShares (VIXY) • Frontline (FRO) • Fortinet (FTNT) • ProShares Ultra VIX Short-term Futures ETF (UVXY)

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This episode is a little different to most. When the rumours first broke about football superstar Christiano Ronaldo going to Juventus, the Juventus share price jumped 8%. We didn't realise Juventus was publicly traded and started doing some researching. This episode is the result of that investigation - an exploration of some of the strangest and most surprising companies out on the market. In this episode you will learn: • About sports teams that are publicly traded, including one from Australia • How you can invest in stadiums • If owning a sporting league is better than owning a sports team • About a company that searches for lost treasure • Some of the strangest futures markets that have been banned by the US Government Stocks and Resources Discussed: • Juventus (Italy: JUVE) • Machester United (NYSE: MANU) • Brisbane Broncos (ASX: BBL) • Madison Square Garden (NYSE: MSG) • Churchill Downs (NASDAQ: CHDN) • World Wrestling Entertainment (NYSE: WWE) • Formula One (NYSE: FWONA) • Odyssey Marine Exploration (NASDAQ: OMEX)

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Following on from the last episode, where we discussed three important elements for building an investment portfolio, we deep dive into our own portfolios to compare our strategies and see if they align with our investing goals. We both have similar long-term goals, yet the way we approach constructing our investment portfolios are quite different, based on our risk appetite, asset classes and our short-term view of the market. One of us is heavy in cash, expecting the market to turn, and wanting to be in a position to pounce. The other is well diversified across direct stock picks, hybrids and gold. We look at what the strategies are behind our portfolios and what our next moves are. In this episode you will learn: • How we have approached our portfolio construction over the past few years • How our portfolio reflects our long-term investing goals • What a hybrid is, and why Alec has invested in them

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How to build a great investment portfolio? - it's easier than you think! There is no real hidden secret that only the professionals know about when it comes to building a successful investment portfolio. A portfolio is the total collection of assets that you invest in to create wealth. Now, it doesn't have to always be shares. Many portfolios of the best investors around the world are made up of different asset classes, from cash, to bonds and property. This episode we debunk the myth that you need to be an expert to start building a great portfolio. The truth is, it's simple, as long as you're dedicated, do your own research and are prepared to have some fun. We discuss the three building blocks that we think are fundamental to building a portfolio and that are achievable for the beginner. In this episode you will learn: • What the three components are that make the foundations for a strong investment portfolio • What Bryce and Alec's investing goals are, and if their portfolios are set up to achieve them • The difference between Growth, Income and Protection portfolios • Some of the most common asset classes that make up many investor's portfolios

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Stock buybacks are all the rage these days. Fuelled by tax cuts, low cost of capital and not a lot of growth opportunities on the horizon, companies have been buying back their shares by the bucketload. In fact, since 2010 there has been $3.5 trillion in shares bought back in the US alone. Buybacks are great for shareholders in theory - one day you owned 5% of the company, the next day you owned 7% without lifting a finger. How good! However, in reality buybacks haven't always been great for investors or for the companies buying back the shares. In this episode you will learn: • What a buyback is and how it is done • The theory behind buybacks • Notable examples of recent buybacks - Apple, Boeing, Cisco, ANZ just to name a few • Why Australia doesn't see as many buybacks as other markets • The downside of buybacks, including some notable examples of buybacks gone wrong Stocks and Resources discussed in this episode: • Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) • Boeing (NYSE: BA) • Cisco Systems Inc (NASDAQ: CSCO) • ANZ (ASX:ANZ) • General Electric Company (NYSE: GE) • The Economist article on Buybacks (2014)

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This is an exciting episode for us! We've been invited to join in a trading competition, hosted by our friends at Stake (if you haven't already, you must sign-up - you can trade stocks in the US without paying brokerage, and they'll swing you $25 to start you on your way, just head to www.equitymates.com/stake), and we're up against some of the best financial journalists in Australia. The rules are simple. We've been given a small amount of money to trade through the Stake platform, and can only buy sticks from the US. We have 2 weeks to make as much money as we can (all money going to charity, chosen by the winner). We must make a trade everyday, or be able to justify why we have decided not to trade, and we must trade at least 3 stocks over the two weeks. We know nothing about technical analysis trading. We invest with a long-term approach so we've never had to think about how to make trades that will get us a return in 2 weeks! It's going to be so fun! We're going to record the whole two weeks. Each conversation we have together about what to do, our strategy, which stocks to buy, we are going to record, and by the end we'll have an awesome package to share with you guys about an intro into technical analysis. So stay tuned! In this episode you will learn: • How we came to choose our first stock for the trading competition we are in • How competent we feel with technical analysis • Where the 'ticker' originated from • About the capitalist of all capitalists - JP Morgan • About the history of one of the most famous finacial streets in the world - Wall Street Stocks and resources discussed: • Avalara Inc • Stake

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