The rules were simple: pick one stock each and the winner is the one whose stock gained the most, in percentage terms, by the end of the year. Alec chose insurance comparison website iSelect, and Bryce chose pharmaceutical company Mayne Pharma. This episode we review where our picks are at and who is winning! In this episode you will learn: • How NOT to pick a stock • How these two companies performed over the last half • The highlights and lowlights from the reporting season for each company • Who is winning! Stocks and resources discussed: • Mayne Pharma ASX:MYX • iSelect ASX:ISU

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Each year there's one letter everyone waits up all night for the release, and if you haven't yet, then you need to put it in your diary for next year. That's right - Warrenn Buffett's 2017 annual letter to shareholders was released recently, and it's always FULL of great advice, updates and insights into the mind of one of the world's best investors. This episode we take you through his letter, unpacking some of the more important parts. In this episode you will learn: - How Warren took home $29 billion for doing nothing - How patience and discipline pay off - Which company Warren bought in 2017 that made him ~$1 billion profit Stocks and resources discussed: - http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/2017ltr.pdf

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Some of the best companies in the world pivot in order to drive their next phase of growth. It's with excitement that we have decided to pivot here at Equity Mates! Learn To Invest In 15 Minutes Or Less! We're going to bring you shorter, more frequent episodes, so you can learn more for less. Our episodes will be more specific, and direct, based on themes and topics that you've asked us to dive into. Don't worry, our interviews with the best in the business will remain the same. We kick off our new format by looking at the reporting season that just was. We look at two stocks that were standouts to us. In this episode you will learn: - Why Wesfarmers' profit was down ~84% but their share price still went up - There is a new agriculture superpower in town, and it's only getting bigger Stocks and resources discussed: - Wesfarmers (ASX:WES) - Costa Group Holdings (ASX:CGC) - https://www.commsec.com.au/reportingseason

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In this episode we sit down with the former Australian Treasurer and Deputy Prime Minister, Wayne Swan. As Treasurer from 2007 to 2013, Wayne witnessed first-hand the devastation of the Global Financial Crisis and testament to his management, Australia was one of the only developed countries to avoid falling into recession. We sat down with Wayne to discuss what he is seeing in the global economy at the moment and to get his thoughts on some of the big financial topics of 2018. In this episode you will learn: • The two biggest themes Wayne is watching in 2018 • How Wayne thinks about money in politics and what can be done to limit its effect • Wayne's outlook on China • The reforms Wayne wants to see for the Australian housing market • Wayne's thoughts on Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies Stocks and Resources Discussed: • The 0.01 Per Cent: The Rising Influence of Vested Interests in Australia - Wayne Swan • John Curtain's War: The coming of war in the Pacific and reinventing Australia - John Edwards • Democracy in Chains: The deep history of the radical right's stealth plan for America - Nancy MacLean • Shane Oliver's Insights - AMP Capital • Bill Evan's Author Page - Westpac

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Susan Oliver has experience on both sides of markets. As an investor she sits on the global investment committee of IFM Investors (a company with over $100 billion in assets under management!) and also co-founded Scale Investors, a venture capital fund for women-led start ups. As a company director she has sat on the boards of some of Australia's largest companies, including Transurban, Bupa and Programmed. She also sits on the board of a number of not-for-profits including, the Wheeler Centre, the Melbourne Theatre Company and the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra. Given her accomplishments as a businesswoman and investor, it was a pleasure to sit down with Susan and unpack some of the lessons she has learnt throughout her career. In this episode you will learn: • What a strategic asset is, and why Susan looks to invest in them • Why only 10% of venture capital funding in Australia goes to women • What the government needs to do to encourage Australian entrepreneurs • Why Susan supports quotas for Australian company boards • How IFM Investors factor ESG (Environmental-Social-Governance) criteria into their investing • The strategy that drove Transurban to become one of Australia's largest companies

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There are two main ways to make money with stocks. The first is from the capital growth, that is selling it higher than you bought it for and making a profit. The second way is through taking a share of the company's profit. As an investor you are a part owner of the company, so when they make a profit, some companies decide to share that profit among all their investors, and this is paid in what is known as a dividend. Who doesn't like free money?! Dividends are a great form of income for investors and something you should consider next time you're looking to invest. In this episode you will learn: • What a dividend is • How you can make money from dividends • What a dividend yield is • Which companies pay dividends and which don't • Which companies are paying the highest dividend in Australia • What franking credits are and how they impact your tax return

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We're back from our break and ready for a big 2018! What better way to start the year than to make some bold predictions about the year ahead and put some friendly bets on. We also put our stock picking abilities on the line as we each pick one stock to go head-to-head in 2018. In this episode you'll learn: • When Bryce expects the US market to crash (specifically to the day!) • Why Alec thinks Amazon in Australia will be "all huff but no puff" in 2018 • Why Bryce thinks 2018 could be a year of reckoning for Donald Trump • Alec's bold prediction for self-driving cars • An Australian self-driving car company taking the fight to Google, Uber, Tesla and the rest • Stocks on our radar for 2018 and the stock picks for our 'mega bet' Stocks and Resources Discussed: Stocks • iSelect (ASX: ISU) • Mayne Pharma (ASX: MYX) • Saracen Mineral (ASX: SAR) • Freelancer.com (ASX: FLN) • ResMed (ASX: RMD) • US Equities Strong Bear ETF (ASX: BBUS) Resources • Link to previous Equity Mates Thought Starters (website URL: http://equitymates.com/thoughtstarters/) • Jeremy Grantham - Bracing Yourself for a Possible Near-Term Melt-Up(Also we're sorry for the poor audio in places - the recording cut in and out at different times. Thanks for bearing with us for this episode. We're doing all we can to make sure it doesn't happen again)

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With the silly season upon us now, and the year coming to an end, we have reviewed 2017 - the wins, the losses, and our biggest lessons learned. It's been a fantastic year for Equity Mates, and big thank you to all that have joined us during the year. We're going on a short Christmas break and will be back early 2018. In this episode you will learn: • How successful our hypothetical portfolio has been over the year (you might be surprised!) • Why Alec thinks 2017 was a year that disappointed • The biggest investing lessons learned over the past 12 months • How we think our investing styles have changed over the year • What we are looking for in 2018 • What we would say to ourselves 3 years ago Stocks and resources discussed: • 4 stocks that have risen more than 1000% • Buffetology • Essays of Warren Buffet • The Acquirers Multiple • Dreamland

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The stock market can be an emotional place, and often investing decisions are made based on emotion, and sub-conscious thought, or cognitive bias, with returns not always ending well! Recognising and understanding how you think when you invest, and how to avoid emotional traps, is vitally important for long-term success. This episode we talk with Meir Statman - an expert in behavioural finance, and understanding how investors think. Meir Statman is the Glenn Klimek Professor of Finance at Santa Clara University. His research focuses on behavioral finance. He attempts to understand how investors and managers make financial decisions and how these decisions are reflected in financial markets. His most recent book is "Finance for Normal People: How Investors and Markets Behave." The questions he addresses in his research include: What are investors' wants and how can we help investors balance them? What are investors' cognitive and emotional shortcuts and how can we help them overcome cognitive and emotional errors? How are wants, shortcuts and errors reflected in choices of saving, spending, and portfolio construction? How are they reflected in asset pricing and market efficiency? In this episode you will learn: • The difference between a rose, a watch and a stock • The major cognitive bias that investors fall victim to, and how to avoid them to improve your investing • How to make sure you're not eaten by the lions of the market • What the 'greater fool' means, and how you can take advantage in your investing Stocks and resources discussed: • Finance for Normal People: How Investors and Markets

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Tobias Carlisle has taken an interesting path to get where he is today. Starting his career as a lawyer in Queensland, Tobias is now a world-renowned value investor based in California. He has achieved a lot of recognition in the value investing community for his books Quantitative Value (2012), Deep Value (2014) and Concentrated Investing (2016). We spoke to him about the release of his latest book The Acquirers Multiple that distills a lot of his key concepts into one easy-to-read book aimed at non-investors. In this interview you will learn: • The strategy Tobias uses that when backtested actually beats Warren Buffett and Joel Greenblatt's strategies • How Tobias made the change from a lawyer in Queensland to a value investor in California • Why deep value investing has stood the test of time • The idea of 'broken legs' and how Tobias eliminates them from his thinking • How the Australian market compares to the rest of the world Stocks and Resources Discussed: • Books (click links for more information) • The Acquirers Multiple - Tobias Carlisle • Deep Value - Tobias Carlisle • The Little Book that Beats the Market - Joel Greenblatt • The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life - Alice Schroeder • What Works on Wall Street - James P. O'Shaughnessy • Security Analysis - Benjamin Graham & David L. Dodd • The Intelligent Investor - Benjamin Graham • Stocks Mentioned: • Sina Corporation (NASDAQ: SINA) • Wibo Corporation (NASDAQ: WB) • Snap Inc. (NYSE: SNAP) • Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN)

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