Investing Unscripted

Death and taxes are inevitable, as the saying goes. But what if you died right now? What if some cosmic hand snapped its fingers, and you were gone? We often apply this "snap" test to companies to find the most important ones, but we can apply this same test to ourselves, too. Who would be impacted? What would they be left trying to figure out? Would they have enough money to make ends meet? 

Would they even know how to access your bank accounts or retirement savings? What would they do? 

In this episode, inspired by a young listener's recent health diagnosis, Jeff and Jason talk about this difficult subject, offering their insights and answers to one of the hardest questions we each need to answer. Because the only thing worse than dying young is leaving your loved ones without the resources to move forward with their lives. 

In the second part of the show, we play "Signal or Noise" with crypto. The SEC is going hard after trading platforms, and Jeff and Jason debate the potential implications for trading platforms and crypto writ large. Whether you're interested in crypto or not, it's a useful thought exercise on disruption, fraud, and regulatory clarity. 

Companies mentioned: NEXT

We would love feedback on the show. Share with us at: 

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @smatteringshow 

Check out our YouTube channel for more content: 

https://www.youtube.com/@TheSmatteringShow

Find the 2023 Smattering Portfolio here: 

https://tinyurl.com/Smatterfolio2023

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What if you could start over? Just press a button, and voila, you have a portfolio full of cash, and a chance for a fresh start. What would you do differently than you were already doing? In this episode, Jason and Jeff go through this mental exercise, weighing the pros and cons of pressing reset, and discuss the psychological challenges that keep most of us from making the changes we want. 

In the second part of the show, we take a look at The 2023 Smattering Portfolio Contest. Jason should be leading, but Jeff picked two of the best-performing stocks of 2023 for his Un-portfolio picks. If we started a 2X Inverse Santoro Bear Picks ETF would you invest? 

Companies mentioned: AMC, AMZN, BLNK, BOC, DDOG, FVRR, LMND, META, OM, TSLA, TTD, ZM

We would love feedback on the show. Share with us at: 

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @smatteringshow 

Check out our YouTube channel for more content: 

https://www.youtube.com/@TheSmatteringShow

Find the 2023 Smattering Portfolio here: 

https://tinyurl.com/Smatterfolio

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The semiconductor industry represents a wonderful place to invest. But it's also cyclical, complex, and can be a bad place to invest if you stumble in blindly or find yourself chasing the next hot thing at the wrong time. We have good news. Chip Stock Investor can help. 

This week, Jason and Jeff sit down with Nick Rossolillo of Chip Stock Investor to break down the semiconductor industry, discuss why it's so compelling, and explain why it can also be a risky place to put your money. And yes, they talk about Nvidia. But after 46 minutes of other things. 

Chip Stock Investor on YouTube:  youtube.com/@chipstockinvestor 

Nick on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nrossolillo

Companies mentioned: AAPL, AMAT, AMD, ASML, INTC, NVDA, ON, SNPS, TSMC, TXN, WOLF

We would love feedback on the show. Share with us at: 

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @smatteringshow 

Check out our YouTube channel for more content: 

https://www.youtube.com/@TheSmatteringShow

Find the 2023 Smattering Portfolio here: 

https://tinyurl.com/Smatterfolio

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Last week we had a therapy session for Jeff in our episode, "I don't know how to invest anymore." Jeff says thanks for helping him work through his struggles. The obvious follow-up? An episode about stocks! In this "back to basics" conversation, Jason and Jeff talked about what has changed, why stocks are still very important investments and offered some insights on how to invest in stocks going forward. 

In the second part of the show, we answer two questions listeners have sent in recently, about a similar topic: What do you do with found money (or stocks)? Jason and Jeff discuss ways to make the most of a cash inheritance, a stock inheritance, and some ideas for how you can think about making the best decision if this unfortunate opportunity arises in your life. 

Financial planning networks mentioned:

https://www.garrettplanningnetwork.com/

https://www.napfa.org/

https://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/

Companies mentioned: TGT, ABNB, BAM, BRK.A, COST, CRWD, NET, OKTA, PG, UPST, WBA, WMT

We would love feedback on the show. Share with us at: 

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @smatteringshow 

Check out our YouTube channel for more content: 

https://www.youtube.com/@TheSmatteringShow

Find the 2023 Smattering Portfolio here: 

https://tinyurl.com/Smatterfolio

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The past three years have been like a whipsaw for a lot of investors. After the bizarre – incredible – runup in stocks during the Coronavirus pandemic, the past 18 months have been hard. And with interest rates now high enough to make bonds a legitimate option for returns, many people find themselves in an investing environment they have never seen before. 

Count Jeff in that number. In this episode, Jeff and Jason talk through all of the changes, and why it has Jeff – and likely many other new investors – questioning whether they know how to invest anymore. 

In the second part of the show, we play "Jason did a thing," or as Jeff describes it, a future opportunity to discuss one of Jason's investing mistakes. 

Companies mentioned: BOA, FLGT, FRC, LOB, MTB, PNC, SIVB, TFC, ZM

We would love feedback on the show. Share with us at: 

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @smatteringshow 

Check out our YouTube channel for more content: 

https://www.youtube.com/@TheSmatteringShow

Find the 2023 Smattering Portfolio here: 

https://tinyurl.com/Smatterfolio

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John Rotonti is a value investor and the former head of analyst training for The Motley Fool. He's spent the past several years studying Warren Buffett, trying to better understand and decode the legendary investor's success and process. He's also been a successful investor in his own right, with an approach built around a disciplined accumulation of dominant, asset-heavy companies with industry-leading positions, resilient, profitable businesses, and room for continued growth. 

Fresh off their trip to Omaha, Jason and Jeff spoke with John about Buffet and Berkshire, his process, and how he thinks about investing in the new environment.  

Buffett's Alpha (referenced by John): https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.2469/faj.v74.n4.3 

Find John on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JRogrow 

Companies mentioned: APD, BOA, BRK.A, BRK.B, EQNR, LIN, TFC

We would love feedback on the show. Share with us at: 

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @smatteringshow 

Check out our YouTube channel for more content: 

https://www.youtube.com/@TheSmatteringShow

Find the 2023 Smattering Portfolio here: 

https://tinyurl.com/Smatterfolio

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Did you know that Berkshire Hathaway stock has outperformed the market since the market peak before the coronavirus pandemic? That alone makes the title of this episode a touch rhetorical, we realize, but there is a broader point about how relevant Buffett's investing style and decades of pithy advice are anymore. Ahead of the upcoming Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting, which Jeff and Jason will be attending, they discuss Buffett and Berkshire, including how the public has viewed Buffett in the past, versus how Berkshire's stock has actually performed. 

In the second part of the show, we give an update on the 2023 Smattering Portfolio Contest, discuss Jason's latest stupid investment, and share some lessons we can all learn. 

Companies mentioned: AAPL, AMZN, ATVI, BOA, BRK.A, FRC, HD, HOG, JPM, LMND, LOB, LOW, MSFT, ODFL, SNOW

We would love feedback on the show. Share with us at: 

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @smatteringshow 

Check out our YouTube channel for more content: 

https://www.youtube.com/@TheSmatteringShow

Find the 2023 Smattering Portfolio here: 

https://tinyurl.com/Smatterfolio

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 45, Running Towards Fires, Jason and Jeff talked about finding opportunities to buy when the consensus was to sell. In this week's show, they discuss how so many investors are running the other way, paying a hefty premium for low-growth, "blue-chip" stocks that are likely to deliver underperforming returns going forward, looking for dividend stocks, and otherwise searching for safety in what Jason says is "the wrong way." Should you be buying growth stocks again? Holding cash and being patient? Jeff and Jason share their thoughts on this complicated topic. 

After the break, we answer three listener-submitted questions about foreign taxes, selling stocks at nosebleed valuations only to buy back when they're cheaper, and evaluating different companies based on valuation. 

Companies mentioned: AMZN, COST, CRWD, DDOG, HD, LOW, PG, WMT
We would love feedback on the show. Share with us at: 

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @smatteringshow 

Check out our YouTube channel for more content: 

https://www.youtube.com/@TheSmatteringShow

Find the 2023 Smattering Portfolio here: 

https://tinyurl.com/Smatterfolio

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When it comes to understanding human behavior, Jason has learned the value of understanding incentives. Employees and managers almost always act based on how they're compensated, even if it's not aligned perfectly with the best interests of a company or its owners. Yet, we as investors seem to make the mistake of not having our personal incentives aligned with our long-term financial goals. In this episode, Jason and Jeff discuss this complex topic and offer some examples of incentives versus goals to help you strengthen your own investing toolbox. 

Companies mentioned: TSLA

We would love feedback on the show. Share with us at: 

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @smatteringshow 

Check out our YouTube channel for more content: 

https://www.youtube.com/@TheSmatteringShow

Find the 2023 Smattering Portfolio here: 

https://tinyurl.com/Smatterfolio

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After almost three decades working in and around the financial services industry, Lou Whiteman has learned to become skeptical of many investment ideas and trends. Jeff and Jason spoke with Lou recently, discussing his experiences in finance and as an individual investor, and how he's developed the investing superpower of being a skeptical optimist.  As Lou puts it, "skeptical in the short term, but optimistic in the long term." 

Lou is a regular contributor to The Motley Fool, and recently launched Fits and Starts, where he shares his personal observations on investing, finance, Bono, and life.

Companies mentioned: BA, GD, HII, LDOS, LMT, LHX, NOC, RTX, TDG

We would love feedback on the show. Share with us at: 

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @smatteringshow 

Check out our YouTube channel for more content: 

https://www.youtube.com/@TheSmatteringShow

Find the 2023 Smattering Portfolio here: 

https://tinyurl.com/Smatterfolio

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices