Archives for January 2023

The Risk of Being Out of the Game

In 2014, JPMorgan Asset Management did a study and discovered that the 40 best days accounted for more than the entire S&P 500 return from 1993–2013. In other words, if someone traded only on these specific 40 days, i.e., invested his money in S&P 500 in the morning and sold in the evening then he would have the same returns as someone who stayed invested for 20 years.

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10 Qualities of Great Investors

Admission Open: Value Investing Workshops – Offline (Mumbai) and Online

1. Offline Workshop: Mumbai – After a gap of 2 years, I am back with my live, offline Value Investing workshop. The first session is planned in Mumbai on Sunday, 22nd January 2023. I am accepting only 50 students for this session, and less than 10 seats remain now. Click here to know more and join the Mumbai workshop.

2. Online Workshop – Admissions are also open for the January 2023 cohort of my online value investing workshop. The workshop involves 22+ hours of pre-recorded, detailed lectures and Q&A sessions, plus a 3-hour live online Q&A session scheduled on Sunday, 15th January 2023 (tomorrow). I am accepting 50 students in this cohort, and less than 5 seats remain now. Click here to know more and join the online workshop.

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One of the first lessons I learned from my yoga teacher was that “yoga is not about rapid movements but long pauses. Slow down, calm down, don’t hurry, and trust the process.”

The thing about yoga — or any exercise — is that there isn’t a comfort zone. But if you have a sound process, and practice it diligently, over time it starts to work for you.

The act of investing your money, as I realize, isn’t much different from practicing yoga. A superior process and greatness often go hand in hand in yoga, and also in investing. For serious investors, thus, it’s wise to learn to trust the process that generates winning investment results.

I came across one such time-tested process framework while reading Michael Mauboussin’s “Reflections on the Ten Attributes of Great Investors.” Mauboussin is Head of Consilient Research at Counterpoint Global, Morgan Stanley Investment Management, and author of some amazing books like The Success Equation and More Than You Know. He is a highly successful value investor, and thus the process he has laid out in his note is a great help for any serious investor seeking a winning investment process.

Here are my reviews of the ten attributes Mauboussin has laid out in his note.

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Investing’s Few Eternal Truths

Investing is simple, but not easy. Still there are a few eternal rules that, if you can tie them well with your investment process, should make the journey profitable.

The Wizard: Do not arouse the wrath of the great and powerful Oz! I said come back tomorrow!

Dorothy: If you were really Great and Powerful, you’d keep your promises!

The Wizard: [As Toto reveals him behind a curtain] You presume to criticize the Great Oz? You ungrateful creatures! You’re lucky that I’m only holding this till tomorrow, instead of the next twenty years from now!

Dorothy: [Pulling aside the curtain] Who are you?

The Wizard: I am the great and powerful…Wizard…of Oz.

Dorothy: You are? I don’t believe you.

The Wizard: I’m afraid it’s true. There’s no other Wizard except me.

Dorothy: Oh, you’re a very bad man!

The Wizard: Oh, no, my dear, I… I’m a very good man – I’m just a very bad Wizard.

In the noted 1939 American musical comedy-drama fantasy film The Wizard of Oz, one of the lead characters Dorothy, along with her dog Toto, is swept away by a tornado to the Land of Oz. It is ruled by a tyrant in whom people had vested extraordinary powers, but who was later exposed as vulnerable as the spell surrounding Oz is broken.

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[Transcript] The One Percent Show: Annie Duke

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Annie Duke is author, corporate speaker, and consultant in the decision-making space. She is also a special partner focused on decision science at First Round Capital Partners, a seed-stage venture fund. For two decades, Annie was one of the top poker players in the world. In 2004, she bested a field of 234 players to win her first World Series of Poker bracelet. The same year, she triumphed in the $2 million winner-take-all, invitation-only world series of poker tournaments of champions. She retired from the game in 2012. She is also the author of multiple wonderful books, including Thinking In Bets and How We Decide and her latest being “Quit – The Power of Knowing When To Walk Away”.

In Quit, Annie draws on stories from a wide swath of high achievers, including elite mountain climbers, business leaders, and entertainers, to argue that quitting is a good thing when applied at the right time. And much like a poker career, life, she says, is one long game and the biggest winners are also the most strategic quitters. With this and no further delay, Annie, welcome to The One Percent Show, and thank you so much for agreeing to do this.

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A Story of Courage and Hope from the Life of Charlie Munger

First things first. I wish you and your family a very happy, peaceful, and blessed 2023.

I am grateful to have you share this journey with me in the past, and look forward to continuing our connection in the years ahead.

Now for a story from the life of Charlie Munger, who is 99 years old today.

I have shared this story countless times over the years, because each time I talk or write about it, I experience a sense of inner peace and strength. And so, even if you have read this story earlier, read it again today as you begin taking your first steps into this brand new year.

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