70 Experts Share the Most Important Lesson

When podcasts first got started, it was interesting to hear. Great investors we knew about only in books or articles came to talk about a variety of things. Learning became interesting.

Today, we are overwhelmed by content, and this includes podcasts. On any given day, I assume there are hundreds of new podcasts that are churned out. some good but most barely worth the time. Since a hour is these days the standard length, its tough to go through even the ones that come well recommended for there is so many of them.

Excess Returns is an investing podcast hosted by Justin Carbonneau and Jack Forehand, partners at Validea. They have had some great guests and some great discussions. But over 3 years, I would think they have talked to guests for more than 140 hours of discussions.

Recently they came out with a summary of the advice given out by 70 of their guests. Just this is two hours long but more importantly, it’s tough to remember. I have tried to reduce their advice to one to two lines. It’s amazing that despite them being a diverse set with diverse beliefs, how when it comes to advise, there is so much of overlap between them.

The full video

Summary of the guest’s advice.

Cem Karsan: Kai Volatility

The only thing that is important is Supply and Demand. Never lose sight of that. Liquidity is everything. 

Michael Mauboussin, Couterpoint Global

Learn and apply Base Rates. 

Rick Schmidt, Harding Loevner

Recognize that you are average. Find a niche where you think you can be better. 

Ben Hunt, Epsilon Theory

Understand that markets are political utility. Find something that is real, that is close to you and where you are not being told a story. 

Ben Carlson, Ritholtz Wealth Management

Pick a strategy and stick with it come high or hell water. Good strategy that you can stick with is better than a Great strategy that you cannot stick with

Adam Butler. Resolve Asset Management

Diversify. Be humble on what you know and what you don’t know.

Tobias Carlisle, Acquirer’s Funds

Write down what you are doing at the time you are doing. Only way to learn is by looking at outcomes and decisions that were made. 

Andy Constan, Damped Spring Advisors

Find a portfolio you can live with. Manage it passively. Don’t think you have an edge because probably you don’t.

Rodrigo Gordillo, Resolve Asset Management

Predicting the future is nearly impossible. Diversification is the first place to start. Create a do no harm portfolio.

Corey Hoffstein, Newfound Research

Alpha can be created through portfolio structure. 

Darius Dale, 42 Macro

Valuation doesn’t have to work in 1,2 or 3 years. It takes time for things to be realized, understood, appreciated and priced in. 

 Larry Swedroe, Buckingham Wealth

Don’t confuse information with knowledge. Any strategy that invests in risky assets can go through long periods of underperformance. Diversify across factors. 

Andrew Beer, Dynamic Beta

We are going to be wrong a lot. It’s okay to make mistakes but learn from the mistakes. 

Chris Covington, AJOVista

Think through your strategy. Stick to what you believe in and try not to react to markets too much

Cullen Roche, Discipline Funds

Be open minded. Diversify your portfolio to ensure that it can weather any kind of markets.

Jack Schwager on Paul Tudor Jones

Don’t get too complacent. Look at the portfolio as if it was put on just today.

Katie Stockton, Fairlead Strategies

Have a suite of indicators that you can come back to implement and one that can help overcome the noise. Know your investing style. 

Peter Lazaroff, Plancorp

Keep it simple. Key to success is minimizing mistakes and not interrupting compounding.

Mike Green Portfolio

Make the portfolio secondary to your life. News is not sold to you for your benefit. Question everything.

Meb Faber, Cambria

Invest as much as you can and then forget about it. Spend less time on negativity and forecasting. 

Wes Gray , Alpha Architect

Know what you own. Do whatever you can to keep Fees and Taxes to the minimum. Simple is beautiful

Rick Ferri, Ferri Investment Solutions

Simpler the better. 

Daniel Crosby, Orion

Money is only as good as the life it builds and the people it serves. 

Ryan Kirlin, Alpha Architect

Focus on providing more value in life than you take. 

Brent Kochuba, SpotGamma

Law of Compounding. Buy and Hold works over time.

Jason Buck, Mutiny Funds

Stop thinking of your savings as investments. 

Harin de Silva, Allspring Global

Important to Rebalance regularly.  Know where the return is coming from.

Phil Huber, Savant Wealth

Over time one’s investment philosophy is going to evolve. Don’t cling too tightly to current investments beliefs 

Corey Hoffstein, New Found Research

Think holistically. 

Rob Arnott, Research Affiliates 

Don’t chase performance. Be disciplined

Ryan Krueger, Freedom Day Solutions

Keep it simple. 

Michael Batnick, Ritholtz Wealth Management

There is no universal playbook for investing. Do what works for you. Have a philosophy that governs you.

John Alberg, Euclidean Technologies

Easy way to do okay in the stock market is buying the Index. Picking stocks is incredibly competitive and hard. 

Pim van Vliet, Robeco

Character is more important than IQ for long term success. 

Ray Micaletti, Relative Sentiment Technologies

Don’t listen to the news. Don’t read research reports brought out by Institutions. 

Ryan Krueger, Freedom Day Solutions

Play the long game. 

Wade Pfau, Retirement Researcher

Strike the right balance between enjoying the present while also being responsible about protecting the future.

Rajay Bagaria, Wasserstein Debt Opportunities

Be confident but be flexible. 

Gautam Baid, Stellar Wealth Partners

Stay the course for the long term.

Andy Berkin, Bridgeway Capital Management

Make your plan, Stock with it. Be invested. Keep costs low.

Antti Ilmanen, AQR Capital

Be humble and Be patient.

Savina Rizova, Dimensional Fund Advisors

Have a framework. 

Matt Bartolini, State Street

Focus on Diversification, Ignore short term movements in markets.

Harley Bassman, Simplify Asset Management

Know what you know and Know what you don’t know. Be diversified. Control your ego.

Jack Schwager on Steve Cohen

If a trade is not working, get out at least 50%. It doesn’t have to be binary of Zero or 100.

Ben Inker, GMO

Understand why you should get the returns. 

Jerry Parker, Chesapeake Capital

Don’t be skeptical. Follow the trend. Don’t overanalyze.

Robert Hagstrom, EquityCompass

Be patient. 

Robert Cantwell, Upholdings

Stay humble. Learn from your mistakes

Joe Wiggins, Fundhouse

Make sensible long term decisions and stick with them. 

Martin Emery, GMO

Research, Understand history on how markets and humans react to events. 

Bruce Lavine, NightShares

Be Open. Learn and keep updating your knowledge.

David Gardner, Motley Fool

Buy things that are excellent. Try never to sell. 

Gregg Fisher, Quent Capital

Sit on your hands. Buy things and hold them for long periods of time and Save more.

 Kevin Carter, EMQQ Global

Buy and Hold. 

Dave Schassler, VanEck

Build a stable Asset Allocation. Stay strategic. 

Ehren Stanhope, O’Shaughnessy Asset Management

Security Selection, Portfolio Construction, Risk Management. Study yourself.

Gary Antonacci, Optimal Momentum

Investigate carefully, choose wisely, follow faithfully. 

Jeremy Schwartz, WisdomTree

Invest 80% to 90% in a diversified index fund. 

Andrew Thrasher, Thrasher Analytics

Have an open mind. Let price confirm your thesis.

Jeff Muhlenkamp, Muhlenkamp Funds

Focus on Time, Taxes and Rate of Returns. 

Adrian Helfert, Westwood Group

Have a framework, trust your gut.

Cole Smead, Smead Capital

Don’t do stupid things. 

Doron Nissim, Columbia

Learn Accounting. 

Stephen Foerster, Author 

Think in terms of 4 levers, size of financial goal, how much one can contribute regularly,time available to reach the goal, expected returns. 

Jim Cullen, Schafer Cullen Capital Management

Have Balance .

 Bill Sweet, Ritholtz Wealth Management

Think in perpetuity.

Jack Schwager on Joel Greenblatt

Don’t swing at every pitch.

Sheridan Titman, University of Texas

Have a well diversified portfolio. 

 Jason Delorenzo, Ad Deum Funds

Be patient, Be humble, Be disciplined

Jim Masturzo, Research Affiliates

Be humble. 

Daniel Taylor, Wharton

Diversify. 

Jason Hsu, Rayliant Global Advisors

———-

Justin Carbonneau, Validea Capital Management

Save when possible, Invest Prudently. 

Jack Forehand, Validea Capital Management

Be humble, be willing to change, think in terms of probabilities.

Matt Zeigler, Sunpointe Investments

Have a framework and understand the why’s.

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