Planet MicroCap Podcast | MicroCap Investing Strategies

For this episode of Planet MicroCap Podcast, I spoke with Alon Goren, Co-Founder and Host of the Crowd Invest Summit. Recently, three Reg A+ deals were funded and are now trading on exchanges. I wanted to hear Alon’s take on this news. I met Alon when he spoke at one of our events a couple years ago on a crowdfunding panel, and we’ve kept in touch. A little background on Alon: he is a fintech entrepreneur who has dedicated his time and efforts to facilitating and educating the next generation of fundraising and investing, and one platform he does this through is his upcoming conference: Crowd Invest Summit. The goal for this episode is to learn more about equity crowdfunding, how it is different than donation-based crowdfunding, how it relates to MicroCap investing and Alon’s thoughts on recent news in equity crowdfunding.I’d also like to invite you all to Alon’s event, the Crowd Invest Summit taking place September 6th and 7th at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Downtown LA. When you register for the conference, use the discount code “SNN” and receive 25% off your ticket for admission. We’ll be there as a media sponsor, and looking forward to a great event.To register, please click the following link: www.CrowdInvestSummit.comClick here to rate and review the Planet MicroCap PodcastThe Planet MicroCap Podcast is brought to you by SNN Incorporated, publishers of StockNewsNow.com, The Official MicroCap News Source, and the MicroCap Review Magazine, the leading magazine in the MicroCap market - check out the latest issue here: MicroCap Review Winter/Spring 2017You can follow the Planet MicroCap Podcast on Twitter @BobbyKKraft, and you can also listen to this interview on StockNewsNow.comFor more inforamtion about Alon Goren, please visit: www.alongoren.com or www.CrowdInvestSummit.comYou can follow Alon on Twitter @AlonGoren This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit microcapnewsletter.substack.com

For this episode of Planet MicroCap Podcast, I spoke with Mark Vonderwell, also known as “Googie” on MicroCapClub.com. I met Mark at the MicroCapClub Leadership Summit last year in Chicago, and over breakfast, we discussed his investing approach. It was during this conversation that I was introduced to Mark’s particular focus and pension for investing in Special Situations. After meeting Mark in Chicago, I read a few of his articles he posted on MicroCapClub.com and thought he’d be the perfect guest to discuss investing in Special Situations. The goal for this episode is to learn more about different Special Situations, Mark’s approach to investing in Spinoffs and Rights Offerings, for example, and his advice for new MicroCap investors.Click here to rate and review the Planet MicroCap PodcastThe Planet MicroCap Podcast is brought to you by SNN Incorporated, publishers of StockNewsNow.com, The Official MicroCap News Source, and the MicroCap Review Magazine, the leading magazine in the MicroCap market - check out the latest issue here: MicroCap Review Winter/Spring 2017You can follow the Planet MicroCap Podcast on Twitter @BobbyKKraft, and you can also listen to this interview on StockNewsNow.comFor more information about Mark Vonderwell, and read his articles, please visit: www.MicroCapClub.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit microcapnewsletter.substack.com

For this episode of Planet MicroCap Podcast, I spoke with Ralph Garcea from Echelon Wealth Partners. Ralph was a participant on the “Institutional Investors” panel at the Planet MicroCap Showcase, which is available on Stock News Now’s YouTube channel. After that panel, I had the pleasure of speaking to Ralph more, and I thought he would be a great guest to have to describe his experiences as a professional analyst. We’ve spoken to a lot of individual investors on the podcast discussing their strategies and I was curious if there was a fundamental difference between them and professional analysts. The goal for this episode is to learn more about how a professional analyst goes about doing their due diligence and research on a MicroCap company.Click here to rate and review the Planet MicroCap PodcastThe Planet MicroCap Podcast is brought to you by SNN Incorporated, publishers of StockNewsNow.com, The Official MicroCap News Source, and the MicroCap Review Magazine, the leading magazine in the MicroCap market - check out the latest issue here: MicroCap Review Winter/Spring 2017You can follow the Planet MicroCap Podcast on Twitter @BobbyKKraft, and you can also listen to this interview on StockNewsNow.comFor more information about Ralph Garcea and Echelon Wealth Partners, please visit: www.echelonpartners.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit microcapnewsletter.substack.com

For this episode of Planet MicroCap Podcast, I spoke with Denis Amato from Ancora Advisors. I recently met Denis while organizing the Planet MicroCap Showcase, and he sent me his firm’s investment letters to read. I thought they were really quite insightful on MicroCap investing. One letter that caught my eye was a paper they published in October 2014, called, “MicroCap Myths.” We’ve touched on this topic a couple times, especially when it comes to mainstream media’s portrayal of MicroCap stocks, well, penny stocks, and I thought this would be an interesting topic to cover in an episode. The goal for this episode is to learn more about Ancora’s MicroCap investment strategy and demystify some of their MicroCap Myths.Click here to rate and review the Planet MicroCap PodcastThe Planet MicroCap Podcast is brought to you by SNN Incorporated, publishers of StockNewsNow.com, The Official MicroCap News Source, and the MicroCap Review Magazine, the leading magazine in the MicroCap market - check out the latest issue here: MicroCap Review Winter/Spring 2017You can follow the Planet MicroCap Podcast on Twitter @BobbyKKraft, and you can also listen to this interview on StockNewsNow.comFor more information about Denis Amato and Ancora Advisors, please visit:www.Ancora.net This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit microcapnewsletter.substack.com

For this episode of Planet MicroCap Podcast, I spoke with Travis Wiedower from Wiedower Capital. I’ve been following Travis’ blog for some time, called, Egregiously Cheap, and reached out to him to see if he’d like to share his thoughts. The main point I wanted to talk about was this idea of CEO alignment with shareholders: Why this is important to him? Why he, “only look(s) at companies where the CEO owns a lot of stock”? The goal for this episode is to learn why Travis pays attention to CEO and C-suite pay and stock ownership, and why that is part of his investment criteria.Click here to rate and review the Planet MicroCap PodcastThe Planet MicroCap Podcast is brought to you by SNN Incorporated, publishers of StockNewsNow.com, The Official MicroCap News Source, and the MicroCap Review Magazine, the leading magazine in the MicroCap market - check out the latest issue here: MicroCap Review Winter/Spring 2017You can follow the Planet MicroCap Podcast on Twitter @BobbyKKraft, and you can also listen to this interview on StockNewsNow.comFor more information about Travis Wiedower and Wiedower Capital, please visit:www.WiedowerCapital.comTravis' blog "Egregiously Cheap" - www.traviswiedower.comTravis' Twitter: @WiedowerCapital This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit microcapnewsletter.substack.com

For this episode of Planet MicroCap Podcast, I spoke with Meredith Brill, who goes by the handle @LockStockBarrl on Twitter and the MicroCapClub.com. We were introduced through a mutual friend, and as you will hear, we discuss how she has been able to leverage her professional skills to help her develop an investing thesis on a potential investment, and to assess her current portfolio. The goal for this episode is to understand that your professional skills can be quite useful when you’re developing your MicroCap investing strategy.Click here to rate and review the Planet MicroCap PodcastThe Planet MicroCap Podcast is brought to you by SNN Incorporated, publishers of StockNewsNow.com, The Official MicroCap News Source, and the MicroCap Review Magazine, the leading magazine in the MicroCap market - check out the latest issue here: MicroCap Review Winter/Spring 2017You can follow the Planet MicroCap Podcast on Twitter @BobbyKKraft, and you can also listen to this interview on StockNewsNow.comYou can follow Meredith Brill on Twitter: @LockStockBarrl This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit microcapnewsletter.substack.com

I’m very excited to share with you the first-ever live Planet MicroCap Podcast that I recently hosted at the Planet Microcap Showcase 2017 in Las Vegas. My guests for this panel were Chris Irons, Brandon Mackie, Jason Hirschman and Chris Lahiji – all previous guests on Planet MicroCap. You’re probably asking yourself why I asked these panelists to join me for this momentous occasion? I think they provide a healthy difference of experience and insight that they drew upon to tackle tough, difficult questions we continue to ask ourselves each day when covering the MicroCap stock market. As you will hear, their difference of opinion on certain topics demonstrates that there is no one right way to invest in MicroCap stocks, and multiple perspectives provides multiple potential answers to the same problem.As Benjamin Franklin famously said: “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” The goal for this episode, and every episode, is to provide more knowledge and insight to help you on your investing journey. I’d like to thank Chris Irons, Brandon Mackie, Jason Hirschman and Chris Lahiji for joining me on this dais and sharing their perspectives, and especially like to thank everyone who came to the Planet MicroCap Showcase 2017, and look forward to seeing you all in 2018.Click here to rate and review the Planet MicroCap PodcastThe Planet MicroCap Podcast is brought to you by SNN Incorporated, publishers of StockNewsNow.com, The Official MicroCap News Source, and the MicroCap Review Magazine, the leading magazine in the MicroCap market - check out the latest issue here: MicroCap Review Winter/Spring 2017You can follow the Planet MicroCap Podcast on Twitter @BobbyKKraft, and you can also listen to this interview on StockNewsNow.comFor more information about our panelists, please go here:Chris Irons, @QTRResearch, www.GeoInvesting.comBrandon Mackie, @SmallCapDisc, www.SmallCapDiscoveries.comJason Hirschman, @EightTrack18Chris Lahiji, @theLDMicro, www.LDMicro.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit microcapnewsletter.substack.com

For this episode of Planet MicroCap Podcast, I spoke with Ben Carlson, Author of the book, “A Wealth of Common Sense.” I picked up Ben’s book not too long ago and found it very useful and informative. The over-arching theme throughout the book, as it states on the cover, is answering the question, “why simplicity trumps complexity in any investment plan.” I thought this would be a great topic to discuss with Ben for the podcast. The goal for this episode is to understand why simple solutions can be used to solve complex problems. As Warren Buffet states, “Investing is simple, but not easy.”Click here to rate and review the Planet MicroCap PodcastThe Planet MicroCap Podcast is brought to you by SNN Incorporated, publishers of StockNewsNow.com, The Official MicroCap News Source, and the MicroCap Review Magazine, the leading magazine in the MicroCap market - check out the latest issue here: MicroCap Review Winter/Spring 2017For more information about Ben Carlson and where to buy "A Wealth of Common Sense", please visit: Website: www.awealthofcommonsense.comTwitter: @awealthofcs This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit microcapnewsletter.substack.com

For this episode of Planet MicroCap Podcast, I spoke with Len Haussler, Founder and Portfolio Manager at Opus Capital Management. I reached out to his firm to discuss their MicroCap Value strategy that uses more of a quantitative approach. I’ve yet to do an interview with someone that employs this strategy and I was quite curious as to how it all works.Also, I’m very excited to announce that Len will be joining us in Las Vegas at the Planet MicroCap Showcase, April 26-28, where he’ll be speaking on the MicroCap Institutional Investor panel. He’ll be joined by Bill Nasgovitz from Heartland Advisors, Ralph Garcea from Echelon Wealth Partners, and the panel will be moderated by Jason Paltrowitz from OTC Markets. They will all be discussing their unique approaches to MicroCap investing. There is still time to register, simply send us an email at [email protected], and we will send you a link to register.Click here to rate and review the Planet MicroCap PodcastThe Planet MicroCap Podcast is brought to you by SNN Incorporated, publishers of StockNewsNow.com, The Official MicroCap News Source, and the MicroCap Review Magazine, the leading magazine in the MicroCap market - check out the latest issue here: MicroCap Review Winter/Spring 2017For more information about Len Haussler and Opus Capital Management, please visit: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/opus-capital-managementTwitter: @opuscapitalmgmt https://twitter.com/opuscapitalmgmtFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009248111373Website: www.opusinc.comPhone: 513-621-6787Address: 221 E. 4th Street, Suite 2700 – Cincinnati, OH 45202 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit microcapnewsletter.substack.com

For this episode of Planet MicroCap Podcast, I had the honor of speaking with Professor and Value Investor, Sanjay Bakshi. I was first introduced to Sanjay at the MicroCapClub Leadership Summit 2016 in Chicago – thank you, Ian and Mike for the introduction. He was a speaker at their event, and after his speech I did some more research on him. I was blown away – he above all else, has this insatiable desire for knowledge, which hits home for me. This interview took about six months to book and I’m so grateful for this opportunity. Sanjay Bakshi, as it states on SanjayBakshi.net, is an Adjunct Professor at Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, in India, where he teaches a popular course Behavioral Finance and Business Valuation. He also is a Managing Partner at ValueQuest Capital LLP. On his websites, you can find his teachings and thoughts on investing, which are quite insightful.We covered a lot in this interview, which went into two recording sessions. In between the sessions, I did catch a cold, so I do apologize if I sound different. All I can say is thank you again Sanjay for taking the time to do the interview with me and I am incredibly grateful for the wisdom you imparted.Click here to rate and review the Planet MicroCap PodcastThe Planet MicroCap Podcast is brought to you by SNN Incorporated, publishers of StockNewsNow.com, The Official MicroCap News Source, and the MicroCap Review Magazine, the leading magazine in the MicroCap market - check out the latest issue here: MicroCap Review Winter/Spring 2017For more information about Sanjay Bakshi, please visit:Blog: https://fundooprofessor.wordpress.com/Site: https://www.sanjaybakshi.net/Twitter: @Sanjay__BakshiYou can follow the Planet MicroCap Podcast on Twitter @BobbyKKraft, and you can also listen to this interview on StockNewsNow.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit microcapnewsletter.substack.com

For this episode of Planet MicroCap Podcast, I spoke with Jeff Gramm, Author of the book, “Dear Chairman.” In Episode 22 with Adam Epstein, we discussed at length the importance of corporate governance, not just for MicroCap boardrooms, but for all public companies. Since that conversation, I wanted to learn more about corporate governance and what should be done in the event that C-suite management and board of directors aren’t acting in the best interest of shareholders. I discovered the best way for me to understand this topic was anecdotally. I came across “Dear Chairman” by Jeff Gramm on a reading list, and I’m glad I did because it really helped me understand the rise of shareholder activism and the effect it’s had on corporate governance. In this interview, you will learn about his background, his approach to investing and we discuss his book, “Dear Chairman.” Reading lists are great resources as I have found, and I highly recommend adding Jeff’s book to your list.Click here to rate and review the Planet MicroCap PodcastThe Planet MicroCap Podcast is brought to you by SNN Incorporated, publishers of StockNewsNow.com, The Official MicroCap News Source, and the MicroCap Review Magazine, the leading magazine in the MicroCap market - check out the latest issue here: MicroCap Review Winter/Spring 2017In this episode, Jeff and I discuss the following topics:- Jeff's background and how he got started investing in MicroCaps- His experience teaching a value investing course at Columbia Business School. - Qualitative vs. qualitative approaches to investing- His investing strategy when looking at MicroCap stocks- What is "Dear Chairman" about and why he felt it was important to describe this aspect of financial history- What is shareholder activism?- Is there a difference in shareholder activism between Large Caps and MicroCaps?- One prevailing theme that each activist observed is that the management ownership of the company was not in line with the interests of the shareholders – specifically, CEOs owning a very small percentage of the business. Why he thinks this persists, and even if a company is being run well, doesn’t that leave an operator vulnerable?- “If shareholders continue to be passive, they will continue to shorn like sheep” – especially with MicroCaps, while CEOs are much more accessible, where he draws the line between passive and active? If everyone was active, how can the CEO run his/her business?- What is the “Poison Pill”?- In chapter 5, you also highlight how institutions started taking a more active approach with their holdings. How has the awakening of institutional investors impacted public company governance and is there a fundamental difference than from individual shareholders?- Based on the many examples you gave in the book, for MicroCaps, what he thinks is the best formula for a corporate board- Each chapter of the book highlights a new “era” of shareholder activism – what era would he says he learned the most from and had the greatest affect on his approach investing- How he sees shareholder activism evolving- Advice for new MicroCap investorsFor more information about Jeff Gramm and "Dear Chairman", please visit:www.DearChairman.comYou can follow Jeff on Twitter @jeff_grammYou can follow the Planet MicroCap Podcast on Twitter @BobbyKKraft, and you can also listen to this interview on StockNewsNow.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit microcapnewsletter.substack.com

For this episode of Planet MicroCap Podcast, I spoke with Paul Andreola and Brandon Mackie, Editor and Writer/Researcher at Small Cap Discoveries. I’m very excited that Paul and Brandon will be speaking at our annual event, the Planet MicroCap Showcase – April 26-28, 2017 at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, NV. They have a very unique MicroCap investing perspective, which we discuss at length in this interview, especially with regard to their core investing strategy and process when looking at Canadian MicroCap stocks.I also spoke with them about the panels they will be speaking on at the Planet MicroCap Showcase, discuss at length the history, investing landscape and infrastructure in Canada, as well as, accessibility for US investors to invest in Canadian listings and their assessment of the Canadian investing climate currently. The goal for this episode is learn more about Brandon and Paul’s strategies when looking at Canadian MicroCap stocks, how they find new ideas and their thoughts on the current Canadian investing market.Click here to rate and review the Planet MicroCap PodcastThe Planet MicroCap Podcast is brought to you by SNN Incorporated, publishers of StockNewsNow.com, The Official MicroCap News Source, and the MicroCap Review Magazine, the leading magazine in the MicroCap market - check out the latest issue here: MicroCap Review Winter/Spring 2017In this episode, Paul, Brandon and I discuss the following topics:- Brandon and Paul's backgrounds and how they got started investing in MicroCap stocks- When and why they both started looking at Canadian MicroCap stocks - What is Small Cap Discoveries and is there a sector or sectors in particular they focus on- Core investing strategy when assessing a potential new investment- How do they find new ideas- At Small Cap Discoveries, they cover Canadian microcaps primarily, and its been gaining more visibility. Why do they think this is?- Is it difficult for US investors to invest in Canadian MicroCap stocks?- Where they both see the Canadian MicroCap market going- With more attention given to the sector, are they worried that all the new quality stories have been exhausted- Brandon and Paul will be speaking at the Planet MicroCap Showcase in Las Vegas, April 26-28, 2017. Brandon will be on the first ever LIVE Planet MicroCap Podcast, and Paul will be joining Maj Soueidan and Brent Cook on the MicroCap newsletter panel. Why do they think MicroCap newsletters are important to the MicroCap communityFor more information about Paul Andreola, Brandon Mackie and to subscribe to their newsletter, please visit:www.SmallCapDiscoveries.comYou can follow Paul on Twitter @PaulAndreolaYou can follow Brandon and Small Cap Discoveries @SmallCapDiscYou can follow the Planet MicroCap Podcast on Twitter @BobbyKKraft, and you can also listen to this interview on StockNewsNow.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit microcapnewsletter.substack.com

For this episode of Planet MicroCap Podcast, I spoke with Rupert Hargreaves, Editor of the Hidden Value Stocks Newsletter and Value Reporter at ValueWalk.com. Rupert’s website, ValueWalk.com, has a vast amount of information and resources related to Value Investing, including: investing book recommendations and stock screeners based on strategies put forth by well-known value investors, as well as interviews Rupert has conducted with well-known hedge fund and portfolio managers. One aspect I love about investing is the application of principles that were successful for one asset class and if they can be applied to another asset class. The goal for this episode is to learn more about some of the greatest investors of all time, resources available at ValueWalk.com, and Rupert’s favorite lessons he’s learned in his conversations with hedge fund and portfolio managers.The Planet MicroCap Podcast is brought to you by SNN Incorporated, publishers of StockNewsNow.com, The Official MicroCap News Source, and the MicroCap Review Magazine, the leading magazine in the MicroCap market - check out the latest issue here: MicroCap Review Winter/Spring 2017In this episode, Rupert and I discuss the following topics:- Rupert's background and your experience with MicroCap stocks- What is ValueWalk.com?- His goals with ValueWalk.com and why do he feels its necessary to share the information that it does- His recommendations for investing books and why those for new MicroCap investors- He's done extensive work on some of the greatest investors of our time, like Benjamin Graham and Warren Buffet – what was their investing style and why has it stood the test of time?- Overview of the stock screeners featured on ValueWalk.com- Some of your favorite lessons he's learned from his conversations with hedge fund and portfolio managers- His advice for new MicroCap investorsFor more information about Rupert Hargreaves, Value Walk and Hidden Value Stocks Newsletter, please visit:www.ValueWalk.com and www.HiddenValueStocks.comYou can follow Rupert on Twitter @ruperthargreav1You can follow the Planet MicroCap Podcast on Twitter @BobbyKKraft, and you can also listen to this interview on StockNewsNow.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit microcapnewsletter.substack.com