The Meb Faber Show - Better Investing

In episode 279, we welcome our guests, Kevin Davitt and John Hiatt, both of whom work for the Cboe as the Senior Options Institute Instructor and VP of Derivatives Strategy, respectively. In today’s episode, we’re talking about options, the VIX, and tail risk strategies. 2020 saw elevated volatility and record levels of option volume, and Kevin and John give us their perspective on this activity. We start with some basics of the VIX, how investors use and misuse it, and what the VIX says about the market over time. Then we get into tail risk strategies. We cover how investors should implement them, how to evaluate their success, and how these strategies can have an outsized impact on your portfolio. As we wind down, Kevin and John discuss ways to implement these types of strategies in a portfolio and best practices to communicate these strategies with your clients. Please enjoy this episode with Cboe’s Kevin Davitt and John Hiatt. This episode is sponsored by Masterworks. Masterworks is opening the doors to top-tier, blue-chip art investments to everyone. Use Promo Code “MEB” to skip their 15,000 person wait list. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 278, we welcome our guest, Lucas White, a portfolio manager for the Resources and Climate Change Strategies at GMO. In today’s episode we're talking all about resources and climate change as an investment strategy. Lucas sets the stage with why he believes the resource sector offers a huge opportunity and currently trades at an 80% discount to the broad equity market. Then we dive into GMO’s climate change strategy. Lucas explains what led them to focus on climate change and clean energy and officially launch a strategy in 2017. We talk about the allocation to different areas, including copper, food and water. As we wind down, Lucas explains how a traditional value shop like GMO applies their value lens to this growth area. Please enjoy this episode with GMOs’, Lucas White. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 277 is a replay of The Meb Faber Show’s top podcasts of 2020. Guests include Rick Rule, Joe Davis, and Tom Basso Hear Rick Rule discuss the forces he sees influencing gold and precious metal prices, give his take on commodities and natural resources, and provide practical thoughts on portfolio implementation. Next, listen to Joe Davis talk about the Vanguard Capital Markets Model, Vanguard's outlook for U.S. and foreign equities, and a fresh way of thinking about the evolution of knowledge and innovation called the "Idea Multiplier." Finally, hear long time trader and trend follower Tom Bass talk about his career, power laws and outliers, and why position sizing is so critical. All this and more in our replay of the top podcasts of 2020. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last year when we published The Best Investment Writing Volume 3, we offered authors the opportunity to record an audio version of their chapter to be released as a segment of the podcast, and listeners loved it. This year, we’re bringing you the entire volume of The Best Investment Writing Volume 4 in podcast format. You’ll hear from some of the most respected money managers and investment researchers all over the world. Contributors: Anil Rao and Raman Subramanian, Vineer Bhansali, Rob Arnott, Alec Lucas, Martin Tarlie, and Tyler from Portfolio Charts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 276, we welcome our guest, Craig Wichner, Founder of Farmland LP, a leading investment fund that generates returns by converting conventional commercial farmland to sustainable farmland. In today’s episode we learn the ins-and-outs of farmland as an asset class. Farmland has been an asset that’s been inaccessible for most people and Craig is trying to change that. We learn what piqued his interest in farmland and get an overview of the company, which now manages over 15,000 acres and $175 million in assets. He walks us through how the company manages the farms they acquire, focusing on both capital appreciation and increasing profits over time. We even talk about why owning an organic farm can serve as a hedge against a weaker dollar. As we start to wind down, Craig offers suggestions to policy makers on how to encourage inexpensive and environmentally friendly practices for farmers. All this and more with Farmland LP’s Craig Wichner! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 275, we welcome our guest, David Lau, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of DPL Financial Partners, a firm focused on the distribution of financial products geared toward the Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) and fee-based advisory channels. In today’s episode, we’re talking all about annuities. Annuities are often thought of as being too expensive and a bad product for clients, but David explains how his firm is changing that by removing the commission, which lowers the cost by 80%. We get into the benefit of annuities, which offer tax deferred accumulation and income generation, while also taking risk management into account. David explains how RIA’s are using annuities for clients and why they make sense in a world with rates so low around the globe. As we start to wind down, we hear about the future plans for the firm, which include building out their suite of offerings and eventually offering a direct-to-consumer product. Please enjoy this episode with DPL Financial Partners’ David Lau. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 274, we welcome our guest, Mitch Baruchowitz, a Managing Partner at Merida Capital Holdings, a private equity firm targeting fundamental growth drivers underpinning the rapid development of the cannabis industry. In today’s episode we’re talking about investing in the cannabis space. We hear what piqued Mitch’s interest in the cannabis space and what the process was like to get a cannabis license in Connecticut and build and operate a 65,000 square foot facility. Mitch explains what led him to start Merida Capital and how he knocked it out of the park with his investment in the unicorn GrowGen. We chat about what types of investments he looks to make and what the impact of COVID and 2020 elections have had on the space. As we wind down, Mitch shares why he launched a SPAC in 2019 before the craze began and what that process was like. Please enjoy this episode with Merida Capital Holdings’, Mitch Baruchowitz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 273, we welcome our guest, Adam Moelis, co-founder and CEO of Yotta Savings, which allows users to save money, earn over 2x the national average in interest and get weekly chances to win additional prizes up to $10 million through weekly random number drawings In today’s episode, we’re talking about how to use behavioral psychology to encourage American’s to save. We start with a somber look at the average American’s financial picture. Then Adam explains the history of lottery or prize-linked savings accounts and why the idea was mostly banned in the U.S. until 2015. He discusses the experience of going through Y Combinator’s first remote batch and then explains the lottery program, which offers users a chance to win between ten cents and ten million dollars. As we wind down, we hear about the company’s’ experimentation with customer acquisition with influencers and why they’ve focused on the social aspect of the app. Please enjoy this episode with Yotta Savings’, Adam Moelis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 272, we welcome our guest, Tobias Carlisle, founder and managing director of Acquirers Funds, where he serves as the portfolio manager of the firm’s deep value strategy. In today’s episode, we’re covering Tobias’ best idea: small cap and microcap value. Value stocks have underperformed but Tobias thinks now they offer a great risk/reward. He walks us through historical data and research from the past 200 years and why that leads him to believe value will outperform going forward. We compare the current setup to prior periods when value underperformed in 2000 and even talk about some of his favorite holdings. As we wind down, he touches on shorting the market and how it provides protection for long positions if the market falls over. Please enjoy this special “Best Ideas” episode with Acquirers Funds’ Tobias Carlisle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 271, we welcome our guest, Gary Zimmerman, Managing Partner of Six Trees Capital LLC and Founder of MaxMyInterest, a software platform that allocates individuals’ cash among their own bank accounts so that they earn the most interest possible while staying within the limits for FDIC government-deposit insurance. In today’s episode, we’re talking about how to actually earn some interest on your cash. Most banks today provide little to no interest and our guest has created a company that gives you a way to maximize your interest on deposits. Gary explains how trying to solve this problem for himself actually led our guest to start the company in 2013. We talk about how it works and why banks offer the Max platform a preferential rate, with the top rate on the platform right now at 85 basis-points, while most online banks are offering 25-60 basis-points. As we start to wind down, we hear Gary’s thoughts on the potential for negative interest rates, how banks are positioned, and why the product has been picked up by lots of RIA’s and financial advisors. Please enjoy this episode with Max My Interest’s, Gary Zimmerman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 270, we welcome our guest, Terri Spath, Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager at Sierra Investment Management, where she's responsible for market and economic analysis, portfolio allocation, investment strategy and building client solutions. In today's episode, we're talking about her rules based approach to investing. Terri talks about Sierra Investment Management's different funds, including their tactical junk bond fund and their muni-bond fund. She gets into the benefits of applying a trend following approach to her strategies, what she's seeing across different asset classes, and why she's bullish on municipal bonds and South Korea. As we start to wind down, Terri offers ways to implement some of these ideas with your own portfolio, whether it's with the equity or fixed-income portion. Please enjoy this episode with Sierra Investment Management's Terri Spath. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 269, we welcome our guest, Scott Lynn, the Founder & CEO of Masterworks, the first company to allow investors to buy shares representing ownership of great masterpieces by artists like Warhol, Monet, and more. In today’s episode, we’re getting into the ins-and-outs of the art market. It’s been around a long time, but investing in it hasn’t been widely accessible. Scott launched a business that has set out to change that. He takes us through some history and the evolution of the market. We discuss constructing a data set to formally analyze returns of the asset class, and what he and his team learned from the process. Scott talks about the interesting opportunity the art market offers from an investment standpoint, and specifically, what segments and artists the Masterworks team keeps their eye on. Please enjoy this episode with Masterworks’, Scott Lynn. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 268, we welcome our guest, Doug Ludlow, the co-founder and CEO of MainStreet, a startup making it easy for businesses to access government incentive programs. In today’s episode, we talking Doug’s best idea: unclaimed money for small businesses and startups. Every year the federal and local government have incentives that go unused and MainStreet’s platform is helping businesses access these and save around $75,000 per company! Doug updates us on MainStreet’s progress since we first heard from him earlier this year. He even have an exciting announcement on the company expanding their offering by almost doubling the available credits that companies have access to. As the conversation winds down, Doug provides some real examples of companies who have saved a large amount of money using their platform. Please enjoy this special “Best Ideas” episode with MainStreet’s Doug Ludlow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last year we brought listeners the entire volume of The Best Investment Writing Volume 3, in audio format, right here on the podcast. Listeners loved it, so we’re running it back again this year with The Best Investment Writing Volume 4. You’ll hear from some of the most respected money managers and investment researchers from all over the planet. Enough from me, let’s let Tyler take over this special episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 267, we welcome our guest, Edward Altman, professor at the Stern School of Business at NYU. In today’s episode, we’re talking corporate bankruptcy, high yield bonds and credit risk analysis. We talk to Professor Altman about the Altman Z-Score Model, which he created in 1968 to predict bankruptcies. He discusses the record high debt levels companies had at the end of 2019 right before COVID hit the U.S. and what he’s seen this year with a large number of billion dollar bankruptcies. He also touches on the jump in the rate of zombie companies around the world. As we start to wind down, Professor Altman explains why he is bullish on high quality junk bonds and why the happiest moment of his career was testifying in front of Congress in 2008 advocating bankruptcy for GM. All this and more in episode 267 with NYU’s Edward Altman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 266, we welcome our guest, Kiyan Zandiyeh, Chief Investment Officer for Sturgeon Capital, a leading frontier markets investment boutique focused on technology-enabled businesses that offer a product or service which solves an unserved, acute pain point for a large addressable market. We’re covering Kiyan’s best idea: frontier markets. With the U.S. markets near all-time highs, investors may want to look around the globe for other opportunities and frontier markets offer a unique risk/reward. Kiyan walks us through the current landscape and what countries he’s most interested in. He covers the most common risks investors need to be aware of, and why he’s focused on private companies utilizing technology in the ecommerce and enterprise SaaS spaces. As we wind down, he walks us through a couple real examples of investments he’s made in countries like Iran and Uzbekistan. Please enjoy this special “Best Ideas” episode with Sturgeon Capital’s Kiyan Zandiyeh. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last year we brought listeners the entire volume of The Best Investment Writing Volume 3, in audio format, right here on the podcast. Listeners loved it, so we’re running it back again this year with The Best Investment Writing Volume 4. You’ll hear from some of the most respected money managers and investment researchers from all over the planet. Enough from me, let’s let Martin take over this special episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 265, we welcome our guest, Rusty Vanneman, Chief Investment Officer for Orion Advisor Solutions. In today’s episode, we’re talking asset management programs and markets. We talk to Rusty about the state of the industry for turnkey asset management programs, which effectively allow advisors to break out on their own with built-in back office support and a suite of investment options. He gets into direct indexing, and why these customized solutions carry unique advantages for investors in areas like ESG implementation and tax-loss harvesting. Rusty shares his thoughts on markets and some reasons to maintain a bullish attitude. As we start to wind down, we dig into balance, global diversification, bonds, and getting creative to manage portfolio risk moving forward. All this and more in episode 265 with Orion’s Rusty Vanneman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 264, we welcome our guest, Sammy Courtright, co-founder of Ten Spot. In today’s episode, we’re talking about workforce engagement and solving some of the problems with distributed teams. Sammy tells us the backstory of Ten Spot and the re-branding process they’ve gone through to focus on technology to help the company streamline and scale. She explains the business model, how important it is with the modern workforce to make sure teams are engaged and connecting, and how Ten Spot is bringing engagement to the table. We discuss what’s on the horizon for the company, including some thoughts on international expansion. As the conversation winds down, Sammy shares the difficulty of navigating 2020, which not only includes trying to run the business, but extends to securing critical funding. All this and more in episode 264 with Ten Spot’s Sammy Courtright. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 263, we welcome our guest, Julian Klymochko, founder and CEO of Accelerate Financial Technologies, a firm delivering institutional caliber ETFs, ranging from absolute return strategies to private equity replication to arbitrage. In today’s episode we’re covering our guest’s best idea: SPAC arbitrage. It’s been a hot topic lately, and we dive into what the world of SPACs and SPAC arbitrage is all about. Julian offers a nice walk through of what a SPAC is and how the mechanics work. We cover what makes them such a unique vehicle for sponsors and investors alike, and get into the practical steps a SPAC must go through in the process of making business deals. We talk market dynamics, and chat about where the interesting arbitrage opportunities exist for investors. Please enjoy this special “Best Ideas” episode with Accelerate’s Julian Klymochko. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 262, we welcome our guest, Ihor Dusaniwsky, Managing Director of Predictive Analytics for S3 Partners. In today’s episode, we’re chatting all things short-selling. If you are managing money on behalf of others, or even for your own account and don’t know if you are earning money, or even how much, from lending your securities, this is a must listen. We cover the mechanics of short selling, that is, what actually happens when someone sells short a security. Ihor has said Tesla is the longest unprofitable short he’s ever seen. We chat Tesla and its status as the number-one short in the market right now by absolute size. We get into S3, and the unique, and frankly refreshing offering of providing timely, unbiased, stock loan data to investors. As we wind down, we cover some of Ihor’s lessons and takeaways from his time analyzing short interest data. All this and more in episode 262 with S3’s Ihor Dusaniwsky. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last year we brought listeners the entire volume of The Best Investment Writing Volume 3, in audio format, right here on the podcast. Listeners loved it, so we’re running it back again this year with The Best Investment Writing Volume 4. You’ll hear from some of the most respected money managers and investment researchers from all over the planet. Enough from me, let’s let Alec take over this special episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 261, we welcome our guest, Mike Lecours, co-founder of fpPathfinder, a firm developing flowcharts and checklists specifically to help advisors navigate complex financial planning questions to be more diligent in their planning processes. We’re covering Mike’s best idea: Checklists for financial advisors. Financial planning is no walk in the park. The rules that guide the advice planners’ offer their clients are always changing. We walk through the value that checklists can add for advisors. Not only can they help answer questions in a thorough, diligent manner, but they stand to offer efficiency gains as well. We get into how advisors are putting them to work, and sometimes even leaning on them to demonstrate what the process and path of advice might look like. As the conversation winds down we talk about evolving the resources into a digital solution to make the tools even more user friendly and integrated into the advisor workflow. Please enjoy this special “Best Ideas” episode with fpPathfinder’s Mike Lecours. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 260, we welcome our guest, Joel Greenblatt, Co-Chief Investment Officer of Gotham Asset Management. In today’s episode we’re talking about real proposals for real problems. We dig into topics that touch everyone in our society. We get into long-term savings, (by the way, nearly half of all working age families have zero retirement savings beyond what they might expect from social security) and discuss a novel tweak to the model that might deliver critical retirement savings for people who may not be in a position to save enough for retirement. We touch on our education system, where the core issues stem from, and how education might be able to be improved for all. We talk about the advantages of being open to immigration, and how a movement of alternative certification might spur an ecosystem that can improve how the workforce prepares for jobs and offer more direct ways of demonstrating technical know-how. Make sure you listen all the way to the end, as Joel covers some high level thoughts about how he thinks about value investing and his perspective on markets right now. All this and more in episode 260 with Gotham Asset Management’s Joel Greenblatt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 259, we welcome our guest, Shane Heath, founder and CEO of MUD\WTR. In today’s episode, we’re diving into building a brand around needing something more out of coffee and the morning ritual. Shane takes us through his relationship with coffee, why it no longer served him, and what he did to improve on the cup of joe many of us have built into our daily routine. From launch, it was only 6 months before the company hit 6 figures in monthly revenue. We hear about the evolution from filling orders from his kitchen and delivering them to the post office on his lunch break, to quitting his job, raising money, and scaling the business. As we wind down, we discuss how the company was positioned for the current COVID environment as a modern D-to-C brand. All this and more in episode 259 with MUD\WTR’s Shane Heath. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s episode we welcome our guest, Alpha Architect’s founder and CEO, Wes Gray. We’re covering Wes’s best idea: Launching an ETF. We cover the ups and downs of the asset management business, and the different permutations his business went through before eventually landing on the ETF structure as the best way forward. From transparency to tax efficiency to ease of access for investors, we chat about why someone should consider launching an ETF. We spend a lot of time walking through the process of getting a fund up-and-running, which is not for the faint of heart, and even walk through some case studies of some folks that have launched ETFs with Alpha Architect’s white label business. Please enjoy this special “Best Ideas” episode with Alpha Architect’s Wes Gray. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 257 we welcome our guest, Marc Levine. In today’s episode, we’re approaching investing from the institutional, pension side of things. We talk to Marc about his role at ISBI. When he was there, there were 80 or so hedge funds in the portfolio. He discusses the mood in the boardroom when he made the decision to fire the vast majority of them and index the portfolio instead. We get into his interesting way of thinking of investors in the context of a ‘Tribal’ model, and why he feels investors should honor all 4 tribes. We even get his thoughts on 13F investing. All this and more in episode 257 with Marc Levine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last year we brought listeners the entire volume of The Best Investment Writing Volume 3, in audio format, right here on the podcast. Listeners loved it, so we’re running it back again this year with The Best Investment Writing Volume 4. You’ll hear from some of the most respected money managers and investment researchers from all over the planet. Enough from me, let’s let Rob take over this special episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In our inaugural ‘what’s your best idea’ episode, we welcome our guests, Jeremy Schwartz, WisdomTree’s Executive Vice President and Head of Global Research, and Jesper Koll, Senior Advisor to WisdomTree. In today’s episode we’re covering their best idea: Japanese stocks. We get a bit of history on Japan’s past boom and bust cycle and the way it has shaped attitudes toward risk and investing in the country. We talk about Japan’s corporate culture, and how it has changed over the years. We discuss the opportunity the Japanese stock market represents on the basis of fundamentals as the stock market now trades at the lowest valuation in 30 years, and what it’s going to take to get the market moving. We even get into the recent positions Warren Buffett has taken in a few Japanese firms. All this and more in this special best ideas episode with WisdomTree’s Jeremy Schwartz and Jesper Koll. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 255 we welcome our guest, Matt Peterson, Managing Partner of Peterson Capital Management. In today’s episode, we’re getting into concentrated, deep-value investing. We get into Matt’s long-term value based framework and a truly concentrated portfolio of about 12 names right now. We cover his position entry strategy of writing cash-secured puts, which has helped the fund during periods of heightened volatility like we’ve experienced recently. We explore some interesting insights on Charlie Munger’s Daily Journal Corporation, and jumping on the opportunity to purchase Berkshire class B shares by writing puts as shares came down in price earlier in the year. We get into some high level thoughts on the economy, the risk of holding cash and bonds, and the need to be prepared for some inflation down the road. All this and more in episode 255 with Peterson Capital Management’s, Matt Peterson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 254 we welcome our guest, Ken Nguyen, co-founder and CEO of Republic. In today’s episode, we’re talking startups, and how to make private investing widespread and available to everyone. Traditionally, investment minimums have been high, but in grappling with their mission to bring startup investing to the masses, Republic has brought investment minimums down to twenty and even ten dollars in some cases. We get into Republic’s investor friendly model, and some of the advantages companies may gain from fund-raising on the platform. We cover some background on laws that shaped who can invest in private companies and discuss recent developments that have brought about some welcome change to accredited investor rules. As we wind down, you definitely don’t want to miss the innovative approach Republic has taken to offer yet another iteration on startup investing through the Republic Note. All this and more in episode 254 with Republic’s Ken Nguyen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 253 we welcome our guest, Carl Chang, founder and CEO of Kairos Investment Management. In today’s episode, we’re talking real estate. It’s not every day I get a chance to talk with a pizza entrepreneur, successful real-estate investment management firm CEO, or Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Board Member. Carl is all three. We get into Carl’s backstory and kicking off his career in the real estate business as a steward of family money. We discuss his firm’s investment criteria, looking at the fundamental core value of bricks and mortar, and evaluating opportunities by understanding whether or not they think they can make money in downside scenarios and earn durable cash flow. Carl reminds us that real estate is not all about yield, and walks us through what he was seeing in the early 2000s that made him a net seller during that period. We talk about what the real estate landscape looks like going forward, from opportunities on the debt side of real estate to multifamily housing. As we wind down, we discuss Carl’s role as a board member of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and what it’s been like to launch an innovative spin on pizza with Pieology. All this and more in episode 253 with Kairos’ Carl Chang. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last year we brought listeners the entire volume of The Best Investment Writing Volume 3, in audio format, right here on the podcast. Listeners loved it, so we’re running it back again this year with The Best Investment Writing Volume 4 You’ll hear from some of the most respected money managers and investment researchers from all over the planet. Enough from me, let’s let Vineer take over this special episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 252 we welcome our guest, Cem Karsan, Founder and Senior Managing Partner of Aegea Capital Management. In today’s episode, we’re getting deep into the weeds of market volatility. We hear from Cem about cutting his teeth in market making and S&P 500 equity options and eventually launching a strategy focused on long-volatility. We get into structural inefficiencies around market vol that tend to increase during times of market stress. We talk about what the year has looked like so far from his perspective, and the feedback loop and risks associated with liquidity, compressed risk premia, and a low-yield environment. We chat about what he sees markets pricing in and risk perceptions around the election, and some trade ideas to potentially take advantage of what he believes is mispriced volatility in the December to January period. All this and more in episode 252 with Aegea’s Cem Karsan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 251 we welcome our guest, Robert Jacobson, entrepreneur, advisor, and founder of Space Advisors, a strategic consulting firm for space startups. In today’s episode, we’re jumping into the space industry. Robert has a new book out, Space Is Open For Business, The Industry That Can Transform Humanity. Through his career, investments, and his process of research and writing his book, he’s acquired a wealth of knowledge that we get into today. We cover some of the historical groundwork on the space industry. We discuss ‘New Space,’ some interesting work that’s being developed, and what the funding scene looks like right now. We later get into global space, and some recent initiatives around the world to establish space industry presence. All this and more in episode 251 with Space Advisors’ Robert Jacobson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 250 we welcome our guest, Kevin Gibbon, co-founder and CEO of Airhouse. In today’s episode, we’re talking about easing the frustration of shipping, operations and logistics for ecommerce companies. We don’t often hear about the trials and tribulations many founders go through when starting and running businesses. Kevin shares what it was like to launch and run a business that he ultimately was forced to close. He shares the hard lessons he learned, and importantly, the insights he was able to extract and later breathe into a brand new effort with his current company, Airhouse. We talk about the pain point direct-to-consumer brands face when it comes to operations and logistics. We walk through the technology Airhouse is bringing to the table and the deep knowledge they’re learning about warehouses based on their own network data that’s enabling superior matching for customers. Kevin shares his goal that one day, Airhouse might empower the solo entrepreneur to have a 20-30 million-dollar brand. All this and more in episode 250 with Airhouse’s Kevin Gibbon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 249 we welcome our guest, Ben Savage, Partner at Clocktower Technology Ventures. In today’s episode, we’re diving into VC and innovation in the financial services industry. Ben has had an interesting path, and having spent some time at Bridgewater along the way, we spend a bit of time on high level thoughts about investing, allocation, and risk parity strategies. We get into the heart of what Clocktower Technology Ventures is all about. We talk about the small allocation of venture capital dollars financial services industry has received relative to tech and life sciences, and get the lowdown on why this pocket of the startup world is so compelling. We even get the rundown on a couple of portfolio investments, and what makes them so exciting. All this and more in episode 249 with Clocktower Technology Ventures’ Ben Savage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last year we brought listeners the entire volume of The Best Investment Writing Volume 3, in audio format, right here on the podcast. Listeners loved it, so we’re running it back again this year with The Best Investment Writing Volume 4 You’ll hear from some of the most respected money managers and investment researchers from all over the planet. Enough from me, let’s let Anil take over this special episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 248 we welcome our guest, JC Parets, Founder and Chief Strategist of All Star Charts. In today’s episode, we’re talking technical analysis, and what’s going on in the markets right now. We cover JC’s jump into technical analysis as a way to seek a better way to manage risk responsibly. We chat about his process of going through thousands of charts each week to help him see what’s going on in markets all over the world. We get into what’s going on in markets right now, stocks making new highs, rotation into emerging markets, a weaker US dollar, and July’s best performing index, the Dow Jones Transportation Average. He even offers a simple and refreshing answer to the question of what would make him turn bearish right now. All this and more in episode 248 with All Star Chart’s JC Parets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 247 we welcome our guest, David Oates, CEO and Co-Founder of Curtsy. In today’s episode, we’re talking about running a company completely designed around making it easy for people to buy and sell clothes. We chat about the pivot the company took from launching as an app allowing women to rent clothing from each other to an app focused on buying and selling. We discuss some of the user-friendly features that have moved the needle for the company, like the effort put into curating and merchandising the items to the Curtsy shipping kit that keeps users from needing to leave their home to ship items. Curtsy has found themselves in the fortunate position of increased growth during this environment, but our guest lets us in on what the team is focused on in the near future, and what they are excited about as they look ahead. All this and more in episode 247 with David Oates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 246 we welcome our guests, the legendary Eric Sprott, and Oxygen Capital’s Mark O’Dea. In today’s episode, we’re talking gold, silver, mining and exploration. We talk about recent performance, and the popularity of gold among some high-profile institutional investors. We get into the lifecycle of mining and exploration companies, and allocating capital over the full lifecycle. We hear the story of the Gold Corp. Challenge, and how that became the launch point that took Mark O’Dea from contract geologist to running what would later become a multi-billion takeout by Newmont. We discuss the M&A appetite in the sector, and cover some practical thoughts on how investors can put some of the things from this conversation together to potentially implement a few ideas for their own portfolio. All this and more in episode 246 with Eric Sprott and Mark O’Dea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 245 we welcome our guest Éva Goicochea, founder and CEO of Maude. In today’s episode, we’re talking about building a modern business around sexual wellness. We start with Éva’s background in the business world, and as a legislative aide in healthcare during her early career. We talk about launching Maude, the origin story, and the need for a brand that can push to de-stigmatize sex and focus on intimacy and wellness for all people. We discuss the evolution of the sexual wellness industry, and the laws that shaped the industry we’re familiar with today. We get into innovating sexual wellness products, and how Maude is doing that from a core base of quality, inclusive, essential products, and modern packaging. We dive into the business, some of the interesting challenges the company has faced recently, from dealing with trying to keep products in stock, global supply chain issues during COVID, and finalizing a 3rd round of funding. All this and more in episode 245 with Maude’s Éva Goicochea Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 244 we welcome our guest, long time trader and trend follower, Tom Basso. In today’s episode, we’re talking trend following and trading. We start with some of Tom’s early trades, cutting his teeth on corn futures, and, as a disciplined trend follower, going through hell before a silver futures trade was in the books for a nice gain. We discuss power laws and outliers, and his finding that it sometimes came down to a handful of trades that made the difference between profit and breaking even, or even losing money for the year. We cover the critical concept of position sizing, and why it has been a cornerstone of Tom’s trading systems over the years. We get into the mental side of investing, and as we wind down, Tom lets us in on the virtues of trading multiple, symbiotic strategies. All this and more in episode 244 with Tom Basso. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 243 we welcome our guest, Doug Ludlow, CEO of MainStreet. In today’s episode, we’re talking about saving meaningful money. We kick off the conversation with MainStreet’s launch of an incentive campaign that would pay people $10,000 to leave the Bay Area. As a result, they received an influx of local and state governments reaching out to inform them of their own incentive programs. This caused MainStreet to shift the product vision to serve the small business and startup community as a government relations and finance team, making it easy to gain access to the same tools and incentive programs being used by sophisticated corporate finance groups. Better yet, the average company is saving around $50,000 per year! We dive into the user experience of integrating MainStreet into HR platforms, and even get into some of the tax credits out there, some of the qualifications to access them, and the success-based business model the team has implemented. All this and more in episode 243 with Doug Ludlow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 242 we welcome our guest, Ham Serunjogi, co-founder and CEO of Chipper Cash. In today’s episode, we’re talking cross border peer-to-peer money transfer. We walk through the reality of limited access to easy and seamless money interaction available to many people outside of the US and other more developed regions of the world. We chat path the road Chipper Cash has taken to develop an easy-to-use P2P money transfer platform in Africa, which has the highest cost of sending money in the world. We even get into the thinking behind launching the product, resisting the urge to go 0-100 right out of the gate, and taking time to process high-value feedback in order to continue to develop and improve the offering. All this and more in episode 242 with Ham Serunjogi. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 241 we welcome our guest, Doug Ramsey, Chief Investment Officer of The Leuthold Group. In today’s episode, we’re talking markets. We jump right in with a walk through of Leuthold’s sober 10-year market forecast. We talk about valuation spreads between growth and value, and Leuthold’s thinking about how to be positioned based on takeaways from their research. We get into thoughts on the US dollar, commodities, the opportunity in foreign markets, and the fallout in earnings power from the recent downturn. All this and more in episode 241 with Doug Ramsey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 240 we welcome our guest, Stefan Batory, co-founder and CEO of Booksy. In today’s episode, we’re talking about helping folks in the hair and beauty industry get organized and get their time back when it comes to scheduling customers. We discuss the headaches and time-sink these professionals experience when it comes to scheduling; the majority of them are still using some type of manual or non-digitalized solution when it comes to scheduling. We cover launching and growing the business, the fragmented nature of the industry, and the massive opportunity for Booksy as they address the market, which represents hundreds of billions of dollars in services globally. As we wind down, we even touch on some memorable moments of gratitude the Booksy team has received from customers that have achieved a better and healthier work/life balance. All this and more in episode 240 with Stefan Batory. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 239 we welcome our guest, Chris Fernandez, co-founder and CEO of EnsoData. In today’s episode, we’re talking all things sleep. We walk through the origin story of EnsoData, from the founders’ initial idea followed by 12 pivots to arrive at their flagship product, EnsoSleep. We talk about analyzing sleep data, solving hard data analysis problems with AI, and boostrapping enough data into the EnsoData ecosystem to build and validate the product. We get into the long-term vision for the company, and even the potential for transferability of their algorithms and AI into other areas outside of sleep. All this and more in episode 239 with Chris Fernandez. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 238 we welcome our guest, Mark Straub, co-founder and CEO of Smile Identity. In today’s episode, we’re talking user authentication and biometric checks. We kick off the episode with some observations from Mark about the evolution of startup fundraising as he’s traveled the world. We get into some of the efforts that have been in place by organizations in emerging economies to prevent fraud, and some of the issues that have resulted as a byproduct. We discuss the backstory of Smile Identity and the current use case for Smile Identity’s technology. We dive into the nuts and bolts of challenges faced by face recognition technology, and the thought and work involved to implement and train algorithms for biometric checks. All this and more in episode 238 with Mark Straub. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 237 we welcome our guest, Ryan McQuaid, co-founder and CEO of PlushCare. In today’s episode, we’re getting into a hot topic in this pandemic environment, telehealth. We start by hearing the origin story behind PlushCare as Ryan shares his personal experience of receiving fully digital support and medical care from a friend who was a Stanford physician, identifying that 1% of Americans can afford the price-tag of a concierge doctor, and pursuing the opportunity to democratize the model, making it widely available to all. We walk through the experience PlushCare provides patients and physicians, and the emphasis on investing a lot on the physician side of the business. We cover the experience of navigating COVID as a telehealth provider, and the need to increase physician capacity 4X! We get into the state of the industry, and our Ryan’s thoughts about this being the future of patient-physician relationships, and the vision for the company going forward. All this and more in episode 237 with Ryan McQuaid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices