Choosing Business Over Academia

This chapter explores the journey of an investor who chose to drop out of college to pursue a career in business, driven by a desire for independent learning and entrepreneurship. It highlights their unique investment strategies while reflecting on the challenges faced in a traditional brokerage environment.

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IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:

04:04 - How John Spears became obsessed with investing when he was 12 years old.
11:34 - How skipping school to meet an investing legend set him on a path to success.
16:07 - How a catastrophic early investment humbled John & taught him to be more prudent.
24:12 - Why he focuses intensely on tracking insider buying of cheap stocks by top executives.
27:28 - What he learned by studying Ben Graham & teaching himself to buy cheap stocks.
32:42 - How Warren Buffett bought his stake in Berkshire Hathaway through Tweedy, Browne.
41:54 - What it was like sharing an office with another fabled investor, Walter Schloss.
50:12 - Why John owns high-quality compounders like Heineken & Nestle, which aren’t cheap.
52:01 - What empirical research has taught him about the strategies that work best over time.
1:01:29 - Why we should focus on achieving “satisfactory” returns, not shooting the lights out.
1:08:40 - Why it’s wise to avoid a lot of debt, live within your means, & keep ample cash reserves.
1:12:02 - Why we should diversify overseas, maximizing our odds of finding undervalued stocks.
1:13:36 - How John thinks about investing in foreign markets like China, the U.K., & Switzerland.
1:20:40 - Why he prefers to own a “dull old” stock like Tesco, instead of something sexier & riskier.
1:27:42 - What factors have contributed to him having a happy life.
1:38:01 - How the principles he learned as a Quaker have influenced the way he lives & works.
1:50:36 - Why he regards capitalism as a powerful force for good.

Disclaimer: Slight discrepancies in the timestamps may occur due to podcast platform differences.

BOOKS AND RESOURCES

Join the exclusive TIP Mastermind Community to engage in meaningful stock investing discussions with Stig, Clay, and the other community members.
Tweedy, Browne’s research papers on what’s worked in investing over the long run.
The Tweedy, Browne International Value Fund.
William Green’s book, “Richer, Wiser, Happier” – read the reviews of this book.
William Green’s Twitter.

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